unity| lo'ak fic

come

the plan.
the plan was simple. gather the na'vi people and remove the sky demons from their home.

that is what lo'ak repeated as he headed to Tawakamí. that along with the words of his father. a warning of his journey and the people he would introduce himself to. "they are a cautious clan, dedicated to protecting ewya and her creations. they don't attack unless you make the first move. but if they sense anything with even a hint of malicious intent, they will kill you."

his fathers words cycled through his mind. his heart raced with the thought of his warning. he must be precise in his motives or the consequences could be dire.

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the air grew damp around him which was a sign he was nearing the Tawakamí. sunlight became sparse, being blocked by the overgrown nature around him. it was like everything was coated with water, hugging every rock and organism. the trees became dense and tangled, as if they were desperate searching for the sun. lo'ak looked down at the water below him to see the once clear blue mud together with a deep green. everything was now littered with the color. the one thing he noted about the environment was its beauty. it was not the same beauty as his home, but it was still beautiful. it was ewya's beauty. the world seemed to flourish here, which is why he found it beautiful. it was comforting and different, the sight allowed him to relax.

beneath his ikran, the sounds of rattled water and na'vi cries shook lo'ak from his trance. he had arrived. there looked five of them gliding against the dense water, unaware of his presence. they looked to be hunters from the dead carcasses strapped to the back of their scaled animals. his heart begins to speed again when he decides to fly over their heads. it's better they know of his presence now rather than when he lands. the ikran's shadow casts over them, but he doesn't dare to look down. silence fell over the hunters as he shoots ahead of them. it was not a long silence for it was filled with the warnings cries of their horns and voices. this only rattled the boy more. he slows his ikran and attempts to calm his heart before landing. his motives must be precise. there can be no faults in his moves.

lo'ak lands only to see the hunters already surrounding him, weapons drawn. the air was filled with silence as he tried to muster up as much confidence as he could with thé reminder that he could afford any mistakes. with one more breath, he slides off his ikran with his hands out. he raised his hand to greet them but they kept their positions. tension filled the silence as he waited for someone to speak. that was when it was broken by a voice behind him "who are you"

he turns to see who spoke. a girl, not much older than himself. her skin was tinted with a green much like the rest of the hunters and her hair was cut to cover her eyes. it was like she embodied her surroundings, mimicking the appearance of her home. she was— pretty.
her arm shifted her weapon, snapping him out of his short trance to answer her question.

"i am lo'ak sully of the Metkayina clan. i come requesting to speak with the leader of your people . i mean no harm to you or your home." they were the words he repeated in his mind the whole way here. he memorized them like a script. even so, he felt his nerves slip through his tone as he spoke.

the there is a moment before her weapon was lowered and set to the ground. her eyes locked with his as she circled around his body. the ground made no sound with each of her steps. she was like a spirit, picking and prodding at his form, removing any threats he could have to her people. she was swift in her movements, but still methodical and slow. she removed his weapons and examined his hair, avoiding his eyes while doing so. he tensed as her head lowered down his body. "where do you come from." she demanded

"what?" he has just told her where he was from. why was she asking again?

she grew closer and her pacing became slower, as if she was stalking him like prey. "where are you from lo'ak sully" her voice was cold and malicious.

now he was becoming annoyed. she was demanding an answer she was already given. so he repeated  "i told you, i am from—"

he flinched at her sudden grasp at his wrist. her body pressed to his side as she counted his fingers.  four fingers. he felt a surge of anger and frustration in his chest as he goes to pull away from her grasp, meeting her eyes in the process. they were no longer covered by her coarse hair and he could see the panic in them.

"you are not with them, are you?" now he was just irritated with the girl. he knew what she meant. she was talking about the sky people. but despite his better judgment, he decided to clarify "what, with who?"

"the sky people. you are not here for them, correct?" her response was slow and quiet, like she was scared to say their name.

normally the comparison between him and the demons would anger lo'ak, but hearing her shaken voice made him understand. she was scared. her fear did not show on her face, but it showed in her eyes and cracked through her voice. there was something the sky people did to her to cause that look. it was a feeling he understood deeply. his gaze soften as he spoke.

"no. i would never bring their terror here" he assured.

the two exchanged a look of reassurance. he wanted to be sure she believed him. and thankfully, she did. her next movements were swift like when she first approached the boy. she signaled to her group to lower their weapons and spun towards the village.

"come" she spoke clearly. the fear and hesitance he saw not even a moment before was gone. they all confused by her actions, including lo'ak. he looked around at the hunters for any kind of explanation but they all shrugged.

the girl turned back impatiently waiting for him "come, hurry." he jogged towards her with pride filling his chest. he made it in the village.