Two ghosts - Lo'ak

Chapter 1

Pandora forest
Omatikaya clan
Present day - 6 months after Okoyia's death

Now 17 year old Li'teya was setting up her Ikran Szay for their next mission against the sky people. Her skin littered with light scars and bruises from past missions. Dark circles gathered underneath her eyes. Teya placed her intercom around her neck and pressed the button, testing it out. "Eagle eye, this is Lily flower. Do you read me over?".

"Lily flower, this is eagle eye reading you loud and clear, over" Li'teya smiled at the sound of his voice. "Where are you," she asked, looking around the loading dock.

"Closer than you think" before she could respond, two arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground, but Teya's survival instincts kicked in. Throwing the person over her shoulder onto the floor, she grabbed her knife, holding it to their throat.

"Fucking hell Te, it's me", he breathed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Don't do that, сука, she panted, placing her knife back into her holder. She gave him a hand helping him up. "I could have killed you".

"hmm, sure you could have; come on, our dads need to brief us about the mission."

The pair made their way through their home in the mountains. Guns and tech were placed throughout the cave. Li'teya met up with Tsu'tey along the way and gave him a quick hug before they arrived at the briefing.

"You four will be scouts in the sky. That's it." Jake dresses the four teens

"You spot bogeys and call it in. I do not want to see anyone of you touch the ground." Freddie finished off. " Do we make ourselves clear?"

"Yes, sirs", they responded.

"Good. Now suit up. We leave in 2 minutes."

Li'teya began to walk away, but her brother grabbed her arm. She turned to face him, already knowing where the conversation was going. "I'll be safe. I always am".

Tsu'tey looked down at his little sister " please don't do anything dumb; I can't lose you today. Who am I supposed to tease relentlessly?"

She smiled at her brother, her protector, " I'll be good. You need not worry, penis breath".

"I know how you get when we go on these missions. Remember what dad said 'deep breaths remain grounded. Don't lose sight of what the mission is," he repeated the words Teya heard every mission.

She leaned into her brother's side. "I see you", she whispered.

"I see you", he whispered back "now go get ready. We leave in one minute".

Li'teya ran towards Szay and jumped on his back, connecting their queues. "Ready, my warrior?" She looked over to see Lo'ak and Neteyam on their Ikrans. She motioned her fingers from her forehead downwards, doing the 'I see you' gesture. The boys returned it as Jake yelled a war cry for the mission to begin.

The four teens circled the sky watching for bogeys, the wind whipped through her hair as she watched the train blow up below them.

"We have to get down there", Lo'ak shouted

"No, dad will skin us", Neteyam replied.

"Come on, don't be a wuss", Lo'ak smirks.

"Lo'ak, don't you dare go down there", Li'teya threatened, but it was too late. He had already begun descending towards the battlefield, and Li'teya wasted no time following him.

"Ugh Lo'ak, Li'teya", Neteyam and Tsu'tey yelled out, following the pair.

Lo'ak sprinted towards the weapons, letting out a battle cry when given an automatic weapon.

"Do you even know how to use that?" Neteyam questioned.

"Yes, dad taught me", Lo'ak responded, pretending to shoot the gun.

Li'teya looked towards her brother; however, a helicopter caught her eye. She pressed her intercoms "bogeys inbound, I repeat, bogeys inbound, over," she yelled.

Li'teya didn't have enough time to grab her brother before the helicopter shot missiles at sight, throwing her way from him. She landed roughly on rocks, her eyes closing temporarily. She sat up slowly, looking at the dust and blood scattered across the sight. She groaned in pain, looking down at her stomach, a piece of metal stuck out.  She steadily stood up using the rocks as a support. Li'teya studied the battlefield trying find her brother or Lo'ak or Neteyam or anyone. She was stood up fully as she let out a methodical whistle. Silence. oh no. no no please

A quiet whistle rang out across the battlefield catching Li'teya's attention. She let out a sigh of relief at the sound. He's ok. Her Lo'ak was ok. She caught sight of him as the two quickly embraced.

"Are you hurt?" Teya quickly breathed out scanning her eyes over his body for injuries

"No just a few scrapes. What about you ...?" Loa's eyes traveled down to her stomach where the piece of metal stuck out. "Teya!" he panicked. "We need to get you back to base , now!"

"No! I must find my brother"

"Teya , we will find Tsu but you need to leave now" he panicked placing pressure around her wound.

"I will be fine as soon as I find Tsu'tey , I will meet you back home Blu" she breathed out looking at his yellow eyes.

"Go" he said letting his hands falling from her waist.

Li'teya knew she had to find her brother. She couldn't leave. She wouldn't. Limping around, screaming her brother's name she made her way through the debris littering the grounds. That's when she saw his body, not moving. "No, no, no", she cried.

She fell to her knees in front of her brother. Her hands immediately went to his wrist, searching for a pulse. "Come on, brother", she whispered, pressing her ear to his chest. A faint thump could be heard; it was weak but there. Li'teya held her stomach as she began to bleed out quicker. "I'm so sorry, Tsu'tey", she cried, she lifted his body up checking for bullet wounds. She heard a figure drop down beside her 

"Li'teya!" her father shouted taking out of her trance

"Sir, im sorry ..." she began

"Is he breathing?" he demanded

"Yes, but barely but sir, I'm.."

"That's enough, daughter, you've done enough. Go home".

Li'teya tried to tell her father that she was too weak to go alone but it was no use , he only cared about saving her brother. Teya called Szay to take her home. She took one last look at her brother before flying off. She held onto her stomach harder, but the bleeding worsened every second.

Landing in their mountain home, Li'teya slowly demounted off her Ikran but immediately fell to her knees, all of her strength being removed.

"Li'teya" Neteyam shouted, running towards the girl. "What happened?"

"Tsu'tey is hurt; my dad chose to save him", she winced in pain. "I can't stop the bleeding".

"It's going to be ok, you're going to be ok", he shushed, stroking her blood-stained hair.

"Dad!" he yelled.

Li'teya grabbed Neteyam's hand. "Lo'ak?"

"He's ok; we're all ok" That's all Li'teya needed to know before the constant looming darkness finally overcame her.