Fortress - Avatar: The Way of Water

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The fondest memories. That was Eytu's childhood.

The eldest Sully wanted to learn to shoot a bow before they could barely walk, and ride an Ikran, but those were both a long way off. But even from a young age, a fierce warrior and protector was emerging, right from the beginning, who cared about their family above all else. 

Sibling after sibling, they would lead them by the hand, always there. Neteyam and Eytu clicked instantly, both the eldest, the most serious, perfect combinations of both their mother and father. Lo'ak and Eytu never saw eye-to-eye, and Eytu always complained about having to save his skxawng ass. Kiri worried about her eldest sibling as much as they worried about her. And Tuk, well Tuk was a soft spot for everyone. 

"Eytu, sit still and let Mama braid your hair," Neytiri bade her restless child.

"But I can't sit still, Mama!" they declared, flopping down and rolling around in the grass, hair wildly surrounding their face.  "There's too much to do! Too much to see!"

Neytiri chuckled.  "It will be easier if you don't have all that hair in your eyes."

"I'm fine Mama, really!" They sprung to their feet and dashed off into the trees before she  could grab hold of their hair, tail flicking before they disappeared. 

They were a collector right from the beginning, carrying a little sack with them over their shoulder in which they kept several neatly shaped or coloured rocks, flowers, branches, bone and bark fragments from the depths of the forest. As soon as they grew old enough that Mama and Dad deemed them able to venture off into the woods alone, they would spend hours in solitude, basking in the wonder that was home. 

They also became an artist as well as a collector. Body paint would be smeared onto rocks and tree bark in various images, telling a story, their story, their family's, their clan's. Cave walls became their canvas, adding to generations of storytelling. 

"See, there's all of us," the blooming artist proudly showed their parents. 

But while they enjoyed their alone time, family time was truly something special. 

Sibling time was always eventful. One such time, young Kiri and Lo'ak were shouting at each other, fighting over having to share, as children so often do, while Dad was looking on, trying to decipher what they were saying, as they were yelling in Na'vi. Eytu howled with laughter, clutching their belly they were laughing so hard. 

"YOU PENIS FACE!" Kiri broke into English. 

"Hey, hey!" Now Dad intervened, jumping in and pushing the two flailing children apart. Eytu just laughed harder. 

Family time was the best, parents and children spending long hours together. 

"You know, for your mom and I, it was love at first sight," Dad said during one such time while the family was snuggled up together. 

"BLAH!" cried Lo'ak.

"I tried to kill him," Mama explained, making the kids gasp. 

"Did you really, Mama?" Eytu cried, eyes wide. 

"Yes, I did."

"True love," chuckled Dad, making the kids laugh as well. 

For nineteen years, this was how it went. But everything can change in an instant. 

"It's date night for your mom and I," Jake said, addressing the kids.  "So you know what that means: Eytu's in charge."

"Yay!" cheered Tuk, jumping up and down.

 Lo'ak groaned. 

"Aw, come on, little brother." Eytu punched Lo'ak's arm. "It'll be fun."

But that was the night the Sky People returned, demons falling from the stars, bringing death and destruction in their wake. 

The Clan fled, not in the direct line of fire, but eager to find shelter nonetheless. 

"We should go find Mom and Dad!" cried Lo'ak.

"No! They would want us to stay safe, and stick together," Eytu countered, though with worry in their voice. Their parents were out there somewhere. At least they were together, or they hoped they still were. With all the chaos, it would have been easy to be separated. But they were not going to let that happen to the rest of the family. 

"Eytu, I'm scared," murmured a tearful Tuk as they all sat together in their hiding place.

"So am I, Tuk. But it's okay, we're together. That's what's important."

"Someone's out there," Kiri said, barely a whisper. 

Everyone's ears flicked from side to side. Eytu rose before their siblings in a defensive stance. 

"Kids!"

"Mama! Dad!" The family jumped into their parents' arms. 

"The Sky People!"

"Yes," Dad answered gravely.

"What are we going to do?"

He answered truthfully. "I don't know."

(Finally, the first full chapter! ;) I'm still a new Avatar fan so I apologize if the lore isn't totally correct - I promise I'm trying my best!

Thank you so much for all the reads already! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :))