𝑭𝑰𝑿 𝒀𝑶𝑼. | 𝑱𝑨𝑲𝑬 𝑺𝑼𝑳𝑳𝒀. 🩹

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐈𝐗.

— 𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐘𝐀𝐌.

Toruka connected her queue, wanting to take some time off from the world and go visit the children with her friend.

She arrived in a meadow, immediately engulfed in tiny hands wrapped around her legs. "Toruka!" One of the little girls shouted, her name was May; one of the villagers daughters who passed away at the age of five.

"Why, hello there May. What do we have here?" She softly said, bending down to her level to see the toy she made. "You made this yourself?" She asked. May shook her head, pointing over to the newest child who was there. Neteyam.

"Did you thank him?" She said with a smile. May nodded before leaning in. "Toruka, I think he is sad." She said with a soft pout.

Toruk could sense the boys sadness, most of the children here were either happy or at peace, but Neteyams pain traveled deep within Eywa. "How about I go talk to him and you find some food for the others, yeah?" Patting the girls head, she watched as May ran off before she moved over to Neteyam.

"Hi." She said slowly, not wanting to scare the other as she could sense his discomfort. "Where am I?" He said slowly, eyes on the ground as he held a miniature Great Leonopteryx in his hands. "You are neither here nor there." She said chuckling. "You are in the in between, where you make a choice to move on, or to wait to be reincarnated."

Neteyams ears flickered back, in this realm he was only five. Oblivious to the world and unaware of how he passed, or why. "How did I end up here?" He said hesitantly.

Toruka grimaced, she didn't want to upset the boy anymore than he already was, but she would want someone to be honest with her. "You were shot. Killed by bad men." Neteyam looked up at Toruk now, his eyes wide as they began to fill with tears. "Is my brother okay?" He asked. "My sisters? My parents?"

Toruka put a hand out for the other to hold. "Let me take you somewhere." She said. "They are alright, your mother wants to see you though." She said softly. Neteyams' expression got even more hurt, never expecting this. "Did she make it?"

Neteyam held onto her hand as they stood up, his little feet carrying him as fast as he could as they made their way over to where the adults resided, also making the decision to return or stay. Toruka bent down to his level before she pointed. "Do you—"

She didn't have time to finish, Neteyam was already racing towards Ney'tiri. "Mom! Mom!" He said. Ney'tiri turned around, immediately bending down to scoop him up in his arms. "Neteyam.." She said softly. Her tears fell. "You are alright."

Neteyam wrapped his tiny arms around her neck, burying his face in the crook of it as his tail securely wrapped around her forearm. "I was so scared. I didn't know where I was."

Ney'tiri could only hold him, dropping to her knees as she thanked Eywa that he was alright. "Sh, sh.. I'm here."

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