Burn for Me

Chapter 36: Varang

3rd pov:

Loud shouts of ululations vibrated off of the cave walls as the Omaticaya people called for war. 

"Son, just, hold on for one minute ok? Get down from there, let's talk about this." Jake pleaded with his son, Neteyam looked down to meet the concerned eyes of his father and jumped down from the rock.

"There is nothing to talk about." Neteyam moved past his family and approached the hunters and warriors, beginning to instruct them and order them around.

Jake watched as his eldest son began to take on the role he was born for but the situation did not allow him to feel prideful, not when Neteyam was putting himself and the whole clan at risk.

"Neteyam stop. Now." Jake pulled him back by his shoulder, spinning the young man around to face him, they were now the same height, Neteyam maybe even being slightly taller, Jake felt it, the power dynamic switching.

His son was a man now, he had physically and culturally been so for two years, but there comes at time in every boy's life whether they are 13 or 47 where they actually become a man, where they gain their purpose, where they step up to the plate and follow the path they beat.

"Slow down." Jake whispered.

"I need to know if you are with me on this, or against me." Neteyam muttered with a stern tone.

"You can't ask me that-"

"I can and I am. Are you with me, your daughter in law, your granddaughter. Or are you against us?"

"It's not that simple Neteyam, I want revenge just as badly as you do, but you haven't had time to grieve properly, hell, Tsamera's not even awake yet. I need you stop for a minute boy and think, I know it's hard, but the moment you step out of here with nothing but vengeance and anger in your heart is the moment you lose. It's not just your life you're putting at risk when you do this. You're responsible for every single hunter out there. You make the wrong call and it's on you. Their families grieving is on you. Their parents grieving the loss of their child, is on you. I want to kill those sick bastards just as much as you do, but we've gotta be careful about this."

"And what do you propose we do? Run? Hide? Wait it out? I'm sick of waiting for them to come to us. I'm sick of it. Because we always lose someone, something. Every single fucking time, it's our loss."

"No one wins in a war son, that's something you're gonna have to learn, if anything those who come out of it have lost more than those that didn't."

"This isn't a war dad. I'm not fighting all of the Skypeople. This isn't a battle. I'm not fighting anyone. I'm hunting them. I'm hunting Quaritch, and I'm hunting Spider. There's no fight involved in that. And if you're concerned about the other hunters, I'll do it myself." Neteyam turned around but Jake stopped him again.

"Stay with your wife Neteyam, she'll need you when she wakes up and she's told the news. Only you can bring her comfort."

Neteyam clenched his jaw at the thought of the wails of his wife. Her screams as she realises they beat her child out of her. He wanted revenge for her.

"The head of Miles Quaritch and his bastard son on a platter is better comfort than empty words and shared tears. How can I tell her it'll all be ok if I don't know it myself? How can I lie to her?" Neteyam's voice cracked slightly, making Jake's gaze soften, his heart ached for his eldest son who had been through so much.

"Neteyam..."

"If you're not going to help me, stay out of my way. That goes for all of you." He gestured towards the family standing behind Jake, watching the scene unfold.