invisible string ↝ ao'nung

VIII ; No Plan

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
There's no plan, there's no race to be run
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun
There's no plan, there's no kingdom come
I'll be your man if you got love to get done
Sit in and watch the sunlight fade
Honey, enjoy, it's gettin' late
There's no plan, there's no hand on the rein
As Mack explained, there will be darkness again
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

"Here, mother." Sylwana handed her mother another yovo fruit, one of the many she had harvested with Neteyam earlier that day. It was the day after the festival, and Sylwana was determined to keep her mind occupied, to avoid thinking about Rotxo's ominous words.

The air in the Sully marui was light, Sylwana, Neteyam, and their parents huddled up to the fire as it rained outside. Their father joked and their mother pretended not to find it funny, until Neytiri looked up and her face fell. They turned around to see Tonowari, his expression grim.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked, his tone low.
"Sky people," Tonowari's reply made Neytiri hold her arm to the twins protectively. "They are looking for you, Jake Sully. South. They have a human boy who speaks Na'vi." Sylwana was glad Spider was okay, even if he was still stuck with the dreamwalkers. Kiri would be glad to hear it.
"Did they kill anybody?"
"Not yet." Tonowari's voice was harsh, and it made Sylwana feel on edge, "they threaten. But the villagers will not tell them where you are, by my order."

Neytiri chopped the fruit roughly, and Jake and his children eyed her with caution.
"We must hunt this demon. Trap him, kill him," she mumbled angrily.
"We gotta be smart," Jake intervened. "If we attack Quaritch, they'll know where we are, they'll come here with everything they got."
"Then what is our plan?"
There was a silence before their parents faced them. Sylwana felt a chill, her fathers expression reminding her of when he was Olo'eyktan, commanding his warriors. "Out." Was all he said.

Lo'ak, Kiri, and Tuk were messing around on their ilu near the docks. The rain was lighter now, the air more humid. Noticing the twins' sullen looks, their siblings approached, pulling themselves up onto the dock.
"What is it?" Kiri asked. When Neteyam didn't answer, Sylwana spoke up. "The dreamwalkers. They're burning the southern villages. They know we're hiding somewhere among these islands."
"What about Spider?" Kiri asked, her eyes glowing with desperate hope. "He is with them. He is alive," Sylwana continued. Kiri fell silent, certainly lost in thought. Spider was so close yet so far. Sylwana had never spent that much time with him, due to her training, but she still thought of him as a friend, and cared for him, especially since he is so close with Kiri and Lo'ak.

Speaking of the latter, he was quiet. Too quiet. Neteyam had noticed it too, watching him closely. "I have to go," he announced suddenly, taking off and ignoring their questions.
The twins immediately followed, leaving Kiri and Tuk sitting on the docks.

"Go get Tsireya," Neteyam called, speeding away after Lo'ak. "I will follow him!"
Sylwana felt caught between making sure Lo'ak was safe, and avoiding Ao'nung. Part of her wanted to avoid Rotxo too, though he had done nothing wrong. She decided Lo'ak's safety was more important, and she knew Tsireya wanted Lo'ak to be safe as much as she did.

She found Tsireya in her marui, and was thankful that her family were absent.
"Tsireya!" she paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Lo'ak is going to Payakan." Tsireya stood, a certain urgency about her demeanour. At that moment, Ao'nung and Rotxo barged in, nearly crashing into Sylwana's back. Ao'nung's eyes widened at the sight of her and he grabbed her arm, but Tsireya was putting away her things and ushering them out of the entranceway.

"Lo'ak has gone to Payakan! Come on!"
They dove into the water, though Sylwana resurfaced frequently to make sure they were headed in the right direction. The Metkayina had evolved to have smaller ears to avoid water getting into them, whereas the Omatikaya depended on their hearing heavily in the forest. She could faintly make out Lo'ak calling Payakan's name.