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"I told Lo'ak to never take you on his stupid 'adventures'," Neteyam began to speak.
It filled the silence that roamed through Imala's empty hut, his fingers grazing over a patch of bruises planted on her azure skin.
It wasn't only Jake that knew Imala couldn't handle herself out there. It was Neteyam, too. Imala understood, they were strong warriors and she was nothing but a practicing healer.
"It's not like he dragged me, Neteyam. Besides, I missed the forest," Imala replied before soflty chuckling, feeling as Neteyam applied oil that helps bruises disolve quickly. "I know — I just don't want you getting hurt, okay?" Neteyam replied which caused Imala's expression to soften.
"How can I get hurt when I have you?" Imala replied, remembering that Jake told her about Neteyam saving her life.
The two continued to walk, watching in confusion as Tuk, Kiri and Lo'ak bent down to peek their eyes through a crack in their hut. "What is—" Imala began to speak but Lo'ak shushed her, narrowing his eyes to glare.
Imala began to kneel, feeling as Neteyam's hand rested on her back so she wouldn't tumble.
Listening in on Neytiri and Jake's private conversation felt wrong, but she couldn't help feel the intrigue run in her body. What were they talking about?
"I can not. You cannot ask of this. I cannot leave my people, I will not. . ." Neytiri whispered before Imala widened her eyes.
Imala flicked her eyes towards Kiri, watching as the girl looked back at her with worry. Without them, Imala had nothing. She didn't have parents, extended family, friends. Imala was practically lonely, and she definitely would be classed as that if they left.
She snapped her head towards his direction: "You cannot ask this! The children, everything they've ever known, the forest. This is our home!" Neytiri yelled at him. She was trying her best to convince Jake, knowing this the forest was all she ever needed in her life. She was born and raised here, same with all of her children. It wouldn't be easy for them to leave.
Jake held his hand out, imitating a knife: "He had our children — he had them under his knife."
This made Neytiri pause and think before reaching over towards her father's bow. Imala felt her eyes close for a second, realising how much that bow meant to her.
She was left with nothing when her parents died. Not even a small, sacred item that would be able remind her of them.
"My father gave me this bow as he lay dying! He said 'protect the people.' You are Toruk Makto!" Neytiri reminded Jake.
Imala watched as Tuk's ears bent with every word, reaching out her hand to hold onto Tuk's shoulder. Neteyam noticed the touch, a smile forming on his lips as he watched you care for his little sister.
"This will protect the people! Quaritch has Spider, that kid knows everything. He knows the whole operation, he can lead them right in here," The teenager's took a second to look at each other with worry before continuing to listen to Jake, "If the people harbor us, they will die. Do you understand?"
Imala's tail stopped wagging. She sat up from perching her back, straightening her posture. A small clearance of her throat was heard, knowing she was too one of those people that protected the Sully's.
Was she going to die?
"I got nothing. I got no plan. But I can protect this family, that I can do. . . But I know one thing, wherever we go, this family will be our fortress," Jake explained to Neytiri before bringing the sobbing Na'vi into his arms.
All of them sat up, eyes immediately falling towards Imala.
She sat there with her hands against her thighs, slightly rubbing at the skin to distract her mind. Did Imala have to go through her life alone now?
Neteyam's thumb began to stroke up and down against her flesh. "It's okay. You have to leave, I understand," Imala spoke before the kids heard Jake clearing his throat behind them, nervously scratching his back: "How much of that did you hear?"
They all shrugged their shoulders before Neytiri's sobs could be heard inside the hut.
Imala sighed, head facing the ground. "I came out here to find you all," Jake spoke which made Imala turn her head to face him, "Even you, kid."
She smiled softly, thinking that Jake was only talking to her because he had to tell her they were leaving.
Jake looked down at Imala, watching as his eldest son rubbed parts of her skin. Noticing how they all cared for her, especially Tuk.
"We leave tomorrow, go pack everything you wanna bring," Jake told them all. Imala watched as the Sully's sepeated, giving her clueless body a weak glance before leaving. Jake smiled before inching closer towards Imala, sitting besides her on the ground.
"You gonna come with us?" Jake questioned.
Imala's face flicked into delight before she nodded enthusiastically. Her arms wrapped around Jake's shoulders for a small second before she stood to her jumping feet. "Oh, thank you, thank you," Imala repeated.
Jake couldn't help feel happy that Imala was this excited to be coming with them.
