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Morning sickness seized Atula's body. Her cheeks were blushing a deep purple as she doubled over a rock, allowing the sick to seep from her mouth and onto the concrete ground.
Atula groaned to herself, remembering her previous conversation with Mo'at a couple of days before this.
The day, Atula was declared to be with child, pregnant. She couldn't believe it — she was still in shock.
Pregnancy had hit her hard, her throat was shredded from the morning sickness and nothing would help ease her nausea.
"Mama?" Tuk placed her warm palm onto Atula's back, softly caressing the skin before Atula turned to face the little girl, "Mama, are you okay?"
Atula took the floral-flavoured water, drinking it to clean her mouth and washed her face with it. Tuk watched in fascination, but also worry.
"I am alright, Tuk. I'm just... very ill," Atula hated lying to her, but she had only just found out she was pregnant. Atula didn't want to overwhelm herself with the children's affection.
Tuk crawled to place herself onto Atula's lap, arms wrapping around her neck for a comforting hug.
"What is that you need, yawntutsyìp?" Atula asked, Tuk hearing her voice was strained but she ignored that and jumped excitedly from Atula's lap.
"They're back! The war party is back!" She announced.
Atula was taken back, guessing that her throwing up had covered her hearing.
She stood to her feet, grabbing Tuk's hand and rushing towards the edge of the cliff that multiple Ikran's landed on.
Watching with a smile, Atula saw Lo'ak jump immediately from his Ikran and sprinted towards her.
His arm latched around her waist, hiding his worried face into her chest before Atula dragged her hand through his braids, "Lo'ak, are you okay?"
Something wasn't right.
"Don't run to your mama, boy. Get here!" Jake exclaimed, pointing to the spot he wanted Lo'ak to stand in.
Lo'ak reluctantly left Atula's hold, slowly inching towards his angry dad and injured brother.
"Jake, what has happened?" Atula asked as she noticed the bleeding cuts across Neteyam's azure flesh.
"Not now, Atula... You're supposed to be spotters. You spot bogies and call them in — from a distance! Does that sound familiar? Jesus, I let you two geniuses fly a mission and you disobey direct orders," Atula didn't understand what Jake was so angry about. What had they done? He wanted her to fly the mission with them, keep an eye on their children, but Atula declined knowing she was pregnant, "Kiri, can you go help your grandmother with the wounded?"
Kiri narrowed her eyes at Jake, shaking her head at him, "My brother is wounded."
Her usual sass meant Jake was only going to get more annoyed.
"Kiri, go, please," Atula said before walking towards them, standing between Lo'ak and Neteyam and taking their hands into her palms.
"Go! Tuk, go with her!" Jake shouted, both girls wanting to detest but not wanting to piss their dad off further, they followed his orders.
"Father, I take full responsibility," Neteyam said, stepping forwards but not leaving Atula's soft and helpful, to their nerves, grip.
Jake leaned forwards before Atula's tail flicked in front of him, warning him not to take another step towards their son.
He frowned, looking down at her tail before greeting her eyes. Jake noticed the paleness of her skin, and the flush across her cheeks. "Go and get patched up," He told Neteyam, watching his head hang low as he walked away.
"You do understand you almost got your brother killed?" Jake questioned Lo'ak, his grip tightening around Atula's hand. "You're grounded, and no flying for a month," Jake warned, Lo'ak moving to follow Neteyam's footsteps towards Mo'at's hut.
Jake lowly growled, licking his lips. Atula stepped towards him, hands lacing around his wrists to calm him.
He looked at her, making her heart drop with the small and subtle glance.
One of her hands removed from Jake's skin and landed atop her stomach.
"You treat them like they are soldiers in your Sky-people military. They are not, they are our sons," Atula reminded Jake, eyelashes fluttering against her cheek as she tried to swallow the rising sickness.
Jake knew he did.
He felt it was the only way to protect them.
War was no place for children, especially his. If they were going to survive it, they'd have be trained and treated.
They had to learn for themselves when he could no longer protect.
"I'm doing it for a reason, Atula. You'd never understand," That last sentence caused Atula's ears to flick downwards.
He didn't mean to sound harsh and hurt her with his words, Jake just didn't want to continue the conversation.
She let go of him, using her free hand to cover her mouth.
Her feet were quick to run towards her previous place, leaning over the rock to spill all remaining liquid in her stomach.
Jake followed behind, hands gripping onto her braids so they wouldn't fall into the sick.
"What's gotten into you? Throwing up all the goddamn time," Jake asked before Atula closed her eyes, trying to ease the sickness.
Her hands held protectively over her expanding stomach.
"Jake, I am with child," Atula announced.
Jake's ears fell back, a small smile gracing his face once hearing the words.
He had never thought hearing those words fall from her mouth would mean anything.
But, from the way his heart quickened, his breath halter in his chest and his stomach flutter — Jake knew it meant something to him.
Amber eyes scanned Atula's happy face, admiring her pretty smile before lifting his arms and wrapping them around her shoulders.
Breathing in her floral scent, Jake felt this sudden, and immense, need to protect Atula.
