Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Red blood painted Atula's blue skin.
It represented how much anger, and sadness, she had within her.
The blood marked how many she had killed, rage controlling her every move. Watching their life drain for their eyes, the same thing she had done with her son, brought peace to Atula.
"This is for my son!" Atula screamed, shooting her arrow straight into their flesh or slashing their necks open with her knife.
They had taken Neteyam, Atula had to take them.
All she saw was red, more anger burning her entire body. Atula cried out, scared of herself and this anger she held.
She dropped her knife, and her bow, allowing them to clatter on the floor before dropping to her knees as she cried. "Atula, baby..." Jake exclaimed as he inched closer to her, declaring everyone around them dead after looking at all the bodies she had killed.
Jake bent down to her level, pressing one of his hands against her shoulder and the other against her cheek.
"Come back," Jake said before placing his forehead against Atula's.
"Did we do it? Is it over?" Atula asked as she felt herself calm under Jake's soothing touch. Jake moved the pad of his thumb to wipe the tears away from her cheek.
"Mama!" Tuk's voice had never sounded sweeter. Atula faced away from Jake to see Kiri and Tuk run towards her, immediately taking them into her arms for a warm hug.
Atula played with Kiri's locks, Tuk resting her head against her chest.
Jake pulled Atula to her feet, holding onto her as he continued to push them from the ship that began to fall deeper underwater.
Suddenly, the infuriating body of Quaritch walked around the corner — Atula hissed at him, which only earned a smirk in response. "Atula, get them out of here," Jake ordered, tapping her stomach to make her run off and swim to safety.
"I owe you death," Quaritch told Jake causing Atula's ears to drop, hissing again before her tail wrapped protectively around Jake's thigh.
Tuk held onto Atula's hand, "Mama, come. Mama!"
That same fury filled Atula again. Jake only held onto Atula's arm and gently squeezed to knock her from the trance. "You're not leaving are you, Jake? You know I never give up. I will come and kill your whole family," Quaritch told Jake, noticing as that triggered something inside of the man.
Jake stopped moving, "Let's get it done."
The warmth of Jake's thigh disappeared from Atula's tail as he ran forwards. "Ma'Jake!" Atula yelled as she reached inside the water, holding tight onto Tuk as Spider handled Kiri.
A hot glow of orange surrounding them, fire growing in a circle around the ship making them move back onboard.
"Do you know where you're going, Spider?" Atula asked Spider, wanting nothing to get them all to their safety.
However, Atula felt a strong gush of water fill the metal floor and dragging Tuk down two open doors. "Tuk!" She yelled before jumping in right after her, she wasn't going to lose another kid.
Atula didn't even care for the pain that happened in her head as she hit the floor, instantly holding onto Tuk's body once finding her.
"Are you okay?" Atula asked her before they began to climb up the ship, noticing the water levels began to rise as the ship turned, "Keep going, Tuk. Don't stop!"
Running close behind her, so Tuk wouldn't fall into the water, Atula was absolutely frightened.
She kept her calm, not wanting to scare Tuk with her own thoughts. How were they going to escape? Atula didn't know her way around.
Lights flickered around them, Atula tugging hard on a door they had found but the pressure of the water surrounding them made it impossible to open. She screamed, "No, no! Great Mother, I cannot lose another child."
The water was rising, their pocket of air was closing in.
Atula held Tuk close to her body, stroking her hand through her braids to try and calm her. "Stay close to me, Tuk, I have got you," Atula repeated multiple times as Tuk shivered from the coldness of the water.
They were thankful for their white freckles that highlighted the area they were trapped in.
"Are we going to be okay, Mama?" Tuk asked as she rested on Atula's shoulders.
She didn't know.
Atula shushed Tuk, not wanting her daughter to even think about that.
