Calm Before The Storm, Jake Sully

001, Parenting 101.

"Learn to keep him under control!" Exclaimed Tsu'tey as he pinched Mukata's ear, dragging him onto Denahi's hammock.

Denahi quietly cursed, pulling herself from the floor and taking Mukata's wrist.

"What has this skxawng done now?" She questioned, pulling Mukata behind her before Tsu'tey tutted, "Broken many arrows. He is worse than a Nantang!"

Denahi's eyes closed in shock.

Parenting wasn't easy. Especially when it was given to you with no previous warning, or experience.

Mukata's ears fell at Tsu'tey's words, and his tail dropped to the floor. Denahi softened her touch against his wrist, "I will carve more. It won't happen again, Tsu'tey."

Tsu'tey nodded before leaving, not before scowling at Mukata.

Denahi turned to him with fallen ears and narrowed eyes. Mukata could only sigh at the expression, "I am sorry... I thought I had it under control but I do not."

But, all Denahi did was stroke his hair.

Punishment wouldn't help Mukata. He had been through enough already, and punishment only edged his reckless behaviour on more.

She learned that the hard way.

"Come to me to learn hunting, Kata. I am much better than those kurkungs," Denahi said before Mukata chuckled at her words.

"I will carve the arrows!" Mukata tried to ease the situation by offering a solution.

Denahi denied, "I will carve them. It is a tricky task for such nimble hands."

Mukata's jaw dropped at her words, holding his hands out in front of his eyes to check if her sentence was true — it wasn't.

But, it brought great amusement to Denahi to watch him look at his hands at her statement.

Mukata leaned against the mat, finding some fresh fruits for him to peel and them to enjoy. "Have you done anything today, sister?" He questioned, watching as she began to sharpen her knife and collect wood.

"Nothing much... my daily tasks," Denahi lied.

She couldn't tell him about her visit to the school, knowing it will jog his young memory about what had happened — how they watched their parents life drain from their faces in that same building.

"Listen, Mukata, I want you to keep going slow, okay? I can't keep losing time to — carve arrows and whatever you have broken lately," Denahi explained as she looked down to the wood.

Mukata nodded his head in agreement.

He was tired of being this mischievous out-cast. Mukata was old enough to be a hunter, help scavange their world for feasts to bring back to their people but everything he touched seemed to break under his control.

"I promise, sis," He weakly smiled at her.

Denahi smiled back.

But, those smiles were soon torn from their features as they heard yelps coming from the base of Hometree.

"What is it?" Mukata asked out of curiosity, leaning over to view the commotion. "Stay here," Denahi ordered before beginning to climb down.