Jake X Ali'yah: Family

Family

Jake's POV

As a father I needed to protect my family. Neytiri died a year ago and now my children almost died. So, we leave. A father protects, it's what gives him meaning. So, we leave our clan. I gave up being leader for this family. Arya lost her mate, Tsu'Tey. Arya knows it's too dangerous for our clan. So, we need to disappear. As one life ends, another begins. I carry my daughter Tuk as we ride through the calm and the dangerous weather. My sons and other daughter follow, their names are Netayem, Lo'ak, and Kiri. My sisters son, A'teyo follow as well. I check on my sister. I'm sure it's annoying to her. The sea clans are a world onto themselves. Thousands of islands. An unknown territory into which we could just vanish without a trace and we will. I will ask for uturu. We arrive to a particular one, Awa'atlu, a Metkayina village. I know we can trust this village. As we fly over the ocean looking for a place to land, a horn is sounded.

We find a place to land on the beach. I help Tuk down, as everyone else gets off their Ikran. Metkayina surround us. I tell them to leave their weapons. Tuk walks to the people just as curious as them. "On me." I tell the kids. "Tuk. Be nice." I say to them. "Hey." I say to the people. "Easy. Just be cool." Two boys not much older then Netayem come close circling us. I hear them say.

"Look. What is that? Is that supposed to be a tail?" The boys laugh, I honestly wanted my sons to slap them with their tails, but they don't. A wise choice. I look to the side of me and see a beautiful woman and a girl the same age as Lo'ak swim up to us. I stare at her as she stares at me. She moves her hair out of her face. The girl scolding the boys breaks me out of my trance.

"Do not. Rotxo, Ao'nung." They quiet down. I turn to see her staring at Lo'ak and he's staring at her. I feel a pull to look ahead of me. When I look the woman is in front of me.

"What are you called?"

"Jake Sully." She smiles and looks down. Arya nudges me and I look at her. She's giving me a knowing smile. I roll my eyes, laughing quietly.

The leader arrives on this fish creature. Tonowari is the chief of the Metkayina, the reef people. It flies over us, we all duck. When he approaches us I greet him. "I see you, Tonowari." He returns my greeting.

"JakeSully." I knew him as a tough leader. My family greets him, he greets back. But it wasn't Tonowari I was worried about. It was his mate Ronal. However, she's not the one who came up. "I'm sorry. Who..." Tonowari looks at the woman who had appeared.

"Ronal has gone to Eywa. This is a candidate for the next Tsahik and my next mate." I greet her as she approaches, as do my family. She just looks at us. I apologize for his loss.

"Why do you come to us Jake Sully?" Tonowari asks. I look at my family and back at them.

"We seek Uturu."

"Uturu?" The woman asks.

"Yes, santucary for my family." I reply. She inspects us.

"We are reef people. You are forest people. Your skills will mean nothing here."

'Please Eywa. Help us.' I think to myself. "Well, we will learn your ways. Am I right?" I turn to Arya.

"Yes." Arya answers.

"Their arms are thin." She holds Tuk's arms. Tuk rushes to me.

"Arya." She then goes to Kiri. and pulls on her tail.

"And tails are weak." Kiri grabs her tail back. "You will be slow in the water."

The woman grabs onto Kiri's hand and looks at them. "These children..." She holds them up. "Are not even true Na'vi."

"Dad." Kiri calls as the woman speaks. The people gasps.

"Yes, we are!" Kiri says snatching her hand away. The woman goes to Lo'ak and holds up one of his hands.

"They have demon blood!" The people exclaim, I want to slap her for picking on my children. I clinch my jaw I hold up my hand instead.

"Look. Look!" I show her, she looks at me. I show her my hand. She put his hand down. "Look, I was born of the sky people, and now I am Na'vi." She walks between her possible mate and the beautiful woman. "All right? You can adapt. We will adapt. Okay?"

"Turi, when Ronal mated with my brother, our mother thought she would never make a strong Tsahik." The woman explains. "She proved her wrong. However, you are now doing the same to this family. I think we should give them a chance." Turi looks at the woman in surprise. She must not speak up for just anyone. I see Tonowari shooting Turi a warning look.

"Toruk Makto is a great war leader. All Na'vi people know his story." Tonowari says with a hand on my shoulder. He looks at me. "But, we Metkayina are not at war."

"Dad." Tuk tugs my hand. I pick her up and she lays her head on my shoulder. I put my hand on her head.

"We cannot let you bring your war here."

"I'm done with war." I say. "Okay? I just want to keep my family safe." Tonowari looks at my sister. They look like a conversation is being held. He looks at me.

"Uturu has been asked." Arya says. Ateyo, walks by his mother and places is hand on her shoulder. Arya places her hand on top of his. Arya looks at Tonowari once more. They look at each other no doubt having a private conversation with their minds. After a while she nods. I look desperately at Tonowari.

"Do we have to go?" Tuk asks. I shush her gently.

"We will be okay?" I say.

Toruk Makto and his family will stay with us." I look at him in relief, as I put Tuk down. "Treat them as our brothers and sisters. Now, they do not know the sea. So, they will be like babies. Taking their first breath. Teach them our ways, so they do not suffer the shame of being...Useless." He looks at me, I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Also, Arya will be a candidate for Tsahik." I look at Arya.

"I will, explain later." Knowing she will not, but I trust her.

"Okay, what do we say?" I ask, Tuk smiles her bright smile.

"Thank you." She says, we follow her lead.