Avatar: The Return of The Songbirds

Chapter One: Imaginary Hope

"Mom, can I go play in the forest with Vialo and Sakire for a little while?" Tsovey asks ecstatically.

"Yes, but don't go past the tree line!" Lìyìnuk shouted to her youngest who was now already half way into the forest.

"I won't!" Tsovey giggles.

"That girl has so much energy." Lìyìnuk chuckled to herself, walking back into the house.

"She really does, doesn't she." Pxäkngam agreed with a sigh. "Oh, to be young." He added walking over to his wife who was preparing lunch.

"She reminds me of Tatal when she was young! Always so adventurous and full of wonder." Lìyìnuk exclaimed, a smile plastered on her face. Pxäkngam stood beside his wife for a moment, looking down at her. "What is it?" Lìyìnuk asked, as her smile began to fade.

"Lìyìnuk, I need to talk to you about something." Pxäkngam replied, visibly nervous.

Lìyìnuk looked at him in silence for a time before her face fell, realizing where her husband was going. "No." Was all she said.

"My love." Pxäkngam tried to speak, but his voice was received with deaf ears.

"No Pxäkngam. We are not having this discussion. No, I refuse to have this discussion. I don't want to hear it." Lìyìnuk protested.

Pxäkngam took in a few breaths before attempting to speak again. "Lìyìnuk. We have to go back out there." He pleaded. "There are still a few places we haven't checked yet! They could be there. We have to go back!" He paused, lowering his head trying to keep his heartbeat steady. "The faster we go back out the sooner we will find them." Pxäkngam added, looking back into his wife's eyes. They were hard to read. They were muffled with frustration, fear, sadness and worry.

"Pxäkngam I hear what you are saying, but why must we leave now? We only just arrived back. Five days ago! And now you are telling me I have to leave my children again! They will be heartbroken if we leave right now!" Lìyìnuk exclaimed, visibly frustrated by her husband's rash decision.

"I know, but we are so close! I can feel it." Pxäkngam tried to explain, though his wife was far from receptive to his reasoning.

"You are blatantly going around my point." Lìyìnuk hissed. "Where do our children and their feelings land in your plan?" She questioned, her stare felt like it was moments away from ripping Pxäkngam in two.

"My love, I know you are frustrated." Pxäkngam stated, validating Lìyìnuk's feelings.

"More than frustrated Pxäkngam! I have lost a lot of precious time with our children because we have been chasing what seems to be a perpetual dead end." Lìyìnuk groaned, taking hold of Pxäkngam's hand and squeezing it tightly. "Make no mistake about it, I want nothing more than to find what we lost." She exclaimed, letting out a shaky breath. "But it is getting to be too much." Lìyìnuk confessed. "Our children need us. Tsovey needs us. She is only 10 years old and I have missed a good portion of her life chasing our past." Lìyìnuk softly shouted looking up into her husband's eyes. She was using every fiber of her being to keep herself calm. "When will this end Pxäkngam?" Lìyìnuk questioned, as her eyebrows fused together.

"What do you mean when will this end?" Pxäkngam barked in irritation. Not understanding why his wife sounded like she was giving up.

Lìyìnuk clenched her teeth at her husband's words. "When will we let them go?" She replied, releasing the firm grip she had of Pxäkngam's hand and walking toward the doorway.

"Why do you sound like you are giving up!" Pxäkngam shouted.

Lìyìnuk snapped her head back in disgust due to her husband's words. "How dare you!" She hissed. "Do not talk to me about giving up." Lìyìnuk growled. "I have given everything so you could chase imaginary hope." Lìyìnuk paused as her eyes closed, and an anger filled breath escaped her lips, trying to keep her composer.

Pxäkngam's eyes grew at his wife's tone, realizing he was being inconsiderate to her feelings. "Lìyìnuk...I'm sorry." He tried to apologize. "I..."

"We will talk to the children about this tomorrow." Lìyìnuk stopped her husband. "But for now can we just enjoy them...please" She requested, looking back at her husband. Eyes empty of emotion, which set a chill over Pxäkngam's body. "That is all I ask of you right now." And with that Pxäkngam was left standing in the kitchen alone with his wife's words replying in his mind.