Calm Before The Storm, Jake Sully

020, Clan.

♯┆calm before the storm  .ᐟ
━━━━━━━━━━

What could he say to them? What could he tell them? The walk back to Hometree was sorrowful. A walk that should have been gleeful due to them mating, now turned sour. His palm rested on her lower back, her head leaning into his arm. Her tears had dried and Jake had wiped them away for her.

"Tsu'tey will lead the war party!" Eytukan exclaimed over the cheering people. Denahi stepped away from Jake but Jake captured her hand into his, "Give it a minute."

Grace was attempting her hardest to diffuse the Na'vi's anger towards the humans. Fighting back would not work. It would only cause more loss than needed. "Tsu'tey, don't do this!" Jake said as he stepped forward.

Tsu'tey scowled when he looked down at Jake. Otanu revealing himself from the crowd. "Have you mated with this woman?" Otanu asked Jake. He saw the marks and bruises along Denahi's flesh, how cosy they seemed when walking into Hometree.

"I have a name..." Denahi told Otanu. But, he didn't care. "You have no name when you are mated with a demon," Otanu told her. Denahi's ears fell down her face, her tail stopped swinging and fell to the ground.

Otanu lunged forwards to push Jake. But, Jake got the upper hand due to the intense protection he felt over Denahi. And he didn't like the way Otanu made her ears and tail sink towards them ground with his words.

"You have no right telling me what to do," Denahi told Otanu. Mukata walked towards them, confusion across his expression, "Have you mated with Jake?"

Denahi nodded her head, "We are mated. It has been done before Eywa." She had no shame. Nothing to hide. But that shameless sentence caused Otanu to grow angrier. He went to punch Jake but Mukata held him.

"You do not understand what you have done," And what has she done? Mated with the person she liked? Mated with someone who they claimed to be their brother? He was one of the people now. There was no issue.

"You were promised to me..." Otanu said.

Promised to him? Denahi knew of arranged mating, but naturally through connection of Na'vi's families. Had her parents promised her to Otanu without her permission? She turned around to Jake who stood there with furrowed brows and darting eyes. "I have not made any promises to mate with you, Otanu. Nor have you made an effort to prove that," Denahi explained to Otanu. He barely spoke to Denahi, barely even looked at her until Jake came along.

He couldn't suddenly announce she was supposed to be mated with him because she had chose someone else. Besides, no arrangements had been made. Nothing.

"Your parents made that promise..." Her parents? The two people she had trusted the most went behind her back to arrange a mating with Otanu. Denahi shook her head in disapproval before moving over to Jake, his arms already open to hold to her. "I have already chosen him, Otanu," Denani said, "You had no reason to think that I belonged to you. You have not proved it once."

"Brother... Please, do not attack the Sky-people. Many Omatikaya will die if you do," Jake began to talk. However, Tsu'tey was clearly furious from the mating beforehand. Watching his friend lose a battle to a demon. A battle over Denahi. "You are not my brother!" Tsu'tey exclaimed before lunging at Jake with a freshly sharpened knife. 

"Tsu'tey!" Denahi squealed as she attempted to push Tsu'tey off of Jake. But, luckily, Jake had managed to miss the knife and knocked Tsu'tey towards the ground, "And I am not your enemy! The enemy is out there. And they are very powerful."

Neytiri walked towards Denahi, pulling her away from the commotion. Although, they didn't talk much, Neytiri had respect for Denahi and her immense strength. Neytiri couldn't imagine losing her parents. "I can talk to them..." Jake told them all.

"No more talk," Tsu'tey shook his head in response. He was done with talking. So done that he flung at Jake again, slicing his shoulder with the blade of his knife. Tears whelmed in Denahi's eyes as she watched from afar, wanting to do something to protect Jake from Tsu'tey. But, Jake could defend himself. He fought back Tsu'tey's attacks before the Na'vi fell to the ground.

Then Denahi took her chance. She ran in front of Jake, pulling out her knife and hissing at Tsu'tey, "You want to hurt him? You will have to go through me as well."

"Listen to him. Listen to what he has to say!" Mukata warned them all, standing besides his sister with a knife at ready also. "I am Omatikaya. I am one of you. I have the right to speak," Jake began, "I have something to say, to all of you." But then Grace fell.

And so did Jake's. "Ma'Jake?" Denahi asked before standing over his unconscious state, tapping his cheek to wake him up. "Do not come near him!" Denahi warned Tsu'tey and Otanu after they had chuckled.

"He is a demon in a false body. You chose a demon over me," Otanu told her. Denahi straightened her back, "You were never a choice. He has always been my choice." And nothing would stop her from defending him.