Syulang

✾5✾

kea, sempu- no father

𝑷𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒚 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆

Liyanin was a crying mess when they got back. She didn't want to leave Jake's arms as he was about to put her down. She pleaded for him not to let go. Afraid if she left the comfort of her father's arms the evil men as she called them, would come and take her. "kea, sempu" Liyanin said and Jake's heart hurt the way her broken voice told him not to put her down.

"Don't leave me" Liyanin cried as she tucked her head in Jake's neck. Jake did the only thing he could think of. "It's okay Syulang, sempu is here" He said, stroking her back. "I'm not leaving you"
Liyanin took her head away from his neck and looked into her father's eyes. Jake could see her red eyes with tears streaming down her face. "Pinky promise?" Liyanin said as she held up her pinky. Jake wiped away her tears with his hand and caressed her cheek. "Pinky promise" Jake says as he holds up his pinky and connects it with Liyanins little finger.

Jake had put Liyanin to bed, she had fallen asleep in her father's arms, not letting him go. He gently pulled her arms around his neck trying not to wake her up and slowly put her down. Then he took her favorite toy and put her arms around it so she hugged it to her chest.

✾━━━━𝓢𝔂𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰 ━━━━✾
Jake and Neytiri were arguing in their tent trying to be quiet so they wouldn't wake up Liyanin. Jake was frightened when he found his kids being held captive to lure him out and knowing that Quaritch was alive. He was angry at the man for everything he had done since the beginning. But seeing how his youngest took it was a breaking point. Begging him not to let her go, begging him not to leave her, afraid that the bad men would take her away from her family.

From the outside of the tent Kiri and Tuk were listening to their parents while they argued. Neteyam saw his siblings sitting outside their tent. "What's going on?" He asked but Kiri shushed him to be quiet. Lo'ak came from behind Neteyam and they both sat down with their siblings.
"This is our family. This is our home" Neytiri argued. "This is about our family. This is about our little ones" Jake argued back.
"I cannot. You cannot ask this" Neytiri paced around as her tail swished from side to side. "I cannot leave my people. I will not"

"He is hunting us" Jake stated to Neytiri, his eyes not leaving her figure.
"He's targeting our family"  Neytiri turned her body around and looked at Jake with anger and hurt.
"You cannot ask this!" Neytiri got up from her crouched position on the floor.
"The children. Everything they've ever known. The forest. This is our home!" She exasperated her emotion shown in her voice.
Jake was not giving up. "He had our children" He gritted his teeth. "He had 'em under his knife" Neytiri's eyes shifted as she took a breath of realization, in the corner of her eyes she caught the sight of her father's bow.

She takes up the bow from its stand and shows it to Jake. "My father gave me this bow as he lay dying" Jake lowered his head at the mention of the old Olo'eyktan. He remembered it and he carried the deaths with him.  "And he said 'protect the people' You're Toruk Makto!" 

"This will protect the people! Quaritch has Spider. And that kid knows everything. He knows our whole operation, and he can lead them right here. If the people harbor us, they will die. Do you understand?"

Neytiri takes a step back and lowers her gaze. "Look, got nothing. I got no plan... But I can protect this family. That I can do" Jake stares intensely. Neytiri peered up at her mate, taking in a shaky breath as she placed her hand on her head and looked at Jake with a distraught gaze as she shut her eyes. Jake slowly steps forward and as she turns away her eyes filled with tears, Jake gently puts his hands on her shoulders and peers into her eyes. "I know one thing. Wherever we go, this family is our fortress" A tear slid down on Neytiri's cheek and then she laid her chin on Jake's shoulder.
Neytiri couldn't control the sobs leaving her throat.

✾━━━━𝓢𝔂𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰 ━━━━✾

Jake had given up his role as Olo'eyktan and given it to a young yet wise man for his age. They mounted their Ikran's and left the one place they had called home and flew their way on the open water. And they all looked gazed back at their home before it faded within the distance.

Liyanin, who was riding with her father, glanced back at the place she grew up in. Tears streamed down her face. She turned her head back and snuggled into her father's chest and held on to him tight. Jake looked down at her and stroked her hair and the little gesture made her look up at her father who saw her tired and teary eyes.
It made Jake's heart ache to see how hard it was for his little girl. "Go to sleep" Jake told her and stroked her hair one more time. "I will wake you up when we arrive" Liyanin nodded her head and put it back on Jake's chest and in an instant she fell asleep. You could clearly see how much this took on her.

A father protects. It was give him meaning
One life ends
Another begins

✾━━━━𝓢𝔂𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰 ━━━━✾

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