Petrichor

Just Friends!

"Jake, you cannot ask this, you cannot ask this of me!" Ilhia snapped. "This is my home, our home! Our family! The children, the forest, everything they have ever known!"

"This is about our family, this is about our little ones!" Jake pleaded.

"I will not leave. I will not stand by while the demon holds Spider in his hands! While he holds my son's body in his hands!" Ilhia paced, moved things around in the home, unaware of listening ears.

"Ilhia, he is hunting us. He's targeting our family."

She finally turned to look at him, grief written all over her face. "You cannot ask this of me!" she repeated. "The children, this is all they've known!"

"He had our children! He had them under his knife!" Jake's voice broke. Ilhia put a hand to her mouth, pointing to her bow on its stand. One of two things she had left from Hometree, before the demons fired missiles and killed half of the clan.

"My father's last wish was to protect the People!" she cried. "You're Toruk Macto! We cannot protect the People if we run!"

"This will protect the People!" Jake began pointing to the right of her, emotions clear in his body language. "Spider knows everything! He knows our whole operation and he can lead them right to us!"

"Spider would never do that, he would never harm us-"

"Ilhia! They can force it out of him!" Jake's voice cracked again. "These people are not a walk in the fucking park, they can and will torture him for information!"

"Devil Dog, Devil Dog, this is Palulukan, copy?"

They both paused, the voice on their neck pieces crackly, but there. Ilhia's eyes filled with tears and she put a hand to Jake's chest.

"Me and Tiger are alive, copy? We're alive and being held. I repeat, this is Palulukan and Tiger being held at the Hornet's Nest. Do not attempt contact, the Hornets do not know about the comms. I repeat, this is Palulukan and Tiger, alive and at the Hornet's Nest."

Jake shut his eyes as a huff of air left him. Ilhia put her other hand on his chest, and looked up at him.

"We cannot leave, Jake. Our son needs us. Leypa needs us." She smiled widely, tears streaming down her face. "Eywa has protected our son, and we must protect him too."

She watched her mate blow out a breath, saw his ears go down. Barely heard him when he murmured, "It's too dangerous."

She gasped, and pushed him away from her. "What? What did you just say?"

He made eye contact with her. "It's too dangerous," he repeated.

Her mouth fell open. "He is your son!" she shouted. "If this demon is targeting our family he will follow us wherever we go! We cannot run from him, Jake! He has two of our boys!"

"Leypa will understand," he tried to reason, but she turned away from him and held up her hand.

"You can go wherever you want, Jake. Travel the whole planet if you must. But I am staying right here, and I am not leaving without my son. You cannot make me."

"Ilhia-"

"Get out!" she roared. "I cannot even look at you right now."

She held her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes with her palms as her breathing became rapid.

How could he even suggest it? She could never forgive herself if there had been an opportunity to rescuse her son and she didn't take it.

Soft hands gripped her shoulders. Ilhia took a deep breath. "Kiri, I want to be alone right now, baby."