Mighty Jewel | LO'AK + NETEYAM

chapter twenty seven

When Kyalayi and Neteyam returned to the village, they were on a love cloud. Maybe some would wonder why had taken them so long but they didn't cared, the couple had rapidly abandoned the idea of training. After confessing their feelings, Neteyam had made the Ikran land on some small island where they cuddled on its beach, kissing and talking and truly acting like a couple of teenagers. They both dreaded the moment when they noticed the eclipse starting to set in, they wanted to stay there forever. On the flight back, Kyalayi held her arms tight around the boy's chest, her chin resting on his shoulder where she would often press her mouth, his bare skin warming up her lips. Neteyam was the first to spot the village underneath them, several bodies running and gathering around the fire pit. The boy frowned at the sight of it, the village seemed distressed. Something had definitely happened while they were gone.

"Kya." She opened her eyes to the sound of her name, smiling at the fact that she was still in Neteyam's company and they hadn't just yet regained their reality. But his hardened expression said the complete opposite, making her smile quickly fade. He nodded toward the village, wanting for her to witness the same as he had previous seconds ago. He tapped lightly his foot on his Ikran, causing it to fly faster and finally land on the beach. Neteyam twirled on himself and jumped off the beast, taking Kyalayi by the waist and aiding her to do the same.
"Let's find your dad." The girl exclaimed when both of their feet were on the sand, cooled down by the eclipse.

The couple wandered around the village looking for any signs of the Sully, noticing that people weren't just running. No, they were fleeing. When realization finally struck her, Kyalayi's whole body went weirdly stiff and shaky at the same time. In the time of a few hours, what had happened that made her clan want to escape their village? "I think I know where they are." Kyalayi exclaimed to Neteyam before grabbing his hand and motioning them toward her old hut. When they entered, her suspicions were confirmed by the presence of Jake, Neytiri, Tonowari and Ronal in what used to be Marrek and Evelyn's hut. By the look of it, they too had gone.

"What's going on?" Kyalayi asked, causing the four adults to turn around and taking notice of both Neteyam's and Kya's presence. Neytiri looked down at her son's interlocked hand with the ocean girl, proudly smiling at the sight of the young couple. The boy quickly let go of her hand when he noticed his mother's stare, unsure if now was the right moment to declare his love for Kyalayi when clearly other things were more important. Still the headpiece resting on her head was a clear indication for both Neytiri and Jake who couldn't be happier for their eldest son. As Kya desperately awaited for an answer, none of them wanted to speak the truth. "Did they find us?" Her tone was more quiet now, the worriedness taking over her. Kyalayi thought she had more time, she wasn't ready to face the Sky People just yet.

"No." Jake shook his head, stepping forward and crouching before her. "Not yet." He paused. "But it's only a matter of time."

"We knew that already so why is everyone running away?" Kya asked.
"They're gone, honey." Jake softly whispered.
"Who?"
"Your parents. They left."
"Of course, they left. You banished them."
"No." Neytiri joined her mate. "They left before that."
"We came looking for them, wanting to hear them out but when we arrived, they were already gone."
"So they left without me? On their own will?" Kyalayi's voice broke, feeling betrayed and abandoned by her parents. By her father who always swore to protect her no matter what the consequences were, who blamed his unforgettable mistake on the love he had for Kyalayi. How could he just leave? She thought.

Neteyam watched the girl's traits darkened as he felt powerless despite desperately wanting to console her. If they were alone, just the two of them, he would hold her in his arms. He would let her cry all of the tears she had been holding until she could finally breathe normally again. He would caress her hair and kiss every part of her with such gentleness that she would have no choice but to melt under his lips. He wished they were alone. Instead, he had to watch her crumble right in front of him and do the bare minimum about it. He hated that.

"There's something else." Jake said.
"What?" Kyalayi frowned. The man looked behind him and she followed his gaze, travelling from Ronal to Tonowari. The clan leader moved aside where a small disk rested on the floor, previously hidden by Tonowari's grand figure. Kyalayi walked passed Jake and Neytiri to join her leader's side. She frowned at the metallic device before looking up at the man, wanting answers.
"Jake says it's a tracking device." He spoke.
"What's that?" She questioned, looking back at the Sully man.
"Sky People use it for finding people. Inside, there's something called a chip that sends a message, in this case our location, to the motherboard."
"I don't understand."
"It means your parents told those demons where we are. Where we are hiding JakeSully and his family." Ronal exclaimed, irritation tarnishing her voice. Kya somehow blamed herself for this. They were her parents after all and if any harm came to her village, to the Sully's because of this tracking device, this betrayal, it would be indirectly her fault. The girl turned her head toward Jake.
"So when you said they didn't found us yet, you meant they are actually coming. This isn't just hypothetical anymore."

The man gently nodded, painfully pouting as he confirmed the worst. When he did, panic settled in Kyalayi's body. Her heart paced faster and it became harder each time she inhaled a breath. War was coming their way and there was nothing she could do to stop it. And worse, her parents were the reason for it. In desperate need of calm, the girl ran outside of her old hut and to the one place who always made her feel whole. She heard Neteyam following her, calling out her name but her feet wouldn't stop, not even for the boy she loved. Kya passed by Kiri, Tuk, Tsireya, Ao'nung and Lo'ak who sat on the deck, probably waiting to know what was their family's next move. The village had calmed down, most had fled or stayed hidden in their hut, it was terrifyingly silent. They all noticed her distracted and distressed figure and also shouted for her. But she all ignored them. In that moment, Kyalayi only needed the forest.

"Stay here." Lo'ak ordered his sisters before getting up and jogging to find his brother. As Ao'nung did the same with Tsireya but instead, he went to look for his father in Kyalayi's old hut. Neteyam breathlessly stopped running after the girl as he sensed his brother's hand resting on his shoulder. "You okay, bro?" He asked while Neteyam only nodded, catching his breath. "Is she?" Lo'ak added, then turning his head toward where the girl had ran.
"No."
"I couldn't help but notice she was wearing your headpiece."
Neteyam froze. Now, when Sky People were on the verge of attacking them, wasn't really a moment he wished to talk about this. Nor did he wanted to fight with Lo'ak.
"You couldn't just stay away?" The youngest brother cockily said.
"What does that mean?"
"You already have everything. Did you really need to have her too?"
"I didn't choose to fall in love with her, skxawng."
Lo'ak scoffed, pushing past his brother to walk away but Neteyam wasn't done, he truly didn't want to fight with him. The eldest grabbed Lo'ak by the bicep, forcing him to turn around and continue the conversation despite him wanting to put an end to it.
"Not everything revolves around you Lo'ak." Neteyam deadpanned.
"But ultimately it does since I'm always the one being blamed for everything. Even things I can't control."
"Maybe if you'd act less like a reckless baby, then you wouldn't put yourself in those situations."
"You're one to talk. You're the perfect little soldier, always listening to dad and playing hero."
"It is my job as your older brother. You should be doing the same with our little sisters. Protecting them."
"Well, I'm not you!" He shouted, clearly angry. Neteyam shook his head in disbelief, his gaze flickering to the deck where his sisters and Tsireya were supposedly sat but they weren't. A loud shriek echoed from the forest that alerted both brothers who's gaze darkened with concern. They ran toward the forest where they caught sight of Quaritch, and his team, who held a knife under Kyalayi's throat the same way he had done a few weeks ago when first encountering the Sully kids. But before Neteyam or Lo'ak could make their way toward them, they were already high in the sky, being dragged up by black cords and into a helicopter.
"Call it in!" Neteyam yelled to his brother, his hands shaking by what he had just witnessed. His sisters, his friend and the girl he was in love with under the knife of those who had tracked and wanted to kill his family for who knows how long. As Lo'ak called for their father's help, Neteyam sensed his blood boil with rage in his body. He couldn't let Quaritch get away with it again. He had been the one to destroy their home, his life in the forest, he'd killed his grandfather and Neteyam would do everything in his power to stop that man from hurting anyone he loved again.

No matter what the consequences were.

only one chapter left to this story + an epilogue
Thank you all so much for all the reads!
Love you