Calm Before The Storm, Jake Sully

046, Death Upon Them.

This sky was dark.

Denahi was riding on Jake's skimwing, her face buried into his back.

Soft droplets of rain fell across their bodies as the sea moved gently beneath them.

This day was dark.

Denahi watched as Ronal jumped onto the Tulkun's arm with a loud cries falling from her mouth, gasps of shock also.

"Her name is Ro'a..." Tonowari stated.

Denahi's face fell as she watched Ronal grieve her sister.

Reminding her how she grieved her brother.

"She was my Spirit Sister. She was a composer of songs.. much revered. We would sing together," Ronal said, Her hands holding Ro'a.

"She waited many breeding cycles to have this calf!" Ronal exclaimed.

Denahi turned to Ro'a's deceased child.

Her heart sunk instantly.

Denahi moved a hand over her stomach, stroking up and down her bump.

"The clan was so happy for her," Ronal cried.

Jake looked back at Denahi, reaching out to comfort her after seeing her teary eyes.

"What is this, Tonowari? What is this!" Ronal cried and shouted.

Jake moved the skimwing over to the other side, both of them noticing a beeping device.

Sky-people.

Denahi hissed at the thought of it— how demons had been so close to Awa'atlu.

"We have to warn them, before Tonowari and Ronal get there first," Denahi explained.

If the Metkayina's knew of this, their first thought would be to attack and kill the demons.

But, it doesn't work like that.

They hadn't a clue on how Sky-people work.

Jake nodded and moved to the land.

"My Spirit Sister and her baby have been murdered by Sky-people!" Ronal exclaimed to them all, eyes falling onto Jake.

"This war has come to us. We knew about this hunting of our Tulkun people, but it was over the horizon— far away! Now, it is here," Tonowari shouted to them.

The Metkayina's cheered in response.

Denahi shook her head.

She moved next to Neteyam, noticing he was holding the tracker in his palm.

"You gotta understand how the Sky-people think! They don't care about the Great Balance..." Jake said in response.

"We don't answer to Sky-people!"

"Listen. Listen to him!" Neteyam said to them, trying to calm them with his hands.

Denahi focused back on Jake.

On all of this.

How much of a mess this has come.

Because of them.

"The Sky-people are not gonna stop. This is only the beginning. You gotta tell the Tulkun to leave. You gotta tell them to go far away!" Jake yelled.

Ronal stepped forwards, "Leave? You live among us, and you learn nothing."

"We will fight to protect our brothers and sisters!"

Jake looked around frantically, "If you attack, if you fight, they will destroy you! They will destroy everything that you love."

But, they didn't seem to listen.

The Metkayina were too strangled with anger to listen to Jake's words.

His honest words.

Denahi placed a frustrated hand onto her head, sighing in disbelief.

Jake grabbed the tracker from Neteyam's hands and held it up to them all.

Their shouts soon fell silent.

Confused on the human thing before them.

"You tell the Tulkun that if they're hit by one of these, they're marked for dead. And call for me, I'll silence it..." Jake said.

Denahi closed her eyes and thought.

The demons had got to them.

They couldn't be safe, no matter how far they travelled from her them.

"Saving their lives, that's all that matters. Right? Saving your family," Jake continued.

Tonowari stepped up, "Tell the Tulkun."

"Go!" Ronal ordered them all.

Denahi moved to stand with Jake, her hand falling secure into his palm before leaning her head into his strong arm.

He looked down at her with soft brows.

Jake moved his hand to stroke through her braids, trying his best to soothe her during this.

Knowing she was pregnant, knowing she couldn't protect her baby, with demons lurking.

"I don't want this, Jake," Denahi said.

He nodded his head and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "I know. I know."