I'll Always Come Back To You

The Damned Sky People

As time passed, all five of us grew older. I bonded with my Ikran a few months after I had that dream for the third time. Her name was Aethra, meaning bright sky for her coloring and how she loved to fly in the highest clouds possible. The Hallelujah Mountains were our favorite.

It's been about 7 years since I've had the dream and most of its memory had faded.

Neteyam, Lo'ak, and I grew stronger. Jake had taught us how to use guns just in case we needed to. He offered to teach Kiri, but she said she wasn't interested. He almost asked Tuk, but Neytiri stomped on that, so he just taught the three of us. I was honestly surprised he taught me. Since I had no biological relations, I didn't think he'd want to teach me.

Tuk grew bigger. A lot bigger.

She no longer needed to be carried everywhere, and could speak in full sentences instead of just babbling. It felt like just yesterday she was a tiny infant I could cradle in my arms. To be honest, I kind of missed it.

Kiri could sense Ewya more, now. She mentioned to me a few years back, that she could feel Ewya and hear her heartbeat all the time. I don't know exactly what she's talking about, but I know she isn't mad and would never lie about something like that.

-

That night it was Jake and Neytiri's date night, which meant they'd go off somewhere to do fun adult things and I would be left in the swaynivi with Kiri, Neteyam, Lo'ak, and Tuk. I didn't mind it, though. It was kind of nice not having them there, peering over our shoulders, making sure we didn't get too rough.

Since Neytiri was gone, Spider had come over to hang out with us. Spider was one of the SkyPeople's children, but he had been too small to travel back to their homeland, so they just left him here.

 I had overheard Jake talking to his mate about how he was more of a family pet than another person. I disagreed. Spider has been a good friend for as long as I can remember and is part of the group just like the rest of us. 

Neytiri naturally hates him for what the Sky People did to her father and sister, but he's a good person. 

Her dad was never mentioned around us. Neither was her sister, but sometimes when Jake and Neytiri think we're asleep, they talk about all sorts of stuff. When they get all mushy, though, I shut them out. I don't need to hear that shit.

Spider shrieked with laughter, pulling me from my thoughts, as Kiri and Lo'ak tackled him to the ground. I grinned and joined them, hissing playfully.

We fell asleep that night in a pile in the middle of the hammock.

-

It was suddenly very warm in the swaynivi.

Too warm.

My eyes flew open to see the forest on fire as waves of hot flames passed over the trees and branches. The air was thick with smoke, smelling of wood, and burning flesh. I could hear screams from the Ikrans and other creatures. I couldn't hear any sounds from any other clan members. I cried out in alarm and horror, loud enough to wake Neteyam, who had been sleeping next to me. He'd always been a light sleeper.

He gripped my shoulder, pulling me back to reality as he shook Lo'ak to wake him.

I roused Kiri and Tuk, slinging Tuk over my back like I used to do when she was small, and carrying her out of the swaynivi and onto a nearby branch.

Lo'ak went to grab our spears, but Neteyam shouted something unintelligible at him, and he left them alone.

I hissed in pain as flames started to lick up the side of the tree branch and onto my arm. I batted at them with my hand before turning to face Neteyam and Kiri, Lo'ak behind them.

"We need to find somewhere clear to summon our Ikrans!" I yelled, choking on the smoke that stung my eyes and lungs. We were all coughing.

Tuk wrapped her arms tighter around my neck, giving a quiet sob. I clutched her ankle, hoping that my touch was reassuring.

I held my hand out to Kiri, helping her down the branches, while Neteyam helped Lo'ak.

I looked back just in time to see our swaynivi go up in flames. All of our possessions, our weapons, everything, gone. Just ash and debris in the wind now.

I swallowed the tears threatening to spill and continued forward.

Find a way out of the fire now, cry later.

-

After about 15 minutes of climbing, we managed to find a spot on the Home Tree that wasn't being smothered in flames and called our Ikrans. Aretha came almost immediately sounding worried, and I could sense her relief on seeing me alive through the bond.

Kiri rode with Neteyam, as her own Ikran was nowhere to be seen, while Tuk rode with me, still on my back. Lo'ak rode on his own, flanking us.

"Head to the Hallejuah Mountains!" Neteyam croaked through the comms before he started coughing. Did I mention that Jake made us wear comms 24/7 so we could easily communicate? It was another privilege that I didn't think he'd extend to me, but he did.

I nodded and waved for the others to follow.

We descended from our tree branch, allowing the too-warm winds to guide us to higher currents and clearer air.

The sight was even worse from above.

The forest was on fire as far as the eye could see and in the middle of the flames...

"Sky People," I breathed, breaking off into another coughing fit.

Neteyam took the lead as I coughed, directing us away from that horrible sight. I was grateful for the cleaner air. My lungs burned, and my throat felt like it had been clawed with Ikran talons.

We made it to the Hallejuah Mountains just as the sun started to rise.

We all dismounted tiredly, collapsing on the ground or leaning against a boulder. Or you were Lo'ak, who decided to collapse face down in the grass and wave his tail in the air, shaking out dust and getting us all dirty. I smacked him with my own tail, growling. He hissed and rolled out of my reach.

Having a thicker tail really does come in handy when someone is being annoying.

We almost didn't notice when Jake's voice came through the comms, crackled and distorted from the Mountains, but we could make out the message. Normally they would work, but I wonder if the smoke and dust messed with them.

"Kids-alright? Where are-? Is Aneya-" His voice buzzed out.

"I'm going to go see if I can find a place with a better signal," I said, disentangling Tuk from my back and gently setting her on the grass.

"No, it would be better if we all stayed together," Neteyam said firmly, moving forward. "Besides, what if you get lost?"

I swung myself onto Aretha's back and connected the bond.

"I won't get lost. I've flown through these mountains at least a hundred times before. Besides, we're near the Tree of Souls. All of us know where that is. If I don't come back within 45 minutes, head there."

I tightened my grip on Aretha's saddle, and we dove off of the cliff's edge, waving to the others.

"Sky People," I hissed angrily. "They always have the ruin the best things."

Aretha's chest rumbled as she made a sound of agreement.

We flew out of the Mountains and towards the Home Tree. I hoped to find Jake and Neytiri so they could help us, but the smoke was too thick to see the ground. As the leaders of the clan, they would know what to do, right?

I was more than ready to go charging into the nearest Sky People base if it meant getting them out of our land.

Which probably wasn't the best plan.

I pushed those thoughts away as I reached a place where I could contact Jake.

Everything would be okay once he and Neytiri are here. They'll know what to do. Right?