Not a Soldier Yet |Ao'nung x Neteyam|

44. Helpless

He was a soldier broken by one too many battles.

Neteyam watched, numb, as Ronal cried over the lifeless body of her spirit sister and her son. The waves pushed him around as he sat on his tsurak, unable to hear anything but the rushing of his thoughts.

"What is this?" Ronal cried out, placing her hand on the tulkun's cold skin. Her sobs carried on the wind. "Tonowari, why did this happen?!"

Neteyam lifted his face toward the sky before slowly turning away and leaving to go back to the shore. His father watched him but did not make him stay. He held Neytiri close, comforting her as she stared at the scene in front of her, lips pursed.
Neteyam dismounted his tsurak and stepped carefully onto the wet sands of the beach. He placed a gentle hand on his stomach, trying to will the pain away - a physical pain manifesting from his moments of mental anguish. He inhaled shakily and curved forward, a silent sob wrecking his body. Neteyam hated death; even as Toruk Makto's eldest son, he could not bear the thought of witnessing loss.

Neteyam pulled out his little hunting knife, watching the blade with curiosity. He straightened back up, face void of emotion - an emptiness filled his heart.

Just this once he won't ask for help.

Hours had passed since he blacked out on the uninhabited side of Awa'atlu - Neteyam was exhausted from all the suffering that surrounded him. His ears twitched lightly in his sleep, his hand still clutching his knife.
Neteyam breathed silently, rolling on his side; his hair was a mess along the forest floor, framing his head like a halo of darkness.
Neteyam was unaware of the approaching danger, he was unaware of the muted footsteps coming his way, golden eyes peering at him from behind the large leaves of the plants.

Quartich signaled for his troop to stay quiet and stay back. They knew Neteyam was alone, having already checked. The recom knew that if he managed to capture the young Sully boy, Jake was guaranteed to come for him.

Neteyam turned onto his back slowly, still asleep. Quaritch paused, waiting to make sure the smaller male did not wake up; he noticed tracks of dried tears on the boy's cheeks and furrowed his brows - and just for a moment he doubted what he was doing. Quartich lunged forward, grabbing Neteyam's throat with one hand, queue with the other. Neteyam startled awake with a loud cry, trashing in the other's hold; he slammed his elbow back, causing a groan from Quaritch as his ribs were bruised.

Neteyam dropped his knife; falling to his knees as Quaritch knocked him forward and more five fingered na'vi came to tie him up and hold him down.

Quaritch's brows furrowed, and he held his hand up, silencing his mad dogs. He leaned down and grabbed Neteyam's wrist, turning his arm so the soft, pale blue inside faced up. The recom examined the neat little lines there; his face flashed with pain for a second, but he masked it quickly. Neteyam was not looking at him, eyes unfocused. His mind screamed at him to fight, but his body refused to listen.
In that moment, Quaritch realised how young the smaller male was. He crouched in front of him and put a finger under his chin - Neteyam closed his eyes tightly - and made him lift his head. The young Omaticaya swallowed thickly. Quaritch thought about his own son, wondering how the war affected him; if such wild demons haunted Spider too.

Quaritch gestured for Lyle to keep holding on to Neteyam's queue as he grabbed the boy's other limp arm, inspecting that one too - Quaritch noted thst the oldest Sully boy was left-handed.
"Tie him up better. We need him or Sully won't come to us."

"We could find him here. If his kids are here, then so is he," Lyle suggested, but Quaritch only shook his head.
"Where's the fun in that?"

Neteyam felt the same strange bindings snap into place, locking his arms together before someone pulled him to his feet by his hair roughly. Quaritch forced Neteyam onto his ikran, getting on behind him before taking off, keeping Neteyam from falling by using his free hand to grasp his tswin, taking him away back to the same ship he once escaped.

"Dad! Dad!" Lo'ak panted as he ran across the beach in a distress. "Dad, I can't find Neteyam. He's gone again."

Jake's head snapped up from whatever it was that he was working on- Lo'ak did not see nor did he care in that moment- and stood hurriedly. "Lo'ak! What do you mean missing?"

"We were supposed to go flying but he never showed up, dad," Lo'ak wheezed in a panic. "He always shows up!"
Jake hurried to his youngest son and wrapped him in a hug, trying to comfort the distraut child with gentle caresses. "It's okay, baby. We'll find him."
"Ma Jake, what is happening?" Neytiri stepped out of their marui, worry lacing her voice. She came to stand next to them and placed a hand on the back of Lo'ak's head, rubbing gently.
Jake lowered his gaze in shame. "Neteyam is missing again-"
"No!" Neytiri gasped, hand slapping over her mouth in disbelief. "No, not again! Ma Jake, we must go now, we have to find him!"

Jake nodded and let go of his son. "Lo'ak, I need you stay here. I can't lose you too."
Lo'ak nodded, but in his heart he knew he could not follow that order; it did not feel right. Neteyam never abandoned him. Lo'ak wanted to save him from pain.

"Neytiri, come on love, we need to inform Tonowari-"
"I ride!" She hissed, running inside to grab her bow. "I only care for Neteyam. I will not waste time."

"Ao'nung!" Lo'ak called out to the other male as he ran towards him. "Neteyam's missing!"
Ao'nung, who had been talking with some of his friends, laughing, snapped his head in Lo'ak's direction, smile falling. "Missing? Is it the sky people again?"

Lo'ak grabbed his upper arm and they began running back towards Ao'nung's marui. "It has to be! He doesn't just vanish because he feels like it."

Ao'nung cursed; he yanked his arm free and ran into his home, coming face to face with his mother. "Mother! Neteyam's missing!"

Ronal hissed, running a hand down her face; she was holding a fussing baby in her other arm. "I will inform your father. Grab your weapons."

Lo'ak did not wait for Ao'nung, bolting home to find his father waiting for him with the Olo'eyktanby his side. His mother, he could see, was already on her ikran, flying out to the wast sea.
A warrior blew his horn.

Lo'ak nodded to the men and pursed his lips, waiting until they were out of sight to grab his ilu and dart into the ice cold water, heading to the Three Brothers Rocks to find his friend.