Avatar: The Return of The Songbirds

Chapter Thirteen - Aliens

Tatal shook her head as she sat down next to Vialo. "Tatal, you do realize...that they will eventually go past the tree line right?" Vialo chuckles.

Tatal sighed, placing her head against the siding of their home. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Tatal joked.

"I guess not...but it is the truth." Vialo laughs.

"I know. I am just trying to keep everyone safe." Tatal confessed.

Vialo's smile fell looking at her defeated sister. "You know we try our best to listen to you, Tatal. We never go past the markers," Vialo tried to reassure her sister who just smiled at her words.

"I understand the need to just...go." Tatal exclaimed, shifting her head so she was now facing Vialo. "I often dream of running past the tree line...until my legs can't run anymore." Tatal pauses, looking back to the forest only feat in front of her. "But I know the dangers that are out there...I know what those filthy creatures can and will do to anything that isn't their own." Tatal growled.

"What if..." Vialo stopped her own thoughts from leaving her lips.

"What? What is it?" Tatal questioned, sitting up straighter, looking at her sister.

"What if the aliens are...close?" Vialo continued looking into her sister's eyes. They looked muddled, and hard to read.

"What do you mean close Vialo?" Tatal interrogated getting closer to her nervous sister.

Vialo sat quiet for a moment, eyes darting back over to her sister. "Tatal...there's...there is something that I have been meaning to tell you." Vialo blurted out.

Tatal was taken aback by Vialo's response. "Okay, what is it?" Tatal replied, placing a hand on Vialo's shoulder.

"I..."

"Tatal!" Tsovey's voice could be heard in the distance, breaking the two's focus. "Tatal!" She shouted again running full speed into her sister's stomach, Henilo right behind her.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Tatal questioned trying to claim the two down.

"Aliens." Was all Tsovey could say.

"What?" Tatal hissed.

"Just outside the tree line." Henilo exclaimed, trying to catch his breath.

"How many?" Tatal interrogates. Henilo's expression gave Tatal all the answers she needed, but she had to hear him say the number. "How many are there Henilo?" She repeats.

"Too many to count." Henilo confessed.

"There were more than a hundred." Tsovey exclaimed, making all her siblings' heads snap towards her at the number.

"What?" Tatal growled, pulling Tsovey back and taking hold of her hands. "How do you know there are more than a hundred?" Tatal asked.

"Because I could only count the ones that were outside their...house?" Tsovey replied in a confused tone. "I don't know what to call that giant box they were going in and out of." Tsovey added.

"Oh no..." Tatal winced. A fear she thought would never find her again was reignited. "Everyone stay here. I'm going to go check it out." Tatal ordered.

"Are you crazy?" Solko shouted.

"Solko, I don't want to hear it. Stay here. Watch them." Tatal argued.

"You're not walking out there alone." Solko hissed. "We go together, or not at all. That's our rule." She added walking until she was by Tatal's side. "We go together." Solko finished taking hold of Tatal's hand.