Not a Soldier Yet |Ao'nung x Neteyam|

53. Why Is My Head Like This?

Neteyam awoke to his heart beating wildly in his chest, tears in his eyes.
Urlo's torment haunted him in his sleep, leaving him restless and weary throughout the day. For weeks now since Ronal gifted him the soothing herbs, he had felt alright.

All of the painfull memories rushed to the surface and left him feleing breathless. Tears blurred his vision as he silently exited his home.
Neteyam made his way into the forest, enjoying the silence even if it allowed room for his darkest memories to run wild, images clear in his mind as if he was experiencing them right in that moment. In his dazed walk, Neteyam almost did not notice the hushed voices just beyond some rocks and trees.

Furrowing his brows, he climbed into a tree to listen.
There was a troup of avatars or perhaps men brought back to life, recoms in a the clearing, whispering amongst one another. Neteyam willed his head to clear so he could listen.

"No, that won't do. Sully would wipe us out," a deep voice spoke up, earning a disappointed glare from the only woman with them. Neteyam recognized her; he almost clicked his tongue in disgust, cursing the forests of Awa'atlu for falling silent at night, unlike his own home.

Neteyam spotted Quaritch.
"No, he's right. They fight good in the water and Sully fights good in the forest. We need to get our hands on one of his kids again."

"As if that worked last time colonel," someone scoffed, their back to Neteyam. "That kid looks like a girl and he still got away from us. Twice."

"Third times the charm, dude," the female pushed his shoulder, chuckling and shaking her head.

Quaritch held up a hand to silence them. "That kid is utterly messed up. I don't know what Sully does to him, but I noticed evidence that he harms himself."

A moment of silence passed where none of the army dogs opened their mouths to speak.
"That's fucked up..."

"Kid's completely wrecked," Quaritch continued. "You should have seen the way he trashed around on that ship, not giving a shit if the rope cut into his flesh. If he wasn't blue, I would have almost felt sorry for not letting him go."

"Are you saying we try to get him alone?" The woman questioned.

"He's our best bet," Quaritch nodded. "The younger brother is too much like Sully. Despite all his fucked-upness, the older one is much more tame."

Neteyam's jaw clenched. He watched the figures from behind the large leaves. His mind was overheating with the sizzling rage as his gaze fell onto his previous kidnapper. Neteyam readied his bow and arrow, aiming for one of the men with unbroken concenration. His mind screamed that he was outnumbered and injured, but the fury the man's face ignited a flame so powerful in his soul that he could not back away and call for help.

"He's the tame one? Colonel, he broke your nose last time," Lyle chuckled, shaking his head. "Do we have his name or are we just going to call him the kid?"

"Truth be told," Quaritch smirked smugly, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree. "Spider called him Neteyam. He's Sully's oldest and apparently he has always been very gentle. He likes to take the blame for his younger brother."

"Sully lets him take the blame?" Lyle seemed surprised. He was looking around the trees surrounding them, gun held at the ready. "I swear, that's even more fucked up. I hate that guy but I thought he'd at least be a good father if he fought so hard to save this place."

"He at least taught the kids English and how to fight," the female na'vi shrugged, not seeming to be all that affected by what her squadmates had been saying. "Couldn't be me. I don't even want kids. Especially not blue ones."

Neteyam counted down in his head slowly before pulling the strong of his bow back and letting his arrow fly in the darkness of the night. Immedietly, he jumped across the branches, onto another tree as bullets began soothing in the direction of where he had just been hiding. Neteyam's knees felt like they were on fire, but he ignored the pain, preparing another arrow.

"Don't shoot!" Quaritch's voice rang out. "That's our guy's arrow."
"Colonel, he killed-"
"Don't fucking shoot him, Weinfleet. We need him alive."

Neteyam licked his lips, swallowing thickly. He almost wanted to be captured if it meant being able to destroy them from inside.

"Sully boy," Quaritch adressed him, but Neteyam knew the only wanted to locate him, so he stayed perfectly still and silent. "Come, let's have a chat. I'll be your therapist."
Neteyam climbed higher until there was nowhere to go. He aimed his arrow at Quaritch's head, but he startled a bird from its nest, causing it to shriek loudly before flying away. He hissed, enraged. When Neteyam looked down, he spotted all of the army dogs watching him from the bottom of the tree, not making any move to climb up next to him. Neteyam bared his fangs and aimed his arrow once again, targetting Quaritch.
The colonel shook his head, the gesture condescending in every little move he made. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You shoot me, my men shoot you and you'll fall from the tree like a sack of potatoes."

Neteyam closed his eyes, stomach shuddering in helplessness as tears welled up behind his closed eyelids.
"Why you doing this to my family, demon man?" He uttered, voice breaking. He withdrew his weapon but refused to climb down. Slowly, he sat down, handing his legs down the side of the branch. He was many metres higher than everyone else.

Quaritch mentioned for his men to back down. "I believe I told you. Your father betrayed his own race and he betrayed me too."

"He did not," Neteyam sobbed out, not noticing the flash of heartbreak cross his attacker's features. "He saved my people from your evil deeds! He's shown me the way you ruined our own star and now want to throw it away like it means absolutely nothing that the poor and the ill will be left there to die, while rich assholes like you will come to our home and do the exact same thing to it as they did to your Earth."

His words were met with stunned silence before he heard a tired sigh. "Look kid, I get you have it hard. Daddy's an ex-marine and you're a military brat. But you're not old enough to understand what's going on. This situation is so much bigger than you."

"No," Neteyam breathed out. "I am adult compared to humans too."

He clenched his eyes shut as the tears began falling down his cheeks. He rubbed a hand over his eyes roughly, knowing the recoms would not shoot him, not attempt to climb the tree.

"Sure you are, " Quaritch replied. "So is my son. But even as a human, he still does not understand."