Avatar: {Hybrid and Alien]

{36}

They were all returning home after the long night of battle and travel.

Everyone was at ease after the victory of last night, having protected the Anurai clan from the other hostile clan. It gave them a sense of peace and accomplishment despite the remaining nerves of the fight that they took part in. The relief was so great that Asim almost forgot the reason why he was going to the Anurai clan alone in the first place. "Shoot! I forgot something!" Asim exclaimed as he jumped slightly from his seat. "Let me guess. It's one of those occasions that you forgot your knife in the battlefield." Kentaro said on the radio. "No! That's not it. I forgot the reason why I was going to the clan." He shot back as he looked back at the forest through the open door of the chopper. "Relax. You'll get your chance once we make another visit." Mikhail said from the other side on his seat. "Besides. Everyone is tired. We had a long night and we have to replenish our energies in order to stay healthy." Emeralda said from the pilot seat. "Furthermore, we need to get those minor wounds tended on us." Kentaro added. Asim sighed, groaning because of the logic that came from his friends. "Fine. Go ahead. Do the checkups. But I am heading back to the village as soon as I can." Asim said afterwards. "Chottomatte! You aren't going anywhere until all of us recover. Think of Lily, you still have to let her know that you are alright." Kentaro said, looking back at Asim from the copilot seat. "Don't use Lily. I swear I will break your fingers for that." Asim snapped at his partner, to which he shrugged back at him. "Only to get my point straight that you need to recover. That is my duty in this team, and I am not quitting any time sooner" Kentaro said in a form manner. Asim rolled his eyes, already giving up on making a counter statement to his friend and slumped down on his seat back again. "Sure. As you say, Dr. Kentaro." He said while the trip back to their home continued.

***

Few hours later they arrived at their home once more.

They all climbed out and headed through the bath to the outpost and entered through the door, getting disinfected before closing the main door and opening the secondary door once the oxygen set in. They all took off their helmets and went to place their weapons into their containers, also taking off their suits and placing them in their lockers. When that was done, everyone with no exceptions went to the medical room to have themselves be examined by Kentaro for any minor wounds or injuries. So far there were minimum ones, which Kentaro had the pleasure to disinfect and bandage up so they could heal. Kentaro even gave himself a checkup despite having been in the air during the battle, which still confused everyone in the team even now. Lily was pleased as ever when they came and finished with their checkup, hugging them and asking them what happened. "Nothing to worry about. There was a bit of a dispute and fight, but it's all settled." Mikhail said to Lily as he went to get some water.

Lily noticed that something was wrong, as she usually did when something big happened, and went straight to Asim to insist. Like always, her persistence won over the most fragile one, Asim being the closest one, and he spilled it in the most discrete way. "Yes. Something happened. Some na'vi...don't get along well with the na'vi that are our friends. They think that we are bad and evil. And try to attack us because they feel it's the right thing to do." Asim explained to his little sister. "But we aren't bad. We are good! They should see it from us." Lily said. "They don't think like that. And they continue to do so, because of the things bad humans did to them. Maybe, just maybe, they'll understand soon." Asim said to her. "I hope so. I wish some of them stop being scary and mean." She said to his big brother. "They have to, for reasons that you are too young to fully understand yet. But you are right. I love the enthusiasm that you radiate all the time." Asim said with a smile, rubbing Lily's head and making her giggle. Afterwards Asim got up and went to the sink to wash his face. "Let's get some rest. The night is still out" he said to everyone as he rubbed his face in partial exhaustion. "Yeah" some of them said as they went to the sleeping quarters. Lily immediately got to the couch where she usually slept, now sleeping alone as there was nothing scary like a storm going on outside. This made Asim smile as he saw that Lily was starting to become more confident than before. Sighing in relief that everyone was safe and alright, Asim went to his bed and laid down to get some sleep for the remainder of the night.

***

The few hours of sleep were all what was needed for everyone, but for Asim it didn't go great.

The nightmare returned again, only this time some things were different. In it, the eye that watched him from the ground was covered in flames and battle scars. Even more, Asim could hear the wails of despair coming from na'vi all around the forest. It was as if the whole forest were in intense sadness and pain, and Asim could feel it in his chest once again. After, like all times, he was dropped from such height and brought once more abruptly into the real world. He was back in the bed, all without covers as he had moved and was sweaty yet again. Once recovered, he began to sit up and rub his head to wipe away the sweat from his forehead. "I seriously need to get some answers. And fast." Asim muttered to himself before slap sly getting off from the bed. Everyone else was still asleep, tired from last night's event and trip. The sun outside was already up, indicating it was late morning. The floating mountains continued to stay in their place, not moving a single bit and being stationary as they blocked part of the sun. The sounds of the forest entered the outpost rooms, muffled by the metal and only being audible to Asim as if it were once again calling out to him. Realizing that it will take much more time if he sat there until everyone woke up, and had to go through Kentaro's check up again, Asim went out from the sleeping room and to the dressing room. He suited up and brought with him the weapons that he would need to defend himself. Yet as he made his way to the door that would lead him to the other exit, he stopped and looked back. At least he would leave them a note instead of disappearing without letting them know, so he and t to do just that. "Please forgive me Kentaro, but my gut is telling me to do something" he said to himself as he stuck the note on the monitor. Once that was done, he opened the door, closed it so that no air would escape, and moved to the next door.

Once out of the outpost, Asim took a deep breath of the outside air and began to head towards the vast forest.