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03

Mi'niri would never get sick of flying through the sky, of feeling the wind whip through her hair and the scenery that passed under her. She was born to ride, and that was why she was happy at getting to fly to their destination. 

Tuk was in front of her, back pressed against Mi'niri as they came to a stop on the dock of the Metkayina village. Her eyes flitted around as she took Tuk off of Yiyë, noting that Kiri still looked every bit of pissed as she had when the Sully's had told them they were leaving. Tuk rushed to her mother's side as the older girl stood towards the back, pressing a comforting hand to Kiri's shoulder.

She moved closer once she spotted a taller boy getting closer to Lo'ak and Neteyam, stepping in front of the two with a stoic expression on her face. The boy took his eyes off of the two and stared at Mi'niri instead, snorting as he saw her tail lash around in warning. "What is that? Is that supposed to be a tail?" The smaller boy next to him asked, the crowd of Na'vi laughing at his words. Mi'niri felt a growl start in her throat, taking a step closer to him in warning. They didn't take the hint, the same boy grabbing at her tail, "It's too small! How are they supposed to swim–?" 

His words were cut off by a small girl slapping his hands away with a scowl on her pretty face. "Do not! Roxto, Ao'nung." So those are their names. Mi'niri stared at Ao'nung with a challenging gaze, daring him to say one thing out of turn. She turned away from him as she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking back at Lo'ak who squeezed the skin. She stepped closer to him and Neteyam with an annoyed snarl, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance. 

Mi'niri watched as the Olo'eyktan and Tsahík spoke to Jake and Neytiri, tail swishing behind her as Ronal walked around the group. "Their arms are thin. Their tails, weak." She spoke, a regal tone in her voice that demanded respect. "You will be slow in the water." She grabbed Kiri's tail and did not seem phased as the teenager snatched it back with a hiss, instead looking at her hands with a distasteful expression. Ronal grabbed them and held them up for the clan to see, "These children are not even true Na'vi!" She proclaimed, the rest of the people gasping in shock.

Mi'niri felt herself begin to growl again as the woman grabbed Lo'ak's arm next, staring at the extra finger he had with disgust. "They have demon blood!" She declared, and Mi'niri snatched Lo'ak's hand away with a snarl. Jake captured Ronal's attention after that, trying his best to win over their favor and allow his family to stay with them.

Thankfully, it worked.

Before long Tsireya, the chief's daughter, had lead them to their new hut. Mi'niri thanked her quietly before going inside, beginning to put her things into a pile in a corner of the hut. "Alright, Sully's fall in." Jake's voice called out, and soon she was being snatched away from the corner by Kiri. She sat down next to the girl as Jake began to speak, massaging her leg as she listened.

"I need you kids on your best behavior. I mean it." He glanced at Lo'ak when he said it, and then turned to Mi'niri. "Learn fast. Pull your weight! Don't cause trouble." He looked back at Lo'ak again with a stern expression. "Got it?" He asked, and Mi'niri tried to stop herself from chuckling as only Lo'ak replied. 

Tuk spoke up next, "I want to go home." Her hands soon went over her face as she started to cry, and Neytiri cooed at her soothingly. Jake grabbed her hand gently in his, eyebrows furrowed.

"Tuk... this is our home now. And we're gonna get through this." He spoke, turning to the rest of the family. His eyes landed on Mi'niri, "We're a family, after all." 

"What does your father always say?" Neytiri spoke up, looking around at her children with a sullen expression. Everyone could tell that even she did not want to be there. 

"Sully's stick together." They all chimed in, Mi'niri shuffling around in her spot. After the meeting had ended she stood up and walked to the sleeping mats the Metkayina people had been ever thoughtful in giving them, frowning as she realized they were individual. 

It seemed fruitless to argue about it, and she laid down, curling into a ball and hugging herself. The family had begun unpacking their own things and preparing dinner, and Mi'niri simply sighed, falling asleep to the sound of their talking. 

She didn't wake up until late in the night, jolting awake from a nightmare. Her breathing was harsh as she sat up, holding her chest with a clammy hand. The noise around her was blocked out, except for the ever growing noise of static, and she raised her hands to her ears in attempt to block it out. 

This was the first nightmare she'd had in weeks. 

Her legs wobbled underneath her as she made her way outside of the hut, walking close to the water and sitting down, holding her face in her hands as she attempted to calm down. The sound of muffled sobs filled the air around her as she cried. 

She missed her mother.

After sitting near the water for around an hour, she heard the call of her name, turning around to see Lo'ak's half asleep form staring at her in confusion. He must've realized she had been crying by the puffiness of her eyes and sat next to her, holding her hands in his.

It was a scene he'd seen plenty of times before, and yet his heartstrings still tugged at the raggedness of her breathing– the sheer terror in her eyes. He rubbed his thumb over the skin on her hand, watching as she calmed down next to him. He didn't realize that his presence alone was enough to ground her.

"Ma Lo'ak." She whispered shakily, leaning her head on his shoulder. He hummed underneath her and put a hand to her head, rubbing her braids. She repeated his name again, nuzzling into his neck with a small smile. 

The two didn't know how long they sat there, just taking each other's presence in. Lo'ak was sure Mi'niri had fell asleep before she would start speaking again, talking about mindless things as they both stared at the water in front of them.

Lo'ak traced the scars on her hand with a finger before standing up, pulling her up with him. "We need to sleep. We've got lots to do tomorrow." Lo'ak said softly, and Mi'niri nodded and followed him into the hut.

She slept a lot better after that, only waking up a few more times after the first nightmare. She would have to tell Jake and Neytiri about it eventually, but she didn't want them to worry. In the grand scheme of things, her problems were so little.

She woke up the next day to Kiri shaking her, learning that they were getting taken into the water. She motioned them to leave without her, pulling her hair up and out of her face and grabbing a knife. Just for protection, definitely not to scare Ao'nung and Roxto into not being major dickheads. 

She left soon after, jumping into the water silently and following after the four kids.