Blood and Water | Neteyam

Soaring ∼ 1

The wind whipped Tcelia's braids back as she shot through the sky, following close to the two brothers ahead of her. A huge explosion sounded, and she quickly glanced down at the train they had been following. The tracks had exploded – courtesy of their ground team – and the train veered off the tracks and collapsed on itself. 

A whoop of celebration sounded from the Na'vi below as they tore open the doors and started heaving out the heavy trunks filled with automatic weapons. She let out a whoop, indicating for her ikran to fly faster so that she could catch up with the brothers. She shot them both a grin as she came up on Neteyam's side.

"Guys, we have got to get down there!" Lo'ak yelled, desperate to be a part of the action.

"Lo'ak, no! Jake told us to stay up here and keep a look out for hostile air threats." Tcelia yelled back.

"Yeah, no way, dad will skin us." Neteyam agreed with her.

"Come on don't be a wuss," Lo'ak taunted and veered to the left, flying down to the train wreck where the ground team had started dealing out the weapons in a hurry, eager to successfully finish the mission.

"Lo'ak, get back here you-" Neteyam let out a yell of frustration and looked back at Tcelia, "I have to go after him, stay here!"

She started to protest but Neteyam shut her up with a look that said that he would not be discussing it. The second she had swallowed her pride and given him a nod of agreement; he dove after Lo'ak.

She stayed in the air, scouting for danger but she could not help her eyes from wandering to the brothers down on the ground, to make sure they were safe. They appeared to be arguing over a weapon that Lo'ak had been given. As she heard a sound coming from the mountains, she tore her gaze away and spotted one of the enemies' flying machines.

Tcelia frantically pushed down the button on the necklace she had been given. "Devil Dog, enemies in the air, northbound, one click away!"

A static 'copy' sounded in her ear, but it was too late. It had already fired two missiles, and she let out a scream as she saw one of them hitting the ground right by the two brothers, sending them flying, scattering in different directions. She vaguely registered a Na'vi man aim a large weapon at the flying machine, as she shot down to the ground. The shot hit one of its wings and the machine fell to the left and crashed into one of the mountain walls surrounding the target site, making the earth shake.

She flung herself off her ikran and ran through the smoke, covering her mouth with her arm. "Neteyam? Lo'ak?" She yelled feverishly. Her feet pounded against the unsteady ground as she ran, ducking, dodging, and maneuvering around fallen trees and debris from the train.

"Tcelia, I am over here!" She squinted and saw a figure that looked vaguely like Lo'ak come running towards her through the smoke. The relief that filled Tcelia was so intense she almost stumbled. Lo'ak was okay. She embraced him and they clung to each other for a second or two before breaking apart. "Oh thank Eywa you are okay! Where is Neteyam?" She held him by his elbows, concern clear in her voice.

"Do not worry, he is alright. Dad found him. We need to get out of here now!" Lo'ak dragged her along, his longer legs allowing him to run faster than her. A memory flooded Tcelia's vision of a younger her and a younger Lo'ak standing back to back, Jake measuring them and the giddiness that had filled her when Jake had told them that she was slightly taller. Tcelia had teased Lo'ak about that for years. Now he was nearly a head taller than her. When had that happened?

They called upon their ikrans and soon they were soaring through the clouds. She searched the sky and quickly found who she was looking for. Jake's ikran, Bob, was easily distinguishable with its larger wings and turquoise skin. Bob was carrying two Na'vi, both sitting up. Once again, relief coursed through her body. Both Jake and Neteyam were safe. She let out a long breath and a smile spread across her face. She leaned back her head and let out a laugh of pure happiness filled with relief and ecstasy from a successful mission.