alien; lo'ak

⥤ Chapter Eighteen : Skypeople ⥢

⥤ Chapter Eighteen : Skypeople ⥢

Jake and Neytiri swim with Tonowari and Ronal. Other members of the Metkayina follow, all investigating the death of a tulkun. Jake knows this is the doing of Skypeople.

Meanwhile, Lo'ak and (Y/N) awake on the shores of the Spirit Tree. She turns to admire him, happy that she's been beside him all night.

He flutters his eyes open, smiling as she is the first thing he sees when waking up. He wraps an arm around her, bringing her closer to him in an embrace.

"Lo'ak, we need to go back," she tells him. Neither one of them want to leave. Lo'ak groans.

"They're going to notice we're gone," she adds.

-

The two arrive home to the entire clan preparing for battle. They fight their way to the center of it all, Jake trying to calm down the crowd. He holds up a sharp object, Lo'ak and (Y/N) immediately recognizing it from Payakan.

"This is only the beginning!" Jake announces. "You guys gotta tell your tulkun to leave!"

Ronal hisses. "Have you learned nothing?"

Kiri comes, putting a hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder. Kiri notices her friend and brother holding hands, and remembers they went missing that previous night. She smiles, (Y/N) elbowing her.

"What happened?" Lo'ak asks Kiri.

"Humans have killed Ronal's spirit sister," Kiri answers.

"We will fight to protect our brothers and sisters!" Tonowari announces, his entire clan letting out battle cries in support.

Jake's face reflects something in (Y/N), as she sees him plead with the Metkayina clan. "No! If you fight, then they will destroy everything!"

Ronal places a hand over her unborn child, seeing the father's worry. (Y/N) steps forward, Ronal noticing her.

(Y/N) goes to grab the sharp object from Jake, and jumps to a high point to hold it high for everyone to see. She speaks to let everyone know, and speaks while remembering Payakan's memory. "Tell the tulkun that if they're hit by this, they're marked for death."

Her eyes find Lo'ak, the two worried that Payakan won't be warned.

Jake takes the object back, his eyes thanking the girl for getting his point across.

Ronal dismisses her clan, scattering everyone to warn their sea friends of the danger.

(Y/N) runs to her lover, holding hands and agreeing, "We need to find him."

The two flee the crowd, Kiri following close behind. Tsireya, Roxto, Neteyam, and Ao'nung spot the pair, and follow them as well.

"What are you doing?" Ao'nung asks.

(Y/N) remembers hearing that he tried to save her the night of her seizure. She looks to him kindly now, as he worries for her and Lo'ak.

"We need to warn Payakan," Lo'ak answers. He clicks and calls for his ilu.

Neteyam goes to his brother. "No way you're running off, little bro. You need to keep your skxawng ass here."

"He's outcast. There's no one out there to warn him," Lo'ak defends.

"Bro," Neteyam chuckles. "Why do you always have to make things so hard?"

Lo'ak hated that statement, causing him to snap at his brother. "You mean why can't I be the perfect son like you? Perfect little soldier!"

(Y/N) can't bear to see the brothers fight. Besides, she knows Payakan won't have much time left, if he's not warned.

She dives into the water, calling her ilu, Raya, and taking off. Everyone else soon follows, Tuk even coming along with Kiri.

-

(Y/N) is the first to reach Payakan, immediately noticing the large object that has him trapped. "Shit!"

Lo'ak joins, seeing his sea friend distressed. "Stay calm! I got this!" He goes to help pull the object, (Y/N) helping from the water.

The other teens also arrive, seeing the creature cry out for help. (Y/N) resurfaces, her aquatic features showing. Ao'nung is surprised, his eyes widen a little. She waits for him to say something, to make fun of her. But Ao'nung quickly dismounts his ilu to help the tulkun.

Everyone tries to pull the object, a ship being heard in the distance. However, this ship has special guests aboard, Spider seeing his friends from afar.

Tsireya calls for her ilu, offering to pull the object out.

Quaritch is inside the ship, seeing the teens as well. He notices before his son a familiar face, which is now on an Avatar rather than behind a human oxygen mask. He's angered by (Y/N), calling to have soldiers released from the ship in machines.

Payakan is freed, Lo'ak dismissing everyone so that they can escape the humans. Kiri and Tuk take off, Ao'nung and Roxto close behind him. Neteyam is ready to leave, but not before checking on his brother. Lo'ak turns, ready to reach for (Y/N) to carry her on his ilu. But Payakan swallows her, before swimming away.

"No!" Lo'ak calls, unsure why the tulkun took her.

"Come on," Neteyam says, the brothers having to flee. Lo'ak calls for his father over their comms.