Golden Hour

IV - Don't Lie

Quaritch held the knife to my neck, pressing ever so slightly that it cut into my skin.

"Where is he?" Quaritch questioned me. When I didn't respond, Quartich pressed the knife even harder into my skin, blood dripping down my neck now. I groaned in pain, making Tuk even more scared if it was possible. Quaritch released me, one of his men grabbing me from behind. He walked over to Kiri since he couldn't get the answer he wanted from me.

"Kehe! No! Kiri!" Lo'ak called out as he struggled against the avatar holding him.

"Please. Please stop!" I called out as she shook my body,trying get out of the hold the avatar had on me.

"Stop moving!" The avatar sneered as she pulled on my queue, making me shout out in pain.

"Hey. Hey! Don't touch her!" Spider called out. This made Quaritch stop walking towards Kiri and look at the boy. His eyes widened as he stepped closer to Spider.

"What is your name, kid?" Quartich asked.

"Spider. Socorro." Spider rescinded as he looked the man in front of him right in the eyes. Quaritch seems in shock at the moment. He then shook his head a little before speaking.

"Miles?" He questioned in an uncertain tone. I looked around the area seeing the scared looks on my sibling's faces. My eyes stopped on Tuk as she was already looking at me.
'Mawey' I mouthed. 'Mawey' Tuk seemed to calm down a little after that.

"Nobody calls me that." Spider told Quaritch.

"Well I'll be damned. I had figures that they would've sent you back to Earth." The man spoke up as he stood.

"Can't put babies in a cryo dipshit." Spider sassed.

I looked to the sky. Eclipse had already started, making some of the forest light up already. I couldn't help but feel responsible for this situation. Mom and Dad had put me in charge of my younger siblings when we were exploring. Now they were being held captive. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard a video being played. I tilted my head a little to catch a glimpse of it. It was the video log of when Mom had killed Quaritch. I watched as Mom shot the man two times, his machine body finally falling over as Qaurtich took his last breath.

'Way to go Mom' I thought as I snickered to myself, the man behind me pulling on my queue again. I hissed at him quietly.

The video ended, rustling in the trees could be heard nearby. I thought it was just some animals until I heard a whoop. Mom. I couldn't see her, but I knew that it was her due to her calling card. Thank goodness she was here.

Another whoop was heard from Neytiri, this time an arrow being shot with it. It impaled the avatar that was holding Kiri, the man dropping and letting Kiri run. Another arrow was shot, this time hitting the woman that held Tuk. Lo'ak bit the arm of the man who held him, and opened a smoke grenade from the soldier next to him.

"Tuk!" I yelled as she grabbed the little girl, curling up around her to shield her from an avatar that was going to shoot at her. I waited for the impact of the gun shots, but it never happened. I uncurled myself from around my little sister, seeing my twin brother standing in the shadows of the forest with his bow in his hands. He signaled for us to follow him, the two of us doing so.

"Thank god you're safe." Neteyam spoke once they had run far away from the avatars. Neteyam walked over to me, pressing his forehead against mine. It was something we always did to show that we were worried about the other. 

I heard a rustling in the bushes, Neteyam and I pushing Tuk to the middle of us. We stood back to back, our bows drawn as Tuk stayed safe in the middle of us. Dad emerged from the bushes with Lo'ak trailing behind him. I left out a sigh, putting my bow down. Neteyam and I separated, letting Tuk run to Dad.

"Skxawng." I laughed, walking over to Lo'ak and pulling him in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around me, his head resting on my shoulder. Neteyam may be my twin, but Lo'ak and I held a bond that not many siblings had.

Mom and Kiri had joined the family, everyone exchanging hugs. Mom gave me a long hug. She was worried about her oldest baby getting hurt.

"Were any of you hurt?" Dad asked us. I shook my head, but Lo'ak looked at me.

"Y/n don't lie." Lo'ak spoke. I swear, why does he always have to make things worse sometimes. Mom and Dad looked at me quickly, their eyes wide.

"What did he do to you, baby girl?" Dad asked as he grabbed my chin, spotting the bruising on my cheek from Quaritch's punch and the blood trailing down my neck from the knife he had pressed against me.

"It's not a big deal. Really Dad, it doesn't even hurt anymore." I spoke, trying to reassure my Dad. I looked at Neteyam who had a knowing look on his face.

"He punched her and then pulled a knife on her." Kiri spoke for the first time since she had arrived. Dad looked at her and then back to me. He sighed, muttering curses under his breath.

"Alright, how about we head back home. There's been enough adventure for today." Mom spoke as she placed a hand on my shoulder, guiding me to walk. We all walked through the forest, talking and laughing as if nothing that had just happened actually happened. Although, the thought of Quaritch putting his hands on Toruk Makto's oldest daughter lingered in everyone's heads that night.

1001 words, proofread. Kind of a shorter chapter, but hope that you still enjoyed it!