Project tiftanglen || Neteyam

20

The ikran hoisted the rope into the air, Lo'ak clinging on, trying to cut the rope, Tuk wriggled around, Tarian sitting aghast. He had failed.

 
"Hurry!"

 Yelled Tuk, trying to do everything she could, Tarians que heated up, the feelings of the moment lost on him. Why must he ruin everything he holds dear? Nothing matters, he thought, taking his face in his hands. The ache in his que strengthened, the karambit no longer on his person, his body healed, he had healed himself, why?

The ikran lowered them onto the ship, Lo'ak plummeting with them together. They fell to the ground, Tarian looking at the nearing form of Quaritch, a smug emotion filling his eyes at the sight of a scar embedded into his shoulder. Lo'ak hissed, his knife pointed at the men which held their guns to him.

"Put your knife down!"

"Drop it!"

Lo'ak looked around dropping his knife on the ground

Suddenly Spider ran out of the inside of the ship yelling.

"Stop! Dont hurt them!" Tarian looked at Spider, their eyes meeting, Tarian's eyes had some anger in them, perhaps he had said things. But new recognition was there, he had felt what Tarians life was like for all those years, he could respect that.

Men and women ran up to him, Quaritch turning his head to them.

"Bro are you okay?" He asked Lo'ak

"Yeah cuz- never better" Lo'ak said, restrained by a recom soldier.

"Go back to the bridge! Make sure he stays there!" Quaritch yelled, lower ranked soldiers clambering to restrain the boy, drag him back.

Quaritch looked at Tarian, his nose scrunched, Tarian hissed, his fists balling, the constant ache in his que subsiding just for that moment of fury. Quaritch's eyes widened, smirking.

"I remember you..03

Tie them to the railing! Come on!"

Quaritch had a smile on his face that could make the strongest make sick. A recom soldier who had held Tarians neck to keep him in place forced him to the railing, taking him by the right hand to restrain him, Tarian's eyes widened, his eye's darting to the side. The soldier looked at him, before muttering a curse.

"Uh... Colonel, how do i?" Quaritch turned to him quirking a brow before glancing at Tarians arm. 'Oh'

"Wrap his forearm, not his wrist." Tarian groaned at that, his elbow being grabbed by the soldier. Restrained to the railing, looking over at the expanse of the sea.

"Careful, they bite '' Said a female marine art the man handling Lo'ak, Tarian smirked, remembering that moment, he shook his head forcing a frown onto his face, focusing on a spot in the sea.

"Be brave" Said Kiri, her hands pulling apart trying to get the orange cuffs off.

"Don't struggle, it'll make them tighter" Tarian mumbled Kiri looking at him, eyes lowering, the blood flow to his stub was slightly cut off and hurting, the cuff was tight, obviously meant for wrists, it had to wrap tighter to not slip off and onto his metal arm. His other arm was limp, the weight of it held by the cuff.

The spot in the ocean got bigger, Tarian's eyes widening as he saw tsuraks flying in, their orange wings spread.

"It's Sully!" Yelled Quaritch, Tarian directing his eyes up to Neytiri who was scouring the skies. The tsuraks got closer, now not flying, laying still in the water, Jake was in the front, his weapon ready, Quaritch furrowed his brows, a smug look on his face.

He stretched his arm to Lo'ak, Tarian jumping forward, ready to try to defend the boy. All the man did was grab his com's device. Forcing it into his ear, clearing his throat before speaking.

"Jake, tell your friends to back off, if you want your children to live you will come alone" He pressed a gun to the back of Lo'ak's head.

"You know better than to test my resolve.

I took you under my wing Jake, and you betrayed me,

You killed fellow soldiers, good men and women, I will not hesitate to execute your son" His southern accent holding string, Tarian's eyes flashed to every emotion possible, he watched Jake intently.

"I would threaten to kill the other boy but we need him alive, the scientists are gonna have a field day" He said, pointing his gun to Tarian for a short amount of time.

Jake talked with Ronal and Tonowari, Ronal...shouting at him?

"The offer's gonna expire soon... what's it gonna be?" Quaritch said, Jake's face turning to stone in that very moment, answering something into the comm. As he swam closer a man who he recognised from the forest pointed his sniper at Jake.

"Clear shot.." He said into the air.

"If you shoot now, they attack" He said, Tarian, surprised that perhaps he didn't want to kill Jake?

"Wait till he's onboard" Oh, well there goes that hope. The sea rumbled, something was causing wave's in the water, something angry, something..Payakan? As Tarian thought that the tulkun flew up into the air, furious about his brothers capture, falling on board, trying to disturb the peace, smushing people like unimportant ants, crushing machinery.

"Payakan!" Yelled Lo'ak, surprised.

The huge creature wreaked havoc, the crew scrambling to keep an eye on the kids, Sully and not sink. Fire was erupting on the deck, people were openly firing on the tulkun, a harpoon shot forward into him right as he opened his mouth, Tarian gaped, ready to shout. But the harpoon bounced off of the creature's armour.

The tulkun jumped off of the ship, people distracted, half of the crew trying to..hunt it? Seriously?

Neteyam jumped on board, Tarian rushing to him, stopped by his restraints.

"Neteyam!" yelled half of the kids. Neteyam turned to Tarian, his eyes relieved at he.. Meh health of the boy, he turned to Lo'ak.

"Need a little help little brother?"

"Shut up and get us free" Interrupted Lo'ak. Neteyam rushed through the restraints freeing almost everyone, he turned to Lo'ak who'se restraints his knife hovered over.

"So.. whose the mighty warrior now?"

Lo'ak groaned.

"Come on! Say it!" He said as he sliced through the boys restrains, running to Tarian, swiping his restraints.

" 'Riri thank eywa your safe"

" 'Teyam lets just go-"

Most of them but the three boys had jumped overboard, but Lo'ak ran forward.

"Lo'ak!" both boys shouted.

"They have Spider! We cant just leave him we gotta save him!"

Tarian half groaned half hissed at those words. Looking at both of the boys, Neteyam considered it. Fuck it. The boys ran into the ship, Tarian shouting curses as he ran in behind them. He ran near Neteyam. God he did fail. But he would follow that boy to the end of the line, the finish of the race, even if he finished earlier if it meant Neteyam was safe.

"Neteyam!"

"Huh?" The boy stopped running, Tarian also stopping once he reached the boy.

"Once this is over, let's go to the forest"

" 'Riri.. sure"

"Is it...a date?" Tarian asked, Neteyam hurriedly nodded, looking towards Lo'ak who had made good distance. Tarian looked around, pecking the boy on the cheek, before both started sprinting again, cheeks slightly flushed.