Damsel, let me de-stress you…
Sully!daughter x Miles Quaritch | Ongoing Fanfiction
GLOSSARY: < Previous | SERIES MASTERLIST
SERIES WARNINGS: Angst, mentions of ‘rape’, explicit smut & nsfw, exhibitionism, lewd/foul language, coercion, manipulation, emotional blackmail, lima syndrome, detailed injury + murder + violence, graphic depictions of gore, blood consumption, verbal threat to life, p in v intercourse, oral sex, dubious consent, rough sex, degrading & dominant Miles, manhandling, tail play? Is that a thing?? Is now.
DICTIONARY: If you need it!
A/N: I'm sorry in advance... things go downhill from here 🫣
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WC: 11,781 (Wtf I’m so sorry)
CONTINUATION OF THIS TEASER.
“No funny business, comprende? Had enough of your lip chewin’ my ear off for one day.” Lyle gruffed, pressing his hand to the palm scanner on the wall. Y/N frowned, her wrists bound by a pair of orange snap-on cuffs. Her tail swished impatiently behind her, foot tapping to emphasize her irritation. “Com-pren-day. I do not know this word. What does it mean?”
Lyle side-eyed her with disinterest, his gun limply hung in lazy hands. “It means understand. It’s Spanish.” Y/N tilted her head, tail swaying curiously. “Span-eesh?” He huffed, growing sick of her company. “Never mind.” She nodded at his disregard, the dull aching of her loins reminding her of her loathing. Her scowl returned, ears pricking at a familiar voice when the double doors slid open.
“C’mon.” Lyle rasped, grasping her arm to drag her in. She ripped herself from his grip, large eyes glaring daggers at him. “You do not need to guide me, sky man. I am not a baby.” He smirked, hands raised in mock surrender. “Sure ya don't need a hand? You're walkin’… kinda funny.” Y/N’s tail coiled around her midriff defensively, her pussy twinging at his words and the images that plagued her mind thanks to them. “I am fine. Where is he?”
* “I don’t know! You’ll have to kill me!” *
Spider’s distressed scream answered her question on Lyle’s behalf, and before he knew it, she was off like a bat out of hell. Y/N sprinted through the connecting biosafety suite that adjoined the entrance to the laboratory, slamming the button on the wall with her tail as she passed, sounding the fire alarm. “Hey!” Lyle bellowed, charging after her.
Y/N hissed as the sirens perforated her sensitive hearing, and curled the tips of her pointed ears under themselves. Yanking an extinguisher from the wall, she hurled it at Lyle just as he reached her, bashing it off his skull. “Fuck!” He growled, crumpling to the floor with a large hand hugged to his head. “You little bitc—” She silenced him with a kick to his face, knocking a single fang from his mouth and onto the tiled floor.
A multitude of hurried footsteps alerted her to the fact they weren't alone, and she pounced onto Lyle’s unconscious body, searching him for something sharp. She unsheathed his knife from his hip, trapping the blade between her thighs so she could cut herself free from the cuffs. It took some elbow grease, but eventually, they became frail enough that she could tug her wrists out.
“Hold it right there! Don't move!”
Y/N’s head snapped up at the intrusion, coming face to face with a crowd of soldiers. All human. She chuckled darkly, snatching a smoke grenade from Lyle’s tactical belt before chucking it at their feet. It was just a distraction — she hadn't activated it. They all scattered, barking orders at one another which unfortunately, even Y/N’s prudent hearing couldn't devise above the blaring alarm.
“Snumìnas.” She scoffed, plucking the dented fire extinguisher from the floor and pulling its pin before she squeezed the handles, spurting thick, foamy fog in their direction to buy her some time. Spotting a Pulaski encased in a wall-mounted box, she smirked and punched her fist straight through the glass, snatching it from within.
Fueled by her own frenzied uproar, she grabbed onto Lyle’s vest and used her every fibre of strength to drag his dead weight with her. Blinded by the rage that infested her being, Y/N began ramming at the laboratory doors until her wild eyes latched onto the lever beside them. She snarled at her own stupidity and wrapped her tail around it, almost pulling the helve clean from its hinges. The lab doors whooshed open, and immediately her eyes landed on Spider — now silent and not moving. “Kehe…”
They killed him? No, surely not.
It awoke something within her and it all came rushing back. Pandora was her home. Who were they to raid her woodland, press guns to her siblings’ heads, and capture her friend? These were the people who killed her late grandfather, her mother’s sister. They did not deserve life. No. They deserved death. Y/N let out a shriek and dropped Lyle’s limp frame to the floor, snatching the handgun from his holster in the process and tucked it into the belt of her loincloth alongside the axe. Science pukes and armed guards swarmed her, but drunk on adrenaline, they were mere pests. Inconveniences to her, nothing more.
The whirring in her tipped-back ears drowned out the shouts of the soldiers and lab workers, their coalesced commotion consisting of either panicked screams or commands for Y/N to stand down. Peering to her side, her eyes locked on a large whiteboard that displayed equations and other scribbles she couldn't decrypt. With a feral growl, she latched onto it, snatching it from its wheeled frame so she could haul it at her hindrances. Some dodged it, while others flew onto their asses like dominoes.
She took the opportunity to drop them like flies, and grabbed one man by his collar when he tried to stumble to his feet, chucking him like a sack of potatoes through a glass pane. Shards cascaded from its framing, tinkling to the tiled floor. Y/N snarled, crawling on all fours to straddle a second man when he reached for his gun, and grasped his head so she could roughly twist it.
Two down, quite a few to go.
Lifting her head, she came face to face with the barrel of a gun, but it was quaking in their hold and she sneered at their nerve. Grabbing their wrist, she slapped the firearm from their grip, before grasping their upper arm, breaking it in two. They screeched, collapsing to their knees. She heaved the man by his limp arm which earned her a second agonized shriek, ultimately dislodging his shoulder as she sent him reeling into a gunman just as he lined up his shot. The man’s gun fired upon the impact of the body crashing against him, shooting an oncoming attack as a result. Y/N smirked, grabbing him by his ankle with her free hand. “Thanks.” She taunted, before swinging him by his leg and launching him across the lab.
“Well, well, well.” A familiar, Southern rasp then drawled behind her. “If it ain't my damsel in distress.” Y/N’s head snapped to whom the voice had gruffed, a low hiss immediately resonating from her upon meeting his eyes. “Hey there, Bo Peep,” Quaritch smirked, a single razor peg protruding from his mouth. Y/N mirrored him, exposing her own much sharper fangs. She wanted to laugh at his attempt to resemble her kind. “You can try to scare me with your baby teeth, Miles Quaritch. It will not work.” He perked his brows, nodding slowly as he glanced around at the bodies that littered the lab, blood surrounding them like a sadistic ritual.
Quaritch motioned with his hand, and two other avatars joined him, raising their weapons at his gesture. Y/N scoffed, her knuckles turning a lighter shade of blue with the strength of the grip in which she clutched her axe and gun. “You are like babies.” She ridiculed and tossed the axe into the air, flipping it over before catching it in her hand again. “I did all of this with my bare hands, I have yet to use these.” She pointedly switched the safety of Lyle’s gun off. “You wish to intimidate me with your impressive weaponry, but you could not beat me without them. That isn't very intimidating.” Quaritch tilted his head as she spoke, eyeing her with an unreadable expression while he listened.
“You should not be here.” Y/N spat, her voice dripping with hatred. “You are not true Na’vi, you are just hybrids.” She chuckled then, eyes wild and ears titled. “You are ghosts. Ghosts chasing the vendettas of dead people.” The Colonel’s face changed slightly. Blink and you would've missed it. “You should have stayed dead. You will wish that you had.” Y/N concluded, her tail whipping animalistically behind her. Quaritch’s jaw ticked, his docked ears twitching as he looked her from head to toe. He felt his previous arousal stirring in his pelvic region. God only knew how he hated the way she made him feel.
“Wanna tell me why Corporal Wainfleet’s currently takin’ a siesta on the floor?” He asked, his tone dry and flat. Y/N frowned. Was that another Spaneesh word? She wasn't sure. Quaritch huffed at the questioning look she sent him. “Why’s he unconscious?” He reiterated, and her ears perked before an evil, somewhat proud smile stretched across her lips. “I hit him with the steamy death-canister. Then he called me a bitch, so I kicked him in the face.” Quaritch glanced at his men over his shoulder, and the one with a green bandana around his head shrugged at him in silent communication.
“Is this ‘bout the kid?” He assumed, motioning with his hands at what could only be described as collateral damage. Y/N’s ears flattened, and she glanced at Spider who was watching from his strapped-up position, utterly dumbstruck. She caught sight of the blood that trickled from his nose, her jaws clenched in reaction. “Let him go,” Quaritch observed her for a moment, his eyes dipping to the trail of crimson that spiralled down her leg and pooled at her feet. “I was ‘bout ta before ya set the damn fire alarm off an’ charged in ‘ere breakin’ all Hell loose.” He threw his thumb behind him, and Y/N’s hard stare latched to the red button his thumb directed it toward. “I stopped it. He’s a’right. Ain't that so, kid?”
Y/N craned her neck to peer at the boy. He nodded groggily, his eyes rolling back slightly as his eyelids drooped. She gasped, her nose scrunching. “He is hurt!” She growled, aiming the gun at Lyle who had begun to come around, groaning from his slumped position. “Release. Or I shoot.” Quaritch looked between her, the gun, and his Corporal. “Let. Him. Go.” She repeated through gritted teeth, her tail slashing the air around her. “Let him go and nobody else dies. If you do not, I will kill again and their deaths will be on you.” The Colonel’s men had their own guns raised, and they kept looking at him for permission to fire, their fingers itching to put Y/N down. “You brought this upon yourself.” She reminded, shaking the axe at him as she spoke.
“Can't let ya do that, sweet darlin’.” He denied. “Can't let ya take him.” Y/N’s nostrils flared, an irritated breath lurching from her lips. “He comes with me! I will not go without him. You cannot keep him, he is not your dog.” Quaritch remained silent, folding his arms with slight amusement as she berated him. “If you want to hurt my father, hurt me. My parents do not love Spider as their own, what you are doing here is pointless.” Her tone switched to a pleading one as she tried to reason, and he squinted his eyes slightly. It looked like he was actually considering it, torn between judgments.
“Use me instead. Torture me instead. If you keep me here my father will come. If you let me go, he will not come for you. He will not come for Spider either so you might as well set him free.” Y/N stepped closer to Lyle, clicking the pistol’s chamber. “I am not bluffing. I will shoot.” Quaritch sighed, and pushed one of his soldier’s guns down. The other did the same, frowning with confusion at him. “I don't trust ya. If I let him go, all’s yer gonna do is kill us anyway. ‘Sides, you've gotta job ta do, remember? You've gotta tell yer Pops what I did t’ya — what ya let me do. He’ll come fer me once he knows that.” Y/N shook her head, her grip on the gun tightening considerably. “If you give me your word that you will let Spider go, that you and your men will leave my family alone, then I will keep my word.”
“An’ why the hell would I do that?” Quaritch challenged, resting his hand on his holster. “You want war? Holding me captive will bring you that war. Touch me the way you did for every day that passes until he comes for you. For me. Let Spider go, promise never to go near my siblings again, and you will get your war.” Y/N only hoped he would take kindly to the suggestion. It would open a broad variety of options for how she would choose his fate. Slit his throat while he sleeps? Smother him with a pillow? Poison his rations? She hadn't decided how she would do it, but the contemplation was fun.
“Besides, the notion I’ll tell my father anything of what you did shows you are relying on me to keep my word in the first place.” Her ears twitched at movement behind her, but in her rage-dizzy fit, she was far too focused on rescuing Spider to react in time. Two large hands took hold of her arm, disarming the gun from her hand. She growled, twisting in their hold to slam her axe down on their head, but they ducked, receiving a slash to the arm instead. Lyle groaned, the gash a nasty one. Better than decapitation, he supposed.
He kicked the back of her knee, her leg buckling, and she thrashed when the green bandana-sporting recom snatched the axe from her, assisting Lyle in pinning her down. She screamed as she squirmed against them, throwing her head back so it connected with Lyle’s nose. That was the second blow it had received from her, and he was certain it was surely broken now. He tightened his hands around her, purposefully wringing her skin slightly as he spat more blood onto the floor. The third recom took hold of her braid, causing her to writhe desperately as Lyle bunched her tail into a painful bundle. Y/N shrieked and jerked her head back, clamping her jaws down onto the forearm of the man who clenched her kuru.
He cussed, letting go of her hair. With the pressure on her neural extension relieved, she unravelled her tail from Lyle’s hand and smacked it across his face. The unexpected contact caused him to flinch, his grip on her loosening, and she snatched her arm back before jabbing her elbow against the temple of the recom who still had her restrained. Having recovered from her defences, Lyle and the shorter, heavily inked man managed to press her to the floor before she had a chance to stand, and she felt one of them snap another pair of cuffs onto her wrists. Y/N let out an infuriated cry, her legs squirming as she was kept in place by the hand on the small of her back, the force uncomfortable against the top of her tailbone. Said appendage wrapped around their arm, attempting to squeeze it so they could no longer tolerate the strain, but the hand remained, much to her displeasure. “Get off me! Get the fuck off me!”
“No can do, buttercup.” Lyle’s smug voice taunted above her, and she kicked her leg at him, achieving only a hefty kneecap to his inner thigh. He grunted but didn't relent, and if anything, he applied further pressure to her back. “I will stay! Torture me instead! Just let him go!” Y/N tried to bargain, watching as the few science pukes who remained unharmed began to tend to Spider’s dazed self. Quaritch appeared in front of her, and roughly seized her jaw, his fingers digging into her cheeks as he tilted her face up. She tried to snap her jaws at him, but instead only managed to spit, her saliva shooting out and splattering over his face. He chuckled darkly, wiping it away with his hand. “You’re fuckin’ feral, ain't ya?”
She wriggled and squirmed, her eyes rabid with anger and her cheeks flushed. The burning she felt in her palms with the urge to punch that look right off his face was almost unbearable, and another aggravated whine left her mouth. “Hey, Colonel? She’s bleedin’ pretty bad. Want me to take her to the infirmary before we board the Aerospatiale?” Lyle inquired, his eyes wandering the maroon staining between her thighs and on the material of her cloth. “Nah,” Quaritch smirked, biting his lower lip as he stood back to his feet, allowing Y/N’s chin to bounce off the ground when he dropped her head. “I want Jake ta see it.” Lyle nodded at that, his nose flexing at the scent of her weeping cunt.
“Get’er out of ‘ere. She tries anythin’, kill her an’ deliver the body straight ta Sully. That’ll send a bigger message than her fat mouth ever could.” Quaritch ordered, turning on the balls of his feet to exit the lab. “No!” Y/N refused, thrashing as his men hoisted her onto unsteady feet. “No, no I will not let you take him!” She cried, her turmoil shifting from a place of revenge to one of desperation. “Shut up,” Lyle grumbled, shaking her by her shoulders slightly as they dragged her away. “No!” She repeated, kicking at their legs and whacking them with her tail. Lifting her feet into the air as they held her, she heaved her knees into Lyle’s stomach, hoping to wind him so he'd let go. Unfortunately, the attempt carried little purpose thanks to his bulletproof vest.
“Well, ain’t you just a treat t’day, buttercup”?
Eywa was grieving when Y/N awoke. Droplets of rain pitter-pattered against her scraped skin as she groaned, her drenched hair caking to her cheeks. Woozy from the sedative that still wore off, her head was foggy and vision doubled. She had been injected aboard the aircraft, tranquillised like a rabid animal when they failed to calm her. Lyle had been victim to a number of kicks and punches, as well as the threat that she’d shove his bald head up his even balder ass. The other escorts found that rather amusing until she quite literally tried to shove his head up his ass.
And now here she was, crumpled in a forgotten ball on the forest floor. She winced, pressing her hand to her thumping head as she stood on shaky, unsteady legs. Her tail curled protectively around her leg, her slim frame trembling in the cold evening air. Looking up, she scanned the tree canopies above. She wasn't far from the spot she and Spider had been taken from. They actually brought her home? She didn't want to believe it. Or perhaps she didn't want to jinx it. Better touch wood, she supposed, and brushed her three fingers against the damp bark of a nearby trunk in passing.
Her nostrils flexed, the pink, fleshy tip of her nose twitching as she sniffed the crisp air around her. Her Ikran was close, she could smell her. It seemed she had lingered in the last known place her rider had ventured, waiting for Y/N’s return. The mentioned’s heart thawed. She was blessed with such a loyal creature. She whistled lowly through the gap between her teeth and clicked her tongue against them, exhausted eyes falling to the rustling of shrubbery within the trees. Y/N yipped, the call resembling a motherly yelp. Almost immediately the sound of twigs and roots snapping followed, revealing an Ikran of azure and herby green.
Y/N beamed at the beast, and a relieved chuckle passed through her lips. “Kaltxì, Narlor.” She cooed, outstretching a hand. Rain began to collect in the cup of her palm, but she didn't much mind. Narlor huffed, approaching her rider with a soothed demeanour which Y/N picked up on. She placed her hands on either side of the Ikran’s face when she lowered her long neck in greeting, her head slightly bowed. “Oe lomtu nga, ‘eve.” Y/N pressed her forehead to the slope of Narlor’s elongated snout, her smile broadening when the banshee affectionately purred. “Let's go home.”
Moving to stand at Narlor’s side, Y/N checked her harness was safe for flight before pulling herself up and sitting atop it. She sighed, caressing the flexible spines that adorned her Ikran’s neck. A rare feature for mountain banshees in the sense that their bodies were usually completely smooth. Narlor ruffled them as she shook, her wings fanning to their full span. “Tam-tam.” Y/N shushed, giving her a pat before grasping her kuru so her neural endings emerged for the bond.
A soft, feather-light presence tickled the flesh of her upper thigh then, and she peered down. A blue flower, the very thing her mother had named her late Ikran after, had landed there. Y/N hummed, plucking the budding blossom between punched fingertips. “Tuk would like you.” She thought aloud, tucking it into the small pouch on her hip. “I'm coming, Sa’nok.”
Landing at the cave’s opening, Y/N disconnected her kuru from Narlor and dismounted her as she looked around the cave’s expanse for her parents. Immediately her eyes landed on her father, who was standing before a large group of men consisting of his most reliable soldiers. “My daughter is your ultimate priority. Findin’ her and bringin’ her home. No dilly-dallyin’, understand? Only kill if ya have to; we can’t waste valuable time. We simply don’t have any — not when it comes to my girl. In, get her, and out again. We need to be quick. If I see she has a single scrape, a misplaced hair, a loose goddamn eyelash… hell, if she’s been struck by lightnin’ — you’ll answer to me.”
His soldiers cheered and chanted, thumping their fists into their chests and bashing their spears against the floor. “As for Miles Quaritch… he's mine.” Jake’s men yipped and roared at his words, satisfying bellows rippling from their throats as they let out choruses of traditional war cries. “Y/N!” Neteyam stepped out of the crowd, bow in hand and war paint caked to his face. Their father’s head snapped in her direction with wide eyes as a horn was blown, echoing off the cave walls. “She has returned! The princess has returned!” A distant guard announced, and soon clan members were gathering one by one at the relieving news.
Y/N smiled as her brother encased her in a hug, only to groan when he lifted her from the ground, squeezing the life from her. “Teyam!” He let her down, his grin faltering when he noticed her bruised torso. “Shit! Did I do that?” Y/N sent him an eye-dart as she held her stomach and huffed. “No, skxawng.” He nodded, resting his hand on her shoulder with a concerned expression. “Sis!” Lo’ak pushed through the assembly of their people who were showering Y/N with utterances of affection, and pulled her into a brief side-hug. “You okay?”
Neteyam tutted at the boy, motioning to their sister’s bruise-blackened frame. “Bro, look at her!” Lo’ak’s eyes dipped to where the older boy had gestured, pupils narrowing harshly at the sight. “Shit, what happened? Did someone do that to you?” Neteyam’s expression darkened at his brother’s question, hand subconsciously tightening around Y/N’s shoulder. She chuckled, pulling them both into a group hug. “Oh, my baby brothers. My valiant protectors!” Her smile faded once catching sight of Jake, his face harsh and ears tipped back. “Fear not. These bruises are from the fall.” She reassured them, pulling away from the embrace.
They both visibly relaxed, but still hovered at her side like bad smells. “And Spider?” Lo’ak queried, brows already furrowed with his presumption that their friend hadn't been as lucky as Y/N. “He is alive, brother. But he is still in their captivity.” Her brothers nodded with relief at the revelation he was supposedly ‘okay’, but she couldn't help the guilt that consumed her. She’d gone after Spider in the first place, and in the end, she still couldn't save him. A feeble force crashed into her hip, then — halting her train of thought. Peering down, she was greeted by Tuk who had her short arms wrapped around her thigh. Y/N snorted, petting the girl’s head. “Hey, yawntutsyìp.”
She crouched, grimacing slightly as she lifted the girl onto her hip. She booped her on the nose before replacing her fingertip with a kiss. Tuk giggled, wiping at her bloodshot eyes. “Where did you go?” Y/N tucked a stray braid behind her sister’s ear, tickling at the base of the girl’s earlobe which caused her to squirm in her arms with a squeal. “Went for a little adventure.” She lied, subtly retrieving the flower she’d found in the forest from the pouch on her belt, and pretended to pull it from behind Tuk’s ear. “Wow, how did that get there?” Tuk gasped, poking at the velvety petals with a giddy smile. “It's so pretty!”
“Just like you.” Kiri spoke, joining them with tears in her eyes. Y/N beamed at her sister, who was also the closest she had to a best friend, and enveloped her arm around her. “I'm so glad you're alright,” Kiri whispered, leaning her head against Y/N’s shoulder. “Why would I not be?” She downplayed, placing the flower in Tuk’s hair. Neteyam chuckled behind them, scrubbing his fist against the crown of Y/N’s head in jest. “Our dear sister, the mighty warrioress!”
Y/N scoffed, jerking her head away when he ruffled her hair — her beads tangling as a result. “You must tell us the tales of your heroics! They'll surely be told for many generations to come. The Mighty Y/N: a legend the Omatikaya children will hear fables of for many moons to come!” Y/N couldn't stifle the smirk that crept to her mouth, and she let out a snort. “Oh, brother, how I've truly missed your theatrics.”
“Now that you are home, he can orchestrate them to someone else.” Mo’at approached them, and Neteyam pressed his hands to his heart and winced, feigning offence. “Oh, Grandmother, how you wound me so!” Y/N rolled her eyes at him and smiled toothily at the old woman. “Grandmama.” She passed Tuk to Kiri so she could greet the Tsahìk with a warm hug. “I prayed to The Great Mother for your safe return, my child.” Y/N felt a single tear escape at Mo’at’s words, which was soon caught by a swipe of the woman’s thumb as she held her granddaughter’s face in her hands. “It would seem my prayers were answered.”
“Y/N.” Jake finally beckoned, his hands on his hips. She swallowed thickly, stepping away from Mo’at’s touch to face him. “Hey, Y/N? Where's Spider?” Kiri then questioned, face etched with worry and eyes pleading. Y/N pursed her lips, fiddling with the material of her loincloth. “They still have him, sister. I'm sorry.” Kiri’s throat bobbed, her eyes closing briefly as she turned away, carrying Tuk back to the family’s dwelling within the cave. They all watched her leave, and Y/N felt a hand pat her on the back as she sighed. “Hey.” Lo’ak began, noticing the slump of his sister’s shoulders. “She’ll be okay.”
“Y/N.” Jake’s deep voice repeated, this time firmer. “We’ll go talk to her.” Neteyam ensured, cupping the back of Y/N’s head as he passed. “And, uh, good luck,” Lo’ak added, giving her arm a comforting squeeze as he glanced at their father, before following after his older brother. She inhaled through her nostrils, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic within her own flesh. “Pray for me again, Grandmama. I feel I will need Eywa’s utmost support.” Mo’at shook her head at her dramatics, a faint smile gracing her lips as she guided Y/N by the small of her back. “Go, child. You will be fine.”
She cleared her throat, approaching her father with a wariness she’d yet to experience. She'd hadn’t been scared of him before. She’d never really been scared of anything. Perhaps she didn't fear him, but rather whatever he had to say. Or more accurately, what she knew she had to tell him. He met her halfway, hands immediately reaching for her. “C’mere, let me get a look at ya, babygirl.” Y/N gritted her teeth as he twisted her, lifting her arms to inspect her skin for abrasions. He turned her back around once satisfied the parts of her he’d examined were unharmed, his fingers finding the tender, purple blotches that decorated her front. He scowled deeply. “Does it hurt?” She nodded, her hand drifting to massage her ribs.
Jake took a step back, pinching at the skin between his knitted brows as he clenched his jaws. “Leave us.” He ordered his men and the small crowd that still remained. They bustled hastily at his command, and he paced on the spot with his hands planted on his hips. “Goddamnit, Y/N, what the hell were ya thinkin’? Huh?!” His voice boomed throughout the cave, and she flinched at his tone. He’d never raised his voice at her before, not to her recollection anyway. “Fallin’ from a height like that should’ve been enough to kill ya… let alone what the sky people could’ve had planned!”
Y/N’s ears twitched, tail rigid as he berated her. “Father, please—” He raised a silencing hand, his forehead wrinkled as he bore his teeth through the thin gap between his lips. “Don’t talk over me! Jesus Christ. My oldest kid, one of my best fighters, haven't ya learned nothin’?! Everythin’ I've taught ya, has it all just flown over your damn head?” She winced, hands clasping together in a begging-like motion. “No, but—”
“I ain't finished! One more word out’ve ya and I'll throw ya from this damn cave; see how ya fancy your chances of survivin’ that kind of fall since you’ve appointed yourself the local paraglider. Got it?” Y/N stepped back from him at his threat, albeit empty, and diverted her gaze from his fierce one. He cringed slightly at her reaction to his words, and rubbed his temples to compose his frustration. “Speak when spoken to.” She flitted her eyes back up to his for a fleeting second, mumbling the phrase ‘yes, sir’ before looking back to an especially fascinating stone at her feet.
“Goddamnit, Y/N. I never thought I’d feel this way ‘bout ya before, but you’ve really disappointed me, honey. And I never thought I’d say that ‘bout you.” His words hit her like a trainwreck, her round eyes becoming glossy with tears. So her worst fear had come to light, his disappointment voiced by his own tongue. “Me neither.” She croaked, lip trembling and tail drooped flaccidly between her legs. “I raised ya better. Guided ya. Y’know better than this! Hell, this is the sorta crap I’d expect from your younger brother, but never from you. This ain't checkers, Y/N. It's chess. And you're playin’ with masters. You've gotta play the game, honey. That's all life is.”
Y/N bowed her head as he continued to scold her, flat ears sagging at the shame in which she was riddled. “Forgive me, Father.” A throaty growl rumbled from his chest and he tilted her chin up, his heart sinking at her broken expression, though he didn't let on, his facade remaining stoic. “You could've died. A small part of me thought ya had. Get that through your thick skull before ya even think about apologizin’ to me, kid.” He hissed, roughly tapping at her forehead as he spoke that last sentence.
“Dad...” She began, voice cautious. “There’s something I must tell you.” Jake shook his head, turning his back on her as he rubbed his hands over his weary face. “I don't want to hear it.” Y/N took a step forward, placing an unsure hand on his back. “Dad—” He spun around, grasping the hand that slid from his back in a tight grip. “I said, I don't. Want. To hear it.” Bulbous tears spurted from her eyes at the rejection, and she tugged her hand from him. “Maybe it’ll be best if I fight this war alone. Maybe… you should go somewhere else while I fight it.” He proposed, returning his hands to his hips.
Y/N frowned, mouth hung ajar and her ears stooping to the point they were hidden beneath her hair. “But… this is my home?” Jake battled with his next choice of words, toiling with his strategy to shield her from the RDA and whether this method was the correct one. He sucked in a breath, aware she may never forgive him. “Might be time ya find another.” Y/N staggered backwards at the suggestion, placing a hand atop her thumping heart.
Neytiri emerged from behind her Ikran having returned from searching for their daughter, her father’s bow sealed within tightly coiled fingers. Her eyes softened when they fell upon Y/N, and she held her face in her hands, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Sa’nu..” Y/N whimpered, lip quivering. “Ngaytxoa, Sa’nok. Ngaytxoa.” Neytiri shushed her, guiding Y/N’s head to rest against her chest as they embraced. “Mawey, oeyä sevin’ite. Mawey, maite.”
Jake sighed, pinching the flat bridge of his nose. “Go with your mother. Get yourself patched up and rested.” Y/N glowered up at him, eyes squinted and lips curled into a sneer. “Spider is fine, by the way. Not that you care.” Neytiri eyed her warningly, hooking her fingers around her arm to tug her along. “Hey, lose the attitude before I lose my temper. Where I come from, you’d have that sour face slapped clean off.” Jake warned, earning a sharp glare from his wife. “Right. Where you came from. I almost forgot you used to be one of them.” Y/N coldly remarked, and Neytiri looked between the two of them, utterly appalled by what was being said.
“You and Tarsem are engaged to be wed soon. Is this how the future Tsahìk behaves? Riskin’ her life for a human boy who ain't even part of her tribe?!” Jake reminded, jabbing a finger into his daughter's sternum. Neytiri swatted his hand down, hissing at their behavior. “Za’u.” She spat, attempting to pull Y/N with her as she cast a displeased eye-dart toward Jake. “Fuck you.” Y/N snarled at him, offended by her father's dismissal. “Ma’Y/N!” Neytiri gasped, her hand tightening around the girl’s arm. “You forget your place, child.”
“Watch your mouth. You're lucky I don't believe in hurtin’ children as punishment, especially not my own, or I’d shut it for ya.” Jake growled and waved his hand with half-assed effort, shooing her away. “Get out of my sight. You are dismissed.” Her nostrils flared as she allowed her mother to direct her toward the canopy-sheltered abodes that made up their temporary home, her heart heavy thanks to the rocky reunion. “Mother…”
“Silence.” Neytiri snapped, dragging her along. Y/N lowered her head, cheeks flaring at the curious gazes she received from passersby. “Oh, Great Mother, gift me the strength to not rip the trachea from the throat of my eldest child.” Neytiri snarled, walking Y/N into the family’s shared tent. Mo’at motioned for her to lie down, a pot of healing remedies in her hand. “Sit.” Y/N did so, her foul mood detected by her siblings who shuffled awkwardly with the tension.
Neytiri kneeled on her other side, gently pushing Y/N flat onto her back so Kiri and her Grandmother could work. “He hates me.” Y/N huffed, hiding her face in her hands. “What happened?” Questioned Neteyam, he and Lo’ak scooting closer. Y/N shook her head, jolting when her grandmother removed her makeshift suturing piece by piece, massaging herbs and oils into her stomach with each withdrawal. “Mawey.” Mo’at hushed, patting Y/N’s belly before resuming her work.
“He told me to find a new home, brother.”
Neteyam and Lo’ak frowned, exchanging wordless expressions. Mo’at and Kiri’s nursing came to a standstill at her words, while Neytiri remained silent as she fiddled with her daughter's song chord. “For real? Why?” Lo’ak quizzed, his two lone braids swinging when he turned back to her. “Hush, now.” Neytiri shushed them, taking Y/N’s hand in hers so she could kiss her knuckles. “People say things they do not mean in the heat of the moment.” Y/N rolled her eyes, aware her mother was hinting to her behavior, also. “He does not hate you.” Neytiri scraped Y/N’s loose hair from her face, caressing her tear-damp cheek before stroking her braids. “He loves you. If he had nothing to say, that is when you should have been worried.”
“Yeah, even after all this, you'll probably still be his favorite.” Lo’ak chimed, earning an agreeing chuckle from Neteyam. “Your father loves you all as equals! As do I. What matters is that your sister is home safely.” Neytiri hissed, her tail thumping against the ground as she death-stared her sons. “Spider is still there.” Y/N sighed, wincing as Mo’at applied pressure to her stomach while Kiri prepared fresh bandaging. “Well, at least you are not. You were foolish to do what you did.” Neytiri disregarded her daughter’s concerns, nimble digits fussing over her. Kiri abandoned her task with a huff, storming off at her mother’s apathy, and an uncomfortable silence engulfed the family once more.
Y/N tsked, swatting her mother’s fingers away. Neytiri smiled sheepishly, her head tilted sympathetically. “Aw, maite.” Y/N jerked away from her mother’s comforting touch again, to which Neytiri took offence this time and retracted her hand. “I will fetch you supper.” She then decided, her expression pained as she left. Y/N watched her leave, tail thrashing irritably beneath her.
“What is wrong?” Mo’at knowingly questioned, expertly fastening her granddaughter's clean dressing. Y/N gradually sat upright with her help, shaking her head as she reached back to drag her kuru over her chest. Her nose twitched, her queue still sensitive thanks to the unwilling Tsaheylu it had endured. Mo’at noticed that, eyes narrowing slightly. “Is there something you wish to tell me, sweet child?” Y/N audibly swallowed, fighting back tears. She’d never cried so much in her life. She wasn't even entirely certain as to why she kept crying. She felt utterly overwhelmed, yet empty all the same. It was as though crying was the only thing that made sense to do.
“Sister?” Neteyam urged, he and Lo’ak watching her from their perch a few feet away. “I wish to be alone.” She sniffled, clutching her braid with one hand while hugging her legs to her chest with the other. What she didn’t realize was that upon rearranging her kuru, her hair had slipped from her shoulders, revealing the bite mark on her neck to her brothers. “Very well.” Mo’at granted, standing from the ground to tidy her medicinal supplies.
“You see that?” Lo’ak whispered to his brother who nodded, his beads clicking as his braids swayed with the motion. “‘Evengans.” Their grandmother addressed, encouraging they follow. The pair stood, eyeing the bite as they passed, both grimacing with a mixture of confusion and anger upon closer inspection. “It is good to have you back, sister,” Neteyam told her, his tone bitter. Though, not directed at her, but to whoever had marked her. She smiled after him. “It is good to be back, baby brother.”
They passed their mother on their way out, a bowl in her hand. She and Mo’at exchanged hushed words at the tent opening, before parting ways. Neytiri ducked inside, an apologetic smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she sat opposite her daughter, placing the food in the middle of them. “Eat.”
Y/N glanced at the grub in front of her, the sweet aroma of spices and herbs teasing her nasal passage. “Teylu and Talioang. Your favorites.” Neytiri’s browbone arched, prompting her daughter to tuck into the meal. “Steamed in Rawp and Pxorna' — also your favorites. Are they no longer your favorites?” Y/N huffed, plucking a cube of meat from the bowl. “You are fussing.”
“I am your mother.” Neytiri shrugged, crunching into a vegetable root. “It is my job.” Y/N didn't respond, her head far too hazy to maintain a conversation. Her mother watched her with quiet concern, her chews faltering as she studied the girl’s conflicted expression. She sighed, sliding their dinner to the side so she could take her daughter’s hand. “Talk to me, Ma’Y/N.”
Tail colliding with the ground exasperatedly, Y/N finally met her mother’s worried eyes with watering ones. “I feel lost.” Neytiri’s lips parted, her face falling and ears tilting at the words that reached them. She nodded, silently urging her to confide further. “I do not feel like the same girl from the woods that night. I feel changed and it scares me because I don't know why or where that girl has gone.” Y/N stopped herself mid-sentence, unable to trust her wavering voice not to betray her.
Her mother kneeled up, leaning over to pull her into her arms. Y/N let her tears spew freely then and Neytiri squeezed her own eyes shut, cradling her daughter’s head in her hand while the other rubbed comforting circles over her back. She leaned back on the balls of her feet, lifting Y/N’s face to look at her. “Change does not always mean bad.” She pressed her palm flat to the girl’s hammering chest. “Strong heart.”
“How strong am I truly? He broke me, Sa’nu.” Y/N flinched at her own words, recoiling from Neytiri’s hold. The older woman frowned, golden eyes following her every move as the girl repositioned herself so she was cross-legged on the ground, wincing as she seated herself in the particular fashion. “What did they do to you, prrnen?” Y/N shook her head, fingers finding the marble stones of her trinkets as they fumbled with them. “I said nothing, mother. Told him nothing. He did not break me like that.”
Neytiri tsked, shuffling to sit beside her. “I do not care what you did or did not say, Ma’Y/N. I only care for you and your safety.” She brushed a few flyaway strands of damp hair from Y/N’s face, touching her as though her fragile frame may disintegrate beneath her fingertips. “What is really bothering you? You can talk to me. Is it about what your father said?”
“Yes, but that's not it.” Y/N let out an uneven, breathy sigh, rubbing the heels of her palms against her eyes. “Then, what?” Neytiri prompted, her nose scrunched slightly at the sight of her daughter’s discomfort. “You know how it feels to lose a sibling too, right?” Y/N began, aware that her late Aunt Sylwanin was a sensitive subject for her mother to discuss. “You have not lost a sibling.” Neytiri frowned, dropping her hands into her lap. Her frown deepened then, realizing that Spider was said ‘sibling’ in question. “He is not your brother.”
“Kiri is not my blood sister. But you accepted her as your own. Why is she any different?” Neytiri hissed under her breath at the accusation, busying herself with whatever belongings were lying around. “I am not having this conversation.” Y/N scoffed, standing to her feet. “Why not? You cannot hate a boy for his species or for his predecessors! You love father, after all.”
Neytiri huffed, her syuratan freckles beaming in the low light. “He does not belong here. This is not his home.” Y/N couldn't believe what she was hearing, her ears tipping back to display her outrage. “No, Sa’nok. He was born here. This is his home as much as it is ours. It is the only one he has ever known!”
“I am done with how poorly you treat him. How cold you are toward him. He is a child! An orphan! How could you hate a child for the crimes of his parents? You act like you and Father are saints.” Neytiri glared up at her, but for a second, her eyes softened as the words sank in. Only a second, though. Her glare returned soon enough. “He has demon blood.”
Y/N was quick with her retort, her tongue slicing the words as she spat them. “So do I.” Neytiri froze, her hands halting their tidying movements. “Who are you to hate a boy for who fathered him when you fell in love with a sky man? A sky man who worked for said demon whose blood Spider possesses?” Y/N’s voice lurched as she ranted, years of pent-up anger for how her mother treated the boy only now emerging — proudly making itself heard.
“My father is the literal subconscious embodiment of his human self living within the flesh of our people. His skin is a vessel to his human soul, his past self only inhabits the shell of one of our beings.” Y/N wiped at her nose, her feet unsteady as she began to sway. “So, if Spider had his own avatar, you would not despise him? If he resembled one of us? If you could pretend even for a second that he was of our kind?”
Neytiri remained silent as her daughter's upheaval concluded, her maternal heart panging with guilt. As a mother she had instincts, and nature is a phenomenon that can't be denied. She hadn't thought about it like that before, and the fact that Y/N was right in what she said didn't sit well with her. She was a woman of strong beliefs. And now she wanted to kick herself for making her daughter the same way. Y/N spoke of the boy so passionately, her love for him painfully apparent in her wavering tone. It was tear-jerking. Poetic, almost.
“He never even knew his father. He had no mother. You and Dad robbed him of a second chance to have those two things.” Y/N continued, softer this time out of fear her voice could not handle being raised any longer. “He has done nothing to you. You cannot hate someone solely for being born, or for who they were born to. You killed his only family and refused to offer him one in us.” Neytiri watched her with parted lips, her eyes scarce with glossy residue. Y/N turned to leave, stopping short to glance back over her shoulder. “You disappoint me, mama.” With that, she left her mother to her thoughts, ignoring the way her name had been muttered when she did.
Rounding a corner, she almost collided with a smaller figure, and placed her hands on their narrow shoulders to steady them. Tuk gaped up at her, only to smile once recognizing her big sister. “Y/N!” The taller Na’vi crouched down, pinching the child’s cheek with teasing intent. “In a rush? Is Lo’ak chasing you with a ‘poo-stick’ again?” Tuk shook her head with a cheeky, childish smirk. “Nuh-uh. I wanted to show you this!”
The small girl held out a hand-crafted doll assembled from wood and bound by rope. The flower Y/N gifted her had been stuck to the figurine’s head with a sludgy-mud concoction, and a pretty smile had been carved into the doll’s face. “You made this?” Y/N asked her, an impressed grin stretching her lips. Tuk nodded proudly, rocking back and forth on her heels. “It's you! Do you like it?” The former sat the doll within the pouch on her hip, patting the tatty leather. “I love it, yawntutsyìp. Irayo.”
“I was going to make Narlor too, but I ran out of sticks!” Tuk admitted, her naivety tugging on Y/N’s heartstrings. “I don’t think Narlor will mind, yawntutsyìp. Want to say hello?” Tuk nodded, skipping slightly to keep up with her sister’s longer strides. Y/N chuckled, allowing Tuk’s small hand to slip out of her grip and watched fondly as she bounded up to the eldest of the Sully kids’ banshees. Tuk giggled, reaching up to stroke the Ikran. “She’s so pretty! She has so many colors!” She chirped, large eyes admiring the circular patterns of metallic emerald and sapphire. “I hope I have an Ikran as pretty as Narlor when I grow up…”
“She is, and she does.” Y/N agreed, lifting the girl so she could get a better look. “I am sure your Ikran will be the most beautiful of all, Tuk-Tuk.” She consoled, smiling as the young girl rubbed her little hand over Narlor’s back. “I wonder what I’ll name it?” Her sister gasped excitedly, outstretching her arm so she could pet the beast’s head. “Hmmm, Rìkean?” Y/N suggested as Tuk twisted to wrap her arms around her neck, resting her head on Y/N’s shoulder.
The girl snorted, unimpressed. “Green leaf?” Y/N smirked, at the child’s skepticism. They were so similar. “What? You like green, and you like leaves!” Tuk tapped her chin, feigning deep thought. “Hmm… no.”
“Ooh, how about: Fyole?” Y/N then proposed, earning an eye roll from the former. “Actually… Rìkean is nice.” Tuk decided, and Y/N let her down, an amused grin stretching her lips as she patted Narlor’s head. “Have you seen Dad?” The smaller Sully nodded, pointing somewhere toward the back of the cave. “He's sharpening his knives. Look, he sharpened mine!” She whipped the tiny blade from her belt, slashing the air around her.
“Woah, careful, yawntutsyìp.” Y/N gently clutched Tuk’s arm, afraid someone was at risk of losing an eye. “It is very nice, just.. no waving it around, okay? Remember Mama said it is only to he used in emergencies?” Tuk puffed out her cheeks, her shoulders sagging, and Y/N wouldn't have been surprised if the girl stomped her feet. “I know, I know…” She begrudgingly returned the knife to its sheath.
Y/N stooped to one knee, resting both hands on her sister’s shoulders. “You aren’t frightened of me, are you? That night in the forest, what you saw me do, it was to protect you. You know that, right?” Tuk was quiet for a moment, as if mentally phrasing her response. Y/N lowered her head, eyes squinting to a close at the silence she received.
“I’m not scared of you.” Tuk eventually told her, chubby cheeks swelling as she smiled. “It was… your eyes. They looked kinda scary. But they don’t look like that anymore. They look pretty now.” Y/N laughed breathily and stood to her feet, hugging the child to her front. “And your eyes are the prettiest of all, TuTu.” Tuk grinned, wrapping her arms around her sister, though her hands couldn’t meet around the width of Y/N’s curvy hips. “Is Dad mad at you?”
“I’m a little mad at him, too,” Y/N told her, noticing the way Tuk’s brows dripped at her words once they’d parted. “But I am going to make peace with him. How about you go and find Kiri, hmm? Maybe show her how sharp your knife is without amputating her arm or shaving her eyebrows off.” Tuk’s face brightened, and she jumped on the spot a few times before hurrying to find their sister.
Y/N watched as the child sprinted across the cave, giggling excitedly while she did. Twisting in the direction Tuk had pointed, she spotted Jake, a troubled look on his face as he scraped the blade of his knife over a whetstone in repetitive, thorough motions. Y/N sighed, her posture slouched as she approached him. She knew he'd heard her quiet steps, his ears spiking upward at her presence.
“Y/N?” Haì’ile, a ‘friend’ of Neteyam’s, approached her with a swoasey in her hands. “Mo’at asked me to give this to you. She said it will ease your pain and prevent infection.” Y/N took the kava bowl from the other girl, sniffing curiously at the transparent liquid. “It looks like water? Is my grandmother trying to trick me into up-keeping a healthy fluid intake?” Haì’ile chuckled, peering at the beverage much like the former had. “No, Mo’at said it has been gathered from the body of Panoprya.” Y/N nodded, dipping her finger in to taste it. “Wow, it tastes like… nothingness.”
Haì’ile smirked, glancing at Jake. “Is everything alright with you and your dad? He really let you have it back there.” Y/N sighed, swirling her finger in the Panoprya extract. “He is mad that I tried to help Spider and got hurt in the process.” Haì’ile rubbed Y/N’s arm sympathetically, pursing her lips into a pitiful smile. “He was just worried about what the sky people might’ve done, I think.” Y/N shrugged, desperate for a subject change. “How are things between you and my brother? Has he confessed that he is hopelessly in love with you yet?” Haì’ile’s cheeks flushed a deep purple, and her eyes darted aimlessly as she stuttered. Y/N snorted, patting the younger girl’s shoulder. “I am kidding. I really must go.”
Haì’ile nodded breathlessly, pairing her flustered state with an embarrassed laugh. “Oh, yeah! Of course! We can talk later, perhaps?” She suggested, relieved the conversation was over. Y/N found amusement in the fact she thought she was out of the woods. Her brother's business was her business, she was craving the juicy gossip. “Right. Later.” She waved, smirking when Haì’ile scuttled off, no doubt to find her Mighty Warrior. Her moment of happiness soon dissipated, however, once reaching her father's secluded spot within the camp.
“Come to apologize?” He kept his eyes glued to his preoccupation, flipping the knife so he could tend to the opposite side. “No.” Y/N deadpanned, standing awkwardly as she shifted her weight between feet. “Stubborn, like your mother.” He chuckled, finally sparing her a glance. His eyes landed on the hollow saucer in her hand, before he returned them to his task. “What’s that you’ve got there?” She swirled the beverage in its dish, its bland fragrance filling the air. “Some kind of brew grandmother made from Panoprya essence. A tonic, for the pain.”
“I remember when your grandmother — my mother — used to have to grind my pills into a powder and hide it in my desserts.” Jake reminisced, placing his knife down as he shared the memory. “I hated takin’ medicine as a kid. Couldn’t stand the taste of cough medicine in particular.” He scrunched his nose, cringing slightly. “Tasted like feet,” Y/N smirked, dragging a crate so she could sit with him. “You know what feet taste like?” Jake snorted, sending her an amused wink. “I partook in some questionable dares in my marine years, honey.”
She grinned, letting out a relieved sigh as the uncomfortable atmosphere vanished. “Do you miss Earth?” Jake’s brows rose slightly at the unexpected question. His kids didn't ask him about that sort of thing, and he never spoke of it. “Nah. I miss the people, not the planet.” He flicked one of his matted dreads from his face when he ducked his head, the subject a sore one. “I miss your uncle. He died before I came here, before I met your mother. He would’ve really loved ya. He was meant to come here instead of me.” Y/N smiled sadly at him, her tail mirroring the gentle thuds of his own. “I would have loved him, too.”
Jake watched her silently. Was she even there? It seemed like just a second ago he was congregating a search party for her; and now here they were, discussing dead relatives. It still terrified him that she was almost one of them. “I didn't mean it.” He muttered, the crusted paint on his face flaking with each flex of his skin. Y/N nodded, hoisting her legs up to cross them. “That is what Mother said. That people say things they do not mean when they are angry. I hope you do not blame Spider.” Jake shook his head, propping his elbows on his knees as he clasped his hands. “Nah, he fell by accident. You jumped. Jumpin’ is pretty hard to accidentally do. But I ain't mad at ya. Hell, I'm mad at myself.”
Y/N frowned, using her cupped hand as a chinrest. “Yourself?” He hummed, twiddling his thumbs as he returned his gaze to the ground. “Yeah. I should’ve been there. I'm your father, my sole duty is to protect ya. I failed in that. Failed you. I was so busy tryin’ not to lose a kid that I ended up doin’ exactly that.” She could hear the grudge he held against himself in the self-deprecating tone of his voice. It made her ears droop, the wispy black tussock of her tail dusting the rocks that lay in its path. “There is something you need to know, Dad.” He raised an open palm, cutting her sentence short. “Whatever ya had to do to get out of there, keep it to yourself. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve made peace on the matter. We’re good.”
“Please look at me.” Her voice was hushed, barely above a whisper. Members of their tribe scattered the cave, and she was aware that voices carried. Echoed, even. Jake kept his eyes down, unwanting to hear what she had endured. “Father, please. Please look at me while I say this as I fear you will not be able to once I have.” Her voice wobbled, and slowly he lifted his head to meet her watering eyes.
She gulped from Mo’at’s remedy, buying herself a few extra moments before the civil moment between them would be shattered; her relationship with her father soon to be damaged, possibly irreversibly. “You’re drinkin’ that like it's scotch.” Jake gruffed, quirking a brow at her. “If it was, it would actually work to numb your pain. Sometimes alcohol is the best medicine. Lord knows I could use some now. It would certainly soften the blow of whatever you’re ‘bout to hit me with.”
Y/N tucked a stray lock behind her ear, licking at the bitter remnants of her grandmother’s concoction from the corners of her mouth. “What is ‘scotch’?” Jake held his hand out, crooking his fingers as he motioned for her knife. She unsheathed it, handing it to him so he could sharpen it for her. “Somethin’ you're three years too young for.” He shot down her curiosity, pointing the knife at her as he continued. “So don't even think ‘bout runnin’ off to Max or Norm and askin’ for some. ‘Specially not after that cheese fondue incident.” Y/N sighed, shuffling as she sat. She couldn't get comfortable. At least not with the weight she bore upon her shoulders.
“I am mated.” She blurted, eyes fixated on her feet. She sensed his movements halt to an abrupt standstill, his tail curling up to stand above him at her confession. “You and Tarsem? Y’all couldn't wait ‘til the ceremony?” He assumed, eyes narrowed into slits as he glared. “He should’ve consulted me. Not that I would’ve allowed it. Shit, I would’ve prevented his ability to mate at all. Probably a good thing he didn’t, then.” Y/N swallowed audibly, palms sweating beneath his hard stare. “No. No, Tarsem and I have not mated.”
“What? Then who?” Jake’s ears tipped back, his tail stood to attention behind him. “You're betrothed and you’ve mated with someone else? Jesus, it’s just one thing after the other with you today.” Y/N scooted back, her survival instincts kicking into overdrive at the enraged look on his face. She knew he wasn't going to hurt her, but she was unnerved all the same. “Wasn't Mother betrothed to Tsu’tey when you mated her?”
Jake’s jaw ticked, and he stabbed Y/N’s knife into the wooden frame of the crate he sat on. “Who?” He repeated, and she swore he hadn't blinked. She remained silent, the man’s name leaving a sour taste on her tongue without even being spoken. Her father sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. “Quaritch.” He guessed. Y/N exhaled shakily, the inevitable guilt she knew she'd feel hitting her like a stampede. “It was not under romantic circumstances, father—”
“Oh good, 'cause that’s what I was worried ‘bout. Thank God for that.” He snapped, standing with such haste that the crate beneath him tumbled onto its side with the force. “I think it was a manipulation tactic,” Y/N told him, watching as he scrubbed a hand through his hair while he paced. “So he can influence me? Have some extent of control over me?” Jake stopped short, his back tensed as it faced her. “Were ya restrained?” When she didn't answer, he growled, twisting so he could look at her. Y/N rapidly shook her head, her leg bouncing anxiously. “Bein’ held at gunpoint?” She shook her head again, picking at the skin around her nails as his eyes burned holes into the top of her head. “Unconcious? Aware of it?” Y/N finally looked up at him, teeth clenched as the need to sob provoked her. “I was awake. I remember it well.”
It was silent between them for a momentary beat. Jake paced closer and crouched down in front of her, placing his hand on her knee. “Did he… did he rape ya?” He grimaced once the inquiry passed through his lips, and he’d never prayed that an answer to his question be ‘no’ so hard before. “Define ‘rape’, Sempu,” Y/N whispered, resting her hand over his. “Oh, Jesus- fuck!” Jake snatched his hand away and stood back up, kicking the crate against the cave wall — breaking it. Y/N flinched, smiling awkwardly at the pairs of eyes that had glued to them thanks to his racket. She stood, scampering toward him so she could place her hands on his heaving chest. “Please, try to calm down. Tsaheylu was not part of his accord.”
He backed away from her, his fangs exposed in his infuriated frenzy. “Accord? What accord? Y'all made an agreement?” Y/N lifted her arms, her hands coming to rest on either side of her head as she tried to collect herself. “Me or you.” Jake’s scowl deepened, and she was surprised it was even possible for it to do so. “What does that mean?” Y/N hesitated, her fingers scraping through her hair before she dropped her arms to her sides. “I gave you up, or I let him have me instead.” Jake’s ears twitched, his tail thrashing wildly at his hind. “He gave ya a choice to be raped or not be raped, and ya chose to get raped?!” Y/N smacked her hand to her mouth at his response, glancing around at the few Omatikaya who were watching the dispute unravel. “No, that is not— Dad he did not—”
“Fuckin’ Christ.” He mumbled, pinching the skin between his furrowed brows. Y/N pursed her lips, reaching for his arm which he shrunk away from. “Father…” He sucked in a drawn-out breath, his chest stammering as he did. “Ya should've fuckin’ talked. If your life depends on it, if you fuckin’ depend on it, you talk. Jesus. If an option like that is the only other one, always talk! Understand?!” She took a step back, hugging her arms around herself. “You would have preferred I told him where you are?” Jake scoffed at that, his nose wrinkling. “Of course, I would’ve! That question shouldn’t even enter your mind, the answer should’ve been obvious! It makes me sick that ya thought ya had to do that for me.”
“I… I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was helping. I only wanted to protect you.” She dropped her head, her hair cascading on either side of it as tears threatened to spill from her flooded eyes. His feet stopped in front of hers, and she felt his hands plant themselves atop her slumped shoulders. “No, no you did the wrong thing. That was wrong. In a situation like that, ya always put yourself first. Don’t worry ‘bout protectin' me I can handle a guy like Quaritch. Killed him once before, didn't we? I‘m your father I'm the one who protects you.”
She shoved his hands off and pushed him back, her cheeks now sodden with her shame. “But you were not there to protect me! You were not there!” Jake stumbled, his ears pinning back and his features softening before they hardened once again. “No, you’re right. ‘Cause I was here. I was here preparin’ and gatherin’ my men, our most experienced warriors, to come and find you. I was thinkin’ of the best possible plan, 'cause that’s what ya do in these situations, Y/N, ya think. What you did wasn’t thinkin’, honey, that was desperation… and desperation gets ya killed.”
“I lived to tell the tale, did I not?” Y/N countered, her arms folded and tail jabbing at the air around it. “Yeah, by the skin of your teeth, I’d wager.” Jake hissed back, giving her the ultimate ‘dad look’. “Be honest, and I’ll know if ya lie. Are these really from the fall?” He gestured to her newly rebandaged torso, his face morphing from one of anger into one of dread. “These are.” Y/N truthfully replied. “These are not.” She pulled the belt of her loincloth down slightly to show him the fingertip-shaped bruises and nail indentations on her hips, the slight outlines of handprints barely visible on the dips of her waist. “And these…” She lifted her loincloth just high enough so he could see the bruising between her thighs, including the smears of blood that overlaid them. “…Are not.”
Jake could only stare in silence, and the stillness of his chest indicated he was refusing to breathe. He clamped his eyes shut, then. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, his ears flat and jaws tense. “I'm sorry.” He then murmured, opening his eyes to show the tears that threatened to fall from them. “C’mere, babygirl. C’mere.” He pulled her into him, holding her like he feared she’d float away or vanish into the abyss. “I'm here, I'm here now. I'm sorry, my girl. I'm so sorry.” Y/N leaned into him for a moment, feeling soothed by the safety of his arms. He rubbed her back in calming motions as he rested his chin on her head, but when his hand nudged her braid, she jolted and ripped herself from him.
“There are a lot of things about me that are not how you thought, or how you hoped, Sempu.” She sniffled, backing away as she clutched her kuru to her front, her hand hovering over the end of it protectively. Jake watched her every move, lips parted to intercede, but he stopped himself and allowed her to speak her mind. “You said you wanted me to change our world, to make it a better place. But you meant for people like us. For those who ‘belong’. Not for people like Spider who feel alien in their own home.” Y/N babbled, the pink tip of her nose flaring as she inhaled between words. “You wanted so badly for me to become an improved version of you that you ignored what I wanted. Well, I do not want this. I am tired of fighting!” Jake’s head dipped at the subtle raise of her voice. She sounded utterly broken; something he felt responsible for.
“I was scared. I was scared because I was alone. Something you never prepared me for. You taught me how to fight, not how to live.” Y/N wanted to collapse to her knees and weep until she ran out of tears to cry. But she wouldn't fall apart, not in front of him. “I love you. I love you and Mom so much. And I am sorry I let you down, Sempu.” She began to walk away, her voice cracking as it diminished into a whisper. “But you let me down, too.” Jake watched her scurry off with an emptiness he hadn't felt for a long time. He felt completely drained, his face unable to hide it even if he tried. He trudged toward the crate she had been seated on, propping his elbows on his knees as he held his face in his hands. Little did he know that his second eldest had heard the whole thing.
Y/N awoke with a start, lurching into an upright position as she blinked her sleep away. It had been an unpleasant dream that roused her, certain she could feel Quaritch’s hands groping and grooming her, his fingers digging into her plump hips, or his rough palms fondling her ample breasts. She massaged her fingers into her pounding temples as she shook her head, wiping the crust her mother called ‘dream dust’ from the corners of her eyes. The heat that curled into her side stirred, and she glanced down to see Tuk still snoozing peacefully beside her. Her smaller body was tucked snugly against Y/N, her tail wrung around Y/N’s thigh and her little hand latched absentmindedly to a loose yarn that dangled from her big sister’s chestpiece.
It was a comforting sight, and she stroked a thumb over the girl's cheek before gently lifting herself from the swaynivi. It creaked slightly with the shift of her weight, and she didn't even realize she was holding her breath until she let out a sigh. Plucking a blanket that had been bundled at the foot of the snonivi, Y/N draped it over Tuk’s sleeping frame, who groaned and rolled onto her side. Fidgeting behind her drew her attention to Lo’ak’s hammock, and she turned to see her youngest brother watching her with tired eyes. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. “What‘re you doing?”
Y/N shushed him and crouched into a frog-like pose as she shuffled through her chest of belongings, pulling her leather raspu' from within as well as her bracers. Lo’ak swung his legs over and planted them on the ground, crawling on his hunches to join her. “Dude, what the hell? It's, like, the middle of the night.” His sister nudged him with her elbow so she could rifle through various baskets in search of her headpiece, eyeing him disgruntledly as she did. “I am aware.” She grumbled, hissing lowly at him when he grabbed and shook her arm. “Where are you going?” He whispered, following her around the kelku like a stray. Y/N ignored his incessant questioning, ducking to check under the other hammocks. “Oeyä tsko swizaw? Did you lose it? Break it?”
Lo’ak scoffed, rolling his eyes as he trudged to the corner to retrieve it. “It's right here. Will you please just tell me what's going on?” Y/N snatched her bow from him, a tub of face paint in her hand. “Kehe. Help me with his.” He huffed, swiping the tub and dipping his fingers into the blue and orange paste. “Lemme guess. Some sort of boss-bitch, revenge arc type’a shit?” Y/N looked taken aback by his use of language, swatting him upside his head as he dabbed stripes of paint over her cheeks. He smirked, shrugging nonchalantly and stuck a paint-covered finger up one of her nostrils. She flinched, blowing her nose into her hand as she pinched the other nostril closed. Mucusy dye shot into her palm, and Lo’ak clutched his stomach as he tried to contain his laughter.
Y/N sniggered, wiping the tip of her nose on the back of her hand, smearing it with a snotty, blueish-orange residue. “Gross. I missed you the least, skxawng.” Lo’ak gasped, feigning offence. “Seriously, where are you going? Can I come?” His sister glared at him, her playful mood gone. “No. Go back to bed.” He frowned, stepping forward to follow her out into the cave. “Why? I can help.” Y/N growled, shoving him back. “It is too risky. This is something I must do alone.” Lo’ak crossed his arms over, glancing over his shoulder to check they hadn't woken their family. “What’s ‘too risky’?”
She tightened her armguards, her tail whipping impatiently. “Please, just… I have to do this. I have to. It is keeping me up and I will not rest until it is done.” He nodded slowly, scratching at his neck. “Are you gonna kill whoever hurt you? Me and Teyam, we uh, saw your bite mark.” Y/N sighed, pointedly draping her tswin over her shoulder to conceal it. “You did?” Lo’ak hummed an ‘mm-hmm’, his expression accusatory. “Yeah, earlier. When you had that fall out with Mom. What was that all about, by the way?” Y/N propped a hand on her hip, slanting her weight onto one leg. “If I make a deal, will you stop with all the inquisition?”
He perked a curious brow. “Depends,” Y/N smirked, scrubbing her hand over his tied-back hair. He hissed, jerking his head back. “When I get back, I'll take you to that purple waterfall in the forbidden jungle. The one Dad won't let you visit until you're my age. How about that?” She could see the gears cranking within his skull at her proposition, his eyes brightening. “I mean, you could abandon your heroic mission and just take me now.” He countered, his smile faltering when she glared sternly. “Or I won't take you at all.” She snapped back. “Alright, alright. Deal.” Lo’ak relented, holding his hand out so they could shake on it. Y/N took his hand, slightly disheartened that it was almost bigger than hers. Her siblings were growing so fast, which was why eliminating their threats was such a high priority for her. “Deal.”
She watched him retreat back to his hammock, making sure he wasn't waiting for her to be out of sight so he could follow after her, before turning to jog toward the cave opening. She yipped, summoning Narlor who soon appeared in front of her, still saddled from her arrival. Y/N cooed at the Ikran, holding the teal plate that protruded from the underside of Narlor’s jaw as she stroked her. Y/N readied the harness, attaching her bow and quiver to it before readying her queue for connection. “Y/N.” She halted at the voice of her brother, the oldest one this time. She glanced at him, smiling innocently. “Hey.”
Neteyam charged up to her, his braids swaying from side to side with his hurried stride. Y/N raised her brows at him, noting the pissed-off look on his face as he approached. “What is it?” He pulled her aside, her upper arm clasped within his fingers. “I heard you and Dad. You're going to get Spider, aren't you?” Y/N pried his fingers from her, reciprocating his angered front. “You were listening in?” She tutted, turning back to Narlor.
“I'm worried about you. You're not the same.” He pressed on, pulling her by her shoulder so she’d turn to face him again. She shrugged him off and folded her arms, dispersing her weight onto a jutted hip. “Should your worries not be with the whereabouts of your girlfriend, instead?” Neteyam ignored her comment, his heart set on the matter. “I know you bonded with Quaritch.” He pointed to her neck. “Did he bite you?” Y/N narrowed her eyes at him and tilted her ears back before quipping: “No, I bit myself.” Neteyam gnawed at the inside of his cheek at her sarcastic tone and shook his head at her, his ears mirroring hers. “Hilarious. So, what? You're just gonna waltz in and hope for the best? He’ll kill you.”
“He will not get chance.” Y/N retorted, turning her back on him again to mount Narlor. Neteyam sealed his lips into a tight, thin line and spun her around once more, keeping hold of her this time. “You’re scared of him. Who are you really doing this for? Spider, or yourself?” Y/N scoffed, ripping her arm free. “I am not scared of Quaritch.” Her brother looked at her knowingly. He could sense her fear. He knew her better than most, sometimes better than she knew herself. Knowing when she was frightened of all things was one of his credentials as her brother, and this was one of those times. “You should be. Think of all the devastation he has caused our people. Do you really think you're an exception? He’ll do anything to hurt this family and hurting you would be a sure-fire way to do it.”
“He wouldn't hurt me. His body wouldn't allow him to. I am his mate whether he likes it or not.” Y/N heaved herself onto Narlor’s back and reached behind her to grab her kuru, but Neteyam grabbed it first. She panicked, her eyes bulging as she instinctively grabbed her knife. Neteyam noticed her reaction and frowned until the realization dawned on him that Quaritch would've used force to conduct the coerced tsaheylu, and gently let her braid fall from his loose grip. “Sorry, sorry. Just, please let me talk?” She returned her knife to its sheath and nodded for him to continue, her eyes squeezed shut as she inhaled a deep breath. “Even if he doesn't kill you on the spot, he'll use you as a bargaining chip. If what you said was true and he only bonded with you so he can exploit you, he's already used you to his advantage. He's already won this.”
His desperate tone made her ears perk, and she met his pleading eyes. His brows were furrowed, his tail sagging limply behind him. He looked so much like their mother when he was concerned, and it only reminded her of the look on Neytiri’s face when Y/N expressed her disappointment to her. She may as well make her sermon worth it and bring Spider home. “I already let our parents down — I will not let Spider down, too.” Neteyam only tilted his head in response, his expression unsure. “He would do it for us!” Y/N whisper-yelled, and this time she was the one reasoning with him. “Would he?” Neteyam second-guessed, leaning his hands on Narlor’s side.
“How are you even questioning that?” She snarled, in disbelief that her brother didn't agree. “I saw with my own eyes that he was willing to die rather than give up information about us! Information that he knows. Information that at that moment would have saved his life. If no one else is going to repay him that kind of loyalty, then I will.” Neteyam only watched her wordlessly, his unconvinced expression doing the talking for him. “You cannot stop me, brother. I swear to Eywa and all that is good and pure, if you try to follow me, I will shoot you from the sky myself.”
He tsked at that, pushing himself off of Narlor which made her shuffle and puff through her nostrils like a Direhorse. “Oh, I get it. A brother for a ‘brother’, huh?” He accused, bending his fingers like bunny ears when he referred to Spider. “You would rather see my death over feeling bad about his.” Y/N gaped at his words, shocked he’d think such a thing. “Teyam, that is not true. You have always been a little overbearing, have you not?” Neteyam chuckled grimly, gesturing between them. “Overbearing? This is overbearing!”
“Keep your voice down, yaymak. I am trying to sneak away and you are being incredibly un-sneaky.” Y/N hissed, her eyes darting around the cave to check no one had been woken by them, namely their parents. “If not for me, for them.” He pointed in the direction of their family’s nestling. “For Kiri and Tuk. How do you think they will feel when they awaken come morning and you are gone again?” She stalled for a moment, and it was almost enough to change her mind, but not quite. “I do not intend to miss sunrise.”
“That is what scares me, tsmuke. I fear that if you do this, you won't live to see another.” Neteyam kept on, moving to stand just in front of Narlor so he could look up at her rider. Y/N tore her gaze away, pained by his worried face. “I do not intend to die, either.” She deadpanned, her uneasy voice almost betraying her stoic persona. “Then you are stupid,” Neteyam told her, resting his hands on his narrow hips. It was scary how he could go from resembling their mother to resembling their father in a matter of seconds. “Doesn't Dad always tell us to expect the worst? That way we can't be taken by surprise.” Y/N rubbed her palms over her face. She was growing sick of all the lecturing. “I am bringing our brother home whether you like it, or not. Frankly, I do not care. I would do this if it were you or Lo’ak — Spider is no different.”
“He is not your brother, I am.” Neteyam reminded her, and it hurt him that he had to. “And as your brother, I am asking: please do not go back there. Do you really think after letting you go a first time, they’ll let you go again?” Y/N ducked her head, her fingers messing with the threads of Narlor’s rein. He really knew how to tug on her heartstrings. “This is how you choose to spend the freedom they granted you?” Neteyam persisted, his ears bent back and tail slashing the air behind him. “If you gave somebody a second chance, and they used said chance to come after you, would you give them a third after that?” She remained silent, and his face lit up with the hope that he'd finally gotten through to her.
“I am going. Do not stop me.” Y/N decided after a moment of mulling it over, and slid the tendrils of her queue into Narlor’s. Neteyam bowed his head and backed away, his expression strangely unreadable. “Fine, I won't. But Dad will.” She looked back at him, her gut asking her to stay despite her heart encouraging her to go. She ignored her sixth sense and looked out into the dark abysm of the night, taking a deep breath. “He can try.” She simply said, mumbling a soft ‘tswayon’ to Narlor who obeyed and dove off the edge, before levelling out and drifting through the sky with ease. Neteyam watched until they were gone, his lips parted and nose scrunched.
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I’m so SO sorry this took so long :(