Idea for a Lo’ak Sully x Reader AU where the Sullys never fled because my brain is flooding rn,
CW - SFW, angst, soulmate sort of thing, misogyny/sexism, original clan, original characters
TITLE - Trade Lines [Lo’ak Sully x Reader]
“The Tsu’ayla are one of the greatest clans, raised alongside Palulukans,” Lonal hummed to her daughter. She danced around her home, the tarp strung up around the base of the tree a gift from her closest friend’s Sky Demon lover. “We are strong, powerful and we are resilient. We started our legend of Palulukan Makto, and we are the legend embodied.” As Lonal finished speaking, near black skin a stark contrast to the blue of her only child, a Palulukan as dark as the unlit forest slinked through the open tarp. Lonal smiled easily as a familiar body followed it.
"Ma Lonal," the Olo'eyktan hummed to his mate. Her smile stretched to a feral grin, the dark woman holding a hand out for her husband. "How is our little txeptsìp?" The Olo'eyktan ran his thumb down the little girl's cheek bone.
"Stubborn, like her father. How is the clan, Ma Jakar?"Lonal answered. She pressed her back into a solid chest, Jakar’s arms snaking around her waist as she sagged. Relief flooded her body that Jakar was with her, no matter what, and not fighting a war he has no part in.
"They are fine, yawne, I promise. Vo’kuri keeps clawing at the entrance so I bought him here to see you." As Jackal spoke, the dark Palulukan from earlier stuck it's head up and yawned at them. Lonal sat near him, curling up in the space between Ra'vi's strong legs as he headbutt her arm gently. He was demanding to see his fkew 'evi, mighty child of his rider. Lonal giggled as she tilted a young Niri'te towards the thanator.
"Your cub and her will love each other greatly, my trusted one," Lonal whispered as Jackal left the tent to announce the birth of the first Daughter of Palulukans, Child of the Ioang. Lonely walked out besides her mate, Vo’kuri and another Palulukan bounding over to them - Gi’atri, Vo’kuri’s mate and mother to Akari.
“Ewya has granted us this blessing, giving us a child to usher us into a unity with others! Praise Ewya, for giving us Y/N!” Lonal yelled, her position as Tsahik giving her the right to interpret Ewya’s will. As the people cheered, hollered and yelped, the Olo’eyktan and Tsahik smiled as they stared lovingly at their daughter.
“Skawng! Screw you!” Y/N yelled. She was chasing her best friend and guard, Raika, through the high tree tops. He’d stolen her blade, and she was determined to get it back. “Raika that’s my mothers!” Raika did nothing but roll his eyes, dangling the knife from his loincloth precariously.
“Then get it, Little Syawn,” Raika taunted. He turned, jumping from a cliff face and his Ikran J’ta shot upwards, collecting him like a prize. Y/N growled, seething.
“I will skin you!” She screamed, catching herself before she went over. She had not yet tamed an Ikran, and did not trust Raika to catch her in his playful mood. Scowling, she turned to an albino Palulukan and a black one with red tainting her muzzle. “Don’t look at me like I’m stupid Vo’kuri, Gi’atri. He stole Mother’s knife.” Gi’atri, being more maternal, headbutt Y/N before bowing, allowing the teenage girl to swing onto her back and turn towards the village. Y/N muttered, listening to Raika laugh callously as he swung J’ta back towards camp and took off. Gi’atri and Vo’kuri followed, keeping the girl company.
“There you are, woman! The others are waiting!” A’laia was the caretaker of the young around the village, be it Na’vi like her son Ra’i or the Palulukan cubs. “The Olo’eyktan requests your presence in the main tent, go. See them. I will care for them. It is urgent.” Nodding slowly, Y/N rushed towards her father and mother’s tent. It was unusually quiet, the flap open and letting a draft in. Y/N was suspicious, her family never left the flap open. No matter the weather. As Y/N stepped inside, her foot fell on something and she shuddered, movements freezing.
“Father? Mother? I am home,” she called. Jakar, a man in his prime, looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, tears staining his face. He had been crying for hours, that much was clear to her. Y/N fell to her knees before him, grasping at his wrists. “Father? What happened? Where is mother?!” Jakar could not, would not answer his only child, his eldest daughter, his little txeptsìp.
“Little txeptsip, your mother… sh-she had an illness, neither our medicinals or Ewya could save her… Snake’s remedies could not save her…” Jakar broke down crying again. Then Y/N noticed the body hidden beneath a blanket, her mother's garments littering the ground around it. Y/N shook her head, denying.
“No. No, mother is fine. She has to be, she said she would weave my clothes and help Ewya find my perfect match a-and,” Y/N couldn’t get her words out, stammering and choking back on her own sobs so as not to lose her control. Jakar reached out to his child, his thumbs just grazing her wrists before Y/N yanked herself away, pushing herself to her knees and spinning to walk out.
“Y/N!” Jakar yelled, scrambling after her, “yawne please, do not!” Y/N ignored the man’s pleas as she reached Vo’kuri. He sensed her mood and lifted her onto his back with ease. "Y/N!"
“Get me out of here, ma txe’lan,” she sobbed. The albino creature hunched his shoulders before launching. He went a familiar route, Lonal having pleaded him to learn it in case her child ever needed to get away from the Tsu’ayla. Y/N made tsaheylu itch Vo’kuri, images flooding her mind of the clan they were fleeing to. Her eyes widened as she realised who it was.
shahaylu - bond/neural connection
yawne - darling/beloved/loved one