●Nîryni hopped across large vines with a grin. After the eventful lunch she had she felt like a new person. Nothing could ruin this day for her.

"You're all too slow!"

Behind her was Lo'ak, Spider, Kiri and Tuk.

They were high off the ground but showed no type of fear due to growing up in this environment.

"Guys, wait up!" Tuk yelled at the older teens.

"Come on, Tuk!"

♡

They soon made it into another part of the forest.

"Ryn, look at this one." Tuk was looking at a blue flower and wanted to show her find to someone she knew would appreciate it.

Nîryni kneeled next to her and they both watched the plant in awe.

"Tuk, Ryn, keep up!"

The girls giggled as they ran over to the rest of the group.

"Bro, why'd you bring Tuk anyway?"

Lo'ak frowned then mocked the younger girl, "She's such a cry baby. She's all 'I'm telling. You're not supposed to go to the battlefield. I'll tell mom if you don't let me come."

Kiri hissed at him, "Don't pick on her."

Tuk leaned forward from behind Nîryni and stuck her tongue out at her brother.

Lo'ak rolled his eyes and continued to walk ahead of them.

His ears perked up when he saw the old fighter jet hanging above them.

"Bro, check it out." He waved them over and started to climb it. Spider climbed after him while Tuk and Nîryni watched from below.

"Are there any dead bodies up there?" The younger girl asked Nîryni with curiosity.

Nîryni winced, "I hope not." Her attention was then focused on Kiri.

"I'm going with your sister." Tuk nodded and followed the boys instead.

Kiri looked around in amazement at the life growing everywhere she looked. She reached her arms up and did a tiny spin while watching the creatures above follow her movements.

A sigh made her look back at Nîryni who was watching her.

"It's so peaceful here."

Kiri smiled in agreement then she walked into a small clearing.

Nîryni decided to give her space and kneeled over by a group of colorful flowers. She loved being away from everyone sometimes. It gave her mind a break from overthinking about the war and training. A slight touch from the wind against her arm made her look down at her new accessory.

She smiled fondly at it and the meaning it held in her heart.

Nîryni wasn't sure how long she sat there before she heard Lo'ak calling her name.

"Ryn, Kiri!"

Then she heard Tuk's voice,"We have to get back."

Nîryni looked back and decided to grab the yellow flower for Tuk and walked over to them.

"Look Tuk Tuk, I got this one for you." She placed it behind the girl's ear.

Tuk grinned and hugged the teen, "Thanks Ryn!"

Lo'ak smiled at their interaction but stopped when Kiri and Spider finally joined them.

He started to lead them back home when he noticed what looked like a foot print.

The boy jumped down to investigate it. Nîryni was the first by his side and he placed his hand against her back.

"What is it?" Kiri asked while crouching down next to them.

Tuk whined but followed, "We're always supposed to be home by eclipse."

Lo'ak ignored her, "It's way too big to be human."

Spider looked at it closer, "Avatars?"

"Maybe, but they're for sure not ours."

Nîryni frowned and looked at him with concern written across her face, "What would they be doing this close to home?"

Lo'ak softly patted her thigh as he got up, "No idea." He moved low to the ground and started to follow the trail.

"What are you doing?" Nîryni stalked after him with a scowl.

He shushed her, "Shh, I'm tracking."

Nîryni knew this wasn't smart at all but she also knew that Lo'ak always did whatever he wanted without thinking about the consequences.

♡

"Lo'ak this is a really bad idea. We need to go. We have Tuk with us if anything happens-" Nîryni held onto the boy's arm and started to pull him away.

The group of teens plus Tuk were watching foreign avatars stroll around the old battlefield where history was once written in blood.

Lo'ak glanced at her and the worry on his face made his heart ache painfully "I know, I know. I'll call it in then we'll leave."

Nîryni nodded at him sternly and listened in on the call.

"Devil Dog, Devil Dog, this is Eagle Eye, over."

On the other side of the comms was Jake with Neytiri, Neteyam and Sìkve.

They were currently doing patrol while Sìkve showed the other adults where he was concerned about the recent activity he spotted near their borders.

"Eagle Eye, send your traffic."

"I got eyes on some guys. They look like avatars but they're in full camo and carrying AR's. There's six of them, over."

Jake looked over at both Neytiri and Sìke with worried eyes. Sìkve wasn't surprised to hear that. His squad had already been aware of the demons moving closer and closer to home.

"What's your pos? Over."

Lo'ak tensed up but relaxed when Nîryni rubbed soothing circles on the back of his hand.

"Uh....we're at the old shack."

The atmosphere in the air around Jake changed into a more tense one, "Who's we?"

"Me, Ryn, Spider, Kiri," he paused, knowing he would be grounded for life,"And Tuk."

At Nîryni's name, Sìkve hissed quietly. He taught her better than to be disobedient and now she was close to the enemy while he was away.

"Son, you listen to me very carefully. Do not make a sound. You get the hell out of there. Move! You copy?"

Lo'ak sighed while holding Nîryni's hand tightly, "Yes sir, moving out."

"See I told you." Kiri teased Lo'ak about his waiting punishment.

Nîryni was quiet. Something wasn't right. She could feel it deep in her gut.

Tuk skipped ahead then started to walk backwards, "It's almost eclipse, come on!"

Nîryni felt her muscles tense and in a blink of an eye an avatar yanked Tuk close.

Immediately Nîryni drew her knife with a snarl and she regretted leaving her bow at home. She kept her eyes locked onto the man who held Tuk. It was then that she decided she would slit his throat first.

Kiri was next to her but low to the ground while hissing at the threat in front of them.

Lo'ak and Spider took a protective stance in front of them with their bows drawn, threatening hisses leaving them.

The recoms pointed their weapons at them while shouting commands.

"Put it down! Put it down or I'll shoot you!"

Lo'ak looked around carefully and upon realizing they were outnumbered he slowly lowered his bow. He quietly urged Spider to do the same.

Nîryni was a different story though. Hatred filled her eyes as she glared at the false Na'vi still holding Tuk in place.

"Tell her to stand down." One of the men ordered Lo'ak.

"Ryn, it's okay, trust me." He gave her a pleading look and she shook her head.

But she ultimately lowered her knife only to be roughly grabbed and forced to kneel. A gun barrel was quickly placed on her head.

Lo'ak growled lowly at the sight but was also forced to the ground. He kept his eyes on her while putting on a brave face.

Thankfully Nîryni was placed close to Tuk and the child reached for her.

"Ryn!"

That only set her off and she started to struggle through the tight grip on her longest braid.

"Leave her alone! She's just a kid!"

The recom growled at her, "Stop fighting!"

Nîryni gave up the fight when she heard the gun pressed into her temple get cocked back. She decided to try calming Tuk down. "Calm. Be calm. I won't let anyone hurt you."

She looked over at Lo'ak. The first thing she noticed was the way his eyes seemed to darken with anger and instead of looking at her face he was busy looking at something else.

Lo'ak clenched his jaw harder the longer he stared at Nîryni's queue being held by what he knew was a threat. Seeing her in such a vulnerable position pissed him off more than anything.

"What do we have here?"

Quaritch approached his squad and hostages with arrogance.

"Hey Colonel, check it out. Four fingers. We got ourselves a half breed."

Quaritch only looked at Kiri then turned his attention to Lo'ak.

"Show me your fingers."

Lo'ak held them then flicked the man off with both hands. Nîryni had to fight back the giggle threatening to leave her lips.

Unfortunately, it didn't get the reaction they wanted considering Quaritch chuckled at the display.

"You're his, aren't you?"

He received a deep hiss in response and it confirmed his previous statement.

"You're his, alright." He gripped Lo'ak by the queue and forced him to his feet causing the teen to yelp in pain.

Nîryni narrowed her eyes and snarled loudly.

"Where is he?"

Lo'ak breathed heavily but his pride made him utter, "I don't speak English with assholes." He slightly smirked in triumph.

Quaritch wasn't phased and switched to a broken form of Na'vi. "Where is your father?" He then yanked harder on the braid in his hand.

Lo'ak grit his teeth and yelled in agony.

Nîryni felt her vision turn red while her breathing became labored. All she could focus on was the way her boy's face was scrunched up in pain. Her body jerked violently at his yelps and weak hisses. She pressed her nails into her palms hard enough to draw blood. A primal protectiveness and rage started to build up inside her. One that she had never felt before.

"You really wanna play it that way?" Quaritch pulled out a knife and that was her last straw.

"Get your fucking hands off him!" Hostile hisses and snarls left her as her chest heaved in anger in its purest form. Suddenly nothing mattered but the boy who held her heart. Not the squad of recoms surrounding them. Not her own pain. Not the gun pushing into her head. Nothing mattered but him.

Her use of English caught everyone's attention, although her accent was thick, everyone in the area understood her loud and clear.

Quaritch threw Lo'ak down and stalked closer to Nîryni with an antagonizing smirk.

Even with the sounds of Lo'ak and Kiri pleading for the man not to hurt her, Nîryni looked him dead in the eye with not an ounce of fear. He could do whatever he wanted to her as long as the others were safe then she would endure it.

Her ears flattened and she bared her fangs in a way that made Quaritch pause. The wild look in her eyes reminded him of a certain savage woman that haunted his dreams.

"Keep an eye on her."

She looked up at him in defiance and with a daring glint in her eyes.

♡

Sìkve and Jake were on the ground in mostly darkness.

Their footsteps were completely silent and they blended into the shadows of the forest with ease.

Jake held his axe and was about to kill a guard when Sìkve held a hand up to stop him.

He then quietly crept up behind the unaware avatar and snapped his neck with ease.

Jake looked at the man with raised eyebrows while Sìkve just shrugged at him with a grin.

Neytiri took to the trees and let out a very specific call to let the children know they were here.

♡

Nîryni was standing in the grass with a blank face. The rain hit her skin yet she showed no reaction to it. She had been able to wiggle herself closer to Tuk and the girl leaned into her side for comfort and warmth.

Her and Lo'ak had been forced apart more but they kept their eyes on each other having silent conversations.

A familiar yip made them look around slowly.

Kiri turned her head trying to spot her mother and Tuk moved closer to Nîryni.

Nîryni wrapped her tail around Tuk's waist while Tuk wrapped hers around the teen's leg.

Even Spider squinted his eyes to look around.

The next minute would be one of complete chaos.

An arrow flew through the air and landed into the head of the soldier holding Kiri.

Bullets flew into the trees while shouts filled the air.

Nîryni did her best to cover Tuk's body.

"Lo'ak!" The Na'vi teen flung into action and grabbed the smoke grenade dangling from an avatar. Green smoke filled the area adding to the confusion.

Nîryni flinched at the signs of smoke. After that day she almost died in the fire that took their home, heavy smoke was a trigger for her.

"Ryn!" Like her knight in shining armor, Lo'ak's voice brought her out of her daze.

She used her strong leg to sweep the man standing behind her to the ground.

He fell with a grunt and had no time to process the feeling of teeth sinking into his neck. Nîryni continued to bite down until blood rushed into her mouth and she pulled back with a chunk of flesh between her fangs.

His hands desperately clutched his neck to try to stop the bleeding but the wound was fatal.

Nîryni hissed at him with bloodied teeth but a hand gripped her hip and pulled her away.

"Come on, baby, we gotta go."

Nîryni nodded rapidly at Lo'ak and the two ran, making sure Tuk was between them. That way she would be protected from the front and the back.

An unknown but armed soldier chased after them shooting bullets recklessly at them.

"Go! Go!" Nîryni yelled at the two in front of her. She could feel the aggressive man getting closer. He had stopped shooting due to running out of bullets.

Right when he made a move to grab Nîryni, a large body tackled him.

Sìkve wrestled with the enemy and they exchanged heavy blows until they inevitably rolled off their branch and onto the forest floor.

"Holy shit, dad?" Nîryni skidded to a stop and peaked over the edge. Her heart raced as she watched her dad fight. She had full confidence he would win.

And she was right.

Sìkve straddled the man with strings of curses leaving his mouth as he bashed the guy's head in with a rock.

Nîryni yipped to get his attention and he looked up at her while dropping the bloodied rock to the ground.

She jumped down and ran into his arms. He pulled her close to his larger body and she had never felt more safe and secured than she did now.

His arms felt like a barrier to the outside world that made her feel like no one could touch her as long as she was in them. He pulled away to check her for wounds.

"Put your hands up!"

Both father and daughter tensed instantly.

Nîryni stood on her tippy toes to look over her dad's shoulder. She could see red dots landing onto her dad's back. "They have guns pointing at us." She whispered to him.

Her body was shielded and hard to spot by the avatars that were still a good bit away.

He sighed heavily but made no move to turn around, "Fuck. How many?"

"Four."

Sìkve knew the next few seconds would be crucial to his daughter's safety. They had spotted him but he hoped they couldn't see his daughter standing in front of him. He knew that running would only put her in more danger if they decided to shoot. Best case scenario they shot him and she was able to get away. While the worst case scenario would be them both being shot. He would take the risk for himself but with his only child? No. He wouldn't put her in danger.

"Listen to me. Stick with Jake, he'll look after you. No matter how long it takes, I'll find you again. I see you, my child."

His eyes looked down at her full of love and determination.

"I won't say it again. Turn around and put your hands up!" They were getting closer and time was running out.

Nîryni looked at her father with fear, not for herself but for why he had told her that.

"Father, why-"

She was cut off by a strong push to her chest. Her body harshly tumbled into the bushes behind her. The wind was knocked out of her.

The girl gasped to fill her lungs back with air.

She looked up, a little bit dazed.

Sìkve was being forced to his knees with multiple guns being pointed at his body. He had both hands raised and if Nîryni could see his face she would see he had that same playful grin on his face. A huge light was being shined down in the form of a circle. The trees blew around in various directions from the plane hovering over them.

Nîryni rushed to her feet with a silent scream but a hand covered her mouth and another hand pulled her away.

She kicked frantically with wide eyes never leaving her dad's body. Her hand reached out for him yet he remained out of reach.

Tears of sadness and frustration fell from her eyes like a waterfall.

She had tunnel vision of just her father. The more the distance between them grew, made her resolve crumble. Her body was on autopilot as she fought against the strong body dragging her away.

She scratched, tried biting and punching in a frenzy of panic.

"Nîryni. It's Jake. I need you to calm down." His voice was low and almost a whisper.

Calm down? How could she? The man who raised her and taught her everything she knew about not just surviving, but living, in this unfair world was being taken from her.

Golden eyes hardened in hatred when she could no longer see her father.

♡

Neytiri and her children were ducked down in a small clearing waiting for Jake. He had left to find Sìkve and Nîryni after noticing they were missing.

Neteyam had an arm around Lo'ak's shoulder trying to provide comfort to his young brother.

Tuk and Kiri were tucked in Neytiri's arms and they waited and waited.

Nîryni stumbled into their sights after pushing away from Jake.

Right now, her mind was at war with itself. She knew Jake was trying to protect her but she couldn't help but feel like he had betrayed her.

At the sight of Nîryni, Lo'ak ran to her and she crashed into him. She dug her nails into his back with a sob. He rocked them slowly while encasing her into his arms.

"What happened?" Neytiri watched in concern and looked to her distraught husband.

"They took Sìkve too."

Neytiri frowned and looked at the crying girl in sympathy.

Those three words made Nîryni break down more. The pain in her heart made her entire body ache and tremble.

Tuk hated seeing her best friend cry so she joined in on hugging Nîryni tightly. Kiri and Neteyam followed her lead and soon the kids became a mess of limbs all trying to provide each other a sense of safety for the broken girl in the middle of them.

Nîryni leaned her head against Lo'ak's chest and listened to his heartbeat. He kissed the top of her head and she closed her eyes trying to embrace the support being offered to her.

Her eyes snapped open after a full minute with a new resolve fueling the fire in them. Nîryni stopped crying and pushed her pain away.

She knew that this was only the beginning of a long and tough journey but she would get her dad back.

No matter the cost. ●

◇A/N◇

{We finally get to Tsireya next chapterrrrr}