xlivii. run, the monsters back
╰ avatar: the way of water

     ODESSA fumes with anger as she gazes at the avatar in front of her. Quaritch, the man who had haunted Odessa and Jake all those years ago stands there, one hand resting on his gun and the other by his side.

Her children, Kiri and Tuk both run away from the avatars. Her nieces and nephews, Lo'ak, Spider and Ak'tari all run too. The five are hurrying to where the trees will provide more coverage, where they can find their parents and be safe.

Relief flowed throughout her body when she noticed that the Quaritch was no longer paying attention to the children, but to her. She still couldn't help but watched with narrowed eyes as the avatar Quaritch twirled one of her arrows between his fingers. "Is that you, Everett?" Oh, that voice sent Odessa into a panic, proving that he indeed was the devil who had come back to haunt her and her family. "I recognize your calling card. Why don't you come on out, Everett? And you can bring Jake too, the three of us have some unfinished business."

Watching Kiri and Spider crash into each-other with Niave quickly pulling the two both into her side, gave Odessa a short amount of time to think of a plan that would end with the death of the monster and only him. She leaned against the tree, closing her eyes and whispering a quick prayer to Eywa for her family. The crunch of leaves and plants made her open her eyes and stop her prayer, peaking around the side of the tree she saw Quaritch walked around, gun pointed up and ready to shoot at anything he saw. "Demon!"

Quaritch laughed, his voice heavy and loud as he spun towards where he heard the Odessa's voice. "Everett! Oh, how wonderful it is to hear that voice." He snarked, head tilted to the side as he took slow steps through the grass.

"I will kill you as many times as I have to!" Odessa snarls, barring her teeth as she narrows her eyes.

        Kiri glanced towards Spider, her hand tucked in his. The two ran side by side, away from the avatars that were going to take them. She could barely hear her mamma's voice anymore, her feet varying her further and further away. Bullets began to be shot near the two, causing them to let go of each others hands and be separated as they ran even faster.

They were heading in the same direction, only Spider slipped on a wet patch of grass, sending him tumbling down the side of a hill. Kiri dropped to her knees, helplessly reaching out for her best friend. "Spider!"

"Kiri, baby, let's go." Kiri would have slid down to rescue her friend, but her mother Neytiri didn't give her the chance. Kiri pulled and wiggled in her mothers grip, angry that she was pulling her away from her best friend. "Kiri ... Niave or Jake will get him."

The young Navi sighed, reluctantly running beside her mother Neytiri as the two rushed towards safety.

      Odessa turned, face to face with the devil. "Quaritch."

The avatar smirked, his sharp teeth flashing as he opened his mouth. "Oh, little ol'Everett. All grown up with a litter."

Odessa charged, her tail furiously whipping back and forth as she pushed the man to the ground. She used her foot to push the large gun away from them both. She pulled her dagger from its holder across her chest, directing it right above his heart. "Die, monster."

Quaritch moved, rolling and pushing Odessa away just in time for his life to spared. He grinned, knees bent as he stood upwards and readied himself for another attack. "Everett, come on. It ended in your favour but we all know who's going to win the match this time. Maybe is you stop, we'll let the human kid go." 

Odessa blinked, eying the blue man that dragged Spider into the clearing. His mask was broken, a crack in the corner that was allowing only the slightest bit of toxic air into his breathable air. "Spider," She whispered, her body tensing as the man roughly pulled the human child into a kneeling position. She spun on her heels, turning to face the monster she had once killed. Odessa is smart; she knows that the man in-front of her won't let the human kid go, it's his son. It's a lose - lose situation. She leaves Spider in the hands of a monster, allowing herself to go back to her children and wife -- or she surrenders and they take them both back to their base where they'll both most likely be prisoned and tortured for answers. Her ears tilt downwards when she heard the quietest yip from her brother, Jake. She glances to her side where she hopes Jake is with his own weapon, ready to help free her and Spider. "Even if I surrender you won't let him go, he is your biological child after all."

Quaritch laughed, clapping his hands in a mocking way. "Everett, gosh, you are just so smart."

Odessa flashed her sharp teeth, snarling as she thrashed in her restraints. She groaned out in pain as someone tugged against her braid, a quick pain flashing across her scalp. "You touch him and I swear on the all mother that you will not live to see another day." Odessa growled, moving her shoulders rapidly as she attempted to free herself. She knew that her actions were only frustrating the others, but at least they were looking at her and not anyone else. 

Someone pushed Odessa against the ground, the side of her face being pressed into the mud underneath her. Her one ear picked up on the noise above her, an arrow being lodged into the body of whoever held her down. 

"Auntie, get up!" Spider yelped, practically pushing his aunt up and forward with his bound hands. Their attempts didn't last long, Quaritch pulling Odessa to his side, wrapping an arm around her neck and keeping her tight again him. "No! Let her go, you monster!"

Above them all, large air ships that released wires to bring them back up. Quaritch was ready to take Odessa as his prisoner, give her to all the evil science geeks that would torture her and play mind games for answers.  

      Jake moved forward,  swinging his gun around his shoulder and letting it rest against his back. He held his dagger, the only thing he would need in this moment. "Let her go, Quaritch."

"Jake! All grown up, with your own litter too. Whats in it for me, huh? I let her go and you all run off to the trees to be some happy family? Nah, I have to take at least one of you back with me." Quaritch tilted his head, wickedly looking between the tree around him. He knew that his surviving comrades were near by, ready to do whatever they needed too. 

"I'll go." Spider announced weakly, his body aching from the smaller bits of toxic air that he's been breathing along with his filtered air. "I will if you let her go."

Odessa furiously shook her head, eyes darting towards Jake, as if she was telling him that he couldn't let a child be taken. Jake seemed to contemplate what would happen, it would always be a lose lose situation, he would lose a son or a sister. 

Spider stepped forward, glancing to his adoptive father with wide and tearful eyes. He couldn't let his aunt be taken, knowing that if she didn't comply then they would have no second thought about killing her. But he, he was a child, they wouldn't kill him, especially since he was the biological child of Quaritch. 

"Let her go, and we can leave right now." Spider gestured to the words that were waiting take the others back into the ship. 

"Spider, kiddo, no don't do this." 

But spider did it anyways. 

Odessa lost her nephew, and Jake lost a son in that moment.