༺chapter seventeen༻
✧
⇝ tolerate it

The second Jake stepped forward onto the village with a a bruised face with his family, he felt the emotions rush to him, Kiri had felt something was off when Quaritch mentioned about losing a daughter, Tuk ask about her older sister, but they didn't give the answers she wanted.

"Jake Sully." Tonowari spoke his name quietly, ignoring the small human with them. "Your daughter—"

Neytiri exhaled gripping her youngest daughter's hand, Kiri looked up to the man then to her father, Lo'ak touched spiders shoulder with a tight squeeze, Jake blinked clearing his throat. "I know, I know." He muttered quietly.

Ronal came around touching her mates arm, "she's alive, your daughter is a txur tsamsiyu." (Strong warrior) Neytiri gasped hearing her words, stumbling back into Jake's shoulder. "It's best to let the humans explain."

Jake cocked his head as they followed Tonowari and Ronal. "Humans?" Neteyam jerked his head back upon hearing his family. "Dad. Mom." Neytiri walked forward into the hunt, she cried in that moment.

"Amiryat." She cried rushing inside with her two daughters following after her, falling to her knees cradling her face. "My strong, brave daughter." She presses light feather kisses to her face.

"She's okay, Tuk." Kiri held Amiryat unmoving hand as she held her little sister to her chest. Lo'ak stepped through, exhaling that she was okay, he turned to Neteyam. "You okay?" Lo'ak spoke softly, Neteyam only hums not moving his eyes from his sister though lo'ak can see right through him. "Come, lets get some air." The boy wrapped his arm over his brothers shoulder guiding them outside.

Jake thanked Ronal and Tonowari before they excused themselves and left the family. "Jake, I'm so sorry man." Norm embrace his long time friend in a hug, Jake pats his back pulling back. "What happened, why isn't she's moving."

Norm brought him outside the hunt, he knew it was better to tell him without everyone around, Max walked out passing Norm the tablet. "When we got here, her wound was something I hadn't seen in a long time, it reminded me when—" he took a paused. "Grace got shot, I didn't think I could save her, but then it was like something was telling me that I can and that she need immediate help, but she wasn't moving or breathing for some time, it was almost impossible—"

"Norm." Jake cut him off, Norm inhaled dropping his hands in defeat. "Whatever it is, tell me, please now."

"Jake, she died."

The father released shaky breath, he glanced back into the hunt. "She died? I don't— what? How could she have died, that's impossible."

"Not in the eyes of Eywa." Max mentions. "She was fighting, almost begging us to save this young girls life, Jake... we believe she met Eywa," Jake shook his head sinking down to a crouch position. "When we brought her back she kept mumbling Eywa until she fell into a coma."

—

"Tell me what's bugging you." Lo'ak sat down on the sand with Neteyam by his side seeing the way he hugged his legs to his chest, as if he was trying to protect himself. "you look scared."

Neteyam was scared, he was scared that he no longer had sister, but she fought back and now was in unconsciousness, it was crazy to him to think how much can change in a couple of hours.

"I thought she was died, we brought her here in hopes of saving her." Neteyam began, eyes never leaving the children laughing while they tugged on each other tails in the water away from them. "She told me— no, she warned me about the consequences and I didn't listen, I should've forced her away or.. or pushed her off the boat, I mean she would hate me but— but she would have been alive."

Lo'ak frowns touching his brothers shoulder. "Teyam, she's still alive and she's okay, you saved her." The younger brother never once comforted his older brother because he never needed it, he was the stronger one, the one who always held it together.

It wounded lo'ak' heart to see his brother it such state, he knew Amiryat wouldn't want him to blame himself. Neteyam meet his soft glaze. "Did I?" He questioned drawing his bottom lip between his teeth.

"Yes, yes you did, Neteyam." Lo'ak moved around kneeling in front of him, taking his face between his hands forcing him to meet his eyes. "Hey, listen to me, tsmuktu (brother), you did nothing wrong you saved our sister, okay? Don't blame yourself okay, I know it hurts but— we have to be strong, we gotta be strong together."

Neteyam broke out a sob launching himself into his little brothers arms, Lo'ak quickly took him in arms, closing his eyes as he listened to his brother break down in his arms, "you're okay, brother, I got you."

—

It been a few weeks since the accident, Amiryat hadn't woke up since, Norm and Max had returned back to the forest but always came around to check up on her, people went in and out of their way to give the family comfort, Neytiri visited her daughter everything, she would braid her hair as she tells her stories of that week or she would sing her daughter' songcord from her hand.

Everyone took their time in their day to visit the girl, Jake wouldn't, more like he couldn't, every time he tried he would break down in tears blaming himself everyday, he didn't want to lose her too, he lost so much already.

but now, Jake caressed her face, knuckles stroking against her cheek, glancing down at the white bandage wrapped around her chest dark blood soaking the cloth, watching her chest move up and down letting him know she was breathing.

"Ma Jake." Neytiri spoke softly from behind him, she kneeled down by him taking his hand. "It's okay, talk to her, she can hear you." Neytiri believed her daughter could hear everything around her, it's the reason why she speaks to her everything.

"I.. I don't know what to say." Jake murmured staring down at her small hands, Neytiri grabbed Amiryat hands placing them into Jakes. "Tell her anything, it all matters." With a kiss to his cheek she stood up and left the marui.

Jake never had the chance to speak with his brother before he died, he can't even remember the last conversation he had with him, he wondered what would they have talked about if he never died, it was almost like this was the only moment he could repaid him.

"Uh, Amiryat." Jake scoffed shaking his head, he moved forward hands interlocking with hers, stroking a thumb gently on her soft hands. "I can't express what I'm feeling right now because I would be lying if I said I was okay, I'm not okay—" Jake took a paused just staring down at her silent state. "I know where we left off was horrible and I wish I could take it back, and tell you that you're right... gosh you were so right."

Jake smiles with a laugh. "You get that from your mom, always telling me to stop being to hard you guys, but the truth is. That's all I got, my dad wasn't ever around... he's wasn't a good person either, I always told myself I didn't want to end up like my old man, but— here we are."

Jake tried to remember his fathers face but it was all a blur, it's been over two decades since he last saw him, his mother died soon after Tom, she had fallen into depression.

"Then there's tom, he was like a father figure despite us being twins, almost like you and Neteyam, you're more like Tom though, wise, smart, and fearless." Jake said releasing her hands as he moved to sit on his butt, bringing his legs to his chest. "You know i really hated myself, I hate myself because I should have told you this when you were awake not in a— damn coma!"

Jake grunt his teeth, looking everywhere but her, hearing the sound of thunder coming from behind him, there was a storm coming but he didn't think it was going to come so soon, goosebumps run down his arms realizing how cold it was. "You're gonna freeze baby girl."

Jake instantly stood up moving around the hunt, he spotted a pile of weaved quilts Kiri and Tuk made to keep Amriyat warm, grabbing three pieces he stepped back to his first born, sitting on the edge of the cot, he laid each layer over her pushing the quilt under her legs from keeping any unwanted air. "There we go, I hope you're warm." He smiles softly.

Later that day Neytiri and the rest of the family walked into the home with stacks of wood in her hands, the storm was the least of her worries as she began to make a fire in the middle of the hunt, Jake closed the flap to the hunt once the stormed started. "Did you speak with her?"

Neytiri hands twirled the songcord in her hands with her back to them, the kids sat around the fire as they ate their lunch, Jake kept his eyes on Amiryat stroking her cheek.
"...yeah."

—

Ao'nung had walked into the marui later that evening, a shawl wrapped around his body keeping him dry from the rain. In his hands he held three golden shells her found near the shore, he hadn't added any new ones to her necklace and was quite disappointed in himself.

"Yawne." The teen muttered against her hair with a kiss as he slipped the necklace off her neck, he pulled down the heavy quilt down noticing the sweat forming on her blue skin. "Your parents hate for you to freeze but you are sweating, my darling."

Ao'nung sat down by her feet with a leg on the bed and the other touching the ground, he began knitting smaller shell into the necklace removing a few pieces he didn't want. "poan a sìltsan ʼevi" (his a good kid)." Neytiri whispered to her mate as they stood by the entrance.

Jake scrunched his nose, watching the teenager silently work on the piece of jewelry as he spoke to their daughter about how he found a new collection of shells, "yes, he's good with her." Jake admits.

In the night, when the sun was no longer shinning, the family prepared to sleep, lo'ak went to kissed his sister's head like he did every night before he went to sleep but this time he found Tuk pressed up against her twirling her hair. "Tuk, come on, time for bed."

Tuk still didn't know what or how it happened, she only remembered seeing her sister on the ship then sleeping on the cot but she never moved— she looked like she was sleeping but never asked what happened to her. "Daddy?"

Tuk small form moved away from Amiryat warmth walking over to her parents, plopping down on her fathers lap, Jake hums stroking her back. "When is Amriyat going to wake up?" She asked softly, Jake glanced at his wife, they both knew their youngest was going to ask soon or later.

Neteyam perked up at the sudden question, he and Kiri sat close by wanting to see what will their father say. "Well, your sister had been through a lot and that brought her really bad.. um pain and only she will decide when she'll wake up."

Tuk missed speaking to her older sister so much, she cried every night hoping that if she cried enough Amiryat would waken and soother her and tell her everything's going to be okay. "I just really miss her." Tuk cried snuggling further into her father

"Oh Tuk." Neytiri coos cocking her head, Jake sighs caressing her small body. "I know, we all miss her."

—

this made me sad for bby Neteyam 😭😫