Pathfinder || OC X Neteyam

2 - Deadly Encounter

While Aha'ri and Lurei were young, their parents were always afraid. Traumatized by the sky people enough that they would rarely leave the village, let alone their children.

When the sky people returned, their ships and machines landed right on their village, burning the forest and everything surrounding it as they did.

Most were able to flee the fires. Most.

They got Aha'ri and Lurei to safety. But went back to help others.

Aha'ri was selfish, she didn't want to be left alone with her sister. She wasn't thinking about her parents.

Her last words to them were, Don't leave me.

Me. Don't leave me. Not goodbye. Not I love you. Not even don't go. Don't leave me.

She was helpless to save her parents. Once she realized they weren't coming back, she wanted to run into the raging forest fire to find them. To bring their body with her. To have something left from them.

But everything burned in the fire. She had nothing to remember her parents. Only Lurei.

She made a promise that day to Eywa. She promised she would protect her sister with her life so that they would always be together.

Lurei's voice brought Aha'ri back down from the clouds. "Aha'ri, can we go down into the forest please?" She drew out the please for emphasis. "I haven't touched grass in ages."

Aha'ri couldn't argue with that. She sighed, "Fine. But we stay close to Kilvan, okay? I'll land next to the river."

"Okay," Lurei smiled giddily.

Aha'ri took them to a clearing next to the river and landed right next to the water. As they landed, the sun disappeared behind the planet in the sky. It was eclipse.

The bioluminescence glowed in the darkness all around them. In the water flowing beside them, in the grass beneath their feet, in the plants lining the forest wall. 

She helped Lurei off the ikran, who immediately took off running, into the forest.

"Lurei, no! Stay near Kilvan!" Aha'ri yelled out. But Lurei disregarded her, taking the taste of freedom and literally running with it. Aha'ri nearly tumbled off of Kilvan trying to go after her. "Lurei!"

She disappeared behind the greenery without even a look back. Aha'ri's heart pounded as she quickly grabbed her bow from Kilvan and ran in the direction Lurei went. Her feet pounded as she ran as fast as she could in an effort to catch up to her.

It took her a second to notice what kind of trees made up the forest they were blindly running into. She knew these trees, this forest. Viperwolf territory.

Aha'ri's heart dropped. No, no, no. "Lurei!" She had never run this fast in her life. Feet pounding the ground, arms pumping at her sides. Her head was on a swivel, her ears listening all around her for anything.

The trees and leaves and vines flew past her until she came to a clearing.

There Lurei was, standing facing away from her, still as a tree. A second later Aha'ri noticed the pack of three viperwolves flanking them on all sides, growling as they inched closer.

Their black, leathery skin contrasting the bioluminescent grass all around them. She could barely make out their figures in the darkness which only made her heart pound more.

Aha'ri realized there was only one thing she could do.

She stepped to be beside her sister. "Lurei, when I say run, you run as fast as you can back to Kilvan, okay? Get on her back and hold on, she will get you back to the village safely."

Lurei didn't look up. She was petrified.

"Lurei, do you understand."

She nodded, breathing heavily and not taking her eyes off of their impending doom in from of them.

Aha'ri nocked an arrow. She didn't have much of any fighting skills, and only had a vague understanding of how to shoot a bow. It wasn't likely they were both getting out unharmed. So Aha'ri wanted to make sure at least one of them got away.

She made a promise. Even if it meant they wouldn't always be together.

The viperwolves' growls became more intense as they inched closer. Aha'ri counted down in her head with each step they took.

Three more steps. Two more steps. One mo-

There was a roar from their left. They all stopped and turned to see what had joined the standoff, even the viperwolves.

A hammerhead titanothere huffed, dragging its hoof on the ground repeatedly getting ready to charge. But not at Aha'ri, at the viperwolves.

One of the wolves snarled and whipped around to face the large beast. That only pissed it off more. It roared once more and started to charge at the wolves.

Aha'ri grabbed Lurei by the wrist and backed away while watched the titanothere scare away with viperwolves.

As the pack ran away, the titanothere looked over to Aha'ri and paused. They stared at each other for a moment before the titanothere huffed and ran off. It was only then did she realize how fast her heart was now pounding beneath her chest.

Aha'ri and Lurei looked at each other with both awe and fear of what just happened.

Tears began to well in Lurei's eyes and Aha'ri dropped her bow and kneelt down, pulling her into her arms.

"Thank you, Great Mother." Aha'ri whispered as tears began to well in her eyes too, "Thank you."