"Lo'ak, your heart is beating too fast, calm down"
Tsireya was teaching the Sullys how to hold their breath underwater for longer. Except that it was mostly Lo'ak who needed help as he didn't focus properly and kept glancing at her often. She put her hand on his chest and stomach, showing him where to take a breath in from. Embarrassed Lo'ak could hardly focus and his heart was beating nervously from her touch.
"Sorry"
Neteyam and Ao'nung snickered when they saw how bashful Lo'ak was near Tsireya and how obvious it was that he liked her.
"I wish Ti'ywan could have seen this"
A landmine for Lo'ak, who missed her sister dearly, still remembering the pain and anger he felt when their father returned without her that day.
"Shut up Neteyam"
Lo'ak's ears went flat. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at his big brother, giving him clues that he didn't to talk about Ti'ywan, however, it was too late, as the name sparked curiosity in Tsireya and Ao'nung.
"Who's Ti'ywan?"
Lo'ak expression turned sad, knowing it was unavoidable to talk about her now.
"Titu is our older sister! She's a mighty warrior!"
Tuktirey proudly introduced their older sister, whom she loved dearly, remembering all those times she babysat Tuk, taught her various skills and made toys for her. The more she thought about her, the sadder she became. Her shoulders and head sank, looking down at the rock they were on. Kiri put her hand on Tuk's shoulder, hoping to share her grief and comfort her. Neteyam watched how sad his sister had become and took a deep breath before speaking.
"Ti'ywan is the oldest out of us, she was born two years before me"
Ao'nung frowned in confusion, wondering what happened to their sister, how come she wasn't here with them?
"Why is she not here with you?"
"Ao'nung!"
Tsireya punched her insensitive brother and looked at the Sullys apologetically. She wished he hadn't continued to pry in an obviously sad matter that they talked about with great reluctance.
"..."
All of them were quiet for a minute, wondering if they should share the story of what happened or not. They didn't really want to, as it only freshened up their memory of the tragic event, but they'd have to tell them eventually anyway, so why not get it over with? Once again, the oldest had the best emotional control and so he spoke first.
"Ti'ywan was captured by sky people and we had no way of saving her"
Irritated Lo'ak turned to his brother, staring daggers into his form. He hated what he had just said. No way of saving her? He was absolutely sure they did. If only they had regrouped and gone after them, maybe she would be learning breathing techniques with them now. She would see the beauty the water had to offer. She would scare Ao'nung shitless and make sure they weren't ridiculed.
"We did!"
He retorted, fighting back against his brother's statement on behalf of his older sister.
"She saved us! We could have died! Tuk was all alone in the forest and Ti'ywan told us to go look for her and leave her behind"
The two brothers started bickering as both had very different views on the events of that day. Lo'ak was sure they could have saved her and Neteyam wanted to talk some sense into Lo'ak and honour Ti'ywan's sacrifice. She loved them more than herself and their safety was her first priority, which is why she wanted them to leave her behind, knowing that if they came back, not only would she be risking her parent's safety but also Lo'ak's and Neteyam's. She knew them and was aware of how willing they would be to fight to get her back and she knew Quarritch would be 100% ready to shoot them.
"And we were just supposed to listen to her?!"
"Yes, to keep our siblings safe Lo'ak!"
"Dad should have saved her! He abandoned her! Left her to die at the hands of that son of a bitch"
"He didn't abandon her! And she didn't die"
"Yes, he abandoned her and how can you be sure she's alive!"
As the verbal clash got more heated, the boys inched closer until they both got up and glared at one another, too stubborn to think about the other's opinion or accept it. Tsireya, Ao'nung and Tuk backed away from them while Kiri just rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Guys drop it, Ti'ywan would have been upset if she knew you were fighting, she wanted us to be safe and I believe in her, she's surely fine, she has a strong heart, stronger than anyone, stronger than dad"
Kiri's words seemed to calm them down slightly, or at least enough for them to sit back down and continue practising. Tsireya later apologized for asking about Ti'ywan and bringing up painful memories. Lo'ak promised to tell her about their sister someday when he build up the courage to.
A few days later, Tsireya and Lo'ak were working on his breathing and she tested how much he had improved by throwing a seashell into the water for him to catch and bring back. He did so quite splendidly, showing he was nearing the end of this part of the training. They were taking a break, enjoying the sun and the sound of water splashing, when Tsireya hesitantly asked about Ti'ywan.
"Can you...tell me more about your sister? She seems to be very dear to you, so I wanted to know more"
"As we mentioned before, she's the oldest, she was born two years before us and our father put a lot of expectations onto her shoulders, however unlike me and Neteyam, who often fail to meet them, she's a born leader and warrior, she had lived to follow her father's steps ever since she could walk apparently, unlike us, they started training her in everything very early"
"Wow"
"Yeah, she's amazing...strong, agile, quick, smart, talented but above all, she's the kindest and bravest person I know, everytime I caused trouble, she not only would take the blame but would talk back to father to defend me, even though it broke her heart when she had to defy the one she held most respect and love for...We all love our parents more than anything, but Ti'ywan and dad, their relationship is just something else, she grew up listening to his bedtime stories, hearing them thousands of times yet never ceasing to be entranced by them...A big reason our father is who he is today is because of her, having high expectations for her reflected onto him as he also had to live up to her expectations, to be the best he can, her idol...Her strong care for the family also comes from him, she didn't even hesitate when she told dad to leave her in the hands of... that fucking bastard"
"She's an amazing Na'vi, I believe Eywa will keep her safe"
Tsireya gave Lo'ak a hug and he took a deep breath, relieved by what he told Tsireya. He spoke from his heart and the heavy stone he had in his chest seemed to lift.
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A/N: Hey guys! Just to clarify some things, during the movie, Tonowari's wife is pregnant, but... about 50 minutes or so into the movie she doesn't have a baby bump yet, later she does, so... I'll be taking the events and story slowly, as they seemed to have been at the Metkayina clan for a few months at least before Quarritch tracked them down. This gives me room for more of my own scenes and events to enrich the original story as well as give Ti'ywan room to integrate smoothly into the story with her own background, circumstances and etc...
I hope you will continue to enjoy the story,
Love you,
Author-chan
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Ti'Ywan, The Daughter Of Toruk Makto
Fanfiction"Sully's stick together" She took her father's words to the heart as she knew it was her duty as the firstborn to protect The people and her family.
