Amraë clung on the melodic accents of her voice as she sat. The ground welcomed her, her limbs heavy.
"Help me with those herbs, Tsireya," Ronal addressed her daughter from the other side of the tent.
Tsireya addressed a reassuring smile to Amraë before standing up to go help her mother. Their voices blurred in the background; the colors blended on the ceiling above her. She was so tired. Suddenly, she was back in her village, waking up from a restful night as her sister and mother were already up. Amraë had always liked that moment, that fragile instant as sleep left her and her senses returned, when no one had noticed she was awake, right before Vahe turned to her and dragged her out of bed.
But it was no her sister's face that leaned towards her, not her mother's hand that slid behind her neck as a bittersweet liquid fell in her mouth. A tear rolled out the corner of her eye as the dark called to her. Those mornings were gone.
𓆜 𓆝 𓆞 𓆟
When Amraë opened her eyes, the sun was shining, forming a pool of light around her. She blinked, once, twice, senses slowly returning. First, the shades of green and blue decorating the hut; then, the background rolling of the waves. The salted scent of sea and herbs. The dryness of her mouth. The lightness of her limbs, that had felt so heavy before. The surprising silence in her head. The memories of a fire.
Then, a face jerked up in her vision field, and a high-pitched voice chirped:
"She's awake! Guys, she's awake!"
Amraë pushed herself upward, shaking away the confusion and dizziness. It was only now that she realized how heavy exhaustion that felt on her. At her left, Tuk watched her with wide eyes, as outside, a ruffling of feet approached.
Tsireya, Kiri and Lo'ak entered the hut, all gathering around Amraë, whose head spun lightly at such sudden movements.
"How do you feel?" Tsireya asked, her face lightened up with relief.
"I—" Amraë's voice was raspy and dry.
Kiri handed her a bowl filled with crystal clear water, that Amraë gulped as if it was the most delicious beverage she had ever tasted.
"Light?" she said hesitantly after putting it down. "Better— I think. How long was I...?"
"You were asleep for two days," Lo'ak said in disbelief, arms crossed. "We were starting to believe you wouldn't wake up."
He elbowed Kiri with a knowing look. "Neteyam would not stop watching you. He stayed an entire night."
His sister rolled her eyes. "You skxawng."
Amraë barely registered their words. Two days? Everything seemed unreal, as if the bad dream had started before, she went on a mission with her sister, and that she had just woken up in her village.
Mother. Vahe. The chip.
The rest of the memories slammed into her with the force of a slap. The thunder. Atanzaw falling. Urgency filled her every sense. She only realized her had sprung up when the others backed away, concern filling their eyes. Before she could open her mouth, Jake and Neytiri entered, followed by Ronal.
Jake's relief was more than visible. "Oh, I'm glad to see you awake, kid. How are you feeling?"
Amraë avoided his question, the words falling out of her mouth. "The chip. Is it safe? Is the decryption still running?"
Jake raised his hands in hopes of calming her down. "Don't worry, kid. It's almost halfway decrypted. Nothing will happen to it here."
His words brought some reassurance, but still, her body urged her to see it for herself. She turned to Ronal and saluted her in gratitude. "Irayo, Sa'nok."
Ronal only hummed in return, her face blank of any emotions. She grabbed a bowl and handed it over to Amraë. "Drink this every night, before sleep."
The blue-green liquid shone before Amraë's eyes, reminding of the lakes near her village.
"You must be starving, child," Neytiri said, guiding Amraë out with a hand on her back. "Come."
"I'm alright," Amraë repeated like an automat, feeling strangely light on her feet. "I just need to see the chip."
The light outside was blinding after so many hours spent in the darkness of sleep — although for Amraë, it had felt barely longer than a blink. She paused and raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, still low in the sky. Around her, the Metkayina already went about their business, only glancing here and there at the Omaticayas. Amraë realized how little she had managed to appreciate the peacefulness of this place when she arrived now that the numbness in her limbs was gone and the pounding in her head had vanished.
She felt like she could run a thousand miles, climb a hundred trees.
She felt ready to tear down the Sky People.
A shadow cut from the sunlight, taking large steps towards them. Amraë only recognized Neteyam when drew near them, seeming slightly out of breath.
"Tuk just told me you were awake," he addressed Amraë, scanning her up and down.
Lo'ak's words from before came back in her mind; a wave of embarrassment washed over her. She dismissed the thought of him watching her with a slight shake of the head.
"I'm fine."
It seemed she had only been repeating the same thing since she woke up and was starting to get slightly irritated. People looking at her as if she was susceptible to faint at any given time was not what she was used to. In Vahaya Village, everyone knew and respected the olo'eykte's daughters as great hunters and warriors. There were no doubts about their strength.
Maybe you're not as strong as you used to.
Shut up.
Amraë had known loss before, but never on such a scale. She knew that strength was not gone however, that it was waiting for her to summon it, to use it for revenge. Getting her physical strength back was only a first step.
Neteyam seemed partially convinced with that answer, but still followed her back to the Sully's hut, catching her up on everything they had been doing while she was resting.
"... and Tsireya is starting breathing lessons today. It should start anytime now, in fact."
"Here." Amraë startled at the sound of Neytiri's voice, who stuffed a plate in her hands. "Eat."
In the plate was a sort of fish she had never seen before; it tasted salty, but in an oddly good way; Amraë started picking at it while rushing to the back of the hut, where Jake was already fumbling.
"Here it is."
Amraë put the plate down and almost snatched the decryption machine from his hands. No bigger than a leaf, it was exactly like the last time she saw it: a black square with a small screen on the top indicating the progress range: twenty-two percent.
"See?"
She nodded, allowing herself to take a deep breath. "Okay. I need to keep a close watch on it."
"We will keep it safe," Jake corrected her with a look. "You can't count on us, kid. We're on your side."
Amraë bit back a smile of gratitude. "I know."
