Her life
Peyä tìreyti
•—————•—————•—————•—————•

Again, they leave. This time in the morning. The ride out was long.

The wind was cold and slicing at her skin. Yuete' was warm. Her deep tones attracted more warmth from the sun. But she was mostly missing Tsu'tey. That warmth in his skin, his subtle praises, that heart snatching smile.

"What's on your mind?" Vrin asks as they land on a high rock for the night.

"The reason I'm going to be healed." Hia answered, a small smile dawning on her face as she began to pitch a tent with Vrin.

"But that's not all." She pried, raising an eyebrow with a smile.

"My dearest friend and soon-to-be mate." Hia admitted while working on tying it down methodically.

Vrin smiled in surprise and teasingly pried further.

"A male or female? A strong warrior?" She implored.

"A male. He's more than a strong warrior, he's smart, and he was Olo'eyktan. Of course, if Toruk Makto was a member of your clan, you would yield your position to whom the people look to." Hia rambled, thinking of her Tsu'tey and how best to explain him.

"Ah, I understand. But what does he have to do with it? Fertility problems?" She asked while pinning the tarp.

"Mental problems. Like a mental block keeping me from moving on." Hia explained.

"That's why the Metkayina are receiving so many travelers these days." Vrin sighed.

"I heard they are excellent healers." Hia said, settling onto her little mat.

"Better than that. It's like you leave a different person. Or so I've heard." Vrin chuckled and got onto her own mat.
•—————•—————•—————•—————•

The next few days were full of turbulent winds and high waves. Yuete's long wings allowed for high soaring, but soon, she would get exhausted too. But they had nowhere to land. They forced each other to keep moving, keep those cold wings open.

The sun broke through and the clouds parted for a time, the storms had died. The island birds crowed.

"Look! In the distance!" Vrin exclaimed, her ikran, Tiya called out joyously.

Islands. In the distance. They were coming up on them. They crossed over the pools and the reef into their territory, a blaring noise came from the main village. A horn.

Relief filled Hia's chest and Yuete' cheered gleefully as she saw the different na'vi below them at the reef. They called up to her in greetings, and she ululated back.

Awa'atlu. The Metkayina's main village. Vrin carved their path in the sky, circling around as they descended upon a sand bank that seemed wide enough to hold their Ikrans. Yuete's huge wings swept up some sand in the process, and she landed gracefully, crying out a greeting call. She nudged happily against Hia's body as they parted.

"So good, good Yuete'." Hia fed her new companion, beginning to miss her Palulukan, Anat.

Metkayina poured from their houses and onto the beach, eyeing these foreigners skeptically. Vrin left her weapons behind and so did Hia. It seemed to be the best option.

The warriors formed a circle around them, eyeing them up and down. Especially Hia. She had a tail like them, but thin arms and deep colors. Darker than the average forest na'vi.

It wasn't long before their Olo'eyktan joined the group, dismounting his Tsurak, or skimwing. He was an older man, he looked almost like Eytukan, tattoos covered his body from head to toe in his accomplishments and deeds. He greeted Vrin first. But his eyes settled on Hia next.

"I see you, strange one." He said plainly, "you must be the one that Mo'at spoke of." He grinned, "her new daughter." His face fell.

"I know why you are here. I cannot help you. Narapäy passed not long ago." He gave the bad news. A man about our age walked up.

"I see you." He greeted. He had tattoos like the Olo'eyktan.

"I see you...?" Hia tilted her head, she didn't know any of their names.

"I am Tonowari. My father and Olo'eyktan is Kalake." He introduced politely, "and you are?"

"Hia'ino te Kan'ina Mo'at'ite, of the Omatikaya." Hia answered. It had been a while since she'd said her whole name.

"I see you, Hia'ino." Tonowari said before he took over for his father.

"You have come for healing when our most skilled healer, my mother, is no longer with us." He talked while we walked into the village, "however, you have travelled such a long way and I would hate to send you back unwell. So, I will have Ronal look at you. She is my mate and the future Tsahik." He said before opening a marui home to reveal the pregnant na'vi. She eyed Hia with skepticism.

"What is this?" She asked Tonowari, frustration peaking in her voice.

"This is Hia'ino. Daughter of the Omatikaya. She seeks Ro'tsu'." He said softly to her.

Ronal's eyes fixed on Hia, flicking up at the entrance as Vrin joined.

"You've brought me another to fix." She sighed, and motioned for everyone to sit. She cleared her throat and began.

"I do not know you, but I know you are of demon blood." She said with distaste, "tell me your story. Then I will decide if I can heal you." She spat out.

"Thank you, Ronal." Hia lowered her eyes as she began.

"I was born into a broken world, unbalanced. I didn't know my mother, I was raised by my father's mother. She was a kind and strong woman who made the good days possible and the bad days a little brighter. But as I grew, I yearned for my father who was supposed to be in my life. He was a warrior. I followed him into war."

"Who are you?" The larger man asked.

He was to be her leader on the field. They were called in by their superiors to create a task force spanning countries to dismantle conflicts at the source.

"Sergeant Aria Quaritch." She answered curtly.

He looked her over, tilting his head as he inspected her as she stood at attention. He didn't technically have authority to drill his men like this, but he needed to know that he could trust them to follow orders.

"Take that fuckin' hood off!" He scowled as he grabbed it roughly and tugged it down off her head.

It caused a wave of snickers to come from behind him. He turned back with a frown. His face was covered mostly by his mask. Most people needed masks to avoid irreparable lung damage. But they could all see the anger in his eyes.

He turned back to Aria,

She recounted the earlier days of her deployment. Nigeria. And then that battle. And then what happened after.

"GET OFF!" Soren's voice hammered inside of Aria's ears as she lay limply on the worn couch of their little base. The weight of another person was off of her but she still felt as numb. Hound's grunting as his foot connected with Matt's side.

She felt hands on her face, a blanket tugged around her half naked form.

"Look at me, love. Eyes on me." He tried to gain her attention. Her eyes drifted up to his. His breath caught in his throat. She was ruined. Her whole body hurt, she didn't want to move.

"Let's get you out." He said, hoisting her into his arms, carrying her to her room to help her get some clothes on while Hound beat the shit out of Matt.

Horror was reflected in the eyes of those around her as she fell silent for a moment. She pressed on. They asked, and she will answer.

Blood. It was a reoccurring part of her memories. Her first terrifying period, her first kill up until the most recent. But the battle that came after her promotion was nothing but blood. She could drown in that much blood.

"I GOT YOU!" Hound shouted gruffly as he threw Soren over his shoulder, forcing them to abandon their dead boys. Omega and Red.

Their new boys. They were Sweeper and Powers. Soren was always on the ground with Powers and Hound while Sweeper would handle flanking as he was adept at avoiding surveillance and good at killing. Should've called him Swifter. Aria was always over watch. She was most talented with the rifle and always managed to keep eyes on her boys.

They swept through Slavic territory, hunting the rogue force, Ochistit' Put' with ease. Their goal was nothing more than the extermination of the whole group. But in between battles, they'd take up residence in small abandoned homes, Hound would scrounge something together for the group, Powers would keep proximity sensors working, Sweeper would whine for Powers to come and cuddle because it was cold, like they were a couple. They were both married happily to their wives at home. It was odd. Specter, or Soren, would settle onto the couch, or onto a bed and just cater to Aria and her emotional needs. She was still healing from it all.

But like every good thing, it came to an end.

"Take the shot! Take the fuckin' shot!" He rasped and shouted into his com. He had his empty rifle pressed against Alyosha's throat. Holding the smaller man firmly against his armored body. The black winter gear was heavy and he couldn't hold him forever.

Her breath shuddered and shook. The power of this rifle would puncture cleanly through both of their bodies.

"I can't!" She hissed, "it'll kill you too."

"Take. The. Shot." He said sternly into the com.

She focused her breath, watching the two writhe, Alyosha was desperate to move, the man was shouting and screaming. Specter was grounded, staring directly down her sights. She found her target, and squeezed the trigger. The explosion near her head, the bullet launching itself, it shocked her. She blinked for a moment. Refocusing down the sights, both of them had disappeared from the window's frame.

She slid down the hill-side, the snow slowed her descent. She ripped the door open, mentally preparing for the sight she would witness.

Specter was on the ground, his helmet came undone and fell a little ways away. Alyosha was trying to crawl away, he was bleeding out on the ground.

"Soren!" She lurched forward towards him, dropping to her knees, pulling her gloves off and working the vest off. She pried his jacket away from the wound. It was a fiery burning hole through his chest and it had a large exit wound. His blood began pooling in his mouth as he coughed and choked.

"Don't say my- name... in the field." His Liverpool accent was twinging around the words, sounds familiar and yet foreign.

"Fuck it. You're bleeding and I need to get you out." She pulled out whatever first aid she had, stuffing either wound with gauze.

"Specter's down, we need evac." She lifted the mic to her mouth, on the frequency with their captain.

"Copy. Evac will be south east of your position. Five minutes."

"Soren, I need you to stay awake. We have five minutes, you can stay awake five minutes." She clasped his face, shaking him slightly, keeping him awake.

"Not your fault." He coughed up more blood.

"I told you to wait for me to take the shot, he wasn't going anywhere." Aria kept pressure on his chest.

"Love... you." He sputtered out.

"Now isn't the time, Soren." She sobbed. His gloved hand raised to stroke her cheek affectionately.

"Say it. Please." He sounded so faint and soft.

"I love you, Soren." She grabbed his hand and pressed it to his wound, "did you hear me?"

His eyes had become unfocused, relaxed, his pupils dilated. His mouth was agape, blood pooled at the back of his throat as his face drained of color and his warmth was lost.

"SOREN!" Aria sobbed. She stood suddenly, pulling out her side arm and tugging Alyosha to his feet.

"Look at me you bastard!" She screamed in his face.

"Ya ne govoryu na tvoyem gryaznom yazyke." He huffed out, spitting blood in her face.

"Ne to chto u tebya luchshe. Ya sobirayus' ubit' tebya." She responded with an ice-calm tone as she pressed the barrel of her pistol to he right knee and squeezed the trigger.

A scream came from his mouth but she dropped him and ignored the scream as she allowed him to process the pain. The next bullet was through his head.

She dragged Soren's body out to the helo, ignoring the fact he was dead, not believing it could be true. But she was met by just medics. None of her boys. Deep down she knew. She was the last.

She finished there.

"That's when Aria Quaritch died. I came here, chasing Miles Quaritch. I met the Omatikaya, I became one of the people." She ended off.

Ronal looked exhausted from processing it all, but she stood and took her mate's hand before stepping out. It was long before they returned.

"I will heal you to the best of my ability. But you will need to prepare. The ritual can take up to three days to finish, and some do not survive." She warned.

Whatever it was, Hia was desperate to feel free of her pain.