"This thing, this Quaritch- whatever he is. He could just walk right in here, right under our nose," Jake's voice waivers as he and Neytiri argue about what happened to the kids and Kamari.

Kiri and Tuk are outside of their tent eavesdropping as Kamari is curled up in a ball beside them sleeping when Lo'ak and Neteyam approach. Kiri quicky puts her finger up to her lips, shushing them as she waves them over.

"This is our family, this is our home!" Neytiri yells.

Neteyam immediately goes over to Kamari to find her shivering, even though it isn't cold, as she whimpers quietly. Her face was contorted in discomfort and he could see little beads of sweat on her forehead. It made his chest ache. He knew she was having a nightmare, she always does, but it hurt him even worse thinking it's probably about what had just happened.

"What about our little ones?" Jake fires back, their conversation continuing. Tuk leans on her head to try and peak inside.

"I cannot, you cannot ask this," Neytiri puts her foot down. "I cannot leave my people," She rushes over to grab something. "I will not.

"He's hunting us," Jake says. Neytiri shakes her head. "He's targeting our family."

Neteyam tries to ignore his parents arguing as he gently pulls Kamari into his lap.

"Neteyam," She mumbles. "Neteyam, no!" She gasps awake, clutching Neteyam's body as her fingers claw at his chest as she begins sobbing.

"Hey, shhh, shhh, shhh," Neteyam soothes. "It's okay, I'm right here, it's okay."

"Get off me. Get off me!" She tries thrashing out of his arms, not fully aware if she's still in the dream or not.

Neteyam keeps his grip on her, allowing her to do whatever damage she must to him, knowing it's better than her harming herself. There's been many times she'll wake with blood, scraps, and bruises on body from her own doing during the stages of sleep or when she tries waking up, and it kills him every time. He doesn't know why it hurts so bad. Of course he hates it when one of his siblings gets hurt, and he hates the thought of something happening to his parents, but with Kamari... with Kamari he would rather rip off his own skin then see her pain. It's almost unbearable for him to even think, little long know, that she's hurting or harmed herself in some way. So he doesn't mind if she hurts him like this as long as it protects her from herself.

"Teyam?" She croaks, looking up to him teary eyed, throat raw. His heart breaks. He wishes he could help.

"You cannot ask this!" Neytiri shouts, causing Kamari to jump a little.

"What's happening?" She asks, dazed and confused, slowly pulling herself out of Neteyam's arms.

He wishes she would let him help.

"Shhh," Kiri whispers over her shoulder.

"The children, everything they've ever known, the forest, this is our home!" Neytiri stresses, her voice raises with every word.

"He had our children," Jake says hoarsely. "He had em under his knife," He demonstrates. Neytiri wrenches back a little as she sighs. She steps over and grabs the bow that had once belonged to her father.

She holds it up as she speaks. "My father gave me this bow as he lay dying. And he said 'protect the people.'" Her voice cracks. "You're Toruk Makto!"

"This will protect the people!" Jake yells back.

Kamari squeezes her eyes shut. She hates yelling, she hates arguing, and she's never heard Jake and Neytiri fight like this before. Neteyam rubs her back, she tenses, slightly jerking away for a moment before relaxing into his touch.

"Quaritch has Spider. That kid knows everything!" Jake continues. Kamari gasps. She should've thought of that sooner. He knows about her. About her powers, her capabilities. Not by her choice, but he does. She turns to Neteyam with wide eyes full of fear and he knew. He knew in that moment he had to protect her with his entire being. He knew that not only would they be coming back for his siblings but for her. They were just as drawn to her if not more than any of the Sully children. She had the power, she had the capabilities. She was special. His Kamari was a target too.

And in that moment Kamari held so much fear she let her eyes speak for themselves. She let her wall down. Her wall she keeps up to stay strong, to stay as one of them, to be more than the scared little girl afraid of the Sky People and their tools. But she let Neteyam see that she needed protecting, powers or not.

"He knows our whole operation. He'll sneak them right here," Jakes voice clues the two young teens back in. Kiri turns to her brothers and Kamari and they all look at each other worried. "If the people harbor us they will die." Neytiri's face drops. "Do you understand?" He asks his wife. She exhales, looking down.

"Look I got nothing," Jake shrugs. "I got no plan." He pauses, a look of determination and assurance washes over him. "But I can protect this family. That I can do." Neytiri's eyes return to his with tears. She sighs in defeat. Jake takes a step closer before bending down to her level. "But I know one thing. Where ever we go, this family is our fortress." They pull each other in for a hug as she cries. Neteyam knew right then that he wanted what his parents have someday day, with Kamari. To be a team, and no matter what they said to each other, no matter what they disagreed on, they would always there for one another, always supporting each other, and their family.

The Sully children all look at Kamari. She was their family. Like it or not, Sully or not, she was one of them. She's bled with them, played with them, grown up with them, maybe not since birth, but she's been there for important, memorable moments all the same... She was different like them. And she would leave with them whether their parents liked it or not, Kamari was coming with them. Not like Neteyam would give them a choice.

And maybe someday she could become a Sully in her own right, but that didn't matter. To them she was a Sully, not by birth, or blood, or adoption, but by heart.

Kiri squeezes her hand as Neteyam wraps his arm around her. She was their Kamari, his Kamari, no matter what.

✬ ✬ ✬ ✬

Author's Note:

Awww, I'm gonna cry, this chapter turned out so cute <3

I love the love and admiration the Sully kids have for her, it's probably my favorite thing about this book next to her moments with Neteyam.

Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!! We're about to get to the ocean and the Metkayina clannnnn, oooo.