●"Are you angry with me?"

Nalani watched a quiet Ronal move around their home.

"I was thinking of their children. We don't know all the details and I would hate to know innocent kids paid the price for it. But if they bring danger here-"

Ronal held a hand up, "You don't have to explain yourself. I trust you."

That made Nalani feel better but she was still lost.

"Then, why are you angry?"

Ronal looked at her like it was obvious, "Neither of you said good morning to me."

At this, Lani's face softened and she gently grabbed her wife by the waist so they would face each other. She smiled as she leaned down so their noses could touch.

"Goodmorning, beautiful."

Ronal slightly smiled,"Goodmorning Lani." In the privacy of their own home Ronal let herself relax and allowed her emotions to show easily.

Nalani still wanted to reassure her so she pressed a hand to her slightly swollen belly, "You know I would never let anything happen to you or our family."

Ronal wasn't helpless by any means but she still enjoyed seeing her wife's protective eyes light up every now and then.

"Of course."

Nalani looked down at her lips and started to lean down but Ronal met her halfway.

The two haven't had much time to be together lately.

Ronal would leave early in the morning and Nalani would come back late. So whenever they had moments to themselves, they took advantage of it.

Ronal only planned for a short and sweet kiss but Nalani was greedy.

She kept their lips connected as she backed Ronal into a wall. Her short wife wrapped her arms around her neck to bring her closer.

Lani was usually the one to initiate imitate moments but her mates had no issue following her lead.

Nalani tapped Ronal's thigh as a signal to jump and she did just as Lani held her up by her thighs. Ronal wrapped her legs around her mate's waist to pull her impossibly closer.

The two were breathless but couldn't keep their lips apart for more than a few seconds. She felt a hand tangle into her hair and another dig its nails into her back. That action alone drew a low moan from her and she damn near decided to say forget their plans for today.

A rush always went to Nalani's head whenever she got Ronal in a vulnerable position. Knowing the headstrong Tsahik became weak for her made her head spin in the best way.

Their moment was broken by their husband sheepishly walking over to them.

Ronal huffed and turned away causing Nalani to chuckle. She placed one open mouthed kiss to Ronal's neck before she slowly set her to her feet.

The shortest of the three went back to ignoring her mates as she collected a few things she would need throughout the day.

Lani saw the way Tonowari looked to her questioningly as to why Ronal looked pissed off.

He clearly was worried for the same reason Lani was and couldn't even allow his want from walking in on them in a heated session cloud his mind.

Nalani walked over to him with a sway of her hips and her hands held behind her back and leaned in close to his ear.

"You didn't say good morning."

He looked at her from the corner of his eye and saw she wasn't even facing him but was looking straight ahead with a small smirk.

She then let her hand trail across his toned stomach as she walked past him and towards the entrance of their pod.

"I'll go get JakeSully for training, you can go take care of that." She gestured to their still quiet wife who had a tiny pout on her face.

♡

Outside, approaching her were her three children.

Ao'nung looked more than annoyed, Rotxo had a smile on his face while Tsireya looked excited.

"I assume they are getting settled, yes?"

Rotxo nodded quickly as Ao'nung decided to use his head as an armrest causing him to harshly elbow him. Tsireya giggled at their interactions but stopped when she noticed how serious their mother looked.

"I want you three to be patient when teaching them. We don't know what they've been through nor how fast they will adapt."

She looked over at her eldest, "That includes you." It wasn't Rotxo or Tsireya that she had to worry about. Those two were so adorably kind and loved to teach others. Ao'nung on the other hand was known for having a bad temper, especially when doing something he didn't want to.

The teen in question held back rolling his eyes but nodded. "Yes mother."

Nalani knew him well though and playfully ruffled his hair before stepping back.

"Please make sure he behaves." Her words were directed at her two youngest.

She then sighed, "I must go now, I will be back by dinner. Make me proud."

Unfortunately she didn't realize the pressure those words unintentionally put on her children.

♡

Nalani felt the smile leave her face the farther she got from home.

Today was not going as planned. She was looking forward to sparring with her boys and then coming home to be with her family but of course Eywa had other plans.

As she approached the home of Toruk Makto, she knocked softly on the entrance way.

Jake and Neytiri looked to be in a heated conversation with a lot of harsh whispers but stopped at the sight of Lani.

"You said you wanted to learn to ride?"

Jake glanced at Neytiri seemingly in warning but got up and gave a small smile to the woman waiting for him.

Nalani coldly greeted Neytiri who returned her cautiousness.

She then looked down at Jake, "Come, I will teach you."

She began to lead him through the village.

Jake was still a charismatic man and wanted to break the hard exterior of the taller woman. He knew as long as she and her mates were tense in their presence then the people would follow their lead.

He looked around at the busy people around him.

"You and your mates have done a great job over the years. It's still as bright as I remember it."

Nalani snorted, "Is that the best you could come up with?"

Jake almost felt like he was back fifteen years ago when he first arrived. Awkward and clumsy in his wording.

Lani noticed his slightly embarrassed expression and laughed quietly.

"If you want to start a conversation, maybe stating the obvious isn't a good idea. Don't worry, I have a feeling we'll get to know each other soon enough. " Call her cocky if you want to. She knew her mates did a damn good job at managing their people and resources.

Jake exhaled sharply but nodded his head. "Thank you for allowing my family to stay."

"I wouldn't let the children go without a home."

Jake faltered and she noticed.

Her eyes became distant again until she heard a small giggle in front of her.

She looked down to see a tiny boy that she recognized instantly. His ears were perked up but his tail swayed quickly, showing he was nervous. His eyes flickered to Jake's face anxiously but he was determined.

"Goodmorning!" He reached Nalani, a bright orange flower.

Lani couldn't stop the way her face lit up, she had a large soft spot for children.

"Thank you, Äzelo." She then got on her knees so the boy could put his gift into her hair. This was an almost daily routine for the two of them.

Once he deemed it to be perfect, she kissed his head and the boy giggled as he ran to his mother who was waiting for him.

Nalani smiled at the woman and she returned it.

It always made Nalani happy when the children approached her with beaming smiles.

Jake watched the interaction in slight surprise but with a soft smile as well.

A lot of people who didn't know Lani were intimidated by the way she carried herself. It didn't help that she had a natural cold resting face.

But her people knew her to always be on the front lines for whatever they needed. Even if she didn't have an official title, she took the place of a second chief or healer when her mates needed support. To other clans she was usually seen shadowing her mates with a chilled demeanor but the look in her eyes was that of a fierce protector.

Jake knew Nalani was extremely observant and that's what made her dangerous.

Yet seeing the enchanted look in her eyes as she watched the boy walk away made him believe that maybe she wasn't as cold as she appeared to be.

Nalani got up from her position and motioned for Jake to follow.

"You know JakeSully-"

"Just Jake." He sheepishly cut her off.

An amused glint came across her eyes, "You know, just Jake, you are either very brave or very stupid. It's quite bold to attempt to tame a tsurak on your first day here."

He snorted at the way she said his name but raised an eyebrow at her.

"I can do it."

Nalani took that as a challenge.

♡

A few men held onto a wildly moving skimwing that Jake was mounting.

Nalani had just finished going through the basics but realized Jake was no longer listening.

A mischievous smirk appeared on her face once again.

"Actually, now that I look at it, your form is perfect. I mean you look like a natural." Her eyes were wild but provided a false sense of security.

Now Jake was listening and it made him feel more confident, more than he already was.

She then gave him very few pointers that wouldn't help him at all but the man took her seriously.

The men around them had to turn their heads away to keep from laughing.

"Now, you are ready!" Nalani gave him a wide smile that was full of sarcasm then she looked to the others, "Let go on my command."

Let's just say it didn't go well at all and Jake ended up with a cut hand as he reluctantly swam back. He fell off a second time, then a third and on his fourth try, Nalani was losing her shit. Her stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

Tonowari had decided to check on Jake's progress and when Lani saw him approach she visibly brightened.

She placed a hand against her husband's chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist in response.

"How is he?"

Just as he asked, a pissed off Jake came out the water close by.

Tonowari instantly sighed, "How long are you going to let my wife misguide you?"

Jake looked to Lani in betrayal, "Wait, you've been-"

"No, you are just bad listener. Next time listen to those who try to teach you." She patted his head like he was a type of pet but pulled her hand back in disgust and discreetly dipped her hand in the water to wash it. When was the last time the man took care of his hair?

Jake gave her a blank face.

"Okay, okay, I'll teach you seriously now."

Tonowari reluctantly had to leave and take the warriors with him to finish their interrupted fishing trip. Nalani offered to continue because she knew how badly Jake wanted to learn and that her husband wanted to teach him.

"I'll probably be home late, don't stay up."

Tonowari frowned but didn't protest other than a small, "I'll always wait for you."

Nalani smiled up at him and pressed her head to his quickly. Then gestured for him to go but he grabbed her hips as he placed a short kiss to her head. She let her head rest against his chest for just a moment.

They beamed with smiles reserved only for each other and then the man left.

Jake was patiently waiting for whenever they were done and still feeling extremely awkward.

Nalani exhaled through her nose as she faced him.

The Sun would begin to set soon and the people would eventually start getting ready for bed.

Jake was more aggravated than anything at his failures but he was stubborn.

Nalani took pity on him and continued to try to coach him.

Throughout the process she got to know the man a little better and he had started to banter with her like an annoying little brother.

"Alright, now this time I want you to actually pay attention. Right now you are frustrated so you're inside your own head and making small but vital mistakes."

An idea suddenly popped inside her head, "I want to teach you something."

♡

Nalani was mentally exhausted but ecstatic to finally be home.

As she walked in she saw her family eating and talking to each other.

It wasn't a surprise to her when Rotxo noticed her first and patted the empty space between him and his father.

Nalani was silent as she laid her head in Tonowari's lap and closed her eyes. His thighs were thick from lots of toned muscles yet soft enough that they were Lani's second favorite place to rest. The first being face down on top of Ronal's chest.

He was used to this and soothingly rubbed the top of her head to help her relax.

Ronal watched her with concerned eyes but decided to continue the conversation she was having with Tsireya.

Nalani listened closely to the sounds of her mates and children and felt completely at peace. Her mind was no longer tired but sleep tugged at her. With Tonowari's hand lovingly stroking through her hair, she dozed off.

Not long into her sleep she felt movement around her so she peeked an eye open.

Sleeping in front of her and cuddled into her chest was Ronal. Her eyes traveled to the arm around her waist and she could feel Tonowari pressed closely against her.

A snore caught her attention and when she looked down she saw their kids sleeping close by.

Ao'nung was the farthest away and with his back turned, a clear indication of his teenage years. Yet he couldn't quite escape his younger siblings as Rotxo had his back pressed into him and Tsireya had her limbs wildly spread across them both.

Nalani realized they must have all decided to sleep next to her and that made her heart melt so much and a genuine grin came across her lips.

She carefully pulled Ronal closer to her and then used her free hand to hold onto her husband's that laid against her waist.

After checking once more that everyone was comfortable, she closed her eyes and let sleep pull her away once more.●