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Chapter Text

Miles Quaritch crawled out of the ocean onto the small island, bloodied and coughing violently as he choked up water and gasped for much-needed air. He turned to look at Spider with confusion written all over his face, before Cupcake flew down to land on the island with them. Quaritch hauled himself up onto his feet with a groan and stumbled his way over to his ikran (banshee), connecting his queue to it's own before turning to look at his son. The pair talked momentarily before Spider turned and went back into the ocean, ignoring Quaritch's pleads behind him as his head disappeared under the water and he swam off. With another pained grunt, Quaritch climbed up onto the ikran's back and stared at the place his son had gone underwater for a moment before mentally instructing Cupcake to lift off and fly away, back in the direction of the forest.

It had taken Quaritch many days to get back to the Pandoran forest, having to stop at least once a day to find food and drinkable water for him and his ikran, but once he got there he was quick to put as much distance between himself and the RDA headquarters. His remaining human instincts told him to go back to the one place he was most familiar with on this cursed planet, the one place he would be at least some form of safe, but his survival instincts told him the truth, which was to stay as far away from the humans as possible. Getting an RDA ship sunk would get him in enough trouble on it's own, but once the General learnt that he had failed the mission and Jake Sully and his family had once again escaped? Quaritch knew he would be as good as dead, and he also knew not to put it past anyone in that place to put a bullet between his eyes the instant that Ardmore gave the order. So he told Cupcake to take him away, to fly deep into the mountains until he was sure the humans would never find him; he'd already dug the tracking device out of his bicep on the way back to the forest.  

It's another few days of being on his own with nothing and nobody for companionship other than his ikran, when one day while hunting for food he finds Lyle, who had found Mansk and Zdinarsk together only a day prior. They discuss what had happened since the battle with the Metkayina (Reef People) and the Sullys and all come to the shared conclusion that none of them would ever be returning to the RDA. So over the next week they do their best to make a home for themselves; Lyle had designated himself as the one to build their shelter, so while he spent his days chopping down small trees to make a hut and weaving large leaves together to make a roof and new clothing for them all, Quaritch and Z-Dog decided to make themselves responsible for gathering, hunting down, and killing food. Then whether they brought back another small animal or a few fruits that they'd managed to collect and deem safe to eat, Mansk would cook their findings over a fire until they were ready to be eaten.

Everything seemed to be going well for them despite their situation for another two weeks, before Z-Dog was unable to find any more fruit that they were completely sure was edible, and the wildlife around their small camp had grown used to Quaritch and were able to easily avoid his hunting since he was only able to use his knife, which meant only close-distance kills that required the element of surprise. The group of recoms had even begun discussing the possibility of rejoining the RDA, weighing their options on which way they were more likely to survive, but one day while out on a hunt together Zdinarsk and Quaritch found something that instantly gave them hope. They returned to their small camp to tell the others of their findings and they all agreed to go back the following day, and when they did they were greeted by a group of warriors from the well-hidden clan they had found in the mountains.  

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The warriors took the group to the Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk, who through desperate pleading in broken Na'vi they had all been granted uturu (sanctuary) by and were handed over to the clan healers, who took them to the healing caves and cleaned their few wounds, applying ointment and numbing paste where it was needed before taking them to the elder women of the clan. The group of recoms were given real new Na'vi clothing and while Z-Dog assured Lyle that the three of them all thought he still did a wonderful job on the clothing he made, all four of them internally agreed that the real clothing was much better than what Lyle had managed to sloppily stitch together with stretchy vines and large tough leaves. The elders took each of them to separate parts of the cave to change into their new clothing, then once they were done they managed to communicate to the recoms that their new teachers would show up soon to begin teaching them and helping them settle into the clan, and the ladies were right! Less than half an hour passed before a tall Na'vi male appeared in the healers cave, helping a woman who was clearly heavily pregnant over the slight step down into the cave. Despite the man looking and seeming very wise for his years and the woman being so heavily pregnant, they both assured the recoms that they were actually in their early 20s, much like the recombinants themselves. 

The group was only slightly surprised when the pair began speaking to them in near-perfect English, despite their heavy accents hinting to the fact that they were not native speakers of the language. The male stepped forward and offered a hand out to Quaritch, a smile on his face as he spoke, "I am Rawm, a gatherer in our clan. I believe this is a handshake, a form of greeting, yes?" With a small chuckle Quaritch nodded before taking the hand offered to him and shaking it, then Rawm reached and shook hands with Mansk, Lyle, and Z-Dog as well. As Rawm began explaining basic customs of the tribes to the recoms, Quaritch felt his attention shifting to the pregnant woman, who had yet to speak other than the initial greeting when they walked into the cave. She looked very zoned out, one hand resting against her lower back as she stared at the empty wall past the recombinants' bodies, her other hand absentmindedly rubbing over her large stomach. He just studied her quietly until she suddenly visibly winced and let out a soft groan of pain, catching the attention of the other four Na'vi as well as the attention of one of the healers further back in the cave.

The healer hurried over quickly, gently directing the woman to the opposite side of the cave before helping her lay down on an angled rock slab that was padded with some sort of mat woven out of soft vines. Quaritch watched the exchange as the woman and healer talked to each other quietly in Na'vi before the healer helped her drink a slightly chunky mixture out of a bowl that made her make a face of disgust. Noticing the lack of Rawm going and checking on the woman, he turned his attention to him before speaking, "Shouldn't you be checking on your.. wife?" He asked Rawm, watching as he puzzled over his words for a moment before smiling again as he responded, "I suppose a "wife" is one of those human words for a mate? Allìra is not my mate, she is my youngest sister. She has, or.. had, a mate a few months ago, but he was sadly lost in a battle with a different clan. She carries their only child, and she is not far from giving birth." He explains to us all, all the men nodding in understanding before they turned to watch Zdinarsk walk over cautiously, gently placing a hand on the woman, Allìra's shoulder and giving her a soft reassuring smile when she looked up at her.

Allìra smiled back softly, grateful for her comfort as she brings up a hand to gently pat at Z's before carefully fully laying back on the mat, rolling onto her side with help from both the healer and Z-Dog before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep, clearly physically exhausted at the work her body was putting into the small life forming inside her. 

Quaritch couldn't help but feel his heart stutter slightly as he watched her drift off, his face not showing it but he felt extremely bad for the girl; she was still so young and she would have to go through the birth and the raising of this child on her own.

Chapter Text

While Allìra stays in the healers den to rest, Rawm takes it upon himself to give the Recoms a tour of the Tawkami village. The village resides inside of a mountain, being composed mainly of caves that are deep inside the mountain but there are also large cliffsides at the top of the mountain, some used for crops that cannot be grown underground, others used as gathering places, a few others used as places for the ikran to latch on and rest when not in use. The group makes it to the underground crop fields and Mansk immediately turns to look at Rawm. "These are your crops? What are they, and what ways can they be cooked and served?" He asks, the excited undertone of his voice unmistakable even as none of the other Recoms had heard it in a while. Rawm grinned at his enthusiasm but before he could begin to tell Mansk the answers to his question, one of the Na'vi who had been tending to the crops a little ways away skipped over and promptly lightly shoved Rawm out of his way, immediately launching into a long detailed explanation, surprisingly in English, as Mansk just listened attentively. 

While the others continued listening to the information they were being told, Quaritch couldn't help but be distracted. Ever since they walked out of the healers den he'd thought of Allìra every few minutes, anxiously wondering if she was alright, if the baby was alright, and as he once again zoned out of the conversation Rawm noticed, gently pulling Quaritch away from the group to talk to him privately. "What is the problem my friend? Are you feeling alright?" He asked, concern evident in his voice as Q sighed and pinched the bridge of his noses, eyes scrunched shut before he looked to Rawm again. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just.. worried. Anxious, I guess." He tells Rawm, who takes a moment to mull over what he said before nodding, grabbing Q's wrist before walking back over to the group and leaning down to whisper something in the ear of the male Na'vi who was currently teaching them about the crops, then he stood back up straight and looked at the rest of the Recoms with a friendly smile, "I wish to go check on my sister and..." Rawm trailed off as he realized he didn't know Q's name, he thought it over for a moment before speaking as well, "Miles, the name is Miles." "Ah yes, Miles offered to accompany me to check on her. Luñao (Loo-n-ow) here will show you around some more and we will meet you in the main cave for dinner later." Rawm finished, waiting until Mansk, Z-Dog, and Lyle all gave answers to confirm that they understood, then Miles was promptly yanked out of the crop fields by his wrist, following Rawm back to the healers den.

He doesn't even realize it but his feet begin to carry him forward faster, ending up reaching the healers den much faster than Rawm, who was still walking at a normal pace with a smile on his face, Miles waiting for him outside the cave before they both went in. They both went into the cave, Miles going and standing by Allìra while Rawm talked with the healer that had been tending to her. Miles just stood next to the bed Allìra was laid on, staying by her side but also staying out of her personal space. He was watching Rawm and the healer talk but was unable to make out what they were saying, though when he heard a quiet yawn from next to him his head turned back to look down at where Allìra laid on the mat, his tail curling up curiously behind him as he watched her rub her eyes tiredly before blinking a few times, then she looked up at him. He hadn't been able to see it earlier since the light in the entrance of the cave wasn't very bright, but now he let out a soft gasp as they locked eyes. 

Allìra's eyes were a pale purple, almost lilac, and towards the pupil they shifted to a much darker purple, creating a beautiful gradient. She smiles up at Miles and sits up, opening her mouth to speak to him but suddenly she gags and covers her mouth with one of her hands, looking around frantically. Realizing what's happening, Miles quickly looks around and grabs an empty bucket-shaped container carved out of oddly light rock and immediately holds it up to Allìra, nose scrunching up as she immediately throws up into the bucket, he holds it still with one hand and gently holds her braids back with the other. She then dry heaves for a bit before finally sitting back up properly, the healer from earlier hurrying over with a bowl of water for her and a cloth to wipe her mouth, taking both the bucket and the cloth from her once she's done. The healer had handed the bowl of water to Miles so he just carefully helps her partially lay back down, still sitting up enough that she won't choke as he carefully helps her drink some of the water, still holding her braids back out of her face. 

Once the bowl is empty Miles hands it back to another healer and let's go of Allìra's hair, just gently rubbing her shoulder to help calm her down as she's begun shaking a bit in the aftermath of her throwing up. Once she calms back down Allìra carefully gets up with Miles's help, the two of them walking over to Rawm together, "Brother, you should return to the others. I can show this man around on my own, and we'll meet up with you all at the dining cave later?" Allìra asked her brother, who in turn nodded and bid them goodbye before leaving the cave. Miles waits patiently as Allìra speaks with the healer who was tending to her, confirming that everything is alright with her and her baby before she's comfortable leaving the cave, Miles making sure to walk a bit slower so she could keep up with him easily. Allìra leads Miles deeper into the mountain, the caves getting darker for a while before they begin to be lit by various types of glow worms and bioluminescent vines that cling to the tunnel walls, the ground below them becoming mossy and Miles notices that the moss they're walking on glows as they step further and further.

Eventually they exit the tunnel into a large cavern full of bioluminescent plants, with a large glowing lake in the center. As Miles steps closer to the lake he tilts his head curiously, looking closely at the watery substance as Allìra comes up next to him, untying part of her tewng so that only the second covering is still on her, dropping the cloth that usually hangs down to cover the whole space onto the ground. Miles watches as she begins walking into the shallows, stopping before the water reaches higher than her belly button before she scoops up some of the water-like liquid and starts carefully massaging it into her skin, along the stretch marks that litter her sides and stomach. Allìra noticed Miles watching her curiously and smiles a bit, continuing to rub the glowing liquid on herself as she speaks to him, "it helps to prevent more marks, and makes sure that after I give birth my skin will go back to normal as I lose the weight from the pregnancy." 

Miles finds himself nodding despite still not fully understanding, opting to just sit on the shore and wait for her. He's in the middle of looking at the plants around him when she speaks again, drawing his attention back to her, "What is your name? My brother did not mention it earlier." As his eyes land on her he notices that she's now sat in the water so it's up to her shoulders, one of her hands under the water while the holds her chest covering up out of the water with the other, and he feels his face heat up as his human memories remind him of how Paz's chest had grown during her pregnancy with Spider, how there were stretch marks there too. He catches himself staring after a few seconds and quickly looks away, eyes now trained on the mossy cavern floor in front of him as he remembers her question, "Miles. My name is Miles." Allìra head tilts curiously as she repeats his name, feeling out how it rolls off her tongue, "M-ai-yul-s, Mayuls." He missed how a soft smile graced her features, the reflection of the glowing lake making her eyes shine, “It is a nice name, Mayuls.” Miles didn’t bother correcting her, smiling himself as the end of his tail flicked against the ground at her compliment, “Thanks, sunshine.” She didn’t ask about the strange word, one she wasn’t familiar with. She’d have to ask Rawm about it later.