chapter thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-Four
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She was everywhere. Her hands ghosted across your skin—the smell of her, of the sweetness of her skin and tangyness of her lips. You were consumed by thoughts of her, your hazy mind conjuring up images of her beautiful face, her lips parted with surprise. You thought, delusionally, that it was very sad for an angel to look so sad. You wanted to comfort her, but your arms were so heavy. You opened your mouth to speak with her, to ask her what has upset her so much. Something so beautiful shouldn’t look so sad.
The words did not come out, but the angel’s eyes turned to you, impossibly wide. She leaned forward, cradling your face.
Her lips moved, and her words echoed slowly, and it seemed as if she was horribly far away. You struggled to make out the words, your brow furrowing as she kept speaking. The angel’s hands left your face, gently brushing against the side of your head. You winced at the touch, turning your head a little.
“Hana,” she was saying, but it seemed so far. You struggled to understand her, feeling like you were trying to hear her underwater. “Can you hear me?”
“Yes,” you croaked, feeling exhausted immediately after. You felt woozy, and rolled over as your stomach lurched. Her hands pulled back your hair, and she gently rubbed your back, muttering soothingly. You knew she was speaking, but you couldn’t make out any of the words. You laid back down, fighting to stay away.
Your eyes dropped a little, and she looked horrified as you lost your grip on consciousness and slipped back asleep.
.
When you woke again, you felt much more cognizant. Your head throbbed, but not as badly as it had before. Ronal was beside you, soothingly bouncing Ko’oä, her face bowed as her lips moved. Beside you, Tsonu’e laid, sound asleep. You didn’t see Tonowari, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. You tried to sit up, your movement causing Ronal’s head to snap toward you, bringing a hand up to assist you.
She said something.
You blinked at her, bewildered. “What?” you asked.
She closed her eyes, looking a little sad. Carefully, she brought a hand up to your left ear and snapped. You heard it okay, but it seemed distant—like it was a lot further away then it should be. Quieter.
You exhaled a little shakily, and joked, “At least I’m with the clan that has sign language.”
Ronal smiled, but it was sad, watery. You scooted toward her, and asked, “Will it get better?”
I don’t know, said Ronal with her fingers.
You rested your head against her shoulder, winding your hand with hers. Ko’oä stared at you, her eyes so blue and beautiful. You traced her cheek with your finger gently, offering her a little smile.
She grinned back, and you decided that it would be okay.
.
You were feeding Ko’oä, supporting Ronal with your free hand as the baby suckled at you. Tsonu’e had woken up a little while ago, she was mostly just happy you were alive and relatively unhurt. In the hours since you’d woken, your ears had stopped ringing, your headache leaving you almost completely—what you were left with was enough hearing loss you’d miss most of the conversation if you weren’t being faced directly. Ronal was particularly upset she couldn’t do anything about it, having gone as far as to make Uäloä examine you.
She’d come to the same conclusion Ronal had. There wasn’t really anything anyone could do. Tsonu’e took it in stride, content to repeat herself as many times as needed.
“You are alive,” she explained. “I do not care if I must repeat myself a million times. You are my child.”
Ronal had agreed, and sat a little closer to you then usual while you fed the baby. If her eyes were a little misty the first time you asked her to repeat something, she didn’t say anything.
Tonowari was still gone, in the midst of whatever battle was happening. It left you shaky and scared, knowing he was out there, but not where. From Ronal, you learned he’d carried you in, and stayed as long as he possibly could have before being forced to leave. The Sky People had gotten close to Awa’altu, you learned. Tonowari couldn’t stay while the People were in danger.
Ko’oä sighed against you, her eyes fluttering as she pulled back, squealing as she tried to sit up. She wiggled in your grip, and you adjusted your hold so she was able to look about at the crowd of wounded. She bounced on her feet as you supported her body weight. You glanced out at the crowd, your eyes widening a little.
You stood slowly, eyes roaming over the crowd. It had grown a little, and you felt a little startled to realize that you were seeing warriors. You placed a hand on Ronal’s shoulder, causing her to look up. She looked at you, and then turned her head to the growing crowd. As you scanned the crowd, you noticed that some of the warriors had injuries - a bandaged arm, a limp - but they all stood tall and proud, their eyes shining with a sense of accomplishment. Your breath caught in your throat.
“Do you see Tonowari?” Ronal asked, moving so she was facing you as she spoke. You looked around the crowd, trying to spot Tonowari among the warriors. After a few moments of searching, you spotted him standing near the edge of the crowd.
You grabbed her arm gently, pulling her toward him. “Tonowari!”
Tonowari turned to face you, his eyes lighting up as he recognized you and Ronal. He jogged over, a broad smile on his face. He said something. You smile wilted a little, and Ronal clutched at your arm, her fingers digging into your skin. Tonowari glanced between you both, his eyes landing on you.
“What is wrong?” he asked, slow enough you were able to read his lips. You gave a weak smile.
“My hearing was damaged,” you admitted, turning to focus on Ko’oä. It was easier to look at her, her arms outstretched toward Tonowari. She was a daddy’s girl. A huge smile on her face.
Tonowari waved a hand in front of your eyes, catching your attention. From your head?
“Yes,” said Ronal, signing as she spoke. You swallowed. Tonowari turned to you, his gaze soft. Gently, he placed a hand on your head, caressing your face. You smiled weakly.
“I do not care,” assured Tonowari. “As long as you are healthy.”
“She is,” Ronal’s hands were gently, her movements graceful. You loved them both so much you felt nearly breathless with it.
“Never mind me,” you said, sniffling. “What happened?”
Ronal looked at you for a moment, before turning her gaze to Tonowari.
Tonowari’s smile faded a little. “It’s not good,” he said, his eyes flicking over to the wounded warriors standing nearby. “We lost a lot of people.”
You felt a pang of sorrow in your chest. “Who?”
Tonowari shook his head. “I don’t know how many. Good warriors. Fine Na’vi.”
You felt a lump form in your throat. “I’m so sorry,” you said. Your put your hand on his arm, and Ronal buried her face in his neck.
Tonowari’s expression was dark. “It’s war,” he said. “We knew the risks.”
“You all did well,” you said, your voice filled with emotion. “They had a strong leader.”
Tonowari smiled at you but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We did what we had to do.”
“You protected the people,” you insisted. Ronal nodded her agreement.
“What happened?” she asked, grabbing his arm gently, pulling back to look at his face.
“Eywa,” he said finally. “Our prayers were answered.”