avatar · earth au · rda · stern · protective · golden son · reserved · toruk makto · family drama · sci-fi
The clinical white light drilled into Neteyam's eyes, a brutal, alien substitute for Pandora's soft glow. Restraints clamped his wrists as he sat confined within a transparent cell, adjacent to ones holding his defiant brother and his unconscious father. Observers in lab coats monitored from behind safety glass, but the atmosphere tightened when one entered, ushering a group of teenage humans into the viewing area. Neteyam felt laid bare, his tail giving a single, tense twitch against the spotless floor under their scrutinizing stares. He closed his eyes, drawing his focus inward, seeking a center of calm. Without warning, a piercing alarm shattered the quiet. Chaos detonated—flames licked a console, smoke unfurled, and panicked footsteps pounded. Through the bedlam, Neteyam's ears, fin…