Tanhì.

by hcneyedmlktea

Summary:

tanhì n. /tan.ˈhɪ/, pl. sanhì

— star; bioluminescent freckle

 

She smiled, it was a smile so wide it reached her eyes and crinkled them up. The cold wind brushed her black hair away, her white fangs shown and her amber eyes staring straight at him, the bioluminescent freckles on her blue skin glimmered in the dark. Neteyam held his breath, clutching onto his ikran absentmindedly. His gaze should be forward, watching where he’s going like his parents had taught him, but he couldn’t avert his eyes from her. He just can’t.

She was brighter than any stars in the sky.

 

(In which the Sullys aren’t the first outsiders who seek uturu in the reef clan.)

Notes:

The Sullys arrived at Awa’atlu.

Chapter 1: ‘aw | neteyam.

'aw

neteyam

Neteyam blinked rapidly, chasing his tears away as he squared his shoulders and straightened his back, held his head high, stride after his father further from his tribe, further from his home, further from the life he'd known.

 

He stayed silent and solemn even when he heard his mother sobbed, or when his youngest sister cried for her friends as she was lifted to their mother's ikran.

 

Everything happened so fast. One moment he was still hunting normally with his parents, then a moment after all hell had broken loose. Spider, their human friend, was taken captive, Kiri and Tuk had knives on their throats, Lo'ak had been hurt and threatened. Then they were flying out of Omaticaya territory, to Eywa knows where.

 

His grip on his mount tightened as he gave a yelp and urged his ikran to lunge out of its perch, flying alongside his younger siblings as they followed their parents.

 

He bit his lips when he heard Tuktirey said she wanted to go home. He too, missed his home in the Hallelujah Mountains. He missed jumping through the vine paths that connects places, the beautiful soft lilac light that illuminates from their hometree in the night, and the ecstasy of swimming in the river with nothing but the light that reflects from his skin and the woodsprites to show him the way.

 

But Neteyam had to be strong. He took one swift look at his mother's grieving eyes and pushed all the sadness away. He had to be the anchor to his siblings in these troubled times, and he couldn't–wouldn't–allow any feeling of unsafeness and negligence to sprout into their hearts.

 

He had to protect them.

 

The wind whips through his hair, swepts any warmth left on his skin away and Neteyam shudders under his riding cloak.

 

How long will this flight be?

 

How long will these unsettling feelings in his guts last?

 

He turned his head back, seeing the outlines of the vast jungle getting more and more distant. His heart aches, but he has to go on.

 

Neteyam couldn't register how much time had passed, but soon enough he found himself flying over the bluish green sea.

 

The sight is unfamiliar to him, the distinct smell, the feelings of salty dampness clinging onto his skin, the sound of waves crashing more soundly than the rivers in his home. No big trees. No high mountains that touch the sky. No surge of clouds as the ikrans flew through.

 

Like a completely new world.

 

Kiri flew closer to him, and he saw the uneasiness in her yellow eyes. She looked as though life was sucked out of her. So he gave her a small assuring smile,

 

It'll be okay . He said through his eyes.

Everything will be okay .

 

She still seemed worried, but somehow gave him a small, tight smile in return.

 

His sister is an uncanny soul with an uncanny connection to the nature around her. When they were young, Neteyam used to have to recover her from under the trees or in the meadows, sleeping soundly with many creatures surrounding her and tall grass cradling her. Kiri doesn't like communicating with other Na'vi that much, save for the members of her family. She preferred spending time in the company of the plants and animals to hunting and playing with children her own age. Taking her away from her beloved environment is the same thing as ripping away all the relationships she'd been experiencing her whole life.

 

"Bro, where are we going?" Lo'ak asked, steering his ikran down to him.

 

Neteyam glanced at their father, who stayed grim and serious all the way. The name Toruk Makto is no more for him, neither is the title of their clan leader. Jake had left everything behind when he stepped down from his position as the Olo'eyktan. He could never have imagined what his father might've felt.

 

He sighed,

"I don't know, bro. Dad said something about the reef, maybe we're heading there."

 

"And where's the reef?"

 

He clicked his tongue,

"Like hell I know."

 

His younger brother groaned and urged his mount forward, ahead of him. Still, the wind carried his faint voice into Neteyam's sensitive ears,

 

"Jus' wish we'd have some good food there."

 

He barked out a small laugh.

 

Lo'ak had inherited their father's features. He had five fingers and eyebrows, while their mother's blood is a bit stronger in Neteyam. Ever since their world had been invaded yet again by the Sky People, some gazes that looked his brother's way were not the same. The Omaticaya won't say it out loud, given their Olo'eyktan was an avatar himself, but he wasn't sure about other clans.

 

Neteyam felt an ache in his head already when he thought of his brother's quick temper, of how he had once beaten another youngling who called him five-fingered freak a very long time ago. He'll have to keep an eye on him for the rest of the trip–which he didn't even know how long would last–as he is the eldest. His mother entrusted his siblings to him many times before, and most times he had control over them. But those were the times he had taken care of them in the land of the Omaticaya clan, where he was born into, and where he was confident about his surroundings, never in a foreign place he'd known nothing of.

 

Still, he had to try. His parents had so much stress now, he couldn't let them down any more.

 

Then, his father saw something in the distance.

 

"There!" He shouted.

 

Neteyam followed his gaze and saw an outline of rocks in the vast green water. He dimmed his eyes  from the sun as they neared.

 

"What's that, Dad?" He asked.

 

They flew over the outline, and he found that it was not a rock at all, but a complex entwining root of the giant trees– mangroves , he supposed it was called, a special species of tree able to thrive in the saltwater of the ocean.

 

"The territory of the Metkayina clan," Jake's voice is tinged with hope, like a man who had just lifted the weight of a mountain off his chest.

"The reef people."

 

But then, he drifted back into a serious face again, and Neteyam's heart chilled as he caught up with the situation.

 

They are now in a new land, jungle people in the reef people's place. He had not known what his father had in mind, but he knew for sure there would be a big adaptation they had to undergo.

 

At that moment, Neteyam clutched his ikran and prayed to Eywa,

 

Great mother, he pleaded

Please look after us, and let this be a good decision.

 

The sound of the conch reverberated through the area as they leveled down onto the fork of sand below. He could see the figures of the Na'vi who had green skin gathering around.

 

The Metkayina have come to greet them.

 

He closed his eyes, calming down his heart while his ikran perched onto the ground.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

The welcoming was more than unpleasant.

 

He shifted closer to Lo'ak, intentionally shielding him from judging eyes as his fingers found his brother's forearm, clutching it tight as a sense of assurance as the insults kept coming.

 

I am here , it says.

 

He felt his brother shudder beneath his touch, and saw the glimpse of fire in those amber eyes, and thinned his lips as he tightened his grip.

 

Do not lose your sense now .

 

Neteyam turned to the side, catching Kiri's worried face as she pulled her shawl closer against her skin, looking like she'd rather be anywhere but here. He sighed, had it not been because Lo'ak is on the brink of his self control, he'd be right by her side.

 

Tuk is with their mother, while their father is talking with the Olo'eyktan of the Metkayina clan, Tonowari.

 

It was quite a frustrating feeling, when he and his brother made a greeting gesture to a Metkayinan boy and was returned with a glare, but Neteyam knew better to hold ire against them. They are outsiders, and more than one of them had five fingers, a sign of hybrids.

 

The Tsahìk of the clan was more than concerned, mentioning that if they host the Sullys, sooner or later harm will come to her people. Neteyam's limbs jerk when she grabbed Kiri's hand and showed it for all to see.

 

"Blood of the demons!"

 

Neytiri stepped forward, hissing, repeating the sentence she'd said earlier as she pushed her daughter back protectively,

"We seek uturu ."

 

Both her and the Metkayina woman hissed at each other, separated only an inch from lounging at each other by their husbands.

 

He let out a shaky breath when Tonowari announced they would be staying amongst the Metkayinas, learning the way of water.

 

Then, the boy–who he later came to know as Aonung, the son of the Olo'eyktan–barked about how their tails and their arms are so slim they couldn't swim properly like they do. He felt Lo'ak pressed closer, cheeks reddened with embarrassment, and Neteyam gritted his teeth, rubbing circles around his little bro's wrist to soothe him as much as he could.

 

The Metkayina girl with long curly hair–Tsireya, Aonung's sister–shushed him, but he and his friend didn't seem to be fazed, grimacing back.

 

"What? You see it! Their tails-"

 

"Their tails are the same as mine." Came a voice that ripped the next words from him completely. The Metkayina in the area, including Tonowari and his Tsahìk, Ronal, turned their heads to the direction of the voice.

 

Another Na'vi glided down from behind them, trailing along the lines of a giant mangrove's roots. A girl around his age, with blue skin and amber eyes.

 

"As do their arms, their eyes, and their bodies." She finished the sentence, her voice calm like the wind before she landed on the sand with a soft thud and walked towards them, a smile faintly clinging on her lips as she gestured the Olo'eyktan and the Tsahìk a greeting,

 

"I see you, Sa'nok, Sempul."

 

"Ma'ite," Ronal smiled, opening her arms and embracing the girl tightly,

"When were you back?"

 

"Just a moment ago." She replied, drifting her eyes towards them before giving them a brief greeting too.

 

"I see the great Toruk Makto has now graced our lowly village with his majestic presence."

 

"I am no longer Toruk Makto." His father answered quite quietly.

 

"Still," She said,

"You once united us together. And we ought to treat you and your family with respect." The end of the sentence saw her eyes glanced sharply towards Aonung, in which he clicked his tongue and sneered, but looked away and said nothing more.

 

He noticed the other Metkayina averted their eyes too.

 

The girl hummed, the corners of her mouth tightened into a barely noticeable smirk as she left Ronal's arms and joined Tsireya at the side, earning a gleeful giggle from her as the Metkayina girl hugged her tight and she pressed her lips in a kiss at those curly wet hair back.

 

"My children, Aonung, Heriä and Tsireya will teach them our way." Tonowari concluded, a satisfied smile on his face.

 

"But I-" Aonung tried to protest, but the blue-skinned girl silenced him with another glare.

 

Tsireya approached them with a joyful smile,

 

"Come," She said, eyes glinting,

"I'll show you around."

 

As they walked, the Metkayina girl clung her hand onto another girl's arm.

 

"How long will you stay this time, Heriä?" She asked,

"I've been missing you so, so much. You'd never imagined how insufferable Aonung is."

 

"He's always like that." The girl–Heriä–chuckled.

"I'm planning about a month or two."

 

"Too short!" Tsireya complained.

 

"Come now, Matsireya," She rolled her eyes,

"Two months are a very long time."

 

The green-skinned girl huffed, before turning to them,

"These are our maruis. My family's is over there, yours are this way." She gestured before guiding them.

"Follow me."

 

Heriä glanced to the side, before tapping her sister's arms that are still wrapping around her own arm,

 

"Tsmuke, I need to get my things." She pointed towards the trunk of the giant tree above them.

"My ikran is still there, with my belongings."

 

"Oh yes, yes," Tsireya nodded cheerfully,

"Your marui is still there."

 

"Thank you." She chuckled, parting the other way.

 

"Will you be there at the sea? I'm giving them a tour." The girl voiced after her. Heriä turned back and looked at him and his siblings, silently scanning,

 

"I guess so." She shrugged,

"Haven't seen the ocean for a while too."

 

Tsireya grinned happily,

"See you then!"

 

She drifted her eyes back to them, and said with a big smile,

 

"Let's get you settled into your marui, then we can go sightseeing around."

 

Neteyam followed the Metkayina girl, but his glances stole away to the other direction, at the slim tail, the thin body and the blue skin of her sister, getting further into the complex of the great tree.

 

A forest Na'vi, but announced as a daughter of a reef Na'vi.

 

He tilted his head, brows creasing.

Chapter 2: mune | neteyam.

Summary:

The lesson with the reef kids.

mune

neteyam

The sightseeing didn't go well, either.

 

Neteyam had to surface every now and then to suck in another breath, much to the reef people's annoyance. He tried, honestly, he did, but somehow the air kept flooding out from his lungs like sand sinking through the fingers.

 

Surprisingly, Heriä didn't have to go up as much as him and his siblings, despite having the features of the forest Na'vi.

 

He wondered how.

 

Aonung looked annoyed and bored, while Tsireya just smiled sweetly,

 

"You'll have to learn how to breathe." She said,

"Come, we'll teach you."

 

So they moved to the rocks in the sea and settled, before Tsireya would begin her lessons.

 

"Breathe in and hold," She instructed.

 

He followed as she said, before flinching at the other girl that moved closer. Heriä had her brows furrowed down a bit as she tilted her head,

 

"Can you do that for me one more time?" She asked, the tone of her voice reminded him of the cold breeze that freshens him under the sunlight.

 

So Neteyam did, and she nodded,

"Well, almost there. Breathe in deeper, take your fill or the efforts you did would be worth nothing."

 

He sucked his breath in again. She kept her gaze fixed on his abdomen, watching quietly then raise her hand,

 

"Can I?"

 

With an approving nod from him, she pressed her fingers onto his belly. The pads of them are not as callous as his mother, but he knew she's been training with bows and arrows too. Her hand is wet but warm, so warm it felt like burning.

 

"Here." She mumbles,

"Feel it in the pit of your stomach."

 

Neteyam glanced down, and his breath was almost robbed out of his lungs when he found that she was so close to him. Her black hair, braided and beaded like any common forest Na'vi, fell loose to the middle of her back, safe for the small buns on both the curving sides of her head, tied and secured with a thin, knitted headdress, her skin was a tinge paler than his, adorned with intricate patterns. Her amber eyes were veiled with a set of long, dark lashes, she had thin lips with sharp jaws, and she smelled like fresh air.

 

"Suck it in slowly, and breathe out slower than that." Heriä's voice guides him.

"Your instincts might told you to rush, but you have to fight it. Calm your heart, control your minds, that's the key."

 

He hummed in response and go at it again, this time he closed his eyes and tried to breathe slower.

 

"Yes," She whispered,

"Like that. You're doing well enough."

 

Then she withdrew her hand, Neteyam suddenly felt like he was about to shudder with the absence of the warmth of her fingers, and he immediately shook himself off.

 

"Thank you." He muttered.

 

The corner of her lips tucked,

"You're welcome."

 

He blinked and ducked his head down, distracting himself from the beautiful hues of her yellow orbs.

 

"Lo'ak," He heard Tsireya,

"Your heartbeat is fast."

 

"Sorry."

 

"Try to focus."

 

He looked at his baby brother, and almost cackle at the younger's struggling expressions. Lo'ak seemed like he tried, but his breath ragged everytime Tsireya moved closer. He could hear his brother's mind squeal at the moment the Metkayina girl laid her hand atop his abdomen and told him to breathe.

 

The boy was so smitten.

 

"Calm down, Lo'ak."

 

"I know."

 

Neteyam tried to suppress his laugh and turn it into a chuckle that shook his shoulders, his lips curled up into a smile before his eyes met Heriä's amusingly glinting ones.

 

She wore the what is this hilariously cute scene? expression too, a ghost of smile hovering over her lips.

 

He wondered what she'd look like if her smile was all across her face.

 

He heard Kiri snorting, and turned to find her rolling her eyes, while Rotxo, another reef Na'vi who came with them just giggle.

 

After getting Lo'ak to at least know the basics of breathing in the ocean, they moved on to riding a mount called ilu.

 

Neteyam watched as the Metkayina youths made a clicking sound, calling for the small creatures to swim towards them. The ilus had a long neck with six flippers that fluttered smoothly in the water and a tail, their dark-colored upper body in contrast with the colorful markings that splotched all over them and the white underbelly.

 

"Lawr!" Heriä exclaimed when an ilu approached–he thinks it is more like lounged itself at–her, hooking both her arms over its long neck.

 

"She waited for you at your marui everyday, Tsmuke." Tsireya said, running her hand over another ilu in the process.

 

"Oh, did you?" The blue-skinned girl asked in a small voice as the creature chirped and rubbed its snout against her face.

"I'm so sorry, paskalin. I wish I could take you with me too, but I don't have any place for you to stay."

 

All the ilus that came to them had handles installed on, instigating the commonness of riding on them. Tuk is too small to ride one, so she had to just watch from the shallow water near the beach. Kiri is off somewhere, Rotxo is absent too, maybe they went together, Lo'ak followed Tsireya like a lost nantang cub, and he is left with Aonung.

 

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Heriä hurling herself atop her ilu, taking the long braid at her back to join her queue with it before gliding serenely through the sea surface.

 

"Hey!" The son of the Olo'eyktan's voice drew him back. Neteyam blinked as he drifted his eyes back to Aonung's blue orbs.

 

"You doing it or what?" He asked, clearly annoyed.

 

He thinned his lips, pushing the bitter feelings down. He had to be the example to his siblings, he couldn't falter behind.

 

"Yes." Neteyam chewed his cheek,

"Sorry."

 

"Come on now, Blue Boy." Aonung clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes unwelcomingly as he urged the ilu on his side forward, waving his finned hand up to grab his attention.

 

"You put your hand here, and you sit on him like you did your pa'lis. But when you want them to go fast the ilus will dive down, and when they do you will hold on tight–by hold on I mean with your single hand." He said, sliding himself down to the position he described in the water,

"Got it?"

 

No.

 

"Yes." He swallowed.

 

"Good." The other boy said, taking up one of the queues that sprouted from the creature's temple,

"Now get on and try."

 

Shit.

 

Neteyam clenches his teeth to prevent the quiver of his lips to show. His fingers curled around the handle and secured himself on the base of the ilu's long neck, his long braid that his mother had painstakingly fashioned to encase the pinkish tendrils grew from the base of his skull was lifted up and brush the tip away to connect the neural fibers of his with that of the ilu, performing tsaheylu.

 

The flood of emotion sent him shivering, but Neteyam held on tight.

 

He breathed in, at the same time as when Aonung let go of his mount. The ilu surged forward, and he had to suppress a yelp as the surface of the water hit his face with a not-so-gentle force.

 

The current made him slide further from his position, prying his grip out and slapping him hard in his eyes, enabling his vision. Neteyam only had the force to shut his mouth to close his airways from being invaded by the salty liquid before his fingers slipped.

 

The waves carried him far away from his ilu, up closer to the surface. He pushed his head up to breathe, and he heard the Metkayina boy cackled.

 

He groaned, frustrated, before skimming along the water back to Aonung who gave him a mocking smile.

 

"You'll have to try harder, Blue Boy."

 

Disappointment. Today was a disappointment.

 

No. Disappointment is an understatement. Today's a disaster .

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Eclipse saw Neteyam swimming in the sea again.

 

He finished his dinner and decided to sneak out after his family had fallen asleep to practice. He had called his ilu to come serve him, and had his hand over the saddle as he did the tsaheylu.

 

All seems to go well, until the creature dives down under, and he is swept off his place again.

 

Neteyam grunted, approaching it for another try.

 

He practiced well into the darkness, being thrown off the saddle for too many times he lost count. He just kept doing, determined to succeed by the time the eclipse had passed.

 

He gasped for air when he was drowned in the strong current again, soaring back up with a loud growl of displeasure.

 

"Oh, so this is how we're gonna do it, huh?"

 

His ilu propped his head up from under the water, blinking at him with his big four eyes as he tilted his head, chirping in a mixture of curiosity and sadness.

 

Why're you so sad, dude? I'm sorry if I did something wrong . His eyes sings.

 

Neteyam sighed at that look, patting his ilu's neck,

"It's okay. 's not your fault."

 

His fingers were numb, his arms shaking, his muscles screaming in agony. Neteyam opened his mouth to suck in another breath and found his lungs burning, his chest heaving more than he registered he could.

 

He bit his lips, clenching his hand over the handle hard until he could almost hear the crackings of his bones, dragging himself over again.

 

He's got to do this. He had to succeed riding an ilu, so he could look after his siblings and help his parents like he was raised to.

 

He felt his visions blurring, his conscience waning, but he connected his queue to his ilu's antennae again anyways. The air around him felt cold, maybe it's because he'd been in the water for too long.

 

"Need a little help?" A calm voice interrupted his messy thoughts. Neteyam whipped his head around to find Heriä on her ilu swimming closer. The bioluminescent freckles that dotted along her skin shimmered in the dark.

 

He blinked.

 

She tucked the corner of her mouth into a small smile, one of her hand is resting atop the handle, while another is on her thigh,

"What are you doing out here in the middle of the eclipse, Son of Toruk Makto? This is a bit further from Awa'atlu than I expected of a newcomer."

 

He looked around, finding the village far away in a larger distance than when he had started practicing earlier.

 

Oh shit. How did he get this far?

 

"And what about you?" He asked,

"What are you doing around here?"

 

"I have…" Heriä trailed off, finding the words to put into explanation,

"An appointment with someone."

 

"Oh," He breathed,

"You should go then."

 

Her eyes landed on him, then on his ilu that tried to came to support him, before shrugging,

"Nah. She can wait."

 

She urged her ilu closer and extended her free arm to him,

"Here."

 

Out of exhaustion, Neteyam complied and he soon found himself sitting behind her, her mount being large enough to carry two adolescent Na'vis. It seems she's strong enough to hurl him up with a single hand.

 

"This is Lawr." She introduced,

"She had a hole on her lower left flipper. They say she's born with it."

 

He looked down and found the said mark. It was a gaping, smooth hole in the size of his two fingers.

 

Lawr chirped, her voice sounded like a melody from a flute as she surged through the water. Heriä turned to look at him, the strands of her black hair were glued to the back of her neck and down her spines from the wetness.

 

"I see you're struggling with riding an ilu."

 

Neteyam huffed quietly,

"I'll get better if I practice enough."

 

"You'll get better if you practice the right way." She pursed her lips and glanced at his hand,

"Put your arms around me, I'll show you how a proper ilu riding feels like."

 

"What?"

 

"You can just slide down if you don't want to." She added nonchalantly.

 

Ugh. Fine.

 

He scooted closer, encasing his arms over her waist that felt so small and thin like other forest Na'vi, clutching onto the beaded straps of her loincloth.

 

"Breathe in, slowly," She instructed,

"Calm your heart."

 

He could hear her sucking the air in too as she tightened the grip on her saddle and pushed herself forward into the position.

 

Lawr squeaked and lounged down, a splash of water hit him as he dived with her into the sea.

 

He almost got swept off again when she grabbed his hand and pulled him in. Her fingers held tight around his palm.

 

Neteyam slowly opened his eyes, and he saw the most beautiful view in front of him. The colorful corals and the anemones littered the sandy floor, with contrasting shades of the dark stones along the line. Flocks of fishes swam all around him, creating sounds of objects cutting through the water.

 

Most importantly, the ride was so peaceful he could hear Heriä's heartbeat from behind her. She seemed relaxed, giving him a small smirk when they ascended back up into the surface.

 

"How is it?"

 

Neteyam lulled his head back and forth,

"Better than expected."

 

"That's how it's supposed to be." She clicked her tongue.

 

"When you dive, you'll have to slide down," Heriä described, holding his arm up,

"Here, hold my waist tighter."

 

After he did what she said, she slipped her legs off from the crook of Lawr's upper flippers and let herself hang down along the back of the creature, Neteyam clinging by the waist behind her.

 

"Relax yourself," She said, taking a glance back,

"Don't get tense, the ilu would sense it right away. Duck your head lower to prevent the current from getting under your chest and lift you up. Don't fight the waves too, be one with it. Let your body flow freely with the water, just don't forget to hold onto your saddle. When you're getting up and you know you're close to the surface-"

 

She pulled herself up, hooking the joint of her knees on the sides of her ilu's neck again.

 

"-You drag yourself back into the sitting position again. If you're still in the diving position when you're out of water, it's going to be more difficult to sit. And when you sit up you have to curve your back down just a bit during the first few moments, so you maintain your balance. You can straighten it back up if you feel stable enough."

 

Then she flicked her fingers back and forth over the wrappings of the handle on top of her saddle,

 

"Your grip needn't be tight, just make sure it is firm. Holding on too tight would soon make your whole body tense along with your hand, and a tense body while riding an ilu is never a good sign. It would result in nothing but the ache in your hand and sometimes makes your breath run out faster than it should, you might even cut your own flesh if you put too much force. Be confident, and be calm, know yourself and know your ilu. They are usually kind and playful creatures with a mild temper. Just take your time to understand their thoughts a bit before you give them a go sign. Understand?"

 

Yes.

 

He nodded, and she hummed in satisfaction. She shifted in her seat, and Neteyam suddenly realized–a bit too late–that he's so close it's almost a skin-to-skin contact with her.

 

He peeled his hand off her waist immediately,

"Oh, uh, I-I guess I'll have to go back."

 

"Where?"

 

"My-my marui."

 

"Oh," She licked her thin lips,

"I see. Come on then."

 

"Wait. Where are you going?"

 

She jerked her brows,

"To your family's marui, genius."

 

What? How?

 

His baffled expression sends her chuckling, her amber eyes glinting as she looks at him.

 

"You can't even ride an ilu properly, and you're clearly too exhausted to swim back to Awa'atlu in this distance. Now hold onto me, we're doing another round of diving. You good with that?"

 

Neteyam shut his gaping mouth close, shyly holding onto her again as he muttered,

"Yeah."

 

She gave him a small smile again,

"I'm Heriä by the way."

 

He felt the heat of her skin transfering to the pads of his fingers, running straight to his ears and cheekbones,

 

"Neteyam."

 

Heriä hummed, tightening her grip,

"Nice name."

 

He was stunned for a beat, barely had time to hold his breath as she slid off her sitting position, one hand holding onto both of his that enveloped her waist to make sure he's not swept off, and Lawr dived down into the water once again.

 

It took a few moments to reach the balcony of his marui. Heriä sat up and tap his wrist lightly,

 

"We're here."

 

He nodded and found himself gasping for air, too much chest heaving to speak back. Neteyam's little strength left could only enable him to unclasp his hand around her and drag himself up the wooden platform that protruded above the sea surface.

 

He flopped himself on the edge, legs swinging in the water below as he breathed in and out until his heartbeat came back to its normal pulse.

 

Once he gets better, he glanced up to the girl who delivered him,

 

"Thank you."

 

"Anytime." She said, flashing a light smile,

"By the way, you'll have to try working on your breathing skills too. I see you're out of breath quite easily."

 

When she saw his tired face, Heriä chuckled,

"It's not a one-night thing, okay?"

 

Neteyam chewed his lips, taking a moment before asking,

"Can you teach me?"

 

The ridge above her eyes darted up, clearly caught off guard, before tilting her head and blinking a few times.

 

He almost held his breath again.

 

"You're under Aonung's care." She said,

"I can't take you directly from him."

 

His heart sank a bit.

 

"But," She spoke up again, sparking the glimmer of hope inside his chest,

"If you want, we could arrange a meeting after dinner."

 

Her amber eyes looked up to lock with his,

"How about that?"

 

Neteyam nodded eagerly. He felt that the way that she explains things is very clear, making all the lessons sound a lot easier than when he took them the first time.

 

Heriä curled her lips up into an almost unnoticeable smile, pulling the grip on Lawr to alert her,

 

"Get back inside. Your family will get worried if they know you sneaked out."

 

With his surprised face, she chuckled again,

"No parent would let their child wander in a foreign place in the dark on their own."

 

Well, he got caught.

 

Neteyam sighed, raising both his hands up, palm facing her in admitting of defeat,

"Yeah. I will."

 

"Good." She nodded in approval as he pushed himself up onto the balcony floor,

"See you around then."

 

He felt himself smile,

 

"Yeah."

 

She dived back down, swimming away into the water, and Neteyam's smile was still prominent on his lips.

 

Maybe Awa'atlu isn't as bad as he thought it'd be.

Chapter 3: pxey | neteyam.

Summary:

Neteyam thought he screwed up.

pxey

neteyam

"You got better!" Tsireya exclaimed when she saw him able to maintain his position on his ilu for longer than he usually did.

 

Neteyam pulled himself up into a sitting position, smiling proudly as he patted the creature's flank,

 

"Nice work, dude."

 

"How?" Lo'ak asked, curious as he treaded to him on his own mount.

"Bro, seriously. Yesterday you were as bad as me, how come you get so much better?"

 

He chewed his lips.

How can he say he takes extra classes after dark? Lo'ak would be mad that he sneaked out without alerting him.

 

It's not like he wants to keep this a secret between him and Heriä, definitely not. How could he keep things from his siblings with such selfish purpose?

 

It's just that-

 

It's just that he likes the activities as it is. Heriä is a good teacher, and he felt the practices were much better with her little tips and guidance. If Lo'ak participated, wouldn't it be bothersome for her? One newcomer is enough, she surely doesn't need two.

 

It's fine. He'll just master those lessons and then teach his baby brother the tips after. The boy had Tsireya anyways, he wouldn't want to learn with anyone other than her for sure.

 

"I…" He trailed off, taking a quick glance at the thin figure of the forest Na'vi with two small buns atop her head not far away,

"I practice."

 

Heriä's lips jerked at the response, visible even with the distance, and he could almost hear her snort.

 

"That's great!" The Metkayina girl clapped in joy,

"See, Lo'ak? You can do it too!"

 

Neteyam almost cackles at his brother's reddened cheeks. Just how obvious did he want it to be?

 

Kiri is also trailing along the surface quietly, in her own little world like she usually did. Tuk is clutching at her back.

 

Aonung just snickered at Lo'ak and his sister, turning to him,

"You wanna practice holding your breath?"

 

He nodded,

"Yeah."

 

From the corner of his eyes, Rotxo is approaching Heriä. Their ilus moved slowly together, the riders talking silently before the boy said something to her and she leaned back in surprise. Her back is shielding her face so he couldn't see her expression, but it must be somewhat funny since Rotxo burst with laughter after taking a look at her face, slapping her shoulders hard a few times before she shifted her leg from her position and pushed him on the side playfully with her foot, tipping him off his balance and falling into the sea.

 

The ridge above Neteyam's eye pressed down slightly, wondering what's about the conversation.

 

Aonung's snap brought him back to reality, he yelped as he almost fell off his ilu and blinked as the boy sneered at him,

"Focus, Blue Boy. We don't need a dazed Na'vi drowning in my village."

 

"Yeah," He breathed.

"Sorry."

 

"Come," He motioned Neteyam to follow,

"We're going to a deeper zone. I'll throw you a coral piece, and you'll have to search for it and bring it back to me. Got it?"

 

"Yeah."

 

The boy searched for a piece of a broken coral polyp, before flicking it around for him to observe and memorize.

 

"This one. Remember the size, the structure and the color."

 

"Right."

 

Neteyam looks closely, trying to imprint every curve and ridges and the hues dotted along the object, before nodding.

 

"Good." Aonung swung his arm back,

"Go." He flung the coral piece from his stretched hand, making a splash as it made contact with the water.

 

He sucked in his breath and dived down, following it as fast as he could.

 

Neteyam peered into the sea as he swam through the waves, crossing mounds after mounds of reefs and descending further to the depths of the ocean, passing groups of sealives along the way.

 

But the coral rolled too fast, dropped too deep, and soon, he had to surface with empty hands.

 

"It fell-" He panted,

"-too deep! Can't!"

 

Aonung lifted him by his arm, and he felt like lost nantang cub, defenseless and weak,

"Then you'll have to dive faster."

 

"Come on," Heriä drove her ilu towards them,

"Go easy on him."

 

"Yeah," He snapped,

"I'm not my father to always be soft and patient like when he teaches you."

 

She blinked, a tinge of surprise passed her amber eyes.

 

"Aonung!" Tsireya exclaimed.

 

"Calm, Tsireya." She halted her sister, her face now blank.

 

"Heriä-"

 

"Hey," She shrugged, her tone seeming almost amusingly, but her eyes expressionless,

 

"I'm not wasting my energy on getting into a fight. Not while our guests are around, it's…" Her glances are sharp and cutting, cold as she trailed off,

"Discourteous."

 

"What did you say?!"

 

"I wouldn't recommend you throwing punches at me," Heriä clicked her tongue, bending down until she's at eye level with him,

"Think it through, brother. Don't forget what our parents said."

 

Aonung clenched his jaws, before letting go of Neteyam, more like dumping him back into the water, and swam off. His mumbles were barely audible, but the silence around them made it quite clear,

 

"'M not your brother."

 

The firstborn of Toruk Makto froze as the boy's green back slipped away. He turned back to see Heriä's calm and indifferent gaze and felt a hard throb in his chest when he found an almost unnoticeable misery in those orbs.

 

"Tsmuke…" Tsireya left Lo'ak immediately, swimming to press her hand on her sister's thigh as a sign of support.

 

"It's okay, paskalin," the blue-skinned girl ran her hand over her sister's curly locks,

"I don't mind."

 

Rotxo appeared back on his ilu, riding not far away from Kiri when he came to them,

"Where's Aonung?"

 

He looked at Tsireya's worried face, then at Heriä's cold one, then at Neteyam's confused eyes, and sighed,

"What'd I miss now. Did he lash out again?"

 

The green-skinned girl pressed her lips mournfully as a response.

 

Rotxo shrugged, shaking his head,

"Well. Fine."

 

"Let's call it a day, then." Tsireya concluded, turning to Lo'ak,

"We'll continue tomorrow, okay?"

 

"Yeah," His younger brother replied, more like a sudden response, before breathing out,

"Yeah, no problem."

 

Neteyam surged through the surface, pressing his lips when Heriä spoke up,

 

"I'm going out for a while, you guys get back first."

 

"Where're you heading?" Rotxo quirked his brows.

 

She bit her lip,

"Around here. Tell my parents I'll be home for dinner."

 

"Will do." The boy replied, shoving her shoulder lightly,

"Make sure to be on time."

 

She snorted and gave a small tug, urging her ilu down the waves and slipped away.

 

The tinge of sadness in her eyes haunted him, and he almost led his mount after her when Lo'ak called him,

 

"Bro, come on!" He said,

"Let's try racing back."

 

He raised his brows at that,

"Oh, you thought you could beat me?"

 

"Maybe not me," He raised both his arms in mocking defeat,

"But she could." Finishing, his bro cocked his head towards Kiri, who's been silent almost the whole time.

 

His sister wrinkled her nose,

"Seriously, I just existed."

 

"Come on," Lo'ak make a face,

"We all know you're good at riding ilus. First day here and you already got comfortable!"

 

"Look," Kiri rolled her eyes,

"I don't like competitions."

 

"I heard mom's doing some grilled pincer fish." The second son of Toruk Makto's next sentence tipped her off, and Neteyam could see the glimpse in her eyes as she whipped her head back at them.

 

After settling in Awa'atlu yesterday, Neytiri cooked up a portion of pincer fish, and despite not saying anything except it's kinda good, mom , she finished her whole ration–a rare occasion since she usually eats very little. Their mother was overjoyed, of course, and unsurprisingly she'll cook them again for tonight.

 

"Who'd you think would get an extra ration, Tuk?" He drifted in, asking his baby sister.

 

Tuk blinked, looking at each of them with her big, yellow eyes, mischievous grin on her lips,

"Kiri."

 

"Come on, Tuk." Lo'ak convinced,

"Don't you think it'd be one of your brothers? Won't you side with us just a little bit?"

 

"I've seen your performances," She crossed her arms, judging them,

"Kiri's by far the best amongst us."

 

"Oh, where did she learn to use the term performances ?" The second eldest brother gaped his mouth.

 

"Thanks, Tuk." Kiri laughed, ruffling their youngest sibling's braided hair, earning a happy giggle,

"I'll make sure to divide some of my ration for you."

 

"Wait, did you just bribe her?!" His brother squealed,

"I can't believe you!"

 

"It's called a reward , if you don't know." She shrugged.

 

"You know that we're better than you." Lo'ak challenged.

 

"Yeah?" The hybrid girl snickered, Neteyam held back a chuckle as he gripped the handle in his hand a bit tighter, bracing himself as he saw the fighter in his sister emerged,

"How about we put that to the test?"

 

"Oh yeah?" His brother craned his neck, taunting as he drifted his ilu into a starting spot next to her.

 

"Yeah." Kiri huffed.

 

"You racing too, bro?" Lo'ak voiced.

 

Neteyam hit his tongue against the inside of his teeth,

"You don't see me getting ready, bro?"

 

His little brother cackled. The three siblings lined up side by side, with Tuk cheering at the back of her sister's ilu. They looked at each other,

 

"So who's gonna count?" He asked, eyeing both his juniors.

 

Of course, no one wants to do the counting, as it could distract and waste the time. But no one wants the other to count too. Too many years growing up together taught them to be aware of the little tricks they pulled on eachother every now and then, especially when they're racing.

 

After a moment of silence, Tuktirey sighed dramatically,

 

"Fine. I will."

 

"Thanks, Tuk." Neteyam smiled, followed by a thanks mumbling by Lo'ak.

 

"Ready," Her voice echoed, he adjusted his grip.

 

"Set," He bent his head down, hunching over his ilu, ready to slip his legs off anytime.

 

"Go!" With that, Neteyam dived down.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

"What's with that face?" The familiar voice didn't make him stop splashing water with his legs. Neteyam snorted back,

 

"I lost to Kiri."

 

"Lost?" Heriä repeated, maneuvering her ilu in the sea under him,

"In what?"

 

"...Ilu racing."

 

She huffed out a laugh, tilting her head back a bit,

"Poor you."

 

"I have to give her half of my fish."

 

"My, how unfortunate." Her reply came with amusement tinged all over.

 

"Stop laughing." He dipped his hand in the water and flick it into her face. She let out a yelp but balanced herself well enough to not tip down.

 

"Don't be so grumpy, genius." She chuckled,

"How about we go practice to let out some steam?"

 

Neteyam pursed his lips before clicking his tongue, calling for his own ilu. He lept from the platform over the sea into the water and swam to climb himself up on the creature's back.

 

"Yeah."

 

They wandered off the village, into the vast open field of salty sea. He steals glances at the girl swimming in the waves on her ilu's back ahead of him once in a while, taking note of her sharp jaws and glowing amber eyes.

 

After they surfaced, she flung her wet hair back and looked at him,

 

"I see you got better with your ilu."

 

"Still being beaten by my sister" He shrugged.

 

"You'll get more and more fluent in time." Heriä consoled,

"Have you named him yet?"

 

Neteyam blinked, before shaking his head slowly.

 

"You have to create a strong bond between you and him." She said,

"This way you understand his needs, and he understands yours."

 

He fidgeted with the handle, chewing his lips,

"Should I call him Tsngem ?"

 

She choked,

" Muscle ?"

 

"Yeah?" He poked at his mount's flippers and neck,

"You don't see his muscles? He threw me off him so many times I lost count, he needs quite an amount of them to move me. I'm heavy, you know."

 

"Really?" Heriä raised her brows, eyeing him up and down. Neteyam cleared his throat as he felt his words sink in and a heat erupted from the pit of his stomach, feeling her gaze examined him from head to toe.

 

What the fuck did he just say? He must've lost his mind for a moment.

 

Then, she made a small hum of approval,

"Yeah, I bought that. You look strong enough. You can call him Tsngem."

 

Oh fuck.

 

He felt his ears were about to burst.

 

"I haven't given you any clear compliment yet," She continued,

"You did well, genius. More than I expected from a newcomer."

 

"Thanks." Neteyam found himself muttering back.

 

A beat passed, then another.

 

"You-" Heriä spoke up,

"You should pet him a bit more. Ilus appreciate skinships, and they were originally quite eager for one. A touch will do, but hugging and rubbing their snouts also strengthens the bond. Don't forget to give him a gesture or a verbal praise when he did well."

 

"Uh-huh," He mumbled,

"I don't remember Aonung teaching me that."

 

"He's an idiot who rides his ilu too well to remember the small details." She snorted loudly, sliding off Lawr and picking up something from the groove of the rock just below the surface.

 

"He didn't even know how to teach." Heriä twisted her lips, before motioning him to come down from his ilu.

"For beginners, it's easier if something shiny and noticeable are used as an object of dive chasing. Like this one," She flicked her hand up, showing a piece of seashell that gleams in the dark.

"Corals would be difficult to find. They are heavy, and would roll down too quickly."

 

Neteyam blinked at the shell between her slim fingers,

"You taught well. Where'd you learn all that?"

 

"Thanks." She chuckled,

"I understand your difficulties, I picked up my own tips from time to time and I hope they could help you adapt faster than I did."

 

He drifted his eyes back to her face.

 

"Come on, I saw it written on your face since the first day." Heriä tightened her lips into a strained smile,

"Say it. It's obvious."

 

"I'm sorry, I overstepped-"

 

"No worries, genius." She laughed in her throat.

"It's okay. I don't belong here either."

 

Neteyam bit his lips,

"What happened?"

 

"It's a long story," She jerked her lips,

"And it's boring."

 

"I wanna hear." His reply was sudden even he himself was surprised.

 

She raised the ridges above her eyes,

"It'll take a whole night."

 

"I have time."

 

"You," She said, poking his chest lightly with the tip of her fingers.

"Are in your growing phase. You need sleep."

 

"I like staying up late."

 

"Oh," She snorted,

"Are we really going this way?"

 

He gave her a challenging quirk of his brows.

 

"...I don't-"

 

"Please?" Neteyam softened his voice down, ducking his head down and gave her a pleading look through his eyelashes.

 

This trick always gets his parents. Hopefully, it'll work with her too.

 

Heriä stared back at him, watching silently, before giving a long exhale in response.

"Fine."

 

She swam up to a nearby rock, glancing at him in the process,

"You don't want to soak in the sea for a whole night. Tried it once, and I got a fever for three days straight, not fun at all."

 

"Yeah." He muttered back, climbing after.

 

Heriä stretched her legs outward, letting it sway silently along the waves. Neteyam settled down next to her as she began,

 

"My mother," Her voice was still calm like the gentle breeze.

"She was a Kekunan."

 

"Wait-" He whipped his head,

"Kekunan? As in the Kekunan clan of the North?"

 

She made a tsk tsk sound,

"There's no other Kekunan , genius. You wanna hear more or what?"

 

"Yeah-sorry."

 

"Fifteen years ago, she came to Awa'atlu on her ikran." Heriä continued,

"She's heavily ill. Her mount is very injured. She only had the strength enough to tell my Sa'nok my real name and some small details about my personal information before she died, her ikran followed her to Eywa soon after."

 

Her long fingers fidgeted with the shell on her lap, blinking slowly,

"I was too young to travel again, so Sa'nok and Sempul decided to adopt me. I was raised as their eldest daughter and learned the way of water even though I have no features to adapt quickly."

 

Neteyam pursed his lips, thinking back and forth before asking again,

"What happened to her–your mother?"

 

She sighed,

"I'm not sure. Sa'nok said she was so weak it seemed that all her life force was sucked out. She was too frail to live on."

 

He peeked at her calm face,

"I'm sorry."

 

"It's okay," She snorted,

"It was a very long time ago, I was only a few months old. I couldn't even remember her face."

 

He went silent.

 

Heriä turned to look at him, before curling the corners of her lips up into a small smile,

"Don't be sullen, my life here's not that bad. Tsireya's a good girl, Rotxo's a friendly chad, and Aonung–despite being an idiot and a bully–is kinda okay when he's not in a bad mood. The villagers were skeptical about forest Na'vi, but they knew better than to put it on the toddler I was when I first arrived. I grew up under their eyes, so they held more compassion towards me. Don't put it to heart, okay?"

 

"Mmhmm."

 

"So," She continued, enunciating a bit,

"I stayed here until I was seven. My parents decided that it was time I prepare myself for my iknimaya. Though I grew up as a Metkayina, my blood is of a Kekunan, and to honor my mother they want to have me be an ikran rider."

 

"So you had your iknimaya."

 

"Yes." Heriä nodded,

"I don't want to be apart from my parents. They may not be my real father and mother, but they raised me for all my life. Awa'atlu is my home. After gaining myself a mount, we talked about it with my clan leader. The Olo'eyktan understands and if I discuss with him clearly, he'd let me take a leave."

 

"That's nice of him."

 

"Yeah, right?" She let out a soft chuckle.

 

"But-" He voiced up once he realized,

"If your mother–the real one–is dying, why didn't she bring you back to the North? I mean, moreover, why wasn't she in the North with her clan?"

 

"Sa'nok said she came from the south direction. Maybe she left the North long ago before I was born and decided to return when she knew she's dying, but didn't make it home." Heriä licked her chapped lips,

"We buried her here, in the land of the reef clan."

 

"Did you…" Neteyam stuttered out,

"Went to see her at your spiritual site?"

 

She blinked, before pulling her knees up to her chest, resting the side of her face on the curved top of them, wiggling her lips like she's scouring her head to find an answer for a moment,

 

"No."

 

His brows furrowed,

"Why?"

 

The amber of her eyes fixed on the flickering of the reflected glimmers on the sea surface. The unidentified expression flashed through her features as she went still, seeming like she's lost in her own world. For a moment, Neteyam thinks of when his father gave him a definition of sculptures many years ago.

 

Then she opened her lips, replying very softly,

"You're a curious lad, aren't you?"

 

Her faint smile was grim as she stretched her legs down, not leaving a room for him to talk,

"It's late now. We should get you back. Let's do the diving lesson tomorrow instead."

 

"Oh-uh-yeah." He stammered out.

 

Silence engulfed them all the way back to Awa'atlu. She sent him to the platform near his marui, giving him nothing but one swift departing smile as she dived away on Lawr.

 

Neteyam watched her back until it disappeared, before letting out a groan as he felt the urge to slam his head against the root of the giant mangrove nearby.

 

Great. He ruined the mood.

 

He desperately wanted to apologize, but the next day, he couldn't find any right moment to approach her.

 

Aonung was training him mercilessly, not giving him any space to slip and went to her who's decided to help Tuk getting the basics done while Kiri trained with Rotxo.

 

Neteyam looked at her amber eyes that softened noticeably when she's with his youngest sister, recalling how they glimmered in the dark, and how the gleam of them dimmed, covered by her long lashes when she smiled in the faintest of melancholy.

 

Lo'ak nudged his ribs once when they were sitting together on the rock, taking a break while Tsireya swam with her.

"Yo, you're about to burn a hole in her."

 

He yelped,

"What?"

 

"Stop staring, yeah?"

 

"'M not." He mumbled

"Shut up."

 

So the whole class passed without him saying anything to her.

 

Neteyam was getting more and more irritated. He tried to ignore the itching in his heart that's saying he did something wrong, sometimes mentally screaming back stop it, I'll find the right moment! . But the beat of his heart that fastened whenever she's near, pumping more and more adrenaline into his veins, urging very strongly for him to just shoot up from his seat, running after her and talking the damned talk made him scared of himself.

 

Time flew, and it was eclipse again.

 

He didn't wait for Heriä this time, calling for Tsngem and swam out of Awa'atlu right away. He knows that it's cowardice and foolish, but he couldn't bring himself to meet her just yet. That sad look and the tight smile haunt his mind so much he felt like he needed to hold his breath underwater until his lungs were out of air.

 

So hold his breath he did, throwing the shells into the sea and swam after them, failing almost every time. Then in his anguish, he threw the corals, then stones, then everything within his reach.

 

Neteyam was out of breath, but he forced himself to keep going. His heart pounding in his ears as he dived down, ignoring the sound of blood rushing in his veins.

 

The water was cold, he blinked and followed the stupid rock he flung into the sea earlier. His freckles helped illuminate the surroundings, but they are still too small compared to the vast darkness around him. His fingers reached for the object that rolled and dropped deeper and deeper, determined to not let it slip.

 

He growled as he felt a pang in his lungs, throbbing inside himself as his breath ran out. Finally getting the stone back into his grasp, Neteyam flapped his arms and legs, trying to surface as fast as possible. But the current weighs him down, the piercing pain in his chest intensified as his strength gradually left him. He gasped, feeling his limbs got heavier and heavier with each stroke he tried to swim. Bubbles flooded out of his mouth while Neteyam started to sink, his hands extended in a foolish attempt to grasp the air.

 

Shit. He's drowning.

 

His body started to give out, darkness clouding his eyes as he plunged deeper into the depths of the sea. The rock still held tight in his clutch. His heavy eyelids slowly closed down, Neteyam felt his last breath slipped away.

Chapter 4: tsìng | hëria.

Summary:

Hëria and her little secret to the rescue.

tsìng

heriä

Heriä knew there's something wrong with her since she was quite young.

 

When she was five, she accidentally came across a sick young ilu near death washed ashore. As Tsireya rushed to call their mother, she sat down and took the creature's head into her lap, cradling it in a foolish and innocent attempt to ease its noticeable pain. Then, something unusual happened. Suddenly she felt something being sucked out of her, pouring into the ilu in her arms. She felt its strength coming back rapidly, and by the time Ronal came, the ilu was already back to normal, the illness gone, health restored. All is well, safe for her.

 

She couldn't even stand, her muscles weakened and her body tired. Heriä fell asleep in her Sa'nok's arms and woke up almost two days later.

 

A few weeks after, she went venturing in the forest at the back of the beach with her siblings and friends, fully recovered from her uncanny condition. She accidentally cut herself on the calf while sliding down a tree. While Aonung was half-taunting, half-worried over her on the ground and immediately told Rotxo to fetch someone who had enough medical knowledge, in her moments of pain, she reached around and grabbed a fist of flowers that grew there. Soon enough, she felt the same warmth that left her for the ilu rushed back into her veins through the fingers that are gripping the plant. To her shock and awe, the gaping wound on her leg started to dry out. The blood stopped, and the flesh slowly knitted back together.

 

When she glanced back at her hand, she gasped and dropped the whole thing, having found them completely dried and lifeless. The wound was not fully healed, and she was carried back home for her mother to tend to her.

 

What is it? Her father had asked, face strained with worry.

 

I've only heard about it before. But if what my predecessors said were true, it seems that she had been gifted with a blessing from Eywa . Ronal had replied, the word blessing didn't even help ease the stress in her voice.

 

Blessing? Tonowari raised his tattooed brows.

 

The ability to give and take life forces . She nodded,

A blessing only recorded in the Tsahìk's memories passed down. It was said that the last one who was gifted with this lived over a thousand years ago.

 

Heriä couldn't see why it was a blessing. This gift is more like a curse for her. When she learned of the death of her real mother some time later, everything clicked inside her head.

 

It was her who had taken her mother's life, sucking her life force dry from inside the womb.

 

Sa'nok held her in her finned arms, cradling softly as she cried and cried with remorse.

 

It's not your fault, paskalin . She whispered,

None of this is your fault. The Great Mother had her own plan, and she made you like this for a reason.

 

Plan? What plan ?

Is making a child a murderer without even entering the world a good plan, she wanted to ask.

 

Ronal started training her after that, to control her gift , she told her. Heriä had to learn how she transferred the life force of herself into other things, and how she absorbed them. Moreover, her parents made her promise to not use it unless someone's in danger, and to keep it a secret as long as possible. They were afraid someone would take advantage of her young age and innocence.

 

So hide it she did.

 

No one but her parents, not even the Olo'eyktan of the Kekunan clan knows about this. And she intends to keep it to herself until the end of her days.

 

Until now.

 

She panted, hooking her hands under the firstborn son of Toruk Makto's arm as she dragged him to the shore. Wet sand caught in her toes and the beaded braids on the sides of her head. He was already unconscious, staying still in her arms with only the small sound of his heartbeat to indicate he's still alive. Heriä growled as she laid him down, collapsing on her knees and bringing her hands up to shake him.

 

"Hey," She gripped his shoulders,

"Hey, wake up!"

 

She had felt something wrong going on when she arrived at the platform by his marui and found no one. Tsngem is not in sight, and she knows right away he's gone out of the area. Heriä treads out of Awa'atlu on her ilu in search of him, and finds his mount floating confused and calling for his rider in the middle of the ocean.

 

He was practicing diving and holding his breath. Alone.

 

Her heart froze at that, seeing how distressed Tsngem is, she deduced he hadn't come back up for quite a while. So she dived down in that area and found him drowning under the current.

 

What. A. Foolish. Boy.

 

She tossed him onto his side and slammed her fist against his back until he coughed out. Neteyam's mouth and amber eyes gaped wide as his stomach heaved violently, drawing out the water inside his lungs and grasping in the air. He rolled onto both his elbows and coughed while Heriä's eyes searched all over him, stopping at the big gash on his thigh. He must've got that when he cut himself with a rock while struggling for air. Blood is pooling out uncontrollably, and with nothing guiding her but her instinct, Heriä moved to lay her hand on it while helping him get his beaded small braids out of his face to breathe easier with another hand.

 

It's a miracle no akula had found him yet, given his blood's smell is reeking all over the place.

 

"Are you stupid or something?" She hissed, feeling her own life force pouring out from her fingertips. Her freckles glowed under the dark, and she hoped he wouldn't notice how they're brighter than normal.

"What are you thinking ?"

 

"Sorry," He choked,

"Sorry."

 

"I-" She held back her swear, eyes glaring as his breath slowly came back to normal pace.

"I'm not telling you to apologize. I'm asking. What . Are . You . Thinking ?!"

 

Neteyam swallowed and went still. Her anger flared up like a wildfire.

 

"Diving? Alone? In the middle of the eclipse?" Heriä forced herself not to shout.

"Without even the ability to breathe properly? Are you having a death wish, genius?"

 

"It's nothing-" He muttered, and she growled again.

 

"Oh yeah? You're almost drowned, so it's nothing?"

 

"I-"

 

"What will your siblings do if something happens to you? Your parents-what will the Toruk Makto think? If their son died in the care of the Olo'eyktan of the Metkayina clan, what would the Omaticaya do? My Sempul had promised you uturu. If you went back to Eywa like this, what would become of his honor? Did you not think?!" The end of the sentence saw her voice tremble.

 

Neteyam glanced up at her, before ducking his head back down, averting her eyes as his ears flattened down.

 

Heriä gave her hand a swift look, observing how the blood stopped already and pulled it off his thigh as she helped him turn over and sat up. She exhaled, shifting to his side.

 

He breathed in and out, chewing his lips, his fingers fidgeting together as he pulled his knees to his chest and rested his arms over them. She quietly wiped her blood-stained hand with her loincloth and adjusted herself until she could cover up the spot where his blood tainted the pale sand.

 

"I'm sorry." He mumbled,

"I have no intention of-I just-" He coughed again, pressing his hand over his mouth.

 

"Your lungs are still sore." Heriä clicked her tongue, pressing her hand onto his chest where his lungs would be, drawing out a small gasp.

"Take it easy. Don't force the air too much or you'll hurt yourself."

 

He hummed through the pain, his gaze still fixed on the sand.

"I just…I just want to do well."

 

She blinked, pulling herself back,

"You're doing well."

 

"Not well enough." His response came quite sudden. Heriä blinked, and he bit his lips.

 

"You can be frustrated with yourself for not meeting your standards. But you can't hurt yourself by pushing for it."

 

There's silence.

 

He pressed his lips together,

"I…I don't want my parents to worry themselves over me. If I do well, it would at least ease their stress a bit now that their children could fit in."

 

She made a tsk tsk sound,

"You're a dutiful child, don't you?"

 

"...I just did what was expected of me." He replied.

 

"Hmm." She hummed,

"Is drowning included in the expectation list?"

 

His gaze lifted to glare at her, and she chuckled.

 

"You're the eldest, yeah?"

 

"Uh-huh."

 

"So, what did you do daily?"

 

"At home?" He blinked, glimmers restored into his eyes as the tension in his muscles faded.

"We go hunting, me and Lo'ak. He likes cheering for me as I take down a talioang. Kiri likes to hang out alone or with Spider, our friend. It was my daily task to go find her and remind her to return home for lunch and dinner. Tuk always goes with her, they're really close, but when dad and mom go out together during eclipse, she'll spend her time with me. Us five liked to go to the river together, the woodsprites would light the view up in the dark, some of the trees gave light as well. It was beautiful."

 

Heriä tilted her head, catching the delight in his voice,

"You miss your home."

 

His gaze shot up to meet hers, ears standing straight. She chuckled again.

 

"I get it now. You just moved in and everything's so new, you want to go home, but you know if you did, you'll put danger to your clan. You know your parents are not so happy about this choice either, and don't want to make them feel even more sad by refusing to adapt, so you did everything you could to ensure them you're doing well and stop them from worrying. Am I right?"

 

Neteyam went still, his mouth gaping, before slowly stuttering out,

 

"Are you telepathic or something?"

 

"What?" She laughed,

"No. It's all on your face, genius."

 

"Is it?" He scratched his wet hair, flustered.

 

Heriä looked at him, he had tall stature with broad shoulders and long legs, muscles forming under the blue of his skin, clearly indicating he'll be much stronger and taller in a few years. She remembered his touch once when he tapped her leg for her to pass over a fish shooter, it was calloused with years of training with bows and arrows. His face resembled his mother more than his father, even his four fingers and the lack of his eyebrows, to say he's his mother's child was not an understatement at all. With those soft  eyes, warm voice and sweet smiles, she's quite sure in no time all the girls in Awa'atlu would be swooning after him.

 

A pretty boy who'll become a promising warrior, fit for the title the firstborn of Toruk Makto.

 

She shrugged, standing up from her spot, forcing her legs not to give up and shifted her weight back and forth a little bit to conceal and ease the tremble in her muscles.

"Come. Let's get you back."

 

Neteyam pressed his lips and nodded. When he saw that she's walking along the beach, he let out a confused expression that made her cackled.

 

"What? You don't really think we're diving back right after you almost lost your precious life in those very waves, do you?"

 

"Bu-"

 

"They'll find their way back." She assured him, kicking the sand into the air as she reached to brush away the remnants of them in her hair.

 

Neteyam stood up after her, frowning when he noticed the gore on his thigh,

"What the-"

 

"Yeah." She crossed her arms,

"Maybe look where you're falling next time, genius. You're lucky there's no akula nearby."

 

He ran his hand along the place where the big gash of his wound was, now left with just a long scratch that dried out already. The blessing did its job well enough.

 

Heriä shrugged,

"Get that to my mother later, genius."

 

He hummed in response, his wet braids hung heavy with the water contained inside while the backside of him was covered in sand. She sighed and raised her hand to brush them off his skin, earning a mumbling thanks .

 

"Do you feel any more pain?"

 

"Just my chest and my thigh." He replied, bending down a bit.

 

"Yeah?" She reached out to help him secure himself. Her powers could close his wound, but it couldn't take away the pain.

"Breathe shallowly, okay?"

 

"Yeah."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

They treaded the shore together, quiet as they crossed ridges over ridges of sand. The sound of waves after waves crashing into the shore was nostalgic and relaxing.

 

She pursed her lips and gaze down onto his hand, finally breaking the silence.

"If you want to train, you could just call me."

 

He made a small oh and shifted, murmuring,

"I don't want you to be upset."

 

The ridges above Heriä's eyes furrowed,

"Why would I be upset?"

 

Neteyam's eyes fluttered, and he averted his gaze,

"I offended you."

 

Heriä scoffed, both amused and confused,

" Offended me?"

 

"The-" He stuttered,

"The other night…the question about your mother. I'm truly sorry."

 

Oh, that question.

 

She hummed, forcing back a laugh as her mouth curled up. He glared up and groaned,

"What's that?"

 

"Listen here, genius." She said through her chuckle,

"If I'm really upset, I'd not visit your marui tonight, and you'd be in your eternal peace, sleeping with the fishes by now."

 

"Yeah." He grunted,

"Thanks, by the way."

 

"You're welcome." She smirked, but let out a small yelp as her weakened legs tripped, stumbling onto the sand.

 

"Woah-" Neteyam extended his hand out, catching her before she could kiss the ground, hooking his arm under her waist and placing another on her back to help her balance herself back up.

"Careful."

 

Heriä automatically grabbed onto his arm, fingers encircled around his muscles as she gasped and shifted her weight, muttering,

"Thanks."

 

"You okay?" He asked.

 

She cocked her head,

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you this? I just tripped, it's fine."

 

His eyes examined her briefly,

"You sure?"

 

Heriä scoffed,

"I said what I said, genius."

 

She secretly clenched her teeth, mustering up all the strength in her to not collapse. Most of the time, she's just a bit tired after transferring her life force, but Neteyam's wound was bigger than normal, so she used her power a bit more than she usually did.

 

(She reminded herself to snatch something from the kitchen when she went back to her marui. Eating and sleeping might not be the best way to restore her strength, but it's the easiest way, an awful lot better than finding a plant–or much worse, an animal–and sucking its life force dry.)

 

They continued. Her eyes wandered around, noting the flickering shimmer on the water surface that came from reflecting the fire on the torches around Awa'atlu.

 

"Aren't your parents wondering what you are doing out here at eclipse?" He asked out after a long pause, stepping into the rocky area of the beach.

 

Heriä licked her lips,

"And yours?"

 

His eyes dimmed, and he sighed,

"Looks like we're two kids sneaking out, huh?"

 

"It seems so." She chuckled, looking at his concerned face,

"What? You never walked out of line before? Are you that much of a golden child?"

 

"It's just…" He clicked his tongue,

"I've never sneaked out with anyone else but my siblings before."

 

"Poor you." She pursed her lips.

"You'll get used to it if you do it often enough."

 

He startled,

"Kiri would kill me if I woke her in the middle of her sleep. Tuk would definitely tell everyone. And Lo'ak would get himself into trouble like he always did and Dad would skin us for sure."

 

Heriä held back a laugh,

"Then don't bring them."

 

Neteyam furrowed his brows, looking confused. She shook her head, sighing,

"I mean you sneak out on your own, genius."

 

"And who'll I spend my time with?" He asked back.

 

She quirked the ridge above her eyes, and his eyes widened as realization sinks in.

 

"Wha-" His mouth gaped open and close like a fish out of water. Heriä tilted her head, giving him an offended look,

 

"You don't want to hang out with me, then?"

 

"I-No-" He struggled through the sentence, his ears flapping every way possible, she held  back a laugh.

 

"Just kidding." She hit her tongue against the back of her teeth,

"It's okay if you just want to stay home. I understand."

 

"No." His response was sudden, and Heriä blinked in surprise when she felt the seriousness in his voice,

"I-I want to hang out with you."

 

She turned to look at his amber eyes, curling the corner of her lips upwards,

"Thanks."

 

Neteyam pursed his lips and averted his eyes, silence filled the air again as he helped her down another slope of a stone. Heriä realized they were walking much slower than they began.

 

She surged her feet through the cold water, listening to the soft splash as her leg cut through the surface. Her arms reached backwards, clasping together and resting the crook of her elbow on her hips, fidgeting behind her back.

 

"How-" She began,

"How big is your father's Toruk?"

 

He scrunched his nose up, and shook his head,

"Dad released it before I was even born. He said it's no longer needed."

 

She nodded,

"So you never saw one?"

 

"There's a skeleton of a Toruk in the Omaticaya clan." He said,

"My mom's great-great-grandfather is the fifth Toruk Makto, and they kept its remains. But a live one? No."

 

"How big is it?" She asked, curiosity peeking inside.

 

"Big." He answered simply, eyes gleaming in the dark like he's talking about the greatest thing in his life,

 

"Very big. This-" The firstborn of Toruk Makto raised both of his arms, encircling them in the air and making up a shape in the air,

"-Big. With huge crests on the head and under the chin. The bones are real thick, Lo'ak once stumbled and hit himself on the head with its wingbone."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"The bump stayed for almost a week." He tapped his finger on his forehead, indicating where his brother was hurt.

 

She covered her hand over her mouth, laughing,

 

"Poor him."

 

He laughed along too, ducking his head down as his white teeth showed, eyes obscured by his long lashes. His voice felt like a warm sweet nectar from a hive her mother had once harvested back to their marui.

 

"We used to climb onto them, me and my siblings. Me and Lo'ak would always fight for the first spot on its neck–which we called the Toruk Makto seat . I win most of the time, but he insisted he's the real mighty warrior. Kiri would sit behind us and we'd pretend we were riding the Toruk out to unite all of the people against the ultimate evil." Neteyam extended his hand, making a face and a voice as if he's a hero in a bedtime story. Heriä chuckled again.

 

"And have you found any ultimate evil?"

 

"Well," He shrugged,

"Sometimes we did."

 

"Really?" She raised her brows,

"What does it look like?"

 

He hummed, scooting closer and lowered his voice,

"It takes the shape of our grandmother, screaming horrified that we'll either fall down or break the whole thing or both."

 

She cackled.

 

"Seems you're very close to them."

 

"Yeah." The corner of his lips curled into a smile,

"I helped raise them, and my parents would leave them in my care when they left home for some business."

 

She nodded, recalling how she and Aonung would sometimes prank on other kids, with Rotxo helping and Tsireya laughing along when they were much younger. Her mother looked as if she'd bite their little heads off everytime a parent came to complain.

 

"Must be a difficult time."

 

He huffed out a small laugh, and she saw the tiredness in his eyes,

"It's my duty."

 

She bit her lips. Hand lifted up to play with her braided lock, fingers twirling through the beads tied on. Being the golden child clearly took a toll on him. She remembered him always listening and smiling throughout the class with her brother, even when he's clearly being mocked and pranked by Aonung. All that, she concluded, is for the sake of his siblings and parents.

 

The boy who carries the weight of the world on his young back.

 

His tight smile came with a small glance,

"Sorry, this must be bor-"

 

"You know what?" Heriä interrupted, turning to face him,

"Let's do something."

 

Neteyam looked taken aback,

"Like what?"

 

She looked at him, a smile crept upon her lips again,

 

"You have an ikran, aren't you?"

Chapter 5: mrr | neteyam.

Summary:

The night flight.

mrr

neteyam

He ran his hand along the black and yellow splotched teal of his ikran's flank, shifting his weight back and forth on the soft sand as his mount let out a purr.

 

"This is Eanrawm." Neteyam introduced,

"He's mine."

 

Heriä nodded in acknowledgement, a faint smile clinging on her lips,

"He's beautiful."

 

He pursed his lips, chuckling,

"Thanks."

 

She made a high-pitched sound towards the sky, her voice reverberating in the night. A moment later, a growl came as an answer, along with the sound of wings flapping, cutting through the air.

 

They had come deeper into the land, with Neteyam leading her to where his ikran is nesting. The thin coconut trees surround them, but they're still not far from the shore. He couldn't see any nest apart from Eanrawm's and Tsawke, Lo'ak's ikran. So, her mount is nowhere near here.

 

Heriä walked away from him, stepping out onto a wider space of sand as her head tilted up, waiting. A flying shadow is coming in their direction, Neteyam furrowed his brows and rubbed Eanrawm's snout back and forth when he felt his ikran was getting more and more tense.

 

An unfamiliar ikran flew above the sky, tilting its tail down as its talons widened out in the air for support. Heriä reached out and petted its head as it flapped its wings several more times, fluttering specks of sand up in the air while landing and hooking its claws on the upper wings to the ground. It was a black ikran, with dark purple and teal splotched all over, mixing with some hues of blue and red. Its grey eyes glowed in the dark as it bent down and nudged its head against Heriä's, purring in its neck.

 

She hummed back, rubbing her mount's dark red crest under its jaw as she turned to look at him, excitement gleamed in her amber eyes,

"This is Tìral."

 

She whispered something to it, before nodding to him, reaching for her queue and did tsaheylu with the creature,

"Come."

 

As he raised the ridge above his brows in surprise, she chuckled,

"Don't you want to fly?"

 

Realization sinks in, and Neteyam found himself smirking,

 

"Where?" He asked.

 

Heriä jutted her chin upwards,

"You see the top of that tree?"

 

He followed her motion to the giant mangrove above Awa'atlu. The branches are so wide it reminded him of the hometrees in the Omaticaya clan, the massive trunk and bushes of leaves visible from miles afar.

 

An idea came to mind, and he grinned at her,

 

"How about a race?" He offered, eyes glinting,

"Whoever reaches the trunk first gets a handmade necklace from the other."

 

"Oh?" She twitched her lips, amusing,

"What is this? An Omaticayan boy wanting to race his ikran with a Kekunan?"

 

"I heard you Kekunan have been greatly gifted by Eywa the ability in riding ikrans," He grinned as his queue binds with Eanrawm's, his free hand finds the harness over his mount's head and hurled his body up onto the saddle, balancing himself on the footrests.

"I sincerely hoped an Ikran Makto of such a clan wouldn't falter behind that of a humble Omaticaya."

 

She snorted and stepped on a footrest protruding from the underside of Tìral's neck, flinging her leg over and sat atop its back, tilting her head at him tauntingly. Her fingers already clasping firm onto the harness, amber eyes looked as if it glows in the dark as the corners of her mouth tucked,

"Let's see."

 

Neteyam licked his lips, smiling wide,

"Let's see."

 

They looked at eachother, waiting for someone to give them a sign. After a while, and after noticing someone's have to make a call or they'll be in that position for the whole eclipse, Heriä sucked in a breath, opening her mouth wide, ready to voice out.

 

His heart pounded hard in his chest, blood and adrenaline rushing in his ears, Neteyam felt like he could almost fly up on his own right there.

 

"Go!"

 

He let out a loud urging yelp, ordering his mount through the tsaheylu to take to the sky. Eanrawm opened his wings and dashed up, his screech filled the air, harmonized by a hoarser pitch of Tìral's as a hard gust of wind swept Neteyam's braided locks off his face.

 

As he soared above the ground, his heart jumped with joy, all the reminiscence of his flight back in Omaticaya territory flooded back into his head. Neteyam found himself biting at his lips, barely holding a wide smile back.

 

He was with himself for a moment, before he heard Heriä's yelp as she urged her mount forward. His head whipped around to see her chasing after him in toe, her eyes glowing in the dark like a palulukan.

 

"You're behind!!" He shouted through the wind, her growl responding in turn, and he laughed.

 

But just a moment later, her ikran was beside him. Neteyam almost cursed as he realized Tìral is actually quite a large mount, much larger than Eanrawm. Though it's still no match to a toruk, he's sure two teenage Na'vi could fit into that space comfortably.

 

He clicked his tongue, his rider instinct taking over his mind. Tìral's wingspan is wider, thus it's clearly more powerful. Eanrawm would have a hard task if there comes a day they must face on eachother. But his ikran is smaller, the swiftness and agility in him is higher. He could use that to his advantage.

 

Neteyam urged Eanrawm to rush into the wind, sweeping through the outlines of the shore. If they were in the jungle, there's no way Tìral could outfly them. But in Metkayina territory, the open air made it easier for the larger ikran to match his mount. He maneuvered the teal ikran higher as they got a bit closer to the destination.

 

"Who's behind now, genius?!!" Her bellows made him blinked and turned to her where her voice came, clicking his tongue as he found himself straining his neck. Tìral is now above him, wings spreading wide, gliding up, the shadows from its body clouding the soft light from the speckles of glittering stars littering the sky for a moment as Heriä and her mount passed over him and flew ahead.

 

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Neteyam yelled back as he sped up his ikran, chasing to fly side to side with her.

 

Her laugh was nothing like he ever heard her before. It was filled with excitement, like a child when their parents take them onto their ikrans for their first flight ever in the sky, clear as a windbell and gentle as a flute.

 

He looked up.

 

(It was the worst decision.)

 

Heriä was up there, hovering above her ikran, a hand on the harness.

 

She smiled, it was a smile so wide it reached her eyes and crinkled them up. The cold wind brushed her black hair away, her white fangs shown and her amber eyes staring straight back at him, the bioluminescent freckles on her blue skin glimmered in the dark. Neteyam held his breath, clutching onto his ikran absentmindedly. His gaze should be forward, watching where he's going like his parents had taught him, but he couldn't avert his eyes from her. He just can't.

 

She was brighter than any stars in the sky.

 

It was as if she glowed . It doesn't make any sense, how can a Na'vi glow like that?

 

His heart skipped a beat, and Neteyam inwardly cursed.

 

Shit. He's in trouble.

 

He bit his lip hard, blinking the sparkles in his visions away when he found Eanrawm swayed under him,

 

Oh holy-

 

Neteyam growled, mentally shoving orders at his ikran again. The creature responded with a high-pitched gurgling screech, almost sounding like a taunting laugh. He yanked his mount's antenna in retaliation.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

It was too late for him. Heriä let out a loud shout of joy as Tìral's talons grazed the enormous trunk of the giant mangrove.

 

He rolled his eyes at her triumphant smirk as she left her spot and flew up to his level, meeting him under the canopy of leaves and branches. Her amber eyes glinting, sending an unspoken message,

 

Come on, say it .

 

Neteyam growled, frustrated.

"Fine. A necklace then."

 

"I'll be waiting." She hummed amusingly, clearly enjoying herself before cocking her head to the side,

"Come."

 

Their ikrans perched down onto the large branches that flared out of the trunk. Neteyam broke the tsaheylu and climbed down, looking at her as she ran her hand up and down Tìral's snout.

 

Heriä turned to him, smiling still,

"Calm down now, have you?"

 

He pursed his lips, nodding slowly,

"Yeah. Thanks."

 

"With pleasure." She chuckled, tapping the crest of her mount a couple times more before gesturing for him to come with her.

 

They sat down on the edge of the branch, overlooking the vast sea below. The sound of the soft wind rustling the leaves mixed with the breathing rhythm of both of them creates a calm ambience that made Neteyam want to just lie down and sleep.

 

"Your ikran is big." He finally said,

"Like, real big."

 

She snorted softly,

"Oh, thank you. Tìral's size sometimes makes it hard to find a place for him to nest, but most of the time it's quite fine."

 

"And the name…" He continued,

"Why that name?"

 

"Tìral?" She raised the ridges above her eyes,

"And why Eanrawm, then?"

 

"Hey," He raised both his hands up in surrender,

" Green lightning 's kinda cool though, admit it."

 

"Yeah, yeah." Heriä rolled her eyes playfully,

 

"So, Tìral…" She started, he could see thousands of words running through her amber eyes right now as she tried to describe,

 

" Ral as in Sense –I called him that because when I saw him, everything makes sense." Her lips twitched. Neteyam adjusted his torso, turning to face her.

"I spent all of my life in Awa'atlu when my parents brought me to Kekunan. Of course, the Kekunan knew right away I'm not one of the reef people, but they were skeptical about me. I grew up learning only the way of water, not the way of the wind. The only few things that ties me to the Kekunan clan are my mother's name and my ability to climb and tread through the forest."

 

She gave a small chuckle,

"I don't fit anywhere, honestly. In Metkayina, I have thin arms, a small tail and blue skin. In Kekunan, I have no knowledge of ikrans and their heritage. Still, they accepted me and trained me with other children, and I started taking classes with them, learning about ikran anatomies, Kekunan histories and stuffs. It was hard. My parents may be the leaders of their clan, but there, they were just guests that were still under the Olo'eyktan's care. Their tails and their hands are not made for the jungle, and it was painful watching them endure the hardships just for me. They planned to stay for just a week. I thought that was a good decision, though it's hard to part from them when all my life I've never been away from them before. Sometimes I wondered if I was even a real Kekunan blood."

 

Heriä then sighed, the nails of her fingers scratched the wood beneath them absentmindedly.

"It was one of the ikran classes. The teacher decided to take us for a small sightseeing at the high peaks, where the ikrans nested. It was like a fun little tour, we painted our faces to build the atmosphere, teasing then and there and kinda acting like we're having our iknimaya."

 

Her eyes turned to him, amber hues glowing in the dim light,

"She only led us on a small walkway that trailed through the cavities of the mountain and peered down at the ikrans there, it's too dangerous to get to them up close when we're still so young. I remembered that we were climbing above the rookery of the bonded ikrans of the hunters of our clan when-" She took a breath, as if saying the next sentence required more strength than it usually takes,

"-when I was pushed."

 

"You were what ?" His eyes widened.

 

"I am lucky enough to fall straight onto a chunk of land and not roll down a cliff." She clicked her tongue,

"But unlucky I am actually, because I fell into the middle of the ikran rookery, filled with hunter ikrans that are ready to bite my head off if I step the wrong way."

 

"Wait-No-" He found himself too shock to muster up any sensible sentence,

"You-Who-"

 

"It was one of my classmates," A faint smile still cling onto her lips as she explained,

"He's the nephew of the Olo'eyktan, and the leader of his gang. I don't know what got into him, but I heard him and his friends laughing."

 

"They're brats." Neteyam grunted, and get a laugh from her in turn.

 

"They are." She chuckled,

"I was so scared, thought I'd die that day. The teacher told me to step back very slowly and stay still as she seeks help, but then I saw him ." Her fingers flicked up, giving a swift point to her mount,

 

"This…majestic, black ikran. He's still quite young, but he's already the size of an adult. I saw him, and it was as if my heart stopped. I felt a strong attraction to this beast, and I finally understood all the past lessons, leading into this point." Her voice is filled with memories,

"Then the kurkung growled at me."

 

He choked on his laugh, before blinked and stilled as realization sinks in,

"Wait, so he-"

 

"Yeah." She pursed her lips, nodding ever so slowly,

"Right there. In the middle of the rookery. That hill hosts only the bonded ones, but no one saw him coming. It was quite a mystery in itself."

 

"And how…"

 

"My teacher is mortified, and she couldn't leave the other children, so the most she's able to do is shout to me the instructions of what I should do next. I had no yìmkxa–though I had one I'd not know how to use it–so there's no help for me, and I have to do something because if I don't I'll end up being a delicious lunch for him." Heriä shrugged,

"I'm not even sure what happened, but some time later someone who's there too told me I just hissed and threw myself at him like a mad nantang. I ended up bonding with him just a second before we fell off the cliff together."

 

"So," He cleared his throat,

"That's your iknimaya."

 

She hummed, confirming the inquiry.

 

"The moment my queue binds with his, there was this very weird feeling bursting inside me. My heart swells, I don't even know why. It's…as if I had finally found my place, who I truly am. It makes sense now why Eywa had created me this way."

 

She turned back to her ikran again,

"Tìral's big size isn't always his advantage. Because he's so big, he required much more food than other younglings his age. I had a chat with the rookery keepers, and he told me he was an orphan, like me. His mother was killed by a toruk when she was out hunting for him. Him and I both have no one but eachother to truly call our own." She sighed a bit before continuing,

"But at least he got better when we were placed in the scout teams. He was more of a brat than he is now, the seniors taught us quite a lot, I truly respected their patience."

 

Neteyam furrowed his brows,

"You sounded like you were enrolled into the scout team a very long time ago."

 

"Well," She twitched her lips,

"Yes?"

 

He whipped his head to look at her again. She was fifteen, the same age as him. Normally, the clan leaders would place new scouts into the teams some time after they completed their iknimaya, and that some time was normally almost a year.

 

"They say something about me being the youngest scout in the clan's history-" She pressed her fingers to her mouth,

"I'm not sure."

 

"So, your iknimaya was when…"

 

"I was reaching my ninth birthday, I think."

 

Woah-

 

"A-and your scout enrollment…"

 

"Three months after that."

 

Neteyam blinked, speechless for a good chunk of time. She looked at his face and held back a laugh.

 

"Woah-" He breathed out,

"I- Who are you ?"

 

Heriä let out the sound she's containing, cackling hard as she put her arms around her abdomen and threw her head back. Her laugh echoed through the canopy.

 

"Heriä te Zaroìk Nakewey'ite," She finally said after a while, calming herself down,

"Kekunan clan, sixth scout team, nice to meet you."

 

He chuckled,

"The feeling's mutual."

 

"I have told you so many things already," She shifted in her seat,

"Won't you give me some of your story?"

 

"Oh-" Neteyam scratched his hair,

"Mine's kinda boring compared to yours."

 

She dimmed her eyes at him, mischievous smile forming on her lips,

"Why don't you try telling first?"

 

He snorted, finding him unable to defend himself as he raised his hand up, shrugging,

 

"Well, guess I'll have to share with you the story of my iknimaya, given that you have shared yours already…"

 

Heriä hummed in her throat, propping her elbow up to rest her face on her palm, focus entirely shifted onto him.

 

They talked and talked and talked until the hour became late. Neteyam completely lost his track of time when her gaze casted into the sky and gasped, telling him it's time for bed. They descended down the mangrove tree on their ikrans, landing on top of the roots and sliding themselves down onto the woven flax that forms the path throughout Awa'atlu.

 

"Thank you-" He said as they walked towards his marui,

"-For today."

 

"With pleasure." She smiled, before glancing at his thigh,

"Don't forget to put something on that too."

 

"Oh," He breathed, all the excitement had robbed him of the pain in the wound. Scabs are now forming over his scratch, rendering his blood dry.

"Okay."

 

There was silence for a moment.

 

"Can you-" Neteyam choked on his words,

"Can you not tell my parents?"

 

"What?" She raised the ridges above her eyes.

 

"...About tonight." He slowly added.

 

Heriä tilted her head, staring at him with her amber orbs, tucking the corners of her mouth,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

 

"Wh-"

 

"Didn't you just slip and get a scratch?"

 

He widened his eyes, and he swore he saw a glimpse of amusement in her smile. The firstborn son of Toruk Makto pressed his lips together, finally getting the implication. He chuckled in his throat,

 

"Yeah. Guess so."

 

They reached his hut finally, and she turned to him just before he would enter. Neteyam blinked.

 

"If…" She trailed off,

"If you want a rematch, call me anytime."

 

He choked,

"Is that another challenge?"

 

Heriä snorted, the back of her hand shot up to hit at his arm lightly and he laughed.

 

"Wouldn't I bother you?" He asked.

 

"Nah," She shrugged,

"I like racing with my friend."

 

Her words shook him to the core, and Neteyam found himself gaping his mouth, his inquiry came without any second thought at all,

 

"I-I'm your friend?"

 

She looked at him as if he's a fool, dimming her eyes before dropping the last sentence that made him laid awake for the rest of the eclipse,

 

"I don't share the stories of my life with someone who's not my friend, genius."

Chapter 6: pukap | heriä

Summary:

Aonung is a jerk, but he’s also her brother (to his frustration and her annoyance).

pukap

heriä

"You seem tired, Tsmuke." Tsireya voiced as she sat down for breakfast.

"Have you not had enough sleep?"

 

Heriä snorted, taking a leaf-wrapped piece of fish from her while mouthing a small thank you ,

"There was a lot going on in my mind."

 

Excuses.

She's just been spending her time with Neteyam so much that it's very late when she gets to bed.

 

"Maybe you're still tired from traveling, paskalin?" Ronal inquired.

"You haven't slept in Awa'atlu for so long, it might be that your body has to adjust a bit more than normal."

 

"If staying here is tiring and unnatural for her," Another voice chimed in, she turned around to see Aonung entering the hearth in the middle of the marui where they're gathering,

"Then she should go back to her fellow Kekunan, don't you think, Sa'nok?"

 

"Aonung!" Her mother exclaimed,

"She's your sister. Respect."

 

Her brother's turquoise eyes scanned her from head to toe, a grimace forming on his lips,

"Is she?"

 

Heriä rolled her eyes. Aonung had always been like this since they were young, not truly accepting her as his sister and only calls her tsmuke when their father is around.

 

"What's up, Tsmukan?" She tilted her head,

"Oh, I know. Did Sempul scold you for missing your target fish and making the same silly mistakes again?"

 

"Yo-"

 

"How fascinating," She taunted, a smirk on her face as she saw his expression gone baffled. Looks like she pushed the right button.

"Letting the targets slip because their grips on the shooter were not firm enough was a mistake only children make, Aonung. I'm quite surprised you still suffer the same obstacle as you did when you were like, what, five?"

 

He growled,

"Teylupil."

 

Heriä clicked her tongue, unbothered as she twitched her lips into a smile and softly said,

"Txanfwìngtu."

 

"You orpha-"

 

"Enough." Before they could throw themselves at each other, their mother's voice interrupted,

"Sit." Ronal's word is final. Aonung chewed his cheek, grunting but sat down on the vacant spot nonetheless.

 

Unfortunately, that vacant spot happened to be right next to her.

 

Sa'nok handed her the fish wrap, signaling for her to pass it onto her brother next. She begrudgingly took it and tossed it into his lap, in which he made a face back at her.

 

Heriä cocked her brows,

Eat it or leave it, your choice .

 

He sighed and picked it up, taking a big chomp with gritted teeth, not forgetting to glare daggers into her.

 

"Good morning, children," Her father walked in, clearly just back from the morning training with other warriors of the clan. He sat down with a long exhausted exhale, resting one of his hand on her mother's knee as a greeting,

"What's for breakfast?"

 

"Good morning, Sempul." Tsireya smiled brightly as she handed him the food.

"Sa'nok cooked some glider fins."

 

"How do you sleep?" Tonowari asked as he unwrapped the fish and took a bite.

 

"Very well." Her sister, a ball of sunshine and smiles she is, answered happily,

"I'll be getting ready for the lessons with our guests shortly."

 

"Good." He nodded,

"I expected the best guidance from all of you. We granted them uturu, so it's our duty to teach them the way of water."

 

"Yes, Sempul." They mumbled.

 

"Aonung," He turned to her brother, she could feel the brat tensed up suddenly next to her.

"You'll be riding into training with me after this, boy, so maybe you could succeed in hunting your own flat skate fish."

 

"Bu-"

 

"No buts ." Tonowari cut the sentence short,

"You are the next olo'eyktan. You need to do better, yet you couldn't even meet the common standard."

 

His gaze flicked to his daughter,

"And look, Tsireya and Rotxo had to work harder now that you have to train with me. If you could just do well this morning, they won't be as burdened as they are now."

 

Aonung's face was pale, he even seemed to shrink down from the weight of their father's comment. Heriä sighed and chewed her lips,

"I'll do it, Sempul."

 

The Olo'eyktan of the Metkayina clan raised his tattooed brows.

 

She clicked her tongue rapidly, before repeating,

"I'll teach our guests. I know I may not be a Metkayina, but at least I could help."

 

Tonowari pressed his lips and gave her a small smile, reaching out to ran his finned hand through her braided locks,

"That's very kind of you, Ma'ite."

 

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Aonung snarling. She waited for a moment until her father's head turned the other way when she whispered,

 

"Succeed shooting a fish first before you made that sour face at me, asshole."

 

"Don't need your kindness." He growled back.

 

Heriä snorted, pinching his thigh and making him jolted with a loud yelp, drawing a glare from their mother.

 

They finished their breakfast, and she watched as Aonung was being dragged out of their marui for another morning practice with Sempul, a small smile on her lips as she waved goodbye to him and he grimaced back.

 

What a wonderful sight.

 

"I'll never understand why he hated you so much." Tsireya sighed, standing by her side.

 

She laughed and put her hand on the curly locks of her sister's black hair,

"You don't have to understand, Matsireya."

 

When she came to Awa'atlu, Aonung had just been born, a few months shy from her. He's a big child, and an attention-seeking asshole since birth nonetheless. She remembers how he'll speak and act loudly when they were young just to draw eyes. Her father once told her there's a point in their toddlerhood that Ronal had to breastfeed them both at the same time, even though it's her turn to eat, just because the teylupil couldn't handle seeing his sister being held in their mother's arms while he's not. When he grew up, he earned himself a ban of entourage who crowded him around to the point she felt tired just by looking, all eager to gain favor with the future olo'eyktan. Then, he turned from an annoying asshole to a narcissistic skxawng who couldn't handle defeat.

 

Tsireya's too young to understand any of the jokes when it happened, so he gave up on her. But for Heriä, well, he had been holding a mild grudge towards her since they were very young. Somehow Aonung viewed her as someone who stole his mother from him. He and his friends saw her as an outsider, someone who doesn't belong in Metkayina. The boys started picking on her, pranking her by sneaking her belongings into scattered places, or joking behind her back. Unfortunately for them, she once beat up Aonung when she caught him snatching her armband–which once belonged to her real mother–before dragging him to their parents for his confessions, by his tail . That ends the snatching prank, but not the talking prank though.

 

At least he's not all a jerk. She also remembers how he'll come to remind her that it's almost dinner, or when he woke her up for a bowl of herb concoction when she got a fever, or when they had to take care of the young Tsireya while their parents were out performing their duties. The sight of him holding their crying baby sister in his arms, cradling with a scared to death expression, worried that he'd drop her while she prepared the crib always put a smile on Heriä's face. A true bully won't let that side be shown.

 

"Morning, ladies." Rotxo's voice pulled her back into the present. She turned her head towards him and nodded,

 

"Morning, Rotxo."

 

"Where's Aonung?" He asked.

 

She shrugged,

"With Sempul. He didn't do well this morning."

 

The boy groaned, looking genuinely sad and she could see his ears flopped against the curve of his head. Out of all of Aonung's friend, she and Rotxo get along the most. He's sometimes a pain in the ass, but he's a good talker and she liked conversing with him enough.

 

"Come on," Tsireya smiled, dimples digging into her soft cheeks,

"Our students must be waiting."

 

"Our students?" She clicked her tongue,

"Not Lo'ak?"

 

Her sister glared, blush forming on the tip of her nose. Rotxo cackled, clutching his stomach.

 

"Don't you laugh." The green-skinned girl snickered at him.

 

"Don't make it so obvious, then." He raised his brows at her, earning a slap into his arm.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

"Here." She laid her hand on Neteyam's stomach,

"Breathe in, very slowly."

 

He closed his eyes, his abdomen expanding from the air he draws into his lungs. She feels them with her fingers, humming softly as she guides him through,

 

"Like that. Good."

 

When she felt that he had used all his lung capacity, filling them to the brim, she nodded slowly,

 

"Now exhale, little by little."

 

He let out the breath he's holding, Heriä tucked her lips into a smile.

"Yes, you're doing great."

 

He emptied his lungs and opened his eyes, glancing up at her, blinking,

"Did I?"

 

"Yes." She chuckled.

"Once more, one last time."

 

He nodded eagerly, smiling wide before he sucked in another breath. Heriä leaned back, sitting on the rock beside him and watched silently. Tsireya and Lo'ak are training not far away, while Rotxo and Kiri are a bit further. Tuktirey perched herself on the same rock as them, observing with her big yellow eyes that reminded her of big, clear, amber beads that some of the members in her Kekunan clan put in their hair, glowing by the sunlight that were caught inside them.

 

She smiled, reaching out her hand and motioning the young girl to come forth. When she sat down in front of her, Heriä tapped her abdomen, motioning her to breathe in.

 

"Don't lose focus," She warned as her hand reached out for Neteyam's, enclosing around his wrist, dipping them into the sea under,

"Feel the water, feel the rhythm of the sea. It is around you and in you. No beginning, no end. It gives, and it takes. The sea connects all things, from life to death, from darkness to light."

 

"Open your eyes." She instructed as she heard his breath getting more and more shallow, running out of him.

 

The firstborn son of Toruk Makto lifted his eyelids, shifting his gaze up to hers. He blinked, the hand in the water slowly move along the wave, she let his wrist go with an approving smile on the corner of her mouth,

"That's the way of water."

 

He hummed, swallowing,

"Thank you."

 

Heriä snorted,

"With pleasure, genius."

 

She helped Tuk breathe properly for another round, applauding when she finished exhaling.

"You were a lot better than me when I was your age."

 

"Really?" She asked, eyes gleaming,

"Will I be good divers like you and Tsireya?"

 

She laughed, ruffling her braided locks,

"Of course, paskalin. You had it in you."

 

"Thanks, Heriä!" The girl threw herself at her, hugging her waist,

"You're my favorite teacher, aside from Tsireya!"

 

"What?" Neteyam exclaimed, clearly hurt,

"I thought I'm your favorite teacher."

 

"That's when we're still in the jungle," She shrugged, giving him a pout,

"And you know you're worse than Kiri when it comes to ilu riding and diving."

 

"Come on." He groaned. Heriä cackled and touched his shoulder in consolation,

"Hey, practice makes perfect. I'm sure one day you'll beat her."

 

"Yeah?" He grimaced,

"And when will that day come? Ten years from this?"

 

"Don't beat yourself up." She raised the ridges above her brows,

"My students may not be the first, but they won't be the last."

 

He snorted in response. She clicked her tongue and slid herself down the rock, gesturing him to follow,

 

"Come now," She said,

"Let's put your breathing technique to use."

 

He pressed his lips and followed, splashing the water as his body dipped into the sea. Her fingers scrambled around to find the right piece of object for him to follow.

 

Heriä took one swift look at his strained expression before she swam close, reducing her voice until it's only them that could hear,

"Nervous?"

 

His head whipped to her, amber eyes widened.

 

She sighed,

"We'll give it a try first. It's okay if you failed, genius. Many people didn't succeed at their first attempt, no one will blame or even bat an eye at you."

 

"'S not my first attempt." He mumbled back,

"What if this technique doesn't work again?"

 

"It will work." Heriä told him, looking into his eyes as she said,

"Believe in yourself. If not, then believe in me. Do you believe in me, genius?"

 

"I-" He stuttered, blinking,

"I do."

 

"Good." She nodded, lifting her hand up to show him a bright red seashell. It glowed under the daylight when she flicked it back and forth.

"Look here. Try to recognize the color and the size of it, yeah?"

 

"Yeah." He breathed.

 

"Keep calm. Breathe in." She told him, watching Neteyam sucking the air until he gave her a small nod, signaling he's ready.

 

Then, Heriä secured the shell in her grasp, throwing it into the sea as she ordered,

"Go."

 

He slipped under, followed it closely. She pursed her lips and prayed silently to Eywa, hoping he'll get that thing and surface safely. Her arms swayed around her as she floated atop the water, biting her lips absentmindedly.

 

A beat passed, then another, and another.

 

And he didn't come up yet.

 

She let out a sharp breath, calming herself down. Maybe he's just taking his time. It'll be alright, he'll be here soon enough.

 

But then she remembered the incident last night, and her heart dropped as the image of him falling into the deep, drowning under came into her head again.

 

Oh, this is bad.

 

Heriä's brows furrowed. Tsireya swam closer, her face fell when she noticed how tense she was.

 

"...Neteyam?" She asked carefully, receiving a rushed nod in return,

"How long?"

 

She shook her head, hearing the pounding of her heart in her ears,

"Longer than it should."

 

"Oh no." The girl gasped. Heriä's head spun before she tapped her sister's shoulder in a snap decision,

 

"Wait here."

 

"Where-"

 

She's about to dive after him when a figure pushes through the watery veil. Neteyam flipped his wet braided hair away from his face, chest heaving as he held up the red shell over his head, he was panting so hard he couldn't speak, but his eyes shone triumphantly as his gaped mouth curled into a wide smile, showing his white fangs.

 

Heriä released the air she didn't know she'd been holding, blinking the fear away as she saw him turn to her, his amber orbs dimmed as he laughed.

 

He looked as if the mountain on his chest he'd been carrying a few moments ago is now vanquished. She reached her arm out and took the shell from him, looking at it and rubbing the sharp glimmering rim as she felt her lips curved up. Heriä nodded, praising softly,

 

"Good job."

 

She glanced up, meeting his eyes that somehow seemed as if they never left her, and giggled. There is nothing said between them while she returned the object into his palm, only his joyful smile and her approving pat at his shoulder.

 

They continued the lesson, ending with him and his siblings riding their ilus back to Awa'atlu with them. Heriä clutched onto Lawr as they sent off the Sully kids back to their marui, taking note of Neteyam's upright ears  and the small flicks of his tail. He really did seem happy with his achievements today, and she felt her heart swell proudly at that.

 

Her student succeeded.

 

She met his eyes again, and tucked the corners of her lips into a small assuring smile, raising her hand up to make a sign,

 

You did well .

 

He tilted his head,

"I-I don't know what that means."

 

"Don't worry," She chuckled,

"I'll teach you."

 

His face lit up even more than before, nodding eagerly as his eyes sparkled. Heriä giggled in her throat before telling Tsireya she'll get back to their marui, taking one last look at Neteyam as she urged her ilu to slip under the current.

 

In just a few blinks of an eye, she surfaced at her family's residence. She took her queue off the tsaheylu and bent down to give Lawr a hug, mouthing praises at her then sliding off her mount's back, climbing up the walkway.

 

The first thing she noticed is her brother's figure sitting alone on the balcony of the marui, silent under the twilight sky. His shoulder is noticeably drooping, his back even seemed to shrink, she didn't have to see his face to know that he's in a terrible state right now. The continued training didn't go well either, it seems.

 

She sighed and walked to the hearth, taking a piece of grilled fish from the morning. Aonung had a habit of losing his appetite when he's down, even though he's actually starving and his own body is protesting strongly for him to eat. Heriä clicked her tongue, drawing his eyes as she threw the wrap into his surprised hands.

 

He took one look at it and groaned. She snorted while her hands reached the woven baskets that their mother used to keep her equipment, scouring to find a bottle of ointment and went to sit by his side.

 

"Don't want." He grumbled, pushing the fish back to her,

"'M not hungry."

 

This sulking teylupil move around for the whole day, if he's not hungry then he's made out of stone. Maybe his body was too tired to process now, but she's sure it will came to its own conclusion soon enough.

 

She scrunched her nose,

"It's leftover."

 

"So?"

 

Heriä rolled her eyes, making a tsk tsk sound,

"Just eat."

 

"No."

 

"Eat," She repeated,

"Or I'll shove it down your throat myself."

 

He snarled at her, in which she just cocked the ridges above her eyes back challengingly. Finally, he growled in defeat and took a chomp off the fish grudgingly. She poured the oil into her hand and started rubbing it onto the green skin of his back.

 

"I can do it on my own." He mumbled annoyingly. Her lips twitched,

 

"Oh yeah?" She taunted, pressing a certain spot in his shoulder.

 

(She knows it'll be sore. He always got a sore spot in his muscles around here when he trained excessively.)

 

"Shi-" He spat out a loud yelp,

"Hurts!"

 

She hummed tauntingly,

"So you can do it on your own? With a sore arm? Say it again?"

 

He grimaced, and she laughed,

"A good warrior should be aware of his own body a bit more, don't you think?"

 

Aonung took another chomp of the fish, grunting through the content in his mouth,

"I'll never be a good warrior."

 

Heriä paused for a heartbeat, but continued massaging him,

 

"What'd our father say?"

 

"Nothing." He shrugged.

 

"Aonung-"

 

"He said nothing." He snapped his head to her, turquoise eyes shone in the dark, his tone harsh, before he added with a much more softer voice as he averted his eyes,

"He just sighed and told me to rest, the training's over."

 

She pursed her lips,

"At least he didn't shout at you."

 

"The fact he didn't shout bothered me more than when he did." He chewed his cheek, shaking his head,

"I can't do it. I can never do it. I'm just a talentless hunter."

 

"Yeah, yeah, keep telling that to yourself and you'll end up being the useless skxawng you believe you are one day."

 

He snarled,

"Shut up, teylupil."

 

" You shut up, asshole." She smacked the back of his head,

"Don't forget which talentless brat helped me take down my first glider fin."

 

"A glider fin is the most easy target in the ocean," He shot back,

"'S not my fault you're that bad at shooting fishes."

 

"Oh, Eywa," Heriä rolled her eyes, fingers leaving his back,

"Just take the fucking compliment, will you?"

 

He scrunched his face at her, but said nothing more. She sighed and took another slap at his neck,

"I'll tell Sempul you're asleep at the evening communal meal. There's more fish at the hearth. Eat and rest, tomorrow morning you'll need all those energies again."

 

Aonung snorted, taking yet another bite as she exited their marui. Her brother doesn't like anyone fussing over him when he's in a sad mood, so she decides she'll just provide him with what he'll be wanting soon (the food and medicine) and leave him to himself for now.

 

The next problem is, she'll have to find some other place to hang out until dinner.

 

Heriä treaded the woven walkway quietly, hand held behind the small of her back, her eyes casted upon the darkening sky. She took a moment to think, before reaching her hand upwards to test the wind course, feeling the air slipping through her fingers.

 

She inhaled, pushing her beaded locks behind her ear and jumped down to the dry sand below, letting out a high-pitched yapping noise once her feet were secured on the ground.

 

A few moments later, a gust of strong wind whipped up dusts of sand as her ikran decended down. She lifted her fingers to cover her eyes as she scruched her face up, walking to him while taking her long braided queue up to connect with his.

 

From their years flying together, she could now call for Tìral anywhere in his expanded perimeter and he'll come for her in a few blinks of an eye. Many elders in the Kekunan clan said their bonds are one of the strongest they had ever seen, deeming her one of the most valuable scouts. Though she's in the sixth team, there were many times she's called to join other scout teams' patrols.

 

She pushed the arches of her feet against the rests that binds under Tìral's neck, rubbing her palm on the skin of his antenna as her fingers clasped around the handle of the harness. Heriä yelped, urging him to take to the sky.

 

Just when she's hovering above the ground, she saw Tsireya approach. Her sister tilted her head, shouting,

 

"Where are you going?!"

 

"Around here!" She shouted back,

"I'll be back by dinner!"

 

"You better be!"

 

She laughed, maneuvering Tìral higher and flying away.

Chapter 7: kinä | neteyam.

Summary:

Neteyam trying to enjoy his success and not being too harsh on himself.

kinä

neteyam

Neteyam felt the warm rush of ecstasy as his fingers curled around the shell. He stretched his legs and surged through the water, pulling himself up, up, up with the object held tight in his grasp.

 

His head breaks the surface of the sea, and he gaped his mouth wide, inhaling as much air as possible as he flipped his hair back and held up the shell. His chest heaving uncontrollably as he laughed his heart out with triumph.

 

Lo'ak cheered, he could hear Tuk clapping for him from above the rock, even Rotxo and Tsireya were congratulating him. But somehow, his eyes wandered further to the back.

 

Heriä's amber orbs were fixed on him, no words or actions coming out. He swam to her and offered the target she'd thrown into the sea herself just a few moments ago.

 

Her long fingers lifted to take it into her palm, tracing along the silhouette of the shiny shell, her eyelashes came down when she dimmed her eyelids.

 

A beat passed, then another.

 

Did he do something wrong? Was he using the right technique? Did he take too long to retrieve it?

 

His smile started to falter.

 

He felt as if it's an eternity later when he saw movements coming from her again. Her lips started curling up, and then the smile graced her sharp features, her eyes–still fixed on the shell–softened under the sunlight.

 

And in that moment, everything went blur.

 

He could see nothing, he could hear nothing.

 

Nothing, but her.

 

"Good job." She muttered, ever so softly, but he could hear it so clearly as if she's whispering into his very ears.

 

Neteyam let out a breath, his heart swells with joy and beats inside his chest so hard to the point it's almost painful. Just when she looked up did he realize that he's been staring at her a bit longer than he should, and averted his gaze down. He felt his tail twitching as she returned the shell to him, pressing her palm against his shoulderblades as a sign of approval. The warmth of her fingers spread into him long after they left and he surged through the water with his siblings.

 

"Your tail's uncontrollable, bro." Lo'ak noted.

 

He groaned,

"I'm just happy I finally did it."

 

"Yeah?" His baby brother quirked his dark brows.

 

Neteyam's hand acted quick, and Lo'ak hissed as he pushed his brother's head away,

"Yes, I am. Now shut up and continue."

 

"Your ears are standing straight too." He taunted, unrelenting,

"Was it that exciting?"

 

This brat-

 

"Shut up, skxawng," He warned,

"Or I'll tell Tsireya about your snoring habits."

 

"Bro-" The second son of Toruk Makto gaped his mouth,

"What's that for? And why should you tell her? Hey, don't tell Tsirey-"

 

"Your sounds are like earthquakes."

 

"Wait-"

 

"Tsireya!"

 

"Neteyam!" Lo'ak clinged to his arm, eyes as wide as a tsawlspìng's egg.

 

He almost cackled at his brother's pleading face, especially deepened as Tsireya approached them.

 

"What is it, Neteyam?"

 

Neteyam took a prolonged look at his younger brother, chuckling at the other's desperation before he turned to her,

 

"I'd like you to help me with something."

 

The girl tilted her head, humming in curiosity,

"And what might that be?"

 

He smiled, hands freeing himself from Lo'ak's death grasp and went to her. She blinked at this action, but leaned in nonetheless.

 

"Do you…" He trailed off softly, licking his lips,

"Happen to have equipment for making a necklace?"

 

"Necklace?" She raised the ridges above her eyes, her voice just a tone higher but he shushed her with a quick movement of a finger to his mouth. She muttered a rushed apology before continuing,

"Yes, I do. Why do you need to make one?"

 

"I-uh…" Neteyam lulled his head back and forth,

"I owed someone that."

 

"Okay, alright," She pressed her lips together,

"Yes. The beads and the cords, check."

 

"Oh, and, uh,"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Can you, you know…" He scooted closer,

"Teach me how to do it?"

 

Tsireya glanced up at him, surprised,

"Don't you Omaticaya have the patterns of your own? Moreover, I am sure your mother brought some of your clan's beads with her."

 

"We do." He nodded,

"But…I just want it to be, you know…different. Now that we're under your care, maybe it's better to adapt your culture into our own too."

 

"Right, understandable." Her brows creased,

"And when do you want to make it?"

 

"Well, um-" Neteyam clicked his tongue, taking a swift glance at Heriä who's engaged in a conversation with Rotxo and Kiri,

"Tomorrow, I think."

 

"Okay." She acknowledged, giving him a sweet smile,

"I'll go clear my schedule. How about we meet at your marui tomorrow afternoon?"

 

"That'll be great." He forced back a wide smile,

"Thank you so much, Tsireya."

 

"Anytime." Tsireya winked and swam away.

 

The class for today ended with them riding their ilus back to Awa'atlu. He was about to get back inside when he met her eyes again.

 

Heriä tucked the corners of her mouth, forming a small smile at him as her fingers raised up to do some kind of a sign. Neteyam remembered it's the sign language of the Metkayina clan, but he couldn't decipher it yet.

 

"I-I don't know what that means." He confessed, tilting his head in wonder.

 

She chuckled,

"Don't worry, I'll teach you."

 

He felt a smile forming on his lips as he nodded. She turned to rest her hand on her sister's shoulder before whispering something between them. With a small nod from Tsireya, she slipped back into the water with Lawr.

 

"I'll see you at the communal dinner." The Metkayina girl said, her wet black locks spreading in the water surface above her waist.

 

"See you." Neteyam heard his brother muttering back.

 

He was about to turn and tease his little bro a little bit more when he saw Rotxo smiled widely, waving goodbye with all his arm to Kiri, in which the latter just raised her hand to wave a little bit back, rolling her eyes in annoyance. He dimmed his eyes at the strange event unfolding before him.

 

Kiri turned to him, noticing his suspicious look, and groaned,

"We're just exchanging respectful gestures."

 

"Haven't said anything yet." He shrugged.

 

She grunted before slipping under the shadows of their family's marui. Neteyam chuckled, crossing his arms and followed her.

 

Their father was still out, practicing riding a tsurak with the chief and his men. He wasn't surprised their mother was inside, weaving things like when she usually did when she's unsettled.

 

He sat down next to her, laying his hand on her knee as he gave her a soft smile,

"We're back, mom."

 

"Oh," Neytiri blinked, passing her fingers through his beaded braids lovingly,

"How's your day, Ma'itan?"

 

"It was great." He replied eagerly,

"I succeeded in diving today."

 

"Really?" His mother's eyes widened as she smiled with joy, raising her hands to cup his face and rubbing his shoulder back and forth,

"Oh, Neteyam, what a wonderful achievement, my boy!"

 

He giggled, leaning in to her touch. Neteyam liked it when he could make his mother's amber orbs sparkled with pride and happiness. He remembered that time when he passed his iknimaya and she cried as she hugged him so tight he almost couldn't breathe, or when he took down his first talioang–being the youngest in his clan to do so–and she cradled him against her chest and showered him with kisses all over.

 

"Your father would be delighted when he comes home." She told him, still rocking him in her arms.

 

"He sure will." Neteyam laughed, gently excusing himself away from Neytiri's embrace and spirited away to another corner of their marui, picking up some of the cords they took with them when they left Omaticaya along the way.

 

He sat down and untied the strand of woven ropes at the line of his loincloth, unfolding the seashell in his grasp he'd been holding all this time. His fingers rubbed along the rim, recalling the event earlier as he measured it to his songcord, figuring out how to fashion it on.

 

When he decided which design he'll use, Neteyam turned to his sister to request a drill, a hammer, and a bowl of water. When Kiri came back with them, he muttered a thank you and set to work.

 

The shell is beautiful, but too big to add to the strand. He'll need to trim it down, and doing so on a dry surface was difficult and dangerous. He remembered his grandmother Mo'at had taught him about the items that could be used as decorations, when she came to the shells she made sure he understood that the inner walls of them, when powdered, were poisonous to the breathing system when inhaled. So whatever he had to do to it must be done underwater to prevent the crumbles of the shell to kill him slowly.

 

He laid the bright red object into the bowl, carefully pinning it with the tip of the drill and struck down the hammer, creating a rift and chipping out pieces after pieces until it came down to a desirable shape. He then drilled a hole through it and took the strand laying on his lap, running it through and tying knots after knots to secure it in place before tying the whole thing to the long rope on the other side of his grasp.

 

He finished the woven shell by the eclipse, standing up and stretching himself to get rid of the strains in his muscles. His hand clasping around his songcord, raising it high up in the sky, admiring how the starlight was caught in the shimmer of the new ornament he added. A smile slowly made its way across his face as his fingers treaded along the twines of the cords.

 

The representation of his first step success in learning the way of water.

 

"Neteyam!" Tuk called him.

 

Neteyam turned his head and hummed,

"Yes, darling?"

 

"It's time for dinner!" She trotted on the floor of their marui to him,

"Let's go!"

 

He smiled, putting the songcord back on the waistband of his loincloth before extending his hand to his littlest sister,

"Come on, then."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Neteyam was a bit surprised when she showed up at the dinner with remnants of leaves caught in her braids.

 

"Where have you been?" He blinked, asking in a low voice as she slipped down next to him.

 

Heriä gave him a toothless grin, combing her hair with her fingers to get rid of the debris and neat them up,

"Some treetops around here."

 

"Oh," He nodded,

"Enjoying the view, then?"

 

"Yeah, the view's been lovely."

 

"Aonung's not here." Tsireya leaned in, her eyes filled with panic as it searched all over the big space and found no face of her brother.

"Sempul won't be pleased. Do you know where he is, Tsmuke?"

 

She let out a small oh , her lips opening to answer when Tonowari seems to recognize the same thing his youngest daughter does.

 

"Aonung," His voice beamed through the woven hall,

"Where is Aonung? Why isn't that boy here?"

 

Neteyam saw how the Metkayina girl's ears drooped as she avoided the chief's piercing gaze. Ronal let out a small sight of tiredness mixed with frustration.

 

Heriä shifted in her seat, licking her lips, voicing out to respond,

"He's tired, Sempul. I checked in on him earlier, he's been sleeping for a while already."

 

Tonowari creased his tattooed brows, but only sighed and nodded, not saying anything else.

 

The meal starts, and he heard Tsireya nudging on her sister's shoulder again,

 

"He's not, isn't he?"

 

Heriä blinked.

 

"Aonung." The green-skinned girl repeated,

"He's not asleep, isn't he?"

 

Her gaze drifted around, cradling herself back and forth before she gave her younger sister a knowing smile.

 

Tsireya gasped,

"So he-"

 

"He was sulking," She shrugged,

"He wanted to be alone."

 

"So the training's gone bad, then." The younger girl nodded,

"Understandable."

 

"Be careful when you get home." Heriä warned as the meal started. She took up a green bowl that had silvery accents lining through, balancing it onto the palm of her single hand before turning to him,

 

"I hope you're hungry, because I am."

 

He chuckled,

"Same here."

 

Her long fingers reached for the food in the plates laid before them. After selecting a variety of meat and piled them up in her bowl, she took up a bite of a grilled reef lobster, humming in satisfaction before turning to him,

"Have you tried the lobster? It's real good."

 

"Yeah?" Neteyam reached for the said food, peeling off the charred shell and munched down, savoring the sweet juice and aromatic smell coming out from the white flesh.

 

His eyes slowly widened, turning to face her awaiting smile,

"Mmm."

 

She raised the ridges above her brows,

"Yeah?"

 

He chuckled in his throat. The taste of it reminds him of teylus he had back in Omaticaya, but the firm texture was unmatched by anything he'd ever eaten so far.

 

Real good indeed.

 

The communal meal, Neteyam founded, was quite a crowded affair. Not in a bad way, of course. There were chattings, discussing events happening during the day, passing of food, and many young Metkayina expressed their interest in talking to him and his siblings–which made him feel more welcomed than the first day here.

 

After the dinner ended saw Neteyam learning the lessons she promised to teach him earlier that day.

 

"Flatten that more." She instructed, grabbing his wrist and spreading his hand out further.

 

"I think it's still understandable," Neteyam huffed,

"No?"

 

She quirked her brows at him,

"Just curl that hand up a bit more and it will have a whole new meaning, genius."

 

When she saw his furrowed brows, Hëria sighed,

 

"This sign language is used for communication underwater, because we can't talk. The reef people's hands are finned, so they were able to withstand the current. But yours and mine are not. If you don't do it like-very very clearly, it would be hard for them to understand you."

 

He hummed in his throat, nodding slowly,

"Okay, fine."

 

"Now do that again."

 

The sign language of the reef Na'vi isn't that hard, but the hard part is to do it as flow as one's thoughts. Neteyam has to think slower when he's signing, so he doesn't lose the context he's trying to say.

 

His fingers curled and flattened, motioning in the air, his legs swung back and forth, hanging from the branch of the giant mangrove they are sitting on right now.

 

She hummed, crossing her arms before nodding slowly,

 

"Better."

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Yeah." Heriä shifted, extending her arms forward,

"Now let's put that knowledge of yours to use. What am I trying to say?"

 

Neteyam dimmed his eyes, watching her long fingers surged and formed a set of signs.

 

"Uh…I am full?"

 

"Almost. I am hungry ."

 

He let out a frustrated click of tongue, responded by her chuckle,

 

"It's a bit tricky. No one perfected sign language on the first day, genius."

 

"But…" He sighed, interrupted by her.

 

"Come on, don't be so hard on yourself." She shrugged,

"You just accomplished a feat, it's not a crime to take a small pause and indulge in your success."

 

Neteyam chewed his cheek.

 

Heriä twitched her lips, and gave him a small cock of her brow,

 

"Moreover, you've done a lot better than me when I first learned it." She said,

"Give yourself a pat on the back, or I will."

 

He chuckled, lulling his head back and forth,

"Fine. Fine."

 

Silence softly fell down onto them, only the sound of their breaths and the silent rustles of the leaves above. Neteyam tapped his fingers against the wood.

 

"Will you be the one to teach me tomorrow?" He asked slowly, breaking the atmosphere.

 

Heriä went still for a moment, before answering,

"Yes."

 

"And Aonung?"

 

She blinked,

"Sempul wants to give him more training sessions for the time being."

 

He nodded, remembering how the boy had disappeared from their sight since yesterday, how Tsireya looked so worried, and how Tonowari looked frustrated.

 

"What did he train?"

 

She shrugged,

"Hunting, our father's preparing him for his iknimaya."

 

"I thought bonding with a tulkun is the Metkayina's iknimaya."

 

"Our jungle clans' iknimaya also includes a couple of requirements, no?" She chuckled,

"Claiming ikrans, then the uniltarol, then the first kill. The reef clans were like that too. Tulkuns, then claiming tsuraks, then slaying akulas."

 

"So he's training to take his own akula in the first kill event, then."

 

She turned to him, a cheeky grin on her lips,

"A true genius you are."

 

" Stop ." Neteyam choked on his laugh, his tail unconsciously twitching from the praise,

"But why'd he have to train more, though? Aonung's a good hunter."

 

She tucked the corners of her lips, casting her eyes downwards,

"Akulas had slain a number of young Metkayina in their pursuit of adulthood. Sempul doesn't want to risk anything. And the son of the chief must surpass the others by a considerable amount, it's the rules."

 

He hummed in acknowledgement.

 

Neteyam quite understands it, the expectations, the dedications, the eyes that stares and stares and waits for something odd to pick apart.

 

"Seems tough for him."

 

"It is." She nodded,

"But he's got it in him. He'll be fine."

 

Heriä shifted, and gasped like she just remembered something,

"Oh,"

 

"What?"

 

"We'll have to make you a plate of your own, too."

 

"Ah," Neteyam voiced. For the past few days that they've been here, his family had been using plates made to receive guests of Awa'atlu, though he learned that every Metkayina will make their own plates.

"I see."

 

"How about tomorrow morning?" She asked.

 

"Tomorrow morning." He echoed back, nodding.

 

"Very well," She pursed her lips,

"You don't quite know your way around the village that much yet, I assumed?"

 

"I-" He sucked in a breath,

"I only know the way to the sea and a little bit of landmarks."

 

"Great," She tilted her head,

"I'll pick you up, we'll go to the jungle at the back, and along the way I'll show you around some more."

 

"Yeah." He hummed in agreement.

"We better go down, there's quite a lot to do tomorrow if you're walking me around the island."

 

She gave him a grin, a flash of white fangs reflects the starlight and her freckles as she got up from her seat,

"Indeed."

 

He looked at her extended hand, raised to offer him support. He doesn't need help, to be honest, he had been trained well and strong enough to stand up on his own.

 

But still, Neteyam took it, pressing his palms against her, his fingers tightened around the width of her hand as he pushed it down a bit and stood. He doesn't quite understand himself either.

 

His eyes scanned her side profile, observing how her freckles dotted along the patterns of her face. He finds himself interested in it, in her .

 

This is strange.

 

"Aren't you coming?" Her voice yanked him back to under the leaves of the giant mangrove. Neteyam snapped his eyes up at her, shaking the odd feelings off himself and mouthed,

 

"Yeah?"

 

She blinked, the ridges above her brows arching ever so slightly,

"We need to get down and sleep, genius. Unless you find these branches to be more comfortable than your marui, then it's totally fine with me."

 

"Oh," He stammered, embarrassment crept up into his face, the tip of his ears flared with a wave of heat.

"No, of course not. Let's go."

Chapter 8: vol | neteyam.

Summary:

Neteyam goes canoeing.

Notes:

I’m back babyyyyyyyy. So sorry I didn’t update for sooooo long. The whole applying into uni things were so stressful. But eventually I got accepted (hooray!) so I’m back posting chaps. Thanks for waiting guys XD

vol

neteyam

"Like-" He pushed his brows downward, pulling the knots of the ropes in his hand,

"This?"

 

Tsireya was a good teacher, that is a fact. She's kind enough to spare her time and teach him how to weave, even though they'd have just a quick encounter and need to get to the sea to continue their practice.

 

She took the knot into her hands, flipping it back and forth before giving him a usual sweet smile,

"That's good. But you need to make sure it's tight and aligned, these are not yet there, but it's a good start. Better than yesterday, I must say."

 

Tsireya was a good teacher, and he forgot to mention she's quite a strict kind of teacher. Not that scowling strict category, more of a soft smile and you'll get better next time , very technical category. She's able to point out every wrong move, both conscious and unconscious of her student. Now he understood why Lo'ak once asked him to switch places so that he'd be paired with either Aonung or Heriä instead. (Maybe it's this reason, mixed with the fact known by everyone around that his little bro is so mesmerized by the girl.)

 

Neteyam felt his smile fade just a bit before he conjured up another one. He had just started learning how to weave in the Metkayina style for a few days, and it's a lot different from the Omaticaya one which he'd been familiar with his whole life. There's many times he messed up by using the pattern his grandmother and mother had taught him–his mind was not there, he just did it by instinct–and had to go back to the start to do it all the way again.

 

"Under-" She warned when he looped one strand upwards,

"Under."

 

"Sorry." He murmured.

 

"It's under, then over, then loop over again, and pull to the left, then repeat, and pull to the right."

 

"Yes." He nodded.

 

He's already this tired, and it's only the basic pattern. There's also patterns for weaving saddles, then patterns for making garments that are the reef clans' counterpart of the jungle clans' battle bands.

 

"Just a bit more, okay?" Tsireya encouraged, she must've noticed his stress.

"Let's finish this strand and call it a day."

 

Neteyam gave an inaudible agreeing grunt, focusing on the flaxes and cords in his hand. The strands had come together just enough to make out the shape of a rope, but the pattern was quite captivating that he couldn't help but to sometimes run his fingers along the ridges and crevices and grooves.

 

"Ooh," Tuk shoved her head in, wide amber eyes staring at the handwork in his grasp,

"That looks so cool. Can I touch it?"

 

He smiled,

"Go on, darling."

 

His littlest sister touched his rope, tasting the feel of it against her skin, before looking up to Tsireya, and–he doesn't know how it's possible for her to do it, but–widen her eyes even more.

 

"This is beautiful!"

 

"It's still a bit loose and not consistent, Tuk." He ran a hand through her braided locks.

 

"Still beautiful." She insisted,

"Everything you do is always so nice, Neteyam."

 

His chest tightened at the statement, but all he could do was kiss her head and mouthing thank you .

 

Of course, he felt good being praised, but sometimes it's a bit uncomfortable when your own sibling thinks that you are perfect and you're actually not.

 

Neteyam closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his heart increase a bit.

 

"What about we made you something today, Tuk?"

 

His sister's head snapped back to him, her eyes shimmering gleefully.

"Really?"

 

"Really." He ruffled her hair,

"What does a new loincloth sound to you?"

 

Her face lit up even more.

(Neteyam swore his eyes could go blind.)

 

Neteyam quickly finished his woven rope and called his baby brother up to the marui. After hearing they're making their little sister a new garment, Lo'ak nodded,

 

"Right. What do we need?"

 

"Some seeds will do," Tsireya listed,

"Oh, and seaweeds too. Those would look cute on her."

 

Neteyam ended up looking for dried seeds, while the younger of the two set out to collect seaweeds with the Metkayina girl. He looked at them mounting on their ilus and rode away, feeling a bit awkward when he realized he had almost no knowledge of where to take those seeds from.

 

He doesn't know how long had he been treading along the pathways like a lost nantang cub when a voice drew him back,

 

"Going somewhere?"

 

He blinked, whipping around to see Heriä's small smile that tucked into the corners of her lips, she was lounging in on the edge of the woven way, legs spreading out relaxingly as her back rested against the giant mangrove's root.

 

"I was-" Neteyam inhaled,

"Looking for dried seeds."

 

Her brows came down just a bit,

"Why so?"

 

"We are making Tuk a new loincloth." He explained,

"Tsireya told us we'll need seaweed and dried seeds. Lo'ak went out with her earlier to collect the seaweed while I'm here to gather the seeds."

 

"Oh," She hummed, tapping the pads of her fingers to the floor in a rhythm,

"And have you found a way to get them yet?"

 

"...No."

 

"You want any help?"

 

He stood still, and shook his head,

"It's okay."

 

He'll find a way, he'll find it somehow.

 

Heriä stared at him, before giving out a small exhale and shrugged,

"Fine. Don't let me keep you, then."

 

Neteyam gave her a small nod and walked away.

He can do this.

 

He went to the gathering yard, where the villagers would exchange things and cast his eyes all over, trying to catch a glimpse of said material, and sighed when he could only find rows of ropes and colorful shells instead.

 

He chewed his lips, walking along the cleared path throughout the place. He passed a group of females skinning and cleaning fishes, and a band of children playing some kind of games, but he didn't see any seeds.

 

He doesn't realize how much time had passed, but by the time he treaded around for the fifth time, his mind is egging him to give up already.

 

"Find any seeds yet?" He jolted at the sudden appearance of the person he just met some time ago. Heriä stood a bit behind him, leaning her shoulder to the nearby post with both her arms folding over herself.

 

"Wh-"

 

"Have some rest, yeah? I'm getting a bit dizzy looking at you going back and forth like that."

 

He stammered,

"Ho-How long have you been here?"

 

"Let me think…" She clicked her tongue, eyes rolling up in a recalling manner,

"About three laps ago, maybe."

 

Neteyam pursed his lips, stared at her, feeling the tips of his ears heaten up.

 

The corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly, and her eyes glinted. He felt like a helpless ikran hatchling at her mercy.

 

Heriä inched closer, she looked almost like a palulukan stepping around until it got to its prey, tilting her head up to him, mocking him in the most playful manner. The trace of her smile deepened, and she made sure they were in the right proximity for him to hear her whisper,

 

(The heat spread to the base of his neck at that.)

 

"Just ask, genius."

 

The feeling of something fluttering inside his stomach, unrelentingly stirring him up inside causes him to shift his weight back and forth, rocking his legs slowly to ease the strange effect. Neteyam inhaled deeply, calming himself down as he darted his tongue out to run along the rim of his teeth.

 

She hummed in inquiry, urging him.

 

He took a small, swift glance at her eyes, trying to ignore the shimmer of amusement in those gold-shaded orbs as he slowly say the word,

 

"Can you show me where I could collect the dried seeds, please?"

 

Her lips curled even more,

"With pleasure."

 

Before he could react, she took his arm into her hands and gave a small tug, guiding him through the yard. Her long fingers wrapped around the above of his elbow, pulling him along as she passed the dock where the fishermen were emptying their nets, going further to the back.

 

Neteyam soon found himself under the shades of the joints between two mangrove trees and the jungle. It was not as crowded as the seafront, but there is also a gathering yard. He could see some Metkayina exiting the forest, while some were busy carrying woven baskets and crossed the bridge to the other tree.

 

Heriä turned around a corner, a grin graced her face for a split second before she jutted her chin to a Na'vi sitting on a small woven mattress not far away,

 

"The seafront is not where seeds should be harvested."

 

He fought back the urge to groan, earning a chuckle from her.

 

She led him to that Metkayina, touching her forehead and gesturing a greeting to another individual,

"I see you, Ewayti."

 

Neteyam looked at the woman in front of him, she doesn't seem to be an elder of the village, older than them for sure, he deduced she's around their mother's age. Ewayti nodded back,

 

"I see you, Heriä." Her eyes wandered to him, and she raised the ridges above her eyes,

"You have a company."

 

"This is Ewayti," Heriä introduced briefly,

"Ewayti, this is-"

 

"I know who he is." The other shrugged,

"There are not many forest Na'vi in Awa'atlu after all."

 

She laughed at that and sat down, he followed as she asked out,

 

"Can I have the seeds you collected?"

 

Ewayti blinked,

"Sure. They're in the baskets over there, take one."

 

Heriä moved to the pointed area and opened the lids of the woven baskets one by one, examining the contents inside.

 

"They're not dried yet, aren't they?"

 

"No," The owner of them shook her head,

"If it's dried, it's not that much use."

 

The girl nodded and pulled one of the containers into her arms,

"Thank you."

 

"Happy to help, dear."

 

As they leave, Heriä stepped up next to him,

 

"Ewayti lives near the jungle, so she had quite a number of jungle items in her marui." She explained,

"If we went to collect the seeds ourselves in the forest, it'd be quite a hard task given that none of us had known our way around the area that much."

 

That caught him off guard, and Neteyam blinked at her,

"You don't know your way around the jungle?"

 

"I do ." She stressed the word, a bit offended by the comment,

"But I spend more of my time on the seafront. Ewayti, on the other hand, ventured into that part almost everyday since her youth. She always had these jungle fruits and herbs for us when we came to see her. She knew all the shortcuts and the secret passages."

 

He hummed in acknowledgement.

 

She went silent for a moment, before voicing out,

 

"It's not a shameful thing if you don't know something."

 

His pace skipped its rhythm for a beat, before he regained it,

"What?"

 

Her amber eyes are on him again, and this time she spoke very much audibly,

 

"You're still young. You're still learning. It's not a crime if you don't know something, especially in a foreign place."

 

He pursed his lips, and she gave him back a small smile,

 

"Don't be afraid to ask for help, at least from me."

 

He felt his lips curved up softly,

 

"Thanks."

 

She shrugged, winking,

"Always at your service, genius."

 

They exchanged no more conversation until they got back to his family's marui.

 

"Now hurry," She ordered as they enter, fixing a slab of rock over the hearth in the middle of the tent,

"We must dry these before your brother gets back."

 

Neteyam complied, helping her scatter the seeds over the warming stone.

 

Heriä dimmed the heat by tossing some of the burning wood into the water below and put in more of the unburned ones, all the while stirring the contents on the slab back and forth.

 

"Here," He said, putting his hand forward to help her move the seeds.

"Let me."

 

"Oh, thanks." She muttered and move out of his way,

"Make sure those seeds are dried and not burned, yeah?"

 

"Yeah."

 

The seeds were ready just in time Lo'ak got back. Everyone gathered around as Tsireya quickly explained their duties and got to work, even Kiri who just got back from ilu riding (it seems she'll be the only one of them who gets practice today) joined in and helped the Metkayina girl with the waist strap.

 

Tuktirey's new loincloth was completed just before the dinner. The algaes and seeds dangling from the waistband swayed as she twirled around urged by the clappings and the cheerings of her elder siblings, Neteyam smiled so wide his cheeks hurt at the sight. He could hear Heriä's low chuckle from his side too.

 

"She looks cute." She commented.

 

He hummed,

"She does."

 

"I think the seeds add more volume."

 

"Hmm...admiring our efforts now, aren't we?" He teased, earning a huffing laugh and a light slap of the arm from her. Heriä leaned onto his shoulder, nudging,

 

"Well, it does look good on her, no?"

 

He glanced down at her, at how her eyes gleamed in amusement as she grinned out her white fangs, clicking his tongue before murmuring in acceptance,

 

"It does."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

That eclipse, Neteyam went out with her to put his hands on the Metkayina canoes for the first time.

 

Its deep, narrow space differs from the jungle canoes a bit, but he managed to row it into the wider sea–though trades with quite an amount of wasted time and muscle strength and a bit of bitten lips from his instructor–eventually.

 

"You're doing great." She caught up with him in three neat strides, He stifled a groan when he realized his efforts only took that few rows.

 

"Don't groan, you're doing great."

 

"It's not a crime to lie."

 

"It's not a crime to encourage someone-" She reasoned, gesturing her hand towards him to emphasize,

"-Who is truly doing great!"

 

"Admit it, amongst the skills I've learned, this is the worst."

 

"It's not…" She drawled.

"Your position is correct and your rowing motion is decent."

 

"You tried to make it sound good." He clicked his tongue.

 

"And you tried to beat yourself down." She retorted and narrowed her eyes,

"Come on, let's get back, that's enough rowing for you tonight."

 

It's only when Neteyam docked the canoe that he noticed his fingers were trembling. He let go of the paddle and felt his muscles screaming in agony, it seemed he'd gripped too hard. The sting and itchiness on it indicates there is an abrasion too.

 

"Now climb in," She jutted her chin towards the vacant space in front of her inside the vessel.

 

His brows shot up.

 

"I said your rowing practice is enough for tonight," She explained,

"But your lessons aren't. Hop in, I'm taking you out further."

 

Neteyam could only inhale deeply and nodded as he bound the canoe to the post and got into hers. He sat down at her front and watched as she hovered forward and sank the paddle under the water, prying the surface when she bent back to her position.

 

The views slowly moved, and soon Awa'atlu was almost no longer in sight. He casted his eyes over the dark sea that glows with its flora and fauna's luminous marks, catching a glimpse of the corals underneath that made him smile a bit.

 

"In Metkayina clan," She began,

"In addition to ilus and tsuraks, we used canoes as a form of transportation too. Unlike your canoes, ours are bigger, more spacious, mightier. It was made to carry massive weight, the things too heavy for our mounts to carry, a small family could board it, even."

 

"It seems you reef people put a lot of work into it too," He commented, looking over to the shell-decorated bow and the patterned hull.

 

"For us, the canoes served as a trusted vessel, a platform for us to forage food in the open sea. We crafted them piece by piece, one boat for one family. Everything that was used in making these boats had significant meaning, it's their pride and joy." Heriä explained,

"It also acts as an identification item when we trespass foreign waters."

 

Neteyam hummed along.

 

"Oh," She exclaimed when she realized something,

"We're here."

 

He blinked and looked around. The water was silent and open, almost no islands or tall trees in sight, he could see a very good panorama of the darkened sky speckled with stars all around him.

 

"...Where?"

 

"Not far from home, of course." She put her paddle down and got onto her feet, treading carefully towards him before extending her hand,

"We'll need a good open sky for this lesson."

 

 He took it and stood beside her, flailing his arms as he tried to balance himself on the boat and draw a giggle from her as she took his elbow in her grasp and steady him.

 

"You'll get used to it soon enough." She assured.

 

"I hope so too." He muttered back, digging his toes into the woven belly of the canoe and trying his best not to sway.

"By the way, you do know how to get back, right?"

 

Heriä scoffed up a laugh and pointed towards the dark firmament,

 

"Why of course. My map is up there, in the sky."

 

He followed her finger and frowned,

"I don't actually see anything."

 

The corners of her mouth tucked up to form a small smile,

"The reef people use stars to navigate their ways through the sea. If you could read these stars, you could go anywhere and still find your way back home."

 

Neteyam glanced up at the constellations, he'd been taught of them by his grandmother, of their names, their tales and their representations. More than once Mo'at had used these very stars to foretell futures of the distressed Omaticaya who confided in her. She had told him how to look into the future too, but most of the time it doesn't work that much (he concluded it's because he's a male, for these arts of divination were more efficient for the tsahìks and their tsakarems–but it could well also be his own minds that lacks the peace and understanding of the method).

 

"We use our hands to measure our distance," She reached her arm towards the sky, spreading her thumb apart from the palm and closed the other three fingers tightly against eachother.

"Here, like this."

 

He watched her motion and mimicked, furrowing his brows when he found himself still not knowing where to focus and where to look. It was nothing but a hand reached into the sky for him.

 

A rustle came as she moved behind him.

 

Neteyam pursed his lips when he felt her fingers encircled around his extended wrist and moved it to a certain spot, her eyes peered from behind him to get the same angle of sight he's getting.

 

"Relax," She clicked her tongue, her voice, though but a mere murmur of a very soft and low magnitude, pierced right into his ears,

"You're as stiff as a rock."

 

"Sorry." He whispered back.

 

Heriä guided his hand, tilting his fingers,

"There, make sure the length of your second finger is vertical to the length of your thumb, and the tip of your thumb is on the horizon."

 

"Yeah."

 

"Now, each of your fingers would be measured for an angle that you must steer. Keep your thumbs fully extended and spread that arm out to full length too." She knocked under his elbow with her knuckles, drawing a yelp from his throat in return. He regained his composure and repositioned his stance, stretching his arm and his first finger to the extent as she instructed.

 

Then she told him of how much angle each finger counts, and how to spot the star that would always show itself in the sky every eclipse, and how to use it as a pinpoint of his navigation. It was a bit hard at first, his scratched palm hurts, and he felt his muscles strained from stretching for too long, but her patience and understanding explanation made it much more bearable.

 

"I think we'd better call it a day." She said suddenly, catching him off guard after she had just explained about the north star and the star of the south in a constellation and letting go of his hand gently. He blinked in confusion as his arm slowly fell down to his side.

 

"You looked very tired, we should go home and you should get some rest."

 

"I'm not tired yet."

 

"Your arms are trembling. Sit down." A hand pressed onto the slope of his shoulder, pushing him down. Neteyam's lips pressed but he did as he was told.

 

"If you want to, you can memorize the positions of the stars further, but that's all you're going to do for the rest of this eclipse. Your body is strained as hell."

 

He felt her sit down behind him, the curve of her knee nudging the backside of his hip. A jolt came through him when she took both his hands into her lap, her fingers applying pressure onto his skin as she treaded across his aching palm.

 

"You gripped the paddle too hard." She commented,

"Next time relax a bit more, yeah?"

 

Neteyam closed his eyes when he felt his muscles unstressed, humming in response. Her touch was warm, too warm to be normal, and he felt that warmth lingering on his hand, sinking into the depth of his skin.

 

Silence filled the area for a moment.

 

"If you feel tired, you can say it." She spoke up quietly, eyes still fixed on his hand.

 

"Wha-"

 

"If you feel happy, you can say it. If you don't feel happy, you can say it. If you feel or don't feel anything , you can say it."

 

He went silent as she continued,

 

"Don't keep it all to yourself. You have to talk to someone if the feeling's too much, it'll do you no good if you just cage them inside."

 

Neteyam turned his eyes away from the stars, he looked at her, and she lifted her own eyes to meet his.

 

He licked his dried lips, inhaling,

"Can I talk to you?"

 

Her eyes dimmed, and she huffed out a small laugh, a smile forming on her lips,

"You know you can talk to me."

 

He felt the corner of his mouth curved up too as he flipped his hand on her lap, interlacing her fingers with his own and leaned his shoulder against hers.

 

"Are you gonna talk?" She muttered from behind him.

 

He hummed, shaking his head,

"No. Not today. Today I'll rest."

 

He felt her nodding, a soft chuckle came into his ears,

"Yeah. Sounds fine by me."

 

Neteyam blinked slowly when he still felt that strange warmth on his hand. He silently flexed his palm and was surprised to find himself rid of any pain or sting or burn he suffered just a few moments ago. The strain in his arms was gone too.

 

And all that warmth came from Heriä's fingertips. He was sure it's from her fingertips, because it wasn't there until she touched him, and it's not always there when she did, so it's definitely not because of her temperature.

 

His mind slowly wandered back to the seashore, where she had saved him from drowning. He felt that warmth flowing through him too that eclipse.

 

The ridges above his eyes furrowed, taking a swift glance at her. An inquiry came up to his lips, but he decided to bite his tongue and swallowed it back.

 

If she wants him to know, she would've told him. In which she didn't.

 

So Neteyam firmed up his grasp around her fingers and closed his eyes, enjoying the silence around him, letting this topic go for now.

Chapter 9: volaw | tsireya.

Summary:

The wedding ceremony in Awa’atlu.

volaw

tsireya

It's been almost a month since the family of Toruk Makto took refuge in Awa'atlu. Tsireya didn't have a single problem with it, the children of the former Omaticaya olo'eyktan had gotten along well with her, they're cute and nice and she likes their company well enough, even though her elder brother had been scowling about how thin their tails are and how small their hands are most of the time.

 

But today is not the day Aonung can scowl as freely as he did in the past weeks.

 

Not in the days of the celebration for the union of their friend's brother and his mate.

 

Umäì is Rotxo's brother by five years. He is a formidable hunter who patrols the reef, and an elder brother figure to all of them (obviously Aonung couldn't manage to be one so she chose their cousin's brother instead). He's kind and playful and outgoing, always ready to attend to the needs of the younger children. He even put Tsireya on his tsurak–of course to her insistence, no sane person would randomly put a child on a tsurak–once when she's much younger and he's not long past his iknimaya.

 

They're all ecstatic when he announced he had chosen Vrrewi to mate with him at the Spirit Tree. He had been courting her for a while now, and they had proven to be a very good match.

 

There's been a lot of preparation during the past few days. Decorations were being made, bridal ornaments prepared, food and celebration costumes and all. Her mother was ordering everyone around despite her growing belly and her father was busy with making sure everything was enough for the upcoming feast.

 

Tsireya walked past a group of kids towards her marui, humming as she skipped along the pathway until her eyes fell on a now familiar jungle Na'vi.

 

"Lo'ak!" She beamed,

"Good morning!"

 

"Good morning, Tsireya." The second son of Toruk Makto greeted back, a shy smile graced his lips, displaying a glimpse of his white fangs,

"How are you?"

 

"I'm fine, thanks." She grinned wide and went to his side.

"I see you're off to ride your ilu after breakfast again."

 

Lo'ak's mouth curled to make a small o shape as he ducked his head down and ruffled his braided locks, his mouth pressed into yet another close-lipped shy smile,

"I can't help it. It feels good."

 

"I know, right?" She laughed.

 

Tsireya liked that smile. His cute, shy smile.

 

"I'm taking these to my marui." She tilted the bowl in her hand to let him see the variety of beads and shells piling inside.

 

He furrowed his brows, craning his neck down to take a look. He's much, much taller compare to her, and Tsireya have never been frustrated at the height gap more.

"What are those for?"

 

"Hair accessories." She answered,

"For the bride and the ladies."

 

"Oh," He nodded,

"You're starting the makeover now? Too early, don't you think?"

 

"Nah," Tsireya shook her head,

"Nothing's too early at this point."

 

"Oh, okay." He hummed,

"Is there anything I can do to help? Kiri and Tuk's out to help mom and the elderly ladies, Neteyam and my dad also went to help your father, so I am apparently the only one in our family that doesn't have a job yet."

 

She noticed his eyes dimmed down at the mention of him being now alone and nothing to do, how his ears flopped down ever so slightly, and raise her fingers up to rub at his upper arm, mentally sympathizing with him,

"Let's find you one, then."

 

With a small approving tilt of the chin, she guided him through the village, eyes wandering around until they fell on a group of boys around their age carrying baskets full of fishes and many other sea products up from the dock. Tsireya shook his arm and pointed to him,

 

"There. It seems Äle needs a hand in helping him empty his ship."

 

Lo'ak followed her hand and creased his brows,

"What're they doin'?"

 

"Taking the baskets to the gathering yard." She clarified,

"It's for the ladies to cook."

 

"This fast?" His eyebrows shot up, and Tsireya giggled.

 

"Some cuisine takes time to make. There'll be more of those ingredients coming, but it'd be for other types of menu. And the wedding feast is tomorrow night." She added.

 

He blew the air out of his tightened lips once, before mouthing an alright , and gave her a parting pat on the shoulder as he left for Äle's canoe.

 

She returned to her marui to find her mother preparing the mixture for the hair moisturizer. Tsireya slipped in and sat down at her Sa'nok's feet, setting the bead bowl at the side of the tsahìk. Many more women are gathering around, fixing eachother's hair and beading new ornaments to adorn themselves for the 

 

"What took you so long?" Ronal asked, cleaning her hand from the content in the bowl on her lap.

 

"I got caught up in something, Sa'nok." She tried not to flop her ears and answered.

 

"It better not be a fight, girl." The elder won,

"I've had enough of them from my son, it'd be the death of me if you went out your way too."

 

Tsireya forced a smile back. She knew that in comparison to Aonung's impulsiveness, her parents would demand perfection and dutifulness from her, not that she's been doing that for all her life.

 

A soft rustle came as her elder sister entered, hair loose and soaking wet, with only her kuru still intact in its braid. Usually Heriä wore her hair in the same fashion as other forest Na'vi, but as they were assigned to join in Vrrewi's bride procession, a reef Na'vi's hairstyle is essential. Tsireya moved to help her wipe away the water drops from her head.

 

"Thanks, paskalin." She smiled and positioned herself until the younger of the two could squeeze her black hair properly. The forest Na'vi's straight hair had less volume than her reef clans' curly ones, and it soaked better too, so it's a bit harder to dry.

 

"Tsireya, enough." Her mother called after a certain time passed.

"Heriä, come here."

 

"Yes, Sa'nok." Both of them replied, and her elder sister went to sit down in front of the tsahìk with her back facing her.

 

Tsireya watched as Ronal applied the moisturizer onto her straight hair and neatly weaved them into braids that were fixed to her scalp. She moved to help pass the beads to her mother, sorting the colors carefully to make her sister's hair look as stunning as possible.

 

"I must've looked weird at the end of this." She clicked her tongue, scrunching her face as their mother yanks one of her hair strands tight.

 

"You looked beautiful, Tsmuke." Tsireya ensured, placing a hand on her knee. She wasn't lying, her sister had sharp and captivating face features in the way she'd never seen before, her eyes were mesmerizing, and she had that grace and calm aura which made her even more pretty. If only Heriä could see herself for what the others saw.

 

"You are so kind, my dear." Heriä only gave her a small smile and ruffled her hair,

"You are more beautiful than I am."

 

She sighed and helped their mother complete the braids. After Heriä's hair was held in place with watered concoction and sprinkled with powdered pearl, Tsireya was chased out to wet her hair and be Ronal's next doll to fashion.

 

Eclipse came, and all the ladies in the marui are now showering their attention on the bride. Vrrewi's hair was loosened and massaged with fragrant oil and her skin was applied with various mixtures of herbs. Tsireya and Heriä decided that part of the marui was a bit too crowded and thought it'd be better for them to help with the bride's garments.

 

"What do you think?" Her elder sister asked, holding up the armband she just finished for her to see. Tsireya took it into her hand and observed the neatly made woven thin strips of rattan, adorned with glistening pearls and fringed with small beads and seaweeds.

 

She smiled,

"Really pretty, Heriä."

 

Heriä grinned cheekily, all her white fangs on display as Tsireya dropped the accessory back into her hand.

 

By the time they completed stringing the pearls into the top and the loincloth of the bride, Vrrewi's already submerged in the flower-scented water. The sisters waited until she left the tub and went to her side as she dried herself to re-measure the ornaments and make sure everything goes well with each other and looks good on her.

 

"I didn't thank you yet," She said when she noticed them,

"For helping me out."

 

Tsireya's elder sister tucked her lips up into a faint smile and rubbed the back of the bride's hand,

"No. I am honored. Thank you for including me."

 

She watched the scene and her chest tightened. Though Heriä was raised here, at some certain moments Tsireya could tell she feels like she was left out (their brother is definitely a reason but there's some situation that adds to it too), so having a part in this ancient tradition made her sister a little more happy.

 

"Why should I not include you?" Vrrewi laughed, her big aquamarine eyes glistened under the torchlight as she raised her hand to cup the side of the younger's face,

"You're one of us. Of course I will include you."

 

The blue-skinned girl smiled and nodded, before taking the finished accessories out to start testing the looks.

 

"My, that is just breathtaking." The bride commented while Heriä laid the armbands and bracelets on her briefly.

"You did this, little bird?"

 

"Yeah." She replied shyly.

"Do you like it?"

 

"Yes!" Vrrewi exclaimed.

"Yes, I do!"

 

Heriä's eyes gleamed,

"I'm glad."

 

Then, the bride tries on the wedding garments. Tsireya and her sister watched and applauded in fascination as Vrrewi twirled on her toes, clinking the pearl beads strung around her. She is one of the best dancers in the village, so it's no surprise she could glide along the floor with such grace and beauty. To be honest, everything she wore looks good, and the gorgeous costume just magnifies that elegance even more.

 

Tsireya aspired to be like her someday.

 

"What do you think?" One of the ladies asked.

 

Vrrewi ran her hand over rows of beads and woven rattans, eyes shimmering as she smiled wide,

"It's perfect."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

The wedding feast was held on the shores of Awa'atlu. Per Metkayina customs, the village would feast from day to eclipse, before boarding their ships and set off to the Cove of the Ancestors to witness the wedding ceremony.

 

Tsireya moved in her seat, the beaded cape that shrouded her chest and flung over both of her shoulders made a clinking sound as she reached to fill her cup. Her hair, now adorned with flowers and beads and curled up into an updo, fell down the length of her spine and brushed against her skin while she sipped the cold, sweet liquid.

 

"Are you allowed to drink that?" Came a voice that made her jolt. She turned her head up to see Lo'ak approaching.

 

"Hi." She smiled.

 

He pushed the corners of his lips up as he shifted his weight back and forth,

"Hey."

 

She followed his eyes down to the object in her hand and gasp out a small oh ,

"It's not kava. This one's just a berry juice fermented for a bit with honey."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah." She giggled, motioning him to give her his cup to fill with the same juice she's drinking,

"Looks like one, but tastes entirely different. Try it and you might like it."

 

Lo'ak raised his cup to sip, gasping after the liquid went down his palette,

 

"Ooh, wow ." His eyes widened as he looked down intensely at it,

"Definitely not kava."

 

"See?"

 

"I like it."

 

"Told you." She laughed,

"And it goes well with salted grilled fish too."

 

"My," A cheeky grin crept up his face as she pushed the said food in a dish towards him.

"Now we're talking. I've been famished for the whole afternoon, and people here don't seem to eat anything much but kava and small knick-knacks–is this like a tradition or something?"

 

"Well," She lulled her head,

"According to customs, we'll send the newlyweds off at the shore, then we come back and enjoy ourselves until morning. So normally, we don't eat much before the sendoff because we have huge loads of food waiting for us after that."

 

"Oh, so it's…"

 

"Yeah," She smiled,

"We're just saving rooms. But I managed to sneak out some of these-" She lifted the plate and shook it,

"-From the kitchen, so if you don't mind–"

 

"Absolutely not." He slid in next to her as she moved to give him the space, placing the fish right between them.

 

They didn't exchange much conversation after that, only for some time that Tsireya offered to refill his berry juice or Lo'ak helped pick off the bones from the fish for her.

 

By the time they finished the plate, it was almost time for the ceremony. She led Lo'ak to wash their hands in the ocean,

 

"Here," She offered him a halved we'aypasuk from a small stand beside the washing point,

"We'aypasuk smells fresh and nice, its juice would rid that fishy smell of your hand."

 

"Smell-" He briefly raise his fingers to his nose and spring back as soon as he got a waft of the smell from his hands,

"Oh shit."

 

She bent down to smell it too and immediately scrunched her nose, that did smell bad. So to make it even, she smelled her own hand and offered to him in return.

 

He made a face and swore under his breath, they both had a disgusted expression and when they looked at eachother it was so funny that they burst out laughing. Tsireya quickly squeezed the sour juice onto her palms and rubbed her fingernails in the pulp before passing it to him.

 

"Now that's much, much better." He sighed as he smelled his hand after they washed them.

 

"Yeah." She giggled, shaking what's left of the water away as she stood above the sea surface.

 

"Do you know when the feast will be over?" He asked, skittering beside her as they walked back to the shore.

 

"Normally we kids would go rest first," She explained,

"Many adults stayed until morning. You wanna stay up until then?"

 

"It sounds nice." He shrugged,

"To feel the atmosphere of a feast again."

 

Tsireya paused when she heard the slightest glimpse of nostalgia in his voice. She turned her eyes to see him looking across the sea, a flash of loneliness passed through his beautiful amber orbs. She licked her lips slowly,

 

"You must've missed home."

 

"Who?" His answer came a bit too late,

"Me? Pfft, I'm perfectly fine. I like it here."

 

She arched a ridge above her eyes, and his ears jerked down for a split second.

 

"If there's anything I can help, feel free to tell me, yeah?"

 

Lo'ak chuckled and gave her a nod with a wide, close-lipped smile as they went down the woven path to the sandy floor,

 

"'Course I will."

 

"And I don't actually think it'll do good for you to stay with the adults until the feast is over." She added.

 

His dark-haired brows–another feature from the sky people's blood passed down by his father–furrowed down,

 

"Why so?"

 

"Because…" She tucked his arm and pointed to a corner of the feast, where a group of Metkayina are laughing their lungs out at one of them who's staggeringly dancing on the sand,

"There will be kava…like, lots of kava. And that one over there is just a very lucky situation that could occur."

 

His mouth fell open a bit more, and he leaned in to whisper to her,

 

"And the worst case scenarios?"

 

She took a deep breath, replying in a hushed voice,

"There was a tattooing ceremony few years back, two of the adults were so drunk in the feast that they dared eachother to race on their tsuraks to the Seawell Terrace."

 

"And?" His tone grew anxious.

 

"One of them almost drowned not far from the village from his stupor. The other ended up on the shores of the Ta'unui clan–accidentally slapping two of the members who tried to help him in the process might I add–we spent quite a considerable time to assure the Olo'eyktan and the Tsahìk that he and our clan meant absolutely no harm."

 

Lo'ak's jaws paused for a long moment before he slowly moved his lips to reply,

 

"...Oh."

 

She nodded,

"Yeah."

 

They entered the bonfire where most of the village gathered, and she was walking him back to his family when she saw the young villagers starting to crowd around the fire too many to be normal.

 

Dimming her eyes, she slid through the rows until she got to the middle of the whole thing.

 

Only when she raised her arms to pry off the last row of bystanders did Tsireya realize she'd been holding onto Lo'ak's hand the whole time.

 

"Oh," She gasped,

"Oh, sorry."

 

"What-" His brows furrowed, but when he glanced down his eyes widened and his ears jerked up. His amber orbs shot up at hers and then back down to their hands and his lips moved to talk, nothing came out at first until he managed to say something,

 

"Oh, oh-um-" He stammered,

"No. No worries."

 

"I'll let g-"

 

"No-Don't-"

 

"Wha-"

 

"If-" He ducked his head down, his free hand raised up to rub the back of his neck,

"I don't really know the way around here. If you let go I might get lost."

 

"Oh-" She choked on her breath,

"Okay."

 

"Yeah." His reply was barely audible.

 

She looked around and tried to come up with another topic of conversation before this awkward atmosphere would kill her. Thankfully, Kxa’ang—one of her brother’s friend is around here for her to ask.

 

"What's going on?" She asked.

 

He turned back to her, arms crossing over his chest,

 

"The time has come. Join in if you like, I think I'll sit this out."

 

Tsireya raised the ridges above her brows,

 

"Come on, Kxa’ang. Are you tired?"

 

"I am tired." He clicked his tongue,

"Generally thanks to your brother."

 

"He gave you quite a hard time, didn't he?" She giggled,

"It's fine. Let him drink and feast as he likes tonight and tomorrow he'll return to the normal Aonung we all know."

 

"If you haven't live with him long enough or haven't noticed, Tsireya," Kxa’ang looks like he's about to pass out,

"It takes a normal amount of kava to make your tsmukan drunk, but we will need about twice or–Great Mother forbids– thrice of that to knock him out unconscious. Do you know what that means? That means I must put up with Drunk Aonung a lot more than I preferred. Thank the Mother that he only does this during celebrations, I wouldn't still be with him if he's like this everytime we went out drinking together."

 

"Was this…uh… Drunk Aonung that bad?" Lo'ak asked, curiosity shines inside his amber eyes.

 

"He wasn't that-"

 

"He was bad." Her brother's friend confirmed, cutting through her sentence.

"There were two moods present in his stupor; the moody one that gets irritated with the smallest things, and the joyful one who was happy with everything . There was one time he was giggling with a pillar of his marui, a pillar of his marui that was wrapped with rattan and held his home strong with perseverance and duty for so many years, it didn't deserve that sight."

 

The Toruk Makto's second born raised his haired eyebrows, she could see amusement surfaced up under those curiosity until he choked back the laughter, fighting through his smile,

 

"Oh no."

 

She slapped his arm then, and he cracked out giggling.

 

"So what's happening?" He asked when their lungs had gone tired from laughing, chest heaving.

 

Tsireya smiled,

 

"Every feast must include a dance."

 

His eyes widened.

 

But before they could exchange another conversation, the ground reverberated under their feet, created by multiple drums being beaten in the same rhythm.

 

Tsireya laughed, pulling his hand along as the crowd starts moving.

Chapter 10: vomun.

Summary:

Neteyam enjoys the feast, and maybe some company.

vomun

neteyam

The beats of the drums are hard. Sharp, quick and urging. That, combined with the flares and the heat of the big bonfire, the sound of the stomping and the clapping from the movements of the dancing Metkayina made a strange ecstasy rush through Neteyam's body.

 

He looked around, unsure if he should go in or not.

 

That's until someone grabs his arm.

 

"Come on!" She shouted over the sound of the surrounding feast.

 

How'd he got here?

 

Well,

 

It begins some time ago, with him coming to the feast with his family.

 

Neteyam was familiar with the Omaticayan party, and the reef people's style is not that much different from it. His parents didn't have much problem finding their seats amongst the villagers, Tuk disappeared into the children's corner, apparently enjoying her time with the many peers she had quickly befriended since their arrival, Lo'ak wandered off–he prayed secretly to the Great Mother that he'll not find for himself any more troubles, and Kiri just casually went to the least occupied area to spend time with herself.

 

So Neteyam, the only Sully left not seated, decided to go sightseeing around the feast. Maybe he could find something for his isolation-loving sister to eat, given that if there's too many people there's a thin chance Kiri would go out to find food for herself, and he can't let her starve.

 

He carefully treaded his way along the bonfire and the rocks occupied by many green-skinned Na'vi, sneaking behind the musicians, all the while keeping his eyes open and searching. When no food was spotted, Neteyam was left quite baffled and eventually went back to Kiri. If he couldn't feed her, the least he could do is keep her company.

 

But when he returned to his sister, he found she already had company.

 

Rotxo was sitting beside her, they were talking over something quietly with cups filled with drinks in their hands. Kiri's small smile breaks out once in a while, but he's been with her for too long to know that she's enjoying the conversation enough.

 

So Neteyam resorted to a sigh and a quick turn around to check for vacant areas.

 

He finally settled down at a lonely spot, getting himself a drink in the process. His eyes wandered around as he took a sip of kava, from a glimpse of his youngest sister that is now cracking jokes and laughing along with other Metkayina kids, then to his parents who are talking comfortably with both the leaders of the clan–his father and Tonowari probably discussing the geography of the reef, his mother and Ronal he deduced were talking over the topics concerning the traditions and cultures of their clans, he saw Lo'ak–thank the Great Mother he doesn't look like he got into a fight anywhere earlier–sitting with Tsireya, talking over a plate of grilled fish (he had to ask them later on how to get it), and Kiri looks relaxed enough with her unexpected company.

 

Everybody was having a good time, and Neteyam was content by just looking at them.

 

It was what he should always do, however, to ensure all of his siblings' (and sometimes his parents') happiness.

 

The reef style kava is not as spiced as the kava back home, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. His father had mentioned to him about a drink on Earth–the star he came from–that is some kind of an equivalent to this, and told him and Lo'ak of how it was restricted to only adults.

 

Kava is not that prohibited amongst children, so when they were younger, Jake would always make it clear to them that there will be no alcoholic drink for them until after they passed iknimaya. Though Lo'ak had claimed his ikran, due to the fact that the event happened just shortly before they moved to Awa'atlu, he didn't have a chance to do the uniltarol yet. Neteyam and Kiri, however, had passed all the requirements to be considered  grown-ups (Jake would sometimes say that if they were on Earth they'd still be considered children, but this is not Earth, no?), so they were allowed to eat freely.

 

His long fingers rubbed along the ridges of the cup in his palm, eyes spanning out to the sea as he thought of the last time he attended a wedding.

 

It was about a year ago, when one of the hunters in the Omaticaya clan decided to mate with a singer. The feast that celebrates their union was not as big as this, but it was lovely nonetheless.

 

Oh, how he missed home.

 

Neteyam missed his grandmother's songs, he missed climbing around and running through the soft grass, balancing over the thick branches and ascending to Ayram Alusìng. He missed residing under large leaves in the rain and sleeping on the bank of the river in the warm afternoon, letting himself fall into a dream with the sounds of the streams, or exploring the jungle on Eanrawm's back.

 

He missed his friends too.

 

He pressed his lips, emptying the kava.

 

Then, he thought of that fateful eclipse, when Lo'ak told their parents he found some suspicious people in the jungle.

 

The terror was still imprinted deep inside his mind. Of the tall shadows that held guns and donned with what seems to be human military uniforms, of the cold voice of someone ordering those soldiers, of the second he stepped in to protect his mother and the second his father pushed him out of death's way, of the cries of his sisters and the icy blades at their neck along with merciless hands on their queues, of how Kiri sounded so heartbroken when she knew Spider was taken, of how they had came so close to returning to Eywa, and how Lo'ak and him both trembled in their father's arms.

 

He desperately wished it was just a terrible nightmare.

 

Neteyam sighed, standing up to go and fill his cup yet again.

 

Just when he was reaching the bonfire, he saw her.

 

Heriä's dark hair was styled differently from usual, there were beads of different colors in her braid, and some kind of powder that glitters under the moonlight was added to it. Her cape was made with pale blue seaglass beads that fell over her shoulders, hanging along her back, and he could see a woven shell choker on her neck.

 

He didn't know that a forest Na'vi would look this good in Metkayina garments.

 

It took him quite a long time to remember he had to blink.

 

And the long stare made her notice him as well.

 

Her amber orbs met his, and she raised her hand to wave at him, a smile gracing her lips.

 

Neteyam swallowed, returning the gesture with his own.

 

Hi . She mouthed.

 

Hi. He responded with a small smile.

 

Heriä looked at him for a moment, then pursed her lips slightly,

 

You can sit with me .

 

He blinked.

 

She seemed to say something, but then licked her lips and cocked her head to a space by her side, eyeing it to enunciate the meaning,

 

Come here .

 

Neteyam was confused, but then he found himself walking over towards her.

 

"Here," She patted the space beside her,

"Sit with me."

 

"Oh-" He blinked, looking around hesitantly.

 

"You're too tall," Heriä reached out, grabbing him by the wrist and pulled him down,

"If you don't sit down, I'll hurt my neck. I wanted to talk to you without hurting my neck. And this seat is unoccupied, so sit down please."

 

Neteyam let out a laugh and shifted himself to fit into the seat.

 

"More kava?" She offered, overlooking his yet unfilled cup.

 

"That would be lovely, thank you." He smiled.

 

After making sure they had enough drink, she turned to him,

 

"I'm thinking…"

 

"Mmhmm?"

 

"How about we canoed out tomorrow? It is near the mating season of the Mawups, so they would be returning to the shores to lay their eggs around this time. If we're lucky, we might see them."

 

He nodded,

"Fine by me."

 

She hummed in acknowledgement, raising her cup to take another gulp. The crystal pieces of her cape glitters in reflection of the flame in front of them.

 

"Wh-" He was about to ask her about the powder in her hair when a voice interrupted their conversation.

 

"Enjoying the silence, eh?"

 

Neteyam blinked in surprise, Heriä did not. She rolled her eyes slowly and raised her gaze up to meet her brother's, lips thinned into an almost invisible smile,

 

"Why, I thought you were off drinking until you passed out, Aonung."

 

"The eclipse is young." Aonung put his free hand on his hip, the other that held his cup raised to her,

"There are many things yet to do. Don't just sit there."

 

Heriä's fingers twitched as she tapped them up and down her knee, eyes darting away and shrugged,

 

"I'm just saving my energy."

 

"Oh, yeah." He gulped down the kava,

"You'll need it a lot in no time."

 

"As are you, Aonung." She clicked her tongue,

"Keep drinking like that and you'll be too dizzy to join me later."

 

Aonung scoffed,

 

"We'll see."

 

She gave him an emotionless smile, toasting her cup,

 

"Yes, we'll see."

 

A boy came into the scene, most likely one of Aonung's peers, and shook his arm,

 

"Yo," He said,

"It's happening. You coming?"

 

He turned to look at him, smirking,

 

"Do I look like I'm not coming?"

 

Then, he turned to his sister,

"Care to come with me, Tsmuke?"

 

Heriä huffed out a small laugh, putting her kava down and stood up, tidying her beaded loincloth,

 

"Gladly."

 

Neteyam sat there, quite confused as to what's coming and what's happening until Aonung's friend tapped him on the arm,

 

"Come with us, forest boy!"

 

"To where?" He asked.

 

"The bonfire!" The boy pointed where Heriä and her brother are walking,

"We're having a dance!"

 

"Dance-" He gasped while being pulled out of his seat and dragged along with them,

"But I don't know how to-"

 

"You'll be fine!" He said,

"It's gonna be fun! Let's go!!"

 

Neteyam found himself in the crowds, surrounded by many strangers. He tried to look around to find just a single familiar face, but none of them popped out.

 

Where is Heriä? Where is Aonung?

 

And when he turned around, the boy who take him here for the first place also vanished in the waves of Metkayina villagers.

 

So he tried to walk out, but there are too many people and eventually that became a strong wall, blocking him from even prying away another row.

 

Oh great.

 

Before he could do anything more, the area erupted with loud bangs of drums, the vibrations sent through the ground up straight to his feet. The crowd started cheering and whistling, moving around the flames together.

 

Neteyam pursed his lips as he was being carried along with them.

 

There's no coming out of this anytime soon, then.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

"Heriä." Automatically, he grabbed her arm back like he found an anchor in the storm. His fingers tightened around her skin without even knowing as he elaborated further, his voice so panicked and unsure when he said,

 

"I don't know how to dance."

 

"No worries." She pulled him closer, away from the crowd.

"It's not that hard. Follow my lead."

 

She raised her arms up and started guiding him through each move slowly, Neteyam copying quite awfully after them as the beats of the drum went on and on.

 

"Not bad, not bad." She complimented,

"You're good to go."

 

Of course all Neteyam wanted is to get back to his seat and his kava, but what could he do now in this Na'vi circle but dance along until eventually and fortunately the wall of villagers got just a bit more loose enough for him to slip out.

 

So he danced.

 

At first he was stiffened, he doesn't know if he's doing it right. He knew that a forest Na'vi dancing amongst the reef people would definitely stand out, so he tried to do his best. He is the firstborn of the Toruk Makto and a guest who seeks uturu, there will be many eyes watching for his stranger of a family. His father and mother would expect him to behave the best. Kiri wouldn't join the dance in the first place, and he doubt Lo'ak would do it without getting himself into troubles, so that means he's the best representative of his family to join in the traditions of the Metkayina.

 

But then, he realized, no one was actually watching him. Not deliberately. Only some glances that glossed over or along him, not really even focused on him.

 

Everyone was just enjoying the dance.

 

So Neteyam exhaled and loosened his muscles up a bit more, letting himself slowly flow with the sound of the drums and the combination of musical bows and flutes.

 

At some point, he found himself laughing and cheering along with the people around him. Some of them even clapped at him, hyping him up.

 

Heriä was dancing beside him, her crystal beads reflected the flares of the fire, giving off a glittering effect while she twirled. He also noticed how her steps were more airy and how she seemed to almost float through the ground.

 

From a glimpse, he could see Lo'ak and Tsireya dancing together. Though lanky and fumbling at times, sticking permanently on his baby brother's face is one of the brightest smiles he had seen since they arrived at the reef clan.

 

He danced and danced and laughed until he was out of breath. When Heriä held out her hand and anchored him down again, he was panting for air. Neteyam felt his chest heaving hard as they took advantage of a small parting in the crowd and slipped out finally.

 

"How is it?" She asked when she helped him sit down on the sand not far from the scene they just fled from.

 

He breathed,

 

"It was-It was good."

 

The corners of her lips tucked into a smile as she flopped herself down beside him, letting her body relaxed as she fell onto her back and giving out a small grunt,

 

"Glad you like it."

 

Neteyam turned his head towards her while his lungs were still getting the rest it needed. Heriä laid there, bathing under the gleaming starlights and kissed by the flares of the fire, looking as if she's a being from the stars that descended down to mingle with people of Eywa'eveng.

 

" You look beautiful ." He heard himself whisper over the music.

 

Great Mother, he sounded so lame.

 

Then, she laughed.

 

"That's very nice of you to say that."

 

He blinked.

 

Heriä turned her amber eyes towards him, amusement gleamed in it.

 

"You look dashing today too, genius."

 

Neteyam chuckled, feeling his cheekbones heating.

 

"Thank you."

 

Their quickened breaths slowed down at last.

 

"Better?"

 

He nodded,

"Yeah."

 

She slowly pushed herself half up beside him, eyes staring into the bonfire,

 

"I don't think your brother and my sister will quit anytime soon."

 

He followed her gaze, landing his eyes on Lo'ak who's now leaping around, laughing hysterically, with Tsireya giggling and clapping and urging at his side.

 

Neteyam smiled,

 

"No, they won't."

 

They watched the dance silently, and she poked him lightly to signal him to look up as the female Metkayina dressed in pearls who must have been Vrrewi and another Metkayina with strong built strode alongside each other towards the center of the bonfire.

 

"That is Vrrewi." Heriä explained from his side, confirming his deductions.

"She is a great dancer. No one does it like her."

 

"Mmhmm." He murmured back in response.

 

"Beside her is Umäì, he is Rotxo's brother."

 

"I can see."

 

"It's the smile and the hair, isn't it?" There's a small laugh in her voice.

 

He chuckled,

"Yeah. I can imagine what Rotxo would look like in his adulthood just by looking at him."

 

Umäì had wide shoulders and muscular body, but the way he held his mate was contrasting those strong looks of his drastically. Neteyam was amazed at how he could be so delicate and gentle in supporting Vrrewi's waist as she twirled around him. His wide smile was almost identical with his younger brother, and the crowd cheered, slowly dissipating around to make enough space for the centers of the feast as the music softened down to beautiful waves of rhythmic combination.

 

"They look so good together."

 

"They did." She replied, a smile coming with it.

 

After some time, both of them started walking towards the shore. Heriä got up from her spot, offering him her hand,

 

"Come. Let's send them off."

 

"To where?" Neteyam asked as he used her arm as a leverage to stand up.

 

"The Spirit Tree. It's in the Cove of the Ancestors, our spiritual site." She explained, trying to dust the sand off her seaweed and rattan-woven pearl skirt.

 

"Here." He stepped in and helped her, earning a small thanks back.

 

"I'll take you there one day when we're free, yeah?"

 

"Yeah."

 

The whole village started following the two mates-to-be too. By the time they reached the shore almost all of the people had gathered around them already.

 

"Congratulations, Vrrewi." One of them said.

 

"I wish you all the happiness." Another uttered.

 

Many voices felicitated and wished them good luck and happiness. Vrrewi's smile was as bright as the glittering pearls that caught the starlight she wore, while Umäì looked shy at all the praises suddenly pouring onto them.

 

Heriä treaded forward, taking both of the reef Na'vi's hands into hers, holding it tight and giving them a small but genuine smile,

 

"Be happy, Vrrewi, Umäì. You deserve it. May the Great Mother's blessings be upon you both and your household."

 

"Thank you, Heriä." Vrrewi used her free hand to cover over the younger's hand that also held her own, tapping it affectionately,

"I wish you too, the happiness of the world."

 

Umäì flashed a smile, crinkling his aquamarine eyes in the process as he ruffled up her braided hair,

 

"See you around, kid."

 

Neteyam stood with her and the residence of Awa'atlu as the two of them climbed into the canoe decorated with pearls and sea crystals beads and seaweeds, rowing away to the Cove of the Ancestors.

 

When the sound of the crowd faded, he heard a soft sniff from his side.

 

The firstborn of Toruk Makto blinked as he rapidly turned his head quick enough to see Heriä wiping the corner of her eyes.

 

"Were-" He gulped,

"Were you crying?"

 

She glared at him, amber orbs still glassy,

 

"I know them since I was a child, genius. You have no idea how much they had gone through."

 

"Uh…" He pressed his lips,

"Well, you wanna talk about it then?"

 

She gave a halfhearted nod, but gesture to the long shore pathway on the other side of the feast nonetheless,

 

"Let's walk back that way."

 

"Right."

 

They started striding through the sand together, the relaxing sounds of waves crashing into the shore filled up a moment of silence between them.

 

"When I was young," She began finally,

"I was well aware of my difference from the other kids, they made sure I do so. Vrrewi was one of a few teenagers who stepped in and intervene sometimes when she happened to pass by, not like the others her age who either ignore or watch and giggle with each other. She was just starting her role as the village's dancer, at that time. She's not as good as she is now, but her pure talent alone was enough to make many dancers felt threatened. Many times when she came to me to share some snacks or play some stupid stuff together, I saw some cuts on her feet."

 

Neteyam's brows creased

"Did they-"

 

"Yeah." She sighed,

"Apparently they found some ways to lay shards of sharp things onto the floor, so she stepped on them while she danced."

 

"That's…" He breathed out,

"That's horrible."

 

"I know." Heriä pressed her lips, dragging her toes across the soft surface of the beach,

"But she never relented. She fought back in her own way. And finally, she rose to become one of the main dancers of the village who had the honor to perform every important event there is."

 

Then, she turned towards the sea,

 

"Umäì was usually looked down upon by his peers when he first joined the patrol teams. They thought he was too playful and too young, many times he was sent to go patrolling alone in the reefs. He wasn't this tall and this strong from the start. Actually, it's safe to say he's much thinner and even more awkward than Rotxo when he was his age."

 

"I wouldn't be able to tell." He mumbled.

 

She laughed,

"He was determined to be a good warrior like my Sempul. Many adults looked at him and laughed at his endeavors. But then one day an akula finds its way into the territory while everyone's sleeping, and he is the first to reach it and kill it by his own hands. That earns him the respect from his team after a long time they spent pranking him."

 

He nodded along,

"I see."

 

Neteyam could hear her smile as she nudged onto him with her shoulder,

 

"You look a lot more relaxed than the first day you came here today, genius. I'm glad."

 

His mouth twisted into a close-lipped smile, looking downwards as he let out a low chuckle,

 

"Thanks."

 

She jumped up the rattan-woven pathway, offering him her hand and pulled him up. They walked alongside each other until they reached his family's marui.

 

He peered through the entrance, making out a shadow that might've been Tuktirey and Kiri sleeping inside.

 

"It seems we must keep our voice low then." Heriä's whisper resonated from the back of his ear, Neteyam silenced his gasp as he felt his heart skip a beat.

 

He turned around, unaware of the close proximity between them.

 

The bridges of their noses brushed.

 

Neteyam could see the slight glimpse of surprise flashed across her amber eyes as she pulled back, ears flicked upwards as she gaped her mouth open and close, lost at words.

 

"I-" He barely murmured,

"Sleep well then."

 

"Yeah-" She pressed her lips, casting her gaze downwards,

"See you tomorrow."

 

He thought he saw Heriä's cheeks flashed in a shade of purple.

Chapter 11: vopey.

Summary:

the beach incident, and the incident that came after.

vopey

heriä

 

 

 

 

"Look at you." She laughed, her hand clutched onto the rein of her ilu,

"You're now an expert."

 

"Compliments accepted." Neteyam gave her a grin as he urged Tsngem forward, having just beat her in a short race.

 

"When shall we go see the mawups again?" He asked,

"A few days ago was real fun."

 

Heriä chuckled, thinking back to the day she took him to the turtapedes that resided in the islands further out the village. They watched their shells shimmered mesmerizingly in the sunlight as they came ashore, and rode on that enormous thick surface together.

 

Yes, it was real fun.

 

"Easy, genius." She said,

"There's no need for such rush. Those mawups would be here until the water becomes colder. At least two months, I presume. We have time."

 

He pressed his lips,

 

"Okay then."

 

Heriä clicked her tongue,

 

"Next time, you're the one rowing, yeah?"

 

Neteyam scrunched his face, groaning as he slowly nodded,

 

"Fine. Yeah."

 

She looked at his nose, pressing her lips as the memory of Umäì and Vrrewi's wedding feast flashed into her mind, of the heat of his skin warmed hers when they huddled close together at the entrance of his marui, of his surprised gasp and the sudden turns of his ears, and of the rush of her heart when the tips of their nose grazed against each other.

 

Heriä blinked rapidly, chasing away the thoughts. She turned her head away from him, eyes scanning along the shoreline in distraction when she saw something unusual.

 

"Hey," She tapped his arm,

"Is that your sister?"

 

Neteyam followed her gesture, and his face turned dark.

 

She could make out a few Metkayina on the beach surrounding a teenage forest Na'vi girl, most surely Kiri, and another boy, Lo'ak. It doesn't look like they were just playing at all. And if her eyes don't deceive her, the one who's the most animated in the reef boy's group had the same posture as her brother.

 

"Aonung, what did you get yourself into?" She hissed under her breath, suppressing the urge to massage her temples or cursed out.

 

Heriä and Neteyam glanced at each other one last time, before tightening their grips on their ilus and commanded them to deliver both of them ashore.

 

There were laughs when they rose from the sea. Not one of joy, but one of mockery.

 

"Baby tail!" The boys chimed, annoyingly repeating as they followed both the Sully siblings around to infuriate them, or made them cry, or whatever their motive was.

 

"Leave us alone!" Kiri demanded while they started yanking and poking at her brother's tail. There was fear and insecurity painted all over her face.

 

Neteyam looked less than pleased, eyes narrowed as he marched up to land and strode towards the group, shoving away Aonung when he was approaching Lo'ak.

 

Heriä quickly went to Kiri's side.

 

"You okay?"

 

She nodded, but her eyes weren't really conveying the message that much,

"Yeah."

 

"You heard what she said," His voice was low like she'd never heard before, one of fury and protectiveness like a palulukan provoked. He extended his hand out to push her brother's chest, keeping him at a distance while making sure he understood the ultimatum,

 

"Ah," One of Aonung's peers mocked, ignorant to the fury in Neteyam's face,

"Big brother coming-"

 

But he was stopped by his leader before he could finish.

 

"Back off," Neteyam snarled sharply, ears flopped down in a way one would do to show anger, shoving the Metkayina boy's chest with his finger one last time to emphasize his message,

 

(Heriä was wondering what stops him from hissing out.)

 

"Now."

 

Aonung stared at him for a moment, before raising his hand up in defeat.

 

The firstborn son of Toruk Makto nodded,

 

"Smart choice." He then turned to the other boys,

"From now on, I need you to respect my sister."

 

One of them hissed back, but Aonung tapped him and put an end to the act.

 

"Let's go." Neteyam told his siblings, his tone much softer.

 

She glanced one last time at her brother before turning her back to walk with them.

 

"Bye bye, freaks." The boys voiced behind,

"All of them." And they laughed.

 

The ridges above her brows twitched.

 

They wouldn't stop, would they?

 

She spotted Neteyam's jaws clenched and unclenched, obviously holding himself back. Heriä pressed her lips, thinking of the ways she could respond to this humiliating behavior of the teenagers in her father's clan that inflicted upon their guests that seeks uturu from them.

 

But just as she turned around to face them, Lo'ak's already walking back towards the group.

 

"Lo'ak." Neteyam called, almost hissed.

 

His younger brother raised a hand to motion him that he's fine,

 

"I got this, bro."

 

Kiri pursed her lips.

 

"Look," Lo'ak said, approaching her brother's gang, lifting his hand and flipped his palm to show them his fifth finger,

"I know this hand is funny, look. I'm a freak. Alien."

 

Aonung's lips curled into a smile, Heriä had never wanted to drag him by his kuru more.

 

"But it can do something really cool." Neteyam's brother raise his other hand to curl around his fingers,

"Watch, first step you wanna close it really tight like this, okay?"

 

Her brother looked closer, seemingly interested by whatever trick the forest boy's about to show.

 

"Then…" Lo'ak dragged his voice, push himself just a bit forward, then fling his tightened hand across Aonung's face.

 

The sound of the fist hitting the flesh was loud and clear in the silent shore, the Metkayina boy's eyes widened, his mouth agape, a shocked look all over his face. Lo'ak didn't waste his time to draw yet another strike, and another, until Aonung fell onto his butt on the sand.

 

"It's called a punch, bitch!" The forest boy said quite satisfyingly,

"Don't ever touch my sister again!"

 

All three of the Metkayina boys sprung up in a ready position, hissing as they threw themselves onto him. Aonung rushed forward and tackled Lo'ak down to the water, which was returned with being pushed off and punched into the face again. One of the other two boys—Koro, or any other names she couldn't care to remember—pulled the forest boy by his tail away from their leader and slapped him in the face with his much wider tail.

 

Heriä locked eyes with Neteyam, and she thought she knew what he wanted to do.

 

So she sighed and voiced out quite loudly,

 

"Oh, guys, stop! I'll go get the adults which are about two minutes at a regular pace away at that side! Oh, but if I walk slower it will take about three minutes…what to do? My legs are so sore today!"

 

With that, she winked at Neteyam and walked off calmly back towards the village.

 

He grinned, and from the corner of her eyes she saw him lounging towards the ruckus.

 

It took her four minutes to get the grownups down to the shore and seperate all of them. By then, every one of their faces were bruised and their skin decorated with cracks that leaked with red blood.

 

And it was quite fortunate to be honest, that the adults she had called to help her were the guards that were passing by. And they were sent back to the chief's marui as those men set off to find their parents and inform them.

 

Her father paled with anger when he knew of the scene caused by his only son and dragged him onto his akula out to the sea as soon as he was informed, leaving furious foams on the surface in their wake.

 

"What now?" Rotxo had a mix of exhaustion and surprise on his face when he asked her where Aonung went,

"For the love of Eywa, your brother can't keep himself still, can he?"

 

She shrugged, pulling out a basket and threw in some couple of vials,

 

"Been wondering so too."

 

"Where are you going?" He asked when she stood up with the basket on her hip.

 

"Checking in on the forest boys." Heriä halted near the hearth and took down some dried leaves and herbs, dumping them inside the woven container,

"If Aonung came back, be sure to tell him to stop hanging out with those boys, all of them combined bring not much of a good thing."

 

"As if he'd listen!" He voiced after her,

"Heriä, you know your brother. He's as stubborn as a starbeak!"

 

She only rolled her eyes in response and made her way through the village, heading towards the Toruk Makto's marui.

 

 

 

 

 

 

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heriä found him on the small shore that overlooked the sea.

 

He was silent, alone, bathed in the golden-red shades of the last light of the day, shaded by the shadows of the trees.

 

"How's the bruises going?" She plopped herself down next to him, laying the basket near her feet.

 

His amber orbs turned to her, and a corner of his lips curled up into a small smile,

 

"What do you think?"

 

"Not that good, I presume."

 

He chuckled, but refrained and faded into a wince when the pain spread from the wounds on his face.

 

She took out the herbs in the basket and the stone slab she carried with her, threw them onto it and started crushing them into paste.

 

"Stay still." Heriä told him as she positioned herself behind him, taking the herbal paste by her fingers and gently applying them onto the bruises.

 

Neteyam let out a small sound of discomfort, shifting in his seat as she rubbed the oil in the paste into his aching sensitive skin as soft as she could.

 

"Easy." She said,

"It will help you with the pain."

 

He hummed in response.

 

She wiped the blood from the scratches and cuts on his shoulders and arms away, cleaning them before applying the disinfectant mixture on.

 

He winced as she went from his back to his arm.

 

"I can do that part myself." He murmured.

 

"Look, genius," She hit her tongue against the backside of her teeth,

"I'm apologizing to you instead of my brother. Won't you just take it and sit still for me to make this right?"

 

His amber eyes glanced her way,

 

"You're not the one punching me."

 

"I'm not. And I actually kind of appreciate the fact that you smack my brother thoroughly, but Aonung's not gonna say sorry unless our Sempul holds his kuru tight and gives him the ultimatum. Also, it is good manners that we apologize first, so please let me be a good host and tend to you, yeah?"

 

She saw his lips twitched, before he nodded silently.

 

After some more time passed, Neteyam tilted his head towards her, his words as silent as the wind,

 

"Thank you."

 

The corners of her mouth tucked into a small smile,

 

"The pleasure is all mine, genius."

 

She dabbed the paste all over the slope of his shoulder before turning her attention to the bruises on that part, noting that the muscles upon the top of his arm are quite dense.

 

"It's fortunate that your body is strong," Heriä commented,

"Or else, these scratches might take longer to heal."

 

She felt him stiffened under her touch, and those amber orbs slowly glanced back to her,

 

"You-"

 

Heriä raised the ridges above her eyes,

"Yeah?"

 

"You…you think I'm strong?"

 

"Well, of course." She answered, well before her thoughts,

"You like hunting when you're still in the jungles, don't you? These muscles are hard."

 

"I…I do…" He stammered,

"Thank you…for your compliment."

 

She laughed,

 

"No need to be that humble. You're good at it and it shows. Be confident, yeah?"

 

"Yeah."

 

She finished the shoulders and the arms, then moved to his face.

 

"Turn this way."

 

Neteyam did what he was told, and she scanned her eyes all over, noticing some splits over his lips that were on full display, decorated with trails of red blood.

 

As she took the cleansing liquid her mother had made and tinted a few drops of them into a hewnerina', he inquired out with his brows knitted,

 

"Will it hurt?"

 

She blinked in surprise.

 

"Why? Are you scared?"

 

"No, not like tha-"

 

Before he could answer, she wiped the dried but soft fibrous endocarp soaked with the medicine over his cut.

 

"Ow!!" Neteyam almost jumped out of his skin, his face scrunched up with pain as he seethed between his teeth, his hands going up to the bleeding split.

 

"We have to, unless your lips get infected." She explained, putting away the stained hewnerina' as she joked a bit further,

"Great Mother forbids, you've got nice lips. I'd be sad if it's gone just because of a silly cut."

 

He huffed, voicing out as he carefully apply small pressure onto 

 

"Oh great, you like my lips, then?"

 

Heriä laughed at first, throwing her head backwards as the sound rumbled from her chest.

 

It was a great joke, until her humor died down and she locked eyes with him.

 

His amber orbs were fixed onto hers, she could see how clear they were, how they seemed to gleam under the darkening light upon the sky. She could see his pupils, beautifully shaped as they inched closer and closer–

 

Great Mother, he is getting closer.

 

Or is it she who leaned in?

 

Heriä felt her heart skip a beat. Sure, Neteyam is good looking. He had a fine face structure that would definitely bloom into a warrior of every girls’ dreams in the years to come. But she had never taken time to examine his features this much–at this close proximity.

 

He had an irritatingly perfect nose tip. It was not as flat as other Na'vi, but also not as prominent as the avatars that came from the mysterious process of the sky people.

 

A perfect combination of his father and his mother. A perfect work of Eywa.

 

It was so strange that even though it was darkening, she felt as if there's an aura of light glowing from him.

 

"Hmmm?" He hummed.

 

"What?" She breathed, whispering barely above her breath, the smile slowly faded from her face. 

 

Suddenly her head had become numb and slow, filled with buzzing and echoing sound that even thinking about where she is takes more than five breaths to process.

 

"Do you like it?" He asked again, tilting his head down towards her.

 

Heriä felt like a dumb toddler as she asked back,

 

"Like…what?"

 

His glittering golden eyes crinkled when he smiled, nudging in closer until she could feel his hot breath on her skin,

 

"Do you like my lips?"

 

She lowered her eyes onto said part of his face, noting the slight upcurve on the corners of it, the dip on the middle, the slight pout when he closes them-

 

Something inside her pulls her forwards, and Heriä had absolutely no thoughts inside her head when she leaned in and touched Neteyam's lips with hers.

 

It started like a touch of an atokirina' on the skin–gentle and light, until he adjusted the angle of his face and kissed her back.

 

The heat from his skin seeped into her, and she felt the tingle where his hand laid over hers. It was hot, it was as if everywhere they touched burns, but it was a burn that she had no urge of pulling away.

 

Heriä closed her eyes, feeling like there's a flock of wild dorado verde fluttering inside the pit of her stomach.

 

His lips were soft, they tasted like sunlight–warm, sincere, caring, with a tinge of blood and the faint bitterness of the medicinal herbs from the healing liquid she had just put on them earlier. She couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet, as if the gravity itself shifted towards him.

 

The sensation was like when she had flew Tíral up the sky for the first time after they had bonded; the tingling of skin, the rush of blood, the feeling of the heart puffing up inside the chest, as if she's about to float up and away into the vast air, but everything was amplified, everything was more than she'd felt before.

 

And truth be told, she likes it.

 

Before she knew it, Neteyam's hand moved up to her shoulder, then his fingers slowly slid up the curve of her neck. She could hear his heartbeat pounding clearly, and his heatwaves pouring into her even more, burning every inch that their skin touched-

 

Wait.

 

His heat was pouring into her.

 

Her eyelids ripped open, and she saw her freckles glowing more than they usually do.

 

Oh no.

 

Her mind raced, memories of the situations in times passed flashed inside her head. How the heat would seep into her the same way it poured out, indicating the energy of life that gives warmth to everything it touches.

 

How the flower she touched wilted as she sucked its life force dry.

 

Heriä's body acted as fast as her mind, she resisted the urge to stay and savor a little more of his kiss and pushed his chest, forcing him out of her as she quickly got up from her seat.

 

Neteyam gave out a heavy sigh, clearly confused. But as he lifted his eyes up to look at her, he grunted and grabbed a hold of his head.

 

Her heart sank, having obviously and immediately knew what just happened.

 

She had lost control.

 

"I-" She stammered, feeling as if someone had showered her with a large tub of icy-cold water,

"I'm so sorry."

 

His amber eyes gleamed weakly in the dark,

 

"Wha-"

 

He would've known.

 

He would've hated her.

 

She would've become a monster in his eyes.

 

Do not let them know, Heriä. The sound of her mother whispering to her with great seriousness many many years ago echoed into her ears once again, she could even feel the uneasy and even slightly terrified grip on her shoulders. She could even feel the texture of the wilted flowers she had just sucked dry that day on the skin her palm again.

 

Do not let them know. 

 

Heriä felt like she couldn't breathe, thinking of the terrified eyes of his looking upon her.

 

So she acted as her instinct told her.

 

She turned and ran away.

 

"Wait," His voice called from behind,

"Wait, Heriä!"

 

But all sounds were drowned in the numbness of her ears, and soon she could feel his presence no more.

 

Chapter 12: vosìng

Summary:

the nightmare, and the three brothers.

Notes:

First of all, I am so sorry for my absence and the late update! College life has been quite hard on me, and the level of determination I have to put into each exams and quizzes are obviously more than those in high school.

I thank you all for still being here, waiting patiently for this story’s update. All your kudos, bookmarks, comments and even hits means so much to me.

I think that’ll be all I have to say for now. Enjoy this chapter, love you!

vosìng

heriä

 

 

 

 

Heriä spent almost the whole day around the territorial sea of Awa'atlu. She jumped onto Lawr as soon as she finished her breakfast and took some of the grilled reef lobster her mother had made with her out for lunch, not intending in any way to come back until the sun sets.

 

And of course, avoid going anywhere near the marui of the Sully's as much as possible.

 

It had been only a day, and just a glimpse of the Toruk Makto's residence brought the strange fluttering feeling back into her stomach–wild, unpredictable, uncontrollable.

 

She hasn't seen him since then.

 

The touch of his lips still lingered, and after that, the fluttering vortex inside her stomach. But then, the memories of the previous night would always flash back and hit her like a rock in the head, pulling her back to reality, reminding her that she should keep herself away from him as much as possible, for the time being at least.

 

For his own good.

 

She could never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her.

 

For his own good.

 

She shook her head frustratingly, getting rid of the heat gathering about her cheeks.

 

Lawr squirmed beneath her uncomfortably, sensing her rider's negative emotions through the kuru inside her braid. The low confusing grunt of her makes Heriä pressed her lips together and stroke the top of the ilu's head,

 

"I'm sorry."

 

Sighing, the forest Na'vi urged her mount towards a small, solitude shore. She strolled silently after getting off her ilu and onto the sand, feeling the soft grains seeping into the space between her toes.

 

Not many knew about this place, except for some guards that patrol the territory regularly. It lies secretly in a space between a stone mountain, almost disappearing into the jungle. Heriä herself discovered it only a few years back when she was playing hide and seek with her siblings. She often found herds of dorado verde and some glider fins around the shore of sand and stones, and found the atmosphere peaceful.

 

Her feet made soft contact noises to the fallen tree trunk as she crossed it over a small stream that flows through the jungle into the ocean up front. Once treading past the borders into the deeper part of the forest, she sat herself down, resting her back against the trunk of a tall tree, and decided to open the leaf wrappings she had brought with her since morning.

 

The lobster was stale. Who should she blame but herself for taking it with her for hours since dawn cracks the sky?

 

She consumed it as it is, savoring the small tastiness left in the cold and toughened meat before discarding the wrappings.

 

Heriä sighed for probably the hundredth time of the day as she laid over onto the green grass, staring straight up through the canopy of leaves that obscured the light of the day.

 

She lifted her hand up, feeling the warm rays on her skin.

 

And what now? The voice in her head chimed,

Avoiding him for the rest of your stay?

 

I don't know. She sighed.

 

You know you can't run away from it forever. It retorted.

 

Shut up. Heriä bit the bottom of her lips frustratingly, rolling onto her side and closed her eyes.

 

Maybe a little sleep could ease her mind.

 

She calmed herself down, listening to the slowing thump of her heart. The darkness engulfed her, then soon, slowly, the surrounding noise faded.

 

When she opened her eyes again, she was on Tíral. She felt the wind swept her hair, and the beads on her braids hitting her skin as she raced through the sky. The familiar landmarks along the way indicated that she was in the territory of Kekunan, and soon she found that she was speeding towards the sea.

 

The path was peculiar, but somehow she entered the Metkayina sea. Heriä was in the middle of figuring out how she got there in the first place when she saw smoke arising from the direction she's heading.

 

Her blood froze.

 

It was Awa'atlu.

 

Red and orange flickers flew upwards along the cluster of darkened air, the burning stench made the ridges above her eyes frowned, the sounds of wood cracking in the fire didn't help much, either.

 

Under the big tree, she landed her ikran. Casting her eyes around, she let out a weak gasp as she laid her sight on the burning piles of rattans between the roots that used to be maruis. As quick as her thoughts, she climbed the damaged walkways and staggered through the village.

 

She felt her breath become uneven as she treaded and looked down. There were ilus, laying dead, surfacing the water that turned red from their blood. She saw shapes of bodies laying on the edge of the path and hastened to them, only to find that they were dead. All familiar faces, people of the village that used to wave and smile at her.

 

Her hands shook as she used it to support herself to walk further.

 

Sa'nok. Sempul.

 

Heriä swallowed the lump inside her throat, turning on her heels and quickening her pace towards her parent's marui.

 

Her feet stopped at what used to be the majestic residence of the Olo'eyktan. The pillars at the entrance had evidence of fights ensuing not long ago, with cuts and burns donning the length. There is fire on the steps, and the walls are a damaged mess. She felt a strange weight at her ankles, grounding her into place. Her lips trembled before she bit them to keep them still. With a wet grunt, she ripped her feet from the rattan surface, heading straight inside.

 

The sight that greeted her was the bloody frame of her father.

 

Tonowari was sitting leaning against the woven wall of their home, in his arms he held her mother tight against his chest.

 

"Sempul?" Her voice was much weaker than she thought it would be.

 

He had no response.

 

Heriä rushed to his side.

 

"Sa'nok? Sempul?" She shook their bloodied and covered-with-ashes shoulders. When none of them moved, she took a sickening stun and slowly held her fingers under their noses, praying to the Great Mother to not let her fears become true.

 

Her breath stuck inside her lungs when nothing came against her skin.

 

She gaped her mouth, a silent cry came out as the corners of her eyes started to burn.

 

Then, she saw a swaddle of rattan inside her parent's arms.

 

She shook her head, trying to get herself together as her fingers moved to uncover the surface. When she laid eyes upon what's inside, her body gave out.

 

A baby. A dead baby.

 

Her mother's youngest child.

 

"No…" Heriä pleaded, shaking.

 

She looked around in desperation, and found other shapes that could be made out as two teenagers.

 

"Tsi-Tsireya?" She called, scrambled to her feet and staggered across the floor.

 

It was her sister, with their brother laid close by.

 

Both of them were covered in blood.

 

"Aonung?"

 

"Heriä…" Tsireya's hoarse and weak call turned her eyes back to her sister. Her beautiful face is now adorned with bruises and cuts at various places.

 

"Tsmuke." She sat down next to her,

"What is going on? Who did this?"

 

Her hand reached for Aonung, brushing the messy curls off his motionless face as she swallowed her sobs back.

 

Tsireya let out a cough, before mouthing out,

 

"You."

 

She blinked.

 

"...What?"

 

"You made this." Her sister croaked, the fiery hues reflected in her green irises.

"You, and your…whatever that may be. You are the reason for this. You killed us all. My parents, my brother, Lo'ak, Neteyam…"

 

Heriä went still.

 

"Nete-"

 

The next thing she knew, she was on her feet, running towards the Sullys' marui with all the strength left in her. The heat of the explosion and the raging fire burned her skin, but she didn't slow down until she reached her destination.

 

"Neteyam!"

 

The forest Na'vi lay there, no movements coming from him. His brother and sisters piled up around him, all quiet.

 

She saw the Toruk Makto, laid dead on the platform towards the sea, one arm missing, and another intertwining with that of his mate's who rested right beside him, blood pooling from her abdomen.

 

Heriä fell onto her knees next to Neteyam, her trembling fingers traced the outline of his face. His amber eyes were open, but there was no life in it. She cradled his head as tears rolled down her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

 

"No-No, please…no."

 

You did this. Her sister's voice echoed,

You, and your…whatever that may be. You are the reason for this.

 

She shook her head, the screaming inside her head started to get louder and louder, and then it's in her head no more.

 

She did this.

She, and the curse she had. She's the reason for this.

 

"No, no, no!!!"

 

Heriä opened her eyes to the ambience of the secret forest, still screaming as she sprung up from her spot. The sky was red, indicating the nearing eclipse.

 

The grass beneath her was wilted and discolored, dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

 

 

 

 

 

She reached the village when it's starting to get dark, sneaking in as silent as she could.

 

Freeing their bond, she gave Lawr one last pet before letting her off to enjoy herself elsewhere. Dismissing the tiredness in her body, Heriä climbed up towards her family's marui and was greeted by an unusual sight of Aonung sitting by one of the openings, quietly fidgeting his tail.

 

He barely messes with his tail.

 

The only times he did that was when he's done something wrong.

 

Oh, Aonung. What did you get yourself into this time?

 

"What's wrong?" Her question visibly broke his focus, her brother flinched so hard it looked almost as if he's jumping off his skin.

 

"Wha-" His chest heaved,

"Nothing. It's nothing."

 

She quirked her brow,

 

"The last time you looked like that was when you broke Sa'nok's necklace and hid it under a tree. Do I have to force the answer out of you, or are you going to tell me yourself?"

 

He breathed, clearly struggling with himself when her eyes found an empty spot at the hangers on the corner of the walls.

 

"Wait, where'd your harpoon shooter go?"

 

With a frown, she turned back to meet his averting eyes, as if he's hiding something from her.

 

Her head started calculating.

 

If he had gone out with his boys to hunt fishes, of course he would take his harpoon shooter. All of the young Metkayina had their own shooter. There's no reason to lend it to someone else, except…

 

Except…

 

"Aonung…" She said, slowly,

"What have you done?"

 

"I…" He stammered, mouth opening and close multiple times like a fish out of the water,

"I didn't mean to-"

 

Then, he looked up to her. Fear was all over his blue irises.

 

"Heriä, I think I may have done something really bad."

 

She went still for a moment.

 

"Tell me what happened." Her voice was forced out,

"Tell me everything. Everything, Aonung."

 

He swallowed, fingers fidgeting with his tail yet again.

 

"He came up to us while we're at the Three Brothers…" Her brother began,

"So we took him to shoot some fish. Then, we left."

 

"And who is this he?"

 

That one look in his eyes sent chills down her spine.

 

She tried to remain as calm as possible while concluding his situation,

 

"Please don't tell me you left the youngest son of the Toruk Makto, who, might I remind you, requested uturu in our clan…" She breathed in and out slowly, suppressing her anger with the hand motions,

"Right outside of the reef, in the place which I have to remind you again that he shouldn't be in the first place, all alone?"

 

He stayed silent, biting his bruised lips.

 

And then another wave of recognition crashed into her mind, bringing about another piece of information that made her heart sink to the ground.

 

"Wait. Isn't this the akulas' mating season?"

 

Aonung went still.

 

"Surely you must know…" She was on the verge of screaming at this point, chest heaving heavily with the mixed emotions inside,

"Aonung, please tell me you remembered that the Three Brothers is the mating site and the main nursery for the akulas…"

 

His teary eyes tell her all there is to know.

 

"By the love of Eywa." She swore under her breath, leaving her spot,

"Stay here."

 

Calling for her ilu, Heriä threw herself into the water. Lawr was by her side in a matter of seconds, and soon she was in position on the saddle, bonded and surging through the sea.

 

"Heriä!"

 

"It's too dangerous!" She responded to her brother's call,

"Just stay there!"

 

"Wa-"

 

The sound of water rushing into her ears drowned his voice.

 

Heriä had no time to tell him anything further, the top priority in her mind right now is to reach the rocks as soon as possible. She doesn't know Lo'ak's current situation, but she prayed to the Great Mother that he had not encountered any akula yet.

 

Those beasts were dangerous just as it is, but in the mating season, the akulas are deadly. Raging akulas hunt down anything they viewed as prey that comes their way, either it was hungry or not. She had seen an experienced adult be taken down by just a juvenile akula in heat. If the same thing happened to Lo'ak, the luckiest outcome would be a limb or two taken from him.

 

She was quite sure Lo'ak was there because of the fight between him and her brother yesterday.

 

Oh, what a mess this had become.

 

Heriä desperately hopes he's still at the Rock, safe and sound. Or else there will be explanations demanded from the Toruk Makto and his mate.

 

She couldn't imagine what Neytiri would do if she found out about this incident.

 

That's why she left on her own, not intending to cause a ruckus in the village and risk tearing the relationship of her father and his forest friend apart.

 

She reached the Three Brothers in no time. It was quiet all around, unnervingly quiet. She couldn't hear anything else but her heavy breath and the small sounds her ilu made as she moved her flippers under the water.

 

Heriä looked around. There were no signs of the boy she's looking for.

 

"Lo'ak!"

 

Her voice echoed through the sea.

 

"Lo'ak, where are you?!!"

 

After concluding he's not on the surface, she slipped out of her seat and went down the deep. Heriä started blinking as she felt her pupils dilating due to the lack of light underneath. She started tracing through the sand, looking for any sign of him and getting up every once in a while to get the air she needed.

 

After scouring for a while, she found Aonung's harpoon shooter, laid quietly amongst the ruins of reefs and rocks.

 

A fight happened here.

 

This is bad.

 

Her heart raced as she tracked the trails of destruction further, picturing the scenarios inside her mind.

 

He was here, swam through the holes in here. Something chased him, destroying some of the reefs he had hid inside. That thing also tore the rocks over there down.

 

It was large, with powerful fins.

 

Heriä bit her lips as she touched the damaged sea plants.

 

Then, the shape of something caught her attention. She moved to the spot almost immediately.

 

It was buried in the sand partially, so she brushed them off to reveal a knife. Heriä picked up the weapon, observing its hilt and its distinct curve.

 

She had seen this kind of knife thousands of times before, it was a forest Na'vi’s.

 

It was Lo’ak's.

 

And then, her eyes widened when she looked up.

 

A large obscuring shadow of an akula, full grown, dead, floating on the surface of the water.

 

Heriä kicked her legs, bringing herself back up and swam towards the corpse. There was a harpoon stuck on its body, evidently fired from her brother's weapon, but she knew damn well that such a small stick is nothing but a fishling’s bite to it. There's no way an akula could be taken down by just this harpoon alone. Lawr was close by as she grabbed the handle of her saddle for support.

 

"Heriä!"

 

Her head whipped around to see a familiar face,

 

"Rotxo."

 

"Any sign of him?!" He urged his ilu closer, looking very much worried.

"Good Eywa, your arm!”

 

Heriä blinked, finally noticing a sharp itching pain on the skin of her arm. Her amber eyes turned to see a bleeding cut.

 

It must have been obtained while she was looking for Lo'ak down under.

 

"I’m fine. Haven't found him yet," She breathed, lifting up the empty-loaded harpoon shooter and the knife,

"Only these, and that one over there."

 

"What-" Rotxo gaped his mouth, staring harder before gasping,

"Great Mother Eywa that is an akula!"

 

"How did you get here, anyways?"

 

"Oh, well," He scrunched his face,

"You see, your brother finally breaks his silence."

 

She raised the ridges above her brows,

"So the Toruk Makto was informed."

 

"Your parents were also informed." He clicked his tongue,

"In fact, the whole village was informed. I had Äle and Tinota chasing after me when I left."

 

"That's good news." She nodded slowly,

"From what I have seen, the boy was chased by that akula. But I don't know what saved him from it. I’m going to go that way, see if I find anything."

 

"Good luck," Her brother's friend thinned his lips,

"I’ll wait here to inform the adults of the situation."

 

With a brief tilt of heads, she bid Rotxo farewell and quickly left the area.

 

She must move quickly.

 

"Let's go, Lawr."

 

Heriä went further to the outside of the Three Brothers, almost reaching the Ta’unui territory, before riding along the outskirts of the Metkayina sea. With no signs of Lo’ak, she decided to return to the village, in case someone might've found further traces of him.

 

The darkness veiled her as she neared Awa’atlu, almost blinding her. The silence all around made the voices in her head more audible,

 

What happened to Lo'ak?

 

If something happened to him, what will happen to Awa’atlu?

 

Will the Toruk Makto and his family turn against her clan?

 

Neteyam-

 

What will Neteyam do?

 

Something killed that akula, something big enough to take its life away without even biting. If that thing also turned to chase the boy, the chance of him surviving is very thin.

 

Desperation washed over her like the sea waves. But before she could break down or do anything more than just biting a chunk out of her lips, the outstanding shades and patterns of bioluminescent freckles came into the corner of her eyes.

 

What is that?

 

She straightened her back, steadying Lawr in the water as she observed the nearing individual.

 

As it came closer, Heriä inhaled with surprise.

 

What is a tulkun doing here, out of their coming-home season?

 

Then, she saw another figure, much smaller than the magnificent beast, treading on the vast space on their back. A Na’vi.

 

She was uncertain until she saw an outline of that Na'vi's four fingers.

 

Lo’ak. Definitely Lo'ak.

 

Heriä let out a surprisingly long breath, the weight of her chest lifted in just a blink of an eye.

 

She doesn't know if he's hurt or not, surely he was, no one escaped an akula in heat unscathed, either a young juvenile one or a full-grown.

 

But he’s alive. That's the most important thing.

 

She crouched down with relief, exhaustion descended onto her body, replacing the blood rush and reminding her how weak she is right now.

 

The truth is, the lobster was just a small portion that she took just to make sure she’ll not be too hungry before dinner. She was supposed to take more food hours prior, when she returned home and found out about her brother's problems. So instead of refilling herself with energy, Heriä spends what’s left of it in the sea. And now, it looks like she's nearing her limits.

 

So she limited her movements, preserving the little strength left in her as much as possible. Heriä stayed in her place, watching quietly as Lo'ak slipped down from the tulkun and started swimming towards the village.

 

"Need a little lift?" Her inquiry made him flinch. The forest boy turned around as she urged her ilu, with less motions she could, his direction.

 

"Hi." He breathed.

 

The corners of her mouth tucked into a smile,

"Hey."

 

"That would be great." He paddled his way to meet her

 

"Come aboard, then." She reached down, grunting as she helped him up into the saddle behind her.

 

"Thank you." Lo'ak gave her a shy smile, she could still see the bruises from yesterday, combined with cuts she didn't know was either freshly received or as old as the purple marks on his face.

 

"I believe this is yours." She passed him his knife, chuckling at his widened eyes.

 

"How-"

 

"You left it." She shrugged.

 

Lawr carried them into the lights of the population, she could hear adults shouting; there he is! there he is!, the shadow and an outline of what she assumed to be Neytiri’s ikran flew right pass above their heads, many more ilus swam after her, accompanying them towards the shore.

 

"It may seem a bit late," She whispered to him,

"But I apologize for my brother. I’m glad you're okay. I won't be upset if you can't forgive him, but that's what I should say for the least in this situation."

 

"I understand, Heriä." He answered, eyes still looking down to the sea below, probably too overwhelmed by the chaos around them to look up or do anything else.

"Thank you."

 

"The boy has returned!" One of the Metkayina villagers up the walkways exclaimed.

 

"Sully boy! We found him!"

 

Lo'ak went up the woven platform, gesturing her a thanks. She gave him a tight smile as she returned the movement and rode to the side before pulling her kuru off, freeing Lawr from their bond yet again,

 

"Thank you, Lawr." Heriä pet her one last time as she left to join the crowd.

 

She saw a glimpse of the Toruk Makto rushing to his son, intentionally blocking him from coming up to Aonung who's standing next to her father.

 

"Hey," Jake's ears went back with worry,

"Let's have a look at you."

 

After a while, he announced with immense relief in his voice,

"He’s fine, he's fine. Just a few scratches."

 

With a blink of an eye, Neytiri arrived the scene with the rest of her children, checking her son with anxiety all over her face, before hissing,

 

"I pray for the strength that I will not pluck the eyeballs of my youngest son!"

 

"No," Her father said,

"My son knows better than to take him outside the reef."

 

The Olo'eyktan of the Metkayina clan reached for his son's neck, pushing him down until he's on his knees.

 

"The blame is his."

 

Though Heriä must admit she enjoyed seeing Aonung’s pride being beaten down, a part of her felt for him. Yes, the skxawng has been acting like a prick lately. But putting him, the future Olo'eyktan, on his knees in front of the whole village is a form of humiliation that she's sure will leave a scar on his ego for a long, long while.

 

She just hoped he understands why he's on the wrong this time, and maybe learns some lessons finally.

 

Jake blinked, before pulling his son's arm, clearly wanting to leave the scene,

"Okay, let's go."

 

But it seems Lo'ak also had things to say,

 

"No," He met her father's eyes,

"This is not Aonung's fault. This was my idea, Aonung tried to talk me out of it."

 

A pause before he added,

"Really."

 

Heriä crossed her arms in front of herself, she understands what the boy is trying to do now. He wanted to save her father's face, not letting his name be tarnished further because of a fight between him and his son. He’s taking the blame for himself.

 

From a glimpse of her eyes, her parents exchanged a look. They knew that what Lo'ak was saying was more false than true, they surely did, even she herself knew at the first glance that it was Aonung.

 

The Toruk Makto urged his son to follow again, whispering something to her father before leaving finally.

 

She looked up to watch them, and made a grave mistake of locking eyes with Neteyam.

 

It was as if he's been stealing glances at her for a while already. His amber orbs reflected the pale light of the moon, making it look more yellow than golden.

 

They were beautiful in both tones.

 

He stared at her, a mixture of emotions she couldn't decipher in those irises. The Toruk Makto's firstborn look as if he wanted to say something.

 

Heriä swallowed, quickly averting her eyes and stepping back into the wall of Metkayina villagers.

 

She wasn't ready to meet him. Not yet. Not while she just accidentally sucked some random grass’ life force dry hours earlier.

 

After she saw him left, she walked up to her brother, chewing her lips,

 

"Congratulations, you owe him now."

 

"What?" Aonung looked so lost that she couldn't decide that it was satisfying or concerning.

 

"That boy just saved your ass, skxawng. Go and show him some gratitude, yeah?"

 

His blank eyes made Heriä rolled hers,

 

"If your head was that thick you couldn't understand, just go and ask him yourself. And don't forget to apologize, he almost died today because of your all fun and games shit."

 

Not waiting for more questions or even an answer, she turned on her heels and left.

 

Her body was on the verge of collapsing at this point, exhausted mentally and physically. Heriä slowly treaded the walkways back towards her marui, halting once in a while to take a break when she felt her knees wobbling.

 

She's going to need a lot of meals after this.

 

But right now, her energy is running low, too low. She'd never be able to get back home like this. She's going to need something to lift her strength up, just a little bit is enough.

 

Her eyes landed on a hanging woven basket on the way, filled with dirt, and housing a small plant with lush green leaves and blooming white flowers.

 

This will do.

 

She stared inside for the owner of the marui,

"Itx’iyo?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Can I have that flower of yours?"

 

The Metkayina lady plopped her head out, shrugging,

 

"Of course, love. Go on."

 

Heriä smiled,

"Thank you."

 

With swift fingers, she plucked out the blossoms and held them in her hand, heading straight back home.

 

At the entrance of her family's marui, she opened her enclosed fingers, revealing the now dried petals inside. The warmth on her skin was still lingering. Although it might not be of much life force, it's better than nothing.

 

She sighed, throwing what's left of the flower in her palm away.