Chapter Text
neteyam pov:
the journey to awa’atlu wasn’t the easiest. the day our dad decided to find a sanctuary, a place far away from home, a foreign land, different from everything we’ve ever known was the hardest moment of my life. when i first heard the news my heart broke into million pieces. the anxiety filled my lungs, it was really hard to breathe. but i had to keep my composure and obey my father’s orders. i had to hide everything that was building inside of me. the last goodbye was like an arrow going through my chest. i almost felt like blood was flowing from the back of my spine. i used all my strength not to burst into tears and scream at the top of my lungs, protesting to stay here and protect the people.
but i couldn’t.
i could only stare at my clan and see their faces covered in tears.
it felt like i could feel their hearts mourning silently.
seeing my dad’s position as a chief being taken away was hard to experience. but all i could do was stare.
only stare.
the chance of me being the next olo’eyktan faded away in few seconds. all the preparations i had to do, all the things i’ve learned from my father and the people about being a good leader didn’t matter anymore.
i felt like we turned into outcasts.
the forest that was everything to me and my family had to become only a bittersweet memory. it hurt. it hurt a lot. but as the oldest son of the great toruk makto, all the pain i felt had to be hidden and covered with uncertain hope for a new beginning.
riding an ikran is fun and thrilling. you can feel the wind and the adrenaline rushing through your veins. but when the day of departure finally arrived flying on my ikran felt like the most uncomfortable feeling in my life. i was suffocating in my own thoughts. there was no thrill, no excitement.
the last look of the forest, the faces of my family, even how i rode my ikran - everything felt so wrong. all i wanted to do is just turn around and come back to my people, to my home.
but i couldn’t.
i wanted to feel all the joy and happiness again even though everyone was threatened by the sky people. in all the grief and sped up heartbeats we could still find a place in our hearts for a little of bit smile or happy memories and store them in our land forever.
but there was no turning back.
i had to fly to a new home creating possible scenarios in my head.
the truth was in reality i didn’t know anything. will the metkayina people greet us with warm and welcoming words? i really wondered if we could assimilate there. will i find some new friends? will i ever find this foreign land my new home? the questions were like insects flying in my head with no sign of stopping.
hours and hours of every weather possible, time for rest, time for sleep, time for moving forward - it all felt like a torture to my soul and flesh.
i couldn’t bear the sight of my siblings and mom being devastated by my father’s choice. but i could do is put a smile on my face and cheer them up a little bit. i even tried to cuddle with them during our naps. tuk happily agreed and cuddled me a lot. with kiri it was a little harder but at the end she melted into my welcoming arms. the biggest problem was with lo’ak. he didn’t show too much affection towards anyone. but after hours of talking and caressing his head he finally agreed and sobbed a little, hiding his tears in my neck.
and all i could do was just be for them.
no crying. no pain
only hiding my emotions inside and putting a fake smile on my face.
after several hours. we finally arrived. the place was beautiful, it was nothing like i imagined. it actually was beyond my imagination. the color of the sea, beautiful trees, almost looking like these from our forest and big and detailed tents that looked magical and ancient. at that moment
i felt like we just entered a new reality, a new world that embraced us with the scorching sun and the sound of waves hitting the shore. we were welcomed with the sound of someone blowing an instrument made of a big sea shell. the sound was intimidating yet alluring and welcoming. when we finally landed on the ground i could feel the warmth of the sand that was ticking my feet. my family and i looked around seeing the local people. they looked different from us. they had a turquoise skin tone, their eyes were bigger and had a beautiful ocean like color. their were ears smaller, their tails were big and smooth, it reminded me of a fin. also their clothes and hairstyles were different. i was very surprised and shocked by the view but still very nervous at the sight of the clan.
but all i could do was walk towards them with my arms showing surrender and calmness.
the whole village gathered around my family, looking at us with their curious eyes that had uncertain intentions towards us. their gaze was questionable and intimidating.
i almost felt like trembling but i had to act as calm as possible. i followed my dad looking around feeling unsure what to do next. then i saw a tall figure coming out from the crowd.
when i first met his eyes i felt like my whole world just stopped. i looked at his piercing gaze and his proud walk that hypnotized me immediately.
oh my eywa
the way his hips swung,
the way his tail and queue gracefully moved behind his turquoise body.
it was mesmerizing. i couldn’t stop looking at him. after few seconds
i politely signed the welcoming gesture towards him but the greeting wasn’t reciprocated. i moved my brow muscles feeling confused. i knew he wasn’t happy with our arrival but at least he could’ve just said a simple “hi”. i wanted to move and little and greet him verbally
but all i could do was just stare at him and his foreign yet ethereal beauty feeling slightly hurt by his rude behavior….
even after the unrequited gesture
it was the moment i knew
he was the one.