creativity left the Chat

Today was a little more hectic and therefore more exciting. While you were with your mom grinding different herbs, Pxairo came in, out of breath, and told your mother that there was a larger accident at the training pools and that she needed to get there fast. You both collected the usually needed supplies and got there with hurried steps. When you arrived, six younger warriors were in the communal marui by the training pools, all of them more or less roughed up. You quickly got to work and assisted your mother with the first one, who had a few cuts across his stomach. It looked very bad but with quick hands, your mom managed to prevent further damage. After you were done with him, two fellow warriors aided him back towards his marui so he could rest. Your mom mentioned to his friends that she would check on him again later. You proceeded and tended to another warrior on your own since the other injuries were mainly superficial. While their cuts looked nasty, it was more about cleaning and dressing the wounds. Your mom checked in on you once in a while but you were handling the situation well and didn't need her assistance. Your work was good but you lacked your mom's experience. Therefore, you were much slower than her. After dressing up the last wound, you looked around and noticed that your mother was already tending to her second warrior as you finished your first. You moved over to one of the remaining two and were greeted by a very familiar face.

"Hey, Y/n." Fayem smiled at you but flinched a little when the pain of his split lip intensified. "Hey. Is there anything that hurts particularly bad?" You asked, while already scanning his body for the worst injury. "No, don't worry. None of it is that bad." You hummed. He had only smaller cuts, which was good, but they were spread quite widely. "Fayem, what happened?" So far nobody had explained what occurred but now you finally had time to ask. "It was an accident. We were in the practice pools, talking while one of my friends, Yur'ir, you know his brother Rotxo, was practicing with his tsurak. A younger guy must have lost control over his tsurak and the animal decided it wanted to change course. It crossed in front of Yur'ir and he was forced to pull out of the water to avoid crashing, unfortunately, he crashed into us, and yeah. Most of us are alright, Mokäi took the worst since the snout of the tsurak got him, but everybody else just got pushed over." Fayem explained. He flinched a little when you cleaned a cut on his shoulder. "Sorry, I have to get the salt water out." You apologized. You tried to be gentle as you tended to the wounds, but a little sting couldn't be avoided sometimes. "Come on Y/n, distract me a little. How are you doing? What have you been up to lately?" He playfully nudged your side. You looked up at him for a second and smiled at his goofiness. "I'm alright. My arm is healing better than expected and I spent some time with the ilus. I mainly help my mom and we tend to the elderly most of the time." By now the cuts on his shoulders were all clean and you started applying a healing balm. "Ah, I see, adventurous as always." He teased you. You scoffed. "Yeah, keep that up and I'll ask my mom to ban you from the training pools for two weeks as well." You threatened him with a poke to the chest. He touched the spot with a scowl. "Nah, come on now Y/n, you wouldn't dare...and also if I get banned because of you, I'll simply annoy you until we are both fine again. I mean, I would need to do something, right?" He winked at you. By now you had moved on to a wound on his forehead, right by his hairline, but you looked down at him for a moment, shaking your head. "Well, we'll see about that. But I have to disappoint you, like I said, I am rather occupied. And it seems like your friends need company as well. Especially...uhm...Mokäi?" You weren't sure about the name but Fayem didn't react to that, so you must have guessed correctly.

To your left, you saw some movement and heard someone approaching. As you looked you saw Neteyam appoaching with Tuk in his arms, she looked distressed. You excused yourself for a moment and went over to both of them.

"Hey, everything alright?" You asked Neteyam because you couldn't see Tuk's face. "No, actually not. Uhm, Tuk got stung while we were diving with your sister. She said it's nothing to worry about but we should come see you." Neteyam told you. You carefully approached Tuk. "I see. Hey Tuk, can I take a look, please? I promise I won't touch it, I just want to take a look. Alright?" The girl turned towards you now, tears were running down her face but she nodded as she hesitantly stretched out her arm. In her arm were a few broken stings that you would need to get out but your sister was right, it wasn't that bad. "Alright, I will just finish up over there and then I'm right back." You gently stroke Tuk's back, trying to comfort her, before hurrying back to Fayem. Neteyam recognized the warrior and he would have preferred anybody over that guy getting your attention. His displeasure intensified when he saw how Fayem looked at your chest without any shame as you tended to his wound. You on the other hand didn't notice that, busy finishing up with your patient as fast as you could. You quickly explained to Fayem that Tuk needed help as you dressed his last cut and then wished him well as you packed up what you needed.

"Alright, here I am." Neteyam had sat down and Tuk was sitting on his thigh, hugging her older brother for comfort. He gently rubbed her back. You squatted down as you stretched out your hand toward Tuk. But she turned away from you. Neteyam whispered in her ear but made eye contact with you. "Now come on Tuk, it's only Y/n. You know her, she won't hurt you. She just wants to help you, hm. The faster you let her help, the faster we are done here, ok?" Tuk nodded and slowly turned back towards you. The tears stopped flowing but the stains were still visible. "Alright Tuk, give me your hand. I'll just look ok, if I do anything else, I'll tell you." You promised her and she took your hand. You knew that you had to pull them out. "Alright sweetie, I'm afraid I have to pull them out. But I promise I'll be careful." You reached for the device you would need and Tuk tried to pull her arm away again. "No!" The tears were pooling in her eyes again. Neteyam leans his head against hers and rubs her back again. "It's alright, I'm here. Y/n will be gentle. It will be over soon. You can do this, you are brave." She stopped struggling but looked at you fearful.

As a child, you got stung by the same animal and knew that the procedure would be uncomfortable. "Hey, how about you tell me about your day, hm? And if you don't want to look, you don't have to. I'll get them out as quickly as I can, but if you can't take it anymore we can take a break. Okay?" Tuk nodded and turned her face to Neteyam again, hiding in his chest. "In the morning we saw the ilus, Tsireya went and..." she interrupted herself with a wince as you pulled out the first sting. "You are doing good, keep going." Neteyam encouraged her. "...and got some food so we could feed them. They, they were really happy. After that, we went diving where Tsireya and Ao'nung tested our sign language skills. And, and then..." she interrupted herself with a sob and you stopped your assault, rubbing the uninjured underside of her arm lightly. "...then small glowing fish swam by and we lost Kiri because she wasn't paying attention to us once again. Ow! Ow! Stop! Ow!" Tuk demanded, yanking her arm away. You let her arm go and settle down. She started heavily crying again as she curled further into her brother. "You are doing great. There are only two more and then I'm done, okay? If you can last just a little longer we are done, alright?" She shakes her head and Neteyam looks at you apologetically. "Come on Tuk, you did so well. Look, it's almost done." Neteyam tries to encourage his sister. Tuk whines but turns towards you regardless. You silently ask her if you may continue with the device in your hand again. She nods and closes her eyes. You quickly pull the two remaining stings out. "All done! Now I only need to clean it and put ointment on it. Alright?" Tuk relaxes and nods but keeps leaning against her brother. You take a bit of clean water and run it over the wound, making Tuk hiss in discomfort. "Yes, I know, I know. That's the last part that hurts." As you apply the ointment you explain: "This will make sure that the wound won't get infected. I'll lay a leaf over the ointment, that will help with the swelling. For the rest of the day and maybe tomorrow as well you should stay out of the water." You put the leaf on it before wrapping the bandage around it. You look up at her and wipe away a stray tear. She pulls you in for a hug, wrapping her hand around your neck as she pulls you in close. You smile at the girl's gratitude but then realize, that her hug inevitably pressed you against Neteyam's chest. You hear his heartbeat picking up slightly. Since you don't want to make him any more uncomfortable you pull back from Tuk's hug. "All good now?" You ask her, trying to ignore the blush on your cheeks. "Yes, thank you. It's so much better now!" She gets up from her brother's leg and you start collecting your supplies. "Can you come play with us now?" She wonders. You aren't sure if your mom still needs your help. "I'll have to ask real quick, alright?" She nods happily and turns towards Neteyam, pulling him up. You ask your mom, who just finished up with the last warrior but she assures you that she will manage cleaning up and that you can go and enjoy some time with your friends.

On your way back to the beach Tuk runs ahead of you and Neteyam, urging you to hurry up. At the beach, Tuk wants you to search for Seashells but is content with searching for them, on her own as you and Neteyam walk behind her. "Look Y/n! This one is pretty, isn't it?" She once again runs back to you, holding up another shell for you to admire. "Yes, very much." She hands it to Neteyam, whose only task is to protect her new possessions. "So how's the ilu training going?" You ask him. "Good, I guess. Didn't get thrown off in a while, so that's something." Neteyam answers in a rather neutral tone. "Sounds good, yeah." You agree. You hoped that you could talk some more but Neteyam seemed a little closed off at the moment. "Hey uhm, so why were you and your mom at the training pools?" He asks reluctantly. "Oh, there was an accident with one of the tsuraks, one of the guys was injured rather badly and five others had minor wounds." You explain. He hums at that. "Uhm...look, it's none of my business but are you and the guy from the party...close?" He chose his words carefully but you scoff at him regardless. "Neteyam, I know the gossip and that's all it is. Have you been spending too much time with Lorell and Nupxi?" You say in a teasing tone. He isn't laughing though but says somewhat seriously: "No, no. I actually haven't talked to them since that evening. Just wondering, 'cause he uhm...looked at you a little odd?" He couldn't say what he wanted to say because it would be very rude and also very obvious why it would upset him. "Well, uhm, I don't know about that but we are friends at best. I just treated his injuries and asked him what happened. We talked a little but it's not like that. At least for me." You wanted Neteyam to know about your non-existent interest in Fayem and wondered if he was, by any chance, jealous. "Oh. Good. Uhm,...sorry for prying." You wave him off. Tuk suddenly takes off, causing both of you to focus on who is approaching you. You both quickly realize it's Neytiri. "Mom!" Tuk exclaims gleefully as she hugs her mother. "Hello Tuk, I heard about your accident, is everything alright?" Neytiri crouched down to inspect her youngest child. "Yes Mom, all good see! Y/n took care of me." By now, you and Neteyam had caught up to them and greet Neytiri. "Alright. Thank you, Y/n." Neytiri nodded at you before turning back to Tuk. "But I believe you've had enough action for the day. Come, we are going to the marui." Neytiri stroked Tuk's head before standing up and taking her hand. Tuk let go of her mother to get the seashells from Neteyam and to say goodbye to you.

As you watch Tuk and her mother walk away, you remember that you are yet to go for a swim today. "I believe I owe you some ilu lessons?" You ask Neteyam, looking at him. His head perks up, "Well, you said so, but your arm, I-" you quickly interrupt him, waving him off. "Don't worry, I'm supposed to go swimming for a bit every day. Do you want to come along?" You ask him, a little nervous now. "Well, in that case, yes, I'd like that a lot." He smiles at you, slightly bashful.

You are close enough to the village, that it seems likely that ilus might be around. Therefore you walk into the water, making clicking sounds to call them. Neteyam is next to you, doing the same. Luckily, two ilus hear you and swim to you. You both mount them and make tsaheylu. You pat the ilu's neck before diving in. You take off quickly, maneuvering between the corals. As you look back, you notice that Neteyam is struggling to keep up. You guide your ilu back to him and swim much slower next to him. You can see that his eyes are slightly squinted, likely because he is missing the nictitating membrane you inherited from your mother. You can't help but smile when you notice his behavior. As much as you are used to gliding through the water, he is used to gliding through the air. He holds himself much better on the ilu than you did on your ikran but he still has potential to do better. You sign to him, 'Let me guide you'. He nods and waits for you to do so. You turn around on the ilu so that your back is now facing your ilu. You slowly swim over Neteyam inverted. He waits for you to guide him but keeps looking ahead. You gently lay a hand on his back, asking him to lean closer against the ilu. He does as you ask but is still rather stiff. You notice and swim beside him. 'too stiff. Let the water guide you. Flow along, not against. Relax' you sign to him. To prove your point, you point at your legs and watch as his gaze follows. 'No' you sign with one hand by your legs as you flex them. 'Yes' you sign again, your muscles relax and your legs are guided by the water, only supported by your light paddling to keep them close to the ilu without disrupting the flow. Neteyam nods and tries to follow your example, relaxing his muscles to the best of his ability, and letting the water guide him. He already notices that the water resistance he felt before got a little less intense. You watch him and see the smile forming on his face before you slowly start to gain speed again. This time Neteyam is following you closely. You swim between and through different stones and corals in the water.

At some point, you swim above him again and he directs his gaze to you in wonder. 'It will guide you. Trust.' , you sign. He closes his eyes for a moment, then turns around to face you, letting the ilu guide them. As he opens his eyes again, all he sees is you. Your hair flowing around you, your bright smile with your pearly white teeth peeking through your smooth lips, your blue eyes holding adoration that seems to be directed at him, and the light dots that slowly start glowing with the sun going down. All summed up, you look beautiful but Neteyam would argue that this word alone could never do you justice.

After a while, you decide to settle on one of the smaller islands. You pull yourself up on the edge of the small island and when your ilu swims away, Neteyam does so as well. The island itself is covered in soft green grass. Your feet still dangle in the water as you watch some villagers fishing in the distance.

"I knew you could help me improve as well. I could immediately notice the difference. Everything felt lighter." Neteyam praises you as he lightly nudges your shoulder with his. You smile up at him, lightly shaking your head. "Oh please, your form is already very good. I was just adjusting small details. But I am glad that you put that much trust in the ilu." He smiles too before he lays down on his back. You follow his example, lying down next to him. You nervously pluck the grass, afraid that your next question will ruin the good mood. "Neteyam, how did hunting go yesterday?" You ask him with a small voice. He notices your nervousness and has an inkling of what the cause might be. He takes a deep breath that makes you freeze, afraid that you did indeed ruin the mood but against your beliefs he exhales calmly as he takes your tense hand in his, uncurling each of your fingers. "Hunting went alright. We got some fish." He interrupts himself with a chuckle. "Mom got frustrated over the lack of land animals. She hoped that we might catch some meat for a change. It was beautiful to fly with the ikrans at night. The luminescent ocean life made everything glow and I was amazed at how much brighter everything was in the water." Neteyam kept playing with your hand and you watched him as he gazed at the sky. You were happy that his evening was as lovely as he had hoped. "I am sorry to disappoint you on that. There are no land animals close by. Sometimes we get to trade with other clans that have dried meat though." Neteyam turns his head now looking at you. "That's great, I know Mom is missing it. Thanks." He grins and squeezes your hand.

For a moment, you just lay there studying each other's faces. You break out of your trance when you hear the shell flute, the last call to every fisherman outside the village. You sit up, looking towards the village. "We need to get back." Neteyam sits up beside you and you both realize how far away from the village you actually are. "How do we get back? I'm not sure if you should swim that much yet." Neteyam asks you concerned. It's endearing that he cares for you so much. "I don't know, the ilus are long gone and it's unlikely for one to stray out here so late." You stand up to get a better overview. You look around the small island and quickly realize that Neteyam is right, you shouldn't swim that much yet. "Neteyam, I think we don't have another choice. Sorry, I should have been more careful." You turn back towards him and see him standing as well. "What? This isn't your fault, no need to apologize. Besides, I could have been more aware of it as well. I know about your injury and didn't consider it either. But I think we have luck, see." He points behind you and you turn around. Not that far from the island, a fisher steers his canoe towards the village. You turn toward Neteyam, hope in your eyes. Then you face the canoe again and both start waving your arms wildly while yelling in the fisher's direction to get his attention. Luckily, he sees you and picks you both up. On the way back, he tells you about his catch after you thank him for the help. Neteyam helps him unload the canoe at the village to thank him for his trouble. You went to assist them but both men protested, insisting that you don't risk straining your injured arm. You hug Neteyam goodbye and head towards your home.

At home, your siblings are conversing with your dad. You walk into your mom's study and see her working on something. You are about to turn around to not disturb her further when she addresses you. "What's on your mind, daughter?" She asks you without tearing her gaze away from her work. You hesitate for a second but force yourself to ask your question regardless. "Mom, may I start flying with my ikran again? It's not that much exercise for the arms and I won't be in the water, so my skin won't get soaked." You try to argue. She smiles and finally turns toward you. "Yes daughter, you may. But wait a few more days with the tsurak training, please. When the crust naturally goes off, you can train with the tsuraks again. Alright?" You eagerly nod before you leave her, afraid she might change her mind otherwise. You feel excited to spend more time with your ikran. Neteyam's company is definitely a bonus. Hopefully, he will have time for you. If you want to improve further, you have to take many lessons. At least that's what you tell yourself.

"Damn, it seems like all the forest girls must be weird if they both fall for the first girls they meet here!" Ao'nung greeted you as nicely as he always does. As soon as the Sullys left, you and Tsireya were ushered over to the group around Ao'nung by Rotxo. You knew he meant well, but as always, Ao'nung had to spoil your good mood. "Ao'nung, did you ever once consider that they are just being nice? No? Being friendly might be a foreign concept to you but other men are genuinely nice. You should try it once in a while, it might make you tolerable." You countered with just enough venom in your voice. The mood got very bad, very fast, which didn't go unnoticed by the others. "Aww, come on Y/n, it must be flattering to have them fall for you. I can think of worse people to flatter you than the sons of Toruk Makto. They are just enchanted by you and Tsireya." Lorell tried and failed to lighten the mood. You, Ao'nung, and Fayem now scowling at her. Rotxo, ever the diplomat, tried his luck. "Well, they seem to be settling in at least. The beauty of our reefs isn't going unnoticed and they seem to like our food. Guess the forest people can adapt after all." That actually did lift everybody's spirits, agreeing with the good food, especially this evening. Ao'nung mumbled something about the beauty of the reefs under his breath but you didn't pay much attention to it.

That last part got you thinking. Ao'nung was in an unnaturally friendly mood this morning, even to you. Something felt off but you couldn't point out exactly what it was.

The morning went by peacefully and by noon the ointment was ready to be applied, your sister had filled up some other supplies and you had managed to repair the loincloth. "Your wound is healing well. This ointment is lighter than the one we've given you so far. You don't have to wear the bandage anymore. Don't overwork yourself, you still need to recover, but you can do some light work again. You can go swimming for a very short time again. No longer than twenty minutes in the water and immediately reapply the ointment when you get out. Your sister will be with the Sullys tomorrow, so I will require your help in the afternoon." Your mother inspected the wound and then carefully applied the ointment. "Thank you, mom." Smiling at your mom, happy that your hopes came true. While you weren't overly thrilled to join her the next day as an assistant, the news of fast recovery gave you enough motivation to get through that without much complaining. It wouldn't be too bad, you join her occasionally if Tsireya is otherwise occupied, so you picked up a thing or two.

For now, Tsireya and your mom were packing some bags to go and collect rare plants that your mom wanted to show her when there was a knock at the front of your marui.

Neteyam was excited to go hunting with his mother this evening. He spent the morning tending to his ikran and checking his hunting equipment. After he was done with that, he passed by Tuk and Kiri, who were collecting some seashells while he was on his way to the training pools. He saw his dad training with Tonowari and he was getting good. The other warriors were around as well, goofing around, roughhousing and just being silly. Neteyam recognized some from the party yesterday, their fresh tattoos still standing out. He also saw Fayem and was about to leave to not let him ruin his good mood when the warrior mounted his tsurak. Neteyam just had to stay and see if the guy actually had any skills. To his annoyance, Fayem really has what it takes and moved very smoothly on the warrior's mount. He huffed, got up, and decided to spend some time with you. He figured that your day must be rather boring, your dad was with his, your mother most likely was out practicing and since Lo'ak was nowhere to be found, he must be with Tsireya. Leaving you on your own, since he earlier saw Ao'nung with his friends.

He approached your family's marui and knocked gently on the side.

You went to the front and greeted Neteyam, asking him to come in. He followed you inside, glad that you were in a good mood. "Neteyam, it is nice to see you! What are you doing here? I thought you must be busy preparing for your hunt this evening." You smiled at him as you settled by the fireplace. Neteyam sat down next to you so that you were facing each other. "Oh yes, I prepared everything this morning. But now that I have some spare time, I thought I would visit you. Since your family seems to be busy, I figured you would be rather bored and wanted to see if you would like some company." You still smiled at him but his assumptions confused you. "Neteyam, they aren't all..." Before you could finish your sentence, Tsireya walked into the room, getting both of your attention. "Oh, Neteyam, it's nice to see you." She greeted him. Instead of greeting her back, he looked at her confused. "Tsireya, where is Lo'ak?" His voice had a worried undertone. You and Tsireya exchanged a look to make sure you both heard it. "Neteyam I don't know where Lo'ak is, I last saw him yesterday at the festivities...with you." The worry on Neteyam's face quickly got mixed with fear. "Oh no..." Neteyam got up and turned to leave when you stopped him, gently gripping his wrist. "Neteyam, what is going on?" Now you were concerned as well. He turned towards you, looking between you and Tsireya. "I haven't seen him since breakfast. I thought he was out with you. He isn't with Tuk and Kiri because I saw them, he isn't with my dad because he is with yours and he isn't with my mom because she decided to go into the woods nearby on her own to look for good hunting grounds other than the water." He was very upset by now. "Ok, ok, we can go and look for him, don't worry." You squeeze his arm, trying to calm him a little, as Tsireya goes to ask your mother if she may leave. She doesn't tell her why, to not alarm her. The three of you separate, trying to cover as much ground as possible.

You head towards the seawall terraces while Tsireya takes an ilu to search the various reefs underwater, along with the different training areas. Neteyam searched the village and the beaches nearby.

He was heading back, hoping one of you guys was more successful, when he overheard Ao'nung talking to Pxairo. "Ha! That will teach these freaks a lesson!" Pxairo chuckled at that but quickly stopped when he saw Neteyam approaching with a furious look on his face. "What did you do?!" He demanded answers. Ao'nung realized that Neteyam was serious, leaving no room for excuses. Neteyam tightly gripped Ao'nung's shoulder, staring at him when Ao'nung didn't answer him. "Where. Is. Lo'ak?!" Ao'nung averted his gaze, intimidated by Neteyam, before he explained, "We took him out hunting..." But since Lo'ak was still nowhere to be seen Neteyam's grip on Ao'nung got even tighter. "Well, where is he then?", he hissed. Ao'nung looked up at Neteyam, then averted his gaze, looking towards the wall separating the village from the open ocean before he looked back at Neteyam. That said everything Neteyam needed to know as he roughly pulled Ao'nung toward their fathers.

You returned from the seawall terraces hoping that the others were more successful in their search. On your way, you saw that a lot of people had gathered in one of the common areas. Picking up your speed, you hurried in that direction. As you got closer, you saw Tsireya standing at the side. In the middle of the commotion, you saw Ao'nung with Neteyam holding him in a tight grip. You couldn't hear what they were saying as you quietly approached your sister. "Hey, what is going on?" You whispered. She looks at you, worry evident in her eyes as she leans towards you, whispering back: "Ao'nung took Lo'ak out hunting...outside the reefs." As she leaned back, she saw the change from confusion to anger on your face. Only seasoned warriors were allowed to go out there and even they weren't allowed to go alone. It wasn't only dangerous, it was bordering on suicide. You looked back towards the center of attention where Jake and your dad were listening to what Ao'nung had to say when all heads turned towards the water. Getting off an ilu, Lo'ak stepped next to his dad. You couldn't exactly hear what they were saying but your father was scolding Ao'nung when Lo'ak interjected, obviously taking the blame judging by his father's reaction. As the crowd dispersed Lo'ak walked off but Ao'nung was on his tail. You had to witness how Neteyam and Lo'ak took the blame for a mistake your brother made, and you were furious. Tsireya saw your clenched jaw and the way the muscles in your arms strained in rage. She laid a hand on your shoulder, trying to calm you down but the look on your face made her release your shoulder without another word. Neteyam walked in your direction, catching each other's eyes in passing. You saw the hurt and disappointment in his eyes. He was blaming himself, thinking it was his fault.

You also left the scene, returning to your family's marui. As you waited for Ao'nung and the others to come home, you tried to gather every ounce of goodwill you had inside yourself to stop yourself from beating the shit out of Ao'nung when you saw him again. Tsireya was the first to return she knew this wouldn't end well. You and Ao'nung never got along but after what he just did, she knew she had to say something. "They made up, you know." You glance at Tsireya, irritated, not understanding who she is referring to. "Lo'ak and Ao'nung, I saw them talking. They seemed friendly. Their disagreement seems to be over. They were really getting along." You scoffed at her in disbelief. You were about to reason with her when Ao'nung entered the marui with a smile on his lips.

"Are you insane? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR GODDAMN MIND?" You immediately started screaming at your brother. His smile vanished but Tsireya was content as long as you were only exchanging hostile words. "What is your problem?! This is none of your concern!" He got defensive but his voice was a little less loud than yours because he lacked most of the anger. "None of my concern?! You send him out there well aware of the dangers and you. Left. Him. There! AND THEN you let HIM take the blame! You can't even stand up for your own decisions! You were willing to let him DIE just because you have a problem with his looks!" By now you were up in Ao'nung's face, poking him hard in the chest with every sentence. Ao'nung held your gaze, ignoring the pain in his chest. "Well, he isn't dead and we are fine! You got exactly what you wanted! It is over, so what is your problem?" Ao'nung was so fed up with you talking down on him, always up in his business and belittling him with everything you did. "What is my problem? Ao'nung, you act irresponsibly like a child and put others in danger! Luck is the only reason that Lo'ak is ALIVE right now and you stand here acting as if nothing important happened and everything is fine?! How can you be so unbelievably immature?!" Hurt crossed Ao'nung's face. Tsireya knew that her brother's biggest insecurity was that your father saw Ao'nung as irresponsible, so she knew that you hit home with these accusations. You were unconsciously rubbing salt into the wound, which was the biggest problem between you two. Tsireya was afraid you might physically hurt your brother, but your parents walked in before the situation could escalate any further.

You stepped away from Ao'nung and ignored him for the rest of the evening. You just hoped that Neteyam was still allowed to go hunting with his mother, considering how much he was looking forward to it.

The next morning, you were still avoiding Ao'nung as you and your siblings went to meet up with the Sullys. Tsireya was the puffer between the both of you but she gladly chose ignorance over violence every second of the day. It concerned her where you left off yesterday with both of you deeply hurt and angry at each other but much too proud to talk to the other or even attempt to make a step toward the other. She hoped that the Sullys would lighten your mood at least a little.

Rotxo and the Sullys greeted the three of you upon arrival. Tsireya made sure to stay between you and Ao'nung, just in case. They were all in a light mood and that melted your cold facade at least a bit.

When Lo'ak explained that he got rescued by a tulkun, all the Metkayina kids were confused. "The tulkun haven't returned yet. And anyway, no tulkun is ever alone." Ao'nung argued. Lo'ak seemed offended by that. "I know what I saw! It was a tulkun and he had a missing thing, a stump on his right." A scarred, lonely tulkun? There was only one tulkun you could think of but that wasn't possible. You looked at Tsireya and saw on her face that she thought the same. "Payakan." You concluded. "He is a murderer." Tsireya explained to the Sullys but Lo'ak shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. "No, he saved me." Lo'ak argued. "Lo'ak, he killed Na'vi and other tulkun." Ao'nung argued. But Lo'ak stayed stubborn. "He is no killer." Tsireya leaned toward Lo'ak, trying to get her message across more clearly. "Lo'ak, you are lucky to be alive." But Lo'ak shook his head and stood up in a hurry. "You guys aren't listening." Against Tuk's protests, he calls an ilu as he dives into the water.

Tsireya was worried about Lo'ak and felt bad for not supporting him. "I don't want him to feel alone. I believe that he was saved but he shouldn't challenge his luck like that. Payakan still is dangerous, so are the waters behind the reefs and I don't want Lo'ak to get himself in danger." You tried listening to your sister as you walked around the beach but your mind wasn't fully there. "I'm sure he will come around. He is just sulking, give him some time." You tried soothing her worries. You heard Pajakan's story like everybody else in the village but something wasn't fitting. He was said to be a ruthless killer, not a gentle soul that safes lost Na'vi. Yet you believed Lo'ak more than a story that, in the end, was no more than a rumor. You hugged Tsireya to comfort her before you said goodbye.

The rest of your day was spent gathering the blossoms of a plant that only bloomed once a year. The essence it contained was very effective with infections, especially for children, therefore it was important to your mom to gather as many as possible. It wasn't thrilling but you understood why she asked for your help.

You sat down in the shadow of a small tree, listening to the waves as you ate your breakfast. You picked up footsteps coming closer and looked up. Rotxo was heading your way, waving slightly. You waved back at him. "Hey, my father told me what happened. How are you doing?" He settled down next to you. "Hi, I'm alright, but my mom insists that I take it slow. So I don't have much to do now. Thanks for asking. What about you? How are you doing?" Rotxo was was always a little closer to your brother, but you got along well too. "I'm alright, thanks. So how was it? Riding a tsurak?" He looked at you with great interest. "Different. They are so much faster than the ilus! And above the water they are like...a lot like ikrans, actually. In the air, it's much easier than in the water. In the water, you get pushed off if your grip isn't tight enough or if you don't lean into the tsurak close enough. But it's the transition between water and air that I have trouble with." Rotxo looked at you amazed. "Wow. Yea, my brother mentioned that swimming with them is pretty tough because of their speed. But I don't think you have to worry about it. You know, my dad said you did very well, all things considered. My brother said his biggest struggle was learning to fly with them. But I guess that comes from your experience with your ikran. Anyway, you can be proud. I mean, usually nobody our age learns to ride a tsurak. It will be another year before any of us get to join you." You smiled at him, thankful for his encouragement.

Tsireya was with the Sullys, looking for a calm space to do some more breathing exercises, as she spotted you and Rotxo talking in the distance. She decided that you would probably like some company and remembered that Tuk still wanted to give you something. So she leads the group in your direction. "Look guys, there is Y/n!" Tuk pointed out to the group. They had all already spotted you when Tsireya suddenly changed the course. Neteyam's brows furrowed seeing you and the boy next to you smiling at each other during your conversation. The image didn't sit right with him.

"Y/n!" Tuk shouted, running in your direction. This interrupted your conversation as both of you looked up towards Tuk and the approaching group. You used your not-injured arm to wave at them. "Y/n, how are you? Do you feel better? I have something for you that will make you feel better!" Tuk finally came to a halt next to you, plopping down on the sand, panting slightly. "Hello Tuk, I am alright. Yes, I do feel much better, thank you." The rest of the group arrived at your spot, sitting down as well. Tuk opened the small bag that she kept at her hip, taking something out, before handing it to you. "I made this for you! I wanted to make you a gift since you gave me your pretty bracelet. It has some shells from here, but I also put some wooden pearls in it from our home." Looking at it, you saw a handcrafted trinket with various shells worked into it along with a few wooden beads. "Thank you Tuk, that is very sweet of you. It is very pretty." Tuk smiled brightly as she watched you fasten the accessory on your loincloth. "Are you angry with your tsurak? Dad said it is difficult, but you didn't want to give up, no matter how often you got thrown off." You chuckled at her never-ending curiosity. "No Tuk, I'm not angry. I just have to practice more. Hopefully, I won't fall off that often then." Tsireya looked at you skeptically. "You mean after our mother clears you for training again in a few weeks when you have fully recovered?" Rolling your eyes at your sister, you say in an annoyed tone, "Yes Tsireya, don't worry". Your conversation kept going and at some point, Rotxo said his goodbyes, as he wanted to meet up with his brother. "So what are you going to do now?" Neteyam sat next to you, drawing in the sand and glancing at you occasionally. "Nothing much for the next two days. Everything more than walking is apparently too much and for the rest of the week, I guess I will go with my mom and help her with her work here and there. What about you guys?" Neteyam smiled as he looked at the beach. "Our mom said she would take me out hunting tomorrow evening. With the ikrans, you know. To practice my bow hunting. And uhm, your sister wants us to learn the sign language better. So yeah, I think that's about it." Tuk intervened: "No, Neteyam. The celebrations, you forgot about the celebrations!" At that Neteyam piped up: "Oh yes! What's happening anyway? Our dad just said that something is happening this evening." You were surprised that your sister didn't tell them yet. "A few of our warriors will do their last trials today. Tonight we will celebrate them becoming men."

By now Tsireya, Lo'ak, and Kiri walked slightly away from the three of you. Kiri checked if you and their siblings were out of earshot before nodding at her brother. "Hey Tsireya, why does your sister learn to tame a tsurak?" Lo'ak tried to approach the topic carefully. "Well, it is needed to become a warrior in our clan." Tsireya didn't understand the question or rather why Lo'ak asked that. Kiri piped in "Yes but isn't taming an ikran just as good?" Tsireya had an idea in what direction this was leading. "Our father said, that since she is here it would be more appropriate to learn to ride one of them as they are more helpful in the ocean than the ikrans." Lo'ak didn't want to wait any longer. "Ok, honestly we were wondering if she is supposed to learn to ride a tsurak so she could become Olo'eyktan. Our mom said it's rare that the clan leaders are siblings but not unheard of. So is she?" A look of panic crossed Tsireya's face, quickly looking at you she saw that you were still talking to Tuk and Neteyam. Relieved but also defeated Tsireya sighs. "Please don't talk so loud that's a very sensitive topic. The truth is that I don't know. Our father did not name the next Olo'eyktan yet. Ao'nung and Y/n fight a lot and their rivalry is often the reason behind that. I don't know why our father is waiting but I'm certain he has his reasons for it. The most experienced warriors in our clan are also divided on the topic, I think. Nobody would say anything, especially not to our father but I have heard some rumors. Some still think it is not appropriate to name her Olo'eyktan as she is a woman. Her not being fully Metkayina is also a problem for some people. They fear, that she might not want to fully commit to this clan if another is part of her heart. Others think her early travels are what make her the better warrior. And they say she is more skillful than Ao'nung. You see she rode an ilu before she turned three. Usually, we start training with them shortly after our fourth birthday. Our father loves telling the story. They took her and Ao'nung to the beach for some swimming lessons when the ilus got to them and Y/n, who was a little behind the other children, suddently passed them on an ilu. They don't know how she managed it but so far it is one of my father's favorite stories to tell." While their question didn't get answered in the way they were expecting, it certainly gave them more insight into what was going on in the clan. They slowly got back to the others to finally start their breathing exercises.

Neteyam playfully hit you with his tail while everybody had their eyes closed. You snapped your eyes open, looking at him. He grinned at you with one eye open, repeating the action. You scrunched your nose to get him to stop but your smile betrayed you. He hit you again. After looking around to make sure that the others weren't noticing it, you squinted your eyes and hit him back. You aimed higher, hitting him on the back of his head. His braids jiggled as his head fell forward slightly. He looked at you in shock with a smile on his lips. This had you giggling and you felt a slight blush covering your cheeks. At the noise, the others opened their eyes, looking at you confused. This made your blush more intense, this time in embarrassment. Neteyam was now chuckling. The others, excluding Tuk, understood now that you and Neteyam were just messing with each other. "Right...enough breathing exercises for now. How about we do some more sign language?" Tsireya suggested.

Tsireya said a word and made the associated movement at the same time. The Sullys copied her. It was all going well and you decided that they should try it alone. Now you only said the word and they did the movement. You and Tsireya corrected their movements when they did something wrong. "Forward," you said. As the Sullys made the sign, you saw that Neteyam had a small mistake and went to correct him. "You have to put your fingers together. Like this, it means 'way'" Not sure what you meant, Neteyam started curling his fingers into a fist. "No, I mean like so." You uncurl his fingers and press his thumb against his index finger. Now Neteyam kept messing up and you kept correcting him. After the fifth time, you looked at Neteyam with concern. His teasing grin gave him away immediately. You hit his arm. "Skxawng!" At that, Neteyam chuckled before forcing himself to put on a serious face. Kiri rolled her eyes at her brother's antics. When you noticed that Tuk was getting restless, you decided to end the lesson for the day, leaving all of you some time to get ready for the festivities in the evening.

You and Tsireya helped each other braid your hair. She had a headpiece with pearls tied into her hair. They looked like waterdrops shining brightly. You had multiple braids that were decorated with seashells. Both of you were wearing chest pieces covered in pearls. Arriving at the celebrations, you were quickly called over to a small group of younger warriors as Tsireya sat down with a few friends of hers.

The Sullys arrived at the community area shortly after. Kiri spotted Tsireya, who beckoned them over to come sit with her group. "Hey guys, these are Lorell and Nupxi. And these are Neteyam, Lo'ak, Kiri, and Tuk." Tsireya introduced everybody. They smiled and started a conversation, but Neteyam kept looking for you. "She is with the warriors over there." Tsireya addressed Neteyam, pointing discreetly to their left. He blushed at being caught but followed her finger regardless. The other girls were giggling at Neteyam's flustered state. He saw you talking to some men who were two or three years older than you. One of them was telling a story while the rest of you listened intently. He stood out as he had a large tattoo on his right arm, and a fresh-looking one at that. He must have been among the warriors who succeeded in their last trials today. The story seemed to reach its peak as you all laughed before getting back to smaller conversations. You looked over to your sister only to see Neteyam looking at you. You smiled at him and nodded your head in greeting. Neteyam averted his eyes and a small blush covered his cheeks.

"Hm, it seems like the forest boy has a little crush," Lorell said teasingly. Before Neteyam could deny it, Nupxi spoke up. "That wouldn't be too wise now, would it?" Before either of the Sullys could question it, Tsireya interrupted "Oh stop it, both of you! It is only gossip. Nothing but rumors!". The siblings looked confused between the girls. "What rumor?" Lo'ak wanted to be in on their secret. Lorell smiled at him. "You see, over there with the warriors next to Y/n is Fayem, the one with a healed tattoo on his left shoulder." They all looked over and saw you talking to him. "Fayem successfully passed the last trials two years ago. But he is yet to choose a mate or even court a woman." Lorell kept the tension up, but Nupxi decided to speed up the process. "Yes, and the rumor is that he didn't choose yet because he is waiting for a certain someone to pass hers." Neteyam did not like where this was going. He did not like it at all. "So that's why you, Neteyam of the forest people, should maybe not get your hopes up," Nupxi concluded. But Lorell intervened, "Don't listen to her! I am sure you have some good qualities. I mean, look at him! He is not Neteyam of the forest people. He is Neteyam, son of Toruk Makto, and...you are a good warrior, right? " Neteyam didn't know how to answer but Tuk did that for him. "The best! He was the youngest hunter ever to make a clean kill on a sturmbeest!" Lorell smiled proudly at that, looking at her friend with a satisfied smile. "You see, he is Neteyam, son of Toruk Makto, the best young warrior of the forest people!" Nupxi huffed while rolling her eyes. "Also, Y/n never even said that she was interested in Fayem. Or else Tonowari would have most likely already promised them to one another." Neteyam wanted to feel better knowing that you seemed to not care for this Fayem guy, but the thought of you being promised to anyone soured his mood. Tsireya rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to them. It is nothing more than a stupid rumor. Choosing a mate is a big decision and if it takes him longer to pursue someone, it only means that he wants to be very sure. As he SHOULD." Nupxi grinned at Tsireya. "Not all of it is a rumor. Rotxo told me, that he heard how Fayem told his brother about helping Y/n to ride her Tsurak once she recovers!" Lorell gasped at that. "You didn't tell me that!". Tsireya rolled her eyes again before looking at Neteyam. "It's only gossip. Don't let it get to your head. Neither of you!". She made a point to look at each Sully sibling individually to get her point across. Tuk grinned. "It doesn't matter anyway. Neteyam is teaching her how to ride her ikran. Fayem and no other warrior could do that better than him...well, except dad." That had the girls intrigued. "Really? Is there anything else?" Tuk took a deep breath and said, "Well-". Before Tuk could feed these gossip-hungry viperwolves, Neteyam intervened. "Tuk, don't!" Frowning, she looked at her oldest brother. "Why?" "Because gossiping is not in good taste and it will lead to rumors." Not fully understanding Tsireya's explanation, she questioned further, "But why are rumors bad?" Smiling at her innocence, Tsireya leaned toward Tuk. "Hm, it's as if I were saying that you don't like a certain food just because you once did not want to eat it because you were already full." Tuk gasped. "But that's a lie!"

"What's a lie?" All eyes turned to you as you approached the group. "Hey guys, so what's a lie?" You asked again, sitting down between Tuk and Neteyam. "A rumor is!" Tuk gladly shared her new wisdom. You glanced quickly at Tsireya briefly, who only shook her head before you turned back to Tuk. "It surely is." The group was suddenly surrounded by awkward silence. "So how is Fayem?" Lorell asked, taking a sip from her cup to make it seem like a casual question. You looked at her confused. "He is fine...?" Nupxi commented: "Oh good. We were just wondering since you seemed to be so...friendly." Now catching on, you rolled your eyes. "We were talking. You know that's what people do at celebrations. Just like we are talking now too." Lorell grinned at you, "Right, now that we are talking...did you know that Neteyam was the youngest hunter in his clan to ever make a clean kill on a sturmbeest?" She was a little unsure about the animal's name, but Tuk nodded, confirming that she got the name right. Lorell and Nupxi were waiting for your reaction. You kept your face perfectly still as you evaluated killing both of them. Concluding that it wasn't worth Eywa's or your parents' wrath, you answered as neutrally as possible. "No. But I am certain his clan was very happy and his family was very proud." The girls shared a look before leaning back. The awkward silence was back and they were all looking for something to say. Tsireya got up. "Well, I am rather hungry. I am going to get some food. Anybody else?" Tuk and Neteyam got up as well to go with Tsireya, although Neteyam mainly wanted to get away from the situation.

"We heard you trained with Toruk Makto. How was it?" Nupxi asks. You sigh. "You know, you are both very nice people when you are not trying to gather information to gossip. Yes, I did train. Yes, Toruk Makto was there as well. No, I did not focus on him as I was too busy getting thrown off of my tsurak. And yes, I am sure he is a great warrior. For any further questions about Toruk Makto, you might want to ask his children as they are sitting right next to you." Surprised by your harsh response, both girls got very quiet and started spotting a pout. "We were just asking."

At the buffet, Tsireya led Neteyam and Tuk to the foods she liked best and as she plated a little bit of everything for them Fayem approached. "Hey, guys, are you enjoying the festivities so far?" He questioned, mainly looking at Tsireya. She responded for the group. "Yes, all good. I heard that everybody was successful today." Fayem nodded at that. "Oh yeah, they all passed the trials without complications. Hunting also went well, your dad was part of the hunting party today, we brought back quite the kill." The last part was aimed at Neteyam and Tuk. Neteyam made a mental note to talk to his dad later. Rotxo called over to them, getting the small group's attention. He waved at Fayem to get back. Standing next to him were Lorell and Nupxi, as well as Ao'nung and some more of his friends. The girls were saying something that had Ao'nung roll his eyes as some of the others laughed. Great, just great. Neteyam was sure that they were making fun of him and his feelings for you. Fayem said his goodbyes before he went back to Ao'nung's group. Neteyam averted his eyes, focusing on Tsireya as she explained to him and Tuk what they were having on their plates.

When they were returning to your small group, now only consisting of Lo'ak, Kiri, and you, he first noticed Lo'ak's grim look, as you were still blocked from his view by a few people. As they got closer, he saw the reason for that. Fayem crouched next to you, clearly engaging you in a conversation you weren't keen on having— your body language told that much. As the tall male loomed over you, standing a little too close for Neteyam's liking, you sat there with your arms protectively wrapped around yourself, not even fully facing the man. Your ears were also slightly lowered and your tail curled around you. "So what do you say, hm? I could tutor you,once you get better, of course." Oh, so much for just gossip. "Uhm, that is very kind of you to offer but like I said, my dad is already teaching me...and also..." You quickly had to find a better excuse, just as you were desperately looking for something to say, Neteyam came into your view: "... also, I have already asked Neteyam to help me with my ikran, so there wouldn't be much time for any additional lessons anyway." You smiled at Neteyam, desperately urging him to back you up. Fayem's eyes fell on him as his eager expression turned into a frown, ears slicking back against his head. "You see, my brother is the best ikran rider, so she must take aaaallll the lessons. There will be no time. No time at all. Very sorry." Little Tuk once again took charge, but her sympathetic expression was not as convincing with the smile that graced her lips. Fayem turned back to you with a smile that was probably meant to be charming as he crossed his arms, making his biceps bulk. "Well, if you change your mind or if flying turns out to be easier than you think, you know where to find me. I am always happy to help." And with that, he walked off.

"What was that?" Tsireya wondered, seeing how uncomfortable you were with the situation. "Pushy is what that was." Lo'ak was annoyed at that guy's confidence. "Before you got here, she already told him no twice," Kiri explained. At that, Neteyam's jaw clenched. When he settled down, he sat close to you with his tail loosely curled around your back, subconsciously blocking you from the other group. The others followed his example and began eating.

Tsireya had good taste, that much was evident. The Sullys enjoyed every bit of food on their plates until they both reached for a type of shellfish that they had yet to open. It was a lot harder than it looked, and soon Tuk turned to Tsireya for help. Neteyam was not willing to give up that quickly, but you saw his struggle, aware that only a certain technique could open them without splintering the shell and ruining the meat in the process. "Wait, let me help!" You lay your hand over Neteyam's to stop his attempts before they could ruin the delicious meat. He looks at you with big eyes, turning his hand around to let you grab the seafood. As you took it, you shuffled closer to him so he could see your exact hand movements. "You have to hold it like so. Pressing your thumb into these dents. Then you press two fingers on the edge here..." Taking his still hovering hand, you lead his index finger over the still-sealed opening. "...then you press down hard and...there you go!" You moved your hands along your words and the shell smoothly opened up. With a proud smile, you turn to Neteyam, now realizing your close proximity. He felt your breath on his lips as you exhaled, your noses barely a finger's width apart. You both blush severely as you pull back to put some distance between you. Distracting yourself, you finished opening the shell and cleaned it. Carefully, Neteyam took the shell with the meat in it and watched you sprinkle small bits of the seasoning from his plate on the meat before you guided his hand toward his mouth. He slurps the meat into his mouth and lets the different flavors melt on his tongue. He hums, satisfied and nods happily at you.

"That's good!" Tuk exclaimed gleefully. You all chuckle at that. The casual conversation picked up again, but Neteyam kept sneaking glances at you. Sitting so close to you, he saw every little detail. From the seashells carefully beaded into your braids to the glowing dots on your face, which stood in stark contrast to your thick, long black lashes. Even the blue of your eyes seemed more vibrant up close. But nothing could surpass your smell. Like everybody in the village, you always slightly smelled of saltwater, but your own very personal smell was like a mix between sweet flowers and the fresh smell you could only perceive after heavy rain in the forest.

"So..." Lo'ak interrupted while playing with the wooden bracelet on his wrist. "...are we all going to learn how to ride tsuraks as well?" He directed his question at Tsireya, who looked to you for answers. But you weren't sure either and just shrugged. "Well, our future warriors learn that, but I mean, you all already went through the Omatikaya's trial with your ikran. I guess it is similar. I'm sure that could count too, at least until later. You have to perfect ilu riding before you can even consider riding a tsurak. And even if you consider it, a teacher would be needed, but not everybody is fit for teaching. Those who are choose their students when they are deemed worthy." Kiri's brows furrowed upon hearing that. "But our dad is training and he never rode an ilu in his life." You smirked. "Yes, and our father strongly urged him to learn with the ilus, but 'it will be hard to learn' isn't the best argument when talking to Toruk Makto."

"So how long would it take us to get good enough for tsurak training?" Neteyam wondered. He is a great warrior, he passed his ikran trial with flying colors, and (not that he would ever say anything out loud) it couldn't be that hard if Fayem learned it. "Well, that depends on your talent and your training. It won't take you years to practice, most children of the village are ready for training long before they reach their teenage years. The physical part is what takes so long since you need a good amount of muscle, stamina, and durability. That's why we have to wait that long. The biggest obstacle is finding a teacher. No trained warrior wants a student who still takes many risks. You are expected to be dutiful, they are the ones responsible for your safety after all. Sometimes younger warriors offer to teach eager young boys, thinking that they will manage, but it never ends well. More often than not, the boys stopped their training altogether and were only willing to pick it up years later, when actual warriors offered to train them. Since the last time that happened, there is an unspoken rule of asking Tonowari for permission before you approach a student to be." Kiri nudged Lo'ak with her elbow. "Level-headed AND an experienced teacher? Damn, you won't become a man before you are in your twenties!" It was clear that she was merely joking, but Tsireya didn't want any of the Sullys to feel insecure. "Oh, you don't have to worry! Like I said, I think there might be an exception for you guys. But I don't doubt that your dad would be willing to teach you later. You will reach adulthood long before that." Tsireya now looks at Neteyam, trying to reassure him, and she says: "When you have settled in, our parents will most likely talk about the best way for you to transfer the trials you already did!"

She misses the confused look Kiri and Lo'ak share: "Tsireya, that won't be necessary." Now both you and Tsireya look at Kiri confused. Why wouldn't it be necessary? Neteyam is the oldest of the siblings, so he is going to become an official adult first. "I already did all my trials. I am a full hunter back home." Neteyam's voice was calm, sure of himself. Not cocky, but confident. "Oh" you and Tsireya were surprised, neither of them ever said anything. Neteyam's siblings couldn't help but notice the twinkle of admiration in your eyes, it seemed like Fayem wouldn't be the male in your life that would be the source of good gossip.

The conversation kept going, and the atmosphere was calm. You all had a great time. At some point, Tuk got sleepy and leaned onto her older brother, dozing off. Shortly after, Jake and Neytiri approached their kids to get home.

Lo'ak as well as Kiri were walking a little ahead and Tuk seemed to be sleeping in their mother's arms, so Neteyam turned to his father. "Uhm, there was this guy we just met, Fayem, I think. He said he was part of the hunting party today...do you know him ?" Neteyam cringed at his question. Surprised, Jake looked at Neteyam. "Yes. Tall guy. Tonowari mentioned that he is one of the best warriors they currently have, bright for his age. He was very helpful today. Why do you ask?" Dispirited by his father's praising words, Neteyam dismissed the conversation. "Just wondering. Like I said, he was at the party." Jake raised an eyebrow at his son but didn't question him further. "I don't like him." Both men looked at Tuk, who was gazing sleepily gazing in their direction. "Why would you say that, Tuk?" Jake wondered as his daughter was usually friendly to everybody she met, always assuming the best. Tuk yawned, "Because he is arrogant. And he fancies Y/n but she is waaaayyy too pretty for him. And too smart. And just much better. Probably the better warrior too." Tuk rested her case as she turned her face, settling in the crock of her mother's neck. Now that made more sense to Jake. "So he is just some guy you met at the party, hm? Not a man who fancies the girl you like?" Jake teased his son, a smirk stretching across his face. Neteyam didn't look at his dad as he shrugged his shoulders. "He mentioned the hunt today, that's all. I was just curious." It didn't slip that Netayam didn't deny his father's insinuation, but Jake didn't want to pry any further.

On your way to the tsuraks, you ate the rest of your breakfast while halfheartedly listening to your dad's story of how he tamed his tsurak. It was quite an interesting story...just not when hearing it for at least the fifth time. By now you were almost convinced you could retell it word for word.

At your destination, you already saw a handful of warriors in the water, among them was Jake Sully. "What did I tell you? The best warriors start early! There you have it." Your dad practically glowed with anticipation. He jumped off of the path you were standing on into the shallow water and walked towards the Omatikaya man in the deeper water as he greeted him. Toruk Makto greeted him back. "Ah Jake Sully, I believe you already met my daughter Y/N. I heard she had a successful day with your son yesterday. She spoke very highly of him!" Now you were blushing again. Great, just great. You followed your dad, noticing how the sandbanks made this the perfect spot for training. Shallow water that barely reached your knee but was easier to walk in quickly transitioned into deeper water, perfect for the tsuraks.

Jake could barely see your small form hiding behind your dad. But when he did, he saw the purple tint on your cheeks. "Yes, Neteyam mentioned that it went well. How come you are here today?" Jake wondered why you were here since you usually hung out with his children. At that Tonowari gently pushed you in front of him, proudly putting a hand on your shoulder. "Today Y/N will have her first day of learning how to ride a tsurak!" Jake saw Tonowari's proud smile as well as the worry on your face. It was clear to him who was more excited about the idea. "That sounds like fun. No worries kid, you will manage! I mean, you got a head start already riding an ikran and swimming with the ilus." Jake tried his best to sound encouraging, to ease your worries. Tonowari gave another hearty smack to your back. "You see! I told you, now come on, it's time to get started!" Jake got out of your way as your father steered you towards a group of men preparing the tsurak. You gulped and prayed to Eywa that the day will end sooner rather than later. "Ok, now child, do you want to start in the water or the air? Usually, we start in the air since that is the harder part for us but you have an advantage at that, so what would you like?" your dad crouched down to you, a proud smile on his lips, waiting for your answer. You completely disagreed with him about the air part but also felt like starting in the water would end less messy. "I...I think I would like to start in the water." Unsure, you looked between the tsurak and your dad. "The water it is!" And with that, he helped you to get on the tsurak and gave you a leather strip for your hand. "You can use that for practice. It is not required but some prefer it. It helps you tighten your grip while getting used to them. What do you say, with or without?" You would rather get pulled around than thrown off, so you quickly nodded and took the leather strip, securing it around your hand and the handle on the tsurak's saddle. "That's my girl! Always one for the tough way!" your father exclaimed, making you rethink that decision. Well, now or never! The others started backing up as you made the bond. The tsurak lowers into the water and your grip on the handle tightens. You lower yourself closer to the tsurak. The beast becomes restless and as the last few warriors step back, it starts picking up speed. Now fully in the water, you notice that it is actually very similar to the ilus. This isn't bad. This isn't bad at all, you think. You keep getting faster and faster, your grip still strong around the handle. Traveling this fast is new to you but you greatly enjoy it.

Tonowari looks in your general direction. Filled with pride, he explains to Jake: "You see my daughter, she was riding an ilu before anybody else in her age group did. She could barely walk when she one day decided it was time for her to swim with us. She made the bond and swam past all the kids her age. That's how I knew she would do well today!" Jake also looks in your direction. He is impressed by that. He wasn't sure at what age the Metkayina usually start riding the ilus but he saw no child younger than four alone with them.

Just as you think that riding a tsurak isn't as hard as everybody made it out to be, the animal shoots out of the water. The force of the sudden change of motion has you flying out of your seat, your hand rips off of the handle and tsaheylu breaks. The men can only watch as you get thrown off the tsurak, landing in the water with a splash.

Worry rises in Tonowari as he makes his way over to you as fast as he can. You rise out of the water again and take a big breath of air. Your hand throbs and as you look down you see angry red lines forming all over it. Your dad approaches you worried, saying: "Y/n! Y/n, are you alright my child?" He looks at your injured hand. "Oh dear, it's alright. I am here, no worries, it will be fine." He carefully embraces you, patting your head in comfort. Flexing one finger after the other, you notice a slight discomfort but nothing too bad. "Dad?" You look up at your dad, who lets you out of his embrace to look at you attentively. "Can I maybe not use the leather strip anymore?" The concern on your dad's face is replaced with amusement and pride as he rises, a hand on your back, turning you towards the other men who are looking in your direction concerned. "Ha! Certainly! Always facing the challenge!" Everybody relaxes as you walk back towards the group. They call for the tsurak so you can try again. Still a little away from the group, you question your dad: "Do you think I should maybe start in the air and do the transition into the water first? I think I might get that better." Always supportive of you, your dad quietly replies, "If that's what you want, you can do that. You know...you don't have to learn to ride a tsurak in a day." While he was proud of your courage, he didn't want you to get seriously injured or that push yourself too hard. Contemplating your dad's words, you reply: "No, but giving up because I failed once isn't right either. I can do this, dad!" Seeing the determination in your eyes, he gives you a nod affirming you while helping you back onto the tsurak. "When the tsurak dives into the water, you have to react quickly and lean into it to ease into the water. If you don't, the water resistance will throw you off." Nodding at your dad's words, you tightened your grip on the handle once more, this time without the supporting leather strip. "Hey kid, while it's above the surface it's very similar to an ikran. Hold yourself up and focus on the tsurak's movements." Jake gave you an encouraging thumbs up. After a small nod of confirmation, you made the bond and everybody stepped back. The tsurak picked up its speed and went up, lifting out of the water. You held yourself high, just like Neteyam taught you. Gripping the handle tightly, you focused on the tsurak's movement. Everything has worked out well so far. Feeling a change of motion, you quickly leaned into the animal just as it started diving. Now fully submerged, it picked up speed. You felt your grip on the handle getting loose and it glided through your hand before you could even react. You swam up to the surface and went back to your dad. "Good! That was good!" Your dad praised you. You appreciated it but you wanted to go again, now knowing how to do better. You smiled at your dad and got ready.

Back at the beach, Tsireya met up with the Sully children. Neteyam looked around a little confused. "Where is Y/n? I wanted to give her a present!" Tuk asks, looking at Tsireya. Smiling at the small girl, Tsireya answered loudly enough so that Neteyam could hear her as well. "My sister had to go with our father today. He is teaching her how to ride a tsurak." This surprised the Sullys since their father had told them about how difficult it was as well as how many of the warriors got bruised during their training. "Isn't that dangerous?" Kiri was a little concerned for you. "No, don't worry. Y/n is an excellent ilu rider and our father taught many warriors how to ride a tsurak. It's not easy but I am sure she will manage." Tsireya's words calmed the Sully children as she intended but she couldn't help but worry herself. She was confident in your skills but it was your stubbornness that worried her. She was concerned you would push yourself too hard. "Now, how about we swim with the ilus?" Tuk's cheerful "yes!" was all that was needed to get the group moving toward the training area of the reefs. To improve their movements with the ilus, Tsireya decided to swim in shallower water with them. Not to mention that she could keep an eye on you and see how you were doing.

At the training area, Neteyam quickly noticed the tsuraks a little away from the ilus and the group started searching for your familiar face. Lo'ak pointed towards a group of men. "Look, there she is!" The group looked in the direction Lo'ak was pointing at. You were sitting on a tsurak's back, forming tsaheylu as the warriors surrounding the animal were walking away.

After the bond was made, the tsurak picked up speed and fully got out of the water. You crouched down on its back, looking far ahead. As the beast dove into the water, you quickly changed your position, now leaning into its back. Both of you disappear into the water. Not long after, you emerged from the water a little ahead of where you dove in. You swam back to a shallower part of the water. Then you walked back towards your father and a couple of other men, as well as their dad. You seemed deeply concentrated on what the men were telling you, slightly nodding at whatever they were explaining. Neteyam focused back on Tuk when she started playing with the ilus, gleeful noises leaving her. Tsireya told them about their most common mistakes and then told them to practice for a while. After some time, Neteyam started looking after Tuk, who was by now playing with the ilus rather than practicing. Kiri also swam off playing with smaller fish. Tsireya and Lo'ak swam next to each other but were more focused on their conversation than their swimming.

A loud splash followed by a painful yelp got their attention. "Y/N!" Tonowari made his way over to a crouching form. Realizing you got hurt, the group quickly ran in your direction as well.

Your arm was hurting a lot. On your last try, you managed to hold onto the tsurak as it went into the water but got thrown off again when it breached the surface. But this time you didn't land in the deeper water. No, you landed on a sandbank that was barely covered by the water. Sitting up, you saw the water around you turning red from the blood that came from your arm. Your dad reached you. "Are you hurt? Oh no, it's fine. I've got you." Carefully taking your injured arm, he saw a long cut going almost all the way from your wrist to your elbow bend. Tonowari looked up, seeing Tsireya and the other kids coming your way. "Go get your mother." Tsireya nodded and turned around, heading away from the group. Tonowari picked you up and carried you over to one of the paths that were connecting the marui pods above the water. "Is she alright? What happened?" Tuk worried about you questioning her father as Tonowari walked ahead of them. After your dad set you down, Kiri came over wanting to help. "Can I help? I used to tend to our injured in the forest." Appreciating your friend's offer, you showed her your still-bleeding arm. "You should put pressure on it to stop the bleeding, it's a rather nasty cut." She pressed down hard on the wound to stop the bleeding, making you hiss in discomfort. "Sorry. There must have been a sharp stone under the water that cut me when I got thrown off." Your dad was standing next to you, still in the water, trying to comfort you by lightly stroking your back. Jake saw how all of his children cared for your well-being. They all looked worried but only Neteyam looked as if he was in pain himself when you let out the hiss.

Ronal arrived with fast steps, closely followed by Tsireya, both of them carrying various supplies. Kiri made space for your mother, letting go of your arm. "What happened? Who did this?" Your mom demanded answers. Lowering your ears in shame, you answered her quietly. "Nobody, mom...I-I fell." Assessing your wound, your mom tended to it. Jake thought it was better to leave you be for now. "Alright kids, let's go. Let Ronal do her job, come on." They all said their goodbyes and told you to get well soon. Ronal threw angry looks at her mate while tending to your wound. She smears a thick layer of ointment on your arm before wrapping it in the bandages Tsireya hands her. Satisfied with her work, she gave you a once-over to check if you needed any more treatment. Her eyes fall on your other hand, which is covered in angry red and purple lines. She takes another ointment and holds it out to you. "Here, put that on your hand every evening and every morning until the lines are gone." Still not looking at her eyes, you take the ointment from her mumbling "thanks". She lays a finger under your chin, lifting it up to look you in the eyes. She smiles at you before kissing your forehead. "You should rest now. No more physical training for at least a week. Stay out of the water as much as you can. I don't want your wound to reopen." All four of you got up and headed towards your family's marui. Tsireya follows your mom into her room, where she keeps most of her supplies. Your dad couldn't help but notice your sour mood. "What's wrong? Does it still hurt?" Looking up at him, you sigh. "Yes a little but that's not it...It still threw me off. I thought I got it...I thought I could finally do it but no, I still made the same mistakes." Not wanting your unjustified disappointment to harden, he argues: "You did great today. You learned how to ride a tsurak in the air and the water. And you managed to learn the dive. That's a lot for your first day. I told you it takes time. Nobody expected you to master it on your first day. You failed, but you stood back up. You didn't let your failure demotivate you but learned from your mistakes." Your dad's words brought a smile to your lips and while you still weren't happy about it, you couldn't deny your success. Throwing your arms around his middle, you hug him tightly. "Thank you, dad." He patted your head. "Not for that." As your mom came back into the room she ordered you to rest until dinner. Your sister came out after her, heading for the entrance of your marui. You went into your room but heard your parents hushed voices as they argued. "I told you not to be so hard on her!" your mom hissed at your father. "This was an accident! They happen. And you know that riding the tsurak isn't easy. It's not uncommon to get a few bruises, they will heal!" Your mom snarled lowly "It is our duty to protect our children, Tonowari! To make sure that they don't get hurt!" Your dad sighed. "And that's what I'm doing. But they have to make their own decisions and take their own risks. It's part of growing up to fall sometimes. Our duty is to make sure that they stand back up again." Ronal grumbled but knew that Tonowari was right.

Tsireya headed for the Sullys' marui, aware that her friends would most likely want to know how you were doing. "Tsireya!" Little Tuktirey greeted her, pulling her inside the marui by her hand. "Hey, how is Y/n doing? The cut looked bad." Kiri wondered. "The cut will take some time to heal, our mother said she can't take part in any training or much swimming for at least a week." They were all relieved to hear you were more or less ok. "Can we see her? I want to give her the gift, maybe it will make her feel better." Tuk now looked between her dad and Tsireya, wanting both of them to give her their ok. "I am afraid today wouldn't be a good idea. She is resting now and the ointment will make her tired." Jake smiled at his youngest, trying to lift up her spirits he says: "I'm sure you can see her tomorrow". Tsireya stays a little longer talking to Kiri and Lo'ak before heading back to her family's marui before dinner. "I know it didn't go that well but I gotta say, she looked totally badass riding that thing." Lo'ak broke the silence while the family was enjoying their food in the large common area. Jake chuckled at that. "Yeah, she was pretty determined. The tsurak seems pretty stubborn. She got thrown off at least ten times today but she always came back, wanting to go again. Tonowari is very proud of her." Neteyam's brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't get it. She already tamed an ikran. Why does that not count for the Metkayina's trials?" Jake had an idea but wasn't sure if he should share his thoughts since they were only that. "Well, she is the oldest of the chief's children...". That comment surprised Neytiri. "You think Tonowari will make her Olo'eyktan?" Now all his children looked at Jake curious. "Well, I don't *KNOW* that. I'm just saying it's possible. I mean, think about it. Unlike her sister, she is being trained like most warriors of the clan. Letting her travel to another clan without passing the trials is rather uncommon and means that Tonowari and Ronal must have a lot of trust in her." That left all of the Sullys deep in thought. "Hold up now, isn't Tsireya training for Tsahik? And the Tsahik is mated to the Olo'eyktan, so how would either Y/n or Ao'nung become Olo'eyktan? Also, isn't the Olo'eyktan usually a man?" Lo'ak didn't agree with his parents reasoning about how you could become Olo'eyktan. Neytiri answered her youngest son. "No child, it is the most common for the Tsahik and the Olo'eyktan to mate but a close relation like siblings isn't unheard of. It's very rare but not impossible. My father told me about one clan that once had siblings as their clan's leaders. The same goes for the sex of the Olo'eyktan. The Tayrangi people, Y/n's father's clan, have a female Olo'eyktan." Now they were all curious. "We can ask her tomorrow!" Tuk proposed. "Don't" Jake interfered. "If Tonowari didn't name her, it could come across as if you disagreed with his decision." Jake didn't want his children to cause further conflict. "It would be best if you didn't talk about that with her or Ao'nung. Or their parents." Lo'ak didn't miss that his dad left out Tsireya and neither did Kiri. The siblings shared a look, knowing that there was a way to get answers to their questions.

When the Sully children left, Neteyam considered staying back and waiting some more, but Lo'ak called for him, "Bro, do you need an invitation or what?" Neteyam took that as his sign to simply go along and ask Tsireya in case you weren't there. At the beach, they greeted you and your sister. Tuk squeezed between Tsireya and Lo'ak to show her the new bracelet. Kiri had already gone towards the water, while Neteyam approached you. "Hey, uhm did you want to go now? Or later? Or... do you want to go today at all?" Neteyam finally voiced his questions. You were slightly caught by surprise: "I actually didn't think this through. Uhm, do you want to go now? I mean, we can go now! Uhm, should we bring them something? Do we need something?" Taken aback by your questions, Neteyam considered "Then we go now. We could bring them some treats like fish, but usually the ikrans fend for themselves, so we don't have to feed them. But if you want to learn something with your ikran, it might be helpful. We can bring some snacks for ourselves as well. I mean, it could take some time. Do you have your ikran's saddle?" You smiled brightly, mesmerizing him. He returned your smile but snapped out of it when you yanked his arm and began walking and pulling him toward the village. "Then let's go! I believe we still have some dried fish at home and there are some snacks we can easily take. My ikran still has her saddle on. The ones who lived nearby the clan kept them on, I believe." Neteyam quickly found his footing again and followed closely behind you. At your family's marui, you pulled Neteyam into the living area before you wandered off. He patiently waited for you until he heard you mumble something under your breath before crossing the room. "Ao'nung, where are the snacks? There were still plenty when I looked yesterday. Where are they?" Walking out of the room, Ao'nung tried to avoid you. "I don't know, I didn't take them! Why do you need them now anyways?" His eyes meet Neteyam. "And what is he doing here?" Neteyem set his jaw at Ao'nung's hostile tone. "Don't change the subject! And as I said yesterday, Neteyam offered to teach me more about my ikran, now where are they?!" Ao'nung's gaze went from confused to upset before he averted his gaze from Neteyam back to you, saying, "Oh, yeah, right... well, I still don't know. Ask mom!" With that, Ronal walked into the room, her eyes briefly wandering over Neteyam before focusing on both of her children. "What is the matter with you both? Ao'nung, shouldn't you be with your father? Y/N, didn't you want to spend time with your ikran?" With a sigh, Ao'nung wandered off: "Yes, I am already on my way, mother." Having her full attention now, you asked your mother the same thing as your brother before. Ronal went back into the room she came from, grabbed a bag, and packed it with the snacks before coming back out and handing it to you. She smiled kindly at you before wishing you much fun.

The way to the clearing outside the village was quiet. Once you reached your destination, you expectantly looked up at Neteyam. "Now you call your ikran and maybe tell me what troubles you." You nodded in agreement and then let out a loud call. "Right, so I think there is something with the way I fly. For a while, it seems alright, but after some time, it gets rather uncomfortable, and I feel that my ikran isn't feeling well either, but I can't figure out the problem. Also, we sometimes have trouble communicating, I guess. Well, what I mean is that she doesn't listen to me."

You explain while looking uneasy at Neteyam. All things considered, Neteyam thinks that it is unlikely that he could help you from the ground without seeing you interact in the air, but he wants to see your reactions to each other regardless. When your ikran arrives, you gently pet her and feed her some fish. Your body language is very open and friendly. Your ikran also seems very comfortable and trusting around you, so that's not it. "Hm, you seem to be trusting each other, so I think it would be best to see your behavior in the air." Neteyam calls for his ikran while watching you get up on yours. You swing yourself up and make Tsaheylu. Neteyam notices that you are sitting rather close to her neck. Neteyam's ikran arrives, and after feeding him some fish too, he mounts his as well, signing you to take off. Following your lead, Neteyam focuses on the way you fly, your movements, your behavior, and your ikran's reactions to it. After about half an hour of flying, Neteyam notices a change in your ikran's flying. Looking closely, he can see what the main issue seems to be. Your ikran gets restless, and he can see that you are uncomfortable too. Motioning for you to land, he follows your descent, landing next to you before getting off.

He gently thanks his ikran and goes over to you. You are about to get down as well, but Neteyam quickly stops you: "No wait, I think it's better if you stay there, then I can show you better." Nodding in understanding, you pat your ikran, trying to ease her distress. "Ok, you see, when you got up, I noticed that you hold yourself very close to your ikran. That alone is not a problem, but doing so is very, well, exhausting because it takes more strength than it should. Therefore, you become uncomfortable when flying. You clutch her like she's an ilu, but she isn't. You are uncomfortable because you behave like you are in the water and not the air. Your problems getting along might also come from the fact that your body language is telling her something different than your words. It's like saying you want to go right but then walking left. Your posture is also the reason she gets anxious after a while. Since the pose is uncomfortable for you, your body subconsciously tries to find an easier way to stabilize you, leading to your feet pressing down differently than they should, trying to aid your thighs. As a result, your saddle presses up against her lungs more. It's like having someone squeeze your chest when you try to run. She is simply not getting as much air as she would like." You look at Neteyam, speechless, astounished by his explanation but also sorry for your ikran. "So I hurt her?" you ask him with a scared undertone. Panic rises in Neteyam—that was not what he wanted!

"No! I mean well..., like you said, she is uncomfortable, but it shouldn't be hurting. I think." Now unsure, but trying to fix things, Neteyam intervenes. A determined look comes over your face. "How do I fix it?" Relieved Neteyam smiles "Well try to put more weight on the front of your foot and bend your knees. Her neck may be long but there is no need to stretch along it, simply sit down, especially for longer travels. Use your saddle, relax, and give her space. Keep your body upright. You don't have to become part of your ikran because the flow is not as strong in the air as it is in the water." Listening to his advice, you lean back and separate your upper body from your ikran's neck. It felt unusual, so you looked at Neteyam for feedback. He smiled a little and said: "Yes, that's a lot better. Your legs are still very tense. Try to relax them a little and adjust your feet like I said." Looking down, you turned your feet, unsure of what exactly he wanted. A small frown formed on Neteyam's face. "No wait." He gently pushed your calf into position while grabbing your thigh and pulling it back so you rest more weight on your backside than your legs. Now satisfied, he looks at you only to see your face slightly purple and flustered with your eyes locked on your leg. He followed your gaze to his hand, which was still lightly grabbing the middle of your thigh. Embarrassed, he quickly takes his hands off while trying to fight the heat creeping up his cheeks. His attempts fail miserably. "Um, yeah, like this is better." He concluds while he avoids to look at you.

You seemed to squirm, catching his attention. You looked straight ahead with an uncomfortable look on your face. Neteyam was about to apologize for making you uncomfortable when you voiced your distress: "It feels weird like this. It's very different from an ilu. I'm so used to, well, melting into the ilu that sitting so far away seems wrong." Neteyam chuckles, thinking about how it's the exact opposite for his family. Being used to ikrans, they struggle more with the close hold on the ilus. "You will get used to it, trust me. It was the same for my siblings and me when we first rode an ilu. It will take some time, and you will have to concentrate on your posture for a while, but it will become a habit in no time." Grateful for his reassuring words, you nodded at him with a small smile. "So...do you wanna try it again? Flying, I mean. It should feel different now that you are in a proper position." You nodded, and while waiting for Neteyam to get on his ikran, you fed yours another piece of fish to thank her for her patience with you.

Neteyam immediately sees how much your form has improved. Your ikran is also flying more confidently and seems to struggle a lot less. Even after half an hour, nothing changes, and you both glide delightedly through the air.

Back on the ground, you hop off of your ikran, throwing her some fish after caressing her neck gently. Turning towards Neteyam with a bright smile, you approach him, saying, "That was amazing! I could feel how much better she felt. Everything was so different! She was so fast!" Infected by your happiness, Neteyam gave his ikran some fish as well before following you to a small tree, where you sat down under its shadow to enjoy the snacks you brought. "You see, it's much better already! You are a natural, really!" Blushing at his praise, you compliment him: "Well, I couldn't have done it without you. How did you see all of that so fast?" Receiving your praise had Neteyam blushing once again. He bashfully told you that it wasn't that hard to see from the outside and that mistakes like that are harder to see yourself. You two drift off into retelling your flight and explaining the movements you made with your hands. You kept talking until both of you noticed that it was time to head back to the village.

Once in the village, you headed towards your maruis. Reaching the point where your ways would part you once again thanked Neteyam for his help. He was about to play it down once more when you pulled him into a tight hug. Overwhelmed, he carefully hugged you back while stuttering out how glad he was that he could help and that you can always ask him for more help, if you need it. A soft purr was trying to fight its way out of his chest, but he managed to contain it and save himself from further embarrassment.

Unbeknownst to both of you, the sweet moment did not go unnoticed by a pair of curious onlookers.

You let go of one another, both of you slighty blushing, as you quietly wondered "Do you think we could maybe do this again? I mean, you've already helped me a lot but you also mentioned that it's more of a habit and I can't change that habit without practice. But I wouldn't notice if I was doing it right, so..." trailing off, you looked at Neteyam with pleading eyes. How could he ever say no to that? "Yeah sure. I mean, we can and, uhm, we can also, like, fly together just for fun every now and then if you like. So- so yeah, why not?" Scratching his neck while looking around nervously, the boy noticed your delighted giggle "Yes! And I could also help you swim with the ilus. I wouldn't want you to miss out on that because of me!" Looking at your eyes once more, Neteyam nodded at you in agreement with a dopey smile on his lips. "Great! So goodbye, Neteyam! I'll see you tomorrow!" Slightly waving at one another, Neteyam kept slowly walking back. "Yea. Bye—uh, see you" with one last smile you both turned around in your respective directions and started walking.

On his way, Neteyam realized he would do whatever you would ask if that meant he would get to see you smile as brightly as you did that day. Arriving at the Sully's marui, Neteyam tried to contain his happiness to not have it ruined by his siblings. To his surprise, they weren't back yet. Only his parents were there when he walked in. Neytiri and Jake took one look at their son, seeing his dopey smile, the purple cheeks, and his tail swaying behind him in a light rhythm, they knew that he must have had quite the day. "Had fun?" Startled by his father, Neteyam looked at his parents like a deer caught in the headlights. "Yea! No! I guess... uh, it was alright, I suppose," he blushed again, making his parents chuckle with delight over their adorable son. "Well good. Dinner will be soon. Get cleaned up. Your siblings should be back any minute as well." Nodding his head, Neteyam walked off to do as he was asked.

"Like a lovesick puppy." Jake joked. "Don't tease him, ma Jake. He reminds me a lot of you, actually. Be happy for your son." Slightly insulted by his wife's accusations, Jake threw back. "I was not!" But a look from Neytiri was enough to stop the discussion. "Ok well... I am happy for him, but that doesn't mean I will let him down so easily. Remember your dad wanted to kill me when I first met him." Neytiri sighed amusingly at her mate's behavior. Before they could discuss the topic any further, their other children stumbled in giggling with each other. After greeting their parents, they also went to clean up.

During dinner, all three of his siblings kept glancing at Neteyan now and then, giggling when doing so. Lost in his thoughts, Neteyam didn't even acknowledge them until Kiri started talking to him. "So, brother, how was your day? Did anything fun happen?" His smile had faded, leaving him with a neutral expression. "We went flying just like we said. It was nice, the weather was good for flying.'' Neteyam tried to remain as calm as possible to not give his siblings any more reason to tease him. Kiri rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, you are so full of shit!" "Kiri!" Neytiri intervened. Poking Tuk in the ribs, Kiri encouraged her "tell them!" Tuk happily obliged: "We saw them, Mama! They were hugging, and Neteyem got all purple, and then he was so weird. He kept touching his neck, then he almost fell over his feet, and he couldn't talk normal, only a few words at a time. He was so weird. And Y/N was very pretty, and she was also a little purple in her face, but not as purple as Neteyam!" Embarrassed by his siblings' obvious observations, Neteyam blushed once again, trying to think of a way to escape the situation. "Yes, just like that! Although he was even more purple then." Tuk analyzed her brother's current state. The rest of the Sullys smirked in amusement. Neytiri tried to save her son by changing the subject. "And what did you do today, Tuktirey?" Happily telling her mother about everything she did that day, the attention shifted off of Neteyam. Thankful for his mother's help, he glanced up at her, giving her a small smile, which she returned.

Around chief's family, dinner was quieter, but the family also noticed their oldest child's mental absence. "So..." Tonowari started, ".. how was your day? Did flying go well?" Always the curious father, Tonowari was eager to hear about his daughter's newest interest. Startled, you looked up at him. "Oh, yeah, it was nice. Neteyam helped me a lot, actually. He is a great teacher. We talked about flying more often. To improve my skills, of course." The blush covering your cheeks did not go unnoticed by your parents. "Of course. You could teach him our ways as well. See if he is as good a student as he is a teacher." Tonowari was aware that he was teasing you, but if both of his daughters suddenly started being interested in boys, he needed to have at least a little fun. He was aware that it would happen at some point. While he was worried, like every father would be, he was happy that both you and your sister seemed interested in such brave young men. There was no doubt they were Toruk Makto's sons. Though he would prefer that they stay out of trouble a bit more. Ronal wasn't blind either, she saw her daughters' interest in the Omatikaya boys. She was wary of their demon blood, but Toruk Makto is their father and they are adapting well, so she could accept that. As long as her girls were happy, she would accept their decisions. On the other hand, Ao'nung was everything but happy. He wanted to tease both you and Tsireya for blushing so easily when around the Sully boys, but he simply couldn't understand how you could be interested in these weirdos. It was bad enough that Tsireya kept going on and on about how well they are all adapting to their new lives, always mentioning Lo'ak specifically. But now you were also praising these skxawngs endlessly. Tsireya smiled at you, having also witnessed the hug you and Neteyam shared. It pleased her greatly how calm you were that evening, since it was not unusual for you to banter with Ao'nung during dinner. Both of your siblings talked about their days. Ao'nung was visibly happier now that he could spend time with his friends again. Tonowari mentioned that Toruk Makto was progressing similarly to his children and that he was looking forward to your lesson tomorrow. At that point, you froze. You had totally forgotten that you were supposed to learn how to ride a tsurak tomorrow. Since your swimming got better again, your father expected that of you. You were not looking forward to it. While they were useful for skilled warriors, taming one required a long journey, and more often than not, a lot of bruises along the way.

No longer in pain, Neteyam looked up in the direction Ao'nung went. All fighting seemed to stop when the Metkayina crouched down hissing at Ao'nung. The boy still in the water stumbles his way up into a standing position, looking rather confused as well as scared.

"Sister? Wh...what-" "You skxawng, that is how you treat our guests? It is shameful of you!" ,you interrupted the boy . Ao'nung tries to calm his sister and makes tentative steps in your direction. "Sister, I... no, that's not-" You once again interrupt the boy, who seemed to have gathered his thoughts. "Go away now! You and your friends. GO!" Standing up straight you walked the remaining steps to Ao'nung and flickered your index finger against his forehead. The boy said nothing and passed by you, walking towards the rest of the boys still lying in the sand and watching the interaction.

That was when you turned around and looked Neteyam straight in the eyes. Your face was different from the other Metkayinas. Your facial structure, such as your eyes, resembled the Omatikaya rather than the other Metkayina he saw. Your sour expression turned into a gentle smile when you approached him, stretching out a hand. Dumbfounded, Neteyam took your hand and, with your help, got back up. "Thanks." He lets go of your hand. "I am sorry about Ao'nung. I hope you and your siblings are well." You looked past the boy in front of you to find a boy who looked at you as confused as his older brother but gave you a slight nod. Their sister who wore an equally confused expression but with a small smile gracing her face, also nodded in your direction. Not able to form another sentence, Neteyam watched you pass the three of them, following after Ao'nung and the others, quietly cussing them out while smacking them against their already low-hanging heads from behind.

"That was..." Lo'ak started bringing Neteyam back to the people in front of him. "Kind" came from Kiri, who looked in your direction just like her brothers. Lo'ak looked at Kiri, having gathered himself again. "I was going to say weird, but I guess that fits too."

Going back to their Marui, Neteyam kept thinking of you smiling at him so gently, your hair falling in waves over your shoulder, your blue eyes, the anger gone, looking at him and his siblings. "I didn't know Ao'nung had another sister." Kiri kept her conversation with Lo'ak going, neither of them noticing their distracted brother. "Me neither, but that was totally cool! She looked different. Not much like Tonowari or Ronal," Lo'ak observed. "Seriously Lo'ak? Judging someone by their looks after what just happened?!" Kiri countered, visibly annoyed with her brother's reaction. Lo'ak sighed, "That's not how I meant it and you know it! It's just...she does look more like us, don't you think?" Kiri nodded her head in agreement but noticed Neteyam's lack of attention to their conversation. Lo'ak then became aware of that too: "So brother, what's it like getting rescued by a girl?" Neteyam looked at his brother's teasing grin and said, "Not nearly as bad as the earful we are going to get from dad once we are home." And with that, the siblings all looked in the direction of their home, seeing their father standing in front of their Marui with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern look in their direction.

Kiri was quickly dismissed as her brothers were getting lectured by their father. "-and out of all the days you idiots could have picked to start a fight, it had to be today. Tonowari's eldest daughter got home today, and he decided to celebrate in the evening to welcome her back after her long travels. '' At the mention of you, Lo'ak's head went slightly up and he poked Neteyam's side with his elbow. "WHAT NOW LO'AK?!" Not believing his son's timing to tease Neteyam, Jake raised his voice even more, running a hand down his face. Lo'ak immediately looked back at the ground. "Nothing Sir...it's just she- uhm- she was there too, at the beach, Sir." Jake's ears perk up and in a calmer but more worried tone, he asks his sons "Tonowari's eldest daughter? She was taking part in the fight too?" More sternly, he continues, "Lo'ak, by Eywa, tell me you did not hit the chief's daughter!" Alarmed, Lo'ak looked up at his dad and said, "No! I didn't! I wouldn't! She wasn't- It- I-" Looking at his brother for support, Lo'ak waited for him to continue; after all, he was the one getting rescued, but nothing came. "Sir, she uhm- She pushed Ao'nung off of Neteyam. She apologized to us and made the others leave." Taken aback, Jake looked at his oldest son for confirmation. Neteyam, finally taking part in the conversation, looks at his brother, who silently urges him to back him up. "It's- it's true, Sir. That's how it went." Relieved that his sons did not hit you but still rather confused, Jake dismisses his sons after grounding them, wanting them to prepare for the festivities in the evening. He now goes to the chief himself, to figure out the best way to deal with the situation.

At Tonowari's and Ronal's Marui, Jake braced himself before knocking on the side. Tonowari comes to the entrance and lets him in. Jake opens his mouth to say something, only to be bested by Tonowari, "I apologize for my son and his friends. My daughter has already told me what happened. Ao'nung got grounded and I believe he is on his way to apologize to your sons." Jake looks at him relieved. "I was actually here to apologize for my sons' behavior, but I must say the more I hear, the more I think I got the situation wrong. I thought my sons started the fight?"

"You are not wrong. The physical fight was started by your younger son, but my brother and his friends provoked them beforehand. They insulted your daughter and your son for their different looks." Behind Tonowari, a young Na'vi woman came around, looking at Jake. You were around Neteyam's age. While your skin was colored like the other Metkayinas, your features clearly resembled those of the forest Na'vi. Your forearms were thinner and your eyes were smaller and closer together. While your tail was Metkayina, your general stature was smaller than the average Metkayina. "I heard you helped Neteyam, my oldest. So thank you." You gently smiled at him and Jake saw the small blush dusting your cheeks.

As a child, you always heard the stories of Toruk Makto and how he united the clans and led them to victory against the sky people. And here, in front of you, stood the biggest hero of your childhood, thanking you. "I am still sorry for my sons, Tonowari, they shouldn't have acted like-" but Tonowari calmly interrupted Jake. "Now, now, there is no need. I believe both sides got their punishments. It is time to celebrate my daughter's homecoming now. I'll see you and your family at the festivities later!" And with a small clap on the shoulder, Tonowari dismissed Jake.

Arriving at the festivities, the Sully's immediately spread out. Lo'ak went with a smiling Tsireya, Tuk urged Neytiri to dance with her, Neteyam kept shadowing Jake while keeping to himself more than usual and Kiri wandered off to a calmer spot, dangling her feet softly in the water.

"Not much of a party person?" a slightly startled Kiri looks at you. "Oh no...I suppose not. I am Kiri, by the way." You sit down next to her and say, "I am Y/N. I hope the others don't make you feel uncomfortable in our home." She saw your worried glance. "I like it here. The water and the creatures are so...enchanting. I miss home and I suppose we are still outsiders here, but the nature is so different here. I see something fascinating every day." The amazement was visible on her face as she looked at various small fish swimming by. "I get what you mean, being different isn't easy here. When I was a child, my parents were worried because it took me a very long time to learn to swim as fast as the others. To this day, I am a little slower than others my age." Kiri was curious but didn't want to be rude. "Why...why are you different from the other Metkayinas?" Curiosity won once more, but you smiled at her as gently as before. "My father, he was from the land. He looked much more like you do." Seeing the confusion on Kiri's face, you elaborated further. "Tonowari, he is my dad but not by blood. I am his niece. My mother was his sister. She and Ronal grew up together and were friends long before Ronal became Tonowari's mate. My father was from a clan on the coast. Ronal told me that he gave up his life there in order to come here and learn the Metkayina ways to be with her. But when Toruk Makto united the clans, he saw it as his duty to fight, to protect his people against the sky people. He saw it as very honorable to go to war alongside Toruk Makto. When the war was over and my mother received the message that my father had died in the battle, she was devastated. Ronal said, that she found her smile again when she found out she was pregnant with me. But when I was born, she died." Saddened by your story, but feeling deeply connected, Kiri took your hand "I am sorry to hear that. My mother is also with Eywa. Jake and Neytiri took me in and treated me as their own from the very beginning." She smiled at you with a lot of sympathy and saw you glance at her fifth finger. "I wanted to thank you for being so kind to us. Some of the people only see us as demon offspring." You looked up at her, hearing her saddened tone. "Looking different does not make you a demon, regardless of what other people say. I must say your additional finger looks strange to me as well, but I have been seen as strange my whole life. It isn't always bad. I mean, your brother clearly showed the advantages of it earlier..." Both of you slightly chuckle as you remember the fight and how Lo'ak made it a point to slowly demonstrate how to form a proper fist.

"Y/n?" Both of your heads turned in the direction of your father's voice. "Oh, I must go. It seems like I can't ditch the party that was thrown for me after all..." And with a last squeeze of Kiri's hand, you walk away.

By hearing your story from Kiri after Lo'ak squeezed it out of her by bothering her the whole way home, the Sullys felt like the pieces were coming together. While Tuk seemed excited to get to know you after the youngest saw you dancing along with your sister and other young Metkayina girls, Jake felt a little guilty for being the reason your father had died. However he and Neytiri were relieved that Kiri seemed to have made a friend. Neytiri also noticed how her oldest was quieter than usual ever since the fight and how he kept glancing in your direction while you danced with the other girls when he thought nobody was watching. Neteyam kept thinking about how beautiful yet strong you were. The threatening way in which you told Ao'nung off, in contrast to the beautiful smile and the elegant dancing. Lo'ak was just glad that somebody had his back. He really appreciated the honesty.

The next few days you got used to living in the water again, while riding an ilu might be something that didn't take a long time to get used to again, the same can't be said about keeping up with the other Metkayina while swimming on your own. Since your brother and the Sully boys were grounded, you spent time with your sister as well as the Sully girls. Swimming was, after all, in your nature. Tuk was amazed that you could glide through the water so elegantly and her appreciation made you feel less frustrated about your pace. Every day you and Tsireya accompanied the girls back to their Marui and they couldn't help but giggle to themselves when they witnessed Lo'ak almost falling over his feet when Tsireya greeted him. Their parents noticed the smaller details though. Such as Neteyam standing a little taller while puffing out his chest and his curious look behind Tsireya. Or the little smile that graced your lips when looking at the young warrior. The first time Jake noticed this, he looked at his wife to check if his suspicion was correct, only to see her rolling her eyes at him for taking so long.

In the evenings, the boys (well, mainly Lo'ak) kept whining about their punishment when they heard of the fun their sisters had with you guys. It was always cut short when Kiri made a comment about Lo'ak being whipped, which had him deny that and quickly change the subject. Neteyam's quietness started to worry Neytiri and she wanted to talk to him in case it kept going after their punishment was over. That thought was forgotten when Tuk asked, or rather announced, "I asked Y/N if she could sit with us for dinner tomorrow. So may she please?" Before Jake or Neytiri could answer, the attention was drawn to Neteyam, who suddenly choked on the water he was drinking. Jake gave his son some pats on the back, unable to contain his amused smile. "Yes Tuk, certainly she may."

Neteyam forgot how to breathe.

Over the last few weeks, his admiration for you has grown into a full-blown crush. He and Lo'ak didn't have much to do during the day, so they watched you guys goof around in the water. Seeing you laugh with the others, he wished you would laugh with him and when you got out of the water, to Neteyam, it seemed like time was stopping. How you would throw your hair across your shoulder while the water seemed to part so you could walk unbothered. And when you came by in the evenings with a few drops of water still running down your body, making you glow in the evening sun. To him, it was torture to hear how Tuk described your elegant moves in the water. While he was not saying much, he hung on his sister's lips, wanting as many details as he possibly could get, believing every single word she said without question.

Neytiri was relieved to see her son be more talkative the next day. He kept himself busy all morning with various mundane tasks, occasionally bickering with Lo'ak. After a quick lunch, Neytiri asks Lo'ak to clean up while using the opportunity to talk to her nervous son. "Are you alright, Neteyam? You have been very restless this morning." Neteyam felt rather caught and avoided looking at his mother while he felt heat creeping up his neck up to his cheeks as well as the tips of his ears. "What? Yes, I am fine! Everything is fine! I am not restless...there was just...much to do and since we won't be grounded tomorrow anymore I just wanted to get things done." But Neytiri saw right through him. "I was wondering if you could rebraid my hair please...so that it is done while I still got so much time you know...". 

"Yes, of course, my son. How would you like them done? Would you like to keep them as they are or do you want something different?" Neteyam eagerly turned his back to his mother to give her better access. "Just as they are is fine." Rebraiding his hair Neytiri was content that at least some things did not seem to change, as she lightly hummed. Interrupting the calm moment, Lo'ak came in and said, "Oh, are you finally done fussing around? Great, now can I chill in silence while you get prettied up?!" Not answering his brother, Neteyam sends an annoyed glance at him before closing his eyes again and listening to his mother's calming tune. "Would you like me to do your hair as well Lo'ak, since you won't be grounded anymore tomorrow?" Almost timid, the usually cocky boy answered his mother, "Yes, please. Can you just redo them too?" Neytiri agreed with a nod of her head. Neither of these boys could fool her, they were doing this to impress the chief's daughters, no matter what either of them said.

Arriving at dinner you plated yourself some food before walking towards the Sullys, who still sat a little aside from the rest of the clan. Tuk insisted on having you sit next to her and kept asking you question after question. "And what is your favorite animal Y/N? I like ilus best, but ikrans are also very pretty. Have you seen an ikran while you were gone? If you want, I can show you an ikran! My siblings and my parents all have ikrans!" Jake chuckled at his daughter's eagerness to get to know you even before you properly joined them.

Neytiri, who sat between her mate and Tuk invited you to sit down, with a kind smile and a gesture of her hand. You sat down in the circle with Tuk on your right and Kiri on your left. Next to Kiri was Lo'ak, followed by Neteyam, who greeted you with a small smile, which you reciprocated. You greeted everyone before your attention went back to Tuk, answering all of her questions. "Yes Tuk I have seen an ikran and it was less traveling than you think, I just went and visited my father's clan for a while. And don't tell the ilus, but I do like ikrans more. While I am better with the ilus, I must say the bond with an ikran is more personal, I believe." Tuk was busy looking at you in amazement and stuffing her face with dinner as fast as she could, so she could talk to you more. Neytiri hoped her son would get some words out before her youngest bombarded you with questions again. "How come you know so much about the bond with an ikran? Tuk slow down!" Chewing slower Tuk eagerly looked at you. "When I visited the coast, I took part in some of the clan's trials, including gaining an ikran. It was a lot of fun, and I don't think anything compares."

The Sullys were surprised by this. "Really? So you flew back here?", Jake wondered. "Oh, yes, although I must say the journey was a little more adventurous than I would have liked. I am still getting used to my ikran and I believe she was not very fond of the journey. We had to stop on various small islands and almost fell into the ocean once or twice." An embarrassed blush covers your cheeks. Jake saw that as the chance and gave Neteyam a hit with his tail. The teenager looked at his father in confusion, so Jake pointed his eyes in your direction, irritating Neteyam more. Jake hoped Neteyam would offer to teach you. Kiri saw the interaction and had mercy with her older brother "Perhaps Neteyam could teach you. Out of us three, he had his ikran the longest." Two sets of eyes widened at that comment, one in anticipation, one in fear. "Really? That would be great, honestly! Only if it doesn't bother you, of course! I mean I don't know what you have planned or what you wanna do now that you can well walk around freely again...sorry for that", you rambled, only noticing the sore spot of his punishment after mentioning it. Neteyam's gaze met yours, less afraid but more nervous, he responded, "Yeah...sure, I mean if you would like. I uhm have nothing particular I want to do...so uhm yea why not I guess." He awkwardly rubbed his neck, looking at your excited face. You nodded in agreement and he copied that, turning his gaze back to his food, aimlessly pushing it around on his plate, unable to fight the smile forming on his face. Jake looked at Kiri thankfully, while she had a smug smile on her face similar to Lo'ak's. Yes, Neteyam would have a loooong evening once they got home.

"Can you teach me how to swim like you? And can you teach me how to dance like you? And who gave you that bracelet Y/N? Is it like an engagement bracelet? Do you think I can also get such a nice bracelet?" Tuk apparently finished her food. The second last question had all of the kids waiting for your reaction in anticipation. "You are a natural at swimming, I am certain that you will be better than me in no time if you keep practicing like that. And I think your dancing was very pretty, but you can practice with the other girls of the village if you would like, I did so when I was around your age." Tuk blushed at your praise and cuddled bashfully but happy against your knee, still looking at you in wonder. Taking off the bracelet carefully, you ran it through your fingertips while looking at it. "It is not an engagement bracelet. I made it a while ago, before I left for the mainland. I wanted something that reminded me of home while I was gone." You carefully placed it around Tuk's wrist, fastening it tighter so it wouldn't fall off. In your concentration, you missed the breath Neteyam let out, unaware that he held it. "And now that I am back home, I don't need a reminder anymore. So Tuk, this bracelet is yours now if you like." Tuk's right hand came to her left wrist, carefully touching it. Her gaze wandered between the bracelet, you, and her mother in utter and complete joy. Neytiri smiled at her daughter and nodded her head in your direction, holding Tuk's gaze. Tuk brought her wrist to her heart and gazed back at you as if you had hung the stars. "Thank you Y/N!". After that, dinner was rather quite and you all finished your food while casually conversing with whomever sat next to you. You talked a bit with Kiri and Jake talked to Neytiri, while the others enjoyed their food in silence. You said your goodbyes and left for your family, who was getting ready to head home. The Sullys followed your example and headed home aswell.

As soon as they entered their Marui, the noise in the Sully household picked up.

"Mum, did you see?! Look at my new bracelet!" Tuk kept showing her mother her new jewelry. "Oh, uhm...sure I guess...uhm" Kiri imitated Neteyam. Almost laughing tears, Lo'ak added, "Bro, she sounds just like you! You should have seen your face, man!"

"Lo'ak, we could invite Tsireya to sit with us the next time, if you keep it up like that!" Neteyam threatened with a provoking smirk. Lo'ak's laughter abruptly stopped. Seeing her brother's reaction, Kiri couldn't hold herself anymore, lying on the ground, holding her stomach from how hard she was laughing. "You..." she wheezed, "...should see your faces." She couldn't stop laughing at both of her brothers.