#direhorse

The morning of your date, you had baked chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, vanilla muffins and apple pie. Neteyam had never tasted human pastries before, so you promised to make him some. In return, Neteyam had gathered the most delicious fruits of Pandora. One of them being Utumauti, or banana fruit. It is very difficult to find. When found, it often gets offered to a loved one, hence why Neteyam brought it to the picnic.

You had gathered a blanket and the pastries you made in a basket before going into your avatar body. You met Neteyam outside the lab, for he wasn’t very comfortable going in there. To him it was all too white and small and smelled like chemicals. You had picked your best outfit for the date: you were wearing a top made of red feathers and wore a matching red loincloth. You had paired it with an armband Neteyam made for you a while ago. It was made of leather and was woven in a beautiful pattern. A small, yellow feather was attached to it, standing out against your avatar’s blue skin.

When you walked outside, holding the basket in your hand, Neteyam’s ears perked up and his tail flicked behind him in excitement. He looked you up and down, taking in your appearance. He loved how you dressed up for their date. ‘Hello, sevin,’ he said, his voice soft and tender. He had a smile on his face, showing how happy he was to see you, his beautiful girlfriend, in your avatar body again.

‘Hello, yawne,’ you responded as you halted in front of him. You raised on your heels and pecked his lips. Even though you were in your avatar body, he was still a head taller than you. Neteyam returned the kiss with a smile as he placed his hands on your waist. ‘Are you ready for our date?’ you asked as you lowered back on your feet. Neteyam hummed as he took the basket from you, curious what was inside.

‘I am,’ he said with a smile. ‘What have you got in here?’ he asked as he opened the basket, only for you to pull it back from him. ‘It’s a surprise,’ you said with a grin. You knew he had never had human pastries before, and you were dying to see his reaction to your baking skills.

Neteyam rolled his eyes and smiled. He found your stubbornness endearing. ‘A surprise, huh?’ he asked as he took your hand in his, guiding you toward the picnic spot.

‘Yes,’ you responded as you skipped through the forest. Your excitement was bubbling up inside of you; it’s been years since you last went on a picnic, and you couldn’t wait to give Neteyam this wonderful experience. There was still so much to learn about each other’s cultures, and you and Neteyam taught each other new things every day. Today it was a picnic. ‘A surprise. Which means you have to keep your hands out of my basket,’ you continued playfully, earning a chuckle from Neteyam.

‘Alright, I won’t pry through your basket,’ he agreed with a smile. ‘But that means you have to keep your little fingers to yourself, too.’ You had noticed the bag he carried with him, and you knew he probably had the most delicious food in there. You were desperate to taste his people’s delicacies, but you knew it would be unfair if you pried in his bag after you told him not to be too curious himself.

You groaned in response but couldn’t help but smile. ‘Fair enough.’

Not long after, the two of you reached a clearing in the forest. As soon as your feet touched the soft grass, you gasped. The sight in front of you was even more beautiful than you’d ever imagined. In front of you was a waterfall, leading up to a large river. There were trees scattered along the river and the sounds of birds could be heard together with the rippling water. A little further away, the sounds of pa’li grazing filled your ears. You couldn’t see them from here, but you could hear them, thanks to the avatar’s ears. Your ears perked up at all the sounds around you, earning a soft chuckle from Neteyam as he continued guiding you to the river. He halted a couple of feet away before placing his bag on the grass. You pulled the blanket out of the basket and sprawled it on the ground. It was a large blanket which was bigger than your bed, but when you and Neteyam sat down on it, it seemed to be smaller than you had anticipated, making you giggle.

‘We can always just sit on the grass,’ Neteyam proposed as he looked at how your bodies barely fit on the blanket. Most of your legs were sprawled on the grass and there was barely any room left on the blanket, meaning you had to place your food on the grass.

You shot Neteyam a defiant look. ‘No,’ you said stubbornly. ‘We picnic on a blanket, not on the grass.’ You knew Neteyam didn’t mind sitting on the grass, and you normally didn’t mind either, except for today. You wanted to give him the human picnic experience, which meant you sat on a blanket, whether it was too small for your na’vi bodies or not.

Neteyam chuckled at your stubbornness and rolled his eyes. ‘Why are you humans so afraid to get dirty?’ he asked as he leaned on his hands by placing them behind him, making his shoulders and triceps pop out. You eyed his strong muscles and felt your tail swishing behind you in excitement. You still weren’t very used to your na’vi body; you didn’t have a lot of control over your tail and ears yet. You noticed Neteyam’s eyes flicker to your tail and watched how he smirked. He was fully aware of the effect he had on you.

‘We’re not afraid to get dirty,’ you defended yourself as you forced your eyes up to his face. Your gazes met and you felt her heart flutter. Even though you two have been dating for a while now, Neteyam could still make you nervous just by looking into your eyes. ‘We just don’t want all sorts of insects on our food.’

Neteyam smirked at your comment and scoffed slightly. ‘You humans are such germophobes,’ he said amusedly. He then reached for his bag and pulled out three types of fruit: berries from the celia tree, or tumpasuk as the na’vi call it, tendrils from the squid fruit tree, or fyìpmaut, and last but not least, banana fruit, or Utumauti. This fruit is very rare to find, and when found, it is seen as a gift from Eywa. It is offered to a loved one, who has to decline the fruit, for it is considered rude to accept the offer.

You gasped when you saw the banana fruit and a bright smile appeared on your face. ‘You found banana fruit,’ you said excitedly. You were aware of the traditions around the fruit, and you knew it was very special to find one. ‘I am so happy for you, yawne.’

Neteyam smiled proudly when you addressed the fruit and handed a piece to you. ‘Thank you, tanhì. I want to share this with you.’

You knew that the na’vi offered this fruit out of politeness, and that it was considered rude to accept the offer. You gently pushed his hand away and shook your head. ‘No, no, no,’ you said softly. ‘You eat it.’

Your gesture warmed Neteyam’s heart, and he knew you were trying to be polite. ‘You don’t have to be so polite,’ he said tenderly. ‘I want to share this with you. I really do.’

Your eyes were fixed on the fruit in Neteyam’s hand. It did look delicious, and you were very curious what it tasted like. ‘But I’m not allowed to take it,’ you said as you looked back up at him, your gaze a little uncertain.

Neteyam smiled at your manners. He loved how you took his culture into consideration. You had picked up a lot on his culture, but there was still much for you to learn. He shook his head and reached his hand to you again, offering the fruit once more. ‘It’s okay, y/n,’ he said amusedly. ‘You can take it. It’s not rude. I’m sharing this with you.’

His words made a warm feeling spread through your body for you were very touched by his offer. You gently took it from his hand, your tail swishing behind you in anticipation, showing how excited you were to taste the infamous banana fruit. ‘Irayo,’ you said gratefully. You then took a small bite and your ears perked up when the flavours erupted on your tongue. It was very sweet and not comparable to anything you ever tasted before. It didn’t taste like a banana, it tasted more like a peach, but it had a hint of blueberries, too. The flavour was hard to describe.

Neteyam took a bite himself and watched you eating the fruit he gave you, a small smile plastered on his lips. He appreciated your concern for his culture, but you were allowed to take the offer, especially since he wanted to share it so much with you. ‘Do you like it?’ he asked as he watched you munch on the fruit, the juice dripping down your chin. The sight was adorable to see. He had never seen you eating like this before, and he considered it a sign you were comfortable with him.

You hummed and wiped the juice off your chin before you responded. ‘It’s delicious,’ you said enthusiastically. The two of you ate the fruit in comfortable silence, both of you enjoying the sweet flavour and the moment of peace. After you finished the banana fruit, you reached into the basket and pulled out your pastries. You noticed Neteyam eyeing the treats curiously. He had never seen anything like it before. His ears perked up and his tail swished behind him in anticipation as he patiently waited for you to lay out the treats.

You handed him a piece of banana bread first. The slice was firm but soft and it smelled delicious. The smell was even stronger now that you were in your avatar for this body had stronger senses, including the sense of smell. You watched how Neteyam turned the banana bread in his hand, eyeing it curiously as he did. ‘It’s called “banana bread”,’ you explained, using the English word for “banana bread”.

‘Banana?’ Neteyam repeated softly, his accent making the word sound funny. Your heart warmed at his attempt of pronouncing the English word. You knew Neteyam had probably never heard of it before. His way of pronouncing it made you giggle ever so slightly. It sounded adorable.

‘Banana,’ you repeated clearly. Neteyam smiled and repeated the word again, this time a little better but still with a thick accent, before he took a small bite. He chewed on it for a while before his eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face. He quickly took another bite and hummed contently.

You giggled at the sight of him enjoying the banana bread. You weren’t too good at baking, but you could feel a bit of pride well up in your chest, knowing he liked what you had made for him. ‘Do you like it?’ you asked excitedly.

Neteyam hummed as he put the last piece of his slice in his mouth. ‘It’s delicious,’ he murmured after he swallowed down his bite. ‘You should make this more often. I’m sure my family will like it, too.’

The thought of sharing these pastries with his family warmed your heart. You knew Jake would be familiar with most of the pastries you made, but the rest of his family probably wouldn’t. You wondered what they would think of it, and the thought of sharing things like self-made cinnamon rolls and banana bread with them made you feel warm inside.

You and Neteyam shared more food together and you talked about everything that came to mind. After a while, Neteyam noticed a herd of pa’li coming closer to the water. You were too busy eating your chocolate chip cookie to notice the horses silently walking toward the lake in front of you. It was only when Neteyam nudged your side and pointed at the herd that you saw the beautiful creatures. You gasped softly when you saw a small herd standing at the lake, drinking water. You could see a foal among them, standing close to its mother and it made a wide smile appear on your face.

‘Oh my gosh, look,’ you whispered as you pointed at the foal. Neteyam’s ears perked up when he heard your enthusiastic tone. He thought you were adorable when you got so excited over the simplest things like the animals here. He knew you loved horses. You told him you used to ride horses on earth, and even showed him a picture of a horse. He found it looked odd; earth horses are so small and have so much hair. They don’t look like pa’li at all. ‘Do you want to ride one?’ you asked, making Neteyam snap out of his thoughts.

‘What?’ he asked dumbfounded. You smiled at his question and only now did you tear your gaze away from the horses to look at your boyfriend, your tail tapping on the ground in excitement.

‘I asked if you want to ride one with me?’ you asked excitedly. Your question made Neteyam’s ears pin back ever so slightly and his tail swayed over the grass slowly. You wanted to ride a horse. A pa’li. A four meters high horse. You were only a small, fragile girl, despite being in an avatar body. You had never ridden a pa’li before. You would fall off. And die.

‘Absolutely not,’ he responded firmly. He wasn’t going to risk your life. He saw it disappointed you; the corners of your mouth turned down and your shoulders slumped ever so slightly. It was a very small sign that most people wouldn’t even notice, but he had studied you for long enough for him to notice it with ease.

‘Why not?’ you asked disappointedly. You didn’t understand why he wouldn’t let you ride a horse. You were an experienced equestrian on earth. You knew that riding direhorses was a lot different from riding horses on earth, but a horse was a horse, right?

Neteyam sighed at your disappointed look. He knew you loved riding horses, but he would never allow you to ride a pa’li. ‘Because it’s dangerous,’ he retorted sternly. ‘They’re too big and too fast for you.’

‘I have a good seat,’ you said stubbornly as you crossed your arms over your chest. ‘I won’t fall off.’

Neteyam’s ears turned downward at your stubborn comment. He knew you wouldn’t take no for an answer. You were too stubborn for that. ‘You have never ridden one,’ he retorted. ‘You haven’t even formed tsaheylu yet.’

You ran your hand through your long, dark hair, a bit annoyed by your boyfriend’s caring nature. He was too worried about you. You rode his ikran, Seze, with him before. You could have fallen off at a great height then, but you didn’t fall off either. How was this any different? You placed your hands on top of his and gave him a pleading look. ‘Then teach me. Please.’

Neteyam didn’t like the sound of it at all, but when you placed your small hands on top of his, he felt his restraint slowly slipping away. How could he say no to his beautiful girlfriend? His beautiful girlfriend that was practically begging him to ride a horse. He glanced at your hands on top of his. You have been dating for a while now, but seeing your small hands on top of his always did something to him. It reminded him of how small and fragile you were, no matter if you were in your avatar or in your human body. It reminded him of how much he wanted to protect you and take care of you. Of how much he wanted to give you the world. Neteyam sighed and looked back up at you, meeting your eyes as he did. ‘Fine,’ he said, finally giving into you, albeit a bit reluctant. ‘But you have to listen to everything I say.’

Your face lit up at his words. You couldn’t believe it would be this easy to persuade him. ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you!’ you said excitedly before lifting yourself on your knees to place a kiss to his lips. ‘You’re the best, ‘Teyam.’

Your excitement combined with your words made his heart flutter and Neteyam couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘Everything for you, yawne,’ he muttered with a smile. He then stood up and extended his hand for you to take. ‘Let’s find you a horse.’

You couldn’t conceal your excitement and gladly placed your hand in his. He hoisted you up with ease and together you walked to the herd. You looked at each horse individually to try and find one that looked calm. You knew you were taking a risk by riding a horse that was as big as an elephant, but you loved the thrill, and you missed riding horses.

‘How about that one?’ Neteyam asked as he pointed at a smaller horse. You looked over at the horse and saw how it was still big, but not as big as the other ones. It was probably still a young horse, but definitely not a foal anymore. You nodded, thinking that would be a good choice. ‘That one is perfect,’ you responded.

The two of you made your way over to the smaller horse, and when you tried to let go of your boyfriend’s hand, he gripped you even tighter. It made you smile and roll your eyes; he was too protective of you. But you didn’t mind. In fact, you thought it was endearing. You held his hand tightly as you slowly neared the horse. It extended its neck toward you, sniffing the air. You wanted to make sure it knew you weren’t a threat and extended your hand to it, allowing it to take in your scent.

The horse sniffed the air, and hesitantly took a step closer. When you didn’t move, it took another step closer and touched your hand with its nose. It made you smile, but you didn’t move any further. You didn’t want to make any unexpected movements. You wanted to be sure the horse trusted you. When it didn’t move away, you slowly moved your hand up and placed it on its nose. The horse didn’t back away, which was a good sign. You then started stroking it slowly and smiled when the horse seemed to lean into your touch.

Even Neteyam smiled. He had seen you interact with the clan’s horses before, but never with a wild one. He didn’t know you were this good with those animals. ‘It seems to trust you,’ he said softly as he saw the horse allowed you to get closer. You were now moving your hand up its head, toward its neck. You wanted to be sure it was used to your touch and comfortable with you before you got on. You wanted the ride to be fun for the horse as well.

As you moved your hand further up the horse’s body, toward it’s back, you saw it was still comfortable. ‘Seems like it,’ you responded as you eyed the horse carefully. It was really high, and you wouldn’t be able to mount it without Neteyam’s help.

After a while, the horse seemed to trust you enough to let you ride it. Neteyam used his free hand to grab one of the horse’s tendrils and extended it to you. ‘You may form tsaheylu now,’ he said gently. Your heart fluttered when he said those words. You had never formed tsaheylu before and you were dying to find out what it felt like. You nodded and slowly reached for your kuru. You reached it toward the horse’s tendril and slowly and gently formed the bond. The horse neighed at the sudden sensation, and you felt a wave of unknown sensations run down your body. You closed your eyes for a second and focused on what you felt. You could feel the horse’s breath, as if the two of you were breathing in unison. You could feel everything the horse felt. From its strong legs to the sensations of the flies on its skin. You could smell everything it smelt; you could hear everything it heard. It was a sensation unlike anything you ever felt before.

You opened your eyes again and looked at your boyfriend, who was holding the horse gently, keeping it calm. ‘Take a deep breath, y/n,’ Neteyam said as he patted the horse’s flank. ‘You have to be calm if you want to ride.’

You nodded and closed your eyes again as you took a deep breath. You felt your heart rate slowing down, and so did the horse’s. It stood still now, like it actually calmed down. You opened your eyes again and saw how the horse seemed visibly relaxed. It had its head down and pressed against Neteyam’s chest, who was petting it gently.

‘Siltsan,’ he said softly before he slowly moved away from the horse’s head, and toward you. You looked from the horse to your boyfriend, who moved behind you and placed his hands on your hips. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked as he leaned down to whisper in your ear, sending waves of electricity down your spine.

You couldn’t speak, feeling too flustered by Neteyam’s hands on your hips and his breath fanning your ear. Instead, you nodded and placed your hands on the horse’s back, only for Neteyam to lift you up into the air and sit you down on the horse’s back. You were used to riding horses on earth, but this was a whole new experience for you. The horse wasn’t covered in hair, like the horses you used to ride were. This horse had scales which felt cool against your bare legs.

Neteyam placed your hands on the horse, before he spoke. ‘You may tell him what to do. From inside,’ he said as he pointed at his head. You felt excitement bubble up inside of you and you took a deep breath before you told the horse to walk. To your surprise, it did exactly what you asked. It stepped forward in a calm and collected walk. You couldn’t help but laugh at this and looked back at Neteyam who walked next to you with a proud smile on his face.

‘I’m doing it, Teyam!’ you said excitedly, earning a soft chuckle from him.

‘You are, tanhì,’ he responded proudly. His ears perked forward, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw you beginning to trot. He was surprised to see how well your seat was; you didn’t look like you struggled to keep your balance at all. So, you didn’t lie when you said you used to ride horses earlier. Not that he ever thought you would lie to him. He was just surprised is all.

‘Careful there,’ he warned as you started a small canter, making the horse run around Neteyam.

‘No,’ you responded stubbornly before you asked the horse to go faster. Neteyam sighed and ran a hand through his braids. Eywa, you were stubborn. You were going to get herself killed someday if you kept acting like this. ‘At least let me ride with you!’ Neteyam protested as he swiftly walked up to another horse. He quickly formed tsaheylu and jumped on its back. He saw you already galloping past the river, making his heart drop to his stomach. Did you have any idea how dangerous this was? These horses were much bigger and much faster than the horses on earth. If you fell…

With a groan of annoyance, Neteyam forced his horse to gallop after you. He was an experienced warrior who had ridden pa’li many times before. Just like flying, it was a second nature to him. He galloped up to you, forcing his horse to go as fast as it could. He caught up to you quickly and slowed down a bit to gallop next to you. ‘Are you out of your mind?!’ he asked in agitation.

You frowned at his words and rolled your eyes. ‘Mawey,’ you said calmly. ‘I know what I’m doing.’ You didn’t understand why Neteyam was making such a big deal out of this. You used to gallop through the forests on earth all the time, and that without forming tsaheylu. That was even more dangerous than riding this horse.

‘Y/n, slow down,’ Neteyam said firmly. ‘You’ve never ridden a pa’li before. I don’t want you to fall.’ His tone became a bit softer when he said those last words, and you knew that he meant what he said. He was worried about you. He wanted you to be safe. With a sigh, you reluctantly slowed down to a walk. You praised the horse by giving it a gentle pat on its flank before you looked at Neteyam. His expression was still worried: his ears were pinned down to his head and his eyes were slightly narrowed. For a second, you felt guilty for running off like that.

‘I’m sorry,’ you said softly, averting your gaze down as you did. You felt your cheeks turn slightly red from embarrassment. You worried your boyfriend. You just wanted to have fun; you never meant to worry him. He didn’t deserve that.

Neteyam saw the slight flush on your cheeks, and he reached out to take your hand in his. He squeezed it gently as he looked at you, silently asking for your attention, his expression softening once your eyes met. ‘I understand you’re excited to ride, yawne. But I don’t want you to get hurt. Why don’t you practice a couple of times first, hm? I can help you if you want.’

You did not like the sound of practicing. You were an experienced equestrian; you knew how to ride. You opened your mouth to protest, but when you saw your boyfriend’s worried expression, you pursed your lips. After a second of contemplating, you nodded. ‘Fine,’ you said with a sigh. You would practice some more if it meant your boyfriend wouldn’t worry so much anymore. Besides, it did have its perks. You could practice with him; a perfect excuse to spend time with him some more.

Neteyam saw you pursing your lips and his heart tightened. He knew what it meant: you wanted to protest. For a second, he was afraid you would, but when you agreed with a sigh, he let out a breath of relief. ‘Thank you,’ he said as he squeezed your hand. ‘It means a lot to me, y/n.’

You sighed once more but squeezed his hand in return. ‘Anything for you, Teyam,’ you said with a smile. You remained silent for a second, thinking about your next words. You didn’t want to get off this horse yet, but you were afraid Neteyam did. ‘Can we take a small ride?’ you asked softly, your ears perking up as you did, showing your hopefulness.

Neteyam wanted to say no, but seeing the hopeful expression on your face made his resolve crumble. ‘What? Now?’ he asked. You nodded in response, a hopeful smile on your face.