#kiir fluff

Beneath Kiri, small green shoots are curling up through the gaps in the wood, stretching toward her skin like they’re trying to say hello. They aren’t wild or threatening; they move slowly, swaying as if they are dancing to a song only she can hear.

Kiri’s hand rests on her knee. A tiny seed from the Tree of Souls drifts in. It circles her head once, leaves a faint trail of bioluminescent dust, and then gently settles into the palm of her hand.

She just breathes, and as she exhales, the plant life near her glows brighter.

You let out a surprised chirp, a sound that breaks her focus.

Kiri’s eyes flutter open. She spots you, her expression softening into a playful grin. The plants around her seem to lean toward you, as if sensing the innocence in your reaching hands.

"Morning, little one," she whispers. She holds out her hand, the glowing seed still resting there, pulsing gently. "You saw that, didn't you?"

As you crawl into her lap, the air feels different; warmer, charged with a hum of life that makes your skin tingle. Kiri rests her hand on your back, and for a moment, the vines near the floor unfurl fully, blooming with bright flowers.

The marui is soon left behind as Kiri carries you down to the water’s edge. The tide is low, and the shallows are calm. Kiri is in her element here, walking with a steady grace that makes the water seem like an extension of her own body.

She sets you down in the shallows where the water is only ankle deep. You splash your hands, letting out a happy shriek as ripples dance across the surface. Kiri sits beside you, watching you with a smile as she trails her fingers through the water. Wherever she touches, the water seems to clarify, the sediment shifting away to reveal colorful shells and tiny darting fish.

"Look, little one," Kiri murmurs, pointing toward a patch of vibrant, finger-like anemones. "If you go slow... just like this..."

She guides your tiny hand toward the cluster. As your fingers brush the gelatinous tips, they don't retract in defense. Instead, they pulse with a warm glow, curling around your small fingers in a gentle embrace, sensing no harm from you.

Kiri beams at you, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

It’s a perfect moment of connection.

But then, you do something unexpected.

You pull your hand away from the anemones and turn your attention to a patch of sandy floor nearby. You don't look at Kiri; you look at the ground with intensity. You press your palms flat into the wet sand and let out a sound that rumbles deep in your chest, mimicking the resonance you felt from Kiri earlier.

Kiri freezes. She watches as the sand beneath your palms begins to shift.

Your palms tingle as tiny fibers begin to weave through the sand grains, responding to your sound. The sand sculpts itself into a miniature eplica of a ilu, rising upward until it’s a living sculpture sitting right in your palm.

The little ilu wiggles its tail, before it leaps from your hand and darts into the deeper water, swimming away.

You look up at Kiri, blinking innocently, completely unaware of the magnitude of what you just did.

Kiri stares at the water where the creature disappeared, then looks back at you, her jaw slightly dropped. A laugh bubbles up from her throat, and she reaches out to pull you into a tight hug.

"Whoa," she breathes into your hair, her voice thick with pure amazement. "Okay... I think the Great Mother has some interesting plans for you, little shadow."

Your face lights up at the mention of the name.You clap your hands together, a gummy grin splitting your face as you bounce.

"Gweat mothe poweds!" you squeal, your voice high with excitement. You point a finger toward the empty water, wiggling your toes. "More!"

"Yeah," she whispers, her voice trembling with a strange responsibility. "Yeah, little one. The Great Mother's powers. Let's see what else you can do."

The wonder of the moment shatters almost as quickly as it began.

Because the tingling in your palms doesn’t stop. The strange electric buzz climbs up your arms, and suddenly, the water swirling around your ankles feels too alive. You look down at your small hands and the magnitude of what just happened crashes into your toddler brain.

It’s too strange.

Panic sets in. You let out a sharp wail, shrinking back from the tide and holding your hands away from your body as if they suddenly belong to a stranger.

"Hey, hey, it's okay!" she coos, immediately scooping you up out of the water. She presses your face into the crook of her neck, rocking you side to side. "I've got you. You're safe, little one. Nothing's going to hurt you."

You bury your face in her collarbone, sobbing, your fists gripping the fabric of her top. Kiri holds you tight, whispering soothing words as she carries you away from the shoreline and back to the family marui.

Inside, Jake is repairing a fishing net. He looks up instantly at the sound of your crying, his brow furrowing.

"What happened?" Jake asks, setting the net aside and reaching out as Kiri steps inside. "Did she scrape her knee on a coral again?"

"No, Dad, she's not hurt," Kiri says, bouncing you gently as your tears begin to subside into wet hiccups. She looks at him. "Dad, she... she called to Eywa. Or Eywa called to her. I don't even know, but she made the sand move."

Jake gives Kiri a look. "...She made the sand move?"

"Yes!" Kiri steps closer, her voice an urgent whisper so she doesn't upset you again. "She... made a sound and the sand lit up. It formed into a little ilu and swam away! It wasn't me, Dad. It was her."

Jake sighs. He reaches over, gently brushing a tear from your cheek with his thumb. You lean into his hand, the familiar comfort grounding you.

"Kiri," Jake says, his tone gentle but firmly grounded in skepticism. "She’s a toddler. She was probably just splashing around and kicked up something."

"It wasn't something! It was completely shaped like—"

"Sweetheart, I know you feel everything deeply," Jake interrupts, giving his daughter a sympathetic smile. "You have a connection to the Great Mother that the rest of us don't understand. But you can't project that onto her. Sometimes, kids just splash in the mud, and sometimes, sand is just sand."

Kiri’s jaw sets. She looks down at you, resting against her chest, and then back at her father.

She knows what she saw. She knows what she felt.

"It wasn't just sand," Kiri mutters under her breath, holding you a little closer. "I know it wasn't."

Jake just shakes his head, going back to his net, leaving Kiri standing there, the only one who truly knows the secret resting in your hands.

｡🐚⋆❀˖°⋆˚࿔