Secret Cove (Part 5)
Neteyam x Metkayina (oldest daughter of Tonowari, the chief)
Neteyam is 18
Contains: intense scenes, battle, and some Neteyam fluff (ish?)
WARNINGS: Battle with blood, fighting, killing. This is not a light-hearted or easy read. It is emotional so please be aware of that before reading <3
My throat tightens as my feet carry me toward Neteyam. Don’t think about it, I tell myself. Just think about what’s right in front of you. I refuse to cry, not when the whole clan is gathering, readying to fight.
Voices float out of Sully's pod. I don’t bother to stop and listen, I run right inside. Lo’ak looks up in shock. Neteyam is helping Tuk, his back turned towards me.
“Neteyam,” I breathe out, all the emotion I’ve kept bundled up, spills out through my voice. His face whips around and his eyes widen at the sight of me. I don’t react or say hello, I just throw my arms around his neck and pull him into me. His arms circle around me, grasping me in a tight embrace.
He pulls back and places his hands on both sides of my face. His worried eyes peer into mine as he rubs soothing circles on my face. “What’s wrong?”
I take a deep breath. It’s easier to breathe now that I’m with Neteyam. His calming presence gives me the strength to face all the Sully kids. They look at me in alarm. “My mother’s spirit sister, Roa, she’s been murdered. Her and her calf.”
Kiri gasps and places her hand over her mouth as Lo’ak’s mouth falls open. Tuk grips Kiri’s hand. Neteyam places his hand on my shoulder comfortingly, his hand tightening on my skin. He knows what the murder of Tulkun means to me. And for it to be my mother’s… “I’m so-”
“There’s more,” I interrupt. “The whole clan wants to go to battle. Jake is out there trying to stop them. We must hurry.”
Neteyam nods, immediately switching into fight mode. Lo’ak tenses up beside him. “What about Tsireya?”
“She’s okay. Now, come on,” I reply and grab Neteyam’s hand. His fingers instantly intertwine with mine. We sprint out of the pod. Shouts and hollers crack through the air as we race towards the commotion. All the Sully kids follow behind me, none of them saying anything.
Nerves bubble up in my stomach as the clan comes into view. Neteyam’s hand stays proudly in mine, neither of us caring if the whole clan knows. I look at him, my nervousness and guilt clear on my face. He squeezes my hand and nods slightly as if to say, we’re in it together. My heart swells for a moment, thankful that he is here.
The moment is quickly gone though. The entire clan is gathered and all of them are screaming battle cries. The tops of my parent’s and Jake’s heads are visible over the crowd. We need to get closer. As if reading my mind, Neteyam turns to his siblings. “Stay here.”
Jake’s voice carries over the crowd. “The sky people will take everything you love!”
Oh, no. Neteyam and I push into the crowd as they begin to yell angrily at Jake. Neteyam’s shoulders tense up but we keep pushing through the crowd, keeping our hands tightly locked together.
Someone puts their webbed hand out to stop us from moving forward. Neteyam lets out a low, guttural growl. The person’s eyes widen in alarm before recognizing Neteyam and me. The son of Toruk Makto and the daughter of the Olo’eyktan. They move their arm back instantly and we continue on.
“You need to tell the Tulkun to leave!” Jake cries as Neteyam and I finally reach the center of the circle. Jake is holding a strange red object that looks like a large pin. My parents stand in the center, my father observes the clan thoughtfully and my mom looks angry.
She turns to Jake. “They are our brothers and sisters! We will not tell them to leave!”
We move closer to where Jake is standing. Neteyam’s focus is now completely absorbed on the problem in front of him. A few eyes from the clan follow us curiously, noting our conjoined hands.
“If they stay here, they will die.” Jake yells, desperation curling at the sides of his voice. His fingers are wrapped tightly around the strange red object.
The clan erupts into battle cries. Aonung and others stick their tongues out, our traditional call to battle. The hairs on my arms stick up. My clan has battle gear on; they are preparing to fight. The crowd continues to yell at Jake as he steps back and stares pleading at my dad. My dad is contemplating what to do, I can tell by the way he rolls his shoulders.
“Listen to him!” Neteyam yells. The crowd continues to holler, ignoring Neteyam’s request.
“LISTEN!” I scream with a sharp voice. My father turns to me in surprise before lifting his arms to silence the clan. Everyone stops cheering immediately. I look at Neteyam, his face full of determination, and squeeze his hand.
A thankful look quickly passes over his face before he continues. “My father knows the sky people. Listen to him! He knows how they are.”
My father crosses his arms, his eyes catching on our interlocked hands. He stares at Neteyam before looking at Jake. Neytiri twitches from behind Jake as she observes the scene.
“Look,” Jake begins. He turns so he can face the whole clan. “This is about saving their lives. Isn’t that the most important thing? Saving lives?”
This time the clan is silent. No one hoots or hollers, they all look to my father, waiting for him to speak. My heart pounds in my chest as I pray he will listen to reason. Neteyam watches Jake nervously. I rub my fingers along the back of his hand, letting him know that I am proud of him.
“Tell the Tulkun,” my dad says. He takes the red object from Jake and lifts it above his head. “Tell them that if they are struck with one of these, that they are marked for death.”
The clan bursts into activity, people dive into the water while others grab ilus. Relief floods through me and then Joala comes to mind. My spirit sister. I have to warn her. Neteyam’s eyes search through the flurry of people.
“Nete,” I say. “I have to warn Joala.”
“I have to find Lo’ak. That skxawng is going to try and tell the outcast.”
I hate having to say it but I do anyway. “Okay, so we can meet back here after.”
“Yes.” He nods slowly, clearly not liking the idea either. “We’ll meet back here.”
We separate hands. Mine feels suddenly cold without his holding it. He places his fingers against my cheek and quickly leans in, placing a soft kiss against my lips. My stomach flutters slightly and all the commotion fades away, like it’s just us. We pull back after just a moment, both of us knowing we have things to do. He caresses my cheek once more before taking off and disappearing into the crowd.
I turn, my lips tingling, and dive into the water. My people swim all around me, even small children are in the water, nervously watching their parents swim towards the Tulkun. I catch the eye of one of the kids and sign to them. ‘It will be okay.’
They nod at me and seem to relax. I think once more of Neteyam as I swim off. I hope he finds Lo’ak and all goes smoothly. I’ll see him and his beautiful golden eyes soon. Now, I push all those thoughts out of my mind and call for Joala.
~~~
Finding Joala was more difficult than I thought it would be but I finally found her. She was anxious in the midst of all the chaos and it took some convincing to calm her down and tell her to leave. After a hug and some tears, she finally did. I’d rushed back to the village, searching frantically for Neteyam, my siblings or any of the Sully kids, but they were all gone.
I didn’t start panicking until now. I’m standing in the doorway of my family's pod, my parents staring at me with confused looks.
“What’s wrong?” My dad asks.
“I can’t find them,” my voice shakes. A million thoughts race through my mind. Neteyam and my siblings. Where are they? My dad stands up, worrying lines creasing his forehead. My mother opens her mouth to speak when Jake rushes in the doorway, followed by Neytiri.
“Our kids are under attack. They’re helping a Tulkun.” Jake says quickly, clearly stressed. Neytiri grips her bow. My mom hisses and grabs her spear. My dad pauses, studying the seriousness of Jake’s face, before calling out to the village.
“I need a battle group ready. The sky people have come.”
The village once again bursts into activity. Adults grab their battle weapons and dive into the water. Jake and Neytiri run out of the tent followed by my mom. I grab my knives and spear from next to my cot.
“I don’t think you should come,” my dad says flatly as he picks up his own weapons.
I stare at him, conveying all of my emotions through my eyes. “It’s Tsireya and Aonung,” I say. “And Neteyam.” My dad tilts his head to the side as I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m going and you cannot stop me.”
He slings his weapons over his shoulder and rushes out of the pod. “Then you better hurry.”
~~~
Payakan is destroying the ship. He’s rolling around, wrecking havoc and giving just enough time for my people to engage. My father gives a battle cry and the entire clan surges forward. I grip my ilu, searching the water’s for Neteyam’s braids. I shove out all my nerves and fear, letting the icy calmness of battle settle into my veins.
I swim on the outside of the group, watching as my clan begins to engage with the sky people. Where could Neteyam be? I know my sister is onboard but I can’t save her alone. Or could I? The watership is large, at least twenty armed men stand around my sister and the Sully’s.
Gun shots, cries, and yells fill the air. The battle is really beginning. My people shove their spears into the enemies as they shoot back. I guess I’ll have to try and save Tsireya myself. I take a deep breath and go underwater.
I swim beneath the waves, far below the commotion. White waves scatter on the surface as people and bullets fly through the water. I focus on keeping my heart rate slow. I’m about fifteen feet from the ship when a hand grips my arm.
I whip around, tightening my grip on my spear to find Neteyam floating beside me on an ilu. My entire body relaxes. He’s safe. My Neteyam is safe. He has a small cut on his arm but other than that he seems fine. He smiles softly at me, letting me know he’s happy to see me too.
‘Are you ok?’ Neteyam signs.
I nod and point to the ship above. We both need to get up there and save our siblings. He understands me immediately and motions for me to follow him. We work our way easily through the commotion under the water. I seem to know his every move before he does it like we’re connected and working from the same mind. Even in the midst of battle, I feel so much safer when I’m next to him.
We reach the edge of the ship where a piece of metal hangs down. We break the surface, I survey the water making sure no attackers are coming as he pulls the metal rail down. Our ilu’s swim off and Neteyam faces me, his eyes intensely focused.
“You first,” he says as he slips his hands under my arms and hauls me up. I grip the metal railing and begin to climb. “Wait for me at the top,” Neteyam calls over the commotion of battle. “I’ll go over first in case anyone is there.”
Once I reach the top, I immediately climb over, ignoring his plea to go first. I don’t want to risk him being hurt just for my safety.
“Don’t!” He yells forcefully as he realizes what I’m doing.
My feet hit the deck softly, I check both ways. “All clear!”
Neteyam pulls himself over the ledge and glares at me. “You were supposed to wait.”
I wink at him, causing him to roll his eyes playfully. He grabs my arm, his hand hot against my skin, and we run down the edge of the ship. Tsireya, Tuk, and Lo’ak are all tied to the outer railing. Neteyam and I begin to sprint the second we see the outlines of their bodies.
Tsireya sees me and her face breaks into a wide grin. We finally reach them, both of us panting. Neteyam pulls out a knife and cuts Tsireya free. She breaks out of her bonds and instantly throws her arms around me. I pull her tightly against me, feeling the familiar curl of her soft hair. “Sister,” I say. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”
She pulls back from me, a tear running down her face. “I knew you’d come.”
“Need some help, mighty warrior?” Neteyam’s voice floats over to us. I fight the urge to scoff at him. Even at times like this, he is teasing his brother. Lo’ak mumbles something back to Neteyam before rolling his eyes. Tuk stands nervously beside us and rubs her sore wrists. Tsireya reaches out to hold her hand. Once Lo’ak is cut free I turn to leave, the girls following behind me.
“Wait,” Lo’ak’ says. “They’ve got Spider.”
Neteyam freezes. My heart drops. He looks at me and the girls, an unreadable expression on his face. “We have to leave this ship.”
“No. We have to go back for him,” Lo’ak pleads.
Neteyam curses under his breath before looking at Lo’ak and nodding. Lo’ak bends down and picks up a gun. Neteyam turns back to us. He rushes up to me and grabs my hands. I begin shaking my head, unsure of what’s happening but knowing it isn’t good.
“Neteyam, don’t leave.”
“I’ll see you right after this.”
“No. Come with us.”
“I can’t.” Neteyam looks back at Lo’ak who’s waving at him to hurry. “I have to do this.” He squeezes my hands once more before looking at Tuk and Tsireya. “Take care of our sisters, ocean girl.” He turns and follows Lo’ak.
“Nete!” I call after him. The wall of calmness I’d felt earlier is cracking. Now that he is gone, I can feel the panic sinking in.
“Sister?” Tsireya asks cautiously. Tuk looks up at me with big, scared eyes. Their expressions snap me back to reality.
“Come on.” I say, grabbing both their shoulders and pushing them forward, “We have to get off this ship.”
~~~
Take care of our sisters, ocean girl.
I wasn’t able to do it. Tuk turned back for Kiri, I tried to stop her. I sent Tsireya away and followed Tuk onto the ship but it was no use. They threw me off and kept her. I panicked, knowing I couldn’t save her alone. I dove back into the water and swam off for help.
Now, I’m treading water searching for anyone. I don’t see Jake or Neytiri, they must be engaged in their own fight. My heart pounds against my chest and I chew on my lip. This is turning into a disaster. Someone waves at me from a large rock a little ways away. It’s Tsireya. A sigh of relief escapes my lips as I swim to her.
“My sister,” Tsireya exclaims as I climb onto the slick rock. I almost slip on the wetness of the rock but she quickly steadies me with her hand. “Where’s Tuk?”
I shake my head, guilt and shame wrapping around my brain. All I was supposed to do was protect her. And I couldn’t do it. “They took her. Kiri and her are on the ship,” my voice comes out strained, barely more than a whisper.
Tsireya gasps softly before reaching out and tucking a piece of fallen hair behind my ear. “We’ll go back for them once the boys arrive. It’ll be alright”
I nod at her, wanting to believe her hopeful words. She is right, I will go back for those girls. I will not fail Neteyam. I repeat these words to myself, trying to calm my nerves. Tsireya watches me worriedly.
“Help!” Lo’ak’s voice cuts through the air. I freeze. All my thoughts vanish from my mind. Lo’ak and Aonung are holding onto an ilu, swimming quickly towards us. The sides of my vision begin to darken as I notice a figure lying across Lo’ak’s lap. Who is that? The boys reach the rock. Tsireya and I bend down to help them up. The figure’s head lolls back. Blood is spread across their chest. Their breathing is coming out in ragged spurts. His golden eyes look into mine. I inhale sharply, feeling the world tilt right before me. It’s Neteyam.
My hands immediately wrap around his body as I help heave him onto the rocks. I can’t think. There’s no way. Neteyam is too good. Too pure. He lays on the rocks, coughing with each breath. I grab his hand and squeeze. His eyes bore into mine, full of pain and fear.
“Nete,” I whisper. “You’re going to be fine.”
He doesn’t respond. His hand is limp in mine as he continues to watch me. He coughs again, splaying blood across the rocks. Lo’ak kneels beside me.
“What’s going on?” Jake asks. Neytiri is right there, her bow in hand and her face in shock. Jake runs up the rock and sits next to Neteyam. He lifts Neteyam off the rock like a doll, and he looks at his back. A bullet has gone through his body, right through his chest.
A strangled gasp comes out of me. My hands begin to shake violently. Nete. His gaze becomes lazier like it’s harder for him to focus.
“Put some pressure on him!” Jake says to Lo’ak as Neytiri sinks down to her knees beside her oldest son.
Lo’ak places his hands on Neteyam’s wound. His eyes swimming with tears and his mouth pressed into a shaking frown. My ears begin to ring. I can’t hear anything other than a high pitched ring. The only thing I can see is Neteyam’s face, caked with dirt and blood.
He inhales sharply and smiles at me before grunting like the action took a lot of effort and was painful. I start to shake my head. I know exactly why he gave me that smile. He’s telling me it’s okay. He’s trying to comfort me during this time. I squeeze his hand harder but he turns away and faces his parents. I can’t breathe, it’s like all the air in the world is being sucked right out. “Nete, no,” I beg so lightly that no one hears me.
“I want to go home,” Neteyam says to Jake before coughing. Jake places his hands on Neteyam with a tortured look on his face.
“We’re going home,” Jake replies. “You’re going home, buddy.”
Neteyam opens his mouth to say more when a terrible sound escapes his lips. It’s a quiet sound, him breathing out, but the edges of his breath are rough, like it came from the depths of his lungs and is the last breath he has. Then, silence. It’s completely quiet. Neteyam isn’t moving. And he isn’t breathing.
This isn’t happening. My whole body shakes. Jake closes his eyes. Neytiri stares in disbelief. She crawls forward and takes Neteyam’s bleeding body into her arms. I let go of his hand, feeling the softness of his fingers, the familiar curve of his hand, slip right out of my grasp. Neytiri bends over his face, touching him, trying to find his soul. She leans her head back and lets out a gut-wrenching, grief-stricken moan, one that came from deep within her. A moan only a mourning mother could produce.
He’s really gone. My body begins to shake violently. My whole head is throbbing, my hands can’t stay still. And I can’t think or hear. I vaguely feel someone place their hands on me. Tsireya. I push her away, unable to understand or process anything. The high pitched thrill fills my senses. I’m going to pass out. Then wake up and this will all be a terrible, terrible dream.
But I look over and see Neytiri, tears flooding down her face, her mouth open in another tortured scream, and Jake beside her, trying to talk to her. My throat tightens up, so tight I can’t breathe. Lo’ak sits back on his heels, staring down at his bloody hands. Neteyam’s blood. It isn’t a dream. This is real.
I want to scream but my throat is too tight. Neteyam: so full of life and adventure, always joking, always taking care of his family, never afraid of a new challenge. My first love. My love. I’m choking, choking on grief and terror. I’m drowning in my own thoughts when Jake’s voice infiltrates my brain.
“Strong heart.” He says to Neytiri.
I pause. The high pitched ringing slowly falls quiet. She said you have a strong heart.
My heart clenches at the memory. Neytiri stands up with lethal calm and flies off towards the ship. Jake dives into the water, following her.
My vision becomes more focused as I stare at the ship. I can hear again. Tsireya is trying to talk to Lo’ak and me. My pain turns to rage. Not rage in the yelling and screaming sense, but a rage that makes me calm. A kind of calmness I’ve never felt before.
I think of Neteyam’s eyes; his intense gaze, his playful one, his loving one. We are good, she makes me happy
I stand up slowly and grab my spear. Tsireya watches me with wide eyes, instantly understanding what I intend to do.
“I’m leaving. Stay here.” I don’t recognize the sound of my own voice. Flat and unattached.
Tsireya shakes her head quickly. She jumps to her feet and rushes towards. “Oh, sister, please. Please, don’t.”
Her pleads tug at my heart. But it isn’t enough. Kiri and Tuk are on that ship. I will not fail Neteyam. Not now. “I will be back.”
Tsireya keeps shaking her head but doesn’t try to stop me again. I dive off the rock and call for an ilu.
I’m not scared or nervous. I know what I want to do. And I will do it. I refuse to think of Neteyam’s body and the blood. I will remember him as he was to me. Smirking at me when he teased me. Laughing with his brother. Helping his sister.
I reach the ship. The night sky looms above me. I wonder where his ikran is. All those nights we spent up there… His voice floats through my mind. Are you scared, ocean girl?
The ship is creaking. Water is rushing up on all sides. It’s going to sink soon, I don’t have long. Fire spreads along the outer ring of the ship, heating my skin. Jake must have set off an explosion.
I press myself against the metal wall and go closer to the fire. Neytiri’s battle scream pierces the air, making the hair on the back of my neck stand up straight. I start to run, heading towards the sounds of battle.
I reach the clearing and peer over. Neytiri is surrounded by sky people, all of them with guns but she isn’t losing. She’s tearing each person apart bit by bit. Fighting with such lethal grace that I’m awestruck by the terror and beauty of her.
I close my eyes and breathe in.
I see Neteyam laughing, such a beautiful sound. My favorite sound. We already broke two rules, what’s a few more?
His bravery and the way his face would change when he defended his family or me. And I would do it again.
My breath hitches and my heart splinters. I see Neteyam’s face in my mind. How the warm fire casted an orange glow onto him. How his eyes were bright with excitement and his voice was filled with dreams. I want to experience everything in the world. And I want to experience it with you.
He won’t get to. We won’t get to. My eyes snap open. A furious rage takes over my breaking heart, muddling out all the sadness. I scream. I let out the loudest battle cry and sprint into the clearing.
Bullets and cries shoot through the air as I stab my spear into a sky person. They groan and fall down. Neytiri looks at me for a quick moment before continuing to fight. I hardly register what I’m doing, I just move and strike. Move and dodge. Move and kill.
The sounds of battle fall deaf against my ears. I’m laser focused on each sky person, making my way deeper into the ship. A bullet flies right past my ear. I spin around and shove my spear into the sky person’s chest. Their eyes fill with fright before they fall limp. Perhaps I should feel guilty, but I don’t. The memory of Neteyam’s eyes keeps me going.
Finally, I see an opening that goes inside the ship. I sprint through it, hearing Neytiri’s screams fade. Tuk and Kiri are tied up against the railing. Tuk’s face brightens when she sees me.
I rush over to them and kneel down, noticing for the first time all the cuts and dirt that cover my skin. I yank out a knife from my pocket and begin to cut Tuk loose.
Kiri whips her head towards me at the sound of my knife hitting Tuk’s bonds. “Wait!” Kiri cries panickedly. “It’s a trap!”
I don’t have time to register her words. A gunshot goes off. The piercing sound echoes through the small space. I fly backwards, a burning pain shoots through the right side of my chest. My knife clatters against the ground uselessly. I land painfully on the metal ground, the breath completely knocked out of me.
“No!” Tuk screams.
The pain in my chest is nearly unbearable. I try to sit up but I can’t. The burning sensation spreads through my whole body. I turn my head to the side. Kiri and Tuk stare at me in horror.
“This ain’t who I was lookin’ for.” An unfamiliar voice says. An avatar saunters into my view. I try to turn my head to get a better look but it’s too painful. The avatar walks towards me, I can feel the vibration of his footsteps against the metal floor. I open my mouth to speak but no sound comes out.
“Guess I’ll have to keep waiting.” The avatar states. He bends down right in front of me so all I can see is his blue face and three long scars against the side of his head. It’s Quaritch. Neteyam told me enough about him. I suck in, using all of my strength, and spit in his face.
Kiri gasps. Quaritch doesn’t flinch. He just slowly brings his hand to his face and wipes it off. Breathing is becoming more difficult as the seconds pass. The burning in my chest is turning into stone like there’s a heavy weight on me that I can’t get off.
Quaritch stares at me for a moment before his gaze turns angry. He quickly grabs the sides of my shoulders, yanks me off the ground and throws me far out of the room. The abrupt movement is excruciating. It feels like all the skin in my chest has been ripped open, like a million little knives are stabbing me right in my heart and chest. I hit the ground hard. My head slams into the metal, making my vision go blurry.
I’ve landed in the clearing where the fighting once was. All the sky people lay dead around me. I can’t move. I try to stand but it feels like all my body parts have stopped taking orders from my brain. I try to breathe but it comes out in thick wheezes, hardly absorbing any air.
Quaritch talks to the girls from inside the ship. I want to crawl over and help them but I can’t. My vision is growing darker by the second as I stare at the night sky. I can’t even catch my breath. For the first time since being on the rock, I’m scared.
Hands fall onto my shoulders. All I see are stars until the person bends their head over mine. It’s Neytiri. Her face is filled with emotion from battle and grief. Her eyes fly frantically across my face and body, assessing the damage. I open my mouth to speak but all that comes out are wheezes.
“Shhh,” she whispers, her voice rough from fighting. “It’ll be okay, little one.”
I’m crying. I hadn’t noticed it until now. The tears cover my cheeks in thick, wet droplets. Maybe I’ve been crying this whole time and only just now realized. I shake my head but nothing moves.
I’m about to panic when a sweet sound fills my ears. Neytiri is singing to me. It’s a song I don’t recognize. Maybe one from the forest. I close my eyes. Maybe she sang this song to Neteyam once. My wheezing is slowing down. My chest isn’t rising and falling with the same vigor as earlier, it’s no longer trying to catch a breath.
Neytiri’s voice wraps me in a loving, motherly blanket. She rubs her hands along my shoulders, comforting me. My brain struggles to make any thoughts so I focus on her voice. Until my ears start to ring and then suddenly, they just go silent. I open my eyes. Neytiri is still singing but I can’t hear her. I can’t hear anything.
My chest rises once more. Neytiri’s eyes are the same golden hue as Neteyam’s. I smile at the thought as I let out my last breath.
~~~
The first thing I hear is water. Water rushing down and crashing like some kind of waterfall. I open my eyes, squinting against the sudden brightness. Huge trees sway above me, a vibrant green against the blue sky. Unfamiliar chirps fill my ears, the calls of animals I don’t recognize.
I sit up slowly. I’m lying in the middle of the forest. Trees and greenery completely surround me. I brush my webbed fingers against the soft ground, feeling the dirt and grass. My hand flies to my chest, remembering the pain I was in.
There is nothing there but smooth skin. No pain. I inhale slowly. Where am I?
Splashing comes from where I assume the waterfall is. I can’t see it through the trees but something tells me to go towards the sound. I rise to my feet, testing out my legs, feeling my body. It all feels the same. I take in every sight as I walk, noticing the different plants and animals as the dirt sticks between my toes.
The greenery suddenly gives away to a small pond where a waterfall cascades down. Green shrubs cover the ground beside the water, full of flowers and vines that hang over various rocks. Small fish swim leisurely in the pond as wildlife chirp happily in the trees. My heart swells at the beautiful view as my eyes focus on the person standing in the center of the pond.
His dark blue back is to me. His braids fall forward as he studies the water, searching for a fish to catch with a spear clasped between his familiar fingers. A smile finds its way onto my lips. He slams the spear down into one of the fish and pulls it out of the water. He examines the fish proudly, his golden eyes full of life.
“Nete,” I say. “Forest boy.”
He looks up, his mouth slightly open. He throws his spear to the side, forgetting completely about the fish, and runs up to me. I can’t breathe. I’m too scared this isn’t real. His strong arms encircle me, warmth spreads through my whole body as his scent fills my nose: pine and seawater. It’s Neteyam.
I cough out a laugh of disbelief and throw my arms around his neck. He squeezes me closer to him like he’s trying to meld us into one person. I reach my hands into his hair and entangle his braids with my fingers, feeling his being. He’s here.
I don’t let go of him and he keeps his arms around me. We cling to each other with everything we have. All my pain and confusion vanishes. I know where I am. I know what’s happened. We’re with our Great Mother. I inhale deeply, smelling his scent again and feeling his chest against mine. We’re together.
He pulls back slowly. I retract my hands and place them along the sides of his face. He stares into my eyes, his golden eyes full of love.
“I was so happy to be back home. I saw the trees. I saw the ikran. I saw everything but it didn’t feel right,” he whispers. He reaches his hand out and smoothes my hair down. “But now you’re here.” He leans forward and places his forehead against mine. “And it feels like home.”
He kisses my forehead. I close my eyes and lean into his embrace. “Now, I’m home,” he says.
I open my eyes and look into his. My heart brimming with emotion. A million words pass between us, everything we went through; all the pain and anger, all our love and passion. I caress his cheek and he tilts his head further into my hand.
I’ve never been to the forest before but I know, deep in my soul, that I am home too. I smile with tears filling my eyes. “We’re both home.”
He kisses me. Our lips brush against each other eagerly, expressing all the things we can’t say. His hands flutter against my neck, guiding my face against his. I relax, letting peace take over my whole being. I kiss him back, thanking the Great Mother that we are together.
After a moment, he pulls back. “Looks like you have some learning to do now, ocean girl.”
“Being Omaticaya can’t be that hard,” I scoff at him playfully.
He reaches around and flicks my tail. I swat at him. “Hey!”
“That won’t do you much good here,” he smirks at my wide tail. “You’ll be like a baby, not knowing what to do.”
I swat his arm again. “I will not, forest boy.”
He laughs. The laugh comes deep from within his gut, a hearty laugh that warms my heart and makes me forget all the dark things that lead me here. He stops and looks at me.
“Good thing you’ll have such a great teacher.” He brushes his shoulder arrogantly.
I roll my eyes. “Oh, whatever.”
He laughs again, happiness coating his features as he watches me. An animal chirp floats through the air. A spike of curiosity shots through me. I look at Neteyam and arch my eyebrow before taking off into the forest.
“Ocean girl!” He calls after me. “Wait up!”
I laugh again, feeling the solid ground beneath my feet and seeing the green leaves from far above me. My new home. I inhale the sweet air as I run deeper into the forest. It reminds me of flying on Nete’s ikran. It feels like freedom and pure peace.
“Woooo!” I cheer. Birds fly off from a nearby tree but I don’t slow down.
“Yea!” Neteyam calls in return from behind me.
We continue running through the trees. Eager to explore our new home. Excited to spend all the time we have together. I smile so hard, my cheeks feel sore. We’ll discover all there is to see in the forest and then we’ll move on.
I turn back and see Neteyam watching the treetops as he runs behind me. There’s a calmness in his stature, one that I’ve never seen before but it fills me with certainty. We are exactly where we are supposed to be: together.
Funeral scene:
Hi! I know part 5 of Secret Cove is the end of the series but would you by any chance consider writing a third person perspective of reader’
That's it!!! Thank you for all the love and support I've received on Secret Cove.
I know a lot of you guys didn't want Neteyam to die but I had a vision for this piece where ocean girl and forest boy would be together with Eywa (I'm sorry if that's depressing or a bad ending, it's just the idea I had)
ALSO PLEASE SEND SUBMISSIONS! I want to keep writing so let me know what you guys want to read. I'll post some happier Neteyam stuff soon :) Thanks again
I think that this mini-series has destroyed me emotionally. I cried seas, so if I cry; cry with me