- cw: lower case intended, aged up!neteyam, smut, p in v, humans can breathe the air, virgin!reader, mention of masturbation, neteyam keeps talking about his imagination, fingering, oral (fem receiving), cum eating, dirty talk, size difference (not explicitly mentioned but reader is human soo), neteyam’s kinda possessive, slight belly bulging. let me know if i missed anything!
- an: apologies if this seems rushed. also, so sad we only got glimpses of neteyam in the third movie, i miss my mannn.
- wc: 4.5k
- summary: you and neteyam were inseparable as children. like spider, you were a human left behind, raised among the omatikaya, growing up with pandora as the only home you ever truly knew. when quaritch and the recoms forced jake sully and his family to flee, neteyam disappeared with them, leaving you behind for years of silence and unanswered feelings.
that is, until he returns.
༻༺
you don’t remember a time before pandora.
the forest has always been there in your memories. the hum of insects at dusk, the way the leaves glowed beneath your bare feet, the smell of rain clinging to everything. you learned the paths before you learned to read, learned which branches could hold your weight, which plants to avoid, which ones neteyam swore were “harmless” right before you proved him wrong.
neteyam had always been there too, along with kiri, lo’ak, tuk and spider of course.
you grew up at his side, trailing after him and his siblings like it was the most natural thing in the world. he taught you how to climb when your human hands slipped, how to keep quiet when the forest went still, how to laugh when you fell instead of crying. sometimes he carried you on his back when you got tired, grumbling the whole time but never once leaving you behind.
you were different, you always knew that, smaller, softer, human. but with him, it never felt like something that mattered. you belonged because he said you did. because the sullys said you did.
those days feel impossibly distant now.
you remember the tension creeping in before everything changed. the way the adults spoke in hushed voices, the way neteyam stopped laughing so easily. you didn’t understand gravity of it then, only that something was wrong. that the forest felt heavier. that goodbye came too fast.
one day, they were there.
the next, they were gone.
the forest felt wrong after that. too big. too quiet. you still walked the same paths, still slept beneath the same stars, but everything felt tilted, like pandora itself had shifted without him in it. you told yourself you were fine. you had to be.
norm and max stayed.
they became your anchors in a way you hadn’t expected. the lab, once overwhelming, all blinking lights and foreign sounds, slowly turned into something familiar. safe. you still visited the clan occasionally, although no way near as much as you once had. you learned how to calibrate equipment, how to catalogue samples, how to keep your hands steady even when your chest felt tight with missing someone you weren’t sure you were allowed to miss this much.
you grew up between microscopes and memory.
years passed like that. quietly. you traded scraped knees and borrowed na’vi clothes for data pads and human fabric that felt strange against skin used to vines and leaves. you still visited the forest, pandora was home, always would be, but you were changing, just as much as everything else.
and then one day..
“they’re back!”
the words didn’t register at first.
your hands stilled over the lab bench. the hum of machinery faded into a dull roar in your ears. they’re back. which meant..
no. you didn’t let yourself think it. not yet.
when they arrived, it was chaos. voices overlapping, na’vi gathering, the air thick with emotion and relief and something heavier underneath. you hung back near the edge, heart pounding so hard you were sure everyone could hear it.
and then you saw him.
neteyam stood just behind his father, taller than you remembered, broader, scarred in ways that made your chest ache. the boy who you remembered to be, was gone. in his place stood a warrior, quiet, alert, eyes sharper than before.
his gaze swept the crowd.
and then it landed on you.
for a split second, something cracked in his composure. not enough for anyone else to notice, but you did. you always had. his eyes widened, just barely, like he was seeing a ghost.
you weren’t the same either.
you saw it in the way his gaze lingered, uncertain, like he was trying to reconcile who you were now with the memory of the human kid who used to sit beside him, legs swinging, asking too many questions.
too much time had passed. too many things left unsaid.
but he was here.
he was here and it felt surreal.
you couldn’t move, feet rooted to the ground and you observed the surroundings. around you, people moved, embraces, voices, relief spilling out in bursts but all of it blurred at the edges. all you could see was him.
however, you broke eye contact first.
it wasn’t dramatic, no rush, no stumble, just a quiet decision made. this wasn’t your moment. it shouldn’t be. he’d just returned from years of hiding, fighting, surviving. his family was there, his clan, people who had mourned him as much as they’d waited. whatever this tight, aching thing was in your chest didn’t get to come before that.
so you stepped back.
you slipped through the edge of the crowd, boots soft against the forest floor, the sounds of reunion fading behind you. laughter, choked voices, someone crying openly. it felt wrong to intrude on it with everything you didn’t know how to say. you told yourself you were being sensible. kind, even. he deserved time. space.
you didn’t want to be selfish. and even more, maybe those feelings you felt years ago were one sided. maybe neteyam didn’t feel the same way you did.
the lab welcomed you back with sterile light and familiar hums. too quiet compared to the forest, but steady. you busied yourself with anything you could reach, data logs, recalibrations, a half-finished report you’d already rewritten twice. your hands worked on muscle memory alone, because your mind kept drifting back to the way his eyes had widened when he saw you.
hours passed.
max and norm both questioned why you hadn’t gone to greet them all yet, but you didn’t have a proper answer.
you were bent over a console, pretending very hard to read numbers that refused to make sense, when a shadow crossed the doorway.
you didn’t need to look up to know who it was.
the air shifted, subtle, instinctive, the way it always had around him.
“you didn’t come say hi,” neteyam said.
his voice was deeper now. rougher. it sent a warm feeling through your body.
you turned slowly, schooling your expression into something neutral, professional. safe. “you just got back,” you said, like it explained everything. “i figured you’d want to be with your family… your clan.”
for a moment, he just watched you. really watched you. not like before.
“i looked for you,” he said quietly.
“you had a lot of people looking for you,” you reply casually. “i thought… you’d want time with them first.”
neteyam exhales through his nose, something between a huff and a laugh, but there’s no humor in it. he steps closer, careful, like he’s not sure if you’ll bolt if he moves too fast.
neteyam eyes flicker over you, slow, deliberate, taking in the way you’ve changed. his tail twitches behind him, restless.
"you’re taller," he blurts out, voice rough. his gaze lingering on your legs, your waist, the curve of your lips.
you swallow hard.
“taller.” that’s all he says? after years? your fingers tighten around the edge of the console, grounding yourself. "and you’re… broader." the words slip out before you can stop them, your traitorous eyes skimming over his chest, the new scars mapping his skin like stories he never got to tell you.
a beat of silence.
his lips quirk. just barely. "you noticed."
your face burns. “damn him”
neteyam steps closer, the scent of him curling around you. too close. your pulse stutters when his tail sways, brushing your thigh. accidentally? you doubt it.
"you left," you blurt, hating how small your voice sounds.
his amusement fades. "i didn’t have a choice."
"You could’ve sent something, tried to communicate with me.” you muttered.
“it was hard when you all left, the only family i felt like i had.”
"i tried." his jaw tenses. "messages got intercepted. people got hurt."
you bit your lip.
neteyam exhales, running a hand through his braids. "you cut your hair." he changes the subject.
you resist the urge to reach for the shorter strands. "it got in the way."
he hummed, his gaze drops to your neck, exposed now. "i liked it long."
“it’s not that much shorter.” you replied.
the air between you thickens, is it awkwardness or just tension? you really can’t tell.
just then, lo’ak swings through the door unceremoniously, his carefree attitude cutting through the thick tension in the air. he takes a moment to take in the scene. neteyam and you are standing close, conversation halted in its tracks. lo’ak lifts an eyebrow, noticing something is off, but his usual smirk remains intact. "you two look serious." he quips, leaning against the console with ease.
neteyam takes a subtle step back, his expression guarded. "we’re just talking." his voice is casual, but there's a hint of irritation.
lo'ak chuckles, his gaze flickering between them. "just talking? looks like it was getting a little heated in here."
“not really.” you butted in, “he was just mentioning my hair.”
lo’ak’s smirk widens at your response, clearly not buying what you said. "right," he drawls, crossing his arms.
neteyam shoots him a glare, tail flicking in annoyance.
lo'ak just shrugs, unfazed. "anyway, dad wants you. something about perimeter checks." he glances at you again, then back at neteyam. "unless you're busy…?”
neteyam exhales sharply through his nose. "i'm coming."
as he moves to follow lo'ak, his fingers brush against yours deliberately, before he pulls away completely. the brief contact sends a wave of heat to your cheeks.
it was innocent enough, but being human on pandora, you never really received any sort of attention from boys, let alone contact.
lo'ak, oblivious to the silent exchange, claps neteyam on the back. "great! because dad’s in one of his moods..”
the door slides shut behind them, leaving you alone in the lab.
later that night, you couldn’t sleep.
your bedroom felt suffocating, so you slipped outside, letting pandora’s night air cool your skin. the glowing flora pulses softly underfoot as you wander deeper into the trees, trying and failing not to think about neteyam.
you felt like you were a kid again, before the events unravelled.
just you and the forest.
the only difference being you in your human pyjamas, rather than the loincloth and top you used to wear.
a twig snaps behind you, pulling you out of your thoughts.
you turn, pulse jumping. only to find neteyam standing there, his silhouette haloed by bioluminescence.
“you followed me," you accuse.
he steps closer, his gaze dark. "yeah." no excuses. no pretenses.
it caught you off guard.
“i was heading over to see you, then saw you leaving so i followed behind.” he replied.
you simply observed.
it made sense.
he made his way over to you, ducking through branches and other greenery.
his fingers trace the edge of your jaw, his touch feather-light, maddening. “i thought about you, you know?” “every damn night under those same stars. wondering if you still looked up at them. if you… missed me."
you gulp as you watch him.
his thumb presses against your bottom lip, dragging it down just slightly. his pupils are blown wide, dark with something raw.
"and when missing you got too much?" he leans in, his next words whispered against your skin, “ i touched myself imagining it was your hands on me."
your stomach clenches, heat pooling low.
neteyam’s words hung thickly in the air, the intensity of his gaze making you shiver. you were short for words, shocked at his sudden confession.
your heart hammered in your chest, a mixture of desire and uncertainty swirling inside you. you swallowed hard, trying to collect yourself before responding. "neteyam, i..." your voice trailed off, uncertain of what to say, but he took another step closer, his tail wrapping around your waist almost possessively.
his hand slid up to cradle your face, his touch sending sparks across your skin.
"sometimes..." his thumb traced the shape of your bottom lip, his voice low and raspy. "sometimes i’d close my eyes, pretend you were with me."
His eyes moved over you, the intensity of his gaze making your heart skip a beat.
"and i’d think about you in those moments... how I would touch you, if you were there."
his breath warmed your neck as he leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. “i’d imagine you here… like this… under the stars we both looked up at.”
a shiver raced down your spine as his lips brushed the shell of your ear.
“remember that hollow in the cliffs? where we used to hide from lo’ak during games?” his voice was rough, low. “i’d imagine me lying there at night and picture you beside me.. under me.”
your breath hitched.
“i’d imagine pushing your shirt up slow,” he murmured, one hand sliding along your waist, fingers teasing beneath the fabric, “feeling how soft your skin is, how warm. i used to wonder if you'd arch into my touch like this…” he pressed his palm flat against the small of your back and pushed, just enough to make you gasp.
“and i always imagined,” he whispered against your jaw, “that when I finally kissed you here, really kissed you.. you’d taste even sweeter than i imagined.”
his hips shifted forward, the slightest grind, and a low sound escaped him.
“that’s when i would of slipped my hand down,” his thumb hooked into the waistband of your pyjamas, “you wouldn’t stop me.”
you let out a small whimper.
“i dreamt about feeling how wet you get for me,” he admitted hoarsely. “wondered if those quiet little noises would be enough to drive me wild after years of waiting.” he nuzzled into the crook of your neck.
"you kept me up late," he murmured, teeth grazing your skin.
his mouth moved lower, along your collarbone, nipping at it teasingly.
“teyam..” you whined quietly.
"shhh," he hushed, voice thick with want. his hips pressed firmer against yours, letting you feel every hard inch of him. "my little scientist... finally letting me taste what's been mine all along?"
his hand slid lower, past your hips, down to the back of your thigh and hooked it up around his waist. you gasped as he lifted you effortlessly, pinning you against the tree.
"i imagined this too," he growled into your ear. "you wrapped around me, just like that night by the waterfall when we were younger.”
you bit your lip as the memory came flooding back in, you forgot about that.
"i dreamed about making you cum under these stars," he whispered raggedly, tail curling tighter around your waist like a promise. "with my mouth on you.. my name on your lips..”
he finally dipped his hand beneath the hem of your pyjamas, soft fabric sliding aside and brushed one fingertip over damp heat.
he groaned low in his chest.
“shit.. no panties?”
“i.. i don’t wear any to bed.” you replied sheepishly.
he let out a rough, pleased noise. half-growl, half-laugh.
“good,” he breathed. “means I don’t have to tear anything off you.”
his finger dragged through your folds slowly, once, twice, making you whimper and arch against him. “you’re already so wet…”
“you made me wait years,” you gasped, fingers clutching at his shoulders. “of course I’m..” you let out a mewl, “ready for you..”
he smirked, adding pressure just where you needed it. “i used to dream about how tight you’d feel around my fingers… my cock.” he slid one deep inside with no warning, slow, deep, and your head fell back against the tree as a moan tore from your throat.
“like that?” he purred.
you nodded ferociously as his thumb found your clit, circling with torturous precision. "tell me," he murmured, voice thick, "how many nights did you lie awake thinking of me?"
you cried out, hips jerking forward. "n-neteyam!”
"answer me." he added pressure, relentless. "did you touch yourself? imagine it was my hand? my mouth?"
a broken sob escaped you. "yes!..” you whined. “almost nightly!..” you followed up.
he continued pumping his fingers in, out, in, out, for a good few minutes.
his fingers curled inside you just right and suddenly, the world shattered. a sharp cry ripped from your throat as heat exploded low in your belly, waves of pleasure crashing through you as you came hard around his fingers, wet and trembling, your knees nearly giving out.
neteyam didn’t pull away. didn’t stop.
he held you through it, thumb still circling the bud gently as the tremors faded, watching your face with fascination.
he slowly slid his soaked fingers free, and without breaking eye contact, he brought them to his lips and sucked them clean.
your breath caught at the sight, the raw hunger in his eyes, as dropped to his knees in front of you.
his glowing eyes locked onto yours as he hooked your pyjama shorts around his fingers and yanked them down over trembling hips.
his nose brushed your inner thigh.
his hands slid up the underside of you knees, spreading your legs wider.
“look at her.. perfect.” he mumbled under his breath as he looked almost star-struck.
you watched, breath heaving, as he pressed light, worshiping kisses up the inside of your thigh, his eyes locked onto yours.
he looked wrecked, just from watching you cum.
his breath was hot against your skin. "you’re so beautiful," he murmured.
then he exhaled low, like a prayer, and lowered his mouth to your cunt, still pulsing from your release. he lapped up at your cunt with slow, deep strokes of his tongue.
"you taste even better than I dreamed," he groaned against you.
your fingers fisted into his hair as he circled your clit with his tongue, before he moved further down and began teasing your entrance.
he didn't let up. just held you steady with strong hands on your hips and drank from you like a starved man.
he groaned against your heat, the sound vibrating through you. “so sweet… mine.”
every flick of his tongue was deliberate. slow at first, savoring, like he had years to make up for. then deeper, hungrier. his nose brushing your clit as he devoured you with quiet desperation.
you gasped, back arching off the tree as his thumbs spread you wider and ‘yes..’ “there!” that wicked swirl right over your most sensitive spot.
“you gonna come again?” he murmured between licks, voice rough with need. “right on my face?”
You could only whimper in return, but it was enough.
because neteyam growled low in his chest and dove back in like a man possessed, licking deep into your folds, circling your clit with maddening precision before sucking it gently into his mouth.
stars blurred above you. the forest pulsed beneath. and all that existed was this, him between your legs, the way his name broke from your lips like a prayer..
“neteyam… i’m.. i’m gonna..”
his ears twitched at the sound, and he redoubled his efforts, tongue swirling faster, sucking gently as one hand slipped beneath to cup your ass, pulling you even closer.
"again," he growled against you. "let me feel it baby..”
and when you came, shuddering violently against his mouth with a choked cry, he didn't stop.
he just moaned like it was him being rewarded.
the vibrations sent another shockwave through your oversensitive nerves, making your legs tremble.
finally, slowly, he pulled back, but only enough to press one soft kiss to your inner thigh.
then looked up at you, eyes glossy, swollen lips glistening with you..
"still not enough," he whispered, voice raw.
he rose in one fluid motion, closing the space between you again, your back to the tree, his body against yours.
you could feel him now. hard, thick, straining against his loincloth, pressed right where your body still pulsed from his mouth.
his lips found your neck, biting gently. "wanna be inside when you come again."
your breath hitched. "neteyam..."
"i know," he murmured, thumb brushing your swollen bottom lip. "too much? too fast?"
you shook your head desperately.
“no..”
he exhaled sharply through his nose, the closest thing to losing control you'd ever seen from him.
"good." his hand slid down to cup you possessively between your legs, one finger teasing at your entrance again.
he swiftly took off your top
your bare skin prickled as the cool night air caressed your chest.
he leaned in, lips skimming the shell of your ear. "you ever been with anyone else?"
your stomach fluttered nervously. "no..”
he smiled against your skin, satisfaction and relief pouring off him.
"good…" he whispered, his hand skimming up the front of your bare torso, creeping upwards towards your breasts.
"no one else got to touch you like this... did they? only me."
"only you…" you confirmed.
he groaned low, his mouth moving along your jaw, claiming more territory. "that’s right. you’re mine. only mine."
his hand found your thigh again. "put your leg around me."
you wrapped your leg around his hip, drawing him closer.
your heart stuttered as you felt just how hard your touch made him. neteyam inhaled sharply, his fingers digging into your thigh.
"that's it," he murmured, voice rough. "hold onto me."
you obeyed, grasping onto his shoulders, holding him tight. your body hummed with anticipation.
he pulled you even closer, grinding his hips against yours almost involuntarily with a shaky exhale. you could feel just how much you had affected him.
"missed you…" he murmured between kisses, his lips trailing along your neck. "all these years, i… imagined this. over and over again."
"i did too..." you whispered back.
he kissed you, slow and deep, it made your chest ache. not just desire, something more.
when he pulled back, his eyes searched yours under the soft glow of pandoran night.
his hands moved to the ties of his loincloth and in one smooth motion, freed himself.
you gasped at the sight. thick, proud, already glistening at the tip.
he guided himself to your entrance slowly.. teasingly.. letting just the head slide in as his thumb found your clit again.
"look at me," he demanded softly.
you obeyed as you held his gaze.
with a low groan that vibrated through both of you, he pushed forward inch by inch.. filling you completely until there was no space left between you.
you cried out, part pain, part overwhelming fullness as he stretched you for the first time, your body clenching around his girth.
he froze instantly. "hey… hey, look at me," he murmured, voice thick with concern and restraint. his thumb brushed your cheek as he stayed buried deep inside you, motionless, letting you adjust.
tears pricked your eyes.
"you're okay," he whispered against your lips. "i’ve got you. just breathe… for me."
you nodded shakily and took a breath in and then another, feeling yourself slowly relax around him.
“that’s it," he praised softly, kissing away a tear that slipped free. "take all of me."
and when you rolled your hips slightly, a quiet signal, he exhaled like it was agony and began to move.
slow at first, one deep thrust that made stars burst behind your eyelids, then another just as deliberate.
each one sent waves of pleasure spiraling through you until the line between pain and ecstasy blurred.
"neteyam…" your voice called out
he kissed you hard as his rhythm picked up, one hand gripping your hip to pull you onto him deeper with each stroke, the other tangled in yours above your head.
"i’m here," he muttered against your skin. "feel me?" he said as he pushed his much bigger hand against the bulge, disappearing and reappearing in your stomach with each thrust.
"i feel you... all of you," you gasped, nails raking down his back as he rolled his hips harder.
each thrust drove a moan from your throat, deeper, fuller than before. he was so deep inside you it felt like he was touching your soul.
"yeah? you take me so damn well," he growled, shifting slightly, his pelvis grinding against your clit with every powerful stroke. "mine.. only mine.."
you sobbed out his name as the pressure built again, tighter this time, hotter.
"that’s it," he whispered against your neck, his lips on your pulse point. "come for me, baby. i want to feel you.” he pulled back, looking down at you both, watching his cock slip in and out of your cunt.
“look at us,” he rasped, voice thick with awe and hunger. “you’re taking every inch..”
his thrusts turned shallow, rhythmic, just enough to grind against your clit with each roll of his hips. you whimpered, back arching as the pleasure coiled tighter, unbearable now.
“neteyam.. i’m.. i’m..”
one hand slid between you, rubbing firm circles over your swollen bud. “come on my cock. let me feel it.”
and when you shattered, your body clamped down around him in pulsing waves. he groaned like it was salvation.
“yes.. yes.. that’s it..” he panted against your neck as you trembled through the release.
but he didn’t stop moving.
just kept thrusting, deeper now, as if your pleasure had only fueled his need.
"i’m not gonna last..” he groaned, his mouth finding yours again. "not gonna last..”
you could feel his control slipping, his rhythm turning erratic, his breath coming rougher now as he chased his own release.
“then don’t,” you whispered against his lips, nails digging into his back. “i want you to cum inside me.. want to feel it..”
his hips stuttered at your words, like you'd stripped the last of his restraint away.
"shit..” he choked out, burying his face in your neck as his body tensed. "you're gonna make me..”
with a deep, guttural groan, he thrusts into you hard, once, twice and then stilled completely.
you felt it, he came inside you, each wave shuddering through his body and into yours.
he collapsed against you slightly, forehead pressed to your shoulder, breathing ragged and raw.
for long moments, there was only the sound of the forest breathing around you and your hearts beating in sync.
finally, he lifted his head just enough to look at you, eyes soft now.
he cupped your face, thumb brushing your sweaty forehead. "you okay?" he whispered, still out of breath.
you managed a nod, too spent to form words just yet.
he huffed a small laugh, lips finding your temple.
he pulled out slowly, gently and immediately wrapped his arms around you as your legs finally gave way. his warmth didn't leave you, not even for a second, as he lowered himself to the soft moss beneath, pulling you on top of him with care.
he sat with your back pressed to his chest, legs cradling yours, tail curling snugly around your waist.
one hand smoothed damp strands of hair from your face, the other rested low on your stomach, possessive and tender all at once.
"you're incredible," he murmured into your ear, pressing a kiss just behind it.
you leaned into him completely.
his voice dropped lower. "i should've done this years ago."
༻༺
hiii! i hope you guys enjoy this one of neteyam! as always, reblogs, likes and comments are very helpful and i appreciate all of you guys who choose to support my work!
Summary: All of your friends were pursuing or have already found their mate, but you on the other hand weren’t focused nor worrying about that and it made it extra hard for the poor guy who was trying so hard to gain your attention.
The day you walked into Neteyams life he was absolutely taken by you. You were introduced to the Sully family by your mother who was one of the finest weavers in your clan, she had weaved them a baby basket for their newborn Tuk’tirey. You followed her path being one of the best in your age group. Anything you touch was gold.
Although you thought your skills were useless up against your dream of becoming a fierce warrior, the eldest Sully thought otherwise. Over the years of knowing you, he would always come to you if his loincloth had been torn in flight, asking for a new armband, a new vest, or asking you to create decorative tapestry art for his family’s home. (They got sick of him filling up the family’s space with stuff he didn’t need.) With each request, he would bring tools and accessories he found while he was hunting. He would always sit and listen to you sing weaving songs along with your fellow weaving circle. Little did you know, the man was infatuated.
“Sa’nok (mother) I’ll be back, I’m going to collect some trinkets from the forest.” Your mother responded with ‘be careful’ with a kind smile.
You secured your satchel over your shoulder and tucked your knife into its sheath. You swung open the flap of your home to be greeted by and well known face.
“Kaltixì (hello)” you greeted with a smile that he returned even brighter.
“You ready?” You nodded following him to his Ikran, he grabbed your hand helping you on.
“Is that a new top?”
Your cheeks warmed at the thought of him noticing “Yes I finished it yesterday.”
“It is beautiful, the colors of the beads suit you well.”
•••
You two landed gracefully outside the forest. He helped you off and walked alongside you. You excitedly got started, finding trinkets to add to your future crafts. Seeds you can sit out to dry, feathers, multicolored pebbles, and picking a few colorful flowers neatly putting them in your pouch, and even with medicinal herbs that could come in handy.
While you look around you felt a sense of longing, you missed the forest more than anything. It saddened you your clan had to move to high ground in order to be safe now the only way you could get here is by being a passenger on someone else’s Ikran.
“I miss this” you blurted out as you ran your fingers along the beautiful glowing plants.
“As do i” he chimed in.
He watched you for a moment longer than needed, eyes following the way the forest light kissed your skin. Working up the courage to present you with something’s he’s been holding onto. Then he reached into the satchel at his side.
“I made something for you,” Neteyam said quietly.
You turned, surprised, as he held out a woven armband tight, clean craftsmanship, threaded with deep blues and warm golds. His colors.
“For me?” you asked, genuinely shocked.
He nodded, suddenly shy. “For protection. And… so you think of me when you wear it.”
Your smile was instant and sincere as you slid it onto your slender arm. “I will treasure it. Irayo (thanks), Neteyam.” You didn’t notice the way his chest lifted, the way his ears flicked back in satisfaction. In his mind, it was done. You were claimed.
Sadly you weren’t aware of any of it.
•••
Back at the Hallelujah Mountains, the weaving circle buzzed with quiet talk and laughter. You sat cross-legged among your friends, hands moving easily as you reinforced tool wraps and braided cord for hunters.
“You’ve been smiling all day,” Na’vani teased, nudging you. “Something I should know?”
Before you could answer, a shadow fell across your work. “Kaltixì,” came a warm voice.
You looked up to see K’u’thal, spear resting at his side. He was well known through out your clan, talented in many ways especially when it came to hunting. Many women pursued him as a potential mate.
His eyes glanced over your work curious rather than bold. “What are you making?”
You happily explained with a smile, holding up your work, and he smiled softly, impressed. Soon the two of you were talking easily, sharing stories that had Na’vani grinning to herself.
Not far away, Neteyam watched.
His jaw tightened.
•••
A few days later the Tlalim Clan arrived, the rainforest came alive with voices and trade. Everyone and their loved ones were back where they belonged, children running around with toys in the shape of animals mimicking sounds, laughter echoing through the forest, and stories being told about clans you have yet to meet. It felt good.
As you walked around with an unwavering smile on your face, Neteyam found you near the stream.
“Finally I have found you” a smile adorned his face as he pressed a small bundle into your hands, hair beads carved from traded bone and shell.
“I saw them and thought of you,” he said.
Your smile widened and hugged him without thinking. “They are beautiful! Irayo (Thank you).”
He watched you basically float away convinced you finally understood his intentions.
•••
Later, at the communal dinner, Na’vani toyed with your armband, eyes dancing in the firelight. “Let me guess… K’u’thal?”
You laughed softly. “No, Neteyam made this.”
Her smile turned knowing just as K’u’thal appeared at your side, setting a small woven charm into your hands. Before you could protest or even thank him he was gone again, swallowed by the crowd.
Na’vani sighed, shaking her head in amusement. “Eywa help you,” she muttered. “You’re leading on two of the finest warriors our age and don’t even know it.”
Shocked by her statement you barely had time to respond before a hand closed around your wrist.
Neteyam.
He didn’t speak as he guided you away from the fire, past the laughter and music, until the noise dulled and it was just the two of you beneath the glow of the mountains. Only then did he turn to you, jaw tight, eyes burning.
“Why are you accepting gifts from him?” he asked, voice low and strained.
You recoiled slightly, confused and hurt. “What do you mean it’s harmless”
“Harmless? This is far from harmless he knows i am pursuing you as a mate yet he continues to fight for your attention.” Your eyes bulge.
“I- what? I thought you were pursuing Veyt’ari. That is word around the village.”
He scoffed softly, stepping closer causing your heart to beat just a little faster. “I do not want Veyt’ari.” He tilts his head and his voice dropped. “I want you.”
The world went quiet as he leaned in. Your ears perk and tail sway in anticipation.
When he kissed you, it was hesitant at first like he was giving you one last chance to pull away. Instead, you kissed him back, breathless, stunned, hands curling into his chest. The kiss deepened, years of unspoken longing finally breaking free.
When you pulled apart, both of you were flushed, foreheads resting together.
“Oh,” you whispered.
Neteyam smiled, satisfied at last.
“Yes, paskalin… oh.” (Sweet Berry)
•••
Extra
Neteyam didn’t realize how obvious he’d been until Lo’ak wouldn’t stop grinning at him across the fire.
“So,” his brother drawled, pulling meat off his skewer, “all it took was…what? Three years? Four?”
Neteyam shot him a warning look. “quiet.”
Kiri tilted her head, eyes glowing with amusement. “You know, most people say they’re courting someone. They don’t just… silently offer crafts and hope Eywa delivers the message.”
“She thought you were being nice?,” Tuk innocently chimed in, swinging her legs. “That’s kind of sad.”
Neteyam groaned, burying his face in his hands. Embarrassed that even his little sister caught on and she hasn’t even had the mating talk.
“I was clear.”
Lo’ak laughed outright. “Bro you literally watched another guy give her gifts and still said nothing , yeah that’s real clear”
Summary: In which you and Neteyam are courting, but Tuk seems to take up more and more of your attention despite knowing that her brother was soon to be your mate.
a/n: I was inspired by someone on here, but I forgot their tag 😓
You and Neteyam have been stuck to each other for as long as you can remember. From the moment the two of you could crawl to meeting his youngest siblings to completing the Iknimaya together—everyone could see the pathway Eywa set for the both of you. So it was no surprise that Neteyam began to officially court you the second you both became of age.
Ever since then, you were even more inseparable. Well, maybe expect for your duties as tsakarem since it was clear that you would follow after his grandmother and mother. And whenever Tuk showed up, in a way you found rather cute, really.
As much as Neteyam loved you and you loved Neteyam, Tuk was a really close second to being your love. No matter what you were doing, if she could see you, she would immediately drop everything to be by your side and talk your ear off, typically earning a scolding from Neytiri.
To you, it was the most endearing thing ever. You were glad you were getting along with the youngest Sully, never having a little sister yourself. Most times, Tuk would refer to you as her best friend and bragged to everyone she could that she was your favorite—even when you and Neteyam were very clearly together.
Nevertheless, Neteyam—being the most patient Na’vi on Pandora—didn’t mind Tuk’s constant love for you most of the time . He knew how much his little sister admired you and everything you did, and who was he to tell her to back off and find a new friend?
Unfortunately, the other times where his patience wore thin were when his duties to train to be an Olo'eyktan with his father got to his head and all he wanted to do was be in your presence as it often calmed him—not you and his little sister.
It just so happened that today was one of those days.
Neteyam found you wandering the village with a woven basket to your hip, knowing your path was distinct in your head when your ears flickered in a specific pattern. He had just gotten back from a flight with his father and desperately wanted to see you, tail swishing behind him happily when you caught his gaze.
“Where are you off to?” He wrapped an arm around your waist loosely, kissing the side of your head while you grinned up at him with the smile that could melt him anytime.
“Teyam.” You say softly in recognition, letting yourself soften from his simple touch, your own tail swaying in giddiness. “I’m on my way to visit your family since I dropped some herbs off to your grandmother earlier, and I feel like I haven’t seen them in years.”
He scrunched his nose in amusement from your words and tilted his head, taking the basket gently to carry it for you. “You saw them this morning.”
“Same thing.” You wave him off with a flick of your hand and enter his home, smile widening when you see the youngest Sully daughter sitting with her sister that was attempting to teach her how to bead together a top—the older girl sighing when she saw you.
“Tuktuk!” You called out for the young girl, bending and holding your arms open for her to run into.
She called your name out in response, jumping into your arms as you caught her, spinning her around and around until she squealed for you to stop. You kiss her cheek and tuck her hair back, complimenting a new bead in her hair when you heard Neteyam clear his throat beside you—your eyes flickering to him in mild confusion.
“I don’t get that as much enthusiasm when you see me?” Neteyam frowned in a way you assumed was a teasing manner, making you pat his cheek.
“Hush.” You laugh softly before turning back to Tuk, her eyes shining with joy as she gained your attention once more, her tail whipping furiously behind her. “I missed you so so much, sweet girl!”
“I missed you too!” She giggled and looked away for a second, contemplating her next few words while you acknowledged the rest of her siblings.
Lo’ak rolled his at Tuk, giving you a faint smile but immediately began to complain about what his sister was going on and on about the entire day. “She kept whining about when we would see you again. She was all like, “When’s she coming over again?” “Can we visit grandma so we can see her?” and “Tell Neteyam to mate with her faster.””
The last comment made you and Neteyam burn bright purple, the words completely lost on Tuk but oh-so amusing to Kiri and Lo’ak when they heard their youngest sibling repeat the phrase several times. It got so bad that they physically had to cover her mouth when their mother did a quick check on them.
You were about to say something—asking the two of them why they hadn’t asked her to stop repeating the words—when Tuk tugged on your arm, finding the next big thing to bother you about while you were still here.
“Come! I have something to show you!” She dragged you out of the Sully home, away for her sibling’s sights.
Kiri watched in amusement as the flaps to the place flew, a teasing smile on her lips as she dropped her head in Neteyam’s direction. “She’s going to take her from you.”
Neteyam stared at the spot where you stood for a second, shaking his head and smiling weakly toward Kiri. He wasn’t too bothered by Tuk today… right?
“I’m just glad that they’re getting along.” He said almost flatly, causing Kiri to raise a brow at him.
Lo’ak snickered while he dodged a swipe from his brother, earning an eye roll from him as he reminded them of Tuk’s past shenanigans. “Remember there was entire week where Tuk wouldn’t let her go anywhere without her? She’s so protective of her.”
“I wonder why.” Kiri drawled in his direction, yelping when Lo’ak tugged at her tail. She furiously pushed his chest, making Neteyam sigh and pull them apart from each other as Kiri yelled at Lo’ak who was still making faces toward her. “Skxawng!”
Just then, the flap to their home opened, their mother entering with a sharp gaze because of the loud sounds she heard on her way over—the three of them looking at each other knowing they were caught. Well, mainly Lo’ak and Kiri.
“Enough.” Neytiri put a hand up and looked around the place, her ears tucking back when she couldn’t find her youngest daughter. “Where is Tuk?”
None of them spoke for a second, simply watching their mother clean the place up with a grace none of them could master just yet. It’s not like they how to pick up wooden toys and toss them into a basket while still looking like a woodsprite.
Neteyam was the first to speak, tilting his head with a fond look in his eyes as he revealed to her that Tuk was with you, his younger siblings looking at each other at their brother’s lovesick look.
Neytiri hummed, grabbing the basket you brought earlier and picking it up. She took the fine beads that were carefully wrapped on the inside before looking up at her eldest, a soft smile gracing her lips.
“Speaking of your future mate, she has Tsahìk training with your grandmother and I tomorrow morning.” She revealed, cupping his cheek and pinching it. “So no staying out late tonight with her. We need her up bright and early.”
Gagging and laughing could be heard from where Lo’ak and Kiri stood, their noises making their brother’s face flush, warmth flooding his face with embarrassment at his mother’s words. He couldn’t tell if that was what his mother was exactly insinuating, but it certainly what his siblings were.
“Mother.” Neteyam cleared his throat, pushing Neytiri’s hand away from him.
She clicked her tongue in his direction, shaking her head and giving him a look that told him that her and Jake were once like him and you long ago. “Are you not courting her?”
Neteyam feigned annoyance, eyes darting away from her knowing gaze as he spoke only to be cut off by the sibling who loved you just as much as he did.
“I am, but—“
“Mama!” Tuk shouts and jumps out of your arms, running up to her mother and hugging her tightly while you stumble slightly at the sudden movement.
Luckily, Neteyam caught you within seconds, his tail wrapping around your waist in protectiveness. You smiled softly before taking a step closer to him, your hand brushing with his before you laced them together, making him lift your joined hands and kissing your knuckles.
Lo’ak whistles at the action as he walked out of the home, earning an eye roll from Kiri. She simply sat back down on the woven mat and continued to bead together a top, still listening intently to the conversation without fail.
“What did I miss?” You ask with a smile, ears perked up and tail swishing behind you before it instinctively curled around Neteyam’s thigh, causing the boy’s cheeks to flush a darker purple than it already was.
“Nothing worth listening to.” Neteyam murmured against your hair, pressing another kiss to your temple before his voice dropped even lower to the point where only you could hear him. “Are we still going to the river tonight, yawntu?”
This time, your own cheeks flush a deep purple to match his, the end of your tail thumping on his thigh in an exultant manner. “Who would I be if I ever said no?”
“C’mon, let’s go! She’s probably waiting for us already!” Tuk dragged Neteyam by the arm as they walk through Pandora’s vast forest, her small legs doing her best to run while Neteyam did his best to hold onto her tightly, praying to Eywa that she wouldn’t trip or fall.
Lo’ak pulled a face and rolled his eyes at his younger sister, nudging Spider in amusement while Kiri gave him an unimpressed look. “Tuk, slow down. We won’t get there any faster if you twist your ankle and complain about the trip to the river.”
Now, Neteyam had no idea how Tuk found out that he was going to meet up with you at the river that evening. All Neteyam knew was that she threatened to tell their parents if he didn’t let her go with him to see you—but that didn’t include telling his siblings and apparently Spider. So the next thing he knew was that he was taking four others to your spot, each step diminishing his eagerness to see you.
Tuk stuck her tongue out at Lo’ak, only earning one from him as well before she saw you standing at the clearing by the river, her tail swishing energetically behind her in excitement. Tuk called out your name and your ears perked up at the voice in surprise as you thought you were only supposed to see Neteyam.
Turning around, your golden eyes found the Sully family—including Spider—approach where you stood, the youngest climbing over a large log hastily to get to you somewhat faster.
When they got close enough, you opened your arms for a hug that Neteyam thought was his, his own arms raised before you bent over and gathered Tuk in your arms. Neteyam froze with his arms still up, stunned ever so slightly before glaring at the three behind him who were stifling their laughter.
“Tuktuk!” You smothered her face in kisses—the ones Neteyam should’ve received. You admire her softly, knowing you saw her earlier during dinner but nonetheless offered her your compliments. “You look so pretty.”
“Not as pretty as you!” She giggled and held onto your neck tightly as you swayed back and forth, her eyes catching the new beaded top you wore. “You weren’t wearing that earlier.”
Your cheeks warm at her observation, your tail flicking behind you slightly before you shake your head knowing the top was supposed to be for Neteyam but she didn’t need to know that.
“I just wanted to try it on for once. Does it look good, Tuktuk?”
“So good!” She giggled again and began to ask millions of questions about the beads, the river, the different glowing plants—anything she could that would retain your attention for as long as she could have it.
Lo’ak punched his brother’s shoulder, now laughing quite loudly in Neteyam’s opinion. “Bro, you wish that was you.”
And before Neteyam could say something back, Kiri let her heart get the better of her, saving her older brother from getting ruthlessly poked and prodded by her other brother. And, unfortunately, saving Lo’ak from an earful—which she didn’t really care for.
“Tuk, come here. Let’s get you adjusted to the water so you can swim.” Kiri called Tuk over with a small smile in your direction, making the youngest Sully dramatically sigh and reluctantly leave your arms with an exaggerated pout.
You watched her to ensure she was safe in her sister’s arms before turning to Neteyam whose ears were flat with his tail swishing vigorously back and forth. You walked over to him and lead him away from the rest of the group, your eyes scanning his figure.
“What’s wrong, Teyam—?”
“You love Tuk more than me.” Neteyam interrupted, his tail now moving more fiercely as his gaze met yours. His golden eyes flickered with an emotion you thought was impossible for him to ever feel, amusement running through your veins.
“That’s not true.” You laugh with a shake of your head, cupping his cheeks gently as you spoke and thumbing the patterns decorating his face. “I love you and Tuk differently.”
Neteyam softens under your touch but still mutters in complaint about the attention you give his much younger sister, a pout settling on his lips that reminded you of said little sister. “But you just have to greet her first?”
“She’s my little baby!” You scoff with a teasing smile as he finally wraps his arms around your waist, your eyes gleaming with amusement. “You’re jealous, Neteyam. Of your own sister.”
“No.” He meets your eyes carefully before deciding to bury his head in your neck, mumbling against your skin in embarrassment. “No.”
“Mhm.” You grin and rub his back gently, ears perking up when you could hear his siblings shouting at each other before shaking your head, focusing your attention back to the Na’vi you loved with all your heart. “You shouldn’t lie to the person you’re courting, Teyam.”
“I hate you.” He groans and holds you flush against him, your tail wrapping around his leg naturally from the familiar position while his own tail found its home around your waist once more.
“No you don’t.” You laugh again and lightly pull him up from his spot in your neck, your golden eyes catching his—your eyes reflecting his beautiful face. “I see you, Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk’itan. And I know I could never find anyone else like you.”
Neteyam looks between your eyes, his own eyes shimmering before he pressed his forehead against yours, meeting your lips with tenderness. “I see you too, yawntu.” He pressed another kiss to your lips before pulling away, forehead still against yours. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” You murmur, thumbing his bottom lip with a small smile. You peck his lips once more, gaze catching his. “It’s okay.”
“We’re not going to be able to sneak away, are we?” He mumbled as you begin to kiss every inch of his face, his hand finding the curve of your back.
You hum against his lips, pulling back ever so slightly to meet his blown eyes. “Not unless you want to lie.”
𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 instead of heading to the reef clans, jake sully takes his family to search for the herwìslär clan, the snow people. despite her cold demeanor that rivals that of the weather outside, neteyam cannot help himself upon falling for the olo'eyktans daughter. only you seem to not want him, and he cannot understand why.
ᶜʷ cannon divergence, rude(?) reader, yearning, my baby lo’ak being an ass for a minute, sharing a bed(kinda), ‘i dont want ninat’ vibes, reader and neteyam are lowk jake and neytiri 2.0, misunderstandings, tshaeylu, suggestive content, angst?(happy ending), a child
ʷᶜ 12.6k
A fresh hunt meant there was much to do.
Every part of a kill was to be used. It could be detrimental to the people if even a single part was discarded. In the harsh conditions of the frozen taiga you called home, every part of a kill must be used.
You were stood over a square frame, currently tying a fresh pelt onto it. After tightening each side multiple times to ensure that the pelt was pulled to its max, you began shaving away at the various layers of fat.
Proper technique must be used when shaving the fat away. If you angle the knife improperly you may tear through the pelt, rendering it useless. Yet the motions are calming to you, it being something you’ve done for many years.
Various other clan women are also completing the same tasks, idle chatter falling around you. Many are pleased with the result of this hunt, some gloat over the kills their mates or children have made, a few congratulate you on the kills you made today as well.
The corners of your lips tilt upwards, a pleased grin settling on your cheeks. As the Olo’eyktan and Tsahik’s oldest child duty settled heavy on your shoulders. A good hunt today meant that the clan would be happy for at least a week, which meant that your parents would be happy for the week, so you could also be happy for the week.
“I heard you killed the largest her’ang today,” Posma whispered next to you. Your ear flicks, as the words take form in your head.
She was correct to hear that you had killed the biggest her’ang, but you did not say that to anyone. You would never boast about such a thing.
“Who said that?” Your hand pauses in its motion as you turn your head, refusing to slice without eyes on your target.
Posma giggles at you, she is one of your oldest friends, the two of you being together since you could only toddle along the furs. “It does not matter. You should be proud.”
“Being proud is not becoming.”
“It’s not unbecoming!”
You huff, “There is a fine line between being proud and being pompous. Most toe the line, I do not desire to do such a thing.”
You turn your head back towards your work. Shearing the last few pieces of fat from the pelt you sheath your knife. Due to its curved shape you must tie it before you can move onto your next task.
As you’re scooping your curved fingers into a jar filled with salt Posma continues, “You would not. It would not deter anyone if you were to take some satisfaction in your accomplishments.”
“Focus on your duties Posma.” You flick your tail in her direction, trying to shoo her away, “We can participate in such discussions later.”
Your fingers splay the salt in a decently thick coating across the pelt. It must be enough to thoroughly dry the pelt, but it cannot be too much where the pelt cannot breathe. A final glance across the entire pelt leaves you with the conclusion that you can leave it for the night and check upon it again tomorrow.
You turn to leave, wanting to know how the rest of the preparations of the kills are going. But you make sure to call out to Posma one more time before you leave, “You will sit next to me tonight?”
Her cheery reply follows less than a second later, “Always!”
Hometree and most of the clan's establishments resided underground, deeply embedded into the ground. It was much warmer there than temperatures outside, but furs and pelts were still required if you desired to be a comfortable temperature while walking around.
You move towards the outer areas of the village, wanting to see if every kill has been brought in yet. However on your way there a shot of your name makes you still in your path.
It is Huamtey who calls you. One of the clan warriors, one that you were out hunting with just earlier today. “You must come, I cannot find the Olo’eyktan.”
“My father is missing?”
“You misunderstand, I believe he is tied up with other duties and I cannot find him.” Huamtey grimaces a little, nervous of your reaction to his miscommunication, “The sentries said they are hearing foreign wails, I was hoping the Olo’eyktan would lead the search.”
“But I am the next best thing?”
“You are mighty. We would be honored if you guided us.”
A smile graces your lips as you nod. Whatever beast resided outside the village gates, you and this search party would slay it. Whatever it was would not harm your people.
As you emerge from the gates, you raise your hand in greeting to the sentries. Then you lay your eyes upon the group. It is small, only eight of them, but it would do. You had killed big predators with less people.
A deep call resonates in your throat, but your lips stay sealed. You repeat the call a few times, urging your mount to approach. In the distance you can see shifting between the trees, your legs carry you forward to meet it halfway. As you approach your herwanpalu a rough, loud rumbling emerges from deep in his chest.
He is happy to see you so soon. Your hand reaches out to scratch along his forehead eventually falling behind one of his ears. You saddle him, tightening the straps before turning back towards the group. “Let us go, it will be dark soon.”
It is hard to miss the yowls of the unknown creatures. They are sharp, and loud – one might assume that they were calling out, searching for something. But that would be a naive thought, there were only predators and prey in this taiga, and this thing would become prey whether it wanted to or not.
The calls lead the nine of you to the tundra. No trees reside here making it risky hunting grounds. But if the beast wanted to fight here, who were you to deny it?
You first scan the ground, searching for some large disfigured creature to be staring back at you. You find none, instead you see five shadows seemingly circling around. When you look up you see bright and deeply shaded creatures.
Ones that you’ve never seen before. They’re colors you’re familiar with, seeing them in the summer months, but they definitely do not belong here in winter. You start making motions with your hands, dividing and directing the group so you could circle them.
The members are to find a good angle, one that they can get a presumed clean kill shot from. On your mark they will take it, if you’re lucky all five will go down at once. An immaculate feat, one you would shortly be discussing over fresh meat at the cookfire.
The white of the pelts blends nicely with the herwanpalu furs, and their furs blend almost seamlessly with the snow. The flying creatures shouldn’t be able to see any danger until it is too late.
You raise your bow, aiming for the chest cavity of the beast. You can hear a hunting call come from your right, another from your left – it was time to strike. When your arrow sailed, theirs would fly too.
But then you falter. There is something atop the creature. Could it be mangkwan? No. They never ventured to these parts, it being far too cold for their hot nature.
“Hold!” You hiss, just loud enough for the group to hear. “Hold position, do not reveal yourselves. I will make contact.”
You dismount your herwanpalu, slinging your bow back over your shoulder and flipping your hood down. You shout, “If you wish to live, land your beast and surrender!”
The call triggers a response. At first the beasts begin banking tightly left and right, granting their riders better visibility to the land below. And then they descend and land.
You allow them to clamber off of their mounts, to come to stand before you before questioning, “Who are you?”
“We seek uturu.”
“Who are you to seek uturu?”
“I am Jake Sully, my mate Neytiri, and our children. You’re from the Herwìslär clan right?” His hands are upturned trying to seem like he is not a threat. You step to the side, eyeing his family. They looked to be cold, slightly huddled together, their animal hide cloaks doing nothing to shield them from the freezing tundra temperatures.
You’re skeptical. They may be trying to cause chaos, to destroy the clan from the inside out. The doubt flows entirely through your body, your tail lashing, ears pressed tightly to your skull. It triggers Neytiri to speak.
“My husband was Toruk Makto. He brought the clans together against the sky people.”
Toruk Makto? This man was Toruk Makto? That was not a name to be taken lightly, the stories of a great flying beast, the scariest thing in the sky; and the very few Na’vi who were able to tame it were named Toruk Makto.
If these Na’vi were any bit honorable they would not throw the title around. You could indulge them at the very least, bring them in and if they misbehaved take them as prisoners.
“Reveal yourselves!” Your voice booms out across the tundra. Jake Sully and his family flinch, surprised at the sudden burst of energy. Their heads whipping around at the sudden movement of the warriors around you.
Then you point, “You will follow me. And they,” Your hand changes direction towards the warriors, “Will follow you. Come.”
As you direct them back towards the village you can only imagine what your father will think. If he will believe that you made the right choice, or if he will be disappointed that you risked the safety of the clan.
You motion the sentries to open the gate, allowing you entrance to the village. One of the warriors runs ahead to go retrieve your father. You continue to bring the Sullys forwards, deeper into the village.
“Where are we going?”
It is Jake who speaks up. Apparently the only one with a voice in his family. You spare him a glance, seeing the apprehension clear on his face.
“To see the Olo’eyktan. He will decide your fate.”
That seems to settle him. Neytiri begins whispering something, keeping it low enough that even just a few feet away you cannot hear them chatter. It did not matter though, your father approached and their fates would soon be sealed.
Your father stands strong. If his furs did not differentiate him from the rest of the clan, then surely the necklace and beaded covering that rested on top of them would. The deep black tattoos in distinctive lines decorated his face more than others.
But if none of that directed the Sully's to who this was, then his presence must have. It commanded attention more so than others, leaving you nowhere else to look.
You take the last few steps to him as he opens his mouth to speak, “What is this?”
“They seek uturu. Apparently the father is Toruk Makto.” You meet his eyes briefly, before walking past him and turning to stand slightly behind him.
“Toruk Makto seeks uturu with us? The Herwìslär people?”
Jake nods “Yes. We will learn your ways, be helpful, right?” He turns, nodding to his family, encouraging them to agree with his statements.
“It will be tough, difficult to teach who has already been taught.”
“We can learn. We can adapt. We will adapt.”
“Then it is decided.” Your father steps forwards, reaching his arm out in the traditional Na’vi binding contract, “Toruk Makto and his family will receive uturu with us! Teach them our ways, and treat them as our own!”
As Jake wraps his hand around your fathers forearm, your father continues his brief speech, “You may learn with me, your mate with mine. My daughter will teach your children the ways. Nume nìwin.”
As they separate you rush to your fathers side. “Father. They are dark, they will easily attract attention when hunting.”
“Then you will give them extra pelts to cover.” He dismisses you easily, readily moving direct people to either help the Sullys to a kelku, or return to their prior duties.
“But look at their tails! They will freeze off when the winter gets harsher.”
“Pelts, again daughter.”
“And their eyes! The brightness will make it difficult to see when they leave the village!”
“You are to teach them our ways.” He turns, locking you in place with a pointed stare, “Do not make me repeat myself, and do not give more excuses as to how useless they will be without seeing their capabilities.”
You tuck into yourself. Abashed at being reprimanded and dismissed out in public, you turn back to the Sullys, “Come I will bring you to your kelku, so you may drop off your things. Then we will go get pelts so you do not freeze to death.”
Looks like you would not be sitting with Posma at the cookfire.
“Not like that.” You tug Neteyams hands away from the pelt and fur he is stitching together. You begin unstitching the progress he has made.
Neteyam is watching your movements carefully, “What was I doing wrong?”
His voice is curious – a genuineness to it that makes you want to believe that he truly wants to make it better.
“Your stitch would allow air to slip between the pelt and the fur. It would not insulate properly.” You take the needle crafted of bone from his hand and begin to stitch slowly, “When you stitch like this it traps the heat, pushing it back onto your body instead of allowing it to escape.”
You hand the coat back to Neteyam first, then the needle. He nods at you before beginning to stitch the same way you showed him. When you are content with how he is working you spare a glance at the rest of the group.
Posma and Tempat have joined you in your duties. They seem to be working well with the remaining Sully kids. Posma guiding Kiri and Tuk, while Tempat is stuck with Lo'ak.
Fur binding is one of the most essential skills that a Herwìslär member must know. It is something that you learn as a child. As if you were to get lost or stranded and cannot craft a proper coat you will freeze to death.
You wish you were hunting today. Or drying pelts. Even foraging would be more preferable. You truly wish you were doing anything else besides teaching remedial skills to mostly grown Na'vi.
Before your mind can drift Neteyam calls you softly, when you turn your head he hands over the coat again. “Did I do it properly?”
You turn it over in your palms. Visually the stitches seem good, like they will hold. Then you begin tugging roughly around the seams. If the stitching was bad, they would burst from your onslaught.
However, they don’t. You smile a little when you hand Neteyam his coat again, “It will hold. Good work.”
He smiles at that. Proud at being able to adapt like his father said, to make something of his own in a new clan, and maybe just a little bit at your smile. He has not seen you smile often since his family has arrived, and for him to be the cause of your baby blue cheeks raising to make space for the upturn of your lips makes satisfaction settle warm in his chest.
Lo’ak’s whine drags your attention away, “When are we gonna ride a mount?”
“Soon.”
“When is soon? We have been cooped up in here for days now.”
“Lo’ak!” Neteyam smacks the back of his head, “Apologize.”
Before Lo’ak can open his mouth again, you laugh a little. You suppose they must be feeling like caged animals, not seeing the true sky for many nights as the pelts they received on the first night were not well fitted for taiga exploration.
And you were just thinking about wanting to be anywhere but here. Itching to go outside and to have the fresh frozen air sting your lungs.
“Come, we can attempt to ride with your new furs.”
Lo’ak is smiling, but then he realizes you did not promise a ride. “Attempt?”
“Yes. Herwanpalu do not allow just anyone to ride.”
“So they are like ikran, one rider for one mount.”
Posma speaks then, “Not particularly! Some herwanpalu are more friendly, and they allow multiple riders. Others are possessive, even going to great lengths to prevent their riders from mounting another.”
Her light, happy tone helps settle the Sully children a little bit. If she mentioned it, that must mean that there are plenty of herwanpalu willing to allow them to ride.
As your small group emerges out of the gate and into the taiga in front of you, you begin grunting. The sound comes from the back of your throat, with your lips closed. Posma and Tempat follow you, making their own sounds.
“Each herwanpalu comes at a specific call.” You turn to face the Sullys as you explain, “We teach them their calls as cubs, when they are most impressionable. Some will answer when any use their call, others may refuse as Posma said.”
Your mount approaches. He circles you while purring, before turning to sniff at the air where the Sullys stand. Now that he has come, you begin a new call, urging another friendlier mount to come.
“This is Wi’tsin.” You pet his head lovingly as Tuk approaches, “He and I have been together many years. He is one of the more possessive mounts that Posma had mentioned.”
While he may have been possessive, Wi’tsin would not hurt anyone you showed favor to. He allows the Sullys to pet him, to feel the difference of his furs.
Tuk hasn’t taken her hands off him, she seems to be enamoured with the softness of him, “Can I ride him?”
“You may join me if your siblings allow it.”
She whips around facing Neteyam with a dragged out pleaseeee. You can see the fondness in his eyes even though his expression remains contemplative. But then he nods, “I suppose she is more experienced and it would be a better ride.”
He was right, it would be a better ride with you. No tumbling, or fighting for control. She would have a good time. So after you get everyone else settled, get them saddled up and positioned correctly on the mounts you tug Tuk up onto Wi’tsin.
“We will head to the lake, then return.” You motion your mount to move through the bond, “It is a simple ride, the perfect opportunity to learn the mounts.”
While the herwanpalu were not difficult mounts to ride, it was still new to the Sullys. They would need to learn the breathing patterns of the beasts. Need to learn how their paws felt pressing into the snow. How their ears were attuned to even the smallest critters, and their tails swished to allow them quick turns.
The first bit of the trek, you direct them to walk. To zig and zag through the trees, to feel the curve of the herwanpalu’s spine. To understand how swiftly they can move.
It goes about as well as you would assume. Lo’ak falls off on his first turn, telling the herwanpalu to move faster than you had told him to. He was unused to how to move his body in turn with the mounts, so when she dove to avoid a tree he flew off her back.
You show them that the mounts may also be used for climbing, demonstrating with Tuk and yourself upon a tree. It is then that Kiri falls off. On her recount she ‘misjudged how rough her mount would slam onto the tree’ and then the story shortly changed to being shocked at the feeling of the bark underneath the mount's claws course through her fingers.
By the time you make it to the lake the only one to not make a fool of themselves and take a tumble in the fresh snowfall is Neteyam. He took every motion with stride, moved with the mount as if they were one. He curved his spine on the sharp turns, and pressed himself into the furs and saddle while climbing up the trees.
“This is the grand lake. It thaws in the warmer months, allowing for free fishing and swimming.” As you monologue, you begin to walk out towards the center of the lake, “Most of it freezes during the winter, but we carve into the ice to allow for fishing. Would you like to try?”
“We know how to fish, zusawkrr olo’eyk
te.” Lo’ak laughs as if it is childish to assume they don’t know how to fish.
That they don’t know how to carve the ice. That they don’t know they must tie some twine to the end of their arrows. That they don’t know how important it is to angle properly, and strike as soon as they see their target.
So instead of helping them, you decide to let them figure it out themselves. Striding back over to Wi’tsin, you dig into a woven bag attached to his saddle. You place the serrated crystal knife into Lo’ak’s hand and gesture towards the ice at his feet, “Show me.”
It does not go well.
Lo’ak doesn’t carve deep enough the first time, so Tempat takes the knife and shows him how to properly carve into the ice.
You have to admit that he does take a good shot. His arrow is aimed well, sinking directly into his kill. But without any twine, there is no way to drag it back to the surface.
Lo’ak has been teasing you since the Sullys arrived. Trying to poke the right buttons. Attempting to break your composure. You assume comedy is his comfort, so it does not offend you.
But it does little to soften you to the Sullys. Still not believing they could be useful, that they could fully acclimate to your people.
Their ability to ride the herwanpalu does little to change your mind. If they wanted to survive here, they would have to learn this mount at the minimum.
Nonetheless you are pleased with their progress towards becoming competent.
Pleased that you are one step closer to not having to see them unless you desired.
It’s late, the cookfire nearly being diminished to embers.
A few weeks have passed since you taught him and his siblings how to ride their first Herwìslär mount. The rest of their lessons have been going smoothly since.
You had just allowed Neteyam and Lo’ak to join on their first group hunt. Tonight's dinner being partially the fruits of their labor. So when Neteyam approaches you, you decide to grant him a small smile.
He tries to smile back, it looks more like a grimace however, with how his eyebrows are pinched and his eyes are lost in thought. “You know I was a warrior with the Omatikaya.”
You nod, well aware of his past.
“I wish to become a warrior here too.”
It was not an outlandish thing to ask. He wanted responsibility, to prove himself in the clan. But it was risky; the Herwìslär final rite of passage being taming their own flying mount. You assume it also has something to do with how his mother and fathers txawuks have recently matured.
You must tame it while it is a juvenile, making the bond when it is still young. They are ridable from the time of taming, but it still takes a few months for them to reach full size.
It is of utmost importance to avoid the mother. Many Na’vi have passed from the trial; dying from the fall, succumbing to their injuries, or never returning after interacting with the mother.
“You are not ready. The txawuk are not forgiving.”
He shuffles into a seat next to you, “Ikran try to kill us as well. It is how we know we picked the proper mount, as they must also pick us.”
You run your tongue across your bottom teeth. Shaking your head lightly as you weigh your choices, as you debate Neteyam’s odds.
He speaks again when you don’t respond, “I am strong. You have seen me hunt, I am reliable. I can do this.”
“I cannot save you if something goes wrong.” You side eye him, “If you slip, if you are bitten, if you do not seal the bond, I cannot interfere.”
“I will not fail. My fingers will not lose their grip, and my reflexes will not slow.”
You click your tongue in annoyance. Neteyam was not giving this up, you would grant him his request if he completed a final test.
“You will hunt a her’ang tomorrow, without assistance.” You turn to face him, greyed out green eyes staring into his amber ones, “If you complete the test I will grant your request to complete your final rite and be welcomed into the arms of the people as one of us.”
Neteyam smiles then, it’s more boyish than you’ve seen him smile. A warmth blooms in your chest as you admire him, finally beginning to see him as one of the people. To allow yourself to view all possibilities of him.
“I will not fail.” Neteyam reiterates. Overjoyed that he’s so close to getting his wish granted.
You send him off to sleep then, informing him that it would be a long and tiring hunt and he needed his energy. You follow shortly after retiring to your own kelku.
In the morning you inform your father that you will be gone on a hunt. He reminds you that the winds shifted yesterday, that the skies in the distance looked to be gray with snowfall.
But you brush him off. You’ve hunted in storms before, been stuck out in the wilderness in even the harshest of winds and temperatures. And if Neteyam wanted to become a warrior in the eyes of your people, he would have to prove himself in all conditions.
So the two of you head out, dressed in the warmest furs, quivers full where they are attached to your herwanpalu’s, spare paint hanging from your tewng in case yours came off in the snowfall. The snow is light at the start of your hunt, coming down fast but not enough to obscure your vision.
You are only there to observe, to step in if everything goes terribly wrong. Neteyam leads, tracking the her’ang up a mountain. The tracking gets difficult then, old prints getting frosted over in new snowfall.
Maybe you underestimated the snow. It was falling heavier than you thought it would, and Neteyam was too stubborn to make camp earlier in the night when there was still light to aid you.
So you call out to him, hoping it reaches his ears despite the howling winds, “Neteyam!”
He turns to face you, his hood resting heavy over his forehead. He waits for you to reach him, “What is it?”
“We must find shelter.”
“But we are so close!”
Neteyam was always the responsible one of his siblings. Always the one to pull back before things could escalate so it made no sense why he would be so set on staying out in these harsh conditions.
“I know you cannot feel your toes! And that your fingers feel as if they will fall off even when tucked into your furs!” You’re peering at him through snow-crusted lashes, “There is a cave, in that part of the mountainside! I have rested there before, come!”
You don’t allow him to protest, directing Wi’tsin towards the cave. The two of you needed to get out of the snow as soon as possible. Needed to start a fire, and regain circulation in your phalanges before you lost them.
When you get to the deepest part of the cave Neteyam speaks up again. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have forced us to go deeper.”
“Do not apologize.” You begin sparking stones together to start a fire, “Eagerness is nothing to be ashamed of.”
The two of you do not speak much. Neteyam thinking about how difficult it would be to find the her’ang in the morning, how if it continued moving in the storm he would never see it again. You debating how long it would be before you could return home.
As the night goes on the snow does not relent. It filters into the cave, resting softly in the mouth waiting to dissolve in the morning.
The chill in the air sends shivers up your spine. Even though you have experienced many overnight hunts, on most of them you had properly insulated shelters. If you did not, you at least did not have the snow blowing at you.
The furs and the fire do nothing to quell the nip in the air. Nothing to soothe the ache in your chest from inhaling the frozen air. You shift, unfurling from the ball you curled yourself into before peering at where Wi’tsin is.
Maybe you could curl up with him, allowing his furs to warm you along with your own. But you cannot bring yourself to call to him, he is huddled closely with Neteyam’s herwanpalu. The two of them sharing body heat to fight off the cold.
You suppose it was a good idea. That it could be a useful tool, especially if Eywa's creation was also partaking. So you call softly to Neteyam.
If he was asleep you did not wish to wake him, but you knew his sharp ears would pick up on your voice if he was still awake.
It takes a few moments, but he slowly shifts to face you. “What is it? Are you alright?”
“Are you cold?”
He laughs at the stupidity of your question, the breaths he heave fog up in front of you, “Yes. I am cold.”
“Would you like to…” Oh Eywa this was embarrassing. “Would you like to share body heat?”
“What?” Neteyam's disbelieved tone comes softly across the fire, the crackling nearly covering it completely.
“We can rest on your fur, or mine, and rest the other above us so that we can trap all the heat together.”
He nods, “All right.”
You shuffle over quickly. Ushering him to take off his fur as you toss yours on the stone ground of the cave. As he shrugs it off his shoulders you smooth out your fur and plant yourself on the left side.
As Neteyam settles on the right side he tosses his pelt over you, tugging it over himself until it rests comfortably over both of you.
He notices your distance. It's clear that despite being the one to suggest being close, you're trying to stay away from him.
Believing it to be because of him, he reassures you, “You can come closer. I do not mind.”
“No, it is fine. Just give it a few minutes. The heat will accumulate soon.”
Then your eyes are closing. Dismissing him as the slightest bit of heat settles around you.
It takes Neteyam a bit longer to fall asleep. He's been infatuated since the moment he first saw you after landing his ikran in the snowy plain.
The misty blue tone your skin had, and the slate blue stripes that seemed to wrap around your body in more wispy patterns than he had ever seen on someone from the Omatikaya.
The pattern your bioluminescent freckles made upon your face, some of them even gleaming brightly underneath the black paint you had plastered across your eyes.
The tattoo you had on your chin. One line leading seemingly from your mouth, down the middle of your lip and chin to where it ended somewhere between your jawline and neck. Two dotted lines frame the one solid line, following its path down your chin.
And now he's getting to see it all up close. To stare at you unabashed. So Eywa forgive him if he resists sleep for a while to admire.
Eventually his eyelids drift close from exhaustion. But the chill in the air does not stop just because the two of you are under the same fur.
Unconsciously, the two of you drift closer together; moving towards the warmth the other is emanating. You turn from facing him, your back now pressing into his front.
You wake slowly. Eyes blinking languidly as they try to scrunch to remove the crust that has settled on your inner eyes.
You don't recognize the warmth at your back at first. Assuming it is just from your heat getting trapped between the pelts. Then there's a soft exhale on your cheek.
Your body stills completely, eyes widening in shock, while you try to slow your own breathing so as to not startle whatever beast is looming over you. When you slide your eyes up towards the ceiling of the cave and spot nothing, a confused look graces your features.
Upon turning slightly, you're met with Neteyam's neck. It's then that you realize he has a grip around your waist. That your legs are tangled with his. And that his chest is pressed tightly to your back.
What had happened while you were asleep? How did you end up all the way in his personal space? Or did he inch his way into yours?
You shift to leave. Slowly untangling your legs, then you try to remove his grasp on your waist. In your shifting Neteyam stirs, grip tightening until you clear your throat lightly.
“Oh. I am sorry.” An indigo tint rises to his cheeks in embarrassment.
“It is fine. We must have shifted towards each other's warmth.” You want to sit, want to sling your fur back on and shrink back into yourself. But Neteyam is still lying down, still waking from his rest.
“You did not mind?” A slight upturn graces his lips.
A blush graces your cheeks now, “It was out of necessity.”
“Would you have minded if it had not been out of necessity?”
You huff. Sitting up despite the cold, allowing your skin to prickle at the temperature. “Focus on becoming one of the people, then you may ask me such questions.”
Neteyam moves as you do, quickly donning his fur and moving off of yours so that you may dress as well.
He hunts well that day. Tracks fast. Moving as one with the cold.
The bite in his lungs urging him to move swiftly, but not brashly.
When the two of you come close to the her'ang, you still. Using your mounts to become one with the trees.
Neteyam takes atypical aim, piercing through the beast's skull instead of its heart. But you whoop and yip all the same once the kill is made. Proud that he has accomplished such a task on his own.
Proud that he will soon claim his txawuk.
Proud that he will be one of your people soon.
When you finally return to the village the rest of the clan's people react the same. You usher Neteyam to them as you haul his kill to be skinned and broken down into all its pieces.
Your favorite member of the family is Tuk. Children are the most impressionable, and she takes well to your customs.
She adores your carvings made of bone. Nestles into the furs you’ve gifted her. Asks to go on rides on Wi’tsin whenever you have free time. And if you cannot take her, she runs to one of the many friends she's made in your clan.
But you make a special exception for Neteyam in your heart after waking up with him in the cave. The past months spent with him have a new look to them, a brighter hue as you see all his redeeming qualities.
It was an old tradition to have one of your most honored furs be that of the first her'ang you killed by your lonesome. You had not passed the knowledge to Neteyam, deciding it would make for a good surprise. One last gift before he joined your people as a warrior.
So you personally skin the beast. Tie it to the drying posts. Paste salts upon it. Then you wait.
Four days pass before the furs are ready.
Your patience almost wore thin, almost believing that they would not be ready before he took on his final rite. But thank Eywa, they were ready.
Your stride is soft as you approach the Sully tent, not wanting to wake anyone still sleeping inside. You can hear murmurs whispering from inside, but pay them no mind. Most of the village has not risen yet and it would be rude to speak in loud tones.
A familiar name passes through the conversation though. Your name is sounded out by Lo’ak’s voice – it is then that you decide to listen instead of making your presence known.
“I’m just sayin bro. You’ve got her sweet on you after your hunt.”
Neteyam laughs a bit boyishly, “It is not like that.”
“Yeah but even Tuk couldn’t get her to let up on us. Always nagging about the clan ways, and how we wouldn’t fit.”
Oh Eywa forbid you were skeptical that Na’vi that came from a tropical climate would have a hard time adjusting.
“She likes Tuk. They do many things together.”
“Sure, but she still hounded us. You, me and Kiri had to learn so much. And she didn’t even give us compassion for the simple fact that we were here because of uturu!”
A sigh resonates in the space. You can hear some shuffling before Neteyams voice sounds again.
“She just worries for the future, Lo’ak. A heavy title rests on her shoulders.”
“Yeah but she didn’t have to be such an ass about it.”
You were brash, sure. Drilled your customs into their skulls. Made them practice the same tasks a hundred times.
But they were things you had done thousands of times, things any person their age was well familiar with. And if they wanted to be sure members in your clan, then they needed to be able to complete the tasks without needing assistance.
“Listen, I’m just saying thanks for working her so that we could catch a break, I knew you’d come around.”
Working you? This whole time Neteyam was just feeding into you, trying to receive your affections so his siblings would not have to hear from you?
You supposed you were tough on them. But you did not threaten to skin them, did not shy away from their jokes or their teasing. If they wanted to take things slower, or differentiate the skills they practiced, why not just say something?
Despite yourself, when a sinking feeling invades your chest, you realize that you did come to like them. That you enjoyed their company, and could even see yourself spending time with them after they had been properly integrated into the clan.
Clearly your sentiments were not returned.
Lo’ak and Kiri were far enough in their rites that you did not have to deal with them anymore. Tuk could join the other young children at this point. And Neteyam would be finishing his final rite shortly, freeing you of his presence.
You did not need to make a scene. Did not need to confront them for their hurtful words, you were never meant to hear them anyway.
You were meant to play into the role. Get strung along by Neteyam for Eywa knows how long. And to be cast aside when he chose someone else.
Turning on your heel you head back towards the village center. Tempat and Posma are there, waiting eagerly for Neteyam’s send off.
“I am feeling unwell, perhaps some bad fruit at the cookfire last night.” Hastily, you thrust the furs from Neteyam’s kill into Posma’s arms, “Can one of you guide him today?”
Posma replies, a concerned glint in her eyes at your unusual behavior, “Of course! Go rest, you will not want to miss the celebration later.”
Hours later after Neteyam has left on his journey Posma pokes her head into your kelku. She spots you curled up on your bed of furs and pelts, submerged to the point that she only notices from the uneven lump.
“I had Tempat lead Neteyam.”
You only glance at her from your heap. Eyes blinking slowly as acknowledgement.
She sheds the furs that adorn her shoulders, then lifts the ones that rest on top of you. Climbing in and cradling your head to her chest she speaks again, “What has happened?”
“It does not matter.”
The rumble of laughter in her chest is comforting. If you closed your eyes and focused enough maybe it could lull you back to sleep.
“I think it does.” Her hand begins stroking through your braids, slightly scratching on their way down then smoothing again on the next pass. “You were very proud, very excited, to give Neteyam his furs.”
“He received them did he not?”
“He did. But he does not know the love and attention that was put into them.”
You lift your head, eyes meeting Posmas, “You did not sell me out?”
“Of course not! You are my tsmuke, blood or not, and he is just a boy.”
Your eyes begin to tear at that. If he would treat you so cruelly in private, while being so kind to your face, then he is just a boy. At some point, your few tears turn into sobs. The crashing weight of everything finally collapsing onto you.
Your endless duties meant that you did not have time to form bonds outside of your few friends. That you did not have time to seek a mate, to ask for Eywa’s blessing. And it had seemed as if one was handed to you on a silver platter.
Neteyam was well fit to be Olo’eyktan, he had spent his entire life training for it with the Omatikaya. And you had learned both the Olo’eyktan and Tsahik responsibilities – well prepared to lead on your own, or with someone standing by your side.
He had listened. Had encouraged you to speak about your childhood eagerly, wanting to hear how the lesson for the day tied into Herwìslär culture.
He made it a point to come and find you even after you had dismissed his siblings. You had thought it had been to spend time with you, under the guise of studying.
Thought that his interest in your clans weaving techniques could have possibly meant him looking into your clans courting techniques.
Eywa. You even thought that some part of him deciding to complete the most dangerous rite was so that he could pick a mate in your people. That he could ask your father to court you and eventually take you as his mate.
Now you know that it all was so Lo’ak and Kiri could frolic around the village without you to guide them.
Without you breathing down their necks, trying to ensure that they were completely set before you sent them off on their own.
But as you had thought earlier, the Sully kids did not need you anymore. You’re sure of it when your mother returns home and informs you of Neteyam returning with a txawuk.
Good for him. Great for you. You could finally return to the way your life had been, to only completing your trainings and duties and spending your free time however you pleased.
You do not attend the gathering that night to celebrate Neteyam’s accomplishment. Still feigning illness.
You ignore the disappointment at not celebrating his achievement with him. However, it does not matter, the wound is still fresh.
It remains fresh for weeks. You go from just avoiding Neteyam to no longer speaking to Kiri, even leaving your sessions with your mother when she decides to join. You avoid Lo’ak at all costs, his shouts of zusawkrr olo’eykte! go unanswered. When Tuk asks you to take her out for rides, you instead redirect her towards her siblings, and if they are busy you remind her that Posma or Tempat would take her if she truly desired to go.
Your new pattern is not difficult. In fact, you quite like it. Like the fact that you have time to focus on yourself again. That you can refocus on learning how to best lead your people.
Neteyam had expected you to guide him when he completed his last rite. That even if you said you could not interfere, that you could not catch him when he fell, that you would at least be there with him. Your presence enough to give him some calmness in his death-defying moment.
But you are not there when he arrives. Posma is there, Tempat too. They greet him excitedly, bestowing him a gift in the form of the furs of his first solo her’ang kill.
It's only when Tempat ushers him forward that he questions where you are. Why they were leaving without his kayru.
A sad smile graces their features when they tell him you are sick. That you went home to recover before the celebration that would be held in his honor tonight.
It gave him some peace. Knowing that you weren’t missing the event because you wanted to, but because of an illness. The peace fades as worry ebbs in, what had gotten you sick? It must have been bad if you couldn't at least see him off.
No matter, he could ask you all about it when he returned. Inquire about your illness, then talk your ear off about how the rite went. Afterwards he'd beg you to compare it to yours.
Always eager to learn about you. To learn about your people. To meld to your ways.
He wondered what age you were when you completed the rite. Who went with you? How many younglings were there to choose from? What drew you to the one you picked?
So many questions that he never got answers to. You never showed at the celebration. Lo'ak thought you just must have been missing each other; perfectly coasting around the gathering at exact opposite points. Neteyam knew better though.
He saw Posma come by, share her joy for him, then stop and grab two food wraps before venturing off again. Neteyam would try to deny it, to refuse that she was bringing the second wrap for you, but he knew better.
Had you been consumed with your duties today? That wouldn't make sense, he was one of your duties so you should have been with him. But it would be fine, he would see you tomorrow and all would be well.
But then tomorrow comes and you do not greet the Sully children in the morning. Do not find them at their kelku, do not surprise them from behind as they meander towards the village center. There is nothing that even hints at your presence.
Neteyam’s able to find Tempat. Calling out to him and rushing to his side. “Is she still sick?”
Tempat smiles brightly at him, “Oh, no. You have completed your last rite, and your siblings are far enough that they can join the others their age!”
“So that is it?”
Tempat nods, speaking something about them being able to do whatever they pleased when their duties were completed.
But Neteyam wanted to see you. That was what would please him. Yet he cannot seem to grasp a moment of your time.
It has now been a full moon cycle since Neteyam has spoken to you.
Something gnaws at his chest uncomfortably. He went from spending every moment with you, to now being lucky if he can catch a glimpse of your furs through the crowd.
Every hunt he attends, you miss. Every call of your name is ignored. Every trip Posma and Tempat take him and his siblings on, you do not attend.
He tries to sit near you at the cookfires, engage in your circle of friends. Anytime he gets close you politely excuse yourself, planting yourself firmly between your parents. He considers approaching, it may work in his favor.
Your father had ordered you to speak to him and his siblings before, maybe it would be the same now. But he thinks back on how angry it had made you, how at first you only spent time with them because you were bound by duty to. He wanted you to talk with him because you wanted to; not because you were forced.
So he keeps trying his luck in other forms.
He joins the women as they dry pelts and furs – ignores how when you see him you retreat.
He spends much time carving. Honing in on his ability to carve into bone, to make intricate patterns in it.
He hunts and goes for flights, spending as much time as he's allowed away from the village. Trying to will his tropical skin to fade, for it to become well resistant to the cold of your home.
After two moon cycles of not speaking with you he confronts Posma.
“I just do not understand what happened. Did she really only tolerate our presence?”
Posma purses her lips, “It is not like that.”
“Then what is it like? Please enlighten me.” Neteyam exasperates, he is tired of this.
“She is busy with her duties.”
“Do not patronize me. I see her spend time with the hunters, weavers, and carvers.” Neteyam huffs, biting his lip before continuing, “If we, if I, have done something I would like to apologize.”
“It is not my place to share if there is something to apologize for.” Posma crosses her arms, “Whatever answers you're looking for, I do not have.”
Neteyam nods, gnawing at his lip again. Posma moves to leave, assuming the conversation is over, but then he calls out to her again.
“Can you take us to the Hollow of S? Kiri would like to connect with Eywa.”
“You do not know the way?”
Neteyam allows a sheepish smile to grace his face, “We have only been once, and I do not wish to get lost.”
So Posma nods, tells him to meet her at the gates after their duties are done. Neteyam rushes to where Kiri is weaving, pleading with her to keep up his lie.
She had not asked to visit the Hollow. Had not complained and nagged her brother as he had made it seem, but she would not mind going. Naturally though, as a younger sibling, she needed to press.
“Why do you need to go?”
Netryam rolled his eyes, “It does not matter. Just do not expose me, alright?”
“It is for your little crush, isn't it?” Kiri laughs when Neteyam’s eyes widen a fraction, “What? Did you overhear that she would be there?”
“No. No, I did not. I just…” He huffs, unwilling to share something so deep when he is so unsure. But Kiri was not Lo'ak, she would not rat out his secret, “I just want to see if Eywa wills it.”
At that Kiri stills, a grin overtaking her face. It has been a long time coming that her brother admitted his infatuation, so supposed she could keep up the lie for him.
It was clear along the Sullys that Neteyam had been taken with you since they had arrived. They noticed his staring, seeking you out in gatherings or meetings.
Tried to not tease him as he practiced traditional clan necessities of carving and weaving in his spare time.
His father was pleased. Not only was he adapting, but he was truly making it his home. Finding his home, in a place where they were safe.
His mother did not approve at first. It was not against you, it had absolutely nothing to do with you. She had hoped that they would return to her people, the Omatikaya, when the time was right. If Neteyam settled and built a life here, it would mean that she lost her firstborn.
She eventually came to terms with it. Her son would have to find a mate someday, why not be happy that it is someone so skilled? Someone held in high prestige and who reminded her much of herself when Jake had originally come to her people.
Kiri and Tuk were excited. Another sister was someone else to make adorable chest coverings for, someone else to share secrets with, someone else who could braid your hair in intricate patterns with pretty beads. Even if they ended up being able to go back to the Omatikaya, it only meant they had a secondary home here, with new friends, mounts and lifestyles.
Lo'ak liked you. Despite your temperament towards him and his family, you had been kind. You had stuck up for him when one of the warriors a little older than him called him a ‘half-breed’. A firm slap of your palm against the boys cheek paired with a hiss to ‘not disrespect your Olo'eyktan or Toruk Makto again’.
From then on everyone knew it wasn't to be mentioned that they were related to even the idea of the sky people. It meant a lot to Lo'ak; his five fingers being something that even some Omatikaya people judged him for.
He didn't mind that Neteyam had a thing for you. Hell, if anything he was shocked his brother liked someone so cold and cut off. But he slowly came to realize that his brother saw himself in you. That he found someone he could relate to, someone he could speak to of his pressures and they would know exactly how he felt.
One night after a particularly rough lesson, one that Lo'ak did not do well on, their dad asks you how they are progressing. You tell him that maybe Lo'ak could use a little bit more practice at the skill, maybe put some more focus into it, but other than that everyone did well.
That night Jake had called a family meeting. He laid into Lo'ak, as he frequently does, telling him he needed to do better. To focus more, and to wise up, before he ruined the uturu they had sought.
Lo'ak had stormed off, chest aching at his father's disappointment. But then the feeling turned angry, angry that his father never understood the stress he was under. Angry that no one stood up for him.
Eventually it snowballs into anger at you. If you had never said anything, then this whole night would have never happened. So when Neteyam comes to comfort him Lo'ak asks him to warm you up a bit.
To get you to understand their struggle, specifically his, a bit more. Neteyam says no, that you do understand the struggles, and that it was just a stressful day for everyone.
So Lo'ak pushes a bit more. States that Neteyam is a ‘chicken’ as his dad would say, a coward for Na'vi. That he's refusing to warm you up because he's afraid you won't accept his advances.
Lo'ak doesn't think anything bad could come if it. Neteyam would get what he wanted, the rest of the family would be content with his choice.
Another advantage would be that hopefully some of Neteyam’s worrying would pass onto you, and allow him to get into some actual trouble with this new clan. To allow him to deepen the friendships he's made.
He pushes his older brother's buttons to the point of aggravation. Telling him it's okay big bro, we both know you couldn't get her anyway. And Neteyam's need to prove himself surfaces. He had already been trying to attract your view, what was the harm in helping out his baby bro?
And it had gone well for a while. He was slowly inching his way closer to you; aiding you in your duties after his lessons, sitting with you at the cookfires, helping you haul the kills in, sometimes even just bringing you a steaming beverage as you went over your Tsahik training.
He truly believed that he was carving his way into your heart. Then right before his final rite, you dumped him and his siblings as if they were hot coals. Refusing to look at them, to speak to them, Eywa you barely acknowledged that they existed.
So when Neteyam finally approaches the Hollow of Spirits he makes quickly towards the glowing ice stalactites. They’re cold, slippery to the touch, but from the moment Neteyam puts his fingers on one he can feel Eywa pulsing through them.
His opposite hand flies back, reaching for his kuru. He expects a jolt when he connects, for the iciness to freeze over his blood, but instead all he feels is warmth.
The Great Mother knows what he is here for and she confirms his beliefs. That you are the one for him. That you would come to your mantles well when the time came.
A grin forces its way onto his face, an insurmountable amount of joy overcoming him. It was settled. He would craft the courting gift he had been thinking of for weeks now.
It is one infused with both of your peoples. And when you see it, you will agree to courting him. Eywa has willed it after all.
A few more days pass – Neteyam wanted the gift to be perfect. He briefly worries that him not approaching you may make you drift towards another. But his remembrance of Eywa's plans calms him.
It is a beautiful necklace.
When you wear it, it will sit right between your collarbones. He has used Omatikayan weaving patterns, but weaved Herwìslär beads on both sides. In the center rests a bead that he once wore in his hair, one that he searched hours for, wanting something the same shade as the outer edges of a tsawksyul. Finally, resting just below the bead he has weaved in a carving of bone, one shaped to be a tsawksyul; his favorite flower in the entire forest, one he hoped to show you one day.
He tracks you down, pleased to see you’re sitting with Posma fiddling with your bowstring. He knows that Posma saw something in his demeanor change at the Hollow of Spirits, that she may even aid him in getting you to not be stubborn and to listen to him.
“We must speak.”
You glance up at him, before sliding your eyes to your friend. He must be speaking to her as he hasn’t had the chance to talk to you in weeks. When you stay silent he calls out your name, followed by a soft please.
“Will it be brief? I have much to do.”
Neteyam’s lips purse in a tight smile, “I hope it does not.”
“Then speak, so it may move quickly.”
“I have thought of you for many moons – well, to be honest, since my family has arrived for uturu.” Eywa, Neteyam hopes you look at him at least once while he spills his guts, “You are like no one I have ever met. So similar to myself that I did not know how to handle it at first. I see you.”
You raise your head glancing at him with scrutiny swimming in your eyes. He does not mind the way you look at him, simply joyed at being able to look into your eyes finally, to restudy your features. So he continues, more sure now, “I’ve been taken by you; every thought is consumed by you. Every moment I have spent away from you was spent searching for you.”
Neteyam ruffles through the satchel that rests under his furs, producing an intricately woven necklace, “I wish to court you. To eventually make you ma muntxate.” He presents the gift to you. His hands tremble a bit as he awaits your answer, even if Eywa has willed it he still has nerves.
You huff, turning your face away, leaning back into the bowstring you were previously toying with. “No.”
Neteyam is shocked. He had known you were not on the best of terms, even if he did not know why. But he was sure that the previous moments would be enough for you to at least be willing to try with him.
He can see Posma is shocked too. Though he is not sure if it is from his admission, or yours.
“No?”
“I do not want it. If you wish to find a muntxate, I am sure that Selra is interested.”
“Selra? The singer?”
“Yes.” You nod along, “She tries to be discreet, but anyone can spot the way she looks at you over the cookfire.”
“I do not want Selra. We have not even had a conversation.” Neteyam refuses to bring his hands back, to allow your rejection of his courting, “I only desire you.”
“Ei’wen is also a good choice.”
“I do not want–”
“She is a hunter. Assuming that is one of the similarities you see between yourself and I.”
Posma's eyes have not stopped darting between the two of you. She obviously should not be here for this conversation, all it does is make her curious over what she has missed, at what lead to this point in your relationship.
“I do not want them. I want you.” He once again jostles the jewelry in his palm, “I have come here to ask you, only after consulting with Eywa. The Great Mother has told me we are destined, you must believe me.”
You scoff, “I do not have to believe any words that spill from your tongue. You have spoken lies before to achieve what you want, there is nothing stopping you from doing so again.”
Neteyam has no idea what you are talking about. He has never lied to you before, never done anything deceitful to you. But before he can confess this you are up, snatching your bow from where you had rested it, and beginning to storm away from him.
When he moves to follow, to chase you down and prove his point, Posma presses a hand into his chest, halting his movement. He does not allow this to deter him, instead shouting after you, “Ask Eywa yourself! At the Hollow of Spirits, as I had! She will tell you the same thing she has told me!”
Your pace quickened after the words spilled past his lips. He never gets a response but he knows you heard him. Knows that it will fester and nag at your brain until you go to check yourself, so he turns to Posma.
“May I ask a favor?”
The hand on his chest retracts until just a single finger rests above his heart, “You are on thin ice. You do not get to ask for a favor.”
“I just wish to know if she listens. If she travels to the Hollow.”
Posma does not grant him an answer. She simply pushes into his chest with her finger and heads in the direction you went. Neteyam is uncertain that she will tell him, uncertain that you would even head remotely in the direction of the Hollows anytime soon. But he still had faith that Eywa was correct, that she had not led him astray.
Another week passes languidly. He goes through the motions; hunting, foraging, spending time with his siblings and newfound friends. The only change from the past two months is that you now let your eyes linger on him.
It is not fond, an intense glare that almost leaves him shrinking in on himself. He is not afraid of you; has never been and will never be. So he takes it in stride, smiling when he meets your gaze, allowing his tail to swish a little with curiosity.
He hopes one of these days that instead of staring, you would approach. Even if you do not, he will take any improvement in your acknowledgement of him. Would be pleased if you were to lash out at him, if it meant he got to hear your voice.
A sort of limbo passes over him. He hopes you would not reject him. That you would accept his advances. If you did not it would be okay, he is unsure of how long it would take him to recover from such a loss, but he would figure it out. He just hopes that you drag out the time before telling him, that you allow him to live in the fantasy where you accept for a little while longer.
Neteyam is on his way to take Tuk for a ride on his herwanpalu when Posma stops him. “I did not tell you anything, do you understand?”
Oh.
He nods, yes he understands. He’s been waiting for this moment. Tuk is ordered to find something else to do, to go find her friends or her other older siblings. After she is moving with purpose back towards the village he runs to call his herwanpalu.
He mimics the grunts and calls you taught him. It would be smart to adorn her in a saddle, to have some supplies if something went wrong, but Neteyam is moving to make it as quickly as possible. His fingers grip tight onto the fur in front of him, before commanding his mount to speed in your direction. He did not need to see the realization on your face. Did not need to be there as you disconnected your kuru from the stalactite. He simply needed to arrive before you left.
He walks into the Hollow, breathless as if he had personally ran the entire way here. From the silence he half expects you to be gone. The hopeful half of him assumes that you are still connected, still speaking to Eywa and searching out answers.
So he crawls softly and thoughtfully through the cave, he doesn’t want to startle you out of your conversation if you are not yet done. He does not spot you and his face falls, assuming you left.
He moves to the mouth of the cave, disappointed that he missed what he considered to be the best opportunity to change your mind. Before he can step towards the more surface levels of the hollow a voice calls after him.
“Why did you lie?”
Ah. So you were here.
He whips around, amber eyes scanning his surroundings. They hone in on your figure, lower legs dipping into the freezing water that some stalactites rest above.
“I would never lie to you. Can you be more specific?”
Neteyam is moving closer now, unintentionally blocking you in. You see it as intentional, that he wants to force a conversation that does not need to be had. He sees it as his body refusing to be away from you anymore, especially in such a sacred place.
“I overheard you before your final rite. Lo’ak said that you had been ‘working’ me so that I would take it easier on you and your siblings during your lessons.”
He laughs a breath through his nose, “It was not like that.”
You hiss in return. If he thinks you to be stupid, then you would leave. Before you can stand Neteyam grabs your hand, planting it underneath his against the floor.
“Lo’ak is a skxawng, but he does know how to get under my skin.” His free hand lifts to direct your face towards his, “He said that I could not get you to become infatuated with me as I had with you, said that I was a fnawe’tu.”
Your eyes trace his furs, recognizing it as the same ones you crafted specially for him, “You are not a fnawe’tu.”
“I am not. And Lo’ak knew I would be eager to prove him wrong, he simply wanted to get under my skin one last time before I came into my own in this clan.”
You begin to think it over. Lo’ak had always been teasing, always the one to try and use comedy even in situations they did not belong in. He was not cruel, simply wanting to find his place.
“What were you doing outside our kelku?”
“I came to deliver the furs from your first solo kill, as a final good luck.”
He smiles widely at you, “These are from you?”
You nod in agreement, not able to trust your voice.
The two of you sit in silence for a few minutes after that. Neteyam does not want to overwhelm you, and you have too much going on in your head to formulate a proper thought.
At some point you speak again, softly as to not disturb the peace the two of you have entered. “Do you still have the necklace?”
“Of course.” Neteyam begins digging into his furs, when he procures the necklace you stare at it longingly.
“I lied.” When his brow furrows in confusion you continue. “When I said I did not want it? I had lied, it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen a Na’vi create.”
“Then may I put it on the most beautiful Na’vi I have ever seen?”
Neteyam moves quickly when you agree. His fingers move deftly as he ties the necklace into place. Then he allows them to ghost down the weave, tracing over the beads before stopping to rest upon the centerpiece.
He nods in approval, eyes meeting yours when he glances up. A new emotion swims in them, one of hunger, of desire; something he has not seen you allow yourself to indulge in before.
Oh Eywa, he had been waiting for this. If you wanted him, he would allow you to devour him whole. Send his spirit back to the ancestors and he would thank you.
Instead he forces himself to hold his composure, allows his fingers to ghost back up your neck. Curves his palm so it rests on the back of your neck, thumb lightly caressing your jaw. Your tongue darts out to wet your lips, subconsciously pursing them as you stare at his.
So he takes the lead, lightly pressing his lips to yours. Neteyam soon finds that this is not enough, that after so many months of not being able to have you that it would take him forever to satiate the heat that began to pool in his stomach.
You lick into his mouth and he realizes you must be just as hungry as he is. He does not fight you, allows you to have dominance, to take what you want with no resistance. It’s only when you pull back for breath that he revolts, hands moving to lift you to rest in his lap.
It gives him more places to put his hands, and makes it easier for you to take whatever you want. When you pull away again Neteyam chases, he knows that you’re not pulling away for air and he does not wish to halt.
“This is…” You’re huffing, needing to catch all the breaths that Neteyam stole from you, “We are moving fast.”
“We moved slow for many months.” When your brow creases in protest, he allows his thumbs to rub soothing circles into your waist where they’ve snuck under your fur, “But if you wish, we can continue to take it slow.”
You do not wish to take it slow. But you are still apprehensive with what he said about Lo’ak. If he was lying to you, and he really was playing you in the beginning you aren’t sure if you would be able to recover emotionally.
Sensing your turmoil, Neteyam nuzzles his nose against yours, “What is it yawne?”
“I just worry that you are still playing me. That I am embarrassing myself with my actions.”
He smiles at you lovingly, “I am not. I have never been. But we can go ask Lo’ak if you would like to quell your worries.”
You do not respond, weighing your options. You could ask Lo’ak, could confront him and ask why he did not just speak to you directly. But if it was truly as Neteyam said it would only embarrass you. You’re shocked out of your stupor when pink, glowing tendrils emerge in front of your eyes.
“Or, because we both know you would not trust his words on a situation as serious as this anyway, I can prove it to you now.”
“We cannot take back tsaheylu, Neteyam. Be serious.”
He does not lower his kuru at your words, “I am being serious. What did Eywa show you?”
“That she has willed us to be together. It has been fated since we were children.”
He smiles, Eywa had shown him similar visions. “So why delay if it will happen eventually?”
Neteyam had a point. Your father may skin you, your mother would be disappointed that there were no pre-mating ceremonies completed. But if Eywa willed it to happen, and the two of you were ready, would it really be harmful?
Your hand reaches behind you to grasp your kuru, “You are sure?”
“I have never been more sure.”
So you press your kuru forward, allowing the tendrils to entangle themselves with his.
Your pupils blow wide. The emotions bombard you like something you’ve never felt before, the feeling overwhelming all of your senses.
The love, the nervousness, the way he pined for you for months. The way he admires his parents, and adores his siblings. How he misses the Omatikaya forest, but has made your forest one of his own too.
Feel his desire to take you flying on his ikran, for you to claim your own ikran. To show you his forest, share all his knowledge of it with you. How he wants to feed you the delicacies of his people, to watch you in just simple loincloths instead of heavy furs.
Then the memories flow through you, ones that are not your own. A bright lush forest, roaring rivers, snowless floating mountains. Little hands holding a newborn baby. Hands being directed to aim properly at a fish.
When you finally come back to your senses you’re huffing a bit, body working to compensate for the immense things your brain is being flooded with. When you realize Neteyam has come to himself too, you lurch forward.
It’s messy at first, your teeth clashing with his, fangs accidentally catching his lips. But then you can feel everything from his perspective. The tug of the fang, the way he briefly thinks about how he would not mind you sinking them into him on purpose.
Suddenly you’re overwhelmed all over again. You allow Neteyam to roll you onto your back, allow him to take control. He licks into your mouth again, eager to experience this while connected to you.
You know there will be repercussions when the two of you arrive home. That there will be questions. Important talks between your parents and yourselves. But as Neteyam begins to kiss down the side of your face, to your jaw, and eventually your jugular you cannot find any will to care about the repercussions.
When he lifts the carved bone from where it rests just beneath your collarbones, and presses a kiss to the spot, you believe you could face public humiliation for this and not be upset. It must pass through the bond, as shortly after Neteyam laughs against your ribs.
Whatever conspires from there is just for the two of you to know and everyone else to question.
At least it was.
Almost exactly twelve months after your night in the Hollow you welcome your first child, and everyone is more than aware of what you got up to.
Translations (had to make some of these up by mashing words together from the na’vi dictionary, so not everything is 100% correct): Her’ang - Snow beast Herwanpalu - Snow feline Herwìslär clan - Snow cave clan Uturu - refugee/sanctuary Nume nìwin - Learn quickly Kelku - home Tewng - Loincloth Zusawkrr olo’eykte - Future clan leader Txawuk - Giant flying mount Tsmuke - Sister Kayru - Teacher Ma muntxate - My mate Tsawksyul - Sun lily Skxawng - Moron/Idiot Fnawe’tu - Coward Yawne - Beloved
a/n: i adore this fic so please be nice to it.. i loosely wanted to mirror inuit culuture, so a bunch of inspiration for the way that the na'vi of the clan acted or things that they wore were based off of that. i also adore the snow, and the cold, and everything to do with winter so i naturally had to put two obsessions together. i put pictures that i based the creatures on below.
fun fact: i wrote about 3-4k of the words for this while actively shoveling snow for about 8 hours :p
Dividers by @cafekitsune and @cursed-carmine
Likes/Comments/Reblogs give me butterflies ʚїɞ
Credits to Edoardo Campagnolo and Antonio J. Manzanedo
Summary: You are the eldest daughter, Neteyam’s twin sister, the one who always stood shoulder to shoulder with him to protect the others. But when the bullets fly, it isn’t the Golden Boy who gets hit. It’s you.
Warnings: Death, heavy angst, descriptions of blood/wounds, grief.
Words:2.5k
Check out pt.2 I see you,brother
જ⁀➴
The air smelled of burning fuel and salt. It was a sensory overload ,the screaming of the Tulkun, the mechanical whine of the RDA ships, and the thundering beat of your own heart against your ribs.
"Go,Go, go!" Neteyam’s voice was barking over the chaos. You were right beside him. As always. That was the deal. You came into this world holding hands, the firstborn twins of Toruk Makto, and you moved through life as a single unit. Two halves of the same spear,as your grandmother called it.
You grabbed Spider, shoving him toward the railing, checking over your shoulder for Lo’ak. "Move, Lo’ak! do not look back!" you screamed, your voice cracking from the smoke.
Just then the RDA soldiers on the upper deck opened fire. The sound was deafening. Bullets ripped through the metal railing, sending sparks showering down like angry fireflies. You saw Lo’ak flinch, saw Neteyam duck. Instinct took over ,You didn't think twice. You just moved. You shifted your weight, throwing yourself into the space between the muzzle flashes and your brothers.
…
It wasn't a loud noise. It was a dull, wet thud. Like a stone hitting thick mud. The impact spun you around, a burst of white ,hot shock hitting your chest, but the adrenaline was so high you barely registered it as pain. It felt like a heavy punch. You gasped, the air catching in your throat, but you forced your legs to work.
"Jump!" Neteyam roared.
You dove after him. The cool embrace of the water usually felt like home, like Eywa’s arms, but today it felt heavy. You kicked hard, your tail swishing frantically to propel you deep, away from the surface fire.
Swim, you told yourself. Just swim to the rocks.But your limbs felt like they were filled with sand. every stroke was a labor. You surfaced behind the jagged rocks, gasping for air that didn't seem to want to fill your lungs.
Neteyam popped up first, shaking the water from his braids, his golden eyes wide . He immediately scanned the group. "Lo’ak? Spider? You guys good?"
"Yeah bro," Lo’ak panted, clinging to the rock. "Yeah, we’re clear."
Neteyam turned to you. His grin was breathless, fueled by the survival high. "that was too close. You okay, sister?"
You tried to smile back. You tried to give him that signature smirk, the one that said I’m invincible, but your lips felt numb. You pulled yourself up onto the rock, intending to stand, but your knees buckled. "I think..." You wheezed, your hand moving to your chest. Your fingers came away wet. Not with seawater.
The bioluminescent dots on your skin were stained dark. A thick, crimson slick was spreading across your chest, coating your tactical vest, dripping onto the grey stone.
Neteyam’s smile didn’t just fade; it shattered. "Y/N?"
"I..." You looked down, confusion swirling in your darkening vision. "I think I got hit."
The silence that fell over the boys was louder than the battle behind you.
"No, no, no." Neteyam scrambled over the rocks, his hands hovering over you, terrified to touch, terrified not to. "Lo’ak, help me! Apply pressure! Now!"
You slumped back against the stone, the sky above you spinning in dizzying circles. Lo’ak was there, his hands pressing down on your chest. He was crying. Why was he crying?
As they applied pressure on wound you cried out, a weak, strangled sound. It burned. Eywa, it burned. It felt like someone had shoved a hot coal into your lungs.
"Sorry, sorry, I know, I know," Neteyam sobbed, tears cutting tracks through the war paint on his face. "Just breathe, sister. Just breathe for me."
"I... I can't..." You gasped, your eyes fluttering. The stars above looked blurry. "Teyam... it’s cold."
"You are okay,you are going to be okay." He leaned over you, his braid falling onto your cheek. "Dad! Dad, help!"
The sound of a skimwing screeching overhead tore through the air. You saw the shadow of the Tsurak, and then the heavy thud of your father landing.
"Neteyam! Y/N!" Jake’s voice was commanding, angry, until he saw it.
He saw the blood pooling on the black rock. He saw his two sons holding his eldest daughter, their hands soaked with blood.
"Dad..." Neteyam looked up, his expression broken. "I can't stop it. Dad, I can't stop it."
Jake dropped to his knees.
"Let me see, let me see," Jake said, his voice forcibly calm, though his hands shook as he replaced Neteyams hands with his."I’ve got you. I’ve got you, babygirl."Jake’s voice was trembling in a way you had never heard before. He scooped you up, his large arms cradling you against his chest. "Hang on. Stay with me. Eyes on me, Y/N."
He placed you on the flat expanse of the rock where the family was gathering. The world was tilting.
Neytiri landed on the rock a second later, her bow in hand, fury in her eyes until she saw you. The fury vanished, replaced by a horror so raw it felt like a physical blow. She dropped her bow.
"No..." She fell to her knees beside you, her hands immediately going to the wound, covering Jake’s. "No, no, Great Mother, no..."
She grabbed your face, her hands frantic, stroking your cheeks, your forehead."Evi(child)... my baby, my girl..." Her eyes were wide, frantic, searching yours for a spark that was rapidly fading. "Look at Mother. Look at Mother!"
"Mom..." You tried to smile. You wanted to tell her it was okay. You wanted to tell her you saved Lo’ak. You did your job. You protected the family.
"I... I want to go home," you whispered. The words felt thick in your mouth.
Neytiri let out a sob that wrecked her throat. "Yes, yes, we go home. We go home soon."
"Stay with us, babygirl," Jake commanded, but his voice broke. He was crying. Your strong, invincible father was crying. "Focus on me, Strong heart,You have a strong heart."
But the heart was slowing down.
You looked past your parents, locking eyes with Neteyam. Your twin. Your other half. He was gripping your hand so hard it hurt, his forehead pressed against your knuckles.
You have to lead them now, you thought, projecting it to him as hard as you could. You have to be the strong one alone. I'm sorry.
"Ma Teyam..." you breathed.
"I'm here. I'm right here," he choked out, squeezing your hand. "I’m not leaving you."
The edges of your vision turned black. The pain was receding, replaced by a vast, watery silence. It felt like diving. It felt like connecting to the Spirit Tree.
"I see..." you whispered, your eyes fixing on something none of them could see. "I see... Her."
Your chest hitched once. Twice.
And then, nothing.
The scream that tore from Neytiri’s throat silenced the battle.
It was a wail of such primal agony that even the ocean seemed to still. She collapsed over your chest, burying her face in your neck, rocking back and forth, keening, begging Eywa to give it back, to give you back.
"No! No, no, no!" Neteyam was hitting the rock, screaming, his composure utterly destroyed. He grabbed your shoulders, shaking you gently, as if he could wake you up from a nap. "Wake up! Y/N, wake up!"
Lo’ak stood frozen, tears streaming down his face, staring at blood his hands.
Jake sat back on his heels. He looked hollowed out. He looked old. He reached out, placing a hand on Neteyam’s back to stop him from shaking your body, and then he pulled Neytiri against him, though she fought him, clinging to your shirt.
Moment later Jake looked up, his eyes hardening, the grief turning into a cold, dark rage. He reached out, touching Neytiri’s shoulder, then Neteyam’s. But his gaze was fixed on the ship in the distance.
He stood up, checking his weapon. The tears were still falling, but his face was stone.
He turned Neytiri towards him “we have to be strong for our kids, for our daughters”
Neytiri stood up emotionless picking up her bow ,ready for revenge.
Jake turned to his son, "Neteyam," he said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Stay back with your brother ."
"No," Neteyam stood up. His eyes were red, wild, filled with the same dark promise as his father’s. He looked down at your body one last time, wiping a smudge of blood from your cheek. "No, sir."
He picked up his knife.
"I’m coming with you."
જ⁀➴
….The air around Neteyam was crisp and cool, smelling of damp earth and moss. The floating mountains of Pandora hung in the mist around him. He looked down and saw his hands, free of the scars he’d collected over the years. He looked at his mount. It wasn't the skimwing he had mastered, but his Ikran.
And just then, he heard it. The sound that haunted his dreams. Sound that he missed dearly.
A sharp, and familiar joyful yip.
Neteyam wipped his head to his left ,There you were.
You were diving through a cloud bank, your Ikran’s wings tucked tight against your body. You looked exactly as you did the day you left the forest ,eyes bright with mischief, alive. So painfully, beautifully alive.
"Keep up, skxawng!" you laughed, the sound vibrating in his chest like a struck bell.
"Y/N!" Neteyam shouted, the name tearing out of his throat. He kicked his heels into his Ikran’s sides, diving after you.
For a moment, the war didn't exist. The RDA, the ash people, the grief ,everything was gone. It was just the two of you.
You leveled out, catching an updraft, and he pulled up right beside you. You flew wingtip to wingtip, so close he could almost reach out and grab your arm. You turned your head and grinned at him, that same smile that he hadn't seen in a mirror for so long.
"You're slow today," you teased, banking hard to the right, leading him on a chase through the stone arches.
He followed you effortlessly. He knew your moves before you made them. It was a dance you had perfected since you were children. He mirrored your dip, your roll, the way you let go of the reins and threw your arms out to embrace the wind.
Finally, you both landed on a high cliff overlooking the vast green canopy of the Omatikaya forest.
You hopped off your Ikran with that graceful bounce, turning to face him. But Neteyam stumbled as he dismounted. He didn't care about the view. He rushed toward you, crashing into you, wrapping his arms around you so tight it would have hurt if this were real.
You froze for a second, then softened, your arms coming up to hold him back. "Hey... hey. I've got you brother." He buried his face in your neck, inhaling the scent of you, He was shaking. "I miss you. I miss you so much it hurts to breathe."
"I know," you whispered, stroking his hair. "I’m with you, Brother. Always." He pulled back, gripping your shoulders, his golden eyes searching yours. The joy of the flight was fading, replaced by the crushing reality of why he was here. "Why did you do it?" he asked, his voice cracking. Your smile faded gently. You didn't pretend not to understand. "Do what?" ,"You took the bullet," Neteyam said, the anger finally bubbling up ,anger at himself. "It was meant for me, You took it for me, You... you stupid skxawng." Tears spilled over his lashes. "I’m the oldest. By three minutes. It was my job to protect you."
You sighed, reaching up to cup his face. Your hands were warm. "We were partners, remember? Two halves. One spear." "The spear is broken without you," he choked out. "No," you said firmly, your thumb brushing away a tear on his cheek. "It’s just got sharper."
You stepped back, looking out over the forest, your expression wise beyond your years. "I didn't think, ma Teyam. I just moved. I saw the fire, I saw our brothers... and my body just knew what to do. I didn't choose to leave you. I chose to save who i love."
"But it’s not fair," Neteyam argued, his voice dropping to a broken whisper. "I’m down there, and I’m trying to be strong for Dad, trying to keep Lo’ak from doing something stupid, trying to comfort Mom... and I’m alone. I turn to tell you something, and you’re not there."
"I am there," you insisted. You stepped closer, pressing your hand flat against his chest, right over his heart. "I am right here. Every time you draw a bow, I’m aiming with you. Every time you fly, I’m the wind under your wings. You are living for both of us now, brother."
Neteyam covered your hand with his own. "I don't want to live for both of us. I want you next to me, i want our full family back."
"But we cant always have what we want can we?," you said softly, sad but accepting. "But you have them. Our little sisters and brothers. They need you. They need Neteyam."
The wind picked up, tugging at your braids. The light around the edges of the cliff began to fade, the violet bioluminescence of the real world bleeding into the dream. "I have to go," he whispered, panic rising in his chest. "I don't want to go."
"You have to," you smiled, and this time, it was the proud smile of a sister looking at a warrior. "Go be Toruk Makto’s son. Go help our family finish this war.”
You stepped back toward your Ikran. "Come back and fly with me when the war is done. But not yet. Not yet, Neteyam."
"I love you,sister" he called out, the world dissolving into white mist.
You mounted your Ikran, looking back over your shoulder, your silhouette glowing against the sun.
(n)sfw || Neteyam x Metkayina!Reader (Tonowari’s daughter)
⤷ ゛Perfect son of the great Toruk Makto accidentally wanders too far, sees you during a Metkayina clan ritual, and forgets how to breathe all over again ˎˊ˗
wc. 1.2k
content warning. no explicit sexual content. borderline erotica but not smut. voyeurism. vaguely-made-up metkayina ritual bathing called Moon-Wash. intense pining. aged-up Neteyam being a literal menace to his own self-control. primal/territorial thoughts.
summary. Years after surviving the gunshots that would’ve killed him, Neteyam Sully has become the man his father always wanted him to be — disciplined, and destined for leadership. But he has a secret he’s kept since the day he first touched the sands of Awa’atlu: he is utterly, devastatingly obsessed with the Olo'eyktan's eldest daughter.
a/n. Trope: Neteyam Survived and He’s Thirsty. We all know he’s the responsible one, but even the best warriors have their breaking point. In Neteyam’s case, he’s absolutely losing his mind over you.
The night air in the Metkayina village is a heavy, humid velvet, smelling of salt-grass and the cooling reef. Neteyam moves along the high-woven walkways with a silence that is purely Omatikaya: a shadow drifting through the indigo light.
The bioluminescence of Awa’atlu at night is a soft, pulsing heartbeat of cyan and indigo. Neteyam, now a man grown with the broad, scarred shoulders of a warrior and the heavy mantle of a future leader, moves through the high woven walkways with the silence of a forest breeze.
He pauses, his hand instinctively ghosting over the faint, puckered star of a scar just above his ribs — a reminder of the day the sea nearly claimed him. But Eywa had been kind. He had survived the battle, and the years of reconstruction that followed.
He has lived to grow taller year by year, to see his brother find his path, and to find not only Lo’ak’s but his own heart anchored to the reefs. He has spent those years being the "Golden Son," the anchor for his family and the leading example of discipline for his siblings.
He remembers the very first day they arrived on these shores, dripping with salt and desperation. While Lo’ak had been busy playing it cool when Tsireya came to the surface, Neteyam stood rigid behind his father, his gaze locked on you — the Olo’eyktan’s eldest daughter, the one who carries the weight of Metkayina’s future with the serene, lethal grace that reminds him of a mermaid.
He had felt lightning strike his heart then, but he had actively tried his damnest to bury it deep. He had to be the responsible one. He had to keep Lo'ak in check, keep Tuk safe, and prove to the Metkayina that the Sullys were not a curse.
He had spent years averting his gaze whenever you’d arrive in his line of vision, suppressing the way his pulse jumped when you spoke. But tonight, the "responsible son" he thinks he is, is losing the war against himself.
He is the oldest son of Toruk Makto; he is disciplined, the Golden Boy who returned from the brink of death to lead.
And he really shouldn't be here.
He doesn’t mean to be near the private grottoes carved into the great roots of the mangrove trees. He knows this place is reserved for the female members of the Metkayina Clan, he learned it the hard way when he was on the receiving end of Ronal’s scolding, the Tsahik shooing all the boys: as well as Lo’ak, Ao’nung and Rotxo away when they played too close.
The scent hits him first: crushed sea-lilies and the sweet, metallic tang of oils. It’s mixed with your scent. And then his feet move of their own accord, drawn by a gravity he can no longer resist.
He stops. His breath hitches, his lungs stalling in his chest.
Through the swaying fronds of sea-fern, he sees the infamous ritual reserved only for Metkayina women of high status, the Moon-Wash.
He sees you.
You are standing waist-deep in a pool of heated seawater, the surface shimmering with glowing plankton that swirl around you like fallen stars.
Your attendants — clan sisters and healers who honor your rank — pour bowls of bioluminescent water over your shoulders, they cling to your skin like liquid diamonds.
Neteyam watches, his golden eyes dilated, as something is dragged slowly over the curve of your shoulder.
He tracks the way the water sluices down your teal-hued frame. It highlights the finned ridges of your forearms and the broad, graceful sweep of your paddle-like tail as it swishes beneath the surface.
When you turn, the moonlight catches the swell of your chest, rising and falling with deep breaths. The bioluminescent dots along your collarbone — dots he has memorized from afar for years — glow a fierce, steady green in the darkness. In the chilly night air, he sees the lighter, wave-like stripes, signature to the people of your clan, standing out against your skin.
I see you, he declares, the traditional greeting feeling like a prayer, a confession, and a sin. Eywa, I see only you.
Neteyam’s own tail twitches — a sharp, hungry flick. The air in his throat feels like fire.
He remembers how he used to scold Lo'ak for being too obvious, for letting his heart lead his head. Now, Neteyam realizes he was never any better than his brother; he’s just been better at suppressing his feelings to submit to what’s “right”.
Watching you under the eclipse-light, he doesn’t even realize that the last of his legendary self-control has snapped like a dry branch.
He feels like a hunter, locking in to stalk its prey. He inhales, a deep, shaky draw of air, committing your very scent of you to burn into his nostrils.
He remembers you as the gorgeous girl who taught him how to breathe when he first arrived. He thinks of the contrast: his deep sapphire skin against your bright reef-teal; his four-fingered hand splayed over the dip of your waist, pulling you against the heat of his body until the forest and the sea finally meet.
He knows he should look away.
Tonowari would have his head for such an intrusion. If Ronal finds him now, she wouldn’t hesitate to exile his demon blood away from the reefs for good. And Ao’nung? He only hopes that your brother — now one of his closest friends — as a man of the same age as him, would understand.
That the yearning is a physical weight, a heat that pools low in his belly and makes his blood flush with something primal.
It is no longer a crush that he harbors for you; it is an obsession, a hunger that has been aged to perfection over years of silent discipline.
As you step out of the water, your skin glistening like the very ocean you were born into, Neteyam finally forces himself to look away.
Tonight, when he retreats to his hammock, he will not find sleep.
He will lie in the dark, the crashing waves powerless in cooling the fever in his heart. He will dream of the day he no longer has to watch from the shadows. He will picture the day he finally allows himself to take what he has wanted since the moment he stepped off his Ikran.
The way your powerful tail would wrap around his own in a desperate, drowning grip.
Until then, he will paint the memory of your glowing skin behind his eyelids, a secret he keeps in the silence of his heart.
And like the great Toruk his father once rode, he is a hunter who knows exactly when to strike. He will wait, but he will have you.
p.s. should i add to this or leave it as is?? should we dip into nsfw or keep it nice and sfw?? debating so hard inside my brain. all ik is that i loveeeee neteyam sm it hurts :’)
Synopsis: Neteyam often forgets that you aren’t officially his (and totally forgets to tell you he wants you to be)
Word Count: 1.3k
Note: I genuinely hope you guys like my works I really try! Gonna leave this here while I get a smau ready
If anyone were to ask Neteyam how he would court someone, he’d shrug his shoulders. ‘I have no need to think about useless things.’ Was his go-to. Which, fair enough. Why would he worry about courting and mating when he had more pressing matters.
Besides, why would he have to think about stuff like that when he has you? His “unofficial, official mate” as his family would say. The one he can trust to be himself around. The one who lets him be a huge dork instead of the next Olo’eyktan.
And it’s not like it wasn’t mutual. The two of you made a sort of pact in your early youth that you would simply turn to the other for support when the rest of the world seemed like too much.
Said pact only transformed into what Jake called a “friends with benefits dynamic.” It was the closest definition for your relationship. Only, you didn’t quite indulge in any activities past heated make-out sessions. More using each other for the emotional aspects. But regardless, the two of you definitely did things that normal friends wouldn’t even think of.
Despite not having a label, neither of you had any interest in finding company with anyone else. Nor did you try to seek another presence. You had each other, body, heart, and soul. That fact alone was good enough.
However as time passed, you — or rather Neteyam — noticed that others your age were rather… ignorant of the bond you shared. Not a day would pass where one would pluck up the courage to confess to you, completely ignoring the other standing right next to you.
There was nothing Neteyam hated more than others hitting on you. Especially so when he was standing right next to you. The way you’d smile at them, completely oblivious to their ulterior motives. You just thought they were being friendly. But he saw the way their eyes trailed up and down your figure as you walked away, and he wasn’t having it.
As the eldest, he had to set a good example. Couldn’t get into fights, couldn’t act on impulse like Lo’ak. And besides, the two of you weren’t mated before Eywa. What right did he have to act like you were only his to love?
That didn’t stop him from glaring daggers into the sides of their heads. He was sick of it.
Not that he didn’t trust you, absolutely not. He trusted you with his whole being. But he had this gnawing feeling in his chest every time your smile was directed towards someone else.
It wasn’t until you had someone ask if you were single right in front of him, that the boy finally had enough.
He pulled you out away from the clan one night after dinner. The determination to start courting you burned in his eyes. To make things official, to make it known to everyone.
But the moment you looked up at him with your gentle eyes, every thought in his mind vanished. The way you’d murmur your nickname for him had Neteyam frozen in his place.
He snapped out of his trance once you waved your hand in front of his face. He quickly shoved something into your chest before walking away. An armband.
Neteyam didn’t know what he was doing in all honesty. He’d never tried courting someone before. But seeing you wearing the band he practically threw at you last night made him smile. He had spent weeks prior intricately weaving the accessory in his free time.
His hand instinctively reached towards his arm where a similar wrap was secured. The centre designs mirroring the one that wrapped over your left arm.
When you asked him later about what was up with the night prior, he just waved you off. Claiming that he just wanted to give you a little gift since he noticed you didn’t have an armband for yourself.
As time passed, you noticed Neteyam would bring you things more often. Whether it was food, flowers, herbs you’ve been needing for healing, or even just little trinkets. You just assumed he was looking out for you like always.
He’d always invite you out with him to fly on your ikran’s, bring you along when Lo’ak and his other siblings would go on adventures, anything really. But now, it’s like he wanted to spend every free second he had with you. Not like you’d complain. Why would you? Spending time with him was arguably one of the best parts of your day.
It wasn’t long before word spread throughout the clan that the two of you were essentially glued at the hip. Even more so than when you were younger. But alas, the fact that you had yet to secure a label invited some unwanted attention.
Having matching accessories with him helped deter other na’vi trying to ask you out for the most part. Except for the select special few who were either ignorant and went for it anyways, or genuinely stupid. He couldn’t tell.
Sometimes Neteyam felt as though Eywa was testing his patience. Especially so when someone walked right up to him and asked about your preferences. About which flowers you liked, or favourite colour. Every single time without fail, he’d play the stupid card and just shrug the question off.
If they couldn’t even try to get to know you themselves, why the hell would he entertain it? You were his anyways, it’s not like they had a chance.
Well, he was 99% sure you were. For some reason, after you accepted his gift, nothing seemed to change. You’d go about your day, hang out with him and the others, and wish him goodnight before heading back to your tent.
Did he overthink it? Not at all, he knew how your relationship worked before he gave you a courting gift. And besides, you accepted it! He really didn’t have anything to worry about. But that didn’t stop him from thinking other thoughts every now and then.
Until you accepted a courting gift from another. That was his last straw.
You had just walked up to him, showing him the gift a boy had given you. A pretty little hair clip. Unaware of the intent behind it (not that you were oblivious, but because you already had Neteyam on your mind when it came to anything remotely romantic), you animatedly told him about the interaction.
When you finally finished replaying the entire interaction to him, the boy let out a groan. Everything clicked in place, it all made sense. The way your behaviour towards him remained the same, the way you never bat an eye when he remained in your vicinity for longer.
You weren’t even aware he was trying to court you.
He stepped closer to you, placing his hands on both of your shoulders, a sigh leaving his mouth before finally spilling everything to you. How his gift to you meant he wanted to court you. The way he wanted to call you his, to tell everyone that you had him wholeheartedly.
The pause that followed his confession was enough for Neteyam to jump to the conclusion that he had just ruined your entire relationship.
That was… until you ripped the hair clip off and threw it as far as you could into the forest, turning back to him with wide eyes. Almost as if you just had an eye opening discovery.
Your hand immediately found his, bringing it over the armband that remained fastened around your arm. A quiet confession of your own leaving your lips. One of your love and admiration for him.
Before you knew it, his lips were on yours, the feeling different from any other kiss you’ve shared before. This one filled with passion, all the feelings kept hidden finally able to flow freely between you.
When you broke the kiss, you gave him a light smack. How could he decide he wanted to court you without actually telling you?? You could only laugh as you imagined telling this story to his family.
Neteyam made sure to never forget to tell you about anything ever again after that. He’s just glad Eywa pitied him enough to give him this outcome.
