This is for you bae 🫶 @blue-slxt sorry I've been taking way too long, I've been busy. I really hope you like it and I hope she's as pretty as you expected 💓
Synopsis: After years of bitter rivalry and endless clashes, Neteyam and Ainai reluctantly work together on a high-stakes mission. As they navigate treacherous obstacles and unexpected dangers, they begin to discover surprising layers to each other's personalities. Slowly, the walls they've built around themselves start to crumble, giving way to an unexpected connection. Will they be able to put aside their past grievances and embrace their growing feelings, or will their shared history prove to be an insurmountable barrier?
WC: 2.1k
A/N: This chapter will basically be a load of information to start off their journey. This is an enemies-to-lovers trope where they will maintain their snarky combats even when they are all lovey-dovey. The first few chapters will be building up toward their mission which starts off their romance.
The whole clan has gathered to celebrate Tiwell and Koxa’s blessing from Eywa, me. I’ve just been born after several scares I put my mother through while she was pregnant. I remember being adorned with the finest cloths and drowned in jewelry specially made for newborns. At one point I started to cry from all the loud noises that surrounded me. So many people whose faces I would yet be introduced to come up to my parents to congratulate them. When I was old enough I eventually asked my parents why my birth was made into a big deal. Other babies who were born later than me would not have such a big party as I did. Of course, there were mini what our leader would call, “baby showers,” that replaced the big parties. I never understood why they would call it a baby shower back on Earth. I eventually came to the conclusion that it was due to showering the baby with love, affection, and gifts rather than actual water. They eventually explain that my birth had a big celebration because the Tsahik had been receiving signs of my birth years before my mother, Koxa, was pregnant. The only other time she had signs like that was for Neteyam, our leader’s child. It also helps that my parents are close friends with the Sullys. That family made sure that this party was big and boastful, as it was for their own child. This paved the way for my long-lasting friendships with their children.
⊲──✿──⊳
My mother pushed me forward, “Ainai, these kids are our Olo’eyktan’s children.” I wave in an anxious manner. I have met Mr. and Mrs. Sully before when I was just old enough to talk, but I have never interacted with their children before.
One girl gently waves back while the boy beside her keeps his gaze trained on the floor. They both look around the same age as me while the other boy next to his father looks about a year older. The older one kept his gaze fixed on me, he had an air of authority around him. This confused me a lot because he was as small as the rest of us. From there on, these people would come to be like extended family all except for one boy.
⊲──✿──⊳
“Isn’t this the prettiest flower you’ve ever seen,” I shove a tiny blue flower into Kiri’s face.
She takes the flower and twirls it between her fingers, “It is very pretty, it is like the color of your skin.”
We continue to fiddle with the new flower I found. Kiri is right, it is very similar to my shade of tone. It was near a river and looked to be the only survivor left along its little flower bed. The rest were trampled from what seemed like Thanator footprints.
“Look at what I found!”
Kiri and I turn towards the voice to find Neteyam holding a basket filled to the brim. Every step he takes seems to tip the contents over the edge, the ground ends up scattered with flowers. When he reaches us he dumps the flowers onto the ground in front of our legs still damp from the morning dew. An array of resplendent floras are all mixed in a messy pile in front of our feet.
“Wow, Nete! These are the best flowers I have ever seen in this forest.” Kiri stands up from the place next to me and starts shifting through the pile in search of the very best for her crafts. I stay rooted to my spot, pouting as Neteyam shows me up in yet another little hobby of mine.
“Nai these are for you too, you are free to pick whichever you like.”
I huff and turn away quickly to start the trek back home through the forest, “No thanks, I don’t want those weeds.”
Neteyam follows me quickly, since he is a year older everything seems to come easily for him. It is starting to get on my nerves.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m finding someone who will appreciate my gift.”
“You have to come back, I promised that I would look after you and the others,” Neteyam attempts to grab onto my arm, “you are being dramatic.”
I gasp and turn around to look at him, “Am not!”
“Are too,” he says in a “matter of fact" tone. This only served to further irritate me, and I found my eyes watering a bit. Before he could notice, I throw my flower on the ground and storm off back to the village.
⊲──✿──⊳
“Keep only three fingers on the bow Ainai, not four,” Mr. Sully explains while fixing my grip. I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my training lately, it just felt so unnatural the way we held our bows. It would feel so much more stable if I could hold it with four fingers instead of three. It doesn’t help that my ring finger could barely hold onto the heavy bow as is.
I could hear a snicker in the background and I immediately lose all confidence in myself. I angrily turn around, “What seems to be so funny?”
Neteyam straightens up and grins, “How do you expect to fight with us if you cannot even hold the weapon correctly.”
“At least when I shoot, my arrow actually hits the target-”
“Enough, both of you,” Mr. Sully removes the bows from both of us and sets them down leaning on a tree, “none of you should be insulting the other when neither has successfully mastered this simple technique.”
Both Neteyam and I held our gazes to the grass below us, neither of us saying a word. I twiddle my fingers lightly. I always hated getting him angry because it came from a place of disappointment. My parents worked hard to get me the opportunity to train with our leader and his son. So when I mess up I take it to heart a little more than others, because I know that I could be replaced with another Na’vi more skillful than me. I will not be able to surpass Neteyam if I am to train with another warrior. Not that any of them are not a master in their field, Mr. Sully is just the best as they come. Since Neteyam is training by him, I have to be trained by him too if I wish to become as good, or better yet, the best.
“I’m sorry Mr. Sully-”
“I’m sorry sir.”
Jake watches his kids for a moment and heaves a sigh, “You both are dismissed, we will be adding an extra day of training to try to fix the mistakes we seem to continuously have.”
“Yes sir,” I say.
I grab my bow and knock Neteyam’s out of his reach so he would have to bend down to retrieve it. While I walk away I hear his grunt of displeasure from my actions and I try my hardest to push back a smile that tries to creep up on my face.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Kiri says while she catches up to my stride. She had a bunch of flowers in her hair so she probably came from the flower field not too far from here. Kiri always had something interesting going on about her. The other day she made a crown out of a bunch of sticks for each and every one of us. This little quirk of hers was probably my favorite thing about her. She loves making crafts and especially loves to gift her family and friends with them.
“He deserves it, he got us in trouble,” I counter.
“You both always go at it, almost as bad as he is with Lo’ak.”
I puff out my chest, “That is because Lo’ak is just as smart as I am and he’s jealous he’s not smart like us!”
Kiri playfully bumps my shoulder with hers, “I’m sure when we get older you both will be as thick as thieves!”
“What does “Thick as thieves mean”?”
“Like, um, well Dad says it's when you are really close with someone like best friends.”
“Then why would we be thick, and why would we steal,” I question. The Sully family is always saying these weird sayings from Earth. Some are common sense while the others perplex even the brightest minds among the clan.
“Oh hush-” Kiri pushes me forward and we erupt in a fit of giggles.
We finally arrive at the village and I leave her side to enter my home. Inside I find my mother cooking and my dad nowhere to be seen.
“Welcome home paskalin, the food will be ready soon.” My mother continues to move around in the kitchen while I take in the aroma. The most noticeable note is the scent of fish clinging to the air. Before entering too deep into the house I set my bow off to the side. My mother hates when my father and I leave any weapons around the house. She says it makes it seem as though we are a messy family and do not respect our surroundings. In our defense, most of the guests we invite over are the Sully’s, and they have weapons everywhere.
The front door opens and my father walks in, “I’m back, I was making some quick conversation with Jake.”
“Quick is not the word I would use for when the two of you speak but I digress,” my mother pecks him on the cheek and continues adding the finishing touches to our dinner. She is extremely skillful when dealing with any kind of meat and fish. I bet that if I gave her one vegetable from our garden that she could make a whole meal out of it.
I move towards the cabinets to take out some plates to start setting up the table. To start off, I set down three plates near each other at the end of the table. My sa’nok comes with a plate of fish and sets one down at each of our spots. A lot of the Omaticaya people, my people, usually eat on the floor. They would have mats to soften the ground and designate where a person could sit. My family has a table and chairs just like the Sully’s, we got the idea from them. My mother would admire the intricate woven patterns that the wood of the table would exhibit in their home. Eventually, she had my dad learn how to build one and we all got to carve its designs together. This happened last year when I turned the appropriate age to use a hunting knife. We were singing while making hearts and all other kinds of symbols into the wooden exterior.
“Momma, do you think I’ll be good as Nok and the others when it comes to combat?”
Nok is a slightly older guy in our clan, he has a couple of years on Neteyam and I. They both often get into arguments even though they barely see one another. Nok already went through the process of getting an ikran. He got his banshee at age 13, which makes him one of the youngest in the clan to complete this ritual. He always rubs this fact in Neteyam’s face, he says that he will probably get his ikran when he is old with gray hair. It is a little mean but it did make me giggle out loud, much to Neteyam’s dismay. That is probably what made him dislike me even more, other than the fact that I am constantly in competition with him for his sempul’s approval. I have four years until I become the same age as Nok. This means I have only three years if I want to break his record as the youngest in our clan to complete the ritual. He used to be a friend of mine who would include me in his friend group’s hang-out sessions.
They never approved of me bringing Kiri and Lo’ak, they said they were too young. This made no sense to me because I was the same age as them. After a bit of an argument, I went home crying and made a vow to never hang out with them again. Kiri and Lo’ak are my best friends and I am not going to let some old people exclude them from things. They talk as though being young is a bad thing like we had a say for when we are born.
My dad finishes his plate of food and moves to get mine and my mother’s, “You won’t be as good as them, you’ll be better yawntutsyip.”
This brings a bright smile to my face, I will prove my worth in this clan.
