SO..DID YOU?
☆彡SUMMARY.; Continuation of ‘DID YOU NOTICE?’ The day now arrives of the Hunt of the Great Spiritual Ritual. The day calls of agility, strength and focus. The only thing is.. Neteyam can’t seem to focus for a couple reasons.
☆彡FEATURED.; CRUSH TO EVENTUAL LOVERS! Neteyam × FEM! Omatikaya Reader, NEWFOUND BESTFRIEND!Tsireya × FEM! Omatikaya Reader
☆彡TROPE.; Childhood Friends to Lovers!
☆彡FORMAT.; SERIES (PART 1 HERE!!)
☆彡WORD COUNT.; 9.3k
☆彡GENRE.; Angst + Fluff
☆彡WARNINGS.; Cursing, Mentions of weaponry, Depictions of non-fatal injuries, Near Death Experience, Mention of a Coma, Mentions of fighting, Mentions killing of animals, Neteyam being a bit possessive, Teyam is also a yearned and a gentleman, happy ending!!
☆彡 NOTES.; heres the long awaited part two!! sorry it took me so long to finally post, I tried to make it as detailed oriented as possible so forgive me for taking too long. I’m so happy that so many of you enjoyed the first part and I hope you guys will enjoy this one as well😚!!
REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED🤍.
CREDS TO THE ARTIST OF THE FANART!!
‘Well.. ain’t this a bitch..’
That’s the one thing that could run through Jake’s mind. He stares wide eyed at where you and Tsireya stand then glances at his sons, both of whom are also in the most paralyzing shock he’s ever seen.
The crowd was in an uproar at the decision made.
“The Sully boys?”
“Those troublemakers?”
“Why them?”
Those were the only questions he could hear swimming through the crowd.
“It is time to retire for the night! Rest! Make preparations! And tomorrow, we will leave before daybreak!” Tonowari's voice carries over the village. The crowd begins dispersing, heading to their marui pods. Jake grabs both of his sons by their arms and Neytiri gathers Tuk in her arms and they all head back to their pod. Both boys just let themselves be dragged along. They didn't even register what was happening.
It was all too fast.
They get there and Jake finally lets go and turns his back to them. “Sit down. Both of you.” They both slowly squat to the floor and look at their father.
He’s pacing, dragging his hand down his face and then he finally turns to them. “Listen to me, you both need to stay focused tomorrow. By some feat, and I don’t know fucking how, Ewya herself must’ve put this decision in their heads, the both you were chosen to lead the people tomorrow. You need to stay focused. It will not be easy, do you understand?” He looks at his sons seriously.
They both nod. “Yes sir.” “This ain’t a fucking game, one wrong move on your part could kill someone. Don’t be stupid.” His eyes shift to Lo’ak. “You aren’t used to this so whatever Neteyam or the chief’s son tells you to do, do it! I’m not fucking kidding, do you understand?!” Lo’ak’s head bows quietly and Neteyam eyes his brother. “Start packing from tonight and bring your comms.” Jake turns and walks off, then the boys get up and start doing as their father said. Neytiri follows Jake, with the now sleeping Tuk in her arms. “Little bro..” “What?” They both stood and looked at each other. Neteyam grins. “Nervous?” Lo’ak rolls his eyes and smiles a little. “Bro..!” Neteyam smiles. He’s glad that the talk with their dad didn't scare Lo’ak too much, after all..
He’d never let anything happen to his baby brother.
They hear footsteps quickly approaching and their ears perk up. They give each other a look and then turn their attention to the entrance of their marui pod and after a couple seconds, both Tsireya and yourself come rushing in with smiles on your faces. “Neteyam!” “Lo’ak!” Both boys' ears pin to their head. They had a shared thought.
‘Fuck she’s pretty..’
The both of you approach them, with you going to Neteyam and he’s already holding his hand out to you and you take it gently. “How many times are you going to surprise me in one night?” You grin. “What can I say? I like to keep you on your toes..” He shakes his head with a smile and you glance over at Tsireya who’s smiling at a heavily blushing Lo’ak and then you look back to Neteyam. “How do you feel by the way.. about us choosing you guys..?” You look up at him. He looks at you. “Honestly.. I’m surprised that the elders even allowed it..” You nod. “You and I both.. I don’t even know why the Tsahik chose me as Tsireya’s advisor.. she still hasn’t told me..” Neteyam thinks. “She must’ve seen something in you.. you are special after all..” he caresses your face and your tail flicks wildly behind you. “‘Teyam..” “Yes?” You shy back.
He’s looking at you like you hung the stars.
Since when has he looked at you like this?
“You guys need to pack.. you’re not done and I don’t want your dad to get mad..” You see him sigh and pull you closer, then drops his head on your shoulder.
You stiffen. He’s never done this before. He’s actually acting his age. “Neteyam..” he murmurs and holds you tighter.
Was he.. throwing a tantrum right now?
You laugh and run your hands through his hair. “I’ll be here as you get ready.. I won’t go anywhere..”
He sighs deeply and pulls his head up. “Alright..” He lets go but his eyes never leave you until he finally turns around and begins gathering up his belongings.
Your heart feels like it’s in the back of your throat. You couldn’t understand what just happened. When Neteyam became so.. close. Obviously your crush on him has been there since as long as you can remember, but now it feels like it’s not just a crush anymore. Not for you. And apparently not for him either.
You watch his back as he packs. ‘When did he get so big..?’ You have more questions than answers as of late. And as you open your mouth to ask, a loud.. purr…? rips through the air.
You slowly turn and look over to where the sound came from as from the corner of your eye, you see Neteyam do the same.
Your eyes land on a frozen Lo’ak. “Seriously bro?” You hear Neteyam’s voice come through. You give him a teasing smile as Tsireya giggles from beside him. “That good huh?” You tease. “Shut the fuck up..” you all could only laugh as he flushed. You walk over to him and tiptoe to whisper in his ear, “Careful.. she might find out you like her..”
He groans and bats you away as you laugh. You look over to Neteyam and he’s already looking at you. “Need help?” He nods. “Please?” He asks softly. You almost double over at his tone, but you don’t. Instead you nod back and walk to him and crouch down next to him and help him pack. Tsireya does the same with Lo’ak. “You both need rest. You are to leave early tomorrow.” You hum in agreement with her. Your voice now turns stern. “So quiet. Both of you!” Neteyam smiles and nods and Lo’ak rolls his eyes. “Whatever..” For the next couple minutes, all four of you sit and gather the things both boys needed for the hunt.
After some time, you’re finally finished and you huff as you lay back on the floor. “Tired?” You look at Neteyam. “Extremely..” He tilts his head and gently pulls you up. “Come..“ Too tired to fight against him, you let him haul you up and set you in a comfortable position with your face pressed against his chest. “Better?” You nod. You hear shuffling behind you. “Goodnight guys.. Lo’ak’s going to take me home.” You give Tsireya a tired wave. “Goodnight ‘Reya..” “Goodnight..” She smiles at the both of you. “I’ll be back in a sec bro.” Neteyam nods. “Alright, don’t take too long.” Lo’ak leaves with Tsireya.
Now it’s just you and Neteyam. Your eyes begin to droop as you lay against his chest, and his back is pressed up against the wall of his family’s marui pod. He watches you with nerves swimming through his body. Then his father’s words flash back into his mind.
‘“You better get to her before someone else does.”’ Neteyam sighs and he prays you’re already asleep, so you won’t hear his heart beating wildly in his chest. He hears a soft snore come from you and he relaxes just a bit. Then he groans and thumps his head back on the wall he was sitting up against. ‘Fuck this is harder than I thought..’ He didn’t want to wait to tell you how he felt anymore, but he didn’t want to half ass it either. You’re too special, and you deserve better.
He brushes some of the hair out of your face then begins playing with it with a soft smile. Is this how his dad felt with his mom?
He feels you curl into him, probably chasing the heat his body gives off and he swears his stomach just turned planets over. His whole body was burning and a deep shade of purple.
He pulls you up just a little, and you furrow your face just a little and begin to wake up. “‘Teyam..?”
He looks at you flustered. “I am sorry.. I didn’t mean to wake you, I just wanted to lay you on your sleeping mat so you would be comfortable..” You smile softly at him. “It’s okay.. I did not even realize I fell asleep..”
He gets up with you in his arms and walks over to the sleeping mats. “You must have been more tired than you thought.” You hum in agreement. “I guess so..”
He lays you down and you shift to he comfortable. He sits next to you in silence for a beat. “Neteyam?” “Hm..?” You turn your head to look at him. “You will do well tomorrow.. but please be safe.. okay?” He smiles and nods. “Okay, I will return safely I promise.” You hold out your pinky finger for him to lock it with his. He doesn’t hesitate and does just that. You give a tired smile back then sits up for just a second to hug him then lays back down. “Go to sleep now. You need energy for tomorrow. The day will be long.” He nods. “..Yes maam.” You shiver at his words.
What the hell is this man’s problem and flustering you? Why does his voice always have to be so soft and loving? Does he even know he’s doing it?
You watch as he gets up and strides over to his own sleeping mat, dragging it closer to yours. “I will sleep here.” You nod and he lays next to you, facing your direction. You both look at each other. “Goodnight ‘Teyam..” He smiles teasingly. “Goodnight bossy..” You gasp. “Am not!” He grins. “Are too!” “Not!” “Too!” “Not!” “Too!” “Not—“ He reaches out to you and covers your mouth with his palm. Your voice dries up in your throat as you stare at him. He leans over. “Too..” he kisses your forehead and pulls back. “Now go to sleep.. yeah?” You could do nothing but nod dumbly.
What just happened?
Did he just..?
He gives you one final smile before pulling his hand off and laying back down, still facing you and closing his eyes. You lay awake. What you don’t know is that he's also still awake. And you each had a thought.
‘Ewya I’m so fucked..’
‘This definitely isn’t just a crush anymore..’
You hear the rest of the Sully family filter in and begin to take their places on their respective sleeping mats. You’ve been shuffling since what happened, trying to get comfortable and finally get some sleep but it felt virtually impossible now.
Then you feel an arm around you and pulls you closer. You don’t have to look to know who it is after all you felt this body heat before.
Neteyam, with his eyes still closed, gently turns you to face away from him, then picks your head up and places his arm under it and rests your head onto it. “Sleep.. you need it..” You bite your lip.
Why must he do this to you constantly? You can barely keep up.
“Okay..”
That night, the both of you barely get any sleep, with your hearts beating so violently in your chests they sound like drums of a vast celebration. But him being there made it comfortable, and before you knew it, you drifted off into sleep.
When you awoke, the sun wasn’t even up yet. There was much to do. Neteyam was the one that woke you up. He lightly touched your face. “Wake up sevin..” You groan. “You need to get up, Tsireya is here..” You huff and open your eyes. He pulls you up. “There you are.. good morning..” You mumble back a soft ‘good morning’ and slump into him. “They are waiting for you..” You sigh and rub your eyes. “Okay.. thank you.” You get up and stretch. He nods and brushes your hair out of your face and you tilt your head towards him. “I have to go as well.. I will see you later..” You nod at his words. “Okay.. I’ll see you at the opening ceremony.” He smiles and turns away from you leaving. You watch as he leaves, and takes a half asleep Lo’ak with him as well.
You see their father waiting for them at the doorway and all three of them disappear from your eyes. You turn to Tsireya. “Are you ready?” She nods. “I am.” You gather yourself and walk over to her. “Let us go then..”
The both of you make your way to Ronal, who will assist in getting you both ready. “Do you think they will do well..?” You nod. “Yes, I have faith that the Great Mother will guide them, so let’s trust her, and them as well.” She lets out a sigh. “I don’t want him to get hurt.” You look at her as you walk. “Lo’ak will be okay ‘Reya.. after all his dad and brother will be out there too.. he won’t be alone. If you are still nervous, make him promise to come back safely.. that is what I did with Neteyam.” She takes a deep breath and nods. “Okay..” You take her hand and hold it in your own and you smile. She squeezes your hand back and you both finally make it to where Ronal is. She guides you in and the preparations begin.
The women sit you both down and decorate your hair beautifully. You thought yesterday’s attire was beautiful, but it doesn’t hold a candle to today. “Are you sure that—“ “Hush child.” You shut up immediately. Tsireya eyes you from the corner of her eye and you mirror her. ‘I wonder if she’s okay..’
Time passes and before you know it, both Tsireya and yourself are standing with her brother Ao’nung and their parents. Your attire glistens in the early moonlight, with both of you wearing pearls beaded tops and long, flowing loincloths of different shades, with shawls to match. You also have on the same headpieces from yesterday. You both stand towards the back, and your eyes sweep the crowd and your eyes land on Neteyam. He hasn’t seen you yet since you stand in the back, but you admire him.
He’s in his warrior attire, and he looks so mature. His brother and father stand next to him on both sides. ‘They look so much like each other..’ They all had such intense looks on their faces.
“My brothers and sisters! Today is the second day of the Great Ritual to celebrate the prosperity the Great Mother has shown us. We will be split up in two groups, the first group with our seasoned warriors, and the second group with our young warriors. Each group will be led by myself and Ao’nung, the Olo’eyktan in training. With each of us will be two that will help lead the groups, all of which has already been decided. Would you all step forward.”
You watch as Jake and another member of the clan steps forward and stands next to Tonowari, then Neteyam and Lo’ak move to do the same but they stand next to Ao’nung. Neteyam finally sees you and you see his tail flick quickly. You can almost hear him complimenting you again, just by the look on his face.
Ronal then steps forward. “You all have been chosen to lead the people. May Ewya be with you and may no harm come to the warriors of this sacred hunt.” She strides over and dips her hands in white paint and begins painting marks on the first group of warriors, the relative mates of each leading warrior steps forward, dipping one of their own hands in different shades of paint, placing it over the hearts of their loved one.
You watch as Neytiri does that to Jake, and she closes her eyes and leans her head against his and says a soothing prayer to Ewya with him.
It makes you flush. It looks so.. intimate.
You see Ronal do the same to Tonowari.
“Now, the second group.” Both you and Tsireya step forward and dips your own hands in the same white paint and you both begin painting Ao’nung. “You must not get hurt brother..” “Mhm..” As your painted hands glide across his body, you hear a small sound, almost like some type of grunt. You glance over without moving your head and see Neteyam looking in your direction, but not at you.
He’s looking.. above you? He has a straight look on his face almost as if he’s trying to hide his feelings but you see right through him. You follow his eyes quietly and glance up to see Ao’nung staring at you. You don’t meet his eyes and instead adjust your eyes back down and continue your task. After a quick while, you finish, then both you and Tsireya turn to Neteyam and Lo’ak.
You dip your hands in more paint and you get to work. Your hands make work of his face first. Delicate fingers that glide against his soft skin, making intricate marks as they flow down to his neck and followed down to his arms and torso. You make sure to dab little specs here and there to add some creativity to the marks. Again, you feel his eyes on you, but you continue what you were doing with steady hands because this is important. You continue drawing these marks all over his body, stretching from his nape to his back all the way down to his legs. It was the same for Ao’nung as well.
He hums softly as your hands trickle all over his body. “I believe in you, so you must come back to us and then tell me your secret..” He smiles. “Yes maam..”
Just as the elder group did, you add more paint to your hands, a different shade this time, a pretty but dark blue color. You stamp your hands into the paint and take it out and then you press your palm into his chest. “I am holding you to that.” He holds your wrist gently and nods. “I hear you.. I promise I will.” You finally look up at him. “Good. Now go..” You said in a soft voice. He bows his head to you and moves off, as Lo’ak and Ao’nung do the same.
As they walk off to join the older group, you see Ao’nung look back and give you a wink.
What the hell..?
You’re pretty sure Tsireya sees this as well because you had a quiet but sharp gasp next to you.
You feel your stomach churn.
‘I hope whatever it is that just happened won’t affect the hunt..’
If only your intuition hadn’t been spot on.
“The preparations are complete. We will now depart!”
You stride up towards where all the warriors are gathered, at the edge of the shore, with their Ilus and Skimwings. Ronal, Tsireya, and yourself then kneel in the sand and begin drawing spiritual markings. After they are complete, you three join hands and close your eyes. The three of you begin to speak simultaneously, “Ewya’s gaze is upon you, she hears you, sees you and she will protect you. May nothing but blessings come from this hunt, and may the Great Mother find happiness in the sacrifices made.”
The crowd claps and you all get up and you and Tsireya bow as Ronal steps forward. “Be safe. All of you.” Tonowari nods. “Thank you Wife.”
You straighten your back and your gaze meets Neteyam’s with a softened look and you wave at him. He waves back. You see Lo’ak and Tsireya doing the same.
“Let us depart!”
As you wave you get an idea. You smile at Neteyam and blow him a kiss. He looks at you with a shocked expression. “Payback..” you mouth as you smile. It was for when he kissed you on the forehead last night. He shakes his head as he grins and before you know it, they’re gone.
“Please be safe..”
☆彡
It has now officially begun. The two groups swim on their respective partners to the destination that they are supposed to be in to begin. Neteyam feels calm. Relaxed. Fidgety. A bit upset.
Wait.
What?
He tries to shake it off. He doesn’t know what could’ve brought this on when he was so prepared and focused this morning. Now he feels distracted.
Why did ‘he’ look at you like that? Why did ‘he’ have the same look in his eyes as he did when he looked at you? It made no sense, not logically.
“Pathfinder! Focus boy!”
Neteyam’s ears twitch at his father’s voice coming through the comms. His dad was above water, how could he even see him?
Whatever.
All that matters right now is that he does his part, then gets back home safely.
To where you are.
His brother rides beside him and the object of his now growing frustration is in front. He furrows his face and tilts his head with a click of his tongue.
It’s gonna be a long day.
After what felt like ages of swimming, they finally get their designated areas and both groups split up. The seasoned hunters go deep sea, the younger hunters stay mid sea.
They dismount their partners begin diving, with their hunting equipment that consists of knives, spears and underwear crossbows. As they swam down and reached a good spot, Ao’nung turned to them and began signing. “We will hunt different types of fishes, of all shapes and sizes. Each fish will be different, some bite, some prick, and there are others that can poison you. Stay vigilant.” This was supposed to be a standard hunt, nothing too serious—something they’ve done before. Maybe not in the water but what they’re used to in the forest. Of course it was for the ritual so it meant a lot more, but the procedure was the same.
The group nods and disperses in three groups, with Lo’ak, Neteyam and Ao’nung leading each of them.
Neteyam drifts through the water with ease, crossbow firmly secured in hand. It’s been quite a while since they started, but they couldn’t gauge that from underwater. As he hunts though, he strangely feels like there’s eyes on him. He looks around a few times as he feels the slight shiver go up his spine, like he’s being watched, but he doesn’t see anything. So he shrugs it off.
The other young warriors are also putting up a good fight doing their best to show that they take this seriously.
He’s gotten a bit of cuts from some of the bigger fishes had to wrestle in order to get down, but he succeeded and had quite a lot of show for it.
Lo’ak isn’t doing so bad either. He hasn’t deviated from the task at hand. Neteyam can see that his brother really wants to do well today, he thinks it’s because Tsireya chose him to do this. He’s glad his brother is focused.
He’s trying his best to do it as well. He decided to swim over to his brother and signed underwater. ‘You doing okay little bro?’ Lo’ak nods and signs back, ‘Yeah bro I’m good.’ Neteyam pats his brother on the back and as he’s about to swim away, Lo’ak grabs him.
Confused, Neteyam turns back around and tilts his head. ‘Did you see what happened earlier? With Ao’nung?’ Neteyam stills, then nods slowly. ‘Yeah, I saw..’ He doesn’t show it outwardly, but he’s still thinking about what happened earlier at the ceremony.
Why did Ao’nung act like that towards you?
Lo’ak eyes his brother. ‘You don’t think he was trying to do something with her was he?’ Neteyam shrugs. ‘Dunno.. but he won’t get through to her.. doesn’t mean it still didn’t bother me though..’ Lo’ak nods then they just stay in one stop for a little while. ‘Let’s get air..’ Neteyam nods and they begin to swim to the surface of the water.
As they break the surface, they both take a deep breath. “Bro, how long have we been down there?” They look up at the sky to see that the color has changed noticeably. There are others around them too that are taking a little break to get some air.
“I didn’t think it’s been this long.. but we still have more to do so this is just a quick break before we continue.”
“Yeah okay..”
As they drift there in silence, they see bubbles drifting to the surface of the water. Ao’nung surfaces. “We should be meeting with my father and his group soon—finish up here and we’ll take what we have and meet them.”
The group hums in agreement and goes back down to continue their hunt. Both brothers side eye each other before going back underwater to resume as well. No matter how badly Neteyam wants to ask Ao’nung about the situation earlier, he knows there’s a time in place for everything.
So he will wait.
Neteyam guides those in his group to an area to continue hunting and he sees his brother do the same to another group. He’s proud to see his little brother be such a leader, that he’s able to step up and be such a good warrior just like their father.
‘Dad’s gonna be proud..’
As they continue their hunt, he feels a hand on his shoulder. It’s Lo’ak again.
In his hands, he holds some type of underwater flower. It was a beautiful white and blue color. ‘Look..” he signs to his brother.
Neteyam stares in awe at the beautiful flower. ‘Where did you get it?’ Lo’ak points to a little ledge, a little bit deeper in the water where there’s a whole patch of the same flowers in different shades. Neteyam looks at his brother, then back at the flowers and gives in. He swims down and gathers some of them and places them in his pouch. He then sees something shining beneath the grassy patch the flowers were sitting on. He reaches out and picks it up to find a smooth, glowing stone. It had a beautiful pattern on it. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew that it would look beautiful on you. He wanted to make something for you and give it to you so he put it in his pouch as well.
Lo’ak was beside him, still picking flowers and putting them in his pouch as well. Neteyam pats his brother on the chest. ‘Come, we need to finish..’ They swim back up to their group and after a couple more hours, they finish their hunt. Now they are preparing to meet up with the senior group.
Combined altogether, there was a big catch and they weren’t sure how they were going to bring all that home plus what the senior group had as well. ‘We should do a headcount before we leave..’ Ao’nung nodded at Neteyam’s suggestion and together all of them swam to the surface so that a proper headcount could be taken. They dragged their now full nets onto a set of rocks nearby, where they could set them aside properly for departure. As they stand on those rocks, they begin to count. There were supposed to be 57 young warriors present.
So why the hell were all three leaders counting 54. Ao’nung, Lo’ak and Neteyam had double and triple checked with each other the number they counted and still got the same number.
54.
There were supposed to be 57. So why are there 54?
They begin panicking. Three of the young warriors had gone missing. All three leaders then slipped their bodies back into the water and ducked their heads back into the water to look around, but they saw nothing but an open sea and a reef beneath them.
“We can’t be fucking serious..”
Ao’nung and Neteyam let out a sharp huff. Of all the things to go wrong, three people are missing.
Not one, not two, but three.
Ao’nung begins to speak to the others in the warrior group. “The rest of you, go sort through our catches , we are going to—“ “Wait..” Ao’nung looks at Neteyam. “What?” he watches as Neteyam looks around. Lo’ak looks at his brother too, and raises his eyebrow. “What is it bro?” He doesn’t respond. Instead, he submerges his body back underwater and looks around.
Then he sees it. He sees them.
But they’re swimming fast.. and—
Is that something chasing them?
Neteyam pulls the feet of the other two to get them underwater. They look at him incredulously, but he just points in the direction. They both turned their heads to look and they saw the three young warriors swimming fast in their direction.
As they watch them, one of the young warriors sign.
‘GO NOW! QUICKLY!’
They all look at each other confused and then all of a sudden they see what the young warriors are swimming from.
An Akula. An adult one at that.
Instantly Neteyam knew that everyone here was in danger. He also didn’t miss the way his younger brother tensed up at the mere sight of the animal.
Neteyam quickly clicked for his ilu then swam towards the three young boys to grab them and get them out of there.
Ao’nung moved as well, getting back up to the surface and yelling to everyone. “FORGET EVERYTHING! We need to go now!”
“What—!”
“NOW!”
Everyone begin to scatter leaving what they had hunted right there on the rocks and called for their ilu’s to swim away.
Neteyam had gotten the boys to their ilu’s as well but noticed his brother wasn’t with them. He surfaced and looked around in a panic. “Where’s Lo’ak..?” His heartbeat quickened. “LO’AK?!” Neteyam’s head turned frantically. Where was his little brother? He couldn’t find his little brother.
Ao’nung heard his voice and beckoned him, ”we have to go now!” “NO! not until I find—“ He’s cut off by a yell they both turned their heads to see Lo’ak break through the surface of the water on his ilu. “GO!”
They don’t have to be told twice and they all take off. Apparently Lo’ak tried to distract the akula and it helped for a little while, but now it is back on their tails, and it was fastly approaching. Neteyam slows just a bit so that Lo’ak could get in front of him. “I’ll distract it! Call dad!” Lo’ak looks at his brother then nods.
Jake feels a shiver down his back. He knew it wasn’t good, it never is. He’s hauling up some of the catch that the other group has made when he hears his very panicked son’s voice through the comms. “DevilDog! Do you copy me?! Dad?!” Jake adjusts his comms quickly. “EagleEye, what's your status?!” “Dad! We’re being chased by an akula! Neteyam’s the closest to it! He’s been trying to distract it!” Jake clenches his fist. ‘For fucks sake..’
“Okay son you listen to me, get the other young warriors out there and tell your brother to get the fuck outta there, I’m coming! Where are you?!” Lo’ak turned and looked back at his brother who’s still trying to throw the akula off their track.
His eyes widened.
More just showed up.
“We’re at Jagged Edge! Dad! More just showed up!” “Shit! Okay get outta there I’m coming!” “Yes sir!”
Jake turns to Tonowari. “We gotta go! The kids are getting attacked by a horde of Akulas! The weapons they have aren’t gonna do shit against them! They’re at Jagged Edge!” Tonowari hisses. “Let’s go!” The senior warriors nod and jump back on their Skimwings, leaving their catches in that very spot and swim towards where the kids are, with Jake leading the way.
Neteyam is doing the best he can to lead the predator away, but when he realizes that not only is the one before getting really close to him now, but others have joined it.
He looks in front of him and sees that the group is a ways away. They’re safe. All he needs to worry about now is himself. He sees the animal is now barely away from him and he makes a split decision to quickly dismount his ilu and swim beneath some big leaves at the bottom of the sea floor.
Luckily, since they were swimming through vines and leaves, the Akula didn't notice he got off and kept chasing his ilu. He swam down as quickly as he could and pushed some of the leaves out of his way. As he did, he found a tiny air pocket that he was able to put his face in and take a couple breaths.
His heart was beating quickly and a million thoughts were swimming through his mind. ‘Did they all get away safely? Is his dad coming? Will he be able to make it back out so they can find him? Will he be able to make it back to his family? And you? He promised he’d be back.. he can’t go back on that..’
He took slow, steady breaths as he tried to calm his heart so he could swim back to the group, but before he could fully get his bearings, a body splashed next to his. “Bro!” Neteyam gasped in shock. “skxawng what are you doing here?!” “I couldn’t leave you!” Neteyam sighed. “Did it see you?” Lo’ak shook his head. “Okay.. good.” “PathFinder! EagleEye! Do you copy?! Where the hell are you?!” They both grab at their comms quickly. “DevilDog! We’re here we copy!” “Where the hell are you two! And where’s the chief’s son?!”
Neteyam and Lo’ak look at each other with widened eyes. “Ao’nung should be with the group.. he told me to leave him there with the others and help Neteyam because he was chasing the Akulas away on his own.” Jake sighs. “Both of you get outta wherever you are and find him.” “Yes sir..” “Yes sir.”
They both sigh. Lo’ak looks at Neteyam. “You ready bro?” Neteyam nods. “Yeah.”
They take a final deep breath and then plunge themselves back into the water and swim out into the clearing. They don’t see the Akulas anymore, but Neteyam signs to his brother. ‘Keep your guard up.’ They swim around a little more looking for Ao’nung. They didn’t see their father swimming towards them in the distance as they looked around, Neteyam’s eyes caught something in the other direction from where their father was swimming towards them. He swam towards it, not knowing what it was, but he felt as though it was necessary.
As he drew closer, he saw what looked like a body.. fighting? He couldn’t see very well since his visibility was obscured by the blurriness of the water, but also the extensive coral reefs in his way.
As he got closer and past the coral he saw—
‘Ao’nung?!’ He swam to him quickly and grabbed his arm. He didn’t even bother looking to see what it was that Ao’nung was fighting. All he knew was it was dangerous and they needed to go. He grabs Ao’nung arm forcefully and pulls him into his hiding spot. Ao’nung turned to him and signed, ‘What are you doing?! We could catch it and take it back to the clan! It’ll prove Ewya is with us!’ Neteyam gaped.
Was he being serious?
‘No we can’t! We could die doing this, don't you understand that?!’
Ao’nung rolled his eyes. ‘If I do this I could prove to the people, my parents and to her that I’m a better hunter than you!’
Neteyam freezes. Is this what this is about? Has he been trying to outdo him for the sake of pride this whole time?! And the strange feeling of eyes on him this whole time? Was that him? And.. her? Who’s her..?
‘Have you been watching me the whole day..? And her..?’ Neteyam signs.
It can’t be who he’s thinking of.
Ao’nung gives him a knowing look then signs. ‘She is not yours.. I like her as well..’ Neteyam had no clue where this was coming from. Ao’nung had never shown romantic interest in you before. He doesn’t even answer the first part of Neteyam’s question, or the chance to give an answer. He swims past him, knife in hand, ready to go against what Neteyam now sees as one of the same Akulas from earlier.
Neteyam sees his brother and father swimming towards them then turns back to Ao’nung, grabbing his hand again and tugging him to come along with him. It’s a silent plea that falls on deaf ears because Ao’nung snatches his hand away from him.
As Ao’nung is about to turn back around, he sees Neteyam’s eyes widened and all of a sudden, he’s pushed out of the way and a violent ripple surges through the water. He puts his arms up to shield himself but then he’s dragged backwards. He looks up to see his father holding him tightly in his arms. He notes his father’s hardened expression and the other people around. When he finally looks back in front of him he stills.
It’s as though people are screaming, but he can’t hear a single thing.
‘Fuck.. what did I do..’
Neteyam’s whole body hurts. His ribs feel like they’ve been crushed to dust, his head is throbbing and he’s pretty sure his arm is broken. He’s bleeding all along his back and is barely conscious.
His body moved before his mind could calibrate what was happening. In that split second his eyes widened, the Akula that’s been there this whole time decided it had had enough of being toyed with and decided to retaliate. It charged at the two boys and Neteyam could only manage to get Ao’nung out of the way in time. As he shoved Ao’nung away, he was left completely vulnerable and took a direct and brutal hit from the carnivorous beast. It launched him straight into the jagged spikes of coral they were hiding behind previously, and if that wasn’t bad enough, its tail then came a second time around and slammed into him as he was already pinned to the clusters of sharp coral.
His whole body was numb, but also burning as he drifted to the sea floor limply, unable to move. He couldn’t even speak. His vision started to fade and the last thing that he saw was his brother’s and father’s faces.
At that exact moment, a violent shiver went up your spine.
☆彡
They should’ve been back already. You stood on the shoreline of the beach, face etched with worry. ‘Where are they..?’
You couldn’t help but pace. Hours had gone by still there was no sign of the hunting party, either groups—
‘Great Mother please.. please bring them back..’
You couldn’t shake this bad feeling, that something had gone wrong.
Horribly wrong.
You couldn’t stand to do nothing. You saw how the whole clan, even the Tsahik was uneasy. Usually the hunt would be over before eclipse, to ensure there was enough time to prepare for the celebration.
But it is now past eclipse, and still—there is no sign of them.
Unable to calm the unease in your heart, you go straight into her to Ronal, determination in your stride as you approach her.
“Tsahik, I beg of you to permit me to go and look for the warrior party.”
She makes a face at you.
“Stop this nonsense at once child. You cannot go.”
“I must! They have been out there for too long! What if they’re injured?”
She looks at you with an expression you can’t quite read. She knows very well you are too stubborn to back down—just like the rest of that damned family. She then sighs. “Go! And report back immediately!”
You will immediately turn on your heel and run straight to where your ikran is. You see Neytiri, Tuk, and Kiri. When you lock eyes with Neytiri, you’re sure she immediately hit the same idea you had, because she quickly went to her ikran as well and mounted it. “Kiri, stay here with Tuk. We’ll be back soon.” She nods and gathers Tuk in her arms.
You quickly gather your equipment and mount your partner. Gently you make the bond and you’re ready to go. You’re sure that it will be easier this way to cover more ground and find them.
Before you takeoff, you hear footsteps quickly running behind you. You turn your head to see Tsireya. “I am coming with you!” She leaves no room for discussion and hops on behind you firmly, locking her arms around your waist. You say nothing.
And in an instant, you are both in the air. “Hold on tight..!”
As you soar through the air, you both cry out their names as you search for them—Neytiri does the same. You see below that the Tsahik has dispatched others to do a search in the water. As you fly, you take in your surroundings. Your eyes are laser focused, looking for anything that could be out of place.
Anywhere that they could be.
Then you see it. A herd of ilu, and not far away, a herd of Skimwings.
That must mean…
“There!”
Neytiri turns her head to where you’re pointing then follows. You fly down and hover right above the water surface. Tsireya, as if she’s moving with you as if you are one body, does exactly as you think without verbally telling her. She slides off the back of your ilu and into the water.
Frantically underwater, she swims and looks around.
‘Where are they?!’
She swims just a bit more and now, when she glanced up, she sees feet in the water. She quickly makes her way up to them, and as she breaks the surface with a gasp, she looks around.
“Father?! Lo’ak?!”
All the Warriors turned to look at her and it's as if they relax just a bit when they see her.
“Are you all okay?! What happened?!”
Lo’ak looks at her with a panicked look. “Neteyam’s hurt! We have to get him back to the village.”
Tsireya takes one look at the now unconscious older brother then looks at his father. “Toruk Makto, your wife is here. Follow me.” Jake nods and wastes no time, he picks Neteyam up and cradles him in his arms carefully and follows.
You hear Tsireya calling your name and both you and Neytiri follow the sound of her voice.
When you both get there, you gasp in shock. You were frozen in a panic as you looked at him. What happened to him? Who did this to him? What did this to him?
You could hear the screams of Neytiri trying to piece together what happened to her beloved son. “I know baby.. I know.. We gotta get him to the village! Right now!” Jake hoists Neteyam up onto Neytiri’s ikran and he climbs on himself and steadies his son then takes off as quickly as possible.
Your eyes could only follow them. You were still paralyzed. What did this to him? Why were his eyes closed? He will wake up..right? You feel yourself beginning to shake.
This can’t be happening.
Tsireya had to be the one to snap you out of it. “Come, we must follow them quickly!” You swallow harshly—it feels like sand is in your throat, then you nod. She climbs back up on the ikran then glances at Lo’ak. “Come! We need to hurry!” Frantically, you both pull him up as well and once you are all seated, you take takeoff. “We will be right behind you!” Tonowari yells. “Okay father!” Tsireya yells back, her voice now fading into the open sky. The Warriors waste no time, they mount their own animal partners and they follow you all back to the village quickly.
Jake and Neytiri make it back way before you do. When you arrive, you see that they’ve already taken Neteyam to the Tsahik. The warriors arrive just as you land and you quickly dismount your ikran and make a beeline to the Tsahik’s quarters, with Lo’ak and Tsireya hot on your tail.
You’re weaving your way through the village as quickly as possible and when you make it, you still at the doorway.
All of a sudden your palms get really sweaty and your breathing becomes labored. You couldn’t go in. You couldn’t look at him again when he looked so devoid of life. Tsireya and Lo’ak catch up to you and they both have worry etched on their faces. Tsireya quietly rubs your back and Lo’ak stands next to you then grabs your hand. “If it was anyone he would want next to him right now.. it’s you..” Your breath catches and you look at him. He’s so tore up about this, you can see it on his face. This boy could’ve just ran in, forgetting about you and going to see his brother, but instead he’s helping you, so you can go in together.
Your back straightens and you push down the anxiety you have in your throat—you squeeze his hand. “Okay.. let’s go..” He squeezes your hand back and nods, then he carefully leads you inside.
As soon as you walk in, you feel like you are going to cry out in anger, sadness, despair. Neteyam was wrapped in so many herbs. He laid on the floor in the middle of the pod, motionless, a bit pale.
He looked like he was..
Your eyes water and you drop to your knees. ‘Great Mother please.. please..!’ You didn’t even know what it was exactly that you were pleading for, what it was that you wanted the Great Mother to do.
But something, anything!
You watched as Ronal worked herself ragged, she’s doing everything she can so Neteyam would show any sign of life.
You’re unsure if it’s because you’re unfocused and frantic, but you don’t see so much as his chest moving.
He promised he’d come back safely, so you hold onto that hope. It’s the only thing keeping you going, despite the pain and confusion in your mind.
Four days have passed since then. Neteyam still hadn’t woken up. The celebration had to be postponed due to the situation and unease in the clan. You stayed by his side every day.
You hardly slept or ate—you couldn’t. Not when he couldn’t. Jake had come in to check on you and his family from time to time.
“Babygirl you gotta eat..” You don’t reply. You just bring your knees up to your chest and stay silent, right by Neteyam’s side. Jake doesn’t attempt to move you, he already knows what he’ll have on his hands if he does, so he leaves the food next to you, checks on his son, then leaves.
That night, you catch a fresh pale of water and get a cloth to wipe Neteyam’s face with. “You know..—” you begin softly as you take your designated place next to him and soak the cloth in water. “—I was going to wait until you said this first.. but I see you.. I have for such a long time.. but I was content just staying beside you. You’ve always protected everyone else and never yourself.. that’s the one thing about you I had a problem with.. you’re so giving and caring.. even if it means you have to give your entire self away to do it..” You take the cloth and wring it out then wipe his face gently as you stare at him with longing. You bite your tongue and your eyes glaze over.
“‘Teyam.. please wake up..”
He doesn’t move. A single tear slides down your face and you resume cleaning him. You’ve already been so frustrated with the situation. No one will tell you what happened. No one will explain how he ended up like this. You sigh, defeated. You don’t know what else to do, this is all it is you can do.
As you clean him, you miss the way his fingertips twitch. You turn your back to dunk the cloth in the water again and when you turn back around, he’s looking at you. You gasp sharply. “NETEYAM!” In your hurry you kick over the water bucket as you scramble towards him. He smiles weakly at you.
“Hi beautiful..” Then he grimaces, like just smiling alone causes him pain. You begin crying. “What hurts?! Tell me! Actually I’ll go get the others!” You quickly run out of the pod and hail his family and the Tsahik. “HES AWAKE! HES AWAKE!” His family and Ronal stopped what they were doing and rushed to where he was.
His family crowds him and you take a step back and let them help him. The whole time, his head is turned to you too—your eyes never leave him.
“He is fine.. he will not pass out anymore. He will need to take it easy for some time due to the severity of his injuries. He needs rest.”
His family relaxes at Ronal’s words and you feel all the built up tension that was frigid in your body release.
He’s okay. Thank Ewya he’s okay.
You watch as Neytiri cradles his head in her arms in tears as she cries thanks to Ewya.
Lo’ak lays his head on Neteyam’s stomach gently and you see his shoulders shake. You can tell he’s trying not to hurt his brother further. Neteyam smiles and manages to place his hand on top of Lo’ak’s head.
He speaks, his voice coming out soft and quiet. “I am okay little bro..”
Lo’ak nods but keeps his head on his brother. Neteyam looks over at you again and calls for you to come closer. Kiri makes space for you so you’re able to stay next to him.
“Hi ‘Teyam..”
He smiles. “Hi..”
Your eyes begin to water. “I missed you.. you skxawng..! You promised to come back safely.” You laugh lightly. He laughs a bit as well but winces. “Careful..” your hands reach out to him and rub his chest in an attempt to soothe him. His father realizes what is happening and beckons everyone out and gives you both some space.
“Little bro..” Lo’ak’s head snaps up and looks at his brother. “Yeah bro?” “Give her my pouch.. with the stuff we got..” Lo’ak nods and goes to get his brother’s pouch to give to you.
“Neteyam what..”
“Just wait..”
You stay silent and eventually, Lo’ak comes back and places the pouch in your hand and you look at them both then at the pouch. He then leaves too.
You carefully open it and flowers spill out of it, a lot of flowers. “‘Teyam?”
“I wanted to tell you this when I made everything perfect.. because you deserve it—“ he groans painfully as he sits up and your hands drop the pouch as you reach for him. He looks at you and nods. “—I am okay.. but I heard you.. what you said earlier..” Your ears flatten against your head. “You did?” “I did.. and I am sorry you had to say it first.. I see you.. all of you..you are beautiful and you make me smile, you make me feel like I am home. You came somewhere you did not know.. because you missed my family..” Your eyes soften. “And you.. I came because I missed you..” “I missed you too…”
Silence befalls you both and you feel his tail wrap around your thigh. “I love you.. very much.. I want to be the only one you love in this way..”
Your face heats. There it was. The words that've been on the tip of his tongue since the moment he figured out what it was he was feeling.
You smile.
“So you finally noticed huh?” You tease. He smiles back. “Yawne don’t do this..” You laugh then your laughter softens. “Me too..I love you too..” You see a goosebumps litter his skin. “Then..may I kiss you?” You smile widely and roll your eyes. “Yes.. you skxawng!”
He smiles and caresses your face gently and pulls your face closer to his and finally he kisses you. He feels you relax into the kiss and he smiles as he’s kissing you. You feel him smiling and you open your eyes to see him already looking at you and your heart jumps. You pull back, extremely flustered. He looks at you. “May I ask something else?” You nod.
You see him visibly swallow before starting. “May I be yours? May I court you until we are ready..?” You stare at him. “Yes.. I’d like that..” He smiles widely then you’re suddenly pulled into him, he’s still so firm, despite his extensive injuries that you know for a fact hurts. “You are the most beautiful being ever. Thank you..’
You groan playfully at his words. “Please stop talking.. and you’re welcome. Now rest!” He steals another kiss. “Yes ma’am!”
☆彡
Time passed—quite a lot of time, it was peaceful. The celebration festival was held, but you stayed with him, entertaining him and dancing around him, so he wouldn’t feel left out. His family was with you as well, even Tsireya stayed with him. His family visited as well. Every day. He never felt that he was away for long because they would even sleep where he was. You did your best to nurse him the best you could, until he got better. You also found out what had happened to him, that it was Ao’nung’s fault.
You were livid and decided to give him a piece of your mind.
He apologized to Neteyam, and Neteyam, being as gracious as ever, accepted it immediately. His parents still punished him, though you all didn’t see him again for a long time after that. “Hmph it’s what he deserves..!” His sister tsked. You laughed at her cute expression.
You were praised for your role in the festival and it turned, made you closer with those in the clan. Neteyam and Lo’ak were praised as well. They had become role models of sorts for younger Warriors of the clan.
Jake told Lo’ak he was so proud of him and the smile that was etched on his face you could see from miles away. He was so happy and you were happy for him. Tsireya still hasn't found the courage to confess, so you’re helping her work on it. Lo’ak on the other hand, gave Tsireya the flowers he had picked on the day of the hunt with Neteyam. She gushed for the next three days about them. You’ve never seen someone take such great care of flowers.
Eventually, Neteyam got better. He was able to move the way he used to, and it didn’t hurt to do anything anymore. The first thing he did was shower you with gifts.
Every day, every hour, every second, he was finding something new to give you. He gave you a necklace he made himself with a beautiful glowing rock as the center-stone. He told you he found it at the time of his hunt.
And those flowers he gave you? You used them to make beautiful new clothes so that they’d always be with you.
After that, he took you almost everywhere, you trained with him, spent time with you in his favorite spots, he’d cook for you, braid your hair and make sure you are well taken care of.
It did only take him forever to realize what he was feeling, but when he did, there was no one that could take him apart from you.
You were finally happy. Really happy. All of you.
“Dad?”
“Yes Neteyam?”
“I think I understand what you meant now.”
“About what?”
He grins then looks at you, who’s talking to his mother with a soft look in his eyes.
“Sully’s do get whatever they want.”
Jake smiles.
“Hell yeah they do..”
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