𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀. 𝙉𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙔𝘼𝙈 ¹

𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚. 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨

"Breathe in," Tsireya sucked in a deep breath as Rotxo emphasized the motion with his hands. "And breathe out." She held her hand out with one to her chest. "Imagine a flickering flame. You must slow down your heart rate."

Fei sat next to Kiri, across from Neteyam. She held the her hand, but could only think of the extra finger she had. It reminded Fei of the dreamwalkers and sky people that had once infiltrated their home and taken their resources. Shaking the thought off, she demonstrated like Tsireya.

Tsireya put her hands on Lo'ak's chest and stomach. "Breathe in," she said. He took a deep breath. "Breathe from down here," she was talking about his abdomen. "Breathe out slowly."

Lo'ak looked to Tsireya with that look in his eyes. She was still clueless. She placed her hand against his heart and spoke without thinking. "Lo'ak, your heartbeat is fast."

"Sorry," he whispered, embarrassed that she noticed.

"Try to slow down."

"Okay."

Neteyam and Rotxo shared a knowing smile between each other. Across from them, Fei'uey stifled a laugh with her free hand. Kiri just rolled her eyes. It seemed the forest girl was over whatever it was between her brother and the girl.

Neteyam looked up, away from Rotxo to find Fei's small, lingering smile. He hadn't seen it often in the time he had spent with the Metkayina, but it made his heart beat just a little faster. SHe let it fade quickly, to his disappointment. 

"I must leave," Fei announced. She had already begun to stand up when Kiri questioned her.

"Huh?" she asked. "Are you coming back to swim with us?"

There was a childlike innocence behind her words. For some reason, which Neteyam couldn't fathom to understand, Kiri and Fei had begun a mutual friendship. He couldn't explain how or when it happened, but he could tell the two understood each other. 

At some point, for an instant, Neteyam was jealous of his sister. She got along with Fei'uey much more than Neteyam did without even trying.

"I will come back later," Fei promised. "I just have other duties to tend to." She waved a goodbye and walked off.

Neteyam turned to Rotxo, ignoring what Lo'ak and Tsireya were doing, which was making eyes at each other. "Is she always like that?" He asked the younger boy.

He pressed his lips together and sighed. "She used to be more fun, but now she's been blowing all of us off to do other things." He leaned in to whisper in Neteyam's ear. "She hasn't even told Tsireya where she goes off to. It's super weird."

The next time Neteyam saw Fei'uey, she was feeding her Ilu some fish with a bright smile. She was positively beaming as she threw a piece up in the air and watched as it jumped to bite it. Even from where he was, which was a little far away, he could hear the faint squeals and laughs of the girl.

He couldn't pull his eyes away from her. He wanted to make her laugh like that. Him. He wanted to make her happy, know what she was doing all the time, and any useless facts about her. He wanted to be what his father was to his mother.

If he were to choose his mate, his eternal love, it would be her. Fei'uey, the Metkayina chief's daughter.

It was almost as if she had sensed his gaze, since she turned and had begun to look around for the culprit. He quickly moved his head toward his brother and Tsireya. No matter how tempting it was to turn around and stare at her again, he kept his composure.

He felt her eyes burning into his back. It was almost physical, her gaze.

Still, he kept his back to her. Eventually, he dove into the water on his Ilu and resurfaced further away. 

When he looked back at her to see if she still was watching him, she was gone.

---

Fei brushed her fingers through her thick hair. It resembled her mothers. She sat on her knees in front of the woman and strung seashells together. There was a mutual silence between the two. Fei'uey didn't dare to speak. She knew her mother was still tense at the forest people.

Fei opened her mouth, the words stuck in her throat. "Um... you and father are expecting a child?"

Ronal nodded, not bothering to look up. "Yes. It is confirmed."

"What does..." Fei stopped herself, but then continued. Her hands were lightly shaking until she laid them on her lap. "What does pregnancy feel like?"

It was a question out of the blue. Fei knew it, and her mother knew that she had known before. Ronal's eldest daughter never showed much interest in having children of her own, but only leading their clan in the future as chief.

Ronal pursed her lips and sighed. "It is exciting or terrifying. It depends on what you choose to want. Then, the developing process is stressful. You gain weight and your body changes. Your father never liked it when I did dangerous things when I was pregnant with you and your siblings."

"...And?"

"The birth is painful. Women in the village have suffered injuries from it." Ronal stopped her movement, eyes widening. "Do you want to know because you are expecting a child?!"

She had a glare on her face. Fei'uey was stunned and choked. "Mother, what- no!" Ronal was still searching for an indicator that Fei was lying until she spoke again. "I have to produce heirs in the future, especially if I'm the chief. I wanted to learn early. It is my duty."

Ronal let her guard down. She looked a little embarrassed, but still stern. "It is not your duty to have children. Your main focus should be the people. Making decisions. Doing what is best as leader."

"Right, yeah." Fei rolled her eyes. "But as a woman, the people will expect me to produce heirs. It will be exhausting."

"And what would you want to do instead, hm?" Ronal asked her daughter. It was a complex question with no complete answer. No matter how hard Fei'uey would think about it, day and night, she would never be able to tell anyone.

She would never be able to tell because the answer did not exist. Her future, in her mind, was blurred. However, she knew she belonged in the water.

Fei'uey stood up and left before Ronal could protest.

She needed to be alone.

---

Neteyam hadn't meant to invade Fei'uey's privacy. He was just wandering around the unknown territory, mapping out certain places when he found her. She was sitting in the shade of an old hut, eyes closed.

When he caught a glimpse of her, he quickly hid behind the corner. She wouldn't see him if he had stayed there. Vaguely, he caught the words that came out of her mouth.

"Eywa," she whispered. "Tell me what I saw all those years ago isn't what I think it is," Neteyam couldn't understand whatever she said after that. 

She was asking the Great Mother for strength? He pondered the reasons. What had been troubling her so greatly that she refused to tell anyone? Soundlessly, he crept away. Still, he kept the question in his mind.

What was so wrong?

this is a really bad chapter ngl, but it's a double update! if some things don't add up, feel free to message me so i can go and change them! i still don't have a full plan, just ideas. again, thank you all for the reads, comments, and votes! it means a lot to me, love you all!

my inbox is open for ideas, questions, comments, and requests!