𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀. 𝙉𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙔𝘼𝙈 ¹

𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣. 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙠𝙪𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣

Each day, the grove had become occupied more with the couple. Neteyam waited impatiently for the moment when he would get time to himself and drag Fei along with him.

Today, Neteyam laid on his back next to Fei, who had been laying on her stomach and drawing patterns into the sand. They had sat in a comfortable silence while the boy had been staring at her in admiration.

She felt his gaze on her and turned her head to meet his eyes. "I feel it when you look at me."

"I can't help it." He replied.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're a stupid skxawng."

He didn't play into her game of insults. "You're beautiful."

Her face flushed as she averted her eyes back to the sand. His compliments were repeated, but they never lost their effect. Fei bit the inside of her cheek. "You're still a moron."

He laughed and grabbed the side of her hip that wasn't facing him, turning her body over and leaning over her. "A moron who you love."

She couldn't deny it this time. He closed the gap between them and gave a slow kiss. She reciprocated quickly and pulled him on top of her. "You're eager today," he teased.

"Shut up," she commanded. It worked easily, considering how he shut his mouth and leaned in once again. Before their lips could touch, shouts were heard from afar as people dove into the sea. Large crashes of waves were heard.

Fei pushed him off, stood suddenly, and squinted her eyes to look. She gasped and grabbed Neteyam's hand. "The Tulkun!" She exclaimed. "They're back from their migration cycle! You have to meet my spirit sister!"

He let her drag him along by the hand. She dropped it once they got close enough to the rest of the people, to his dismay. They dove into the water, Neteyam tagging along on his own Ilu. As the neared the rest of the Tulkun, Fei pointed at one in particular. "That's my spirit sister, Iyeka! We grew up together!"

She looked beside to find Neteyam smiling at her already. She blushed and bit her lip. "Hold your breath,"

They rode underwater to find Iyeka. She was swimming happily, waiting for Fei to reach her. She swam forward to the Tulkun's eyes.

She begun to sign words. I met someone. She turned around to Neteyam and motioned for him to come to her. 

I didn't know you could, she responded.

Fei rolled her eyes and signed back. Rude.

Have you mated yet? She asked.

Fei blushed and glanced at Neteyam, who pointed to the top. As he swam up and looked elsewhere, she replied. Not yet.

Do you love him?

She thought about it for a moment. Especially in recent days, she had felt better with him. Alive. Like everything else didn't matter. The corners of her lips perked up. Yes.

Make your own choice, don't think of what others will say! Your happiness matters the most.

It was times like these that Fei had forgotten how lovely Iyeka could be. She had been like the more confident counterpart of her. Fei nodded and started to swim back up to the surface where Neteyam treaded.

When she surfaced, he started speaking. "What did you two talk about?"

If only he knew. "Nothing much, she just told me some things." That was all that was exchanged until later. 

When they had gone back to shore, Kiri and Tuk had approached her. The younger sister had been practically bouncing up and down. "Fei!" She ran over to the girl and hugged her. "The Tulkun were so cool! You really bond with them?"

She nodded. "Yes. One day, if you stay long enough, you can too."

"Do you have a spirit sister?" Kiri asked.

Fei looked up. "Yes. Her name is Iyeka. We bonded with I was young." 

Kiri sighed happily. "The Tulkun, they're so amazing. I wish I could bond with them."

The older girl laughed and patted her shoulder. "A Tulkun may choose you one day, Kiri. Don't be so hard on yourself. The right time will come,"

She began walking toward the walkway where they had dipped their feet in the water before. "Come, I can tell you more." Fei looked over at the younger girl. "You too, Tuk."

They followed her up, talking about the cycles and the purpose of the bonding.

"It is a time for sharing," Fei explained, kicking up some water at Tuk, who had begun to giggle. "Many Na'vi here find support in their spirit sibling. They offer comfort and advice for others."

"And what about Iyeka?" Kiri asked, deeply interested in the Tulkun. Perhaps it was her connection with the living around her to describe her fascination. Either way, Fei had grown quite fond of it. 

Fei's cheeks heated up the slightest when he remembered what Iyeka had said before. "She is like my twin. She balances my mind and tells me what my heart does."

From afar, Neteyam watched his love talk so passionately about the Tulkun. He chuckled to himself and scratched his hairline. He had never been so in love.

short chapter this time, sorry you guys! i promise the next one is worth it, though, trust :)