HOME | Neteyam

Chapter 1

“Who are you?” I asked bravely after watching the Omaticayan na’vi entered my territory inside the nearest forest of the Awa’atlu village. No Metkayinan ever entered that forest because they know nothing of that kind of place and they were never fond of lands.

I was facing behind him with a bow aiming at him. He could feel that weapon even from far away so he did not dare to move. “You’re one of the sky people.” He announced, quite certain.

“I said, who are you?” I repeated, this time I was more intense and eager at releasing the poisonous arrow across his head.

He slowly raised his hands on his head and carefully turned to see me, in return, I grasped my arrow tightly, ready to shoot at any moment. "I'm Neteyam."

"Go back. You can't be here."

"This is a forest, I'm an Omaticayan, this is my home."

My eyebrows arched in annoyance. "Well, not this one. Go back or this arrow will go through your skull." I moved forward unhesitatingly to show him that I'm not afraid of doing what I said. He stepped back, fear on his face.

"Look, I just miss my home, okay?" he started explaining as he lowered his hands. "I've been in the ocean for too long and I just want to somehow enjoy the home I used to call. They told me this place is very dangerous and I've been ordered to never come here. But I want to see myself."

I studied him and when I confirmed that he's just a mindless na'vi, I drew back my bow and hung it behind my back. "You should have listened to them. This is no place for any Na'vi."

Confusion flustered on his face. "Then why do you live here? This world is even more dangerous for you"

Suddenly, a rasp sound occured somewhere behind the trees. I got tensed and kept a keen eye around me, forgetting about the na'vi in front of me.

Neteyam chuckled at my reaction. "It's probably just some wild harmless animal. If you live in this forest, you should now."

I ignored him and focused on the rasping sound nearly coming to our place. "Skawng" I hissed.

He was about to protest again and probably insult more when the sound became louder and nearer, his ears twitched. Suddenly, fear crossed his face as if the sound wasn't familiar.

I started locating the sound. Even though I'm a human, I've developed and practice my hearing to become sharp. Because I've been all alone in my life, I had to train myself to adapt and be wary of this dangerous world, for me at least.

The rasping stopped. But I knew that something terrible is gonna happen. And with a blink of an eye, two black angry forest animal came to attack the both of us. They were almost as big as the Na'vi in front if me.

While the animal was still on the air when it jumped, I released my arrow and it hit its arm. It fell down on the ground but didn't affect it, rather, it became angrier, growling, and charging at me. When it started running again towards me, I readied my bow and aimed straight at its head until it fell down and died.

On the other hand, since Neteyam was unprepared and weaponless, the animal almost knocked him down but he blocked it and threw it with all his strength against a tree. Unfortunately, he got scratch on his chest. He hissed in pain.

Neteyam was about to prepare himself from the next attack of the animal but he suddenly lost balance of himself and almost fell down.

"Shit." i murmured when I saw the wound on his bare chest with two scratches directly from the claw of the animal.

I didn't waste any second and before the animal even make its move, I prepared my bow and hit it right through its head which immediately died.

"You stupid fuck." I said then run to the na'vi. He was bleeding, but it's not the mere wound I was worrying about.

"It's fine, it's just some scratch." He said with a faint smile but his face is starting to get pale. "I can just go home and... and." he didn't finish his statement because he fell down to the ground, very unconscious and ill.