I See You ✰ Neteyam

1 - Welcome

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     In some clans, young Na'vi are given a task to create their own songcords to mark milestones throughout their whole existence. Whether it be an exciting hunt, battle, tsaheylu, loss of a loved one, birth of a relative, or engagement, they would be marked. For each milestone, one would make a rhythm or song to be finished by the end of the cord.

     Growing up, my songcord didn't have as many exciting milestones compared to my siblings'. Then the Sully family came to Metkayina. I hadn't seen so many different colors on the cord like I did when they arrived.

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     I ran my fingers through my wet curls as my brother, Rotxo, and I raced down the beach. We'd been informed that forest Na'vi have arrived, asking for a home. There were finally some new people on the island, I would've been lying if I'd said I wasn't excited.

     "What do you think forest Na'vi are like?" Rotxo questioned me, the crowd surrounding the shore coming into view.

     "Probably just like reef Na'vi," I shrugged. "I'm just hoping Mother and Father let them stay so there's new people to talk to."

     "Sure, whatever. I still bet they're weird looking." He laughed, and I punched him in the shoulder.

     "We might look weird to them too, you have to be welcoming either way." I crossed my arms as we pushed through the crowd.

     "You're too nice to people, Xantara." Rotxo shook his head.

     I rolled my eyes, making my way toward Tsireya. I could see the forest Na'vi now, two adults, two sons, and two daughters. The two sons looked to be around Tsireya and I's age, and so did the older daughter.

     After a few minutes of watching our mother and their mother glare and hiss at each other, Tsireya tapped me on the shoulder. "Aren't the two brothers cute?" She whispered, leaning on my shoulder. I glanced at them, making eye contact with the older boy. It was prolonged and awkward, I immediately acted like I was super interested in the patch of sky above his head. Rotxo was wrong when he said forest Na'vi would be weird looking. He was so wrong.

     I looked back at him a second time. I wasn't really interested in the one to the right of him, but Tsireya was. She was like that sometimes, having crushes of the week, liking every boy she sees. For me, it took a lot to get me to like somebody. There just had to be something about them. I had my eye on that boy though, and I was determined to at least get his name.

     Finally, my father announced that they could stay, under the conditions that they learn our ways to "make themselves useful here". He called my siblings and I to show them around the island. I stayed near the back and helped with their belongings. I was in the back with the mother and oldest son. We walked in silence as Tsireya was pointing things out from the front of the group.

     "Oh, I feel like I should introduce myself," I felt my face getting hot, thinking of how awkward I sounded in the moment. "I'm Xantara."

     The boy just looked to me, hiking up the heavy box on his hip. "I'm Neteyam, and that's my mom, Neytiri."

     "You two look alike," I glanced back at Neytiri, then to him. "You have the same eyes."

     "Yeah, I get that a lot," Neteyam smiled at me. "What do you do for fun around here?"

     "We usually swim or hunt," I shrugged. "It's mostly water-related things, but there's a place I like to go near the middle of the island."

     He nodded. "You'll have to show us one of these days."

     I smiled at him. "Yeah, I'll make sure to. It looks best during eclipse." My mind was going crazy. I talked to him! He seemed super cool already. I had to run near the front of the group so he wouldn't see me giggling like a little girl.

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