𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐘𝐀𝐌 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓

004

ʚ ✦ ♥︎ ∞ ☾ ɞ

The flight had been long and tiring. Neteyam felt his eyes tearing up from the cold wind as they whisked above the ocean. The sounds of waves colliding with the boulders nearby hit his ears.

But even with the loud winds zipping past his ear, he could still hear the audible sigh little Tuk let out.

"Are you alright, Tuk?" He yelled over the wind. His mother pulled the little girl closer to her chest, looking down at the youngest Sully to hear her reply.

"Are we there yet?" Tuk whined.

Lo'ak groaned and rolled his shoulders, "Not yet, Tuk. Can't you see we are lost?"

"Hey," Jake cut in, looking behind him to turn to his son, "We aren't lost. I know where we are going."

"So how much further then, daddy?" Tuk asked.

Silence etched across the group, all waiting for Jake to reply.

Neytiri sighed at her husband, "You are lost."

"No, I'm not. Just trying to find the right reef barrier." He assured them.

"We're lost, Dad," Kiri groaned, slumping over in her seat on the ikran.

"....No, we're fine," Jake said.

The others sighed.

----

The day was gorgeous, tranquil, and with crystal blue waters. Nothing seemed to break the peace.

Until you gagged and spat out the bite, you took from your fruit, "Damn, that's not ripe."

You sighed and leaned forward on your ilu, "Do you want this gorgeous?"

The creature chirped happily and gladly took the remainder of the fruit. You smiled and readjusted yourself in your seat.

"Welp, that was our break, little one. Time to get back to work," you sighed, adjusting your bag strapped over your shoulder.

The ilu chirped once before moving forward, taking a small runup before descending below the surface of the ocean waves. You gripped your hold firmly on your ilu, carefully eyeing the ecosystem around you as you swam by.

'Everything seems in order.' You thought to yourself. You were just near the edge of your protected reef, where the waves we quiet but still present. Even below in the water, you could still feel the pull of the currents.

After a while, your lungs started to feel tight, and you gently tapped your ilu on the side of the head, signaling to go up. Together, you broke through the surface. You were just on the edge of the reef, ready to take another dive before your ilu stiffened.

You frowned, "what's wrong little one?"

The ilu lifted its head ever so slightly; you followed suit, peering your gaze at the sky. Your eyes winded when your caught sight of-

"Ikrans," you whispered before tapping your ilu, "Those are mountain banshees. They have riders."

You peered at the sky once more, eyeing their flight pattern. The one in the front seemed to hover ever so slightly as if second-guessing which way to go.

You eyed the reef barrier before sighing and commanding your ilu to go forward, breaking through the reef barrier.

"Looks like we will have some guests, little one."

---

"Ma Jake, if we are lost, we should rest somewhere first," Neytiri sighed, hugging Tuk closer.

"We're not lost. We need to get a little closer," Jake replied.