Neteyam

Birds Of A Feather

"Neytiri?" Viryn called out as the two walked to the tent. "Hmm?" They saw the woman tending to the fire in the middle of the tent. A fan in her hand to try to urge it to lick the bottom of the pan above it.

Tuk was seated next to her mother by watching the fire. "Hi Tuk." Viryn and Merq'ena smiled at the little girl's sweet face. In return the little girl waved her little hands back at them. "Are you busy right now?" Merq'ena asked as they lingered by the doorframe. "No, what is it?" Neytiri looked up at them. The fire light casting a sweet orange shadow over her face.

"When we went swimming, our hair was getting everywhere." Viryn said. "And we were hoping you could show us, how to braid our hair. Like your's." Viryn looked up from her lashes. Neytiri smiled at the girls standing shyly from the door frame. A light chuckle passing from her lips. "Sit."

Neytiri sat down the two girls on the floor of the tent. "I will get a comb." The woman stood and and looked at the small boxes in search of the tool. Viryn and Merq'ena were orphans, which meant that many things were not taught to them. Not to say that the clan did not raise them with love and care, but there were small things that no one simply thought to teach them. Hair braiding was one of those things.

In the Omaticaya hair was done in simple braids with perhaps beads at the ends. The style seemed to be different in the Metkayina with their interesting ends and unique use of shells in their hair. "Stay still." Neytiri began on Merq'ena's head. With her fingers the woman parted the hair into sections before braiding them tightly.

"You part clearly, it's important to keep it neat." Neytiri instructed as she got Viryn to have a hand at braiding Merq'ena's hair. "You grab the hair, nice and tight and braid from the very base." The woman demonstrated." Tuk sat watching eagerly. Her own hair was already beaded but she was excitedly watching them. "But what if it hurts?" Viryn asked nervously as she parted the hair like Neytiri was showing her. "You fight through it." Neytiri said simply. "It's ok, I'll be fine." Merq'ena patted Viryn's leg to give her the go ahead.

Viryn pulled the hair taut and braided tightly to Merq'ena's scalp. "Tighter." Neytiri said grabbed Viryn's hands and pup-petted her to pull the braid so it was firm. "Maintain that pressure." Viryn began to braid, Merq'ena's hair was long so it was difficult her to remain even throughout but it ended with an alright braid.

Viryn undid the braid and smoothed the hair. She stood up in her knees to be able to look down at Merq'ena's scalp. This time with more confidence she braided the hair by pulling it downwards so it did not stick up when it was finished. Viryn moved slowly to make sure that each plait was in line of the rest.

The girl leaned back and smiled at her work, not at straight or neat as Neytiri's but it reached her standard of her first braid. Viryn looked at the other parts of Mer'qena's thick hair and the amount of time and work would need to go into it for her to be finished. Viryn looked at Neytiri who was already finished five braids on the other side.

Viryn stretched her fingers and moved quickly. She saved the last parts to be by the hairline so that her best braids were the most visible. "How's it looking?" Merq'ena asked. "It's going..." Viryn smiled as she undid the braid she had just finished. It took her a long time. When Neytiri was finished her side Viryn was barely done with twelve. "You will get better with time." Neytiri reassured her with a hand on Viryn's shoulder.

When she was nearly finished she saw that Lo'ak and Kiri had returned from their swim. "You're braiding." Lo'ak noted the way Viryn stood in her knees and was carefully cleaning up a part. "I'm trying." Viryn said as she stayed focus on the hair. "You look good with it." Kiri grinned and sat down in front of Merq'ena. "I better, I've been sitting here for hours." Merq'ena played with one of her finished braids.