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Lo'aks eyes opened slowly as rays from the rising sun pulled him from his slumber.
Eager to start his training, Lo'ak only slept for half the moon. Electrified of today's adventures. His father—Jake also known as the mighty Toruk Makto prepared a small feast. While his mother— Neytiri complimented with some fruit.
"You're up?" Jake glanced towards his son that sat up slowly along his cot. "Good."
"Come, Lo'ak." Neytiri motion his towards the area of the pod they currently occupied, while the boy footed over slowly taking a seat next to his mother.
She smiled lightly rubbing her hands over the boy's braids, planting a small kiss among his forehead. "We have prepared a small feast."
Lo'ak gazed over the meal that was prospered. Noting that the family tried to make it mirror the food from the forest
"Thank you, looks good." complimenting the food as he grabbing some to indulge himself.
"Do you believe you are ready?" Jake gazed between Lo'ak and the fruit, "Tonowari says Yayìu is the mighty."
"Very might indeed." Neytiri complimented with a small smile along her face. "Very strong."
Approaching from around the pod neteyam entered the pod taking a seat with the discussed family.
"You here that brother?" He chuckled grabbing ahold of Lo'aks neck teasing him as shook lightly. "She may skin you!"
Finishing the feast and reciting a prayer to eywa, Lo'ak footed towards the reef for his training. As he walked along the shore a couple of ilu approached clicking playfully, earning a small chuckle form the deeply focused na'vi. The boy was tempted to take a playful dive but focuse back in on his duties for the day.
Lo'ak spotted yayìu sitting peaceful on a submerging rock in the middle of the reef, He rose an intriguing brow before mumbling amongst himself.
'why so far?'
Welcoming the sea, Lo'ak divided into the water swimming toward the distanced rock. Normally he would glide swiftly in the water, he'd grown accustomed to it in his time within the clan. Yet, today the water felt dense. As if there was a weight bearing down on his shoulders.
Struggling the boy inched closer to the rock before before pulling himself along its surface, breathing heavily. Searching for his lost breath he laid eyes onto Yayìu— the na'vi who meditated quietly as she worked on her breathing. Slightly confused of no formal greeting the boy took a seat on the surface.
"How was your swim?" She questioned flatly, as she inhaled deeply revealing a deeply exposed rib cage. Lo'ak looked back at the water in confusion.
"Different?" answering inquisitively. "The water was dense as if i were too weak to stay afloat."
"Should I not have eaten?"
Yayìu's eyes finally opened gracing the boy with their presence. For she knew the reason of the dense nature of the water. The iknimaya was now casting itself, bestowing an unbearable weight until the rite of passage is complete.
"No." She retorted quickly, rising to her feet. "It is the weight of the Iknimaya."
"The weight of an warrior is your to bear, and will follow you through this lifetime." The girl further explained thorough yet vague. "It is in the journey of the Iknimaya where you'll find true strength."
Examining the boy, Yayìu circled the body of winded na'vi. This was the first time she'd seen the outcasts features up close, witnessing differences she'd only heard of from afar. The additions of fingers and hair along his body that didn't occupy ordinary na'vi.
But who were she to judge and belittle, she wasn't so ordinary herself. Where she found that the two shared one thing in common, fascination of their differences.
But neither of them knew of those shared thoughts, yet.
"Your breathing is rigid." Yayìu halted in front of the boys bowed head, casting her shadow over him. "You must flex the lungs, as tsurak are fast and fierce creatures."
"Breathing must be stable and calm for you to tame one."
Whirling towards the water, Yayìu called out making clicking sounds with her throat. The girl took slight glances behind her using his deep blue hued skin as a indicator of his presence. Rising to his feet Lo'ak trailed behind the girl as she walked towards the edge of the rock.
Disrupting the waters calm surface a skimwing arose from the water, speeding towards the vibrations of the call before settiling in the water along the side of the rock.
"Tsurak are not Ilu, or as playful." Yayìu fixated her gaze onto the create below her as she mounted. "Just as warrior."
"They kill."
Lo'ak watched closely as Yayìu calmed the tsurak below her, gliding her fingers along it's back soothing the animal's growling presence with her voice effortlessly. "Mawey... Mawey"
"To become metkayina warrior, you must tame your own Tsurak."
"When?" Lo'ak questioned eagerly, flickering his eyes between her and the beast.
