Te'fiti is the future Tsahik of their Metkayina village - the clan has high expectations for her, though she is also the biggest disappointment in her family. But when she meets Neteyam from the Omatikayan clan, will she change for the better?
Netey...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Te'Fiti." Aonung hissed. "My mother - she is looking for you."
The reef was calmest at the midday, when Te'fiti collected her shells for the songchords or swim with the animals or friends. Beneath the water, Te'fiti was in her own world. Her blue eyes flicked from shell to shell, brushing small creatures of the water out of the way until she spotted a sparkling sunset-orange shell, shaped in a spiral with soft edges that faded into a pink tint. She grinned to herself, smug. An ilu whistled above her, and the faint sound of splashing water above her head almost sounded like a dream. She expected the worst, like her ilu, burdened with wicker baskets of shells, darting back to the village with her goods, yet she was greeted with exactly that, and something far worse.
Aonung bobbed at reef, waiting for Te'fiti to swim to the surface. She appeared with a small splash, her face clouded with annoyance. "i thought nobody would find me here." she slicked her hair out of her face, glaring at Aonung. He examined her carefully.
"You missed my mothers lesson." Te'fiti shrugged off his statement. She hissed, glancing around her. "Thanks a lot Aonung. My ilu is gone." He snorted, reaching for the girl's curls ehixh had begun to bounce back under the reef's sun. She attempted to grimace and hide her smile. "Anyways, we need to go back. As i was coming to find you," he rolled his eyes. "something happened. everyone was gathering on the sandbank."
Te'fiti squinted at him, trying to find a sign of lies just to get her to go to Ronal's Tsahik lessons, but the boy stared back blankly, bobbing on the water waiting for her response. she sighed, outstretching her arms.
"Alright, but let me ride on the back of your ilu. Matu - he swam off. he'll follow yours." "Do you really have to?" Te'Fiti slid lazily onto her ilu, and began to pretend to be busy placing her new prized possession in the fold of the animal's harness. He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips, she wrapped her arms around his waist, and they started towards the crowded village.
Arriving by their pods onto the lower decks, Aonung took the lead, and the people parted to let him pass. Te'fiti held her head high in pride. One benefit with being best friend of the Tsahik and Olo'eytkan provided the girl with many special priorities such as these. She was respected in the village of course, even for her unpredictable nature, but no one is more respected that Tsireya and Aonung with their high status. Aonung found Tsireya, and he pulled Te'fiti to his side as their eyes began to trail over the strangers before them.
Infront of them, stood six blue figures; but a deeper, aegan blue colour. Their eyes were yellow, and they had thin arms and legs with a thin tail. These were not familiar people. There eyes too bright, too blue, too thin, so slender. There was a young child; two boys and a girl around the age of the Metkayinan group that gathered around Aonung, Tsireya and Te'fiti. One man stood out the most, and Te'fiti squineted that them male some time before it clicked
"Omatikayan people." Te'fiti nudged Tsireya and Aonung, nodding towards the family. "Toruk Makto? Surely not." Aonung frowned with disgust. Tsireya giggled out of the blue, and the two turned to look at her. Her eyes were latched onto the boy her height, probably the same age as the two girls, probably younger than Te'fiti, and the boy smiled back mumbling a "hey" in her direction.
"Look at their tails!" Roxto appeared from around the crowd, and pointed at Tsireya's admirer's tail. Te'fiti's nose wrinkled in disgust. Aonung and Roxto reallt had no decorum when it came to bullying. "Aonung! Roxto!" Tsireya hissed pleadingly.
"You don't know why theyre here yet." Te'fiti whispered. "Don't start batting your eyelashes at that younger one until we find out why theyre here." "Yeah? Well that jungle freak is already falling in love with you over there." Aonung muttered under his breath, looking away.
The girl's head turned quickly to the boy's direction, who was infact staring right at her. His eyes widened at her surprising watchful eyes. He swallowed, straightening up, and let his fingers fall from his brow to his hip, his lips murmuring "i see you" in the Na'vi welcome. She was about to smile back at the boy, who smiled politely, but she froze, and glanced him up and down, and her eyes flickered over to the two figured walking across the sand.
"Why do you come here?" Tilting her head to the side, Tonowari and Ronal were standing directly infront of the forest people. Her heart sunk as she made eyecontact with Ronal, who's stare hardened before turning back to the Omatikayans.
"We seek uturu. Refuge for me and my family." The father, she presumed, spoke. "You are forest people, we are reef people, your skills are useless here." Tonowari's eyes trailed down the slender figures of the strangers. The crowd and Te'fiti murmured in agreement. "My father will not allow this." Aonung muttered into Te'fiti's ear, leaning slightly down to her height.
Ronal began to circle the family, inches away from Te'fiti, who scooted backwards away from the woman. She grabbed their tails and arms harshly' and the child lept out a squeal in fright. "Their arms are too thin and their tails are too small. They will be slow in the water."
Her eyes widened suddenly as she grabbed the youngest boy's hands. "These children are not even true Na'Vi! They have demon blood!" She held them in the air as the Metkayina snarled and sneered at the family. "There's sky people in our Tribe?" Aonung scoffed, smirking mockingly. The younger boy's eyes flickered over to their group, almost menacing in Te'fiti's eyes.
"Aonung." Te'fiti hissed, jabbing his side. "Toruk Makto will stay with us. Treat them as your brothers and sisters." He glanced to his children "They do not know the sea, so they will be like babies taking their first breath. Teach them our ways so they do not suffer the shame of being useless." He stared at the children.
"My children, Aonung and Tsireya will-" Ronal held her arm out infront of Tonowari and whispered to him something. "...and the tsakarem, Te'fiti."
Aonung let out a snigger. Te'fiti glared at Ronal, then Tonowari. Why should she lead the forest people? was this to make her look like a better tsakarem? She made eye contact with the eldest boy again, which she looked away and stormed into the village.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
[A/N: im sorry its a short paragraph lol, i want to save for the second one which will be longber i promise 😭😭] edit ✍️: these chapters have needed HEAVY editing. jan 23 -> december 23 writing has improved DRASTICALLY.
