Neteyam

If I Could Stop Time

Merq'ena and Kiri looked over her tablet. Tuk had managed to learn to scribble on some drawings onto the pictures. "She's so cute." Merq'ena chuckled at one where Tuk was taking a selfie next to a napping Lo'ak with her lips pressed into a theatric pout. She had drawn make up onto his face. The thick strokes over lining Lo'ak's thinner lip. But Tuk was nice and sketched a shiny head piece on Lo'ak's head marked with little sparkles.

Outside of the tent however Viryn and Neteyam were keeping an eye on Tuk and Lo'ak. Under Jake's strict orders to keep the younger boy out of trouble. Viryn was fanning herself with a small leaf. "He's not a child." Viryn grumbled as she watched Lo'ak just relaxing with Tuk on the shore.

As the oldest Neteyam was placed with the responsibility of the duty of watching over his siblings, and that extended to her since Neteyam deemed that as partners they needed to share the workload. But deep down she was glad that he was beginning to trust her with some of his responsibilities.

"He's in hot water with dad which reverts him back." Neteyam and Viryn were sat in the shade. Neteyam was leaning his head on her shoulder and had wrapped his arms around her and rested his interlocked hands on her hip. "I'm just as hot as you, stop making it worse." Viryn jokingly elbowed Neteyam's gut but it proved to have no effect on him. The weather was warm and even in the shade the heat got to them and Neteyam decided to use her low body temperature to his advantage.

"How are you always so cold?" He asked as he tested the coolness of her other leg while resting his head in the crook of her neck. "I feel just as hot as you do." Viryn let him put his weight against her even if his boiler room body made it hotter for her.

"You use me for warmth in the colder weather." Neteyam pointed out as he placed the back of his warm hand against her thigh. Viryn could feel the vibration of his voice with his chest against her arm. "That's different." She defended as she watched Lo'ak being buried by Tuk. Lo'ak was laid down in the sand and closed his eyes as he accepted his fate.

"How?" Viryn could feel Neteyam's small nose laugh where he didn't make a sound but breathe air out his nose hard enough to almost tickle her collarbone. "It's never cold enough for me to freeze." Neteyam hummed and smiled.

"With how quickly your temperature drops I doubt that." Viryn leaned her head against his, her cheek resting on his braids. "It's not that quick." She whispered as she watched Tuk dig a moat around Lo'ak's body. The little girl took the dug up sand and slapped it onto Lo'ak. Giggling when he flinched.

It was nice to have a day like that. Just a day where she could just sit down and do nothing. No training, no hunting, no anything. "Thank you great mother." Viryn spoke under her breath. The thankful prayer was meant to be just between her and Eywa.

A horn sounded from a distance. The two older teens instantly rose from there seated positions and moved to Lo'ak and Tuk. The younger boy had been nearly fully buried under sand. "What's going on?" Tuk moved quickly to the safety of Viryn's side and the older girl looked towards the ocean. "That horn is meant to announce visitors." Neteyam mumbled as he pulled Lo'ak from the sand.

Even though Neteyam was a little nervous he still took a moment to laugh at his little brother who had sand stuck to him like a wetsuit. "Everybody! The tulkun have returned!" Viryn's eyes widened as she turned to Neteyam to check if she had heard him right.

"The tulkun." The group of four rushed into the tent. "Kiri!" Tuk sauntered over to the girls. "Merq." Merq'ena peered outside the tent. "What's happening?" The tattooed girl asked Viryn. Kiri also looked to her for answers but they could tell from the excitement in Viryn's smile that they were safe. "The tulkun have returned."

Tuk pulled Kiri to her feet which in turn lifted Merq'ena onto her feet. "The Tulkun have returned!" They could hear Tsireya outside slowly swimming past their tent. "Everybody our brothers and sisters have returned."