Let me heal you - Neteyam x reader

One

It is not often moments of silent peace find me. But when they do, it is far below the surface of the water, where the coral is untouched and the fish do not fear me. Perhaps it is selfish to wish to remain in these moments for long, but even so, there I will remain until my lungs burn and I am forced to push of the bottom and break the surface once more.

Often times, I am drawn back by the call of Ronal, our Tsahìk. She is both my mentor and my aunt, and together we are the strongest healers of the Metkayina clan. I often wonder if she would not have taken me under her wing if I was an ordinary Na'vi, and that she was only drawn to the gift Eywa had given me. The power to heal the injured and the sick.

This time, I was drawn homeward at the sight of four Ikran gliding across the sky.

Ikran were not of my people, instead favoured by the Omatikaya clan, the people of the forest.

Summoning my Ilu, I rushed through the water, towards the crowd of Na'vi gathering. By the time I had arrived, Ronal was inspecting the group, pointing out how useless they would be to our clan. I emerged from the water, unseen, sending my Ilu away with a pat on the nose.

The group was definitely of the Omatikaya clan, their skin a dark blue in contrast to my lighter, green-blue shade. They had thinner tails and slimmer builds, with thick, braided hair, which would be heavy in the water. The two adults, one female, one male, stood in front of the four children protectively. The woman was almost hostile as Ronal and Tonowari spoke to them.

One of the children, presumably the oldest but his taller stature and maturer build, was staring at me, his eyes piercing the side of my head. I met his gaze, smiling warmly in response. He looked away. The other children, one boy and two younger girls, stood beside him.

"These children," Ronal snatched the hand of the older girl, "Are not even true Na'vi."

Gasps echoed through the air, and the Omatikaya people whispered amongst themselves.

"They have demon blood!"

"Beware who you call demon, Ronal." I edged around my cousins, attracting the attention of the visitors and the Tsahìk.

Creeping forward, I stopped in front of the two adults, touching my fingers to my forehead in a gesture of respect. The male returned it, as did the woman, albeit less willingly. Now, I recognised him as the Toruk Makto. Jake Sully. The woman was his mate, Neytiri.

Glancing at Ronal, I approached the girl whose hand she had grabbed. She shrunk away from me, wrapping her shawl tighter. I gave her a gentle smile, making the same gesture to her. I could feel the boys eyes burning into my head again.

"What is your name, narlor ? (beautiful)"

"Kiri." She answered, her voice almost a whisper.

"Well, Kiri," A smile tugged at my lips as I extended my hand to her, revealing five fingers instead of four. "I am like you."

A small gasp escaped her lips, and Ronal exhaled harshly behind me. Kiri reached out and touched her hand to mine. Five fingers, not four.

"You have avatar here?" Jake Sully questioned from behind me.

"No. We do not." I did not take my eyes off Kiri, or remove my hand. "I am the only one of our clans that is of both worlds."

Ronal cleared her throat behind me. "Numeyu, (student) I hope you do not think these vrrtep (demons) could be of any use, do you?"

Kiri retracted her hand and bowed her head. I turned my head to send her a glare, then thought better of it.

"Do not forget who you are speaking to, karyu (teacher)."

Ronal furrowed her brows but did not speak. I continued down the line of children, sending Kiri a reassuring smile. My eyes examined the little girl and the youngest boy, before falling apon the eldest, the one who had been staring holes into me since I had arisen from the water.

He was tall, taller than me but not quite as tall as his father, his many braids decorated with colourful beads. Although he looked different to the Metkayina men I was used to seeing, he was truly the most handsome boy I had ever seen. Reaching out, I took one of his braids in my hand, examining the beads curiously. The appeared to be made of dried clay, and coloured with warm tones that were scarcely available near the sea.

Letting go, I stepped back from him and resumed eye contact for a moment, before moving on to inspect his parents.

"Your parultsyìp (children) are beautiful." I told them. "Txur kop narlor (Strong and beautiful)."

"Irayo (thank you)." Jake Sully replied, nodding in agreement. I could tell that a great many questions about my heritage lay on his tongue.

"Torak Makto is a great war leader. All Na'vi people know the stories." Tonowari stepped forward, placing a hand on Jake Sully's shoulder. "But we, Metkayina, are not at war. We cannot let you bring your war here.

Stepping back to my place beside Tsireya and Aonoung, I locked eyes with Ronal, hoping she would give in. Despite her position as Tsahìk, and mine as her apprentice, she valued my opinion above the other, more experienced healers. Moments like this make me think she chose me for reasons other than my gift.

"Olo'eyktan, Tsahìk," Jake Sully pleaded, "I am done with war. I just want to keep my family safe."

My heart melted. And apparently, so did Ronal's. The subtle slack in her shoulders told me as much. After a brief, non-verbal exchange between them, it was clear Tonowari was in agreement.

"Toruk Makto and his family will stay with us. Treat them as our brothers and sisters. But they do not know the sea, so they will be like babies, taking their first breath. Treat them like babies so they do not suffer the shame of being useless.

"My son, Anoung, my daughter, Tsireya, and my neice, Stela, will show your children our way." Tonowari turned to me. "Be sure they do not feel unwelcome." I nodded in acceptance. Anoung stepped forward to object, but the raising of Tonowari's hand stopped him in his tracks.

"Za'u, tsumukan kop tsmuke (come, brothers and sisters), I will show you our village." Entending an arm in invitation, I ushered the Sullys through the crowd.

Soon, I was bouncing across the pathways between mauris, Tsireya at my side, our arms heavy with luggage, and the Sully's trailing behind us.

"This way. Za'u (come), not much further." Tsireya encouraged, drawing the forest people away from the unfamiliar sights.

"This is for you." I told them, gesturing to an empty mauri. "This is your new home."

Jake Sully nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah this will work. This is great!"

Neytiri dropped her luggage with a huff.