EXPECTATIONS | Neteyam

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It was early morning, the day after Lo'ak had disappeared. The knocking on Tefiti's pod became louder.
"Nobody's home!" The girl groaned.

The door was knocked once again, making her let out an agitated growl.

"Go away Aonung, I'm sick of your bullsh-" She looked up at the door while rubbing her eyes, but froze to the sight of Neteyam. He smirked, looking her up and down at her messiness. "Good morning."

She gasped, shutting the door on his face. "Neteyam you scared me." beginning to change into something neater, she dressed herself in a variation of her usual attire. She busted open the entrance to her pod, revealing herself. He laughed, pulling her to walk with him.

"What do you want now? Still want more lessons on how to ride an ilu?" She giggled mockingly, bouncing next to him on the platforms which connected the pods. He rolled his eyes.

"No. I was thinking, since yesterday sort of didn't work out we could do something today." He avoided her eyes, fear of her harshness crushing his ideas filling his mind. He knew what she was like when she wasn't please with something.

"All day? For sure."
"Really?"
"Yeah, especially if it means I get to skip Ronal's lessons." She grinned at him playfully. He pulled her backwards like a child, holding her hand protectively.

"You really need to stop skipping them, Fifi. What if she makes someone else Tsahik?"

"Who are you, my mom?" She pulled a face at him, which he slipped a laugh out at making her smile in satisfaction. "Anyways, if we're going to spend the entire day together, I have an idea." She tugged him along to where the Sullys first arrived.

"What is it?" His golden eyes watched her as she cocked her head at him.
"Call your ikran, please?" He shook his head, walking away from her, snickering.

"Tefiti I could get into so much trouble, you don't even know." She wailed at him, pulling his arm gently.

"Please, Neteyam I'm begging you! I've never seen one up close before. I've never left the reef. Just let me look at least?" She squeezed his hands, waiting for him to reply. He sighed in defeat. "Fine."

The girl squeaked in delight as the boy walked a few steps forward, cupping his mouth. He made a trilling sound loudly, stepping back. She watched in awe.

The ikran arrived from the forest immediately, swooping their huge wings down onto the sand which clouded in the air. They squawked to Neteyam, who walked forward and rubbed the heel of his palm along it's nose. He looked back at the slightly surprised girl, who thought the boy didn't get along with animals at all. He smiled, nodding her over.

"He doesn't bite." Neteyam held out his hand, which Tefiti hesitantly took. He spread out her fingers gently, pressing her palm into the ikran's nose. She giggled as it rubbed itself along her hand, cooing. He looked at the ikran with triumph.

"Can I ride him?"
"Fifi. No." He shook is head without doubt. "I mean, imagine how bad it would be if you fell." She giggled at the thought of herself falling of an ikran at top speed.

"Then you ride it." He hesitated. Tefiti, pushed the boy gently on his muscular back up to the ikran. It cooed at she played with its face. The boy effortlessly leaped up the gigantic banshee and made the bond as the girl jumped on behind him, holding him by his hips. His head spun around to look at Tefiti, who grinned back.

"Hey, I thought I was riding not you."
"Holy shit, it's so high up here! How are you not terrified?" She ignored his remark for her to get off, snaking her arms around his waist. He blinked helplessly, brushing his hand across the top of hers.

The ikran lifted off the sand effortlessly, it's wings batting as it squawked. The girl squeaked as it soared clean over the village, above the trees which roots tangled amongst the village. This was the side of the island which seldom had visitors. The fishermen below were just dots in the distance, the wind blowing Tefiti's curls into her face. She rested her head on his nape, nestling into his warmth which made his stomach flutter with butterflies.

They had flown a bit around the archipelago, before Neteyam guided his ikran back down to solid ground. He disconnected the bond, holding the girl by her hips as she leaped off the back giddily terrified that she would fall.

"That was terrifying. You really have to do that in the rainforest?" She began to walk beside him, the ikran flying back into the trees. He nodded.

"All warriors must ride the ikran. It is the way of the Omatikaya."
"And all warriors must ride the Tsurak. It is the way of the Metkayina." She smiled at the comparison. "So we are both technically warriors, forest boy."

"You can ride a Skimwing?" His eyes widened. The boy had heard of his father's stories after being on the reef all day on how annoyingly hard it was to learn. "It's like it always knows how to throw you off, even the fishermen struggle riding the tsurak." He had said. She nodded.

"I was one of the first. It was me, then Aonung, then his friends.." she turned to him, tracing her fingers across the shell which hung on her forehead. Ronal had made it for her, much more beautifully than hers with smaller shells dangling from it. She removed the headpiece, revealing a v-shaped Metkayina tattoo that pointed down to her nose. He had seen her other tattoos, which had climbed from her chest to her collarbone, and all over her hands.

"These tattoos." She ran her fingers over her forehead. "They all mean different things. My forehead, for having Eywa's wisdom. My chest, for Eywa's passion for the reef. My hands, for Eywa's gentle care for the world." She glanced up at the boy, who was looking at her most elaborate tattoo which was her forehead. She readjusted her headpiece.

"Maybe one day you will get them too." He smiled giddily. With the Omatikayan people, he excelled in everything whether it was flying ikran, or shooting with his bow of the Hometree. His skill gained him much attention from the girls around him, but he was too humble and clueless to take a hint. The other boys of the clan were jealous of him always. "I'm not Metkayina. I'm barely even a true Na'vi." He began to walk again.

"Hey." She pulled his hand gently. "Where your father came from, and what his people did, have nothing to do with you. You're not like them." She pulled him closer to her, standing on her tiptoes to his height, her face inches away from his.

"You are a true Na'vi. And you will get your tattoos if you want them." His breath hitched as she pressed her lips against his. He pulled her waist into his, breaking the gap as she pulled him closer.