EXPECTATIONS | Neteyam

SAVIOR

"Oh my god, Tsireya. It's those- Omatikayan dream walkers."

It was early in the morning: Jakesully had called Norm and the scientists to help Kiri, much to Ronal's annoyance. A black chopper landed on the beach, sending a cloud of sand in the direction of the Metkayina. Tefiti shielded her eyes, catching a glimpse of Neteyam greeting the dreamwalker. They ran into the village without greeting the Metkayina, skypeople into the village. Tefiti couldn't believe it, following one close behind.

Ronal had the same idea, waiting for her near the Sully pod. She could hear the English being spoken from inside, making her frown.
"Prove to me, Tefiti, that you are capable of being Tsahik." She spat. She followed Ronal helplessly. Tuktirey was sitting outside, Rotxo was talking to Aonung and his friends who peered curiously at Tefiti and Ronal, and Neteyam stared into space further away from the group.

Jakesully, Neytiri, a man named Norm, and a human called Max surrounded the girl. Human equipment, pictures and syringes surrounded her body, which made Ronal grimace. Ronal glanced at Neytiri in disbelief at the sky people equipment, but she stared back at her and Tefiti helplessly. "I see that I am not needed here." Ronal spun on her heels, but Neytiri pulled her back desperately.

"You are Tsahik." Neytiri begged silently. Ronal turned to Tefiti, who stared back at her blankly, holding the equipment which Ronal had pushed into her arms before entering the pod. She sighed. "Remove these things."

Neytiri yelled in English at the Avatar and the human, who ran out of the pod with their equipment, Jakesully whispering frantically for them to go.

Ronal exhaled, kneeling onto the floor. Neteyam and the rest peered into the pod as Tefiti dipped the needle in ointment, handing into to Ronal who whispered to Eywa, poking it into Kiri's skin gently. Tefiti held Kiri's head, blessing her and rubbing oils into her forehead and where her bond was.

Ronal then bent to Kiri's chest, sucking in the air from Kiri's body, her soul, and blowing it out into the air. Tefiti stroked the girl's hair, watching Neytiri whisper to Eywa silently. Ronal repeated again and again, sucking in and blowing out. The smoke from Tefiti's incense turned into a cloudy haze. She waved it around, surrounding Kiri with the smoke as Ronal sucked in and blew out again.

A crowd had gathered in the doorway to watch Ronal and Tefiti work; they were both mesmerising to watch when they were in their element. Tefiti's usual mischevious grin  had switched for a concentrating, straight face which scanned Kiri's body now and again and searched for the right equipment for her unconscious body.

Kiri's eyes fluttered open, breathing in the smell slowly. Tuktirey gasped.
"Kiri! You're awake." Ronal kneeled back, panting exhaustedly. Tefiti stopped rubbing the sage paste into her chest as she began to cry in her sleep.

"Oh, Kiri. Kiri my sweet child." Neytiri hugged the girl, Tuk stroking her hair. "My sweet girl."

Tefiti smiled at them gently, standing up shakily. She had been sitting down for hours, calling for Eywa's guidance. She walked out of the pod, her head throbbing from her concentration. She stumbled into the arms of Neteyam, who held her with concern written all over his features.

"Are you okay?" She blinked slowly, meeting his golden eyes emptily. "I'm tired."

"I know, i know." She buried her face into the crook of his neck, brushing her lips lazily against his striped skin. He kissed her hair, brushing his face against her curls. "Thank you." He whispered.

She smiled, lifting her face up next to his jawline. "It's nothing." She whispered back. He laughed slightly, pulling her gently in the direction of her pod. "Where are your parents?"

She groaned at the gap between them, dragging her feet back to her pod. "Outside the reef. They leave for days on end." She yawned. "They were trying to find the big fish that Payakan killed. They aren't pleased with Lo'ak." Neteyam nodded.

They arrived in the Marui pod. Tefiti flopped into the cubby where she slept. She patted the space next to her for Neteyam to sit.

"I'm not tired enough yet." She played with his hand mindlessly. "Tell me about before the reef." He sighed.

"Well, we lived in the Mountains after the war. my siblings and this boy called spider, would fly into the forest every day to play and stuff but I was never allowed." She hummed for him to continue, a firm grip on his hand.

"I would fly on my Ikran with my parents, all day. Learning the way of the Olo'Eytkan. Looking for sky people. And then one day.." he glanced out of the pod, the sun finally out on the reef. "There was new sky people Avatars. They tried to kidnap all my siblings, but they only got spider."

Tefiti laughed a little. "Spider is a sky people name." Neteyam ran his fingers across her lips and cheekbones, making her squirm and smile sleepily. "He's a human boy. It's confusing. I hope he's okay, Kiri's really worried about him."

"Neteyam." He glanced at the girl, her eyes half shut. Her eyelashes hung infront of her huge green eyes, which shone from the reflection of the light. "Hm?"

"I'm proud of you. Have I told you that?" She sat up groggily, wrapping her arms around Neteyam's neck. He held her small waist tightly. "Too many times."

She sighed. "You don't hear it enough, Neteyam." He smiled from ear to ear to himself, stroking her back until her breath became shallow in her slumber.