Neteyam

Come What May

^I've listened to this song on repeat for at least 1 hour

Neteyam opened his eyes and he blinked in surprise. The blankness was changed into a real and palpable place. He was home, in the hallelujah mountains. It was evening or even night seeing how dark the sky was. He caught his breath and gently reached for the stone facing him. Neteyam watched as his hand went through the stone. There was a faint resistance against his skin but it was perfectly tolerable. Was this a memory? He looked around and saw the people walking to the fire place while chatting eagerly.

As he followed them to the centre of the mountain he spotted the orange light of a great bonfire. The air was filled with excitement and the precursor of celebration was thick with each laugh and smile. He recognized this celebration. Neteyam turned around look around but accidentally walked right into someone, they phased through him and sent a chill down his spine. The boy shook his head, swaying his braids wildly, to get the feeling out of his system. Careful not to touch anyone as he approached the innermost circle of seated people. After a quick scan of the crowd he saw himself seated with his family. "And then she dove down so hard I though I was fall right off!" He watched himself describe the story with hand gestures to exaggerate each tale to his younger siblings. Neteyam walked over to the sight of him and his family. His father dressed as the Olo'eyktan proudly seated next to his eldest son. One of the newest warriors, the first to make clean kill during their hunt.

Pride in his father's eyes. His family safe, a new hunter who was honoured for his first hunt. Everything was perfect. There was the sudden sharp sound of music making him jump. Mo'at arrived dressed in an ornate dancing costume as she threw her voice into the air to commence the performance. Drums began to play so hard he felt them in his heart. The arrival of the dancers made the already bustling crowd cheer even more. The fire dance. Neteyam crouched down to watch it as if he was living the moment all over again. The Tsahik lead a dance troupe of women around the fire. All dressed in grand dance costumes that had all shared the motif of wings.

Amongst them was Neytiri following closely to Mo'at. He looked over his shoulder to see his father. Jake looked just as in love with his wife as one could be. Neteyam remembered stories of their love. A grand tale that began with his mother trying to kill him. "Love at first sight" Jake said. Neteyam chuckled at his father. Then he caught his eye on a vision in orange.

Viryn was grinning as she twirled in her attire, the beaded strings attached to the wings that were wrapped to her arms twirling with her. Dancing to rapid drumbeats with an infectious grin. Neteyam felt slack jawed at the sight of her. For the ceremony she had been painted with yellow and orange, the colours worn by the other dancers while red was saved for Mo'at as Tsahik. The dancers swayed in unison as the circled the large fire in the middle. The crowd cheered with excitement at the performance but Neteyam could only look at her.

He remembered feeling his heart swelling when he saw Viryn moving her wings as if she was a soaring ikran. Her hair was pulled back so that an arrangement of feathers was pinned to the back of her head. Neteyam tilted his head to keep her face in his direct line of sight. The circling of the fire ceased as the dancers moved to the front often flapping with the drum as if they were ikran themselves while flapping their winged garments.

As tsakarem Viryn stood in the middle. She spread out her wings wide so that she cast her great shadow over the crowd. While swaying her body to the drums she fluttered her wings in a glowing display. Neteyam followed her gaze to the version of himself in the memory. He remember that feeling on his face, awe. What had he done for a skxawng like him to be blessed in such a way. He turned back to Viryn, she looked at him the same way even back then, with a shy but endearing look. Only for him.

The girl ducked back in sync with the other dancers and disappeared from his view. Neteyam stood up and stepped in search of her. He never realized how much he missed her until he saw her dancing and grinning like she should be. He watched as the dancers disbanded. Viryn rushed over to Merq'ena who sat amongst the other Na'vi their age. "Did you see?" Viryn whispered excitedly.