Courting

Chapter 1

(i know this isn't exactly what happened but I couldn't be bothered writing it word for word and motion for motion)

Upon hearing the bellowing of the alarm horn, Ao'nung dropped the nets he had been trying to untangle immediately. Glad for any excuse not to continue the mind numbing chore, Ao'nung jogged over the walkways between the marui's, finding Rotxo along the way. Together they stepped onto the makeshift landing area of sand off the side of their village. The area, so often devoid of anyone or anything apart from white sand, was now bursting with Metkayina in a makeshift circle around Ao'nung's own father and a group of people that stood apart from the majority of the gathered Na'vi. This small group could only be Omatikaya. Having seen one of the forest clan once before from a distance, Ao'nung was quick to walk up to where his parents were conversing with the two adults of the Omatikaya group. Slowing his walk to a swagger as to not garner attention from the darker Na'vi, he began to observe them. While clearly Na'vi, they were very different to the Metkayina Ao'nung had known since birth. Their skin was the dark blue of deep open ocean, and their lighter tones did not appear like rippling water, as the Metkayina's did, but rather like the stripes of an animal that peeked at the hunters who sometimes ventured into the forest. Their eyes were not as similar to their skin as the Metkayina's were, but rather the shining yellow of sun dancing on water. They were much more lean and skinny than any Metkayina Ao'nung had ever seen, seemingly made mostly of tight muscle and bone. 

Eyes finishing his observations on their tails which resembled that of an animal they also seemed to share their stripes with. These tails seemed to be a lot more sensitive and expressive than Ao'nung's own, constantly twitching and swishing with any movement or motion. Rotxo continued walking past Ao'nung's father and began to slowly walk around the group of forest Na'vi, and Ao'nung continued with him. this was not to quash any curiosities Ao'nung had of the group, as he could not find anything warranting notice other than the differences he had already spotted. As they continued walking, the shorter of the two brothers had suddenly looked down at his feet, back up, and nervously said 

"Hey..." Looking behind him, Ao'nung saw his sister Tsireya had too emerged from her chores, teaching the young children to feed the ilu, and walked over. She laughed behind her hand, smiling warmly at the boy who had greeted her so unceremoniously. Rotxo, noticing the odd tails the group possessed, vocalized his opinions louder than Ao'nung thought necessary;

"Is that supposed to be a tail?" He said, reaching for it. The owner of this tail happened to be one of the brothers. When he turned, Ao'nung saw his wide eyes narrow as he pulled his tail away. As he did this, Tsireya reached and hit Rotxo's hand away, halting his laugh.  The conversation between Ao'nung's father, mother, and the parents of the forest people had concluded as Rotxo and Ao'nung arrived back at his fathers side. During his observations of the Omatikaya family, Ao'nung had heard bits of the discussion between the four adults. He heard mention of Uturu, demon blood, Toruk Makto, and the Sky People. These snippets reaching Ao'nung in between his scrutiny, allowing him to fill in the blanks. Slight surprise reached him when he heard his father accepting the Uturu request. 

"Toruk Makto and his family will stay with us. Treat them as your brothers and sisters. But they do not know the sea, they will be like babies taking their first breath. Teach them our ways, so they need not suffer the shame of being useless." Ao'nung was beginning to pity the ones who would need to spend time teaching teenage Na'vi the things toddlers learnt as quickly as walking. As he was smirking from the thought, he heard his father say "My son and daughter, will teach you, help you learn our ways." Immediately Ao'nung began to protest;

"But father-" 

"It is decided." The Olo'eyktan cut him off. Turning to Tsireya for help, she was already smiling and telling the newcomers to follow her. After letting them all walk in front of him, he slowly followed, thinking longingly about the tangled new he had left on the walkway, wondering if he had only continued with the chore, he would not now be stuck teacher forest Na'vi the ways of water.