𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 | ɴᴇᴛᴇʏᴀᴍ.

malkan.[004]

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The trees swayed in the soft wind, allowing sun to peak through them and reflect on the grass. The girl skipped from branch to branch. Effortlessly. Her braids swung with her swift movement. Small branches and plants crunched beneath her feet as she ran.

Extending her arm, she unchecked an arrow. It landed on a tree, along with multiple other arrows in the socket. She replaced the arrow as she breathed in, unchecking another one, having it land in another socket on different tree. Her eyes squinted as she focused on the next target. Releasing the arrow, it drove straight into another, splitting it in two.

She stopped abruptly, breathing in, embracing the forest as she caught her breath. She could sense every sound and feeling of the woodland. She finally opened her eyes, watching creatures wonder about, letting the sun gently kiss her face. Her tail swished as her head whipped in every direction, the scenery would never get old.

A loud crunch interrupted her thoughts, causing her ears to perk up. She reloaded the abnormally large bow, crouching to reveal her presence. Her ears flicked. Hearing another crunch. She quickly unchecked the arrow near their hiding spot, causing them to duck. She swiftly grabbed her knife, swiping their legs and pinning them to the ground. One knee on each arm.

A pair of yellow eyes stared back at her, his breath heaving. She placed her knife closer to his neck, feeling his heart beat faster. "Why are you following me, foreigner?" She asked, squinting her eyes. He only struggled to break free from her grip, pursing his lips from her unexpected strength. Veins in his arms showed prominently, stupidly attempting to move again. Her ears flicked out of annoyance as she applied pressure with her knees.

"Talk. Or at least give me reason that I shouldn't kill you right now." She ordered. His head titled back further as she placed her blade closer. "I just-" He had started, his voice was heavily accented, most definitely making him distinct from the group of foreigners. He had stopped mid sentence, watching the girl's gaze go elsewhere. He followed her eyes, landing on a glowing object.

    It wasn't a creature for sure. It had no face or body. He watched intently, examining the colors of the glowing entity mix with orange and red. It floated towards them, slowly. The girl's lips parted as it landed on her blade. Her eyes quickly darted to his, staring as the glow reflected in his eyes, but he was too focused on the object to notice.

Quiet whispers fluttered throughout the clearing, seemingly being carried throughout the wind. The girl's eared lowered and expression softened as she listened.

    Neteyam slightly tilted his head out of curiosity, it had reminded him of the spirits that were native to the forest back at home. The two sat in silence, having the rustling trees and whispers be the only thing heard. A soft gust of wind blew, taking the floating entity. The pair watched as it floated away, flying aimlessly into the forest.

His eyes inked into her gaze, staring into her flame like irises. She could feel his heart rate quicken as she observed his jaw slightly clenching. She removed the knife from his neck, quickly standing— realizing she was still straddling him. She sent him a last glance before grabbing her bow, leaving him in the grass. "Hey, wait up!" He yelled after her, struggling to get up. She sighed, hearing his footsteps behind her. The girl stepped through large leaves, attempting to throw him off.

    "Hey!" He called after her, dodging the large plants that littered the forest. "I didn't catch your-" he started, grabbing her wrist. She swung her bow quickly, hitting him in the face. He fell in the grass with a loud thud. "Damn!" He cursed, rubbing his now bleeding lip.

She scoffed, "You should not be here." Neteyam propped himself up on his elbows, tilting his head, having his braids dramatically moved with it. "What was that back there? That thing." He questioned, completely disregarding her statement. She sighed deeply, knowing he wouldn't stop until she answered.

"Malkan." She paused, "Very pure spirits." She said, watching him get back up on his feet. Neteyam brushed dirt off of his body, still gazing at the girl. He cleared his throat, "Well- um-" He started before feeling the ground rumble. His eyes quickly darted towards the cluttered trees behind him. Na'vi emerged from the trees, riding large hexapedal creatures.

Neteyam's hand quickly went near his knife as he watched the Na'vi stop at the girl's sides. The unusual creature's red eyes glared at him, sending deep hisses. He pursed his lips tightly into a frown, watching their fangs unveil. A deep chuckle came from one of the Na'vi as he gently caressed the animal.

      "I see you, Hutey." She said, extending her arm. He gave her a soft smile before returning the gesture. "I see you." He replied. Neteyam examined the group, realizing they were all similar in age. "Alone with the foreigner, I see." Another voice came from behind Hutey. "Shut up, Maxkto." She hissed, knowing the annoying voice came  from her brother.

"Maybe we should kill him." He suggested. The girl glanced back at Neteyam, who clearly had no idea what he had said. "No, mother's orders." She replied, even though her reasoning hadn't been completely true. Maxkto could only scoff, having his Pilu mimic his attitude.
   
    Hutey glanced behind the girl, laying his eyes on the unfamiliar Sully. Neteyam took the time to study his appearance, seeing half of his body almost covered in tattoos from head to toe. Hutey lightly scoffed before turning his attention back to the girl. "Come. Your father needs you." He said, extending his arm. She hesitated as she looked at Neteyam.

     "Za'tari." He spoke once more, titling his head. She snapped out of her thoughts and took his hand, mounting the large creature. She wrapped her arms around his abdomen before looking back to Neteyam, who only glanced at the grass, tending to his bleeding lip. Hutey yipped as he started to trot off. The rest of the group followed.

     "Good luck getting back to the village, foreigner." Maxto laughed out, leaving the boy in the clearing.

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"This is insane." Lo'ak complained. He shook his head as he examined his new attire. His tailed swished in annoyance.

   "You look fine, Lo'ak." Tsireya reassured him, also looking at the cloths. The material consisted of unfamiliar material made from both the sea and forest. His eyebrows furrowed as reattached his armband, disregarding her statement.

   "Lo'ak." She said gently, taking his arm. His expression softened as his eyes met her gaze. Her held titled, giving him a look that said 'Stop sulking'. He sighed deeply before taking her arm.

   "I'm sorry. I'm just processing all of this. That's all." He explained. She only shook her head. She understood people handle situations differently but she most definitely knew Lo'ak.

   "We'll get through this together." He said, placing his forehead against hers. "Of course." She replied with a soft smile. A loud crunch could be heard behind the pair. Their eyes darted towards a dirt covered Neteyam, walking inside of the home.

     "What the hell happened to you, bro?" Lo'ak questioned, noticing his bleeding lip and overall dirtiness.

     "I fell." He said quickly before continuing to walk to their hammocks. He lightly chuckled to himself from the lie before wincing in pain from his face. Damn, this girl was truly something else.

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