ʙᴀʀʀɪᴄᴀᴅᴇꜱ: ᴠᴏʟ. 2 | Jake Sully X Reader (Book 2)

| Chapter 8 |

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Italics: (Na'vi language, Metkayina sign language, and Jake's inner thoughts)

A/N: Hi! Before we start, I just want to say that I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Also, don't forget to comment :,) Don't be ghost readers, I love reading your replies and they make me so happy and I laugh so much, I see them all and they make my day <3
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The next day, Kiri, Tuk, Neteyam, and Lo'ak, were up bright and early. While their parents were still asleep, Tsireya came with Ao'nung, who was begrudgingly forced to go, to pick them up for their lessons on the ways of the Metkayina. The sun was beaming and the water looked crystal clear beneath their hut. Tuk was particularly excited, more so than the rest of her siblings. She couldn't wait.

Tsireya, Ao'nung, and Rotxo, who joined them shortly after, stood on the edge of one of the pods by the shore and proceeded to leap in expertly. They've swum in these waters their entire lives, and still, they could never get used to the beauty that lay beneath the surface.

After Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao'nung jumped in, Lo'ak and Neteyam looked at each other with excited smiles and proceeded to run to the edge. "Come on!" Neteyam said, getting to the edge and leaping with Lo'ak jumping in a cannonball as they yelled with ecstasy. When they opened their eyes underwater once the bubbles of their jump cleared up, they gazed around curiously at the new world that had just opened up to them. It was crazy how this was below their own feet the entire time.

The only ones left to jump in were Kiri and Tuk. The older Sully sister grabbed Tuk's hand, and they both ran to the edge hand in hand. Kiri laughed as they leaped onto the water while Tuk let out a squeal. Soon enough, they were met with the same view as their brothers. The sea was littered with beautiful creatures swimming around in harmony around them.

They watched as fish swam, very peculiar ones at that, but they were still mesmerized. They had never seen anything like it, not even in the lakes and ponds of the forest. Some reefs and mangroves served as home to many of the sea species they saw.

There were called Pincer Fish, known to the Metkayina as the Sloapek. They have two vertical, large, and bone tusks. It had fins that swayed with the water, helping the fish swim. There were also small sardine-like fish all around as well. Lo'ak stared at the creatures with wonder, seeing how they were completely unbothered by the presence of the Na'vi children and seemed completely harmless.

Kiri did not waste any time swimming wherever the currents took her. She used her arms and legs to push herself forward as she swam along a school of fish that didn't even flinch at her closeness. She felt connected with everything around her, just like she did in the forest when it was just her and nature. Kiri turned her head to the side and saw that there was a graceful and translucent jellyfish moving to swim past her. Understanding the animals' intentions, Kiri stopped swimming and let the multiple-finned jellyfish pass by.

Tuk was having the time of her life. Neteyam was by her side, grabbing onto her hand so she wouldn't stray off, but still allowing her to explore as much as she wanted. Just like with Kiri, a school of baby fish swam around Tuk, not bothered by the 8-year-olds presence. The fish were so close that the girl got to have an up-close look at every detail they had.

Kiri was absolutely stunned, she got close enough to the ocean floor of the reef to the point where she could touch the sand. Using her arms to keep her steady and swaying her back and forth, the 15-year-old girl suddenly saw a small squid propel itself to her level and twirl in the water. Kiri smiled softly and reached up a hand to touch it, but never actually did because of how stunned she was.

The squid eventually swam away, and Kiri moved away her hand to keep her steady again like she was doing. In the corner of her eye, she could see a creature that looked an awful lot like a stingray that Norm and Max had told her about, along with many other Pandoran sea creatures that inhabited these waters. Although it was not a stingray, it did look awfully familiar. As the creature swam by Kiri, showing its belly, Kiri reached her hand up and ran her fingers through it as it swam by her.