𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 | Neteyam x Aonung

Twenty-four

"..-teyam! Neteyam!".

The warrior grunted at the sudden arms that were violently shaking his body left and right. His lids felt so heavy, and the last thing he wanted to do was open them now, but someone just kept keeping him from falling back to his dreamland.
"Neteyam, fuck, wake up!".

"Argh.. what is it?", he whined out while rubbing his eyes and trying to block out the brightness. As soon as he just slightly fluttered his lids open, Ao'nung already took a hold of his arm and pulled him straight to his feet. "Woah! What the fuck?", Neteyam groaned, visibly confused and dizzy from the unexpected motion. He doesn't think he's ever been woken up so roughly before in his life.
Ao'nung instantly started running with the other being pulled by his hand, making sure that neither of them tripped over stones or sticks. "Baby, come on!" he demanded, occasionally peering over his shoulder at the younger one.

But Neteyam just couldn't figure out what was going on or what Ao'nung wanted from him. "The whole clan started searching for us! Can't you hear their noises and yelling?", the Metkayina exclaimed loudly. But Neteyam did, in fact, not hear their lutes until the Metkayina mentioned it, as his mind was still stuck in tiredness. Not like his body, which got dragged into a marathon the second he woke up.
Not only did the chief's son go missing, but also the newly crowned member and the oldest from the "outcast family". That's why it didn't surprise the warrior too much that they alerted everyone, but that also didn't mean any good for either of them when they were back.

As soon as the boys felt the infinite sea of sand underneath their toes again, they could already see the village and all of its many pods from afar.
Due to the fact that they didn't know what exact reaction to expect from their parents, their hearts began to pick up their pace by a lot. The two hurried to the main marui pod in secret, where they were instantly met by Tsireya, who looked terrified with the color drained from her face. "Oh my eywa, where were you two?!", she half-yelled while grasping and pulling on their arms a little to express her frustration. "Mom and dad ordered almost the whole clan to go and look for you!". The girl's eyes went down to their intertwined hands, whose grip Ao'nung just tightened even more at her intense gaze.

Suddenly, Kiri came running around the corner, a distressed look on her face. "Neteyam!", she gasped before quickly waving and calling the others to the pod and inspecting her brother thoroughly. First his braids, and then further down, searching for any potential bruises. It wasn't long until Neytiri and the other adults arrived with hectic motions, not waiting as Tonowari cancelled the search.
They all quickly walked up to the kids, who just shamelessly looked to the side.

Ronal's eyes immediately widened when she turned to the back of the two boys a little more, earning a loud groan from her son as she firmly pulled on his braid. Because of all the hurry and stress, the na'vi completely forgot about their tsaheylu and still connected queues. "Ao'nung.. what is this?!", she hysterically asked while disconnecting their braids and breaking the bond, being almost violent with her actions. The family's gazes abruptly merged into one, all at the same spot.
Uncomfortableness started rising in Neteyam as all the countless eyes were pointed directly at him and Ao'nung; he was never a big fan of being the center of attention. It made him nervous rather than delighted, or something along those lines. Especially after taking a small glance at his parent's expressions, considering that they looked everything but happy about the boy's sudden and life-changing choice.

"Neteyam", was all Jake said before he firmly closed his mouth again, which still made the boy lower his ears and chin. His father's voice sounded so incredibly strict, even angry. He stepped up to him and grabbed his shoulders, earning a small flinch from the warrior due to the tight squeeze. Neteyam could feel his nails digging into his own skin, and at this point, there was no other emotion than panic spreading out in his mind and body.
"Did you mate with the Olo'eyktan's son?", the man asked while trying to stay as calm as possible but failing miserably as the whole pod could sense how furious he was. Mostly due to his undertone and body language, such as his flicking tail and stiffly folded up ears, whereas Neteyam's drooped low and flattened in fear.

Just as he was about to hesitantly open his mouth and say something, Ao'nung quickly cut him off and told Jake that he could explain, but said boy abruptly got interrupted himself. "No!", he angrily spat out before turning to face the Metkayina. "I asked my son".

To avoid further escalation, Neytiri exchanged quick and similar looks with Tonowari before slowly soothing Jake's back and shoulders. "Ma Jake, please," she tried to reassure her husband, while the chief ushered the other children out quietly, not wanting them to become unnecessarily involved.
By the time he returned his attention to the boys again, Jake had finally let go of Neteyam and seemed to have cooled off a little.

"Do you even know how many problems you've caused the Metkayina clan with this?", the former marine hissed while angrily moving his joints to match his words. "And you too, Ao'nung, you should've known the consequences of your actions".
Neteyam's heart was pierced by his father's words and demeanor towards him. He flinched slightly as the other boy's fingers crept up to his own in a comforting manner.

"You've disappointed me, Neteyam".