invisible string ↝ ao'nung

VII ; Ribs

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
You're the only friend I need
Sharing beds like little kids
And laughing 'til our ribs get tough
But that will never be enough
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

"We will feed the ikran tonight, father," Neteyam assured. The twins stood at the entrance of the marui, their family looking up at them. Lo'ak and Kiri were fast asleep beside each other, Tuk was playing with her wooden hexapede and ilu, and their parents looked exhausted. Neytiri smiled, her hand brushing Kiri's forehead, and Jake gave them a nod, too tired to say anything.
The family kept their ikran in the small forest behind the village of Awa'atlu. Food was an issue for the ikran, as they normally ate smaller forest creatures, namely stingbat and prolemuris. Now, they were accustomed to eating the reef fish, their favourite of which was the glider fin and the feathertail fish. The latter came in abundance, as to Na'vi it tasted horrible, though the ikran liked it enough.

Sylwana's favourite time of day was coming to the small forest and visiting Na'ru and Oryxn. They weren't allowed to fly, for fear of alerting the RDA of their location, but simply being around the ikran made Sylwana and Neteyam feel at home.

Neteyam dumped the net full of fish onto the ground, the ikran jumping out from the shadows of the trees eagerly to eat. Na'ru nuzzled her nose into Sylwana's hand in greeting before tucking in.

"Neteyam, ever the mighty fisherman," Sylwana smiled, watching Oryxn chase around a frantically jumping glider fin. Neteyam smiled faintly, before his expression became more concerned. "Tell me what troubles you, sister," he said, taking a seat on a cluster of mangrove tree branches. She sat beside him, staring into the deep blue hide of Na'ru's belly.
"At the Spirit Tree," she began, "I was shown a memory." Neteyam nodded. "That does generally happen," he joked, and Sylwana rolled her eyes with a smile. "Anyway," she continued pointedly, "it was a few months ago, when Tsireya taught us how to breathe. Her spiel about the sea giving and taking, life and death. Remember that?"

Neteyam nodded, his expression now more serious.
"Well, when Kiri seized... I thought the Great Mother had warned me that the sea was taking her." Neteyam was frowning now, his eyes narrowed as he watched her closely.
"I am- I was a Tsakarem. I am supposed to interpret the Great Mother's will. But I cannot figure out why she showed me that memory."

Neteyam chewed his lip, contemplating his next words. "You were a Tsakarem who had not yet completed her training. Do not expect yourself to be able to interpret everything the Great Mother shows you. And anyway, it might have simply been on your mind. It was only a few months ago, after all."
"But I-"
"You put too much weight on becoming the next Tsahík. And now that you are no longer next in line, you feel you have no purpose. Sister, being Tsahík is indeed the greatest honour, but it is not all you can achieve. I believe this is good for you, you need to learn to stop thinking that being Tsakarem is all you are good for."

Sylwana stared at him. She could always trust her brother to give some gentle advice. "I did place a lot of weight on being Tsakarem, but can you blame me? My whole life was spent training for the day I would be appointed Tsahík, I spent every day memorising rituals and ceremonies and prayers and practices. Now what do I do? Go for a swim in the morning, and then in the afternoon I might go swimming again."

Neteyam sighed, but Sylwana had finally snapped. The words came out like the blockage had grown too weak to hold back her blooming frustration at everything. Leaving her grandmother, the forest, the journey to Awa'atlu, the humiliation Ronal gave them, Lo'ak being stranded, Kiri seizing, Ao'nung-