The Breath of Water | Neteyam

24 • Development Pt. II

A/N: I changed Ronal's baby to be a son instead of a daughter. So for future reference, if you see Liyanin refer to it as a boy that is why. (This is for those who read the story when it was still a girl)

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Liyanin had went over to her mom's healing supplements and herbs to fix up Lo'ak and Aonung's wounds. She tended to Lo'ak first, since he was still in shock about what had happened; she wanted to try and fix his nerves by explaining herself.

As she came over to him, he stared at her, big eyed and mouth slightly open. She sat down with her materials and began to mix certain herbs to rub on his wounds.

She expected him to be frightened of her, since he just discovered what she could do, but when she reached out to touch his arm, he didn't flinch. This surprised her a little, especially since he had seemed scared before, but then she remembered Kiri. Maybe her abilities aren't that shocking to him since Kiri is his sister. But does Lo'ak know of what Kiri can do?

"I am quite shocked that you are not shivering out of fear." Liyanin stated in a monotone voice.

"...why would I be afraid of you?" he asked, almost sounding offended. "You are my friend."

Liyanin's cheeks rose a little, and her tail swayed with satisfaction. "...that is good to hear. I thought I was going to lose one."

Tsireya was sitting next to her brother, scolding him for what he did.

"I can not believe that after 2 minutes of you finally stepping up and being a better person, you turn around and immediately make fun of someone else!" she exclaimed. Aonung didn't say anything, though, his shame and guilt would not allow him to. He knew that Tsireya was right. Man, being a good person was a tough job.

"Aonung, get your skxawng behind over here," Liyanin said to him. She sent Lo'ak to go over to Tsireya since she was finished with his wounds. As the older boy was making his way over to his older sister, he eyed Lo'ak again and Liyanin noticed this. "...and please for the love of Eywa watch where you two are going. I do not want another fight in this pod."

Lo'ak took his place besides Tsireya, watching her sister work on her brother. He saw her give him a smack on the back of his head, which in turn cause him to hiss in pain.

"Thank you for understanding," Tsireya spoke softly, still gazing at her sister, but Lo'ak turned his attention to her. "...really."

He thought for a second before he said something, smiling softly before laughing quietly. "...Liyanin saved my life," he started, fiddling with his fingers. "...she's also a pretty cool person to be around."

"...why are you not phased by this, though?" Tsireya asked, curious about why he seemed fine with all of this.

"...just because she can control the water doesn't mean that she is some sort of...monster, I guess. To be honest, her being able to makes her even more cooler!"

Lo'ak's enthusiasm made Tsireya giggle. "I guess that is one way to see it." she said.

"...she told me of how she used her powers to pull me out of the way of the Akula." he mentioned, quietly. Tsireya nodded slightly, humming a yes.

"...that sounds like something she would do for someone she considers a friend," she said. "...it also looks like she's gotten stronger. She only used to be able to hold small pieces of the water and make shapes with them to play with us," she now turned her face towards him. "...but she was able to carry the both of you with all of that water."

"Maybe she has been practicing." He suggested. Tsireya nodded at this, acknowledging that what he was saying was making sense.

"Ow!" Aonung hissed.

"Maybe if you knew when to stop talking you would not have to go through this." Liyanin spat. She was rubbing the poultice she had made for her brother kind of harshly on his wounds, for she felt he deserved it. "...you should have known by now that you are no match for the Sully brothers, brother." she said to him as she snickered lightly.

"What makes you think I lost the fight?"

"It is obvious, you have the most wounds, and Lo'ak got the most hits on you. To say that you won is like saying Ilu can fly, or that feathertail payoang (fish) is palatable."

He rolled his eyes, slightly scowling at his sister's words. "You are my sister, you are supposed to be taking my side."

"Feeble attempt at my sympathy," she scoffed, now rubbing an ointment on his face. "...stop bullying others and maybe I will consider being 'on your side'."

She grabbed some bandages and wrapped his left arm with the poultice inside. Once she was done, she patted the wound lightly and stood up. "You both know that you will be questioned by the adults, right? Of where your injuries came from?" she asked the boys.

These words served as a reminder for Lo'ak; they smacked him like an Ikran wing across his face, and he cursed to himself.

"My dad is gonna kill me...oh man..." he whined. He rubbed his eyes harshly with his hands, showing high levels of his stress. Tsireya rubbed his back, attempting to soothe his nerves.

"Just tell him that you tried riding a tsurak, you don't have to tell him you actually fought." she suggested.

"Yes, that is a good coverup..." the oldest added; she had seemed to be getting ready to go out.

"Where are you going?" Aonung asked her.

"I am going to go diving. I need to find some jewels for a nikroi (hair adornment/accessory) I plan to make." she replied, walking out of the pod. Tsireya's ears folded upwards out of slight surprised, curious as to why Liyanin would suddenly want to make one of those.

"I thought you said that after the Sä'eoio Ayilu (Ilu Rite (ceremony)) you were not going to make another nikroi again because of how time consuming and painful it was?" the younger girl asked.

"Yeah, you made so many for all the young Na'vi that Mother had to bandage your hands. And you had to wear those bandages for an entire month." her brother added. She nodded while rubbing her hands, remembering the pain and vigorous hours of her working with sharp gems, her old hunting dagger, and many, many, loud and noisy children who did not know how to sit down.

"Yes, but that was three years ago. I am feeling...up to the task now." she said, withholding the true reason of why she wanted to make one. "...well I will be off now." She then proceeded to make her way out, but suddenly stopped when she remembered something. She turned to Lo'ak then looked towards Tsireya. "Please take him somewhere else, I do not want them getting into another fight."

Tsireya nodded, and grabbed Lo'ak by his arm, careful to not disturb his wounds. They left before she did, and once they had gone she said one last thing to her brother before leaving.

"...even though it ended in a brawl, you have come far from who you used to be, brother. I am proud of you."

Something in Aonung had shifted, and it made his chest feel warm and fuzzy. It wasn't often he would hear such positive affirmations from his older sister. But when he did, he always cherished them, making them core memories. He felt the corners of his mouth twitching, want to rise, but he held back his smile. Liyanin smiled softly at him before turning to head out.

He wasn't one for skinship, but he wanted to just give his sister one big and warm hug.

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