Bound to you (Neteyam x reader)

Chapter One - The Introduction

I could feel the tenderness of the flora crushing underneath my feet as I made my way through the thick forest. The light chirps of the wildlife gracing my ears which fluttered slightly. I could distinguish the faint flow of a stream not too far from my position. I graced my hands slightly on the sparkling flower before it retracted on itself, my eyes growing in slight admiration. The forest always brought comfort onto me. It was an escape from the life I lead in the clan. A break from the frenzy of the war.

I grew up among the Omatikaya clan. They adopted me as one of their own since I can remember. From what I have been told, I was the result of two avatars discovering their bodies amongst the Great War, the result of two sky people's incapability to remain rational. My mother was shot in the middle of the war, but the scientists were apparently able to keep her body alive long enough for me to be incubated. Except my five fingers I did not feel an ounce of resemblance to them. My family consisted of my adoptive mother and the forest. She considered me a gift from Eywa as she could not have children. It was only the two of us as no males of the clan wanted to mate with a woman who could not assure them a family. But we were happy, we did not need anyone else. She is the one who taught me everything I know. She is my mother, Ane'ewa.

Three years ago, I was able to complete my Iknimya. That was one of the scariest moments of my life but when I saw the proud look on my mom's face every ounce of fear left my body. I had my own Ikran, Tsi'iu. She was like the sister I never had. I was far from being the best even though I was not the worst, but I am sure that I was one of the most dedicated to train and learn.

A soft ruffling from the leaves brought me back to the moment. Kiri and Lo'ak jumped out from the bushes, laughing and pushing each other. Spider came running behind them, panting slightly.

"Wanna join us? We're going to the lab." Asked Kiri. I nodded slightly with a low hum, my face breaking in a smile.

"Come on!" prompted Lo'ak, before running towards the lab.

I walked behind Spider, to make sure he would not fall too far behind us. As we arrived at the lab, I made my way to Norm and Max, to greet them.

"Heeeey y/n" greeted Norm with a huge smile breaking his face. At this, Max raised his face towards me, "How have you been? Long-time no see, you should come around more often you know. We don't bite." He finished with a slight chuckle before diving back on his work.

"I know, I know. I had quite a lot of things to take care of, but I guess I'll try to visit more often." I sighed slightly, head dropping and facing the ground at the thought of disappointing them.

"Anyways, I should get back to check on the others before they break your lab." I laughed as I made my way back to the group, trying to change the subject.

"Don't be a stranger y/n. " finished Norm, with a slight wave of his hand before I left, casting them a last glance.

I found Kiri and Lo'ak watching Spider with an incredulous look on their face. Lo'ak raised his eyebrows and looked at me with an airy chuckle. When he saw my questioning look, he only added "better to leave it at that, trust me." As he ruffled my hair. My hands rushing to tame the slight mess he made as I laughed slightly.

"I think I'm going to head back near the camp. I wanted to train a little bit before eclipse. Are you going back right now, or do you want to stay a bit?" I questioned them, heading towards the entrance but still keeping my eyes on them.

Kiri decided to join me while Lo'ak and Spider remained at the lab for a little while.

We were walking side by side in a comfortable silence for a little while before Kiri decided to break it.

"Has anyone begun to court you yet, y/n?" That was a big subject, for both of us. We were of age to find a mate; however, I think none of us were interested in settling down and beginning a family right now. I don't know for Kiri, but I have things I want to explore, lands I want to discover, people I want to meet. And finding a mate in a time of war would probably end up badly for everyone involved.

I let out a really long sigh, which was already an answer in itself.

"No, and, honestly I don't know if I am ready to find a mate yet."

Kiri turned her face towards me, slightly looking up and gave me a tight smile before leading her sight back down in front of her feet, walking gracefully as always.

"I don't think I'm ready yet, neither." She whispered, closing the matter altogether.

We fell back into a comfortable silence, taking in the beauty of the nature around us.

We parted ways briefly after arriving back to camp. I made my way to me and my mother's pod as to gather my bow and arrow. As I made my way outside, my ears perked up to ululating coming from the sky. I looked up and shielded my eyes with one hand. I could make out the dark shadows of the warrior's Ikrans coming back from a probably successful hunt. Smiling slightly, I continued towards the training division.

There was no one there, which was a relief as I would be able to train freely and maybe, no - probably, miss a few shots with not too much shame. I readied myself, reaching out to grasp an arrow before setting it on my bow, gripping it with one hand while stabilizing it with the other. I took a deep breath, spreading my feet a few centimetres apart. I took a deep breath through my nose. As I exhaled, I drew my bow up and aimed for the centre of the target. I strengthen my core, tried to straighten my back as well as I could before pulling back the string. I could feel the tension of the string residing close to my face. The tension resonating in my arms. I exhaled the tiniest shaky breath I could without moving my stance too much before releasing the arrow. My arms directly taking their place back along my body. I squinted slightly, trying to see the result and where my arrow landed.

"It's actually not bad at all!" a low voice said behind me. I jumped slightly, before turning around.

"Neteyam! You scared me." I jokily complained.

"Sorry, sorry... I'll help you. Grab an arrow!" he added as he made his way over to where I was standing.

I did as I was told, and proceeded to resume the stance I took before, setting another arrow back on my bow. Neteyam took his place behind me, reaching his hands underneath my arms. He applied a slight pressure, bringing my arms slightly higher. As he corrected my aim, he brought his face really close to mine. We were almost cheek to cheek; I don't know if the heat I felt in my face was radiating from him or not, but it most certainly clouded my mind. My arms faltered slightly, dropping the tiniest bit. "Up." He said bringing my arms back up. He then went on to correct my back, pushing two of his fingers between my shoulder blades, and pushing them slightly forward. His hand travelled the length of my back and remained at the end. He then brought his other hand on my stomach. "Strong core." As he tapped his fingers under my navel. I did as I was told, not being able to say anything.

"Good. Now, release."

My breath hitched in my throat as I released the arrow. It reached the target, a little bit closer to the centre than before. Definitely an improvement.

I turned around to face Neteyam. He was already looking at my face, an endearing smile adorning his face. I suddenly realised that my face was burning from the previous proximity between the two of us, a darker shade tinting my cheeks.

"Thanks." I said with a shaky breath and a tiny smile, not being able to say anything else as I made eye contact with him.