Eywa's Gift

Found

The ride back home took just long enough for the adrenaline flowing through Roxto's veins to finally give way to weary exhaustion. He's not sure how long he was hanging on to the exposed branches of the Tree of Souls while the ocean whipped back and forth, but it was enough to drain him of his energy and he can already feel the ache in his arms and shoulders starting to appear. Which is about the only thing convincing him that what just happened was real. He's always heard stories of how Eywa's actions aren't always subtle. Sometimes they are quite clear.

Well, he believes it.

It's still dark out, but once Roxto gets closer, he can see that the village is alive with activity. Which isn't a surprise. Roxto is still certain that the entirety of Pandora shook with the act of bringing Neteyam to him. Whether that was directly to where Roxto was, or back to life. Because that was it, right? That was Eywa bringing Neteyam back to them. It had to be. Roxto has no idea what else it could have possibly been.

But he holds out, despite the exhaustion that is dragging his shoulders down. He keeps looking down at the arm slung around his shoulder, despite how dark it is in the night, Roxto knows that there is something off with his color but that's kind of what to expect from someone who... just came back from the dead. Yeah, the more that he thinks about it, the more he thinks that this is true. He has no reason not to believe the Sully family about their own son and brother. Which means that Eywa did bring Neteyam back from the dead. Which is... insane.

He looks out, seeing some of the hunters floating out to sea, looking out for whatever it was that woke them - which Roxto can only guess was a lot of flashing lights and the entirety of Pandora letting out a massive roar - but that could have just been him. A few people send him curious looks, but mostly they're interested in looking around to see what happened.

Relief floods his system at finally being home. His eyes skim over the faces of people moving further and further to sea, cautiously. He can feel feather light, shallow breaths against the back of his other shoulder from the one that his arm is slung over.

A figure moves toward him, and he recognizes Tsireya right away. Her forehead creases in concern as she gets closer. "Where were you, Roxto? There was a sign from Eywa. It woke the whole clan - " she says, her pale eyes flickering to the arm flung over his shoulder as she walks into the water up to her knees to meet him. She stops, blinking rapidly before rushing forward, hands shooting out toward the body behind Roxto. "Is that Lo'ak? Lo'ak, are you okay?"

"No," Roxto says, his voice hoarse and scratchy. He... might have been screaming during the event. "It's Neteyam."

Tsireya freezes for a moment, her fingers wrapping around the thin arm of the eldest Sully child. Her eyes are blown wide as she looks between Roxto and the slumbering Neteyam, her lips quivering.

"That... he..." She whispers, slowly pulling Neteyam's arm from around Roxto's shoulder, her eyes taking in his face, as if never having seen it before.

"I found him at the Tree of Souls," Roxto rasps. "Eywa has brought him back to life!"

Tsireya's eyes couldn't get any larger as she and Roxto remove Neteyam's limp body from the ilu's back. Once the unconscious Na'vi is removed, the ilu chirps in farewell before racing off, still scared and seeking comfort back at sea and away from the epicenter of Eywa's act.

"Eywa saved him," Tsireya whispers, helping Roxto pull Neteyam up to the beach. Roxto is barely helping, all of his energy drained from him as the last tendrils of adrenaline drains from his system. Once they make it to the beach, Roxto's legs give out from under him. Tsireya almost drops Neteyam but manages to support enough of his weight to stop them from falling to their faces. "Roxto!"