𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 | 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦²

41.

They jumped down to the ground, only making their way deeper and deeper into the forest. "Where're we going?" Au'nong asked, his eyes warily looking around them for any unseen threats. Only Lo'ak and Neteyam looked at each other knowingly and waved the group forward. "We're almost there! We can't miss it!" Lo'ak called, Neteyam smiling giddily beside him. 

The rest of the group stayed quiet as they followed the two leaders into the vines that awaited them so scarily. Tsireya looked up and saw the many eyes that followed them, the two bright yellow eyes that each animal possessed, trailing their every move. A few moments passed before the two in front abruptly stopped, eliciting in Laya and Tsireya to run into the two while they were atop a tree. 

"Shit sorry-" Laya apologized to Neteyam, who just sent her a warm smile and rubbed her upper arm comfortingly. She instinctively let his arms wrap around her middle and leaned into his chest, his chin quickly going atop her head as he nodded to Lo'ak. Lo'ak smiled and motioned for everybody to stand close together on a branch, and then pointed upwards. Everybody looked up, and the sight made them all gasp. 

While they were climbing, only the two Sully boys made a note to climb further way upward. The rest of the group had been too busy focusing on not falling off to bother looking at their surroundings, except the small notices of the creatures that watched. It was only now, with the clear view of the eclipse in the sky, that they saw it. That they saw just how high they were above the ground, in the trees and practically joined with the clouds. 

The view was devastating, with the eclipse shining brightly in the sky, surrounded with foggy clouds that teased the Na'vi skin with a slight temperature drop. Different colors cascaded across the sky, with purple dipping with the eclipse and orange ringing out above them. Tsireya smiled so widely that her face hurt, but it was worth it. This was worth it. 

Au'nong looked at the eclipse with amazement. He had never seen it like this, so high up and yet so seemingly close to it. It almost made him feel better about being so high off the ground. Almost.

"Can we find somewhere better to stand? I feel like I'm about to fall off." 

Lo'ak rolled his eyes and nodded to a small Na'vi treehouse, one that looked to be made far before any of them were born. The group slowly jumped over there and settled to sit down, their eyes still on the purple eclipse in the sky. Neteyam sat down with Laya leaning against him, his arm wrapped lazily around her back as he leaned his head against the backing of the tree house. Lo'ak was in a similar position, with Tsireya a few inches away and his nerves were going haywire. 

Thoughts raced through his head as he yearned to hold her the same way that Neteyam was holding Laya, with such assurance and confidence that she would never leave. But it wasn't Lo'ak that closed the distance between them, but Tsireya. Eyeing Lo'ak in the side of her eye, she saw the nervous glance that he sent her, whether he thought she was looking or not. She moved into his side and grabbed his arm, wrapping it around her shoulder before leaning her head against his chest. His stomach exploded in butterflies but soon eased under her touch. 

A pretty girl like her made him nervous, but Tsireya always seemed to ease any discomfort away. His heart beat was racing and he panicked with he realized that she could probably hear it. "Tsireya I-" He started, but she quickly cut him off. "Deep breaths Lo'ak, just like how I taught you." He burned with a blush so bright that he swore he'd pitch himself off his tree and never see anybody again but with one look to the beautiful girl in his arms and he knew he'd never even imagine doing that. So he followed her instructions and did what now became so routine for him. Deep breath. In and out. In... and out...

Better. He felt better. 

Meanwhile, Au'nong watched the stars with a growing curiosity. He had heard stories of Jake Sully, just like every Na'vi youth had, but was it all true? Was it true that he came from a star, so far and so evil that those occupying it had only come here out of desperation and greed? Perhaps he could ask Jake himself, or perhaps not. That would surely bring up some bad memories, he concluded. So he wouldn't. But... he could ask somebody else. Kiri. Maybe.