golden girl ☼ neteyam sully

return of the tulkun

here you are again. prancing around in your tiny little loincloth and small covering, embroidered with a range of pastel-coloured pearls, hanging loosely over your breasts there were peals hanging from your ears and littered throughout your unbraided hair. but what was most eye-catching about your attire was the large pearl necklace adorning your neck.

you were beaming as you practically skipped through the marui pods. you were looking as gorgeous as ever and were beyond ecstatic for tonight. the tulkun had returned after their migration again, and the whole clan was already celebrating with festivities and the annual metkayina rituals.

as you reached the last marui pod at the end of the dock, you excitedly dove in. your senses were consumed with the coolness of the ocean and the songs of your clan's spirit brothers and sisters.

you called out for paysyul (water lily).

paysyul was your spirit sister. a young female tulkun. you had bonded with her when you were a little baby. she was fearless and graceful, full of strength and intelligence. nothing in your 21 years of life has ever compared to the bond you shared with her. she was your greatest comfort, reassurance, and source of happiness. she understood you like no one else did.

her whaling echoed nearby, and you grinned. it sounded like music to your ears. swimming in the direction of her song, you began to sing back. the harmonious noise erupting from your mouth along with a few air bubbles

"oeyä tsmuke (my sister) how are you? you seem different but as beautiful as ever." she sang happily, softly nudging one of her large fins into you.

"life has changed quite a bit since we last met. i have missed you dearly, paysyul." you signed, with a sheepish smile plastered on your features. "there are new people in the clan. na'vi from the forest they look very different from us, metkayina."

"so, that's what's different with you. you have taken a liking to one of these newcomers, i see."sometimes, paysyul could see right through you. even when you presented yourself as closed, you remained an open book to her. she understood your feelings before you even understood them yourself.

your brows furrowed while a small frown appeared on your face. "i am unsure." you gingerly moved your fingers, looking into her eyes. "he makes me so mad sometimes, and i feel like i hate him, yawne tsmuke (beloved sister). but other times, he is all i find myself thinking about. he is the only one i want to become intimate with nowadays. i haven't explored with another in a couple weeks."

over the next few hours, you continued to explain how infuriating neteyam could be with his assumptions about you, how much you both argued with each other, and how confusing his rudeness with you was because you had seen him be so kind, loving, and strong. you saw how smart and  skilled he was. you saw how protective he was of his family. and you couldn't deny your attraction to him.

and you had told paysyul about many of the scenarios you had been in with the forest boy. that night when he caught you with your brother's friend, that night in the forest where he told rotxo to leave and had barely touched you yet made you weak in the knees, the day where he apologised to you and you had to kiss him so he wouldn't lose consciousness on the ocean floor next to the reef,

the tulkun besides you hummed, eyes squeezing shut before slowly opening again. "i sense that is your answer to your confused passions and desires. you do not hate him, but feel the opposite."

"are you implying that i'm mistaking the passion for romantic feelings for hatred?""i am not implying. i am telling you that you are. and if, judging by everything that you've told me, he feels the same about you too."

your head and heart were swirling with emotion after your time with paysyul earlier today.lanterns were lit everywhere around the beach, marui pods, and docks next to the glowing ocean under eclipse. the people of the clan were either swimming with their tulkun, or dancing in celebration on the beach, but you remained by the docks, lost in deep thought.