I'll Always Come Back To You

In the Beginning

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up, breathing hard. That was the third night in a row I'd had that dream.

I sighed, rubbing my face. I hated that dream. Well, I guess it's a memory from when I was young. Really young.

I glanced around the Sully's swaynivi, taking in the sleeping faces of Jake, Neytiri, Lo'ak, Kiri, Neteyam, and little Tuk. I had inherited my parents' swaynivi, but I rarely used it because if I did, I'd be completely alone in there. I preferred the company of the Sullys, and now I basically lived with them instead of alone. I smiled. They allowed me into their lives when I was really young, and I've just been here ever since. I barely remembered anything about my parents, anyway. What I could remember was hazy and made no sense to the current timeline that was my life.

My earliest memory was of my dad. Or at least, I think it was my dad.

He was bending down to pick me up, which was normal because I was an infant at the time. What was not normal was the smoke in the air and the tears on my dad's face. That was not normal.

It was not Jake Sully. He wasn't my father. Instead, it was a male Na'vi, but he looked... different. He was a much lighter blue than I was, and from what I could see of it, his tail was thicker and longer.

Neither Jake Sully nor Neytiri had any relation to me, but they allowed me to live with them because they thought I shouldn't have to live alone.

I stretched and carefully climbed out of the swaynivi, making sure not to wake anyone else.

Village life started early, but I usually started earlier.

I ran and swung my way through the trees, scattering all sorts of small colorful creatures as I made my way toward the river.

I don't know why, but I absolutely loved swimming. I had to be in the water at least once a day. Otherwise, I felt empty. It was weird because no one else in the tribe that I knew of also felt this way. I guess it was just something I had.

I also had several abnormalities like slightly thicker limbs and a longer tail, golden eyes, and my skin was a lighter blue than the other Na'vi in the village. I also must've had bigger lungs because I could easily stay underwater for a while if I was calm. Other than that, I didn't look too different from everyone else.

My tail still had the tuft of fur on the end and the lighter blue skin did match some of the clan members. My thicker limbs just made it look like I had a little muscle. My eyes were also yellow like everyone else's,  with subtle hints of blue and brown around the iris.

Still, I suspected that the other clan members laughed about me behind my back. I never brought it up to Jake, though. It didn't seem important.

I shook off my thoughts and turned my attention back to the river, giving an excited shout as I dove into it.

-

"Morning, Neytiri," I chirped, entering the Home Tree, grabbing a basket of nuts on my way so I could deshell them. Only a few breakfast fires were burning, but the number of them grew as more and more Na'vi woke up to start the day.

Neytiri was sitting by our breakfast fire, laying out rolls of fish and berries.

"Good morning, Aneya. I trust you slept well?"

I popped one of the de-shelled nuts into my mouth.

"Very well, actually!" I said happily after I had swallowed, forgetting my dream from last night.

She gave me a warm smile.

"I see you went to the river this morning," She said, motioning toward my wet hair.

I smiled sheepishly, taking a small bracelet I had on my wrist and using it to tie my hair back so as not to get the food wet.

"I can't help it, I love the water."

Neytiri smiled again before something behind me caught her attention.

"Well, it seems the sleepy heads are finally awake."

I laughed and looked over my shoulder towards the entrance, where Jake was, holding Tuk in her swaddle and had an alert Neteyam and a sleepy Kiri and Lo'ak in tow.

I handed Kiri some of the nuts as she sat down next to me while I handed out the fish rolls and berries to everyone, popping a few berries in my own mouth.

Kiri thanked me between bites, and Neytiri reminded her not to talk with her mouth full.

Lo'ak was on my other side, but it looked like he nodded off again.

I poked him awake and laughed as he slapped my arm with an unhappy huff, trying to hide my grin but failing miserably.

-

Village life consisted mostly of hunters going out to hunt, warriors training or patrolling the border, fishers fishing, and gatherers gathering fruits, berries, and nuts. Rarely did anything else happen.

I was going to help Neytiri hunt this morning before training in the afternoon. I was training to be a warrior, and I was working as hard as I could to be one of the best in my tribe. I was already nearing the stage where I could bond with an Ikran of my own, but I was anxious to get there quickly. Contrary to the importance of patience and waiting that the older Na'vi always preached about.

On patrols and hunts, I either rode with Neytiri on hers, another tribe member, or went on foot. I couldn't wait to fly by myself.

I grinned and followed the group into the forest, my bow at the ready.