Skxawng • Neteyam

12

•••

The following day at breakfast, Yeriyah sat on the other side of Kiri. This action did not go unnoticed by Neteyam, who has been used to eating beside her. She avoided eye contact and solely talked to Kiri. He knew she was petty, but he hadn't known she was this petty.

He'd needed time to...think about everything. Going on that scout with her would have just distracted him like he always was when she was around him. He struggled to figure out what he should do next. On some days, he believed she felt the same, and on other days he thought he was being severally friend-zoned. Eywa, he would do just about anything for this woman, but her emotions drove him mad.

She was hard to read, even harder to read, when she didn't look at him. He hated that, and she knew it too. She'd been purposely doing it all morning. The truth was, she was upset about him not inviting her. Then she'd driven herself so far down into her mind that most of her feelings had been concocted in her mind. She was convinced he couldn't like her. Not the son of the Olo'eyktan, the future leader of this clan.

After breakfast, before she could follow Kiri into the woods, Neteyam pulled her arm back. His grip was soft, never hard. "What was that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about?" She blinks.

"Bullshit, Yeriyah. Why are you ignoring me?" He steps in closer and looks down at her. Forcing her eyes to his, he tried to read her. She'd gotten used to those observant eyes, but sometimes they still shocked her.

"You know why." She hissed.

He sighs. "You petty, skxawng. I have to go on another scout a bit later with my parents again. You can join, and we can talk there."

"No, I can't. I'm hanging out with Kiri, Tuk and all the others." She waves him off and begins to walk away.

"We will talk later then." He grabs her arm to stop her and get her full attention. She turned her head and found him inches away.

"If you're lucky." She breathes.

"Eywa, I am lucky." She eyes him up, and without another word, she turns away and goes to find Kiri. Neteyam groaned at her beauty before returning to his tent, wishing he could follow them but couldn't.

•••

As they ran through the forest, Tuk stopped to look at a fascinating flower, and Lo'ak turned around to yell. "Tuk! Keep up!"

"Okay, okay." She leaves the plant and runs after them.

"Bro, why'd you bring her anyway?" Spider asks, and Yeriyah turns her yellow eyes to him with a scowl.

"She's such a crybaby. She's all, "I'm telling. You're not supposed to go to the battlefield. I'll tell Mom if you don't let me come." Lo'ak mocks his youngest sibling. Tuk sticks out her tongue.

"Don't pick on her." Kiri defends.

"Yeah, leave her alone." Yeiryah shakes her head at them. They chuckled before turning around and leading the way. Jake said that no one should go and visit the battlefield. It wasn't allowed. A lot of people died there that day; it was a cemetery. Lo'ak knew this, they all did, but they went anyway. Yeriyah knew they would have gone with or without her. She'd rather it be with.