The Power of Three- Lo'ak x OC x Neteyam

Chapter 8

  Days after the ceremony, Yryni glides in lazy loops over the half-submerged form of Payakan, her yellowish double set of eyes keeping careful watch on the two Na'vi teens lounging on the creature's back soaking in the warm rays of the morning. Ava had flown her out after she'd woken up to find Lo'ak gone from their family's marui. Neteyam and Lo'ak and even Jake had gotten used to riding the ilu's, but, much like her mother, she still preferred airborne travel. 

For now though, the girl was content to watch Lo'ak through lowered lashes, the sun warm on her body and echoing the warmth in her heart. The two had gotten even closer since coming to the reef, often sneaking off together to spend the day exploring the deep ocean with Payakan or flying off to newer waters to see what they could find. They hadn't done anything physical since their moment weeks ago, much to Ava's quiet disappointment, but both he and Neteyam seemed to have been giving her space to settle into her new role as a Metkayina. A quiet hand across her arm draws her out of her thoughts, causing her to fully open her eyes to an amused Lo'ak looking down at her.

"Am I that boring?" the male teases, a playful smirk gliding over his blue skin.

Rolling her eyes, Ava shoves him away from her, sitting up to face him. "No. The sun just felt nice enough to nap in."

"Well, nap time is over." Lo'ak announces, his tail lashing behind him as he continues to look at her with a devious glint darkening his light eyes. Ava tilts her head at him, wondering what he had planned. She crosses her legs underneath her, her heart skipping a beat as it always did in his presence. The way he was looking at her didn't help either, since both the boys had been giving her the same look and decidedly not acting on it around their parents. The dancing around had been killing her, and she was half-convinced she'd dreamed the whole thing up.

A clack from Yryni had both of them looking up at the female ikran, her attention on another swiftly approaching pair of wings that unmistakably belonged to Neteyam. The Tulkun shifts underneath them as Payakan turns to eye the newcomer, exhaling a puff of welcoming steam towards his third favorite Na'vi. Once Neteyam is safely dismounted, Yryni coaxes his ikran into the sky with a series of screeches, the two darting off over the open water in a gleeful chase. 

Neteyam plops himself down beside his closest friend and his brother, not entirely oblivious to the budding moment he'd landed into. He glanced at his younger sibling only to find Lo'ak's eyes already on him. The male's eyes automatically slid over to Ava, who was watching the fleeing ikran with a soft smile on her face. Deciding to play a new game, the eldest Sully sibling slid closer to Ava, gently threading his tail around hers in a way that made her jump and look at him in surprise. He reaches up, winding a couple fingers through the long hair that flowed down her back.

"Father was looking for the two of you," he announces. "Said he wants us to help hunt before dinner today."

"Even me?" Ava questions, her ears flicking toward the older male.

"Even you," Neteyam emphasizes. "You're a part of the warriors now, even without training. Tonowari decided."

"Oh, alright," Ava can't stop the excitement pooling in her chest. She stands up suddenly, bringing two fingers to her mouth to issue a crisp whistle to call Yryni back to her. Within a minute the ikran has sped back to her, gently landing on Payakan's back as to not disturb the massive creature.

"Meet you guys back at the reef?" With the boys' nod, she leaps onto her mount's back, coaxing the winged creature into the sky. The two remaining Na'vi watch after her for a second before calling their own mounts, maintaining a respectful goodbye to Payakan, who chirps good-naturedly before disappearing beneath the waves.

AN: I know it's short but bear with me, I needed a filler chapter before I could get to the next part of the story.