The Breath of Water | Neteyam

74 • The Start of It All Pt. II

A/N: It's been too long! Life has me busy, and unfortunately it's still that way so future updates will probably still be slow. Hopefully not this slow (like 2 months apart), but I'm afraid daily updates won't be a thing until the summer. If I'm more free in the summer lol. Thank to all those who are still here, I really appreciate your patience. This chapter's not that long, but I will try to make the next one longer! :D Happy Easter everyone!! 💕💕🤟🏼

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After Kiri's seizure, the mood amongst her family and friends kind of dampened. Neytiri was more protective than usual, and Tuk stuck around her more.

Liyanin would have stayed around her more as well but with her dance being literally three days away, she wanted to get all the practice she could. No room for mistakes.

Thus, she and Neteyam were by their waterfall again, going over her dance.

"Let me take a break," she said, panting a little. She sat down on the watery floor, throwing her head back as she leaned on her arms. Neteyam sat down, looking at her. His face seemed less...brighter...than usual. Liyanin noticed and leaned forward. "...hey, are you alright?"

"...it is just...Kiri." He sighed into his hands, rubbing his face. "...she hasn't been out of the Marui ever since what happened."

She sat there for a moment, her mind going back to seeing her seize. As she continued to think about it, she could feel her nails digging into her arms. Her eyes were staring intensely into nothingness, catching Neteyam's attention when he noticed her quietness.

He scooted over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Yawne."

She snapped out of her thoughts upon feeling his hand and hearing his voice. "...Oh...sorry..."

"No, what is it?" he asked, pulling her into his chest. When she put her head onto his chest, she closed her eyes; Neteyam began to caress her hair.

"...so...that's what they are called...?" she let out.

"...That is what what is called?"

"My off-days...they are...seizures...?"

Neteyam's eyes widened a little, then relaxed, holding her closer. "Yes...but yours are...they go on longer for what they should..."

"...so they are not normal seizures..." She said as she but her lip to stop herself from crying.

"Listen," he started, making her look at him. "...we can figure out why your off-days are the way they are if you want to."

She didn't speak, as she was lost in his eyes.

And then that looming feeling boiled in the pit of her stomach again.

"No. I don't..." she answered, turning away. "I would not even know where to start."

"Alright." He replied.

She soon stood up, walking towards the waterfall. She stopped right in front of it, then turned to face Neteyam.

"Let us practice more."

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"Kiri, come on." pleaded Tuk, but she wouldn't budge. "You've been like this for days."

"Just leave me alone, Tuk..." Kiri replied. She continued sulking, refusing to turn to her sister.

Tuk didn't understand the embarrassment Kiri was feeling, she was too young. But embarrassment was not the only feeling there, it was a mixture of emotions. She also felt ashamed, angry. Of course she'd be the one to seizure after connecting to the tree. She was different than everyone else. It was a given as to what the outcome would be, why should she be surprised?

This is nothing new.

Nothing different.

Just the same old thing.

Over and over again.

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Colonel Quaritch had received intel of the Sullys' possible location. That ship Jake had called for his daughter's seizure, they were able to ping its area—Eastern Sea.

Because of this, that is of course where he and his platoon travelled next.

There, they landed on a Tulkun hunting ship, disrupting the status quo of the crew. Quaritch had subtly threatened the captain to allow them to stay there for a while in order to sail around the area they wished to search in, and due to the colonel's intimidating disposition, the captain obliged.

They had kept Spider free of cuffs for some reason, guess they felt he really couldn't run if he wanted to, unless he planned on drowning in a limitless sea.

He walked around, taking in all that he saw—the equipment, the people, the tools they used for the hunting—it reminded him of the lab back at the Omatikaya home camp. But it was also different. These people, they had no care for the life on Pandora. This ship was rigged for hunting—killing. It had no sense of love or appreciation of the beauty on this moon, instead it was filled with a bunch of greedy, invasive parasites that unwelcomingly intruded into this place that wished to steal this moon's great beauty for themselves. Spider knew this, and it made him cringe at everything he laid his eyes upon.

He looked down at his hands, examining them. He felt a sense of shame—ashamed to be the same species as these people. Why couldn't they see that what they were doing was wrong? Why couldn't they stop and take time to realize the Na'vi weren't a bunch of 'blue flying monkeys', they were people. Actual people who lived here, the natives.

Yet here they were, readying to hunt them down like rabid animals.

And all Spider could do was watch.

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