BLUE /// JAKE & NEYTIRI

{7} ~missing~

𝖇𝖑𝖚𝖊

after their fiasco, kiri came home. imani sat beside neytiri, cutting up some fish a young hunter had brought to them per tonowari's request. neytiri was crouched to her right, weaving an outfit together. her new favourite hobby.

jake sat outside, also cutting up some fruit per imani's request.

neytiri looked up from her outfit towards kiri who sat in complete silence. her face remained blank, but she reeked of sadness, shame, disappointment.

"kiri, what is wrong?" neytiri made her way towards her, crouching in front of her child. imani and jake perked up, looking towards the interaction with their ears on alert.

"nothing, i'm fine." kiri shrugged, looking down at her hands as she wrapped a chunk of meat in a leaf to put over the fire.

"mhm." neytiri hummed, a dead giveaway that she didn't believe kiri at all.

kiri sighed, tossing the food she wrapped into the fire to cook. "why can't i just be like everyone else?"

"what do you mean, baby?" imani questioned, putting down her knife and wiping her hands on a cloth. she stood to her feet and walked towards them, sitting besides kiri. "is it what aonung said to you?"

"why do i have to be such a freak?" kiri muttered, looking down at her hands in disgust.

"oh, kiri." neytiri sighed sadly, brushing a piece of hair out of kiri's face. kiri jolted her head away from neytiri's touch, only for her hands to be grabbed by the woman instead.

"you're not a freak kiri." imani spoke softly. "do not let his words get to you, do not let anybody get into your head. you're beautiful, you look so much like your mother in every way. eywa blessed us with you, and she makes all her children in her own image, that includes the animals and the plants. we're all different, that does not make you a freak."

kiri sighed and took her hands back from neytiri, returning to wrapping the meat in the bowl in front of her. neytiri and imani shared a look, kiri was a very stubborn girl. when she had something in her head, it was very hard to get her to change her mind. she was very much like her mother that way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

later that night, imani was unwrapping the slow cooked meat her and kiri has prepared by the fire, when neteyam stormed towards her.

hearing his footsteps, she looked up from the plate in front of her with a smile that quickly fell. she knew all her children's footsteps, including her mates. she could tell who was coming by the rhythm of their feet, the timing of their steps and the weight beneath them.

the perks of being a hunter.

"neteyam." she spoke, glancing at aonung who neteyam had by the back of his neck. neteyam had an angry pout on his face, the same one neytiri would hold. although he wished to be like his father, neteyam was every piece of neytiri. the pout, the mannerisms, the way he thought, acted, even his face.

"tell her what you told me." neteyam gripped aonung's neck tighter as he gestured to his mother.

aonung gulped nervously, feeling the heat of her stare on his face.