Dream || Neteyam

Three

I'm switching up the pov on this one, cuz I can  and I wanted to try it out
lmk what yall think please!

"Lo'ak, can you please go wake Neteyam?" Ni'awtu asks, riding on her Ilu towards the small group.

Kiri, Lo'ak, Tsireya, Aonung, and Tuk sit in the shallow water, trying to learn the way to ride a Ilu.

The sun shines bright and warm on them. Something the Omaticaya children are not exactly used to.

"Um sure." The young boy says, looking to Tsireya.

"And can you tell him to meet me at the barrier pools?"

He nods and dives into the water, leaving them.

"Nia, why do you need Neteyam?" Tsireya asks, riding next to Nia.

"The jungle boy needs to learn our language."

"Since when did you want to teach?"

"Never. But he asked me to last night. I need to help in some way." Nia's voice drones on. It is not something she looks forward to in the slightest.

"I dont blame him." Kiri says, playfully.

"Some people are disgusting." Aonung agrees, looking to Tsireya. 

Ni'awtu guesses the two of them meaning Lo'ak and Tsireya. Hearing that they are already noticing after two days makes her upset.

"Barf." Tuk says, pretending to gag. Nia gives a small smile to the little girl.

"After, you should teach him how to ride an Ilu." She smiles avoiding their taunts.

She shoves her long black hair behind her shoulder. "No promises. He is too much." Nia says, looking to the reef pools.

"You haven't spent your whole life with him either." Kiri jokes.

"Or you're too much." Tsireya looks to Nia.

"Oh shut up." She laughs, riding away her Ilu.

"Good luck Nia."

~

Luck is everything she needs for the  pathetic jungle baby.

"No." Nia slaps his hand in frustration. No is something she thinks she's repeated at least one hundred times.

"Ow." He looks up at her, his eyebrows furrow together almost as upset as her.

"You are  like a baby. A big jungle baby."

His smile grows at the nicknames. "Or my teacher sucks."

"You do it wrong."

"Teach me better then." A blank obvious expression is across is face.  She give him a blank stare back.

Shes been signing to fast. And she knows it. But everyone needs a struggle to learn.

She groans and grabs his hand, tightly, letting it loser after a minute. "Neteyam."

She guides his hand and point to him. Their eye contact stay intact. Hopefully he learns this way.

"Ni'awtu." The girl points to herself. His eyes watch her hands, and she watches him closely, making sure he pays attention.

"Water." She signs with him. His eyes leave her hands and hover over her face, her hair, the bead pieces she has in her hair.

They are different from the ones in the forest. Hers are colorful, almost see through beads. 

"Sand." She whispers, feeling the heavy gaze on her. "Now you try those."

Her hand drops quickly, and she looks away for a moment. The water beyond the barrier, is crazy today. 

The waves fall in and back out, crashing.

"Um, Neteyam," He clears his voice and looks to the sand. "Ni'awtu."

She smiles encouraging him. "Water. And sand." He finishes the hand gesture and then smiles.

Despite not focusing at all he recits them perfectly. "Yes, good job Neteyam." She says enthusiastically.

He is shocked but doesn't let it through. He hasn't seen her smile like that with him, or anyone.

"That was right?" He asks shocked.

She nods. She is proud of herself for teaching him. Deep down, she is also proud of him for finally getting it.

"Okay what else do you have?"

~

"You do not have to do that every time." Nia says.

"When?"

"When your greeting someone or complimenting. Talking about the scenery."

He smiles and looks to the sand.

The two of them have been hard at work for countless minutes now, getting distracted in the language. And each other.

They sat and teased or being rude to one another, only knowing it was a joke. "You learn fast Jungle baby. I am glad."

"You can be a good teacher water girl." She knew she could, in the beginning she just was not trying. 

She rolls her eyes and kicks sand at him from under the water. "No water girl." Her firm voice states.

"Hey!" He laughs.

And then he gets an idea. Not the brightest idea either.

He begins to sign something. It is shaky, and still needs work but Ni'awtu is proud. Until she finally realizes what he is saying.

Ni'awtu is pretty like the water.

Her throat becomes dry. "That's how I use the thing right?" He asks, looking up to her.

His face is mischevious. He knows what he did, what he doesn't know is what she is going to do.

Suddenly, her leg flies out of the water, hitting his cheek with force for him to fly in the water.

She extends one leg over his chest. And grabs his neck, pulling him from the water.

Her eyes are filled with anger. No one has ever looked at him like this. He does not understand what he did, but he knows he only wants to try again.

"Dont, talk to me like that Neteyam. I do not like you." She let her guard down. He took advantage of that. "I told you. I said you leave me alone, I teach!"

He tries to sputter out a word but she talks before him again. "Find a new teacher."

She climbs off of him, shoving him into the water. "Shit. Dumb baby. Dumb me." She hisses and repeats as she walks away quickly.

"Shit." Neteyam says as well from where he was left.

Hes never been beat before. Never been attacked like that. He didn't even mind. That was what confused him.

His father taught them to be strong and take no shit. He has just done that, and wanted to do it again.

He was told he was like his mother, and with this girl it was like he became a whole other person.

"Hey, how was the lesson?" Tsireya asks as Nia enters the marui.

The two girls are alone, and Tsireya watches Niawtu carefully as she ridges around the room trying to find something. "Nia?" She asks as Nia behind to walk out with a bag.

"I do not want to talk about it Tsireya."

"Later!" Tsireya calls after the girl. She only has ever wanted to be best friends with her sister like they used to be. But now, she is only doubting the chances of that more and more.

//

That was a roller coaster.

For now I'm going to let the two of them cool off, grow the whole enemies thing some more :)