MΛ'ƬIЯI | ΛVΛƬΛЯ

just us

The village was getting ready for bed. It had been a while since nightfall, and still there was no sign of Kiri, Neteyam or Te'rani. Neytiri hadn't gone out to look for her children because she knew Te'rani would be with them. But she was getting impatient. She turned to see Tuk asleep on her own mat, and Lo'ak laying in his.

He forced his eyes closed, and tried to fall asleep while his mother waited for his siblings. Neytiri saw him doing so, and looked at Spider. She gathered that he was asleep because of his slow breathing.

She stared at Tuk's sleeping figure till a firmiliar scent hit her senses.

Neytiri stood up from a swing-bed that she had sat on and saw the person she had been waiting for.

Te'rani. With Kiri and Neteyam in front of her.

Neytiri let out a small sigh, walking closer to them. She made eye contact with Te'rani, who was already staring at her since they came into sight. 

Neteyam glanced at his mother and continued into the marui, leading his sister. Neytiri watched them go in without saying a word.

She felt Te'rani take ahold of her arm gently. Neytiri looked back at her, and smiled a little. She placed a hand over the one Te'rani held her with.

"Come with me, Tiri" she spoke in a soft voice.

Neytiri looked down at her lips. They were slightly parted, and tilted up in an almost unnoticeable smile. She knew she couldn't say no even if she wanted to.

Te'rani softly rubbed her thumb against Neytiri's arm, making her avert her gaze before looking back at Te'rani.

Neytiri turned back to her marui for a second, seeing Neteyam begin to draw the curtains. He stopped to return his mother's gaze. She looked to him as if to ask if he and his siblings would be okay without her. Neteyam looked at Te'rani, and then his mother. He smiled reassuringly at her.

Neytiri felt her heart warm as she watched the marui be covered. She felt Te'rani let go of her hand, causing her to turn back.

She held Neytiri's hand, both of them intertwining their fingers. Te'rani couldn't seem to take her eyes off her.

Neytiri knew what she wanted. But they both had to wait. Te'rani smiled when she made contact with Neytiri's green tinted eyes.

She turned and began leading Neytiri away. The two held onto eachother's hands, walking towards a destination Neytiri's didn't know.

They approached a platform where saddles for ilu were kept.
"Ma'tani, where are we going?"

Te'rani turned to her and broke into a smile.

"This will be our last night in Awa'atlu" she started.

"I want to take you somewhere, but I thought maybe we could get there in a different way..."

Neytiri tilted her head in confusion and Te'rani smirked.

And then, off a wild guess, Neytiri realized what she meant.

The waves were high, and the bright sky shone just enough for anything above the water to be seen.

A shadow cast on the purple sea. An ikran.

Te'rani let out an excited yelp as Neytiri made her ikran turn to the left. The waves were loud, but they were louder.

Neytiri laughed as she felt Te'rani's grip around her waist tighten. Her ikran screeched, letting every and any creature awake know that it had arrived. The ikran flew closer to the water, it's wing cutting through it. Te'rani felt the cold water spray at her and she hid her face by tucking it in the crook of Neytiri's neck.