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❝Where's my pretty girl?❞
╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝
THE NEXT FEW DAYS were rough; there wasn't much time to take a breath, to adapt. Even now, as she watched the young Metkayina dive into the reef, Ni'Alu remained embedded in her spot. Lo'ak and Neteyam dashed forward, dive-balling head-on into the ocean. The girl peered over, Tuk and Kiri hurling themselves off the edge beside her. Water splashed onto Ni'Alu's face, and her ears flattened in discontent.
"C'mon, Ni'Alu! Don't be a chicken!" The younger Sully brother urged. The girl hissed at him, a downturned pout on her lips.
Kiri pressed her palm against the water's surface, laughing at her friend. "It's gorgeous." Ni'Alu's eyes shifted to her. "Please join us!" Her expression softened at the request, and she scooted closer to the group. Her throat bobbed with a visible gulp, her gaze flickering between the Na'vi and the water below. It wasn't until a cool palm wrapped around her leg did she startle, tumbling forwards as it yanked backwards.
Her skin erupted in goosebumps, and she gasped for air seconds before the water engulfed her. Ni'Alu's eyes burrowed shut, and she flailed aimlessly, pushing towards the light she knew rested above.
When she finally emerged, her head swung towards the perpetrator.
"Skxawng!"She growled, lunging towards a chuckling Neteyam. She gripped onto his arm, pushing him under to surface to remain afloat. "I hate you!" The boy sputtered, but eventually regained his steady paddle.
"You don't mean that, Ni'Alu," he said, a smile on his face. "I forgot you've always avoided swimming." She fixed a glare at him, struggling to keep her head above the water. The boy frowned, wrapping an arm around her waist to tread water for them both.
Lo'ak rolled his eyes. "This is so embarrassing." In a blink he dove under, Kiri and Tuk following soon after. The pair that remained looked at each other, and Ni'Alu nodded in silent approval. He let go, and the girl went rigid, sinking below. She pushed upwards, cupping her palms against her body's natural reflux to float. In the grand scheme, though, it probably didn't propel her downwards as much as she'd imagined, and she suspected she looked rather idiotic to their aquatic-born counterparts.
Still, once her eyes adjusted, it was beautiful.
The water was rich with sea-life and submerged vegetation, a ripe world that Ni'Alu had never seen. To her, it was entirely different than the forest. An incomparable experience—and while she longed to run amidst the tree-tops again, she could still admire why the Metkayina chose to live this way. She watched as the trio leading them glided forward, occasional strokes accompanied by hip-juts to the side. It was natural to them—as easy as blinking or breathing. Lo'ak pointed ahead, struggling to match their established pace. Eventually, though, Ni'Alu's chest began to burn, and her eyes darted between their companions and the surface above. Ultimately, the latter won.
