Family

Neteyam

6 years later

"Come on!" Joey is sprinting across the vines that connect the floating mountains. She's so graceful and completely unafraid of the drop. I'm a little more careful, and unfortunately slower. I'm followed by Norm, my mom, my dad, and Lo'ak. Joey and I had both passed our tests as hunters, and are on our way to pass the test of Iknimaya.

"Joey, slow down!" Jake calls ahead to her, and she begrudgingly stops and waits for us, clearly impatient. She's been wanting an Ikran since I can remember. We've both been working hard. We're young for it. But she's strong like her mother and smart like her father. She's an incredible hunter and warrior. Being that she's not my actual sister, my dad is a lot more carefree with what she does. He lets her fight when I have to stay back. She gets to go places I'm not allowed to. It's infuriating, really, but as long as Norm is okay with it, so is he.

We climb up the rocks to the nest of the Ikran. She's basically jumping to try.

"Who wants to go first?"

She says nothing, but when we make eye contact, she practically begs me. I can almost hear her voice in my head asking me to let her go first.

"Joey can." I tell her, smiling at her happiness. She can't help but throw her arms around me. "Yes! Thank you."

Jake hands her the tie for the mouth, and she takes it, admiring the moment. She's been practicing with it for months.

She jumps the log separating us from the Ikran with ease. She spins the tie around, waiting to be chosen.

"Are you sure she's ready?" Norm asks Jake quietly.

"Dude, she's been ready for years."

Norm seems to relax a bit, until one of the Ikran starts snapping at her. It's smaller than the rest, but so is she. It flaps it's pale green wings menacingly as she approaches slowly. She lunges and snarls, and the Ikran lunges back. She's been chosen.

Way faster than I could have thought possible, she whips the cord around it's beak, sealing its mouth shut and protecting her from the lashing teeth. They wrestle for a moment, before she climbs on it's back. This might be a record taming.

However, the Ikran freaks out at this, and jumps off the mountain.

"Joey!" Norm and I scream as she and the animal plummets. We all race to the edge, but can't see anything through the thick clouds.

My heart is pounding. There's no way she's gone. She's been waiting for this for months. If anyone can do it she can. She's the toughest person I know. She can't be gone. She's my best friend. We spend every day together. At the thought of losing her, I feel like I can't breathe.

Suddenly, her Ikran shoots up, knocking us backwards. It is a beautiful green color, and even though it's small, the wind from its wings pushes us back a bit. The relief I feel makes me want to cry.

"Neteyam, come on!" She tosses over the wrap. "This is amazing!"

After circling us a few times, she lands her Ikran, and let's Norm pet it's nose affectionately.

It's my turn.