footprints in the sand - atwow

one

˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗

[no one's pov]

the large family landed on the sand. all eight of them looked exhausted. one by one, they got off of their ikran, telling them to leave.

they slowly walked forward, a crowd starting to form around them. two aqua colored boys walk into the circle that had been made.

neteyam, lo'ak, and munì sign 'i see you' while the boys analyze them. the shorter boy taps the taller ones hand, pointing to their tails.

"look. what is that? is that supposed to be a tail?" he said, making the crowd laugh.

munì laughed while nudging her mother to look over to lo'ak, completely mesmerized by one of the metkayina girls who was coming out of the water.

"it's too small! how are they supposed to swim?" the girl hit his arm. "do not, rotxo. ao'nung."

the tall girl looked at lo'ak. "hey." lo'ak nodded, making the girl smile.

they all watched the olo'eyktan walk up on shore, him and jake signing 'i see you' and the rest signing afterwards. the tsahìk started walking towards them, with a shorter girl behind her.

jake and neytiri signed to her. the smaller girl coming into view. munì watched the girl walk over to a tall boy, then noticing the boy had already been staring at her.

the girl waved at munì. "hi, i'm tsyal."

munì got nervous, she smiled and quickly looked forward, noticing the leader and her father were talking.

"we seek uturu." jake held out his arms.

"uturu?" ronal scoffed. "yes, sanctuary for my family." ronal walked closer to the family. tonowari added on, "we are reef people. you are forest people. your skills will mean nothing here."

"we will learn your ways, am i right?" jake looked at his family. ronal analyzed each and every one of them. she examined neytiri's tail, going over to tuk to pick up her arm.

"their arms are thin," next she went to kiri and grabbed her tail. "their tails are weak, you will be slow in the water." she took kiri's hand. "these children.." she held her fingers and raised up her hand. "are not even true na'vi!" the crowd gasped. "yes we are!" kiri said, ashamed. sywan walked up behind kiri to comfort her.

ronal grabbed lo'ak's hand and examined his fingers. "they have demon blood!" lo'ak looked down embarrassed of himself. munì yanked lo'ak's hand out of ronal's. jake then held up his hand in front of everyone.

"look. look!" he waved his hand. "look, i was born of the sky people and now i am na'vi. alright? you can adapt." he looked around, the sully family now getting nervous. "we will adapt!"

neytiri stepped in. "my husband was toruk makto. he led the clans to victory against the sky people."

"you call this victory? hiding among strangers?" ronal stepped closer to neytiri. "it seems eywa has turned her back on you, chosen one." ronal set off neytiri making her hiss, ronal doing it back.

"i apologize for my mate,"

"do not apologize for me."