𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 | lo'ak x tsireya

𝟏𝟕 - separation

lo'ak pov

my ear twitched as i tried to listen to the older metkayina warrior speak. he was teaching us—ao'nung, rotxo, a few other younger ones, and i— about hunting underwater. i stole a glance at ao'nung, who looked like he could punch someone. he rolled his eyes slightly as the warrior made a fake demonstration of throwing a spear.

"he acts like we're total newbies at this," i heard rotxo whisper in my ear.

i nodded my head in agreement, patting my ilu's head as it made a chittering noise.

"now, i want each of you to go underwater and spear a fish as i showed you," the warrior instructed. "ao'nung, you will go first."

the taller boy smirked and threw his spear in the air, catching it with his other hand. then he dove underwater on his ilu. i rolled my eyes. he was acting like a showoff.

we waited for a few minutes before ao'nung reappeared with an impaled fish on his spear. the warrior nodded towards rotxo who obediently slipped underwater on his ilu. i ended up zoning out.

the truth was, i was bored out of my mind. i didn't know that training to be a metkayina warrior could be so uninteresting. but if i were to be honest, i was probably the one who needed the most teaching out of everyone there. if only i had a better trainer... my eyes traveled over to the shore and the village, hoping to catch a glance of tsireya somewhere.

as i gazed across the shore, i spotted tsireya's figure moving along the pathway. she was carrying a basket filled with brightly colored seashells. i couldn't help but stare, my heart rate increasing as she stopped and turned her head toward where i was for a moment. her beauty was breathtaking. i wished more than anything that she could be teaching our lesson right now, even though it wasn't her specialty.

suddenly, the warrior's voice broke through my thoughts. "what are you staring at, lo'ak? i said it's your turn!"

"sorry sir," i mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed that i had been caught. i quickly dove underwater with my ilu, feeling the cool embrace of the ocean enveloping me.

i swam deeper toward where the fish would be more abundant, searching for the perfect fish to spear. i felt my breath already ceasing, so i remembered the breathing exercises tsireya had taught me and slowed my heartbeat.

it wasn't long before i spotted a shining silver fish darting through the coral. i steadied my spear and aimed before launching the spear toward my target. it hit its mark, and i felt a rush of excitement when i grabbed the fish and swam up to the surface on my ilu.

i heard the whoops and cheers of my fellow trainees as i surfaced, beaming with pride as i held up the fish. the metkayina warrior nodded approvingly before turning to the next trainee. however, my mind was still stuck on tsireya. i stole another glance at the shore and saw her standing closer this time. we made eye contact and she waved, her hand high in the air. i smiled and waved a hand back at her.

"what are you doing, forest boy?" i heard an annoying voice whisper in my ear. i snapped my head back to glare at a smirking ao'nung.

"uh, i was waving at tsireya. is there a problem with that?" i narrowed my eyes as he laughed.

"no, you just look starstruck." he leaned in closer to whisper again. i tried to pull away, but he gripped my shoulder strongly. "you hurt her and i hurt you."

my eyes widened momentarily. how did he know i liked her? was it really that obvious? i rolled my eyes, and scoffed, trying to put up a front.

"don't get so ahead of yourself, fish lips. you know i would never do that."

"you would never do what?" rotxo asked, joining in the conversation as his ilu swam closer.

"nothing, bro, forget it," i answered him, glaring at ao'nung. "this skxawng here just thinks i'm a jerk."

"what's a 'jerk?'" rotxo asked again, making me facepalm and groan loudly.

⠀───⠀ 𓇼 ⠀───⠀

tsireya pov

"yes, just like that, tuk," i nodded, smiling at the younger na'vi. i watched intently as she slid the bead onto the string of seaweed with deep concentration.

"make sure you hold onto the end of the string or else your other beads will fall off," kiri instructed tuk, as she eyed her younger sister's work.

"i'm trying, kiri!" tuk whined. the girl sounded exasperated, so i laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"you're doing great, tuk," i encouraged her, offering the girl some more beads. "keep going."

i looked over at kiri, who was digging through the basket of seashells to find one that would fit her necklace. i rummaged through my pile of beads and found a golden shell. it had a beautiful iridescent sheen that glowed in the setting sun.

i reached out my arm and handed the small shell to kiri. "here, try this one," i said with a smile. "i think it will match the color of your eyes."

kiri took the seashell from my hand and examined it closely before smiling. "thank you, tsireya. it looks beautiful."

"i want one, too!" tuk begged as she watched, jumping up and down on her behind.

i giggled and started searching the basket. "of course, tuk."

"so, tsireya have you seen lo'ak around lately?" kiri asked as she slid another bead on her string. she glanced up at me, a small smile on her lips.

my eyes widened at the mention of lo'ak's name. suddenly i became flustered. "um, yes. i saw him training on the ocean today. why?"

"no reason. i guess he's been busy," kiri shrugged, hiding her smile by looking in the other direction towards the ocean.

"he talks about you in his sleep," tuk blurted, her eyes still focused on her beading. "all i hear is 'tsireya, tsireya, tsireya!'" she mimicked her brother in a high-pitched voice.

"tuktirey!" kiri smacked tuk's arm lightly as i felt my face heat up.

"what? it's true," tuk looked up at kiri and me, her face twisted in confusion.

i covered my face with one hand as i giggled again. kiri noticed it and began to laugh.

"you can't be spoiling his dreams like that," kiri chuckled, looking tuk in the eye.

i picked up a shell from the basket and pretended to examine it, still blushing. "i haven't done anything to him," i protested.

"you don't have to do anything, tsireya," kiri said, her laughter subsiding as she shook her head. "lo'ak is obsessed with you."

i bowed my head in embarrassment and fumbled with my half-finished bracelet, fingering the tiny seashells that were woven on the string. it made my heart feel warmer that even lo'ak's siblings knew that he liked me. i tried to keep my reaction calm and collected, but i could not stop smiling widely as we continued our beading in silence.

"tsireya, did you find me a seashell yet?"