maybe one day ~neteyam sully

eleven

The wind almost felt sharp as it blew against her face, sending her braids flying behind her as her arms remained tight around Neteyams stomach. Her chin rested on his shoulder as the two rode on his ikran, her eyes admiring the life around her with slight envy building in her chest.

That morning, Neteyam had quietly entered her tent. She woke to the gentle caress of his fingers against her cheek, being met with his kind eyes and a request to go with him for the day. She knew that Mo'at did not expect her to be back to her lessons for some time, so she gently pressed a kiss to her mothers forehead and followed after her best friend.

He had simply told her that he wanted to show her something, but she could feel the nervousness radiating off of him. It gave her some anxiety over what could be making her usual calm and cheeky Neteyam so nervous, but she stayed calm in the hopes he would tell her.

The two flew over the forest, lowering as they moved closer to a large bundle of trees that almost seemed knitted together. As Neteyams ikran landed close to the bundled trees, Akinas ears twitched as she heard the sound of water close by, her eyebrows scrunching together as she looked towards Neteyam confused. He simply grinned at her, taking her hand and gently pulling her along. She allowed him to pull her, following his steps as they neared one of the giant trees that loomed over them.

Neteyam easily navigated through the knitted branches, Akina following his lead. Once the two were on flat land, Neteyam stepped in front of her and placed his hand over a large leaf that blocked their path.

"I found this place when i was exploring the forest when i was younger. I kept coming back because it reminded me of you. No one else knows it is here." The boy stated, his eyes twinkling. Akina could feel her cheeks warm at his words, her tail flicking nervously behind her as she watched him pull the leaf away from their trail. Her breath caught in her throat as a sparkling pond waited behind the leaf, a large branch arched over the water like a bridge. The entire pond was surrounded by flora, Akina taking a few steps forward with her mouth slightly agape as she looked over the hidden gem. The sky was completely blocked off by the looming trees, causing the flora and the water to glow with bioluminescence in the middle of the day. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her eyes searching over everything surrounding her before landing on a makeshift hut tucked into the corner snugly between the flora.

Akina turned back to Neteyam, her hand raised to cover her mouth. She found him staring at her with a shy smile, his ears slightly lowered as he waited for her to speak. She turned back to the pond, shaking her head slightly in wonder.

"This place is beautiful, Nete. I can not believe nobody except you knows about this." She could feel the boy walk up beside her, his fingers brushing against the back of her hand lightly causing her heart to flutter. Mentally she smacked herself for her hearts reaction at the small touch, inhaling slowly.

"It feels like Eywa led me here, like it was made just for me." Neteyam admitted softly, lowering his eyes to look over Akinas face slowly.

"If it is a gift from Eywa, why did you show me?" Akina asked honestly, turning her head. Her eyes gazed over his glowing freckles for a moment, raising quickly to meet his eyes.

"Because you are my gift from Eywa. I needed to make sure someone else knew about this place, too. Who better than my favorite person?"

Akina rolled her eyes at his words, unable to stop the smile from forming on her lips. The smile slowly slipped from her lips, her mind drifting off to Antu and how much he would have loved this place.

Her mind was pulled from her thoughts at the feeling of her tail being tugged, a gasp escaping her lips as she found Neteyam running off onto the makeshift bridge as a laugh rang from his lips. Akina immediately set off after him, shouting his name only to receive another laugh in return.