I See You (N. Sully)

Chapter 2

 Neteyam POV

It was only daybreak when they found her. Tuk had pleaded with Neteyam to go and explore around the village, and everyone else was occupied.

"Tuk, wait!" She never questioned anything when rushing in head first. Unknowingly, the stranger could have been one of the sky people sent as a plant to learn our ways and kill us from the inside. Jake had taught his children this since the day they could understand, his story with Neytiri was a rare exception, and he had made it clear that they all had to stick to the rules.

"Wow! Look at this!" Tuk grabbed the thin metal neck adornment around the girls neck and lifted it up, dropping it the moment she saw her brother's glare. Not expecting the weight, she jumped back when it clattered against the strangers chest.

"Tuk step back. Dad, do you read me?" With an outstretched arm, he held Tuk back whilst pressing the intercom around his neck.

"Neteyam, what is it?" His father's voice was firm and orderly, similar to a military commander's.

"We're just outside the village, on the mainland, there's a strange Na'vi here passed out. She doesn't look like an Avatar." His gaze was glued to her still form, watching her closely for any sudden movement, the shallow rise and fall of her chest, the slow reaction of her tail flicking -  she was exhausted. Something had either forced her to come a long way, or she was putting on a pretty good act.

"We're on our way. How far out are you?"

"About five miles give or take."

"Copy that." The gentle chirping of the creatures of the forest, and the sound of Tuk balancing on a branch became louder the moment the intercom shut off. Neteyam had always appreciated the forest and it's peace. He was much like his mother in that way, his gentle spirit was at home in the branches.

"What did dad say?" Tuk asked, breaking the quiet.

He smiled down at her, subconsciously shielding her from the stranger in case of an attack. "he's on his way, we just have to stand watch okay?"

"Copy that, sir!" Giggling, she hopped onto a large rock and started bouncing on the balls of her feet, arms swinging by her sides. Unlike the other siblings, Tuk had relished in her freedom as the youngest, walking with the confidence that someone would always be there if something bad happened.

Neteyam shook his head, "Be careful, we don't know if anyone else could be around." Sighing, he crouched down beside the girl, brushing the loose hair out of her face. She was clean enough for someone that seemed like they have been walking for days with no rest, stale paint was the only indicator of poor washing. Her face was soft and round, with long, dark eyelashes and a slender body. That was one difference from the rest of them, alongside the long vine tattoo that stretched from her ribs to her feet. It was impossible for her to be an avatar, four fingers were splayed at her sides, dried blood beneath her nails. However, her frame was slightly different, legs built with muscle and hands more delicate than a typical Na'vi who climbs with their hands all day. Holding a breath, he reached out to touch her cheek, only grazin it slightly in fear of waking her. He thought for a moment, that she was quite breathtaking beneath all of that matted hair.

"She's pretty."

"Tuk!" He swung around, snatching his hand back, "I told you to stand back."

"Yeah but she's not going to do anything!" She whined. Tuk had crept up behind him, her own curiosity getting the better of her short attention span.

"Enough Tuk!" Neteyam risked tilting her head to the side, watching it lol back to the ground.

When Jake and Neytiri showed up, it didn't take long for them to part from their ikran and race over to make sure that nothing had happened. Leaping over a fallen tree, Jake tapped his forehead in greeting, as Neytiri bundled up Tuk near her ikran. Neteyam had shared the small amount of information he had before his parents began discussing it. "She is an outsider." Neytiri had the most knowledge of other clans, but Jake was more rational. "She is Kekunan." Her chin raised slightly, as she stood to her full height, looking down on where her husband and son were crouched beside the stranger. 

"Kekunan Clan?" Jake asked, turning to his wife, "I don't remember them fighting with us."

Neytiri snapped, "that is because they are far, they have no place here, she belongs in the northern mountains."

"We can't just return her!" Neteyam stood then, between his mother and the girl, and he found himself reasoning with Neytiri on her behalf. "Look at her, she can't go anywhere!"

"Son." Jake rested a hand on his shoulder, shooting him a look that told him he knew better than to argue with his mother. He turned to Neytiri, slinging his gun around to his back, "If her clan is further than the other forest tribes, then we can't take her back now, it would take too long. We should at least wait until she wakes up, okay?"

When she nodded in response and made her way back to her ikran, Neteyam turned back to the sleeping girl, noting the way her hands had gradually made their way closer to her chest, and her legs had slowly curled towards her chest. "I will take her."

"No, Neteyam." He stared down at his son, studying the way his breathing changed at his answer. "I will meet you at camp."

Neteyam was the child who always listened and never argued, he did his duty as the eldest in protecting his siblings. Sometimes he wished he spoke up more, because watching his father scoop the girl into his arms and turn his back on him, made him scowl in frustration. For all of the responsibilities he had been left with, he should have been trusted with this.