BEWITCHED, neteyam

chapter two, friends.

     "I never saw you much at the clan's gatherings," Neteyam brought up, stretching his arms behind him. Ni'Alu side-eyed him, but she answered nonetheless.

     "I spend more time here than there. We move too much, nothing will ever truly feel like home to me." Truth is, Ni'Alu enjoyed nights under the stars far more than those spent at their clan's makeshift camps. She missed when her people had a real home. When her grandmother spoke of their past, all Ni'Alu wished was to be able to experience it too—just as her grandmother; just as her ancestors. And when the young girl glimpsed down, she realized her fingers had clenched uncomfortably into her palms.

     "I don't really remember it much, but I did feel sad leaving." This piqued the girl's attention, her head tilting slightly as she ducked under leaves to stay on path.

     "But it was your father's decision."

     "He didn't want us to set up a permanent settlement." This, however, made her scowl. Of course it was for reasons like that. Reasons his people created. Were they meant to run forever? Live as cowards, running away from their own home, their own people?

     Ni'Alu huffed, a swirl of emotions at the forefront of her thoughts. But, instead of a barrage of insults erupting off her tongue, the two were met with a faint rumbling. She turned to Neteyam, and the boy mirrored a similar bewildered expression. That was not the forest. She unsheathed her blade, holding its hilt level with her collarbone. Neteyam did the same, pressing his back to hers. The two stayed like that for a few heartbeats, surveying frantically at the overgrowth surrounding them. The two made a steady circle, a small hiss falling from the boy as his lips curled in a heinous snarl. It wasn't until the branches parted that their company made its location known. A large creature, sleek black and six-limbed. Its shackles rattled, a guttural growl coming from its chest. One which made the girl shrink further into her companion. She had heard of them, but never had she had the displeasure of being face-to-face with one. A palulukan. The bringer of fear.

     "Do we run? Or fight?" Neteyam whispered, but the petrified look he received signaled only one answer. The girl wasted no time as she grabbed his hand, hoisting him into a sprint. The two plunged and swiveled amongst the trees, running as their lungs burned for relief. Ni'Alu wanted to sob, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Every time the snapping jowls of the creature echoed behind her, she flinched, pushing her feet deeper into the dirt as if to propel herself further. The two slid under a tree, sheltered by the thick roots. The young Na'vi breathed, nodding to each other. A silent sign of comfort at the other's presence. It did not last, however, as their pursuer's body exploded through their coverage.

     Neteyam straightened, slipping through the back end of the stump, Ni'Alu hot on his trail. The two had almost made their getaway, up until the girl's foot wrenched beneath her. She gasped in pain, crumpling to the ground. Neteyam rushed to her side, hoisting her by the waist despite the yelp she released. He pressed his palm to her lower back, ushering her steadily in front, eyes darting between the distance he shared with both his friend and the creature alike. "It hurts, Neteyam," she whimpered.

     "I know, I know," he consoled, his voice coming out in rushed pants, "just keep moving. We just have to keep moving." A bolt of black darted into their peripheral, and the two swerved in the opposite direction, scrambling on the rocky terrain. It wasn't until the girl's view ahead dipped vertically that she knew the two were truly done for.

     "It drops," she sniffled, pointing madly at the landscape ahead. "We can't."

     "It'll be okay. Trust me." And, in that moment, she chose to believe him. They veered closer, and the boy rasped beside her. "Hold onto me." He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her as the two tumbled down the cliff's slant. All Ni'Alu could taste was the rough grit and blood which coated her mouth, her ears ringing as her shoulders clashed harshly with the ground. The Na'vi pair continued to roll, each of the two's skin cutting on the prickled vegetation which engulfed them. It wasn't until the flooring evened, and the land plateaued, that their chase finally ended.