A true seer | Neteyam

6. Rebirth as hunter

"Even after two years, I still find it hard to believe that this is how I will be spending the rest of my life. Although I'm not exactly sad about it, I'm also not jumping ecstatically. I wish you were here to tell me something. It has been quite some time since I last heard your voice. Last month I realized that I couldn't remember how you sound, and I cried to sleep with Atswon next to me. He is my best friend, after all. But he will never replace you, Maity. Maitrey."

A few tears slid down my face as I continued with my daily routine of cleaning my sister and ensuring that she looked as beautiful as always.

I left the pod before risking the chance that mom could see me with my thoughts scattered. I put on the special necklace that I was given when I first became a healer trainee. It was a pendant with a white, pinkish stone  that I wore during my shift that identified me as, well, a healer. Although I didn't really need it, as I was widely known in town for being the second best healer, right below the Tsahik.

I went to my working place, finding it already occupied by one of my friends, Nueiy, and an older, wounded man. I helped her with him and then waited until two other people, both children, arrived. They said they were swimming in the reef when one of their ilus approached them excitedly. Neither of them noticed and ended up hitting a coral once the ilu tried to hug them a bit roughly. They had various superficial scratches and bleeding. We took care of that in no time, and by the end I left. It was time.

I tied my braided hair into two lower pigtails and headed towards the testing area. Tonowari was there along with the hunter that trained me. Next to them was the skimwing, the tsurak. It was going to be mine.

I was experienced with ilus, just like a blood Metkayina would. It should be no problem. I greeted them and the challenge began. The Olo'eyktan held the animal's head, while my teacher held its tail and one of its fins. He was big, bigger than a full grown male Na'vi. I swallowed hard as I mounted him. Both men let go of him as I made tsaheylu.

The tsurak, whose name I heard through the bond was Kaìlt, was aggressive. Even if I had made the bond softly, he still tried to bite me and throw me off his back. We gave full spins around the water, me drinking some of it, and him not slowing down.

For a moment I feared the worst. I thought I'd fail my only chance at being a hunter. I felt that in some seconds I would end up with a missing arm and bite marks over my face. Or, maybe, being dropped to the water from high up. Was it possible to break your bones that way? To die? I was about to figure it out, when my deadly train of thought made Kaìlt whimper. I made all possible efforts to calm him down, and it worked.

Gradually, his breaths and mine became one and it sensed the stress he previously felt when being held down. He was only scared I would do something, and I was scared of things happening the other way around. However it happened, soon I was positioning myself for a ride.

"Makto ko, tsmukan!"

I let go of all preoccupations as soon as my body submerged in the reef water. It felt natural. Kaìlt went full speed, dodging animals that were in the way and quickly extended his wings. We flew over sea level, splashing water all around us and feeling the wind shake our bodies.

There is no right answer as to how much time I was out with my newly bonded tsurak. Nevertheless, Tonowari waited until I returned to congratulate me.

"Zola'u nìprrte', sister. Tonight, all of you will culminate your rebirth as hunters. You have passed Iknimaya. You are a Metkayina through and through," he said with a pinch of proudness in his calm voice. He raised his hand and I grabbed it, accepting his salutation.

When the eclipse happened, on that exact minute, the chanting of Na'viyä became stronger and louder by the second, filling the void of silence around our point in the sea. The water shined with the bioluminescence of the plants starting to react. As we moved in circles, our own bodies seemed to leave a trace of turquoise light, like dust.

I was already wearing my special attire: a brown top, tied around my neck, that covered my chest, connected by some strands to a braided ring around my right bicep. The piece of jewelry had the fang of a tsurak. On the other side was a piece of delicate fish-scale leather weaving, it had two straps that went over my back and joined on the middle of my chest into one curved figure that then separated at the bottom into another two stripes that joined at the back with the other two. It was a smaller, more feminine version of the one that Tonowari wore.

After the long celebration, and back at the common eating area, each of us new hunters were given three pieces of wood beads, each of a different color. They were all different in shape and size, as the Tsahik herself carved them fulfilling Eywa's wishes for each bead. They had specific meanings. One of mine was dark green and shaped like a stick with a ball on one of its ends. It resembled a tree.

I was too tired to focus on the other two, so I simply added them to my songcord, that had two beads already, and clasped
it tightly close to me. I could analyze them tomorrow. Atswon offered to take me to his mauri, knowing it was best for me to stay away from my sleeping sister and my mother. Otherwise, I would crumble and end up in tears.

He showed me his bed and I plopped down. Shortly after, he laid next to me. I lost consciousness, knowing fully well that it might be cruel to let him sleep next to me with the light snores I gave that bothered many people.

At least, next to us was an unoccupied family mauri pod that could hold up to six people. I wasn't going to bother anyone but Atswon. That pod was to remain empty.

It was the sudden movement of someone next to me, and the sound of voices, that woke me up. I looked at Atswon through my half-opened eyes. It seemed strange of him to wake up like that, so I furrowed my brows.

"Where are you going?"

"Someone sounded the horn. They are calling for us to go to the south part of the island," he answered.

"I'll- Ill go."

He stopped me before I could even take the covers off me. He kneeled down to my height. "You are too tired. You have barely slept for four hours. It is probably nothing. Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep and I'll tell you what it was when I come back, okay?"

"Tam, tam. Irayo, Atswy."

"No problem. Now, sleep."

I gave him a small smile and he returned it. I was tired from the celebration, but so was he. I could see it in his eyes, bloodshot and with purple eye bags. He was being the selfless gentleman he had always been.

My eyes soon started closing themselves, a weirdly pleasurable feeling crawling up my back and lighting up a warmth in my queue.

I fell asleep happy, knowing the days to come were about to be the best.

———
Author's note:

Finally a longer chapter! I am so excited that the Sully Family is finally here. Thank you for your patience!

If you have trouble understanding the Na'vi language, you can enter the following link that has the English translation of some words and phrases.
https://learnnavi.org/navi-phrases/

I know I said I'd be uploading this and another chapter, but I am too tired to write anything good. And I want this story to be the best I can do.

In exchange, tomorrow you will have two chapters.

Happy first day of 2023 (again), cheers.