My Beloved | Neteyam

ONE. The Omaticayas

The sharp edge of the spear almost brushed against Rewonay's visage. She felt the wind fending in half as the weapon was thrust where she stood if she had not ducked in time. Not wasting any more time, she found her balance back and swung the wooden spear at her father who dodged it with infuriating great ease. Rewonay tightened her grip on the weapon and swung it again, thrust it, slashed the air, and pierced the void. Each time, Tonowari ducked with no difficulty as if he knew what move his daughter would do before she even knew herself. He knew her. He could read her like an open manuscript.

With a skillful swirl of his spear, Tonowari disarmed Rewonay. Swiping her feet with an agile move of his leg, he tripped her over. Rewonay fell onto the warm sand, her back hitting the floor harshly and knocking the air out of her lungs. At once, she wished to stand back up and grab her spear for another assault, but she thought twice when the spear her father pointed directly at her throat, only a few millimeters away from it, came in sight. So in the end, all she did was sigh heavily, visibly annoyed, and lay back on the sand. Tonowari lightly chuckled and put his spear away before helping his daughter up.

"Becoming a great warrior requires patience," Rewonay, a pout of bother on her lips, listening to her father's teaching while shaking the sand off of her long and thick chevelure. "Acquire knowledge and skills with time. The path of a fighter, but also the one of an Olo'eyktan, is about learning every day. You are still young, ma 'ite, you still have time,"

"You were young when you became Olo'eyktan too, ma sempul," Rewonay retorted. "You were already fighting on the battlefield when you were my age,"

"Times were different, back then," a sort of nostalgia was in his voice. A sad, painful nostalgia. "Warriors were needed, no matter the age. You have the chance to have time on your side, do not rush,"

Tonowari picked up Rewonay's spear that lay nearby and walked away to put it back in the storage. Huffing, Rewonay trailed behind it. The current days were not looking so different from his youth. It was quite similar in fact. Which was exactly the reason why Rewonay had to get better at fighting. To protect her people like a great Olo'eyktan was bound to do.

"But the Sky People are back," Rewonay insisted. "We must prepare for an eventual assault,"

"War has not reached our reef,"

"But it's just a matter of time before it does!"

Tonowari stopped. Eyebrows knitted, he turned back face to his eldest child. Since the day the Sky People returned on Pandora, Tonowari had noticed that something had changed with Rewonay. Her sense of duty was even more acute. She never derogated from her responsibilities as the heir of the Metkayina clan. And she had dedicated much more to her training than she had ever done before.

"Have you got another vision?" He asked.

Rewonay was a little surprised by his question. Her father, along with Tsireya, was the only one who truly and genuinely believed her. Ronal was fairly skeptical and Ao'nung seemed to not really care. Still, she had not expected him to ask the question. It was still some sort of taboo topic.

"No, I haven't. But we both know I'm right, ma sempul," Rewonay said. "The Sky People do not care about the Na'viya. All they care about is our resources. They had attacked us before, they can do it again! We must prepare!"

"You're not ready,"

"That's why you have to train me further!"

"Enough!"

She kept quiet. By the sternness of his voice, Rewonay knew better than to open her mouth again. Not only was he her father, but he was also her chief. She should not cross the line. Which she just did.