Shells | Lo'ak Sully

Part 5 - Spirit Tree

With no time for gratitude, Ni'teya flung herself onto the Ilu, realizing that Kiri had stopped shaking and was now still, not moving any muscles.

The ride back felt too long for Ni'teya's comfort, that was the quickest she had ever rode her Ilu before however it still felt as if she was dragging along slowly due to the added weight.

The rest of the it was a blur to Ni'teya, she had passed Kiri to her Mother, allowing the clans's Tsahìk to attempt to contact Eywa for help. Ni'teya sat beside Kiri throughout the entirety of it, holding her hand even though hers was a shivering mess. Nothing was happening at first, Kiri didn't wake up for what seemed like forever before finally, a breath.

Kiri was okay.
Ni'teya reached forward to hug her as soon as she could see her stabilize herself, trying her best to not let Kiri witness her fear and upset eyes. She knew that if Kiri had seen her expression and picked up on her irregular breathing pattern, she'd most likely apologize for making her feel that way instead of focusing on her own wellbeing.

Neytiri felt safe enough to leave her ite with her eylan, patting Ni'teya on the back as she did, whispering a kind "Thank you, child."
(ite meaning: daughter)

"Kiri, come feel some fresh air, it will do you good." Tsireya suggested, appearing within the hut and kneeling down in front of Kiri even though the hug was still in progress. Ni'teya released her grip at the same time Kiri did, agreeing mentally that Kiri should go with Tsireya.

Ni'teya stayed sat in the same spot until both Kiri and Tsireya had left and they were out of both sight and noise range, allowing Ni'teya to let out one long shaky breath knowing she was alone, lifting her hands up to her face and leaving them there. She allowed her thoughts to wander, though there would have been no preventing them from doing so if she had wanted to, thinking the worst.

She thought about what would've happened if Kiri hadn't made it and what she would've thought of herself thereafter. She thought about the possibility of resentment, being blamed for Kiri's death by her family even, resulting in her inevitable return home to a forest which this time, had no Kiri in it. These thoughts deeply hurt Ni'teya, bringing salty tears to the rims of her now almost-shut eyes, attempting to stop them from falling as there would be no stopping them once they began.

She thought about the events that had occurred that day, remembering how Kiri was so excited to visit the Spirit Tree and attach to it, knowing that now she probably wouldn't be allowed to do that again in case of another incident like this.

Continuing her struggle to prevent her tears, she heard a rustle coming from behind her, turning her head quickly to catch the culprit and send them on their way. The last person on earth she had wanted to be greeted with was stood there with seemingly nothing to say except a few "Um"'s and "Uh-"'s upon glance of Ni'teya's wet eyes.

Lo'ak did know why he was there, and he had previously thought of what to say however he couldn't get the words out in that moment.

"Go away, Lo'ak!" Ni'teya demanded in a hushed tone, trying to make her shaky voice less obvious to the boy, deciding she'd like to keep her dignity if she could help it.

"Um, you dropped-" He began, before being met with an angrier pair of eyes this time, the shimmering rims obvious to him.

"Out." Ni'teya attempted once more, watching as he hesitated.

Lo'ak saw that there was no chance in getting his words out as he'd either stumble upon them or she'd cut them off with force anyway. He watched her ears dip further down, deciding he didn't want to be the cause of her rising pain as he knew she'd already gone through enough of it that morning. He nodded towards her, politely smiling softly before breaking the eye contact and leaving the hut without completing his task.