I WANNA BE SAVED, neteyam

Ch 23: Dream of You

Ayatney never really felt beautiful.

Always being too busy with the war, she never really cared about her appearance for others to see, much less the opposite sex. The most she cared about was being feared by the enemy with her striking war colors and skill.

But now as she looked down into her reflection on the calm waters, Ayatney thought she looked at least decent to go on her first date.

Her braids were neatly done, each one adorning different colored beads and feathers Tuk and Kiri had to offer. The top half of her braids were pulled back, tied with a short leather cord. Her outfit wasn't that outdone, choosing over comfort and practicality over beauty and grace. But, Ayatney did try to find her nicest loin cloth, one that wasn't stained from the blood of the sky people or any residue from the war paint she would always have on her skin. Her shawl covered her breast with various colored strings that hang delicately from her shoulders.

Though she was a bit hesitant at first, Ayatney had finally decided to wear her fathers neckpiece after making some adjustments. It hugged her long neck and the short jingling beads hung around her sternum. She thought that since this was such an important step in her life, the presence of her parents would be worn throughout the experience. It brought her comfort as she gently ran her hand over the strings of beads that created such an intricate design, calming her raging nerves as she simply waited for Neteyam.

She sat underneath a tree, the breeze causing its huge leaves to sway in rhythm with the wind. Ayatney had finished getting ready early out of pure excitement and anxiety, tail slowly swaying side to side as she turned away from the clear waters, instead glancing towards the sky.

Eclipse was drawing soon and Neteyam still had yet to show face. If Ayatney was going to have to wait any longer, she was going to go back to the marui pod and drag him by the ear herself.

Pushing herself to her feet, Ayatney turned towards the direction of the marui pod. But thankfully, instead of seeing the familiar hut in the distance, she had come face to face with Neteyam. His mouth was slightly cracked agape as he let his eyes rake over the clothing and accessories she wore.

It was very different to what she usually had on. Everything that she wore screamed ethereal to him and if she were the physical embodiment of Eywa herself, he would have worshipped her relentlessly.

Suddenly self conscious, Ayatney wrapped her arms around herself, pulling the shawl tighter to her body. A gentle breeze swept by, causing her beads to hit one another as they both stood still. The soft chitters of the nearby ilu had pulled them back to reality, both moving towards one another awkwardly.

"What took you so long?"

In his hand was a single flower, twisting it by the stem as he took a few steps closer. It had a bright orange center, slowly fading into white as it neared the tips of each petal.

"I went to get this for you." He stuck his hand out with the flower and Ayatney slowly took it from his hand, inspecting each petal delicately.

Truth be told, he had gotten the talk from his father and was told on multiple occasions to be responsible with his decisions. But Neteyam didn't want to tell Ayatney about that, it was too embarrassing to even think about.

"Thank you for the flower." Tucking it in her hair, Ayatney reached for his hand. She pulled him towards the ilu who played with one another, chirping happily. "Let us go Neteyam, time does not wait for no one." Settling herself onto the leather saddle, Ayatney looked at Neteyam, who stood on the shore line, as she tightened her grip on the handle.

"Race you to ranteng utralti."

With a yip Ayatney took off into the waters, letting out a laugh when she emerged, only to look back to see that Neteyam was chasing after her with his own. The two dived back into the waters, twirling around each other as they let their companions take the lead with their chemistry between them expressing through their own ilu's as they called to one another.