I Feel You

Chapter 18

"I won't Nanti. I think I made my point then, so I hope I never have to fight like that again against one of the warriors." Gene practically beamed, her whole figure lighting up almost with her tail waving, eyes open wide and grin splitting across her face. Nanti snorted at the ridiculousness of it, though she supposed she'd been like Gene with her own mentor with the only difference being just how obvious they were.

"Here eat this and relax. Amhul informed us of her plans to mentor you today. Learn well Gene." She eagerly dug into the handful of fruits and roasted insects Nanti handed her, stomach pinching uncomfortably with hunger pains.

Amhul led her a little ways from the home tree while she ate, underbrush pushed aside to reveal a small pool with several Na'vi either in it or lounging on the rocks around it. Amhul shed her shawl like shirt and beaded loin cloth, Gene following suit with her own simplistic ones before following her into the water.

The Na'vi already bathing ignored them as Amhul began to meticulously undo her braids, beads carefully placed to the side along with the beaded circlet that always rested against her temple. Aside from watching videos, the only practice Gene ever got with braiding was when she redid her braid each time it got messy, skill only getting slightly better since it was almost messy.

"I will teach you how to properly braid your hair, but only after you properly clean yourself."  She procured then what appeared to be a kind of spongy bark that'd been wrapped in her shawl. It didn't smell like anything and only seemed to expand when Gene dipped it into the water. It wasn't rough like she originally though as she rubbed it over her skin, softer in texture as they cleaned themselves. A few Na'vi children laughed nearby, splashing water at each other before one fled into the deeper part of the pool and hid behind Gene with a giggle.

She smiled softly at the display, pretending she didn't see the child as the other one took to looking for his sister. Instead Gene naturally moved when the little boy came closer, the little girl who clung to her tail as a buoy remaining hidden as she kept her hidden. Small stifled giggles had the boy turning every which way, looking for his sister.

Amhul watched Gene play with the children, a warm look in her eyes at the young women's behavior. She'd changed since Amhul had first met her, going from someone lost and empty to someone with such a vibrant and playful personality. She cared for them, much more than other dream walkers had displayed, aside from Grace who took to caring for the children again once they'd allowed her back. But even Grace had retained her original culture more, looking to learn and teach instead. Looking to change them as much as she had been changing.

The little boy finally found his sister, squeals of laughter spreading between all three as he splashed both Gene and his sister. The young women rushed to flee, the children grabbing her tail and laughing as she pulled them through the water. Their mother watched on, unperturbed by Gene's antics as she sun bathed.

Tsu'ety along with a few of his apprentices arrived then, slipping into the water as they talked about the upcoming ceremony. They'd need to find a Kali'weya soon, within the next lunar cycle if they were going to partake in Uniltaron. Tsu'tey immediately spotted Gene playing with the children, softly splashing around with them and pulling them around when they grabbed her tail. His eyes slid to Amhul then, catching her eyes as she grinned at him before he joined his apprentices without Gene even noticing.

When she finally finished bathing, the children returning to their mother so she could re-braid their hair, Amhul took her to the side to simply lay and soak up the sun's light. At first she was restless, wiggling and watching everything that so much as moved before finally settling down into a doze, body stretched out fully for her fingers to skim the top of the pond. Her tail curled slowly, softly moving over the rock to brush against Amhul's leg every so often.