→ 003; time passes like the wind
the trip would take just under mrr days.
neteyam was mevomun the second time he witnessed the sopyu clan approaching the home of his own. the sea of grey-blue skin came like a punch to his stomach. he'd thought of them, of course—thought of her—but it was wrong, and he knew it. in his mind, he was allowed to press his lips to hers without consequence. in reality, this was only a daydream. some pathetic, pitiful thought that should have been purged long ago. but a burning flame left uncontrolled only burned brighter and more intensely.
it'd been a year—how could it have been so long already?—and neteyam wondered if he would seem older, more mature, to the sopyu children he'd briefly met a year prior. perhaps there was very little difference between the neteyam of the past and present, but he liked to assure himself this was not the case. after all, his sister, tuktirey, had commented on the height and muscle neteyam had packed on. he stood almost exactly eye-to-eye with his father now. his shoulders were broad and powerfully built. he excelled among his peers when hunting and flying.
and norm, one of the olo'eyktan's human scientist allies, always carried that camera with him. there were photos, taken few months earlier, where neteyam could barely recognise himself. no, he assured himself; he was definitely more mature than before. it was something he took pride in, and they would all see it.
he had very little, if anything at all, to be nervous about.
⏜⏝⏜⏝
"oel ngati kameie," neteyam chanted accordingly to the olo'eykte of the sopyu. it was actually customary for the sopyu to recite this first but—as his father had dutifully reminded him early in the day—neteyam was to try and get into her good graces. the little stunt he'd pulled last time the sopyu were here was apparently not desirable in the slightest. he told himself he couldn't care less, but he would do this for his father. for his family, and for their social standing as well as his own. whatever it would take. he had to do this. so why was his skin crawling with imaginary bugs?
the olo'eyktan, ngarì te ka'ato talu'ite, made the same gesture as he had—a downward movement of the hand from the forehead, with two fingers leading—and said, "oel ngati kameie, tsyeyk'itan." neteyam wasn't sure what that was supposed to indicate. was she reminding him that every consequential choice he made would reflect upon his father? or was she simply paying homage to his familial relation? neteyam realised he'd been staring intensely at her wizened face for a little too long, and averted his gaze immediately. shame tore at his stomach. something he willed to be pushed to the back of his mind, among a mess of other useless thoughts.
the next shock, however, was standing directly next to ngarì ka'ato. common sense would have made the surprise of seeing her son and daughter, well, not a surprise. neteyam blinked a few times, as if unsure he was seeing right, before he made the customary gesture to the both of them.
he was unsettled; the daughter, haüko, did not seem as peeved by the sight of him as the son, haka'i was. neteyam had to tilt his chin up ever so slightly to look him into the eye; haka'i stood taller than him now. his torso appeared jagged and angular with muscle, and his ember-orange eyes seemed alight as he glared at neteyam. haka'i's pursed lips did not open as he made the gesture offhandedly. and then neteyam was invisible to him. haüko, who hadn't seemed to grow much at all, offered him a tight smile, but mostly ignored him too.
the adults were speaking to one another. though he usually would, neteyam made no effort to listen. a wave of noise washed over him. it might as well have been the sound of a flock of fkio, for all neteyam cared.
"and the girl?" his ears perked.
"she has become temperamental," the olo'eykte remarked sourly. "it is of best interest that she is within the crowd. for the entire visit, i think." while his ears became attentive to the conversation, neteyam's yellow eyes followed the slight twitch of haka'i's facial muscles. what, he wondered, did she mean by "temperamental?" he had suspicions, of course—he wasn't stupid.
haka'i's eyes darted to the waiting crowd of sopyu. neteyam really hadn't meant to; but he followed the boy's lead. his heart seemed not to have recovered from the year prior nor his piteous daydreaming, because the turn of his head caught even him by surprise. maybe he should have expected it of himself. his gaze scanned the crowd. maybe she wasn't there right now (but why else would haka'i look that way?) or maybe she was camouflaged too well for him to see her (likely, but not certain) or— there. standing isolated amongst a group of tired-looking na'vi. dark hair braided with vines of an almost violent violet hanging prettily around her angular face. sharp yellow eyes, full lips in that half-pout.
neteyam felt his throat clog up. he choked and could barely swallow. kyati was changed, too. if she was beautiful before, she was breathtaking now.
translations
mevomun = 22 na'vi, 18 human
olo'eyktan = clan leader
oel ngati kameie = i see you
olo'eykte = (female) clan leader
tsyeyk'itan = son of jake
fkio = tetrapteron, flamingo-like creatures native to pandora