"I will murder you in your sleep, Loak. Give it back!" Tuk shouted, chasing her brother around their Marui.
"What is this thing? Did you make it for your boyfriend?" Loak teased, holding up a friendship bracelet Tuk had made.
Tuk scowled and lunged for the bracelet. Loak giggled and ran away, holding it out of Tuk's reach.
"Give it back! It's not for a boyfriend!" she shouted.
Loak stopped and turned to Tuk, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, I think it would look gorgeous on your boyfriend," he teased.
"I'm too young to have a boyfriend, dummy!" Tuk snarled and lunged at him. But Loak was too quick, and he ran away, laughing.
"You'll never catch me!" he shouted over his shoulder.
"Kati!" she hollered.
Katiya released a frustrated sigh and stuck her foot out, causing Loak to trip. She picked up the bracelet and returned it to Tuk after it spiraled out of his hand.
"I'm going outside. Don't bother me until the end of the day," she murmured, walking out of their Marui.
Peering down at Loak, Tuk stuck her tongue out at him. Loak snorted and rolled his eyes.
Katiya strolled down the shore feeling the warm sunlight and the cool sea breeze caressing her skin.
Multiple villagers attend to their spirit brothers and sisters in the water, conversing and preparing them for the long journey ahead.
Maybe she'll look for a seashell and add it to her songchord today. Everyone else in her family had already found theirs except for her.
The war situation with the Sky People had been all that was on her mind. Her parents had been meeting with the Olo'eyktan and Tsahik of Awa'atlu to discuss their next steps.
Ronal was extremely upset at Katiya and her family after the injuries to her spirit sister and her baby calf.
Katiya sighed and looked around, seeing the other children playing in the sand and chasing the waves.
Squinting her eyes, she tried to spot a shell among the shoreline debris. She searched and searched, but nothing looked decent.
Her attention was caught by the sound of a familiar low laugh, and she turned to see Aonung chasing waves alongside the children.
She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing instead of tending to his tulkun like the other villagers. She watched as he playfully splashed the children, his face lit up with joy.
Since the first day she was here, this was only the second time she had seen him with such an expression.
Among them was the little girl with two missing front teeth from last night.
"The children of Awa'atlu loves him," Tsireya said, startling Katiya.
Katiya turned to her, her eyebrows furrowed as Tsireya smiled at her.
"He's only this happy when he's with them. Aonung can be intimidating to others, but you will never see him like that with the children."
Katiya cleared her throat. "And you're telling me this why?"
Tsireya's smile faltered and her expression softened. She sighed, switching her wooden bowl of raw fish to her other hand.
"My brother has a kind heart, Kati. You may disagree with me over what he did that day, but you must know it is because he was afraid." A sad smile graced her lips as she glanced back at Aonung. "Nok was Aonung's spirit brother. On days like these when the tulkuns return, he's often with the children to distract himself from remembering Nok."
Katiya's ears piqued with interest, suddenly curious about this. "Was?"
Tsireya nodded, averting her gaze back to Katiya. "Two years ago, Nok was killed by the Sky People who claimed to study our tulkun. It was also the day Payakan became an outcast."
Katiya felt a familiar wave of sadness wash over her, one that was still fresh in her heart after losing her ikran.
"I thought you said Payakan killed them, not the Sky People," Katiya said.
Tsireya shook her head. "Aonung and I always knew the truth. But the ways of the tulkun are harsh and my parents believed what they knew. So we kept our mouths closed."
Katiya remained silent, uncertain of what to say next. She stared at Aonung sitting in a circle with the children playing some game, her expression unreadable.
Perhaps her family's role in bringing war to Awa'atlu may have justified his hatred. His attitude toward her and her siblings made logical sense.
He had lost part of his life to the Sky People, and he just wanted to protect what he knew, what he loved.
Just like her.
Tsireya smiled warmly, her eyes fixed on Katiya. "Come. There's something I want you to have."
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"Ma Kati, are you sure you want this one? It looks like it was broken in half."
Neytiri held up Katiya's songchord after adding the seashell Tsireya had given her.
Though Katiya found it strange to be given a broken seashell as well, she couldn't turn away Tsireya's offer. There was something about the seashell that she found perfect, different from the other ones on the shore.
Katiya nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. Thank you, Mom."
Neytiri smiled, returning the songchord to Katiya. "Well, alright. Here you are then."
She took the songchord and tied the end of the string to her hip, letting it hang as she walked out of her family's Marui.
"Whoa," Jake said, meeting her outside. "Where are you headed?"
"Ilu riding," she replied, sparing him no glance as she walked past her father.
"Don't go too far out, Kati! It's already dark out."
Katiya nodded, clicking for her ilu as she jumped off the edge of the netted walkway and into the water. A bioluminescence of greens and blues filled her vision as the ilu took them beneath the surface.
Katiya felt a rush of adrenaline as they descended further and further into the depths. She could make out the shapes of the creatures that swam past her, illuminated by their own inner glow.
She glided gracefully through the water and before she knew it, they had reached the seawall terraces.
She pulled herself up onto the terrace, feeling the smooth, cool stone beneath her hands as her ilu disappeared into the water. She looked up at the stars and the twin moons of Pandora hanging above her.
It added to the breathtaking scenery of the sea wall terraces, its vivid colors reflected in her golden pupils.
From above, she heard distant voices and looked up to see a few villagers conversing while they tended to the fish in the pools.
Katiya got up and walked along the grassy area, remaining on the lower level of the seawall terraces. She paused and looked out at the sea, admiring the view from the terrace.
Suddenly, someone bumped into her and wrapped their small arms around her thighs to keep steady.
"Oops! Sorry."
Katiya glanced down and noticed the little girl from before.
"Oh hey, I know you!" The little girl grinned, looking up at Katiya with her missing two front teeth. "You're Kati, Tukie's big sister!"
Katiya nodded. "Yes, I remember—"
"And Brother Ao's future wife!"
"What?" At eye level with the little girl, Katiya kneeled, her cheeks turning hot. "No, no! Just Tukie's big sister."
"That's not what Brother Ao said!" The little girl giggled and ran away, leaving Katiya embarrassed and flustered.
"Hey, you little b...!" Katiya stood up, annoyed as she watched her run to the top of the terrace.
Listening skills in kids are notoriously poor.
As she breathed deeply, she reminded herself that the little girl was only a little girl, and her anger subsided.
"Hey, pretty face!"
Katiya's ears perked up at the sound of Aonung's voice. She looked up to find him standing at the top with the little girl beside him, a cheeky grin on her face.
The corners of his lips twitched upward into a playful smile as he gazed down at her.
"Are you stalking me?" He teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Earlier today, he noticed her on the shore watching him play with the children. He often devotes days like these to the children of Awa'atlu, teaching them how to fish or showing them the ropes of a warrior.
He didn't expect to see Katiya at the seawall terraces, but his heart swelled with excitement when he saw her.
Katiya's eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "Are you spreading lies to these children? Don't make me come up there and fight you."
"See? She's totally into me, isn't she?" Aonung crouched beside the little girl, playfully nudging her with his elbow.
She giggled, a hand over her mouth. "She's totally into you."
Katiya glanced up, her eyes narrowing. She knew they were talking about her even though she couldn't hear them.
Aonung chuckled. "Wanna join us, pretty face? Or are you ashamed that we caught you?"
Katiya's eyes flashed with anger, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"I was just leaving," she muttered.
"You sure? I'm teaching them how to catch fish with a bow and arrow. So far, we haven't caught any though." He feigned sorrow as he glanced at the little girl, who pouted. "Isn't that right, Araya?"
"Well, tough luck." Katiya rolled her eyes, waving him off as she turned to leave.
"Kati, Brother Ao is a horrible teacher! Tukie says you're amazing with the bow and arrow. Can you teach us instead?" Araya asked, her eyes bright with excitement.
"Hey," Aonung narrowed his eyes at her, to which she just giggled.
And here Katiya was, demonstrating to a group of tiny Na'vi how to catch a fish with a bow and arrow. She noticed it was Neteyam's Aonung had borrowed.
The little girl, Araya, won her over by acknowledging her skills over Aonung's terrible ones.
Even though she refused to engage in conversation with Aonung for more than a minute, she was surprised at how long she tolerated him.
Aonung, on the other hand, sat back and observed her teaching the little ones. His perception of her intimidating aura never included this side of her.
He was in awe of her patience and gentleness with the children. She had a strong personality, but now he also saw her as someone who was capable of being compassionate.
His heart raced as he watched her, suddenly wanting to reach out and touch her, to take her in his arms and never let her go.
But he knew it was impossible for now, so he just watched her in silence.
He wondered if she felt the same way he did, if she felt that pull that seemed to draw them together. He wanted to know if she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
As Katiya caught him looking at her, Aonung swallowed hard. She gave him her usual unimpressed expression and sat beside him, watching the kids take turns with the bow and arrow.
"They like you." Aonung leaned close to her, prompting her to scoot back a bit.
"Don't try to get on my good side." Katiya glared at him.
Aonung rolled his eyes. "Come on. You can't be in denial forever. Don't think I didn't see you eyeing me earlier on the shore today."
Her eyes widened in shock and her cheeks burned. "I was not eyeing you. You just happened to be in my line of vision."
"Yeah, that always seems to be the case with us, huh? Things just happen to happen," he said sarcastically, a playful smile on his face as he gazed at her. "The Marui we happened to share back in the Tyrangi clan... your wound I happened to treat...."
As he said this, his eyes flickered to her chest, prompting her to scrunch her eyebrows in anger.
"If it's gratitude you're looking for then you have it. Thank you," Katiya muttered, tired of his teasing. "Now shut up and watch your kids. Seriously, when will you leave me alone?"
He let out a low chuckle. "When you fall for me."
With that, he got up and helped the little boy who was having difficulty standing with the bow and arrow.
Katiya let out a frustrated sigh as she watched him, a bittersweet feeling brewing in her chest. She felt someone tap her thigh and found Araya looking at her with curious eyes.
"Are you sure you're not Brother Ao's wife?" she asked.
"No, why?" Katiya shook her head, wondering what Aonung had told these children.
"Oh." A disappointed look crossed the little girl's face as she glanced down at the seashell on Katiya's songchord. "Because you have the same seashell as Brother Ao. Except his is broken on the other side."
She paused and then gasped. "But if you put yours together, it becomes one shell!"
"What?" Katiya breathed, a shocked expression on her face as she looked at Aonung with the seashell in her hand.
The same seashell? Two broken shells? Now her mind reeled with thoughts she didn't bother to think about before.
Why did Tsireya give her this seashell?