⎯⎯ ୨ 𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ୧ ⎯⎯
˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱
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The day had started like any other. The mornings are pleasant and refreshing, the morning growing a bit warm as the sun was rising. With the Metkayina people rising from their comfortable hammocks and starting their days. Kxari wasn't due for any training for the day since her father had to teach Jakesully. So, her father had assigned her to teach the Sully brothers the ways to be a Metkayina warrior. And Kutaan with the Sully girls to teach them how to forage properly.
To say the least, Kxari would have loved to gather with the other girls since one of the sully boys did not take a liking to her. It annoyed her when he would glare at her any time they were face to face.
Kxari was cooking breakfast with her sister, and her father sharpening one of his spears. Kxari carefully deboned the fish. She plunged the sharp tip of the knife into the fish's soft stomach, opening it she carefully used the knife to scoop out its organs. Then ran the knife around the fish bones, detaching the bones from the skin, placing the knife down she used her fingers to rip out the bones.
With a satisfied nod, Kxari grabbed her knife again and cut the scales off the fish alongside its head and tail. Throwing it into the small pile that was in front of Kutaan. Kutaan grabbed the freshly cut fish and started seasoning it and such. A focused look crossed her little sister's face as she used her knife to cut up the fish into smaller pieces. It was fairly quiet in the mauri with each member of the family doing their things.
As they continued on their morning duties the sounds of heavy footsteps and the sounds of the village floors squeaking could be heard. Kxari looked up from her fish, placing it down and she crawled to the entrance of the mauri. Looking out to her left she noticed the Omaticaya men walking toward their mauri. Kxari leaned back with a sigh and crawled back to where her spot was. Maufaey looked up from his spear catching Kxaris' annoyed look, motioning outside he followed and saw the dark blue na'vi coming forward.
Maufaey got up from his sitting position with the spear in hand and placed it back on his weapon holder. Walking back towards the entrance of the mauri he was met with Jakesully.
"Jakesully. Must we get going now?"
"Yeah, let's head out."
Jakesully was surprised at how eager Maufaey was to get to training. Jakesully turned to his sons. "Be safe alright? And behave." He emphasized the last word as he looked toward his youngest. Lo'ak merely nodded at his father's words. Before they had gone, Maufaey had something to say as well.
"Kxari, you as well. Behave, I promise I will not be hearing from Ngeytlììr that you have ditched training these boys. Do not get lost in that mind of yours. Kutaan, stay safe and keep an eye on his daughters."
Kxari and Kutaan looked up at their father and spoke in unison. "Yes, Father." With a last confirmation both of the na'vi fathers left, The two sisters looked back at each other, and with a shrug, they went back to what they were once doing. Kutaan looked up from one of her leaf wraps as she noticed both of the Sully boys were awkwardly standing at the entrance of the mauri. The younger girl placed the leaf wrap down and waved them over.
"Come in. Get comfortable. Are you two hungry?"
Kutaan had offered them food as they both came in and reluctantly sat down next to the girls. Neteyam spared her a look and shot her a kind smile. "No thanks, we've already eaten." His smile faded as he turned toward Kxari.
"Are we going to the training grounds soon?"
Kxari looked up from her work. To say the least, she was already annoyed. She was hungry and already frustrated by the fact that her day off had turned into a training day once again and he was rushing her.
"No. Let me eat first then we can head out."
Bluntly stated, throwing the fish into the pile. Kutaan sighed, annoyed as well. The younger girl grabbed one of the leaf wraps from the fire and threw it at Kxari.
"Eat now then head out soon. You know how our father is about your punctuality."
"No. I must fin-"
Kutaan quickly reached her hand forward and pinched Kxari's lips closed. "I said eat. If you do not eat now I will shove this food down your throat myself." Retracting her hand, Kxari leaned back quickly in discomfort. Massaging her lips slightly and her eyes wide with shock she turned towards Lo'ak who was looking at her as well. Their faces matched in alarm.
Kxari wasted no time eating the food in fear of her sister sticking her fingers down her throat. In no time Kxari got up from her sitting position, heading towards the back of the mauri where her stuff was located she grabbed her pouch and buckled it around her waist. Digging through her stuff once more she put all her needed things into her pouches.
Turning around and nodding toward the boys. With a nod, they followed her out. The village was alive as always, with children running around with their parents following. Warriors were out for training at the training beaches where the three teenage na'vi were headed. Before they knew it they were at one of the training beaches.
From afar they could see both of their fathers raining in the waters. Kxari led both of them far from the sea to be near the sand, where warriors their age were sparring. Walking toward them some sparred looks at them, some in distaste, others in curiosity. Taking notice Lo'ak clenched his fists as he looked around. Neteyam noticed and put his hand on his head. Kxari looked back at them, noticing how they had started to walk slower. Kxari looked around, also noticing the judging eyes.
Kxari had never been familiar with anyone her age. Rather than being with others, she preferred being alone or with her family. So that caused others to judge her as well. Believing that she was too stuck up. Most that encountered her were met with very blunt answers or rude retorts. Sighing out her nose she slowed down her pace to stand right next to Lo'ak. Placing a hand on his back she ushered him forward.
"Do not pay any attention to them. All they do is judge and judge but everything they say does not matter."
Lo'ak looked over at her as well as Neteyam at her weak attempt at comforting. Kxari gave them both a shrug, her face still emotionless. Taking her hand off he walked in front of them again. "Just keep up. We can't spare any more time."
Kxari led them to an isolated area of the beach. Now turning to them she extended her arms out.
"This is where us warriors train. You are warriors back in the forest yeah?"
More directly towards Neteyam, they both nodded. "Alright, then it will be easier for the both of you to train our way. But our training is much different. We fight in the water while you fight in trees. We fight with spears while you fight with bows. So I will start with the basics. Such as hand-to-hand fighting and how you handle a spear. But not today I will show you our weapons. hunting gear and our warriors' mount. Just introducing you around to these things."
Lo'ak nodded looking around once again. He did not want to be here, he wanted to be with Tseriya to swim but she was busy with his sisters. Kxari scratched her head a bit confused about where to start. She was never a good teacher; she left that stuff to her sister and Tseriya. Neteyam frowned a bit impatiently waiting. 'How much longer is she going to take?'
That's when Kxaris clapped her hands together, gaining the attention of both of the boys. "I will show you my Tsurak. That is where we start."
Starting to walk towards the sea she waved them over urging them to follow her. Making their way towards the sea they all have walked towards the shallow end of the ocean. Kxari allowed both of them to stand at each of her sides. A high-pitched whistle left her mouth slowly turning into clicking sounds, small waves were soon created as the huge beast swam through the waters.
Kxari walked forward and put her hand on its scaly snout. Urging them forward with a wave of her hand. They both walked forward and reluctantly reached the Tsurak. "These are Tsurak. A warrior's mount. You will be able to claim one when you start your iknimaya."
Neteyam went forward and placed his hand on its head. Lo'ak only watched them from afar a bit reluctant to touch the beast. Taking notice, Kxari removed her hand from the Tsurak and walked towards Lo'ak. Reaching over to take his four-fingered hand in her three-fingered hands he expected her to make a snide comment on it but she just pulled him forward. Once they were in front of the tsurak again she placed his hand on the tsurak's head.
"Do not be afraid. Unlike other Tsuraks this one is not hot-headed like the others. When we bond with a Tsurak it is not a forever bond like you have with your ikran. And us with our tulkun. But this one has stayed with me since my iknimaya because our bond is built with trust."
Once she finished speaking she took her hand off of Lo'ak and went towards Neteyam. Kxari placed a hand on the saddle of the Tsurak and patted it. "Hop on. I will not allow you to bond with him but I will let you get on."
Neteyam nodded and hopped out of the water, mounting onto the Tsurak. He let out a small huff as he made himself comfortable. Kxari backed away and stood next to Lo'ak once again. Lo'ak let out a breathy laugh as he watched his brother.
"Woah bro. You look stupid."
"Shut it skxawng."
Neteyam snarled back at his little brother. Then they both started laughing. Kxari watched from the back with her lips pressed into a straight line. To her, Neteyam looked pretty cool on top of the Tsurak. Her admiration only grew as he laughed. Kxari felt herself staring too hard then looked away and scratched her head. Neteyam soon got off, jumping into the cool water once again.
"So what are we going to do now?"
Kxari simply shrugged. "I don't know. I'm a really bad teacher."
Lo'ak looked over at her in shock and Neteyam internally groaned. Kxari took notice of their stares and shot her hands up defensively.
"It wasn't my idea to come to teach you. My father should've just left you two with Tseriya. You can go if you like, you know... I'll have my father get you a new teacher by tomorrow. "
Kxari walked over to her Tsurak and patted its back, motioning that it could swim away. Neteyam looked at her with surprise and annoyance. 'How can she give up so easily?' Kxari watched the Tsurak swim away, not wanting to turn around to watch the boys leave. Hearing the water splash around to get to the beaches she started walking to the deeper ends of the ocean. Before she could keep walking a rough hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her back.
Turning around and seeing it was Neteyam who had pulled her back she silently groaned. Kxari tried pulling her arm back but it didn't budge Neteyams hold was too strong. Kxari sighed, giving up.
"Alright, alright. What do you want?"
Neteyam huffed at her small attitude in annoyance and let her arm go. Kxari pulled her arm to her side, using her other hand to massage her arm. Looking everywhere but him she noticed Lo'ak was gone.
"I want you to teach me. That is what you were assigned to do. To finish the job."
"But I already told you. If I were to teach you, you would be left in a dead end. It's for the best."
Neteyam groaned and scratched his head. "Just try. If it doesn't work out then you can ask your father to change instructors."
At that moment Kxari couldn't help but feel like exploding. Hoping that her face wasn't a shade of purple she raised her hands to her cheeks. 'Why was he so persistent? Could it be? No. No. ' Delusions crossed her mind but to Neteyam she looked annoyed towards him. To him that scowl on her face made him think she was judging him.
"Fine then. Let's start with your spear. I assume you don't have one. So we will go to the weapons hut to get you one."
Neteyam only nodded and Kxari walked past him to get to shore. Neteyam followed behind it once they got to one of the nearby beaches. It was havoc, Ao'ung and his friends were pushing around Lo'ak and were saying vile things. Kxari snarled silently and was about to approach the boys to say something but Neteyam beat her to it and pushed past her.
His hair swung wildly as he walked quickly to get to his siblings. His back muscles clenched in anger. As soon as he got to Ao'nung, he forcefully pushed him back. Now being face to face with Ao'nung. Kxari stopped walking as soon as she saw Neteyam had it handled, watching the scene unfold. She went behind Ao'nung with an eyebrow raised.
"You heard what she said. Leave them alone." His voice is low and threatening, raises a finger and harshly placed it against Ao'nungs chest. One of Ao'nung's friends came forward to speak.
"Ah, big brother come-"
Ao'nung placed an arm out to stop him from saying anything else. Kxari side glanced at him and felt herself inwardly cringe. Rolling her eyes she backed away from the group. 'How embarrassing.'
"Back off," Neteyam spoke harshly now. "Now." Using a finger to push Ao'nung away. Ao'nung admitted defeat as he backed away with his hands up.
"Smart choice. And from now on I need you to respect my sister."
Kxari felt like a bystander. But she couldn't do anything because Neteyam had it handled. This whole ordeal annoyed her also angering her because of how Ao'nung could be such a jerk. With a sigh, she placed a hand on top of her head. One of Ao'nungs friends stepped forward and hissed at Neteyam. Now Kxari felt like melting into Pandora's sandy beaches. 'Why don't they just leave it?'
Kiri stuck her tongue out to the group of boys. Neteyam urged his siblings forward. "Let's go."
Neteyam continued to watch the group of boys. His eyes then lingered on Kxari. His gaze was only full of annoyance. Kxari only shrugged at him, turning around and she headed toward Ao'nung and placed a firm hand on his arm finally making her presence known to him. He only scoffed and pushed her off. Kxari stepped back in shock resisting the urge to smack him.
When the Omaticaya siblings started walking away the embarrassing friend waved at them. "Buh-bye!" Taunting them in the process. Ao'nung went to his friend as well.
"Look at them. They're all freaks. The whole family."
Kxari noticed how Lo'ak turned around. Kxaris' face dropped a bit she knew what was coming so she backed away from the group and she ended up being on the opposite side of the Metkayina boys.
"Lo'ak," Neteyam called after his brother. The said boy turned around and reached out a reassuring hand to his older brother. "I got this, bro"
Lo'ak continued on and now faced Ao'nung. He lifted a hand to the teal boy's face.
"I know this hand is funny. Look, I'm a freak. An alien." Lo'ak waved his extra finger in Ao'nung's face and the boys all laughed. "But I can do something cool. Watch." Lo'ak used his other hand to ball up his fingers into a fist.
"First, I ball it up real tight like this. Okay? Then.." Then Lo'ak threw a hard right hook and punched Ao'nung in the face, Then another and another. Ao'nung flew back to the ground. Kxari stepped back in shock and used both of her hands to cover her mouth.
"It's called a punch, bitch! Don't ever touch my sister again." Kxari let out an impressed laugh when she heard Lo'ak. Ao'nung was quick to get up and ran to Lo'ak. A loud growl left his mouth as he tackled Lo'ak to the ground. One of his friends cheered him on.
"Yeah! Ao'nung! Show him!"
Once Ao'nung was on top of Lo'ak he was thrown off. Kxari moved away from the fight when she noticed they started heading toward her. Her ears lowered into her head in embarrassment. Now finding her way to Kiri she stood next to the shorter girl.
Lo'ak threw Ao'nung off and punch him in the face once again. Two of Ao'nungs friends went over to help him out by grabbing Lo'aks tail. Dragging him away from Ao'nung. Then another came over and smacked him in the face with his flat tail. Kxari placed both of her hands on her waist huffing out. Kxari looked back at Neteyam assuming that he would do something to help his brother.
Neteyam looked at her too before scratching his head, contemplating whether or not to join in. Finally deciding he shrugged and sighed. Neteyam ran past her into the fight; he went up to one of the main bullies and punched him straight in the face. Sending him to the ground. Another ran up to him and then was kneed in the groin being thrown down to the ground. Then it's a riot. Fists flying and na'vi being thrown around.
Kxari laughed while watching the whole scene unfold. To her, it all looked so stupid. Kiri moved forward begging them all to stop.
"Stop. So stupid!"
Kxari kept laughing as she shook her hand towards Kiri. Kiri looked over at her and couldn't help but start laughing as well. Ao'nung was dragging Lo'ak by the tail and Lo'ak was dragging one of the boys by the ear.
"Ow, my tail!"
"My ear! Let go!"
Kiri covered her mouth as she kept laughing. But Kxaris laughing fit soon ended when she noticed her father was walking towards them. Kxari knew if she didn't intervene she would feel her father's wrath. If Ao'nung gets her it's the end of her. Running towards the fight, the first person she grabbed was Neteyam. He turned around and attempted to throw a punch at her as well thinking it was one of Ao'nungs friends with Kxari barely dodged it. Kxari maneuvered herself and held a strong grip on Neteyam, throwing him away from the fight.
He was confused but his confusion turned into worry when he noticed both of the older na'vi walking towards them. Kxari grabbed Ao'nung by the armpits and attempted to pull him away but he yelled out instead.
"Let me g-" Before he could finish Kxaris fathers voice boomed.
"What do you think you're all doing?!"
All the Metkayina boys scrambled off in fear. Now Ao'nung let Kxari help him up. Maufaey turned towards the metkayina boys and glared at them all. "Jakesullys sons come with me. Kxari take these boys away from here."
Maufaey moved towards the Omaticaya boys and urged them forward. When Neteyam was going to drag Kiri with them, Kxari beat him to it. Kxari took hold of her hand and dragged her along with the Metkayina boys who were already walking forward. Kiri gave her a confused look and Neteyam sent her a glare. Before he could say anything Maufaey dragged him away towards their family's mauri.
"You do not want to feel my father's wrath," Kxari whispered, making sure her father did not hear. Once they were far enough Kxari had stopped in front of Kiri. "You can go do whatever your heart desires. I know you don't want to stay with these idiots. I have to look after them so they won't do anything idiotic." Motioning towards the boys who were sulking at their new bruises.
Kiri looked over at them as well. Then looked down at Kxari's three-fingered hand on her four-fingered hand. Anxiously waiting for her to let go. But to her avail, Kxari only grabbed her single hand firmly and enveloped the same hand with her other.
"Do not let their judgments go through your head like that. Extra finger or not you are true na'vi. And the hair above your eyebrows makes you cuter."
Kiri felt slightly at ease at her words but still felt an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. Kxari was quick to let go when she noticed she overstepped her boundaries. "My apologies."
"It's okay."
Kxari let out a soft sigh as the atmosphere soon turned awkward. Then it broke when Ao'nung turned around and yelled out at her. "Come on, Kxari!" Turning around to face him she put her hand out motioning for him to wait for her. Kxari turned back to Kiri.
"I should go..."
"Yeah..."
Kxari then took steps forward making sure Kiri didn't need anything else. With one last nod, she sprinted towards the boys. One of Ao'nungs friends turned toward her and questioned her.
"What are you doing with that freak?"
Kxaris' lips turned into a grim line when she heard him. "That is enough. I figured you have already been taught a lesson since you all have been beaten. Or do I have to beat some sense into you too?"
The boy only scoffed and turned his attention from Kxari to somewhere else. Ao'nung once again broke the tension. "Let's go hunt." Kxari internally groaned. 'Why can't I ever catch a break?'
Now they were headed towards the hut where they held all the hunting gear. One of Ao'nungs friends had left to go to his mauri So that left Ao'nung and his two other friends. Kxari didn't even think about grabbing her hunting spear. She would just let the boys handle it all. All she was there for was to watch out for them making sure they do not do anything stupid. Once they got to the ocean they grabbed their ilus and swam off.
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˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱
ᴇᴅɪᴛᴇᴅ