Blood and Water | Neteyam

The Wise ∼ 2

Tcelia quickly slipped off her ikran when they landed and stroked her across the face, cooing and praising her for her great flying today. She nuzzled Tcelia's hand gently, letting out satisfied whines. Niwin had always loved being praised and so Tcelia did it often. She never seemed to grow tired of it.

Neteyam once teased her about it, saying that she spoiled her too much. Tcelia had argued that he didn't spoil his own enough even though that was a total lie. Neteyam and his ikran had one of the closest bonds she had ever seen, she just didn't want to admit that he might have been a little right. Niwin was getting a little too used to being praised and would not fly with her unless she told her how amazing she was beforehand. But Tcelia found it adorably hilarious, and besides, Niwin was one of the fastest ikrans out there. She could bear sacrificing saying some words of praise to her, because, well, they were all true. She was amazing.

Lo'ak had landed to Tcelia's right, in the cave of one of the Hallelujah mountains which was where their stronghold was situated, Neytiri to her left.

She saw Tuk come running towards Neytiri, throwing herself into her mother's arms. Tcelia smiled at the younger Na'vi girl as she detached herself from her mother and crashed into Tcelia, squealing her name.

"Hey Tuk, I have missed you too." she said, ruffling her hair. She brushed her own hair away from her face and looked at Jake who had just landed, jumping down from his ikran in a fury and grinding his teeth. Out of Tcelia's peripheral vision she saw Kiri appear to check on her brother's wounds.

"Alright, fall in line," Jake turned to his children, looking at them, "Now!" They all scrambled to stand in front of him. Tcelia glanced at Neteyam, finding him already looking at her with a questioning look in his eyes, silently asking her if she was okay. Tcelia nodded her head softly and he sent her a relieved smile in return.

Jake let out an angry huff. "You're supposed to be spotters, you scout from above and let us know of any dangers, from a distance! But that was all!" His nostrils were flaring, "Jesus, I let you fly a mission and the only person who doesn't disobey direct orders is Tcelia."

Tcelia shrunk into herself, filled with shame knowing that if Neteyam hadn't told her to stay, she too would have been down on the ground with the brothers. Jake was working himself up and getting more and more frustrated by the second. She couldn't blame him. A lot of things were happening right now; sounds bouncing off the walls from the many ikrans and Na'vi that were reuniting with their families, not to mention the fact that he had just half an hour ago, been scared that he might have lost his two sons.

"Kiri, would you go help your grandmother with the wounded please." Jake was obviously restraining himself from strangling someone and even his attempts at sounding civil came out as a frustrated groan.

"My brother is wounded." Kiri shot back at him, back straight, eyes fierce.

Jake noticeably had to count to three before he could talk again. "Just take Tuk and go please." And Kiri, who realized that she wasn't going to win this one when her dad was in this kind of mood, took Tuk under her arm and, rolling her eyes, made her way over to the Tsahik who was helping a Na'vi woman clean up an ugly knife wound she had gotten across her thigh.

Neteyam swiftly stepped forward, "I take full responsibility, sir."

But Jake was really not having any of it right at this moment. "That's right, you do, because you're the oldest and you're supposed to behave accordingly."  Tcelia was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable standing in the middle of this family squabble.

Neteyam looked down, shame burning in his eyes and Tcelia restrained herself from reaching a hand out to comfort him. She knew how much he hated to disappoint his family and especially his father, but he wouldn't appreciate her trying to comfort him after just having been scorned. He would see it as pity, and if there was anything Neteyam hated more than disappointing the people he cared about, it was being pitied. She flexed her hand by her side.