Blood and Water | Neteyam

The Dawning ∼ 45

"I'm telling you, dad, it's been one of the most boring weeks of my life!"

Tcelia's dad chuckled, "Boring is good sometimes. Not everything has to be an adventure." he replied as he repositioned himself on the grass besides Tcelia once again, placing an arm under his head, "Especially not after what you just went through."

Tcelia rolled her eyes even though she knew her dad couldn't see it, "Yeah but I mean, I wasn't even allowed to leave the village," she crossed her arms over her chest as she huffed, "They've been crazy strict."

"Yet you seem happier than you've ever done before." Tcelia could feel her dad's gaze on her as he looked at her, but Tcelia refused to meet his gaze out of spite. Though she couldn't control the smile that spread across her face. "Don't think I don't see that smile, young lady. I may be old and I may be dead but I know what that smile means."

Tcelia laughed and rolled onto her side to look at her dad, hugging herself as she did. They were lying down on a patch of grass on top of one of the flying mountains. It was in the middle of the night, and the bioluminescent wonders had come to life. The large planet from above cast dark blue shadows across her dad's skin, making his freckles twinkle. He was looking at her with a boyish grin that reminded Tcelia of how young he had been when he had passed. He had only been twenty-four, something Tcelia often forgot when she talked to him, since he seemed so much older both in maturity and mentality. But in reality, the version of her dad she saw before her wasn't even ten years older than herself. This was one of her mother's memories of him, and a younger one at that so maybe he was only twenty-two or twenty-three. When Tcelia had first gone to see him, he had seemed so old and adult. Now, objectively, Tcelia was able to see that he'd always remain unfairly young, meant to live a much longer life, to grow old. In Tcelia's mind though, he'd always be much older than her, he'd always be her dad.

"Alright, fair. I am happy." Tcelia admitted, laughing at her dad's infectious smile. She narrowed her eyes playfully, but her smile remained on her face. "Is that such a crime?"

"Not at all," Her dad grinned, looking up at the stars again. "But whoever he is, he better be treating my little girl right or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Tcelia cut him off, raising an eyebrow at her dad.

He hesitated for a moment, pretending to ponder the question. "I'll order you to order him to connect to the spirit tree and then I'll kick his ass."

"Great plan, dad." Tcelia replied sarcastically, her amusement evident., "And what if he refuses?"

He rubbed his chin, acting as if he was thinking hard, "I'll get back to you on that one."

Tcelia giggled, rolling back to lie on her back so that she could watch the stars again. "Don't worry, dad. If he hurts me, I'll kick his ass myself."

"I know you will, baby." He patted her knee absentmindedly, "But he won't hurt you. I trust that you know how to pick them."

Tcelia thought back to the past week. It was true what she had said – it had been a very boring week. She had been confined to the village, unable to partake in hunting or other activities. The only respite came when Tsireya visited, inviting Tcelia to accompany her while she prepared herbs and plants for her mother's Tsahik practice, which Tcelia accepted gratefully each time. Following the tulkun celebration, Tcelia had slept for most of the day, feeling weak and fragile upon awakening. She could barely stand on her own two feet when she had woken up, the dancing and overexertion from the day prior catching up to her.

It frustrated her that she remained so weak and useless. Jake and Neytiri insisted on her staying in the village, citing Norm and Max's concerns about her overexertion, which also irritated her a great deal. But most of all, it annoyed her that they were right. She could barely stay awake for more than a couple of hours before her eyes began to drop, and she could feel her entire body screaming for rest. Max had explained to her that it was perfectly normal, that her body and her mind needed to heal from both the physical and the mental strain that it had been through. Nonetheless, no matter how normal the healing process was, it had annoyed Tcelia a great deal that the process wasn't a whole lot quicker. Though she understood the need for healing, both physically and mentally, she couldn't help but feel annoyed by the slow progress. Tcelia longed to be active, to contribute to village life, and to put the traumatic events on the ship behind her. Engaging in weaving and sewing offered some solace, as she crafted various items upon request, but she missed the thrill of hunting with her bow, the freedom of flying on Niwin, and the physicality of training.