Dinner was… different. In the forest, Neteyam was used to cooked meats, often paired with freshly foraged yovo fruits or cycad seeds. Here, Neytiri swiftly cut up chunks of prepared fish before evenly distributing it out onto shell plates. His mother said nothing as she worked but even his dad flinched as she brought the blade down on the fish, over and over again in stony silence.

It was no secret that his mother did not want to be here. To leave her home, her people, had been a great blow to her pride. Her father's bow now hung above the Marui entrance, a silent promise of who she was and what she had left behind.

Neteyam would not admit it, but he ached for his home too. Everything he was had been left behind. But he would be strong. He had to be. Neteyam was the firstborn son and he would not disappoint his father. That was the greatest shame.

Studying the food before him, he picked over a piece on his shell. Back at the Omaticaya Base Camp, the Na'vi ate their food on fresh rìkean leaves. But here, the food was served on flat shell plates. Tuk, every picky, pushed the white chunks of fish around with her fingers while making faces. Neteyam didn't prefer the river fish they had back at home, but he would admit that after all their days of traveling, eating something other than dried meat was a relief to his senses.

As he ate he realized how much the white of his bandage stood out against his dark blue skin. Kiri had wrapped his hand when they returned home that evening without saying anything, clearly annoyed with his stupidity.

"Ma Neteyam! What happened to your hand?" his mother asked, eyeing his bandage with surprise.

"It is nothing," he began to lie. But Tuk jumped in before he could finish. "Neteyam almost drowned!" she stated, with wide eyes.

Neteyam cursed his youngest sister silently, as his parents both shot their heads up. Damn it, he didn't need this right now. The last thing he wanted was to further his conflict with the chief's son or cause more stress to his family. "I was just trying to show off. It was a simple mistake," he said quickly.

Lo'ak glanced at him but said nothing. Neytiri huffed under her breath but his father gave him a frustrated look.

"What did I tell you about being here?" he demanded.

Neteyam bowed his head. "Not to cause trouble."

"That's right," Jake responded. "The last thing I need is for you to get hurt, trying to win some pissing contest, you hear me boy?"

"Yes sir. I'm sorry," he answered monotonously.

"Good," his father replied. There was an uncomfortable silence in the marui before his father let out a sigh. "Is it deep?" he asked.

"No sir."

"Alright. At least let your mother look at it later tonight, ok?" Neteyam nodded quickly, before returning back to his food.

"What was that?" Lo'ak hissed at him as the two sat outside the marui. The sun had set and darkness now fell over the Metkayina village.

"I don't know what you mean," Neteyam responded noncommittally, keeping his gaze on the dark water. Bright little fish flicked around under the surface, reflecting in the starlight above.

Lo'ak grunted in frustration. "You know exactly what I mean. Why didn't you say something? Aonung was being a dick and you know it."

Taking his eyes off the sea and turning to his brother. Neteyam gave him a shit-eating grin that he knew Lo'ak hated. "When are you going to learn, baby bro? Sometimes it's better to leave things alone. Not everything needs to be a fight."

The younger Na'vi growled in annoyance and shoved his shoulder. "Shut up."

"Come on," he said, offering a hand to Lo'ak as he stood. "Let's get back inside before dad skins us." His brother rolled his eyes but accepted the hand anyways. The two made their way back to the marui in silence.

Once inside, Neteyam plopped himself down onto his mat and turned towards the fire. Kiri sat in front of their mother as she braided her hair.

"Mom!" his sister groaned, as Neytiri pulled tighter on the brain. "Oh hush, Kiri," she chided, twisting the strand back into place. "It is not my fault they came out," his sister bemoaned. "They were already tangled from the ikran ride."

"All the better to fix them now then," his mom replied soothingly. Kiri rolled her eyes but said nothing more.

Neteyam couldn't help but grin. Out of all his siblings, Kiri was by far the strangest. Just like Lo'ak, she had five fingers. But unlike his little brother, was wise beyond her years. She seemed to know everything around her, always speaking in riddles and taunts. She was made by the will of Eywa. Or, at least that was what his mother said. But despite that, there was no questioning the strange gifts she possessed. While Neteyam had fought tooth and nail to bond his ikran, Kiri simply walked up to hers and offered it her hand. And that was that. They had flown together ever since. She was a wonder in every sense of the word.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Kiri scolded. With a laugh, Neteyam put his hands up in mock surrender. His mother shot him a quick look and he turned on his bed mat and closed his eyes.

After a few moments passed, Neytiri began to softly hum. Her voice mixed in with the crackling of the fire and Neteyam let his mind go black as sleep filled his senses.

Tsireya met them outside the marui the next morning. Her hair fell in its usual loose twists and she happily spun to usher them towards the beach. Just like the day before, the water was a gorgeous shimmering blue, the sand a bright pale contrast beneath it. Neteyam felt the warm sand beneath his feet and he let his toes dig into it. Tsireya came to a stop in front of a large cove where the water lapped playfully at her feet.

"We are here," she said brightly. Further out in the water, Neteyam saw Tuk happily splashing around Kiri, who stood admiring a piece of shell she had found. When his youngest sister caught sight of them, Tuk happily waved and splashed over to them eagerly.

"Look, look!" she exclaimed. In her hand she held a shining silver rock. "Isn't it pretty Lo'ak?" she asked with big eyes, looking at her brother. Lo'ak snorted, but Neteyam swiftly elbowed him in the side.

"Yes, it's beautiful Tuk," he corrected. His little sister let out a happy squeal and submerged herself back in the water. Neteyam shot his brother a look that said, come on, before sliding into the water himself.

This part of the cove was nice. Rocky outlines of coral created a secluded section of beach that was teeming with life. Farther out, it opened up to the sea which stained dark blue against the sky. It was beautiful.

His thoughts were interrupted as a wave of water pushed toward them. Beneath the surface, the large eel-like creatures he had seen earlier made their way through the water. Their deep aqua skin was broken up with patterns and stripes of green and yellow.

"Oh good! They are here," Tsireya stated, clasping her hands.

The three creatures broke the surface, each saddled with a pale blue Na'vi on their backs. Neteyam instantly recognized Aonung as he disconnected the tsaheylu and slid into the sea. The eldest Metkayina boy easily strode through the water with two others behind him. Neteyam did his best to keep his expression in check.

The chief's son quickly gestured respectfully toward his sister before facing everyone. With no introduction, Aonung locked eyes on Neteyam.

"These are ilu," he said, gesturing behind him. "If you want to live here you have to ride."

Aonung let out a series of clicks along with a low calling sound. Two of the creatures surged forward beside him.

"The ilu live alongside us on the reef," Tsireya said, stepping forward. "They hunt with us as our brothers." Her voice floated around him as she explained the creatures in the water but Neteyam struggled to listen because Aonung's eyes had not left his. The Metkayina stared at him with an intensity that Neteyam had not felt before, he narrowed his eyes in return. Whatever the water Na'vi had in store, he did not like it.

"Who wants to go first," Tsireya called out. He snapped his attention back to the group. His brother, ever the show-off, stepped forward instantly. "Wonderful!" the chief's daughter said with a smile.

Wading through the water, Lo'ak approached the ilu hesitantly. Neteyam watched as Aonung nudged the shoulder of the other Metkayina boy and laughed. Shooting them a glare, Lo'ak mounted the creature, settling himself in the saddle. Tsireya came around the ilu's neck and soothed it with the stroke of her hand.

"Make the bond gently," she told him, holding out its kuru. Lo'ak nodded and reached behind his back to pull his braid over his shoulder. With a confirming look towards Tsireya, he connected his queue to the animal. The ilu let out a loud squawk as its pupils dilated.

"Feel his breath," Tsireya commanded. Lo'ak clothed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The creatures settled beneath him. "Feel his strength."

Neteyam felt the back of his neck prickle and he turned once more to find Aonung glaring at him. He raised his eyebrows in a challenge and the other boy finally looked away.

"Hold here," he heard Tsireya say. His brother nodded and took in a deep inhale before surging forward. The creature dove into the water instantly, dragging Lo'ak along with it. The two took off down the cove at astonishing speed. Both he and Aonung ducked under the water to watch.

It took only around three seconds for his brother to be thrown off. Aonung chucked under the water before coming up and laughing outright. One of the other Metkayina boys let out a whoop as Lo'ak resurfaced. Even Tsireya hid a giggle behind her finned palm as the ilu splashed water in Lo'ak's face before returning to the group.

"You alright forest boy?" Rotxo called out amidst his laughter. Tsireya shot him a sharp look before turning to the rest of the group.

"Alright. Who's next?"

The siblings ended up divided, with Kiri helping Tuk onto the smallest of the ilu. Rotxo, stood by eagerly, showing them how to grip the saddle properly. Tsireya helped Lo'ak back on, repositioning his hands so he would not get thrown off next time. Which left Neteyman with Aonung.

Neteyam made his way over to the largest of the ilu. Its blue skin was offset by tones of green that patterned across its back. Long, streamlined fins, flicked idly back and forth in the water, pushing gentle waves around it.

Aonung's stood in the same place as Tsireya, with one hand placed on its neck. He tracked Neteyams movement with narrowed eyes as he approached.

"This is Palè," he spoke, his gaze never leaving the dark blue Na'vi. The ilu, Palè, let out a low squeak-like whistle and thrashed its head around under Aonung's grip. "You will ride her today."

Eager to get this over with, Neteyam quickly made to straddle the ilu and pulled out his queue. But Aonung immediately shoved him away with a hiss. "This is not like your flying beasts," Aonung glared. "You must be gentle."

Neteyam clenched his fists and pushed away his irritation, choosing to ignore the remark a bout his ikran. Aonung clearly saw the anger on Neteyam's face and grinned cruelly with a glint in his eyes. With a deep breath, he calmed his emotions and pushed himself onto the saddle.

He righted his shoulders and straightened his back like he would on an ikran, keeping himself firmly above the water.

"No, not like that," the Olo'eyktan's son immediately said. "Once you make tsaheylu, you must keep your chest down, so the water does not throw you off."

A large warm hand pushed between Neteyam's shoulder blades until he was level with the ilu. "There," he said, satisfied. "Now make the bond."

Neteyam reached over his shoulder and pulled out his queue, connecting it firmly to the ilu. He did not miss the way Aonung's sharp blue eyes track every movement of his arm. His gaze seemed almost hungry. Neteyam couldn't help the shiver that rose under his skin. As soon as the connection was made, the ilu shuttered beneath him and its pupils dilated. Neteyam let the bond enter his mind and he was flooded with images of the water and ocean. He breathed slowly, letting his breaths settle over the ilu, until they inhaled as one.

"Good," Aonung said, once Neteyam had opened his eyes.

The Sully boy grabbed onto the handle just like his brother had done and lowered himself down as he had been before.

"Breath deeply with her," Aonung commanded, keeping his hand on Palè's neck. "Let her air become yours."

As instructed, Neteyam took in a deep inhale. He felt the creature shift underneath him. Aonung frowned. "No, you have forgotten everything you learned yesterday. Breath from here-" a pale blue hand pressed firmly to his stomach, fingers tracing his diaphragm.

Neteyam froze immediately. The feeling of the other's hand pressed into his stomach, spanning across the whole length of his waist, shot throughout his whole body. He tried to inhale but his breath came out stuttered and forced. His wide eyes found Aonung's face. The other boy ripped his gaze up from where it was focused intently on his waist. He looked dazed, his mouth open slightly. The pale blue hand stood out hugely against the skin of the dark blue Na'vi. Before Neteyam could say anything, Aonung jerked his hand away as if he had been burned.

"You are wasting too much of my time. Hurry and be done with it," Aonung said sharply, glaring down at the water between them.

Neteyam felt his heart beating rapidly in his ears. His ilu seemed to pick up on it because she huffed anxiously and shifted beneath him. Trying to clear his mind, he firmly shook his head and reached out to grasp the handle at the base of Palè's neck.

Like he would with his ikran, Tsyalè, he shifted down and sent the command forward, through the bond. The ilu shot forward like a bullet. Neteyam managed to get in one good breath before the creature dove beneath the waves. He gripped the ilu's smooth sides firmly with his thighs as she rolled quickly through the water. Bright colors streaked past him as they went further into the coral. But soon the pressure of the water rushing by him forced his grip open. As soon as the tsaheylu was broken, Neteyam was wrenched from the ilu's back.

The waves passed over his head and he forced himself to the surface, breaking the waves with a gasp. Palè returned next to him and he let her pull him back to the shore where Aonung stood, watching. Frustration burned in his gut. He hated not being able to do things.

As he dragged himself off the ilu he looked at Aonung, waiting for his snide comment. An insult about his family or his heritage. But none came. Instead, the older boy looked at him for a moment before simply saying, "You stayed on longer than your brother."

After that, the lesson became easier. Aonung had him get back on the ilu, explaining to him where he went wrong. He pointed to his legs, saying that if he wanted to stay on he had to let himself become streamlined against the ilu, rather than gripping hard with his thighs. He even went so far as to demonstrate proper positioning, but always kept his hands to himself, purposely avoiding touching the darker blue Na'vi.

"Good," Aonung said finally after the sun had tracked its way into the sky. It was now beating down on the group with full force. Tsireya had returned a few minutes earlier with a woven basket of fish and Tuk was now happily squealing as she fed her ilu piece after piece. The creature gleefully snapped his jaws around each bite causing his little sister to light up with laughter every time.

Neteyam felt a lightness in his chest that he hadn't felt since he left his home in the forest. He couldn't help the smile that traced his features as he watched his siblings mess around in the water. As he stood, waist-deep in the cool water he realized that perhaps this could become his home after all. As long as his family was safe, he could adapt, he could be happy. Neteyam was so lost in thought he did not notice that Aonung's eyes were still on him.

"Come, everyone!" Tsireya exclaimed excitedly. "Let us swim together."

Rotxo let out a long series of clicks and a low whistle before three more ilu appeared from below the surface. A graceful-looking one, with pale pink highlights, twirled happily around Tsireya, splashing Lo'ak in the process. He couldn't help but scoff at his little brother, who stood entranced by the chief's daughter as she spun happily in the water along with the creature.

Kiri settled Tuk onto a saddle before turning to meet Rotxo, who grinned and motioned for her to get on behind him. She huffed in annoyance.

The largest ilu had deep blue skin and dark swirls along its fins, making it look like a shadow gliding under the water. Aonung clucked his tongue once in the back of his throat and it reared its head up to him above the waves. In one fluid motion, he made the bond and swung into the saddle urging it forward to circle the group. Neteyam watched for a moment, as the chief's son rode calmly through the waves. He looked like a god of the sea, his head held high, face stern and reproachful. The long twists of his bun had come undone and fell freely down his back as the waves lapped at his thighs. Aonung turned his way and Neteyam quickly glanced down, his cheeks heating. Why was he acting like this? He had never let anyone get to him in such a way before.

Quickly, he mounted his own ilu and urged her forward until the group was ready to exit the cove together.

"Ready?" Tsireya called. "Take a deep breath in." Neteyam followed orders along with everybody else and the ilus dove under the waves.

He felt the water rush past him and he firmly grasped the handle as he urged Palè to follow Tsireya and the others downward. The creatures seemed to know what to do without any command. They swam past the coral and out to the reef, clicking happily, circling one another as they dipped up and down in the current. Neteyam had never felt such a sense of weightlessness. Not even when flying Tsyalè during raids.

Remembering what Aonung had said, he kept his body streamlined with Palè and urged her up to the surface, jumping into the air with a whoop before crashing back into the waves. Tuk easily zoomed past him, grinning like a mania as she rode around in circles chasing a school of fish. After a moment of observation, his ilu swam in tandem with Lo'ak's. He couldn't help but bank to his right with a grin, forcing his brother to twist awkwardly to avoid being thrown off the saddle. Lo'ak glared at him before doing the same, pushing his ilu into Neteyam's, making him lose his grip in surprise. The two siblings cracked smiles before they urged their rides back up to the surface.

He took in a deep breath of air and pushed his hair out of his face as his brother did the same. "You are learning to breathe!" Tsireya said happily, joining them above the water. Lo'ak grinned at her and she smiled back shyly, her pale cheeks darkening with a blush. Neteyam shook his head in amused disbelief. Leave it to his brother to find a crush in the middle of fleeing warfare. His beads clicked together and he turned his head just as Aonung surfaced.

"Brother!" Tsireya called happily when she saw him. "The newcomers are doing very well, are they not?" she exclaimed. Aonung eyed them skeptically for a moment before sighing with a resigned look. "Yes, I suppose they are," he agreed.

Neteyam couldn't help but grin at the admission.

"Was that a compliment?" Lo'ak asked in pretend shock, smiling at the eldest Metkayina.

"No," Aonung soured, using his ilu's fin to splash water in Lo'ak's face. "Just an observation."

Neteyam laughed earnestly as his brother angrily wiped the water off his face.

"Aonung!" Tsireya scolded. Her brother held his hands up innocently but couldn't keep the glow out of his eyes.

Lo'ak rolled his eyes and ducked underwater.

Neteyam realized that the bandage Kiri had wrapped around his wrist the night before had come loose with all their diving. He winced as the saltwater lapped against the exposed cut on his hand. With a quick inhale he pulled the fabric tight and rewrapped the injury. To his side, he felt Aonung's eyes track the movement sharply. Neteyam looked up and saw an unreadable expression on the boy's tight face before he swiftly looked away.

The three of them above water inhaled once more before plunging back down into the ocean. The passing sun cast bright rays into the sea and Neteyam took a moment to simply revel in the beauty around him. Perhaps he had judged this place too quickly. He would always crave the mossy green of the forest, with its tall trees and illuminated floor. But this world his family had found underwater, rivaled anything he had seen above.

Rotxo swam past him and he realized with a start that Kiri was no longer on his back. He glanced about for a moment before he saw her near the ocean floor. She was twirling around easily as beautiful kelp leaves swayed back and forth at her side. She looked at home. Neteyam moved to swim down towards her but stopped as a stray ilu wove its way through the kelp. It regarded Kiri with curious eyes. His sister smiled easily and reached her arm out, allowing it to come closer. The creature wasted no time nestling its head against her cheek, clicking happily. He watched in amazement as it turned to offer her its kuru. She smiled blissfully in agreement and easily made the bond before gripping its neck and hopping on. The two swam together as though they had known each other since birth. Happily weaving around the kelp in a silent dance.

From the edge of his view, he turned and saw Aonung watching her as well. The boy's expression was the same one he wore when he had greeted the newcomers on the beach all those days ago. It made Neteyams gut churn. So when Aonung turned and found Neteyam watching, he glared at him forcefully as if to say, don't you dare say a thing about her.

Aonung held his stare stonily for a moment before jerking his ilu away and swimming back towards his sister near the surface. Neteyam was left again, with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach before he too brought his ilu back towards the group.