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In many ways, Neytiri understood why Ronal reacted to their arrival the way she did. It took some time for the anger and frustration to wear off, but by the time their new home was set up Neytiri could feel the full weight of her exhaustion settling on her shoulders. This place was beautiful, light shining through the woven canopy and calm, clear water underneath them. But it was not home. She left her home, the only place she had ever known, where her father and sister were buried and her mother still lived.
“Mom, are you alright?”
Neytiri startles out of her daze, realizing she has been staring at the necklace in her hands for several minutes. Neteyam is kneeling by her side, looking worried and just as tired as she feels. She musters up a smile, reaching out to cradle the side of his head.
“I am fine, my son. I was lost in thought.” Neyetam smiles at that, leaning into her hand. Her sweet boy, her first born. Neytiri never wanted to take her children from the forest, but she is grateful that they are together and safe. She shifts and looks around the marui to check on her other children. Tuk is curled against Jake, watching as he organizes the gear he brought. Kiri is looking out the side of the marui, watching the ilu swim toward their pen. The afternoon light catches on her cheeks, making her look both so young and so much like the Grace Neytiri met as a child. She seemed to have settled into their home, moving past the difficult introduction to the Metkayina.
Content that her girls were doing well, Neytiri shifts her attention to her younger son. Lo’ak had settled himself into a corner, repairing an armband that had come loose on the flight. His frame was tense, his brows drawn together in a frown and ears pressed against his head. His tail was curled tight to his body, the tip flicking. Neytiri felt the anger towards Ronal rise in her again as she remembered the way the Tsahìk had grabbed her son’s hand, calling out to her clan that he had demon blood and was not true Na’vi. She forced the anger down, removing her hand from Neteyam and reaching out toward Lo’ak.
“Lo’ak, my son, come here for a moment.” Her son grumbles but sets aside the armband, slinking over to sit beside her. She cups his cheek, drawing his face up to meet her eyes. He holds her gaze for a moment before his ears twitch and he turns away again.
“Do you need something, Mom?”
Neytiri chooses to grab his hand instead, the hand that was so much like his father’s. He may not always be happy about the resemblance, but Neytiri loved it. He was so much like the Jake she had met in the forest, the same strong heart and reckless spirit. “It is not my place to apologize, but I am sorry for the way the Tsahìk spoke of you. You are my son and the son of Toruk Makto, and you should be proud of your heritage.”
Lo’ak finally meets her eyes. “I am proud, I just hate that everyone here is going to think of me as a demon now.”
From her other side, Neteyam cuts in. “We’ve got your back bro. I won’t let anyone mess with my siblings.” Lo’ak rolls his eyes, but his shoulders relax. Neytiri pulls his hand closer to press a kiss to his knuckles before letting him go. He reaches behind her to tug on his brother’s tail, and Neteyam retaliates by springing forward and grappling him. Neytiri stood and moved over to her mate, leaving her sons to tumble about like wild animals. She reaches down to pet over Tuk’s hair, watching the way her youngest curled further into her father’s shoulder.
“Ma Jake.”
“Hmm?” He sets down the tech he’d been fiddling with, moving to grab her other hand.
“I am going to speak with the Tsahìk.”
His eyes widen, and he shifts to look at her more directly. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
Her ears flick, and she narrows her eyes.
“I must. We are going to live here, and I do not want conflict” He nods, letting go of her hand in favor of pulling Tuk fully into his lap. “I’ll feed the kids and get them settled for the evening. I have a feeling we all need extra sleep.”
She nods, beginning to walk out of the marui.
“Neytiri?”
She turns back to look at him.
“I love you.”
Neytiri smiles, the same warmth filling her chest as every time he had said those words since they met. She smiled, and repeated a gesture he had taught her years ago when talking about the Sky People - she blew him a kiss. It never failed to make him smile, his eyes crinkling.
The walk to the Olo’eyktan’s marui was not long, but Neytiri found herself unsettled by the bowing of the nets below her feet. This was a far cry from the rough bark and soft ground of home, but she would grow used to it.
The Olo’eyktan and Tsahìk were present, but their children seemed to be elsewhere. Tonowari noticed her approach first, meeting her eyes with a steady gaze. His expression is neither harsh nor welcoming, and it was clear he did not expect to see her.
“Oel ngati kameie, Olo’eyktan.”
He returned the greeting, and she could see Ronal’s ears turn toward the sound of her voice, but she did not look up from her work.
“I wish to speak to the Tsahìk.”
Tonowari turned toward Ronal, but she gave no response beyond a flick of her ears. He considered for a moment before turning to nod at Neytiri. He rose to leave the marui, pausing at the entrance to look back at his mate again. Neytiri knew he would not go far, and would likely hear the whole conversation, but she found she didn’t mind. It reminded her of Jake’s protectiveness when she was first pregnant with Neteyam.
“Oel ngati kameie, Tsahìk.”
Ronal gestured toward Neytiri, finally meeting her gaze, but did not speak. Neytiri took a moment to look around the marui, seeing the beautifully detailed woven baskets and the spears resting on the same kind of stand she used for her bow. Hearing a pause in Ronal’s work, she turned and moved to sit across from the other woman.
“I want to thank you for allowing my family to stay here.” The words felt sour in her mouth, but she knew it was necessary if they were to be accepted by the Metkayina.
Ronal tenses her shoulders, setting her weaving aside to face Neytiri. Her expression was skeptical, scrutinizing Neytiri’s face for deception.
“Uturu was asked, and cannot be denied.” She paused, before sighing and looking away. “It was my mate’s decision, at any rate.”
Neytiri thought back on what she recognized in Ronal’s face, the traits that raised her hackles and felt terribly familiar in this strange place. Neytiri looked down at the weaving Ronal had been working on before responding.
“My mother is Tsahìk. My sister was meant to follow her, before she was taken from us by the Sky People. I have spent much of my life around the women who interpret the will of Eywa, and as such I know that Olo’eyktan would go nowhere and no nothing without the approval of the Tsahìk. So I thank you for allowing this.”
Ronal smiles slightly, turning her head toward where Neytiri knew Tonowari was waiting for her to leave.
“I will not lie and say that I am happy about this decision. I fear you will bring the war we have so far avoided to my home. We are safe here, and we do not want violence.”
“I know. That is why we chose this place.”
Ronal turned at this, her mouth tightening into a frown.
“Of course, my mate wanted a tribe that was far away from the forest, isolated where they would not look for us. But I suggested the water. The Metkayina are strong warriors and hunters, but there is no violence here, no war. If I was going to agree to take my children from the only life they have known, I wanted them to be somewhere they could be children. Somewhere they were safe, and might even be happy. They have spent too long living under threat.”
“You are a mother. You would do anything for your children. As would I.”
Ronal rests a hand on the slight curve of her stomach, her eyes drifting to rest on the mats Neytiri presumed belonged to the older children. Neytiri thought of her own children, the way her boys had laughed for the first time in days earlier. How happy Tuk was, bouncing along the woven paths. She had already been vulnerable with Ronal, something she had not done with anyone in her clan. Neytiri may have grown up with the other women, but as daughter of the leaders and then mate of Olo’eyktan she chose to keep her fears between herself, her mother, and her mate. It felt strange to find kinship with a woman who had nearly goaded her into violence only hours earlier.
“My first was easy. I was grateful for that. The Sky People had only just left, and we were trying to find a new home and a new normal. But Lo’ak…” She trailed off, smiling. “Lo’ak was restless. Kept me awake most nights. And the only thing I wanted to eat was utumauti. Ma Jake would sneak out when he thought I was asleep to collect them for me to find the next morning. He was so proud of himself.”
Ronal huffed a laugh, still cradling her bump. “Ao’nung and Tsireya were good to me. This child is harder. Perhaps I am older, or simply forgot what it feels like. But we were so happy when we realized. It felt like a sign of a new era.”
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the waves and the distant voices of the Metkayina.
“When I first met my mate, he was like a baby. Stupid and loud, his mind clouded by his Sky People upbringing. I taught him to be a warrior, and he became Toruk Makto. I know that my family is not familiar with your ways, and we will need to learn. We may never be as good at swimming or fishing as those in your clan, but we will adapt, and we will find ways to be useful.”
Ronal considers Neytiri for a moment, before nodding. “I look forward to that. Until then, I trust my children and mate to be your teachers.”
Neytiri noticed movement outside the marui as people began to move back toward their dwellings to prepare for dinner. She rose, bowing her head toward Ronal before turning to leave.
“You were tsakarem, yes?”
Neytiri pauses at the entrance, spotting Tonowari moving from his resting place to rejoin his mate. She turns toward the Tsahìk and nods.
“Perhaps I will show you the methods we use for healing then.”
Tonowari halts his approach, a smile spreading across his face as he looks at Neytiri. Neytiri feels herself smile. This was not the plan she made when she first learned of Neteyam. This is not the place she planned to raise her children. But it was quiet here, and warm, and her children and mate were waiting for her, eager to learn and grow. With that thought, she headed for her marui, ignoring the ways the Metkayina watched her and whispered. Ronal was stubborn and protective, like a mother palulukan. That was something Neytiri understood, and with the agreement they reached they may even become friends, as long as her family behaved.