Payakan speaking in bold & Italics.
~
Lo'ak ventures out at midnight to talk to Payakan about the argument he had with his father over being left to die in the ocean. Unaware: his mom is trying her luck with an Ilu and hears everything.
~
Lo'ak pulled his queue back from his Ilu, patting his side softly. He slid off and swam the last few feet to his new friend, Payakan. "Hello, friend." He said as he signed slowly. Hello! I was not expecting you to return! He whistled back, blinking happily... or at least Lo'ak thought. I have not seen many na'vi out at this time. It is eclipse, no? He clicked. "I know, but... I didn't want to stay in the hut." Lo'ak sighed softly. He pulled himself up on Payakan's fin. Why? Do you not like your hut?

Lo'ak chuckled softly. "It's not that, it... it's a long story," He rested his elbows on his knees, holding his head as he stared at the ocean. I have time. Lo'ak sniffled, suddenly feeling emotional. "Honestly, it-it's nothing. S'just an argument with my parents, that's all," He shrugged. When I argued with my father, we used to butt our heads together to release the anger. Do you do that as well? Lo'ak barked a laugh. "God no. If I dared raise even a finger, I'd be flat on the ground before you could say no. My dad, he uh... he doesn't take much backtalk from us." Lo'ak found his eyes following the creases of Payakan's skin as his friend rumbled back. Oh. I do not know much about na'vi parents and children, but I do know that our parents, animal or na'vi, love us a lot... even if they do not show it correctly.

Lo'ak sighed heavily, falling into a non-blinking trance as he stared at the waves. "Yeah, can you tell my dad that?" He hugged his knees. "I don't think he loves me." Lo'ak pressed his chin harder onto his knees, making them ache slightly. I doubt that, friend. I am sure he loves you very much. Lo'ak scoffed quietly, shaking a braid out of his face. "Yeah? Then why'd he yell at me in front of the clan? Or haul my ass to the hut and scream in my face for five minutes? Or, or yell that I bring shame to the family yada yada yada." He furiously wiped his eyes, ashamed he was crying. "Or when I came back after you saved me, he yelled at me for disappearing, even though I was fucking drowning to death." He sniffed again. "Or when I broke my goddamn rib hiding from that stupid akula and he didn't care."

You broke a rib? Is that painful? Lo'ak shook another braid out of his face. "Do you not have ribs?" He asked. No, we do. But we have eighteen ribs, and they are all very strong. Breaking one of our ribs is very hard to do. Do na'vi ribs break easily? Lo'ak placed a gentle hand on his bruised side. "Not really, but they can break under great pressure. I think it broke when I sunk. The pressure was too strong." He hissed as his fingers brushed over the bruised area. "It also bruises and makes it hard to breathe. That's why I'm sat like this. There's no weight on my side, which means I'm not in a lot of pain,"

I can feel in our bond that your rib hurts more than you say, but I will take your word for it, friend. Lo'ak flicked some water. Payakan blew some from his blowhole.

He sat in silence for a moment and shifted his position so he was leaning against his friend, bruised side facing away from the skin as he curled up on Payakan's fin. You feel tired, friend. Perhaps I should swim you to shore for you to rest. Lo'ak shook his head. "No... m'ok. It... it's just nice to see the stars." They are very pretty, yes.

Lo'ak felt his eyes shutting as he gazed at the night sky. "I just wish they'd listen to me more... it seems like all they do is yell and scream and glare at me." He glanced at the waves. "I can't remember the last time they said something nice to me,"

They... Friend? I thought it was your father you did not get along with. Lo'ak sighed. "My mom isn't as mean, but she doesn't say anything to stop my dad or defend me. So... that hurts too. S'pecially when you can see she knows he's wrong, but she continues to side with my dad... that shit really hurts," Payakan let a low whine out. I am sorry you do not have a good relationship with your parents, friend. But you always have me. Lo'ak patted his side softly, eyes falling shut. "Thank you, buddy,"

~

Neytiri huffed angrily as she attached her queue to the Ilu once more. "Come on, I only ask we go slowly," She muttered. To her surprise, the Ilu, Myna*, began to slowly swim in the water. Huh. This was much easier than trying to fly an Ikran for the first time. "Good girl. Uh... swim forward," She said. Myna clicked happily as she swam through the water and past the rocks. Neytiri dared let herself smile softly as the Ilu chirped and squeaked happily through the bond. Neytiri glanced around at the vast blackness of the ocean when she caught sight of a... massive grey beast. She'd never seen one like it. Maybe it's a tontoon, or whatever they call them. But what caught her eye was a dark blue figure sitting on the fin, seemingly chatting to it. Curious, she tells Myna to swim over carefully. As she gets closer, she hears a voice she'd hoped was long asleep.

Neytiri was about to charge over and give her wayward son a piece of her mind when a part of her stopped. Or... Myna did. Wait, mistress. Neytiri pulled a face but paused in her charge. She crept closer to try and hear what her son was saying. "Or when I came back after you saved me, he yelled at me for disappearing, even though I was fucking drowning to death." She frowned. Lo'ak nearly died? She thought he was immature, but not stupid. Something must've really happened out there. She watched, guilt eating at her heart. Maybe Ao'nung did try something funny. "Or when I broke my goddamn rib hiding from that stupid akula and he didn't care."

AN AKULA!? Even Omatikaya knew those beats were dangerous, much like Metkayina knew Palulukans were dangerous. Her mind rewound. Broke my rib. Lo'ak broke a rib!? Neytiri bit her lip. She had noticed he was favouring his left side when she and Jake pulled him aside, but she assumed he was just being cocky, not in pain.

"-I think it broke when I sunk. The pressure was too strong." She reached out subconsciously as he hissed in pain, brushing over the area with his fingers. "It also bruises and makes it hard to breathe. That's why I'm sat like this. There's no weight on my side, which means I'm not in a lot of pain,"

He and the tontoon spoke for a while longer before he curled up against the beast's side, much like he used to when he was a young child, with his tail curling around his feet. "I just wish they'd listen to me more... it seems like all they do is yell and scream and glare at me." He glanced at the waves. "I can't remember the last time they said something nice to me,"

Neytiri watched as the tontoon whistled lowly. Lo'ak sighed. "My mom isn't as mean, but she doesn't say anything to stop my dad or defend me. So... that hurts too. S'pecially when you can see she knows he's wrong, but she continues to side with my dad... that shit really hurts," Neytiri felt her heart clench painfully. She didn't mean to make her son feel like this... but he did need reining in sometimes... yet... equally, sometimes her mate was far too harsh on him. The tontoon whined lowly and Lo'ak patted his side as he visibly drifted off.

Neytiri debated swimming over and getting him but stopped as the tontoon swam up to the shore, as much as he would go. He lowered his fin onto a rock, letting Lo'ak slide off slowly. The tontoon moved slightly further out to sea, but stayed just behind the rock and watched her son like a yayo. She swam over with her hands in the air. The tontoon growled lowly, eyes narrowing. "He is my son. I am taking him to the hut, to rest. He will hurt in the morning on this rock," She said. The tontoon continued growling but backed away.

Neytiri picked her son up, careful not to wake him, as she placed him against her chest on Myna. She hesitantly reached forwards to the tontoon. She gently patted his skin. "Um... th-thank you for saving him." She said before swimming away. A small ripple was all that indicated the presence of such a massive beast.

She fondly pushed one of Lo'ak's two braids, one done by Tuk when she was younger, and another by Neteyam after he'd broken his hand many years ago, out of his face, grinding her teeth at the puffy eyes he held. "My *maitan, my beautiful maitan,"

~

*Myna - meena

*maitan - son.

Also, I know they're called tulkun but I feel like Neytiri, in her pettiness of not wanting to be there, didn't bother to learn their names, hence Tontoon.