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Ocean Genesis

Avatar: The way of water

"Hey, are you okay?" A muffled voice asked

The morning sun burning into Li' Aeyana's eyes as her eyes shot open to see Kiri standing above her. She groaned looking around her surrounding, her immediately dropped realizing she fell asleep on the beach off coast.

Her mother was going to kill her. Shooting up as she took a stand , feeling nauseous to see she fell asleep on the sand the previous night. "What time of day is it?" She asked frantically dusting the sand of her body

"It's really early. No one's awake yet, if that's what you're wondering." she calmly stated helping pick out weeds stuck to Li' Aeyana's hair "I'm sure you can still get back before anyone notices."

Li' Aeyana stopped plopping herself back down on the sand "It wouldn't bother." she answered "Knowing my mother I probably kept her up all night." she muttered looking back up to Kiri "But why are you up so early, it's not time for your training yet."

"Oh, I um..." Kiri sat next to her "I'm an early bird so I thought I would go for a swim."

"Why do I not believe you?" Li' Aeyana retorted "There's more to that, you just don't want to tell me."

Kiri swallowed a large lump in her throat. She hardly even expected anyone to find her up this early.

The truth was she could not get enough of the ocean, she wanted to spend every minute of the day at water, something the two girls had in common with one another unbeknownst to either one. Kiri just as Li' Aeyana could feel Eywa with her, it was like a calling for her, one she could not ignore.

"It's fine, you don't have to tell me." Li' Aeyana yawned lazily braiding her hair back "Though it is funny I did not see you last night."

"Why? What happened last night."

The night surprisingly felt very hazy to Li' Aeyana but judging by her sore her body felt, she could tell she was dancing

"Right, so a few of my friends and of our clan had a bit of a feast, party if you will. I must have overdid it if I'm the last one left."

"You guys have parties? Did your father know about this?" Kiri quickly asked to which Li' Aeyana laughed

"No, sometimes it's just fun to get away from family, bit of a break. Besides if my mother and father knew they'd tie me to my sister or brother."

"Why?"

Li' Aeyana only smirked finding it easy to talk to the Sully girl. It felt like a relief to talk to someone who did not care for her status or her actions.

Most of the clans children saw her as the chief's daughter and if she was not seen as that, the reckless and irresponsible sister of their future chief.

"I'm my mothers great pain. If you're not going to hear it from me, you'll hear it from the others. As my father likes to put it these days, I'm reckless."

"Funny, that's not how Neteyam described you." Kiri replied unaware of how it perked Li' Aeyana's ears as her attention focussed

"Really? And what did he say about me?" she asked , holding her breath for an answer infact. Kiri smiled back with amusement as she could see Li' Aeyana try and hide the dimple on her cheek.

"Oh, just that you're very strict with him and how you think he's a skxawng. He talked a lot about you to our dad yesterday."

"Really?" Li' Aeyana coughed trying to hide her interest "I don't know if I should be offended or flattered."

"Flattered, definitely flattered." The two shared a laugh as they looked across the beach. The waves cascading against the sand as the soft orange of sunrise peaked through the skyline as their violet planet grew farther in the distant. "It's so beautiful." Kiri softly muttered lying back

"Kiri, it's probably not my place to ask-" Li' Aeyana explained "But did you ever swim back home?"

"Not really, we were surrounded by the forest and the lakes and rivers we had was not nearly as deep as your ocean. Why?"

"Besides the point that you're brother is an awful swimmer" Li' Aeyana chuckled as she could still see Ryeli tossing Neteyam off her back, she looked back to his sister

"You are one with the ocean. It's like you are one of us, born to it. I saw you, the way you move and how easily you bond with our creatures. It seems like Eywa has gifted with the way of water. In a way that I haven't seen anyone in our clan has."

Kiri could feel her heart swell. She wasn't deaf to how the Metkayina clan saw them. They were demon blood, freaks- outsiders.

Neytiri had told her to ignore the stares and glares she received and Jake reassured them all that it would only take time getting used to and yet she could not help over analysing her body. Her hands, her thin arms, her tail- to have someone of the clan tell her she was one with water, it felt like a great honour. "Thank you, that is probably the nicest thing anyone's said to me since arriving."

"And what do they normally say?" Li' Aeyana wondered

"I'm not deaf. I know what everyone is saying of us." she mumbled. Their was a brief silence between the two as Li' Aeyana could see the same look on Kiri as on her brothers. It seemed like the Sully children were constantly overthinking everything they think, say and do.

"Well, never mind the rest. I say you are good so my word is law." She stood up turning back to Kiri extending her hand "Come for a swim with me?" Li' Aeyana offered

"Won't you get into trouble? I don't want to make your mom mad for-"

"I'm already in trouble for sneaking out, a bit of time in the ocean won't change anything." To this Kiri gladly took her had, knowing she had made a friend who wasn't her family, for once.

Once again a place was held empty for Li' Aeyana between her family at breakfast as she snuck into the house. The second she sat next to Aonung her father only shook his head in disapproval as Ronal refused to look to her youngest. Placing her bow in front of her as Ronal's voice spoke

"You should not bring weapons to breakfast dear." she recited "Not that you do anything that is expected of you anymore." she heard her mother mumble. Leaning to her brother as she whispered

"How much trouble am I in?" Aonung did not answer as their eyes followed to his free hand next to her signing to her

So much that even father could not make an excuse

Her heart dropped at the realization that meant Ronal was not angry, she was livid at her daughter. Tonowari had always made the excuse that it meant no harm to leave at night, as long as she came back. But she did not, and to this he had no answer or excuse. She looked to Tsireya signing to her baby sister

has she said anything about me yet

not yet, she hasn't said a word all morning Her sister signed back as Li' Aeyana nervously looked to her father. The tension could be cut with a blade as Ronal simply ate in silence soothing her belly. Li' Aeyana picked at her nails as she looked to her mother

"Um mother, you'll be happy to hear that one of the Sully girls training is going well."

"Mhm." was all she replied

Li' Aeyana could hold her ground whenever her mother reprimanded or scolded her, even though she hated it. At the very least it was something, but Ronal's silence was dreadful and quite frankly scared her more.

"Ryeli and I swam to the spirit tree. It seems as though we'll have many births when the Tulkun come back. Hopefully Ro'a."

"That's good to hear, isn't it Ronal? Did you not say Ro'a waited many breeding cycles for a calf." Ronal finally looked up to see the large amount of foods Li' Aeyana grasped to eat as she turned back to her husband

"Tonowari, her plate is too full. The next thing we know is she'll be too sick to teach." The children including Tonowari were pleasantly surprised by her calm demeanour, as though the night had never happened.

"It's good for a warrior to have such an appetite Ronal. She'll be strong with even greater muscles." Her father laughed easing into the lighter environment "Wouldn't you say so, Tsireya?"

To this her family laughed as Ronal calmly smiled to them. "Tsireya, Aonung, would you mind leaving us with your sister." The pair not hesitating as the left Li' Aeyana, both signing an apology as they left their cot. This only installed Li' Aeyana with a greater feeling of anxiousness as she looked between her mother and father

"I'm sorry I did not come back last night." she immediately apologized "I went for a swim and I lost track of time and I must've fallen asleep on the beach. I swear it won't happen again." She rambled through her apology as her father came to sit next to her holding her hand

"That's alright my sweet girl." Ronal answered her cold glance looking to Tonowari "Your father has something to discuss with you." she heavily emphasized as Li' Aeyana like a sweet child looked to her father. Tonowari immediately looked between the two unsure of what to say. Ronal simply rolled her eyes

"Yesterday we received word that the chiefs of the Olangi Tayrangi and Tawkami clans have all accepted our offers to have a betrothal arranged between you and their oldest sons. They are all so excited to meet with you." Ronal optimistically announced as Li' Aeyana pulled her hand back from her fathers

"What?! When did you make arrangements like this?!" she immediately argued back

"Li' Aeyana, you know this had to happen. You refused all of the suitors of our clan, so your mother and I- Ronal." Tonowari explained as Li' Aeyana stood up from them

"Honestly Li' Aeyana, you left us with no choice. But we still kept it respectful to you so on your sixteenth birthday we will have a great celebration and the sons will compete for your hand. This way you can get to know each one individually, make a bond."

"I suppose I must nod my head and say yes to all of this!" She exclaimed feeling her hands shake from anger

"Do not raise your voice at me." Ronal demanded "Li' Aeyana, this is what you've been preparing for a long time."

"No, this is what you've been preparing for with my life!" She argued back "I don't want a husband or children! Why is this so difficult for you to understand!" She wiped of the single tear that escaped her glazy eyes. Before her father could calm her down she stormed out of the cot and dived beneath water. Ronal stood up in attempt to stop her but Tonowari held her hand

"Leave her. Give her some time to calm down." he reasoned kissing her forehead to which Ronal shook her head

"She gets it from you. Her stubbornness and taste for rebellion."

"Did you really think she wouldn't have that kind of reaction. We should have consulted her."

"It is marriage Tonowari, it is not the end of the world." Ronal replied as she felt the kick of her baby grow stronger as she herself felt agitated. Ronal breathed in deeply as she felt her eyes become teary from the overwhelming emotions "I don't know what to do anymore. Everything I say or do in her eyes is wrong."

"Then speak to her, without involving duties."

"It's not that simple. She knows Aonung was born first, so he will become Olo'eyktan. Only if he dies will it be passed to her. But where does she get the idea that a husband will mean the end for her?" Ronal helplessly questioned "Is it so horrible of me to want my child to set aside all of the anger she feels for love?"

"She wants it to be her choice. You must understand the more you force this upon her, the more she will push back. Ronal, you must make peace with this. She is not a child, she is growing into a woman of her own."

"She will always be my baby and you know this. I just wish she did not make things so difficult for me."

"Breathe in." Tsireya inhaled deeply as the Sully children sat around her, Aonung and Rotxo everyone was accounted for, except for Li' Aeyana. "And out." She calmly instructed as her hand was placed above her chest "Imagine a flickering flame. You must slow down your heart rate."

Neteyam and Kiri glanced uneasily to the empty spot next to Aonung, both wondering where she could be. Neteyam wondered if he was the reason she did not join them. Was he so horrible and hopeless with their last lesson that she seemed felt she had no reason to teach them.

Did he say or do something wrong? Did he offend her in someway? skxawng he thought to himself. Maybe if he paid enough attention or actually listened to her. Instead of constantly being lost in her green eyes or the way her hair is unkept when drying or how her voice- No! Neteyam thought to himself, this was not the way to think. They hardly even knew each other internally he argued with himself focussing back to Tsireya's lesson.

Tsireya placed her hands on Lo'ak chest "Breathe in." she said as his brother near choked on his breath, to which Neteyam managed to smirk "Lo'ak, your heartbeat is fast." Both Neteyam and Tuk shared glances to one another as it was becoming obvious at how flustered Tsireya made his brother feel, obvious to everyone but her

"Sorry." Lo'ak embarrassedly apologized

"Try and slow it down." Tsireya had a much more gentler approach than her older sister. Neteyam couldn't break his smirk knowing Li' Aeyana would have corrected him right there and then. Stop thinking and listen he again reprimanded himself as his train of thought could not stop.

Neytiri returned from the sea to find Neteyam seated in the sand, his mind far away from where he was. She slowly approached her son as she could see the perplexed expression on his face, it's one he shared with his father. Taking a seat next to him as she asked "What is wrong?"

"Nothing." Neteyam answered shaking his head to force a gentle smile on his face for his mother, one she could see was not real "I'm fine, everything's fine."

"No, it is not. I can tell." Neytiri replied "I can tell better than anyone."

He sighed in defeat as his eyes trailed to Li' Aeyana across the beach as she drifted above the deep waters with Ryeli circling around her. Neytiri could see the flustered face her son was trying to hide as she smirked "She is pretty. Is it she that has you this way?"

"What?" Neteyam quickly snapped back "No, I was just thinking of um- home. I was thinking of back home. That is all." To this Neytiri held Neteyam's hand

"Do you know how I can tell you lie?" she questioned "You talk faster. Like you have no more air to breathe." Her hand playing with a bead on one of his braids before looking back to the girl as she now bonded with her ilu "She is very pretty."

"I suppose." Neteyam muttered unable to ignore the soft gaze of his mother out of the corner of his eye "Is she the one who's teaching you? Is she strict with you?"

"How did you know?"

"Your sisters." Neytiri answered "Tuk also said that you missed her today, even though she yells at you."

He turned to face his mother as he had never been able to lie to her "What was it like when you taught dad to be Na'Vi?"

"Why do you ask sweet boy?"

Neteyam sighed in defeat "I just feel like I'm never going to learn. I keep getting everything wrong, what if she does not want to teach me anymore because I'm a skxawng. I think I messed up too much last time."

Neytiri could not help but see history repeat in front of her. The situation her son found himself in was too similar of how it was between her and Jake so many years ago. "She's being strict because she cares. She wants you to do your best, maybe it comes off the wrong way. We saw you with her, when she laughed."

"Oh..." depleted he answered "What did dad say about me... struggling." He already prepared himself for a harsh preach as Neytiri only laughed

"He likes her, think she is good for your training and you. I think she has a lot on her mind to missed today, but not because of you." Neytiri's words brought a great comfort to her as he watched Li' Aeyana swim ashore meeting with Kiri. Her smile prominent on her face as their eyes met with one another. His guilt washing away when she waved to him before following behind Kiri

Authors note:
Yall this book is over 1k OH MY GOD

Also because the film isn't out on streaming services I'm gonna write a subplot to add more chapters to the book because Neteyam and Li' Aeyana own my heart

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