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Ocean Genesis

Avatar: The way of water

Li' Aeyana hated mornings. She hated how early she had to wake up everyday to teach. Hated how exhausted the morning sun made her feel, but also how drained she felt. She would spend many nights, after everyone went to rest, out on the beaches, the coves and the ocean.

The ocean and it's creatures have never felt more alive than at night. Her father would often turn a blind eye to her sneaking out , many of times making excuses for her whenever she would almost be caught by Ronal. Li' Aeyana's connection to the ocean felt so much more than others.

She could feel the presence of Eywa around her, feel her heartbeat, her laugh with a birth of a child and her cries when death struck their clan. She would not speak of it with her mother or father, they probably would not believe her.

But the ocean was mighty and strong, and yet unreachable. The ocean, the way of water was broad, strong and freeing to her. She wanted the nights to never end.

She wanted to feel as beautiful and it peace with life during the day as she did at night. But those are the dreams and wishes of a child, which she no longer was.

"Glad to see you join us this morning." Ronal greeted her daughter with a peck on the forehead as they sat around one another enjoying their breakfasts. Li' Aeyana groaned as she could barely find it in her to keep her eyes open, this demotivating her more of the days activities.

"The pleasure is all mine." Li' Aeyana groaned taking a bite of her fruits

Ronal glanced between the twins seeing Aonung avoiding eye contact with his sister "You were out late last night, where did you go?"

Li' Aeyana stared coldly to her brother and then back to her mother "No where, just for a walk on the beach. I could not sleep."

"Li' Aeyana, we just -" Tonowari spoke, again avoiding any argument that could occur between mother and daughter "The last time you snuck out, you went beyond the reef. You know I don't want you , alone out there."

"I know." She sighed "But I wasn't. Like I said I just went for a walk?"

"The entire night?" Aonung questioned

This quickly irritated his twin as she shoved him by the shoulder "How come you're not asking him where he goes at night?" Aonung's face quickly straightened from his sneer "I saw him last night, with Fi' Tsu. They looked quite comfortable with each other if you ask me!" Li' Aeyana quickly averted the focus from her as both their parents faced her brother

"DID YOU MATE WITH HER?"

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING?"

"DO WE NEED TO SPEAK WITH HER FATHER ABOUT THIS?!"

To this Li' Aeyana laughed as she exited her cot. It only ever was funny when it wasn't her being scolded by her parents. She found her sister outside as she kept her eyes on the Sully children. Quietly sneaking from behind, Tsireya waved to the youngest Sully boy as she felt her sister blow on her ear. This startling her as Li' Aeyana caught her sisters fist.

"Careful, if you stare too long you might even drool." She teased looking to the boy. Lo'ak. He kept glancing behind him as they exited their cot themselves, along with his sisters and brother.

"I was not-"

"Don't even, I saw your giggle yesterday."

Tsireya rolled her eyes as she hooked their arms with one another "Are you ready for your first lesson of the day?"

"No. If anything I don't see why I have to go. You can teach the Sully girls and Aonung the boys. I have no place there." She replied "Besides I have much more important things to do than teach them."

"Like sleeping all day?" Her sister quickly remarked her sweet dimples on either side of her cheeks "Or disappearing off to that beach I'm not allowed to follow you on?"

Li' Aeyana bit the insides of her cheeks. "They will be like children. I doubt they've ever swim before." She complained "There's so much they don't know, that I have the burden of teaching them now."

To this Tsireya laughed placing her head on her sisters shoulder as they continued to walk "This will be something new and exciting, will you at least try, for me?" she pleaded. She stopped them in track as Tsireya stood in front of her sister, her ocean blue eyes pleading so sweetly to her big sister. Li' Aeyana hated her lessons and duty but she hated it even more when Tsireya begged her because she could never say no to her. "Alright fine!" groaned "Just please stop looking at me like that. Just don't expect too much of me. I still need time to wake up." She replied feeling the lack of sleep irritating her eyes.

Li' Aeyana floated weightless amongst the corals as she swam deeper into the abys of the ocean. She looked up above her to see her sister with the Sully children. They weren't far down, not even close. They did not manage to stay too long underwater as they swam back up again for air. She rolled her eyes , signing to Aonung

What are they doing up there? They'll never learn if their scared of the ocean

They don't know how to breathe as we do

She unfortunately had made eye contact with Neteyam as she continued to sign to them. Rolling her eyes as she looked back to her brother

Tell them to come down! They can't stay up there forever!

Growing more irritated as she waved for him to come back down. They had no choice but to resurface. Li' Aeyana wiped her hair back as glared to them "What is wrong? We haven't even been down there that long."

"You're too fast." Tuk, their youngest cried out "Wait for us."

To this even Li' Aeyana's cold exterior softened to the young girl. "Just take a deep breathe." Tsireya instructed them as she looked down from above more figures resurfacing

"You are not good divers. Maybe good at swimming through trees but-" The this Li' Aeyana smacked her brothers against the head. Still angry that he told Ronal she snuck out the night before. Her hit was hard and fast as Aonung looked offendedly to his sister

"What was that for?!" he splashed her face with water

"For a few reason, they won't learn anything if you make fun of them." she answered to which Lo'ak and Neteyam hid their smirks. Her face turning back to them as she looked ahead to Neteyam

"And you two. Did you not see me telling you to come down?"

"Come on, we don't speak this-" He gestured to his hand "Finger talk. We don't know what your saying."

Tsireya glanced to her sister with a sweet smile "Li' Aeyana can teach you!" she suggested "She's taught me when I was just a baby." To this Li' Aeyana slapped her sister with her tail. She glanced to Neteyam who's eyes hadn't left her before diving back into the water. Her eyes focussed intently as she could make out a deep blue figure playing amongst the sea creatures. Her arms moved in the way of that of a wave , she stood in her place observing the girl. Kiri

She was weightless and seeked no air, unlike her brothers. She was one with the water. Li' Aeyana could feel her heart beat, it was strong. Kiri's eyes focussed on the creatures around her, circling her as she turned to face Li' Aeyana, who for the first time since arriving had a smile on her face.

"The way of water is all around is. From our birth until our deaths. She is around us from the tiniest weed even to the corals. You must feel the ocean within you, not just around you. Feel it become a part of you, connect you with everything surrounded by you. You can not fear drowning, you won't. You have to trust the ocean and all that she carries. Like Ryeli." Li' Aeyana explained as she placed Neteyam's hand on the ilu's head.

They stood in shallow water as her hand smoothly glided across her ilu's skin "Ilu is not like your Ikran. She won't hurt you or attack you, but you must make her feel safe. They must trust you, even before making the bond. "You are not listening! Again!" Li' Aeyana's calm demeanour vanished as she scolded Neteyam who's hand left Ryeli. His eyes focussed on only her

Have you been listening at all? she signed as his confused expression told her everything she needed to know. Biting the inside of her cheek and counting to ten to calm her down "You will not learn if you do not focus." she sternly instructed "Don't focus on me, focus on her." she walked around to him. Neteyam held his breath as she stood next to him, grabbing his hand and placing it on Ryeli side. "Feel how she breathes, in and out. Feel her heartbeat. Can you feel her?"

Neteyam focussed himself as the ilu's eyes focussed on him "Yes, I- I think I can."

"Don't think, it has to come naturally." Li' Aeyana corrected him "Now mount her."

"What?!" Neteyam quickly questioned her

"Well how else do you want to learn?" Li' Aeyana pulled her shoulders up unable to hid her smirk as his startled voice. Again he held his breathe the second her the corner of her lips turned upward, inspecting every detail on her face as he noticed she only had one dimple on her right cheek. "The only way you'll learn our ways is to ride."

"You sure she won't attack me?" Neteyam nervously mounted the Ilu

"Not unless I tell her to."

He looked across to see Lo'ak resurfacing from the ocean as Aonung and his friends laughed. Looking back to Li' Aeyana's arrogant smirk as he felt the need to prove her wrong. His hand gripping the saddle "Now what?"

"Make the bond Sully." she stepped back. She watched as Neteyam bonded with her Ilu as her eyes trailed across his hands to his arms. Though their arms were thinner, she noticed the muscle still. She wondered if he was a fighter, he definitely looked like one. His grip loosened as the bond, looking back to her, Li' Aeyana groaned in the palm of her hands as she corrected him

"Don't let go!" she ordered "Hold the saddle tightly otherwise-" but before she could answer Ryeli dove underwater with him, her speed too strong as he let go of her too quickly. She swam towards him as his head pushed through the water.

"Tightly! I said tightly!" huffed "You don't like to listen, do you?" She rhetorically asked "You are like a baby, no worse." She insulted him

"None of this is easy for us." He quickly defended "Your father told you to teach but all you do is yell at me." he shrugged. Ryeli returned with another Ilu, the pair circling Neteyam as Li' Aeyana could sense her Ilu's amusement in it all. Hissing to the Ilu's sounding around them in laughter to which Neteyam also smiled

"And why is it that you always smile. Every time I look at you, you smile. Am I funny to you?" she accused

"Are you always this serious?" he asked her "This could be fun if you weren't so uptight all the time." he encouraged her as he approached the Ilu mounting it and making it's bond. "I'm a fast learner but not if it feels like a punishment." he coaxed. "Forward." He ordered the Ilu, taking a deep breath as he was ducked under water. Again the speed of water through his face became too rough as he had to let go. Swimming back up again he could hear her laughter

"That was not meant to be funny." he huffed out of breath as they returned to shallow water

"And yet I'm laughing." She teased "Is this not what you wanted?" She asked with a broad smile.

"Yes but-" he sighed shaking his head "I want to get this right. I have to." he let out, his hand slapped against the water. Li' Aeyana looked to him. He was in a cloud of his own emotion, she could tell, because that's how she looked normally. He wasn't focussed and could not concentrate. Rolling her eyes as she asked

"Why are putting this pressure on you?" she wondered "You won't get it right in a day. I didn't even as a child."

"You won't understand." Neteyam muttered

"Really? Why?" she challenged back

"My father..." he softly spoke "He expects of me- of us" he stammered over his words as her gaze on him focussed "There's no room to make a mistake. I just have to get this right, okay?"

She stepped forward taking his hand and placing it on the Ilu. "Feel that heartbeat? It is a life, with its own thought and emotions. You are frustrated because you are stupid." She smirked "But you can't bring that frustration to them. What is your Ikran like?"

Neteyam was surprised by her question, this was the first time for the day where she had spoken with him, without yelling or calling him names. "He is strong, a warrior."

"Well Ryeli is not a warrior. She does not know anger, even with me. She is sweet, strong but calm and kind. When you make your bond and enter the water you leave all of your thoughts behind, including that of your father." she explained "The ocean and her creatures are its own being. They do not carry our burdens or troubles, that's why you must feel free with it. Weightless and calm. That is the way."

"But my father..." Neteyam spoke to which she shushed

"I don't care. For all you know he is probably struggling just as you. This will take time and patience, which you must have. It is the only way."

Authors note:

Li' Aeyana teaching Neteyam

But also Neteyam trying his best:

But anyways this book will be long because I'm gonna write a lot of filler the pace of the second half if quick and sad and also not a lot of people have yet watched the movie , so yeah well follow plot, slowly

I went to watch it again today and I'm still not okay about- every time I leave the theaters I look like this , unfortunately

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