●In life people all pay prices for even the most simple moments of happiness. Sometimes that price would be too high but one would never know until it was too late.

Grief was something Nîryni had learned to reject at a young age. If she didn't allow it to take hold then she didn't have to feel it.

When her mother got sick, Sìkve pushed the woman to continue to be active. Always moving and going on random hunts. In truth, he didn't want to accept the way he could feel death slowly seeping into the bond he and Asllä shared. He felt that if she just stopped and rested inside their home then she would inevitably succumb to the illness that took a hold of her. All he cared about was keeping her strong.

Nîryni can remember the way her mother would force her weakened body to comply with her mate's wishes. Unfortunately in his desperate attempt to keep her alive when their medicine failed, he himself had pushed her closer to death. At least that is what he believed.

Even though Äslla fought for four years straight and her mind willed to live, her body could no longer keep her afloat. She had laid down one night to sleep after being exhausted only to never open her eyes again.

Nîryni was only eleven when she died.

The days that followed are the most painful moments in her memories.

Sìkve disappeared for two weeks, leaving her to Jake and Neytiri. And when he returned, he was no longer her father. In his place was a man that pushed her away and was filled with the undeniable coldness of half of his soul being gone forever.

To make it worse Nîryni never complained and simply accepted the harshness her father treated her with because she understood that he wanted her to be strong.

Strong enough to survive anything.

Stronger than her mother.

She lost her childhood innocence and emotions through the process and her hardened heart mirrored that of her father's. They both had decided it was best to reject the mournful feeling of losing the most important woman in their lives.

But Nîryni was still a child and had brief moments where she could no longer hold back the flood of tears. And in those devastating moments of pure despair, Lo'ak brought out the playful and glowing side of her. One that was almost forgotten through her grief. For a while he was the only one able to annoy her enough to break her facade. She didn't allow anyone else to get close.

It was in those times they created a bond on the foundation of the fact he would be her safe haven and in return she would stick by his side no matter what.

If only they realized the price that very bond would cost.

Just maybe that tragic death could have been avoided.

♡

Learning how to live amongst the water clan was a mixture of easy and difficult.

Their ways consisted of strength so the strongest easily prevailed over the weak. Their arms and legs were toned with muscle from being used to swim against the harsh currents of the ocean.

In the forest, those who were agile and fast were the ones at the top. Nîryni prided herself on becoming a good hunter working under her idols. When she was on the battlefield her mindset switched over to mostly working off of her instincts. She flowed through the motions without much thought as it was natural. She was quick thinking and flexible in both mind and body.

Her intense training with her dad made her even better at fighting, hunting and taking care of others. Most importantly she was good at surviving on her own. But she didn't want to just survive, she wanted to live.

"Ryn? Are you okay?" She seemed to be asked that a lot lately yet she could never answer it truthfully.

"Huh?" Nîryni blinked rapidly to clear her thoughts and focus on the boy sitting next to her.

Neteyam continued to eat his food, "You were spaced out again." It had become a habit for them to eat their breakfast together now. And in doing so they had morning talks about their days spent in the water.

"Oh, sorry. I was just reminiscing." Subconsciously she leaned her head on Neteyam's shoulder and he kept quiet while she was in her headspace. Her eyes closed as she thought back to that certain day.

After the others learned of her strained relationship with Sìkve, Jake nearly dragged the man away while Neytiri reassured her that she had done nothing wrong to deserve this.

Whatever the two men had discussed or rather fought about changed Sìkve slowly but surely until one day he had outright cried in front of her for forgiveness. He made a vow to always give her the best version of himself from then until now. Over the years he has kept his promise and in Nîryni's eyes he was forgiven.

Now he was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. At least not on her own.

"...ryn...Nîryni? Helloooo?"

Her blue eyelids opened and she was face to face with Lo'ak. Of course.

"You alright?" He caressed her cheek, smiling worriedly. Whenever she zoned out, it caused him to feel the inklings of stress.

She leaned into his hand as usual and nodded. As long as she had him she'd be okay.

"Are you still up to learning with Tsireya today? We can skip if you want to." He didn't mind staying home for the rest of the day especially if it's with Nîryni. There was never a boring moment with her.

"Nah, I'm good, just thinking about my dad again." Learning with the other teens was a good distraction from her longing for her father so she would never be against going.

Lo'ak immediately pulled her into a hug. He wasn't good at comforting words but physically, he could be a strong support system for her. "He's gonna be okay."

She kissed the side of his neck, sending chills down his spine, before nestling her head there. "I know."

♡

"The way of water has no beginning and no end." Tsireya had both her hands on Lo'ak's and Nîryni's lower abdomen to make sure they took slow deep breaths. Her voice was a nice contrast to the quiet sounds of the waves below them. The sunlight beamed down at them providing warmth lighting to their surroundings. That was another thing Nîryni had to get used to. The sheer amount of trees and plants shielded them from most of the Sun's waves of heat but here there was little covering.

"The sea is around you and in you."

Nîryni mumbled a small, "Pause," under her breath making her boyfriend laugh softly.

"Focus Nîryni."

Tsireya threw two shells into the water and Lo'ak was the first to dive in. Nîryni took a long look into the nearly clear water. The fear of not being able to get air in time struck her nerves and froze her in place. Tsireya took notice. "Nîryni, take a deep breath and remember what I said. You can do this."

Nîryni took one more breath to ground herself and dove in after Lo'ak. Their swimming lessons definitely had its perks because as she dived, the water didn't hit her skin as strongly as it did before.

"The sea is your home before your birth and after your death. Our hearts beat in the womb of the world."

Lo'ak was a little farther down but he was purposely swimming slower until Nîryni was in the water with him. When she joined him, she nodded her head reassuringly at him and they both kicked their feet to reach their shells.

"Our breath burns in the shadows of the deep."

Her eyes narrowed from the constant flow of water. Even though they swam everyday she still wasn't used to the feeling. But she forced herself not to focus on that and instead direct her attention to her current objective.

She didn't feel the need for air just yet and was proud of her progress. Yet the brown and purple shaded shell felt so close yet far. It was like looking up at the clouds when they floated lowly. They always seemed out of reach but hovered right above the ground.

"The sea gives and the sea takes."

In the back of her mind she could still hear Tsireya speaking calmly. It helped steel her nerves. Just as they both reached the shells she felt that familiar ache form inside her chest. Flashes of smoke clouded her mind, she could almost feel it clogging all her senses. Her heart picked up at its already rapid pace.

Before she could panic, Lo'ak gripped her hand tightly and signed to her one word, "Calm."

"Water connects all things. Life to death."

Nîryni kept her eyes on his and forced the fear away from her head. As always Lo'ak grounded her and she told herself she could do this. She held onto his hand and they swam close together and in sync.

"Darkness to light."

Tsireya hovered in the water waiting anxiously for the other two to resurface. Nîryni broke through the water gasping loudly and holding the proof of her accomplishment high in the air.

Lo'ak was a bit more stable and showed his shell to Tsireya proudly, "We got them!"

She grinned and grabbed it then faced Nîryni to see hers as well. "You both did it!" Pride filled her that they were both able to complete the task she gave them.

Nîryni finally caught her breath and chuckled, "Never again." But she was so proud of herself for pushing through her fears. She just wished she could show her father how far she was coming along or at the least tell him about it.

♡

The teen trio sat along their claimed rock while drying off. Nîryni sat close to Tsireya with a napping Lo'ak on her lap. He had both arms loosely wrapped around her waist and his head resting on her thighs. Nîryni didn't mind the extra weight from her boyfriend and actually found it to be soothing.

The girls ignored his snoring and talked quietly among themselves.

"How does it feel to fly?"

Nîryni ran her hand through her sleeping boyfriend's braids and looked to the sky. "To be honest the feeling is indescribable."

"Try."

"The best way to put it is just freedom. You feel completely weightless physically and mentally. It's like all your problems are left on the ground below you."

Tsireya hummed and leaned her head onto Nîryni's shoulder, "Sounds very peaceful."

"It is," Nîryni looked down at her," I'll take you for a ride one day with Lo'ak." Almost as if he heard her, he wrapped his arms around her a little tighter. She smiled lovingly at the boy in her arms.

Tsireya watched the exchange with mixed emotions. "You really love him." It wasn't unusual to see people their age so intensely connected and she had no doubt they'd stay together through adulthood.

"Of course."

The younger of the three fumbled with her fingers and avoided eye contact, "Everyone has a different definition of what being in love is like. I'm curious, what's yours?"

Nîryni exhaled softly and took a moment to think about it. "For me, it's something that happened suddenly, you know? One day he was just my annoying best friend and the next, he was someone that made me look forward to waking up the next day. " Truthfully she believed as children the love was always there but they just didn't have a name for it.

She stopped talking when Lo'ak shifted slightly and waited until he was still again to continue. "Above all, he became someone that made me want to be brave."

Tsireya leaned into her more while listening and she wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I guess in my eyes falling in love is when that person becomes the calm through the storm. One look at them, seeing their eyes shine and their genuine smiles can make you forget the world is burning around you. It's the little moments of happiness and comfort that draw me in."

Nîryni glanced down at her with a tilt of her head, "So does our princess have anyone that makes her feel that way?"

Tsireya looked into her bright eyes that seemed to be able to burn through her in the best way, "She's starting to." The grin she got from Nîryni was enough to make her heart stop beating.

Neither noticed Lo'ak had stopped snoring and the way his ears twitched at the sounds of their voices.

♡

Nîryni held the tiniest of smiles as Tsireya held up a jellyfish-like animal up to her back. She had already attached one to Tuk's smaller body. It glowed against the dark blues of the water and coral surrounding them. When the sea creature was in place, Tsireya moved to be in front of her and signed, "It allows you to breathe underwater."

Nîryni's eyes got bigger in amazement and she turned her head to try to see it better.

Tsireya grinned at her awed expression but she was in a trance herself. Nîryni's freckles glowed brighter than any Na'vi she had ever seen. It was like a million tiny suns shining through the water in an unpredictable pattern. Adding the way the aquatic animal glowed brightly in shades of orange and purple, Nîryni looked ethereal.

Tsireya had to shake her head to refocus her thoughts before she tapped the other girl to get her attention again. Nîryni kicked her feet to keep her in place but Tsireya grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

The two were in their own personal bubble as Tsireya showed Nîryni various things who gleefully took in all the information. Not once did their hands let go of each other.

A little bit away Ronal paused her gathering when she saw her daughter and Nîryni out of the corner of her eye. She noticed the way they shared glances and smiles so often that she knew what they meant. She looked away not knowing how to feel about it just yet.

♡

"I don't think I like it here anymore." Tuk leaned herself onto Nîryni's lap with a pout. They were spending the day together as best friends according to the younger girl.

"Why's that my love?" Nîryni splashed her feet in the water below the small walkway, watching the way passing fish avoided her.

"The kids are so annoying. They're always pointing out how slow I am in the water and they avoid me. I mean I know I'm different but I'm trying my best to learn! I really am Ryn." That broke Nîryni's heart. Tuk was genuinely a good kid and loved making friends.

"I know Tuk Tuk. Sometimes people fear what they don't understand. Like how your dad was treated before he was accepted by the people. His resilience is what pushed him to become a wonderful leader. And you're going to be just like him one day." Nîryni held Jake on a pedestal that few people had earned in her life.

Tuk crossed her arms, "I don't want to try making friends anymore. Besides you're my best friend so I don't need anyone else!" She smiled widely at the teen.

Nîryni giggled down at the child in her lap. No one could compare to the absolute adoration she held for Tuk. "That's right! I'll always be your number one friend."

Tuk sat up suddenly, "I just remember there's something I want to show you. My dad told me about it when you guys were away."

♡

"So this is called a sand castle?"

"Yes, isn't it cool?"

They were both on their knees and building a tiny castle along the beach. Their hands had gotten covered in a mixture of sand and water and Nîryni figured out that she disliked the feeling of it sticking to her.

"What are you two weirdos up to?"

Tuk's smile widened even more at the sight of her sister. "We're making sand castles until it's time for lunch."

"Well in that case I'll join you but Ryn, my mom wants to speak with you about something and Tuk she finished making your snack. I'll watch the sandcastle until you two come back."

♡

Nîryni walked into the marui warily holding Tuk's hand .She wasn't nervous to speak to Neytiri but she was a little anxious about why the woman needed her.

"You needed me?"

"I was wondering if you would like to continue your training." In reality, Neytiri wanted to see how she was actually doing. But Nîryni never expressed these types of feelings easily. One of the best ways to get her to do so was either sparring or training. That was something her father had conditioned her to.

"That's actually a good idea. When can we start?" Nîryni enjoyed the idea of blowing off some steam.

"Tomorrow morning or night should be okay, right?"

"Yeah of course."Nîryni was about to walk out but Tuk called out to her.

"Nîryni do you want some of my snacks?" The girl held up a small plate smiling ear to ear.

And how could Nîryni say no to that adorable face? She hoped Kiri wouldn't mind her taking a little longer to return to their sandcastle.

♡

Nîryni wasn't sure what to think when she saw Kiri surrounded by a group of boys. Her ears pinned back when Ao'nung grabbed the girl's hand.

She walked over, light on her feet but with the essence of a prowling panther.

Nîryni pushed the teen boy back with a warning growl. "Touch her again. I dare you." Someone tugged her tail and as soon she turned, Ao'nung was grabbing her hand. He narrowed his eyes noticing she didn't have four fingers like the others.

Nîryni yanked her hand away, baring her teeth with pinned ears. Those glowing eyes glared into Ao'nung's without blinking. He leaned in with that antagonizing smirk making her lip curl up with another hiss. The two stared at each other with tension building every second.

"Hey!" Nîryni allowed herself to be pulled back by Lo'ak. He warningly snarled at the group of males. Seeing a certain teen close to his girlfriend set him off immediately. He wrapped a protective arm around his future mate's body, "Back off, fish lips." His tail found its way around Nîryni's thigh who relaxed from the feel of it.

Ao'nung rolled his eyes and leaned back, "Oh look another four fingered freak."

One of the unnamed boys went to pull Lo'ak's tail but Nîryni caught his wrist, "Back the fuck off." She watched him closely, scrunching her nose up in anger. They were really starting to piss her off. All of them were being so childish it was hard to believe that Ao'nung was the son of two headstrong leaders.

"Leave us alone!" Kiri yelled out but to no avail as the teens continued to bother them. Right before things could escalate they all became aware of a highly aggravated Neteyam making his way to them. He forced Ao'nung away from his siblings.

"You heard what she said," He put a finger on the other teen's chest threateningly, "Back off. Now."

Ao'nung kept his face relaxed but the way his tail swung back and forth gave away his nerves. He held his hands up while backing away.

Neteyam nodded thinking it was over. "Smart choice." He began to walk away and turned to his siblings and an irritated Nîryni. "Let's go."

Kiri stuck her tongue out and followed after her brother. Nîryni and Lo'ak were a little more on edge but eventually the boy threw his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and guided her away. They didn't get very far before they heard, "They're all freaks, the whole family of them."

Nîryni could feel the muscles in Lo'ak's body tense up as he froze in place.

"Lo'ak." Neteyam said his name in warning not to start a fight. At least not with the chief's son.

"It's not worth it." Nîryni put her hand on his chest firmly. Her eyes conveyed just how badly she wanted him to listen to her just this once. But of course Lo'ak never listens to anyone.

"I got this ma." He removed her hand and walked back in front of Ao'nung. His face was nearly unreadable and the group of annoying boys wondered what he would do.

"I know this hand is funny," he opened his hand and let his extra finger be on full display, "I'm a freak, alien."

Nîryni resisted the urge to face palm already knowing where this was going.

"But I can do something really cool. Watch." Ao'nung being as clueless as ever actually leaned in to get a better look.

"First I ball it up real tight like this. And then I-" He caught the other boy off guard by throwing his fist into Ao'nung's face back to back three times.

"It's called a punch, bitch! Don't ever touch my sister or mate again." Ao'nung remained shell shocked for another second before getting up and tackling Lo'ak.

Nîryni eyed Neteyam briefly, he shook his head at her but she only sighed, "Ah fuck it." Did they really expect her to just allow her boyfriend to get jumped?

She used her full body weight to swing the boy pulling Lo'ak's tail into the ground. In the next second she was on him throwing heavy punches left and right at his face. He tried his best to block them but Nîryni was relentless with a lot of pent up anger.

Neteyam watched with a half grin while scratching his head. He mentally thought about how much trouble they would get in but then ultimately joined the fight.

Nîryni could hardly acknowledge him because the teen under her grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked hard making countless hisses leave her clenched teeth. "Motherfucker let go of my hair!"

"Stop hitting me first!" Physically, he was stronger but she had caught him off guard and was trained for situations like this.

"Never!" The more she hit him the harder he tugged on her hair until a body slammed into her and she was thrown off. The back of her head hit something hard and sharp enough to daze her for a split second. She growled lowly before getting up and throwing herself back into the mix.

Kiri rolled her eyes, "This is so stupid." From her point of view they looked like a bunch of toddlers fighting over the last toy.

"Ow! My tail!"

"My ear! Let go! He's got my ear!"

She chuckled behind her hand watching this dumbass fight unfold.

♡

"What was the one thing I asked? The one thing!"

Nîryni, Neteyam and Lo'ak all fought the urge to avoid Jake's heated eyes. They knew they'd get in trouble but they didn't expect it to be this bad.

Lo'ak knew most of it was directed at him so he answered for all of them. "Stay out of trouble."

Jake nodded firmly, "Right-"

Almost in sync, Neteyam and Nîryni stepped forward to his defense. "It was my fault-" They looked at each other then back at the man in front of them. Now there was no way he'd believe them.

"I don't think so. You both gotta stop taking the heat for this knucklehead."

Nîryni frowned in disbelief, "With all due respect sir, they were picking on Kiri. Calling her names and grabbing her tail and hands."

Jake's ears dropped along with his harsh expression. He sighed heavily, "Go apologize to Ao'nung."

"What?" All three of them were shocked to hear that.

Nîryni went to shake her head in protest but winced loudly. Her nose twitched from the scent of rusted iron. That's when she noticed a throbbing pain that radiated through her skull. She reached her hand back only to look at her fingers when she felt liquid.

Jake's harsh aura diminished the moment he heard her hiss in pain, "Nîryni, what's wrong?"

She silently held up her hands showing all three of them the crimson staining her fingertips. Lo'ak's panicked hiss reached her ears first and he rushed to grab her hand to get a closer look. "Where..?"

"My head, I think." Both Jake and Neteyam moved to look at the fresh wound. With all her hair being disheveled, they could see the small but consistent stream of blood.

"You need to see Ronal, Neteyam go with her."

"What? Why can't I go?" Lo'ak entwined his fingers with Nîryni's bloodied ones. He understood he was mostly at fault here but not allowing him to go with his girlfriend was going too far. He also didn't like the idea of his brother taking care of his girl. But his dad only glared at him and he knew nothing he said would make the man change his mind.

Nîryni could see her boyfriend's body cringe inwards in discomfort. "I'm a big girl, I can go by myself." She didn't want to feed into anymore of Lo'ak's insecurities. She let go of his hand then walked out not wanting to be in the tense atmosphere any longer.

The silence that followed Nîryni's departure was killing Neteyam. The tension between his dad and brother was too awkward to bear.

"You should've let me go she's my ma-"

Jake's snarl cut him off," You better start acting like it. God I thought you two being together would help you mature but clearly I was wrong."

Lo'ak bowed his head in shame. He wasn't the best boyfriend or brother. Nîryni and Neteyam always jumped in to save him from trouble only to get punished themselves. And now his girlfriend was hurt because he didn't know how to walk away.

Jake could see the reflection his son was doing and sighed, "Go apologize. He is the chief's son. Do you understand?"

His entire demeanor changed to that of defeat. He couldn't believe he really had to go apologize for this.

"I don't care how you do it. Just go make peace." He motioned his son away with a few flicks of his hand.

The teen didn't verbally respond and simply walked out of the marui with a blank expression.

♡

Nîryni decided to ignore the way her head was killing her. The more she moved the worse it got. She hoped Ronal would be kind enough to treat her, especially considering she was involved in the fight that also included Ao'nung.

Walking into the Tsahìk's hut was unnerving to say the least. She looked around silently seeing that no one was inside.

Maybe she should wait..? Nah she'd rather just ask Neytiri to help instead.

Just as she made up her mind she heard the sweet voice of Tsireya. "Nîryni? What are you doing here?" The curly haired girl walked up to her until they were face to face.

Perfect. Nîryni could ask her where her mom was.

"Hey love, is your mom busy?"

"She's making a few rounds, I was just returning some things she didn't need anymore." Her eyes widened once the breeze sent the scent of blood straight to her nostrils. "Are you bleeding?"

Nîryni chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah that's what I needed to see your mom about."

"I can look at it if you want.." She figured the wound must have been from the fight she heard about earlier.

♡

"I'm sorry about my brother." Tsireya carefully cleaned the wound as she spoke. To her surprise it wasn't as bad as it looked, especially once she got rid of all the extra blood.

Nîryni winced from the painful pressure, "You don't have to apologize for someone else's actions." She tried not to squirm in place on the stool she sat on.

"I know but still, what he did wasn't right. But why did you join them?" From what she heard it was between Lo'ak and Ao'nung. The fact Nîryni got hurt irked her nerves.

"I couldn't sit by and do nothing. I'm his girlfriend, it's my job to stand by him." That's how mates worked right? You protect each other no matter what. That's what she believed.

Tsireya finished bandaging the now dried wound and moved to sit in front of her. She got on her knees and put her hands on Nîryni's thighs. Her head tilted to the side as she looked up at the older girl, "I'm not saying that what you did was wrong. I just want you to think about your wellbeing as well."

Nîryni smiled down at her and placed her hands on top of the girl's finned pair, "You don't have to worry about me sweetheart."

"Of course I do, wait did you just call me-"

The sound of a throat clearing made both girls turn to look at who had entered. It was none other than Ronal and by the look on her face she was less than pleased by their semi-suggestive position.

Tsireya stood up quickly and rushed to explain. "Mother, I was just helping Nîryni with her head. There was a small cut but I cleaned it all up."

"We have more duties to tend to." Her mother's strict tone told both girls all they needed to know. This little moment they had wasn't welcomed at all.

Nîryni nodded to herself, her face void of the teasing smirk it had just seconds before. "I guess that's my que to go. Thanks again, Reya." She walked out the hut without waiting for a response. Her timing must've been perfect because she caught the sight of the one and only Lo'ak leaving the village along with Ao'nung and his goons. All of them looking to be up to no good.

"Are you serious?" Why in the world would they be traveling together and leaving? She reluctantly called an ilu and decided to follow them just to make sure her boyfriend wasn't doing anything stupid.

If only she stayed just a few minutes longer she would've seen him arriving.

♡

Bloody talons landed on the freshly heated sand. Bright red and yellow feathers flapped threateningly to those who got too close to them. A loud outcry of desperation and anger rang out amongst the people. The ikran mirrored its rider's emotions perfectly.

Multiple Metkayinan warriors surrounded the seemingly furious threat. After the Sully's arrival they had been on guard for any suspicious activity.

On top of the restless beast was a tall man who bore various injuries and bruises. Each telling their own story. But the man did not seem to be bothered by them. No. His eyes searched the crowd for the only living person that mattered to him. His flesh and blood. His daughter. Nîryni.

He carried a foreign weapon that these people were unfamiliar with, close to his chest. His hostile energy expanded over the onlookers and demanded the attention of each and every person that gazed upon him.

If it wasn't for the blood loss he was facing then he wouldn't have arrived so aggressively but he wasn't thinking clearly. He wasn't in the mood for any type of delay of seeing his child.

He jumped down from his soul brother, rubbing his hand along its beak that was also covered in blood. The animal exhaled harshly yet leaned into his head.

A brave hunter approached him defensively with a spear in hand, "Who are you?"

The muscles in the unknown man's back flexed as he gripped the gun tighter. Despite his wounds he stood tall, a true soldier. He wiped the spare blood from his mouth.

"I am Sìkve and I'm looking for my daughter." And for once he wasn't wearing his childish grin.●

◇A/N◇

{Okay so in this chapter we got a lot of Tsireya and the next chapter will be a lot of Lo'ak. I want to set the foundation for both relationships before I start to mix them so pls dont kill me lol. Also, yes Nîryni curses like a sailor 🤷‍♀️}