Leyra ~ (Neteyam x OC)

Chapter 5

For the next week or so, Neteyam ate all his lunches with Leyra in the forest. Sometimes Neteyam brought them portions of the clan lunch, sometimes they hunted something to eat together.

Neytiri grew worried for her son, and she expressed this to her mate.

"Ma Jake, our son is spending all his free time alone in the forest. Sometimes, he doesn't even take any lunch. I worry for him. Talk to him, please. You are his father."

Jake didn't take this well, saying that he spent a lot of time alone at this age too, and it was nothing to worry about. Neytiri insisted, saying it was not normal for a Na'vi boy to spend so much time away from the clan. Finally, finally, Jake agreed to quickly check in with him.

"Neteyam, wait." He had caught his son on his way out to meet Leyra for lunch.

"Yes?"

Jake sighed. "Your mother is worried about you. She says you spend too much time alone in the forest. Would you try to hang around a bit more, for her sake?"

Neteyam realized that his parents didn't even have an inkling of his blossoming relationship with Leyra.

"Of course, sir. I will do my best."

Jake clapped him on the shoulder and directed him back towards their marui. "Great."

Shit, Leyra will be looking for me. He even had a gift he was goingto give her today. But there was nothing he could do.

He was right, Leyra was looking for him. She saw the hunting party return to base camp a while ago and Neteyam was nowhere to be found. She crept towards the entrance of the cave system, but without an ikran, she had no way of getting up.

"Looking for Neteyam?"

She whipped around, only to find Kiri te Suli Kireysi'ite laying on a log behind her. The girl sat up.

"Our dad made him stay for lunch in the marui. Mom was getting worried, saying that he spent all his time alone. But he's been acting too happy lately to be spending all that time by himself, so I knew something was up. Then I remembered him asking around about an albino Na'vi some time ago, and... well, I connected the dots." Her words were accusatory but her tone was playful.

Leyra was suddenly ashamed of ever hanging out with Neteyam, and was desperate to cover it up for his sake.

"What? I'm not looking for anyone."

"Don't bother lying, I saw you together yesterday."

Shit.

"Please don't tell anyone." Leyra's tone was suddenly quiet and vulnerable.

Kiri seemed taken aback by this, standing up and-- to Leyra's surprise-- wrapped the poor girl up in a hug. "Don't worry, I promise I won't."

Relieved, Leyra hugged back.

"But I did some thinking and... I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Now that the two felt more comfortable, they both took a seat on the log to converse.

"My mom has been asking for my opinion of the clan girls lately."

"Okay?"

"Neteyam is to be the future Olo'ektan, and that means my parents will help pick out a Tsahik for him. Someone who has a good relationship with Eywa."

Oh.

"Look, I just don't want my brother getting hurt. Or you, really. I just think you should both be realistic."

Leyra paused, a deep depression settling over the image of the only thing that's been bringing her proper joy. "You're probably right." Her head fell into her hands. Why was she so upset? She must've known deep down that Neteyam could never be hers. "I'll talk to him the next time I see him."

Over lunch, Neytiri slowly mentioned different girls, and gauged Neteyam's interest. Getting frustrated by his complete lack of care, she finally just said it up front.

"Neteyam, you will need to choose a Tsahik soon. You are almost sixteen, so you should be getting to know her now, before you turn seventeen."

Neteyam knew the subject would come up eventually, but not so soon.

"Can't it wait a while? I've got more than a year."

"Actually, I've already picked out a few girls that I think will be a good fit, I just want you to meet them, see how you feel-"

Jake, who had left a few minutes ago, now re-entered the marui with four girls trailing nervously behind him.

Neteyam was furious. How could she spring this on him? Especially when she had ditched her arranged mating?

"Mother!" He all but snarled, taking Neytiri by surprise.

"I thought having someone might make you happier?"

"I don't need anyone el-" He cut himself off, pulling at the roots of his hair. "I'm perfectly happy as it is, thank you."

"Just try, my son, maybe-"

He was gone, heading for his ikran. All he wanted to do was talk to her about this.

"Neteyam!" It was his father, but all Neteyam did was shout an apology over his shoulder.

At this point, Kiri had gone back to exploring the forest and Leyra found herself wallowing alone in her waterfall cave. Neteyam found her after a long while of circling the area.

"Leyra," he breathed, so, so relieved to see her. But the tension found him again when he noticed her solemn expression. He put a hand on her cheek. "What? What is it?"

"You first," she deferred, sensing his urge to talk.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Very sure."

"Well, my mother ambushed me today at lunch," he explained, taking a seat beside her, "she brought in a bunch of girls that she wants me to pick as a mate."

It hurt more, somehow, to hear it from him. "Oh." It came out as more of a sigh.

"What?" He turned to face her completely.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. Kiri is the one who brought it up. I don't think we should see each other anymore."