CHAPTER 2

"Ow!" Neteyam complained as the Tsahik spread balm on his open wounds.

"Awh," Spider said sarcastically, "Want a kiss on the boo-boo?" Erìhe laughed and nudged him while Neteyam shot both of them a glare. She would never say she was enjoying watching him in pain - but she didn't have to, it went without saying.

"I would use yanglabark," Kiri said as she stood up. She had been preparing some sort of medication with Tuk in the corner of the tent.

"Oh, you would?" Mo'at spoke, "And who is Tsahik?"

"You are grand - move," she pushed Lo'ak out of the way, "You are, grandmother. But yanglabark is better."

"Ow!" Neteyam said again, "Ow!"

Erìhe looked at Spider and they both rolled their eyes. It could not have been enjoyable being in Neteyam's place, but making fun of him was their idea of fun.

"It stings less," Kiri finished.

"Mighty warrior," Lo'ak teased his brother.

"Fuck you, you skxawng," Neteyam picked up one of Tuk's toys and flung it at his brother. This earned him a smack from the Tsahik and complaints from Tuk.

Tuk ran over to the toy when it landed on the ground, "You broke it!" she held up the miniature wooden sturmbeest that he had thrown, "His head came off!"

Erìhe glared daggers at Neteyam. She had made that toy for Tuk. Neteyam looked down, slightly guilty, "Sorry, Tuk," he mumbled.

Tuk screamed in fury as she charged at Neteyam who could not move from his seat as the Tsahik was applying ointment to his wounds. Everyone knew not to mess with Tuk's toys if they valued their life. The girl got scarier than Toruk when something threatened her belongings.

The little girl would have knocked right into Neteyam had Erìhe not crouched down and caught her with one arm, "I'll make you another one, alright?" She smiled kindly as Tuk fought to break free of her grip, "I'll let you choose which animal."

Tuk stopped struggling in her arms and turned to look at her, "Can I have a pa'li?" She asked.

Erìhe laughed and nodded, getting to her feet and taking Tuk by the hand, leading her out of the tent, "Let us find a proper piece of wood." As they walked out, Tuk turned to stick her tongue out at Neteyam.

Spider followed them out, "Did you just save Neteyam from Tuk's wrath? Wow. You two have come a long way," he laughed as he fell into step with them.

"Don't misunderstand," Erìhe glared at him, "I didn't do it to save his ass. I stopped Tuk so that she wouldn't get in trouble," she looked down to meet Tuk's smile.

"Yeah, right," Spider rolled his eyes.

Spider helped Erìhe and Tuk with finding a suitable piece of wood. It had taken much longer than expected - Tuk was very picky. It could not be too red but it could not be too pale, and it also could not be too hard. Eventually Erìhe found her patience to be running out and she told Tuk that they would just paint it when it was done. After pondering this for a moment, Tuk had agreed and Erìhe could finally get to work.

Soon after finding the block of wood, Spider had left them to go hang out with Lo'ak and Kiri. Not long after that, Tuk had gotten bored of watching Erìhe carving the wood so she ran off to do something else.

Erìhe had found a nice spot within the fortress where she could carve the wood in piece. The ground before her was already littered by small wooden chips by the time that she heard someone approach.

Neteyam dumped a pile of knives in front of him as he sat down beside her, groaning quietly because of his injuries.

Erìhe did not look up at him, "What's with all those knives?"

"Dad told me to sharpen them," he sighed as he picked up his rock which he'd be using to sharpen the blades.

"Great." Erìhe held the blade of her knife while handing it to him - handle toward him. Neteyam regarded it with skepticism, but he took it from her anyways. "Sharpen mine too."

Neteyam glared at her and threw the knife back on the ground.

"Hey - do I need to tell your dad you're not doing your job?" Erìhe looked down at the knife.

Neteyam sighed as if he was calming himself down. He snatched her blade back up again and began sharpening it against the rock, glaring daggers at her as he worked.

"You decided to sit here," Erìhe shrugged and picked up one of the other knives he had brought, "Your own fault."

"I'm wishing I had not," Neteyam said through his teeth.

"You can still move."

"I hate you."

Erìhe smiled bitterly and looked back down at the wood in her hand, "I know."

If it was not clear already, their relationship was not the best. Constant bickering. Constant competition. Those were not great traits of a friendship - and so it was fortunate that they weren't friends at all.

Neteyam turned his eyes on her. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration - though that could have just as well been annoyance. The light from one of the many fires lighted up her face, highlighting the light scar on her nose. Neteyam chuckled silently as he remembered how she'd gotten it.

"What?" Erìhe demanded, looking right at him.

Neteyam pressed his lips into a thin line to stop himself from laughing. He wiped a hand down his face to calm himself, "Nothing." He shrugged with a straight face.

Erìhe narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you laughing at me?"

Neteyam snorted, "Yes," he responded honestly.

"What is so funny?"

"Remember when you got that scar?" He pointed at the bridge of her nose. Erìhe's eyes immediately widened in anger and she lifted a hand to cover her nose. He knew she remembered, but he would still bring it up in spite of it, "When we were climbing trees in the forest and you fell."

"That is not funny," Erìhe pushed him with her elbow, causing him to lean back and support his weight with one arm. "Stop laughing, skxawng." She averted her gaze.

Neteyam did not stop laughing, "You cried about your beauty being ruined," he snickered.

"I was four!"

"You are still just as shallow," he pointed out.

Erìhe took one glance at the wounds on his face, "You're not worried about your looks being ruined?" When he merely shrugged and shook his head nonchalantly, she turned her attention back to the knife in her hands, "Well - you weren't even good looking to start off, so I suppose there's nothing for you to worry about."

Neteyam's smile slid off his face, "Many would disagree with you." He said sternly.

"Who? Your mother?" Erìhe raised her brows, "Aw, brother - are you so sensitive that she still cannot tell you the truth?" She feigned feeling bad for him as she tilted her head, looking at him sweetly.

Neteyam pushed her back, "I am not your brother."

"Lo'ak is," Erìhe told him, once again turning her attention back to the wood she was carving.

"No, he's not," Neteyam disagreed.

"Ask Lo'ak yourself."

"We are not family," Neteyam said slowly and clearly, punctuating each word.

Erìhe took her knife back from him and set down the one she had been using, "Good," she said just as loud and clear as him - just to annoy him. "Why would I even want to be family with an airhead like you?"

"I am not an airhead!" Neteyam called as she stood up and stepped past him to walk off, "I am smarter than you!"

Erìhe turned around to stick her tongue out at him and show him her middle finger.

Neteyam laughed, "So mature!"

Erìhe did not pay him any mind, instead she walked to her tent. It was a tent she shared with a few other orphaned Na'vi. Though they had not been adopted, they considered the entire clan to be their family.

"Another lovers quarrel?" Nupxa asked the moment Erìhe entered their tent.

"Oooo-"

Erìhe reached over to yank the tail of her friend, "Were you spying?"

Aok hit her hand playfully, turning so that her tail would be out of reach, "We would never do that," she laughed.

Erìhe rolled her eyes and set down her knife, going to prepare her mattress where she'd sleep, "When will you two stop being so obsessed with us?" She sighed.

"When you two actually start dating," Nupxa giggled.

"Great mother-" Erìhe mumbled. Her friends knew all too well that nothing was going on between her and Neteyam, and that nothing would ever happen between them. Still, they enjoyed the reactions they got out of her when they brought it up. Unluckily for them, Erìhe had decided to no longer give big reactions.

"Aw - come on. Don't be boring," Nupxa poked Erìhe as she sat down on her mattress, eager to get some sleep.

"Let me sleep," she begged dramatically, "I have been shot at today."

"You're shot at almost every single day," Aok rolled her eyes as she got into her own mattress as well, "Nothing's new."

Erìhe shot her a glare, "You don't know what it's like. It hurts."

Aok and Nupxa both grinned at her. "You chose to become a warrior," Aok said matter of factly, "Should have chosen to become a gatherer instead."

Erìhe scoffed, "That is boring."

Aok furrowed her brows, "I like it."

"Then it's perfect for you," Erìhe shrugged and laid down, ready to fall asleep.

Aok and Nupxa looked at each other, unsure of wether Erìhe had just made fun of them or not.