admiration | neteyam & lo'ak x oc

? eleven

"that is for me to know and for you to find out." talia winked and stood as she realized they had been done for a few minutes.

neteyam watched her leave with a confused look written on his face, wondering why she pondered on not being able to choose. though she was right, it was only for her to know at this point. he sighed, hoping the girl would at least consider him as a candidate when the time came.

talia found neytiri after she left neteyam, she stood in a light conversation with jake. "hi, i'm ready."

both looked to her with a warm glint in their eye, almost as if they were looking at one of their own children. seeing her in their traditional wear, clothes and paint, sparked something in their parental hearts. even neytiri had grown fond of the girl, feeling that she is different than most dreamwalkers.

"then it is time." neytiri sent a nod to her husband before motioning for the girl to follow.

jake sent an awkward thumbs-up. "good luck!"

she chuckled and sent the gesture back, both realizing how funny they looked. talia turned around and caught up with her mentor for the day, not wanting to be left behind before the hunt even happened.

they kept their chat minimal, not finding it necessary to make small talk. talia was grateful for this because it gave her time to calm the last of her nerves and focus.

after traveling for roughly twenty minutes, neytiri stopped them. "this is good hunting spot, here you will make the kill. remember only clean shot, straight through the heart. and do not forget to recite prayer so the soul can be reunited with the great mother."

talia retained the information, having done so already but the refresher was nice. she slid her bow off her back, the wood a dark brown from the tree she carved it from with neteyam.

neytiri stood back and could only watch from this point on, talia needing to complete the rest on her own. this nerved the younger girl only slightly, knowing she would have no help. but the reward was going to be great.

the avatar girl listened with baited breath for any sounds or movement to signal an animal nearby. she kept a firm grip on the weapon that she became so familiar with over the past week, an arrow ready to go in the other hand.

finally, after waiting only a few minutes, a lone yerik came into view. talia stealthily readied her bow, remembering every step from the numerous times she practiced for this moment.

after she was sure she'd done everything correctly, talia aimed for the heart. like her mentor said, it could only be through the vital organ to be considered a clean kill. a shot anywhere else and the hunt would be deemed a failure, which was lot of pressure to but doable.

she closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the soft breeze through her arms and legs. it was as if eywa herself was reminding her to be strong as she stood waiting to take the life in front of her.

only a moment later, talia released. the arrow made a whim sound as it flew quickly by her ear and forward in a sharp, straight line. within seconds, the yerik laid lifeless on the grass.

she silently cheered, turning around to face neytiri who only urged her forward. "right, check the kill and recite the prayer." she muttered to herself.

with her long legs taking one step in front of the other, talia could see the arrow plunged deep inside the animals heart- a success.

but she wasn't done yet. talia recited the prayer, letting the soul return with eywa so she could bring the body to the clan.

this time when she turned to neytiri, the woman held a soft smile. "congratulations, talia. you have completed the first hunt, you did well."

all talia wanted to do was jump for joy and scream from the top of the trees that she succeeded, but instead she smiled back to her mentor and thanked her.