Pathfinder || OC X Neteyam

The next morning, Aha'ri woke nestled in Neteyam's arms. As she took in his warmth and listened to his deep breaths beneath his chest, she realized she didn't have any nightmares throughout the night. She slept peacefully for the first time in what felt like ages.

Neteyam lay next to her, but Aha'ri felt another presence. One that hadn't faded since her meditation with Kiri and Lurei yesterday.

A smile twisted her lips as she thought about how lucky she was for Eywa to answer her prayer. Aha'ri was finally starting to feel like herself again.

Lurei's death was still a stone in her heart, but now she had the strength to continue on. She had a purpose still. At least Eywa certainly seemed to think so.

Now, her purpose was to defend her home from demons like Quaritch, and Eywa was going to help her. But that still didn't take away her grief. While she felt better, Lurei's death still weighed on her shoulders, and she feared it might get in the way.

Carefully lifting herself from their hammock, Aha'ri tried not to wake Neteyam. Soft moans escaped his lips as she shifted his arms so she could slip away.

When she was finally up and out of their tent, she squinted against the morning sun, already bright on the horizon.

The air smelled fresher than she remembered, but still stung of salt, something she had still not gotten used to.

She let her feet carry her to the family tent, hoping Jake and Neytiri would still be there.

Walking along the bouncy net walkway, the tent came into view as well as the two Na'vi within.

Jake and Neytiri turn to Aha'ri, looking past her as if expecting to see Neteyam behind her. When he wasn't, a line formed between Neytiri's brows as she stood to greet her.

Aha'ri motioned I see you to them both and smiled shyly. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Aha'ri," Neytiri smiled. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah, it's good to be out and about."

Jake motioned for her to sit with them. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing better. Kiri and Tuk actually helped me a lot yesterday. I don't know if they told you about it."

"They did. I'm glad you're feeling better," Neytiri said. She offered her a slice of fruit, "Hungry?"

"Yeah, thank you," Aha'ri said. The sweet fruit melted in her mouth as she took a bite. Silence grew between them, not used to their new relationship dynamic. They were as much as her parents now as they were Neteyam's. "I—uh—was wondering if I could ask you guys for some advice."

Neytiri scooched closer to her with concern knitted between her brows. "Yeah, of course."

"I know you guys have been through a lot and lost people you loved. I just—" she struggled to find the right words, "how did you guys get through it and move on?"

"Well, that's the thing," Neytiri said. "You never move on. You learn to live with the grief."

"It gets easier," Jake chimed in. "Trust me. Everybody takes time. You're doing great."

Aha'ri gave a soft smile and took another bite of fruit. She had hoped for a more robust answer, but she supposed everyone handled grief differently. She just couldn't seem to get Quaritch out of her head. To make him pay for what he and the recoms did.

She shrugged, "I guess I'm just finding it hard not letting the bad thoughts get to my head."

"What do you mean?" Neytiri asked.