Pathfinder || OC X Neteyam

Aha'ri woke in the middle of the night with an intense feeling of dread.

She had come back to the tent to find Lurei fast asleep after she left Neteyam at the party down the beach. With each step she took away from the alcove, the more regret sank into her chest. Her heart begged her to turn around and confess to Neteyam about how she actually felt. But she was scared. Her body couldn't make up it's mind.

She was practically head over heels for this male but her head was spewing what ifs and making her second guess herself. She had realized that love was her strength and her motivation to live. But with Quaritch and the recoms still in the mix, it made everything more complicated.

Now, she lie awake, staring up at the ceiling of their tent with the same feeling of regret and dread. It was intoxicating, taking over her all of her senses so that all she could think about was him. She couldn't bare this feeling anymore. She would have to get over her fear of losing him and tell him in the morning, telling herself she wasn't allowed to back down.

Aha'ri lifted her head up to look over at Neteyam's hammock, just to see if he was also lying awake. But when she peeked over, his hammock was empty. The regret she felt beneath her chest was quickly replaced by panic. Multiple questions flooding her mind immediately.

Was the party still going? Did something happen to him on his way back? Did Aonung do something to him because he wanted her to himself?

She shimmied out of her hammock as quickly but quietly as she could as the panic continued to fester in her chest. She slunk out of the tent and looked around frantically, completely at a loss for where Neteyam could be. She went over and peeked into the family tent very slowly, so as to not wake anyone. But out of all the Sully children, Neteyam was not among them.

Aha'ri stood outside on the bouncy walkway connecting all the family tents, thinking. She had to make sure he was okay, so, she would start at the alcove and search from there.

The stars still glittered in the sky but it had to be morning soon. They had been at the party for half of the night, and only Eywa knew how long Aha'ri had been lying in bed unable to stay asleep.

She raced through the village, trying to scan the whole area, but didn't find a single soul out of their tents. It was eerily quiet and a shiver raced down her spine.

Where was he?

She reached the beaches toward the back of the village and broke out into a jog, kicking up the soft sand behind her.

The worrying thoughts swirled inside of Aha'ri's head the farther she got from the village and the closer she got to the alcove.

There was a bend in the beach's edge where a body of rock jutted out and over the beach. After she made the turn she would see the alcove, but she should've heard the music by now if the party was still going on.

When she cleared the corner she nearly fell on her behind as she skidded to a stop. Neteyam sat at the water's baying edge with his knees to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, just looking out to the horizon. At least until Aha'ri nearly ran into him.

"Oh, Great Mother," she exclaimed as she stumbled backward to avoid running the male over.

"Aha'ri? Shit, is everything okay?" Neteyam said, quickly standing to his feet and clearing the distance between them.

She panted with her hands on her hips, trying to catch her breath. The adrenaline pumped through her veins and made her light-headed.

She held up a hand, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"You almost trampled me with how fast you were running and you don't look like you're fine," Neteyam said looking her up and down. "Did you run the whole way over here?"