༺chapter twenty༻
✧
⇝ I don't dance

For the past two months Amiryat had spent it healing, being with her family and most importantly spending quality time alone, not trying to hide the scar on her shoulder or to hide the fact that she died and saw eywa, even if it was just a distant voice she still felt it.

It was a fine sunny day, children were playing as they laughed. Most adults were helping to prepare for the celebration of the Tulkun when they returned, after the war they left in such a hurry that they came back after a two month which Tonowari called it, a blessing, it was rare for them to come back so soon.

"Steady, hold position... fire when ready."

Jake stood close by his daughter keeping an eye on the way her hands gripped the bow amid down to the ocean, Amiryat kept her promise to her father when she told him that someday when the day comes she would go out and take her bow and they would spend the day together and practice to use her bow again

It wasn't easy, her left arm kept shaking with a tingle running down her arm refusing to let her do anything right, her right hand lightly pressed against her face with her other hand shakily pointed towards the sea, Amiryat shudder licking her lips. "Dad, i- I can't."

Jack stepped down from where he stood, as she brought down the bow 'n arrow to to her side. "What do you mean you can't, you had perfect aim." Jake said softly not understanding what she was trying to say.

Amiryat exhaled plonking the bow down onto the sand by her feet twirling the head of her wooden arrow. "My hands keep shaking and my arm keeps darting me away from the target, I can't do it, not like before. I should just stick to making... charms." She sneers meeting her fathers non-pity eyes, she hated when they pity her.

"It amazes me how I refuse to use my bow because of an accident that happened years ago that I still deeply regret to this day," Jake shoulders drop at her words, hands unclenching as he watched her eyes began to water.

"Maybe this is it for me, maybe this is what was meant to happen—" Jake shook his head stepping down towards her. "No, it's not, okay? You haven't used your bow in years and I know that it will take you some time to get use to, there's no rush babygirl." Jake leans down picking up the bow passing it back to her. "That's why your family is here, to guide you as much as we can."

Amiryat sighs and nods, turning away from her father down to the ocean. She wiggles her toes in the sand keeping her back straight, bringing the bow back with her hand shaking. Inhaling sharply and released the bow, it disappeared into the ocean. "Crap." She mutters.

"Babygirl! You caught one!"

Amiryat watched her father jumped down into the water, grabbing the arrow sticking out from the water, he revealed a fish. His smile was so big that it brought him to tears. "Oh my god, I'm so proud."

Jake ripped the fish off the arrow passing her the dead animal, Amiryat smiles looking up at her father seeing welling tears in his eyes. "Dad, are you crying?"

Jake sniffs shaking his head taking his daughter into his arms, kissing the side of her head. "I'm just missed these moments, though ever moment with you is special."

Amidst smiled scrunching her nose observing the animal. "Do you think this fish would be good enough for dinner?" Jake teases grinning, leaning down to pick up her bows and arrows.

Amiryat chuckles feeling the rush of memories flash through her head remembering when she was a little girl, the day her father taught her to catch her first fish, "It should be or all that hard work would be for nothing." Amiryat tells him.

Jake smiles wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go home kid."

—

Amiryat and Ao'nung had always loved spending their free time away from home and were always eager to watch the sun set or rise on the beach. "I heard you caught a fish in the ocean today."

Ao'nung voice came out proudly, Amiryat nods smiling. "Yeah, dad decided that we should try something that can help my muscles." She says not mentioning anything else. "How was your day?"

"Good, father and I spent the day training, he says I'm close to being prepared to compete my iknimaya." Ao'nung had been waiting to tame his very first skimwing since his father told him about them, and now that day was so close.

"That's so exciting, I'm so proud of you." Amiryat exclaims leaning forward and kisses his cheek, Ao'nung grins turning his head and pressed their lips together, he smiles into the kiss cradling the back of her head. She pulled back peaking his lips once more. "Really, Ao'nung, this is amazing news."

The teen grins not hiding the light purple blush of his cheeks. Amiryat laughs stroking his cheek, Ao'nung nuzzles his face in her palm, turning his head planting a kiss to her hand.

"You blush to easily." She teased him, Ao'nung pressed his lips against her head before his head slowly fell on her shoulder sighing. "I'm so happy that I met you." Amiryat admits quietly twisting the bracelet on his wrist.

"As am I."

—

Dancing and singing was the best thing that a na'vi can experience, the clan had thrown a celebration for the tulkun later in the afternoon with the sun beginning to settle, and the sky was now shinning in a mixture of blue and purple, it was a sight for sore eyes.

"Why don't you srew (dance) my ʼite. (daughter)" Neytiri asks brushing her eldest daughter' braid away from her face, the light of the fire pit reflecting off her face.

Amiryat chuckled watching the na'vi dance. "I don't dance, I've never dance."

Jake hums smiling over at his daughter. "Just when I thought you couldn't be more like me." Neytiri rolled her eyes playfully watching her youngest dance with the children.

"You are my daughter, of course you can dance." Neytiri said softly, she grow up dancing her whole life there was no way that her daughter couldn't dance, it was in her blood.

Lo'ak and Tsireya head off to the beach, but we're close enough that their parents can see them, Neteyam has his own friends and was with them and Kiri was with Spider exploring more of the sea.

"Amiryat."

The young girl spun around hearing Ao'nung's voice, he had been preparing for the day he could dance with the woman he would love, cherish and the one he would be mate with. "Yes?"

Ao'nung smiles that stretches to the moon, he held out his hand down to her. "Would you dance with me?" Amiryat didn't have the heart to say no i can't dance so she took his hand.

"Yes, let's d-dance."

Amiryat grasp his hand as he lead them through the crowd, the young na'vi turned back to her parents who wore smirks on their faces, she stared in disbelief until Ao'nung brought her around to face him.

"At least he made her dance." Jake says softly, watching his eldest daughter awkwardly move her feet at the rhythm.

Amiryat mumbling apologizes when she steps on his feet again, "Gosh, I can't dance, I keep stepping on you." She blushes in embarrassment, Ao'nung grins pulling her in by her waist, now they were chest to chest.

"It's okay, I'm not a very good dancer either." Amiryat gave him a look, Ao'nung chuckles cocking his head. "You're just trying to make me not feel more embarrassed than I already am." She mumbles looking back to her feet, not wanting to step on him again.

Ao'nung lifts her chin and shakes his head. "No, im not but in all seriousness I've never knew how to dance until my mother taught me at a reasonable age. I grew up dancing."

"I didn't grow you dancing, more like I hated dancing, dancing wasn't for me and even my mother knew it. " Amiryat admits dropping her head on his shoulder, draping her arm around his neck, they slowly moved to the rhythm of the music.

Ao'nung kisses the side of her head staring off up at the sky. "One day, we will teach our own children how to dance and use a bow." He whispers softly as he sways them. "They will become great warriors." He lays his head on top of hers, Amiryat blushes at the thought.

—

"Does your arm feel sore?"

Norm came back to the island a mouth after the Tulken celebration, he had been keeping tabs on the young na'vi progress with her body, her arm wasn't as weak like it was in the beginning, which meant she could move it around a lot more than before.

"No, it's feels fine." Amiryat informs him, she was finally complete healed, though the only reminder she had was the scar on her chest above her heart.

"It looks like your arm going to be okay, your arm will no longer be in any kind of pain but there would be moments where you would feel as your arm is numbed or losing its strength." Norm says sitting down by her. "So It would take time to gain that back."

Amiryat exhales sharply and nods turning to her father, Jake pushes off the entrance door walks to his daughter crouching down as he grabbed her hand.

"That's fine with us, right?" Jake stared up at her squeezing her hand twice, Amiryat met his gaze and nods her head, the older man turns to Norm. "Is there anything else?"

Norm shakes his head standing up moving forward to his equipment. "No, just— don't try and force yourself into doing anything that you struggled with. Take it slow and you'll slowly see progress."

—

Ronal had given birth to a beautiful girl, she resembles her father the most, the clan celebrates the birth of their Leader and Tsahìk third child, the baby connected to the spirit tree where she felt eywa through her tsaheylu.

"Tsireya was the second person to hold her and she didn't want to let go but it didn't bother mother, she said it gave her more free time to heal and to help you."

Amiryat hums and nods, that was right. His mother was Tsahik and she believed that she and only she can help the young na'vi girl to finding herself, Jake didn't understand why she believed his daughter wasn't herself until Ronal mentioned that his eldest daughter lost her connection with Eywa that she hadn't gone to visit the tree in months.

The young couple had managed to escape from the celebration, Amiryat didn't want to pull Ao'nung away from his baby sister' birth-celebration but he insisted on coming anyways.

"How that going by the way?"

Amiryat stared off into the distance, stopping in her tracks. "I guess.. okay— I mean, your mom has been nothing but patience and very... calm?"

Ao'nung crakes his head pursing his lips. Amiryat smiles. "Sorry it just that she's so easy to talk to.. I know it sounds weird but she wanted to know me and I don't normally let myself to be known because it's hard to let someone "new" into your life— not that your mom is weird.. sorry! I mean normal, she is normal, too normal— I'll just shut now."

Ao'nung chuckles flashing his dimples. "Great mother, your adorable when you get all nervous and it's okay, my mother isn't the easiest to talk too and I know that because I live with but she's my mother and I love her but I'm also very glad that you found some comfort in her." Amiryat smiles nodding taking his hand.

"She's a wonderful woman."

"Ao'nung!"

The couple spun around to Tsireya as she approached them with her baby sister in her arms. "Lo'ak wants to take me to see Payakan and I can't take Lia with us, so it's your turn to watch her."

Before Ao'nung can protest Tsireya passed the baby into his arms. "I can't watch her— I've never even..." He sighs as his sister skip away from them. "...watched her alone."

Amiryat immediately coos at the infant in his hands, she had seen the baby around but never really took a change to admire her, she had her mothers smile. "Oh my, she's so precious." Ao'nung annoyance for his sister instantly turned to heartwarming feeling as he peered down to his girlfriend.

"She is, isn't she?" Ao'nung bounces her lightly, causing the baby to giggle, her finger stuck between her teeth. Amiryat smiles reaching out with her hand and the baby wraps her tiny hand around Amiryat' finger.

She looked up to a Ao'nung. "I can't take this cutest anymore." She laughs, squeezing the child's cheeks. "Yeah, she gets it from me." Ao'nung says shrugging, Amiryat gave him a look. "What? I look like my mother so technically Lia looks like me."

"You're kind of... right?" Amiryat says taking Lia from his arms, kissing her chubby cheeks. Ao'nung squints dropping his arms, watching her leave. "Wait, why did that sound like a question? Amir? Yawntutsyip? (Beloved) Amiryat!"

—

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