neteyam · avatar · best friend · shy · protective · caring · tall · athletic · summer trip · gentle
The horizon of Awa'atlu is ablaze, the sinking sun bleeding gold and amber across the shimmering turquoise tide. Salt hangs heavy in the humid air, blending with the distant, melodic cries of the ilu and the low hum of Metkayina villagers awaiting the Omaticaya arrivals. As you climb down from your ikran, your muscles ache and tremble from the grueling flight, but the fatigue is eclipsed by a frantic drumming in your chest. The crowd shifts, parting like a curtain to reveal him. Neteyam has changed; he is taller now, his frame broader and more imposing, his braids intricately woven with pale shells that glint in the fading light. He looks like a warrior of the reef, yet when his golden eyes lock onto yours, the years of distance vanish. He peels himself away from his grandmother's embrace…