Patience is the Key

[Jen]

There was obviously something on the mind of one young female Na’vi as she clicked her tongue quickly to catch the attention of her stallion. Something mad, festering, and probably not all that pleasing by the look of discontentment painted upon her face. Thin lips in the form of one very secure line, she grasped onto the thick spine of her mount. Pulling herself with grace onto the Pa’li, Sreu’lyan wasted little time in making the bond and urging Yue’laiz to quickly charge through the silent plains. It was near night, the sun dipping in it’s decent upon the awaiting horizon. She, however, cared not where she was going; nor how late she would be out. A true rebel at heart, she attempted to protect her people and her own honor at the same time. Dinner within the Itami tribe went by smoothly, until her brother had dismissed her rudely and furthermore attempted to take her routes for the night. Normally patrolling the fields of their land was a mediocre job, at least—when they had so little to fear. The thought behind it though, enraged the Na’vi far more then what she had ever believed possible. A woman should stay within the tribal boundaries at night, he says! What a foolish child, I practically raised him! Such fuel in her veins gave her enough spark to feed the undying fire within her normally peaceful heart. She was the firstborn of their actual kin, and yet as the days passed; she felt her only sibling pushing her away.

He wishes of me to be a gatherer and hunter; that is what it is! Foolish brother! Insulting, uncaring, idiotic brother! She rode until her hips felt tense; throbbing with ache and her own fatigue. She had run out of the dining ceremony with no food; snapping under her breathes at the young man that had caused her so much turmoil. Willing her mount to finally rest; the lungs of her Pa’li heaved with the ongoing strain they both felt. She was a markswoman, not some babysitter. The very thought made her nose scrunch as she lifted herself off Yue and set her feel delicately on the ground. Beads trembling in the wind, her multitude of braids and tribal dyed headdress caught the breeze; causing her queue as well to sway behind her. Tail flinching, it stayed low as did her ears. Sreu’lyan was prone to raging, especially when issues like this took place in her personal, comforting home. He is still a child, she attempted to remind herself. It did little, as she lashed back at the tranquil side of her conscious. A stupid, stupid baby!

Then again, she probably was expecting too much of the young man. Male Na’vis within the Itami tribe tended to take far longer to mature, to her displeasure. Sreu’lyan had a curse, being one of the best in her tribe with a bow and arrow; if not out of talent—then by the sheer force of will that rained upon her like a monsoon. There were times even she forgot she was female. Majority of the reason she could not find herself a bonded mate-, and could not settle down to host a family or have children. Her first love was that of the plains, her second was to her leaders and to her fellow people; third, and finally came herself. Sreu’lyan knew that her brother was also frustrated. Living in her shadow as she grew into a lovely woman who all but dominated the art of riding, marksmanship, and of course—dance. Night after night, she had to listen to the same bickering voice of her younger trying to convince her that she must allow him to take the lead. He was not ready for true battle, for hardships; not the type of scars she could remember on the skin of her father and mother before them.

In many ways, her brother was still a child, but then again; she seemed to be the magnet for all small-minded children. Scowling at the sky, her ears flinched as the smoothed cloth of deep jade green encircled around her pelvis. Kneeling down, she sifted through the grasses; finding the small tracks of beasts she could identify with only her memory. Pressing her thumb delicately into the soil, it barely budged with the implied pressure; meaning that the tracks were dry and therefore old. Ah, one thousand curses upon this night! Shaking her head, the lined beads along the strands of her ‘hair’ jingled together. Of all nights, she had to choose tonight to allow her temper to flare; the cold night air had finally calmed her enough to notice what exactly she had done in the midst of the prepared meal. Her dear leader had probably been there with his own bonded, guilt rose within her at how distinctly childish she now felt. Yue, beside her, had wandered off for his own feast; listening and staying in the general circumference of his distraught female rider.

“Do not look at me like that,” she hissed at her Pa’li. “You would have done the same thing, brother! Over and over,” throwing her hands up in exhaustion; the woman simply gave up and fell to the ground with a groan of displeasure. The soil and plain’s grass were soft; her heart was not. Sreu’lyan had made sure that everyone she had the pleasantries to meet knew of her standing. She was rough; a trainer of the highest quality, as well as a Na’vi who would never be told she could not do something specifically when she thought the concept was wrong. “He is like a broken memory; repeating himself to me.” Sliding her nimble hand over her eyes, she laid her head back and made an almost comical, dejected face as her hand plopped down beside her body. “Perhaps I should have been rough with him as a child; then some respect might have been beaten into his thick skull.”

Yue snorted loudly, as if agreeing to that thought over his owner’s fiery attitude. Moving slightly over to the next nectar-giving flower, she gazed up at the Pandorian sky. “Ah, but it is a lovely night.” She whispered, tilting her head into the soft straw-like foliage underneath her. Keeping watch, she simply allowed herself to relax near her village; it wouldn’t have been the first time she slumbered in the fields—and probably not the last. The evening is young, Eywa watch over him tonight.

[• Aerys •]

"Have you seen Sreu'lyan?"

Such a question had been posed at least a dozen times and was consistently answered with a scathing look or a pointed "no". A lesser soul might have been deterred by the blatant disapproval his kin was demonstrating, but Alek'seh was more than accustomed to the treatment. Doing this during their evening mealtime wasn't probably the best of decisions, but the young Na'vi hadn't been able to find her prior to dinner. She had said she would wait for him before going off on their rounds...but then when why would she? Punctuality was never a strong point of Alek's, after all...

The boy issued an effusive sigh and left the dining area, pausing only to snatch up his quiver and bow and sling them both across his back. Ki'Wa had finished her own dinner by the time he had made it to the small grazing pool just as the sun dipped below the western horizon. He knew Sreu couldn't have gotten far, but he was also well aware of his subpar tracking skills.

I can find her, he told himself with a determined nod. Getting onto Ki'Wa's back was a bit of a trial, considering the direhorse kept shifting just before he got his leg over his back, but he prevailed long enough to bond her and situate himself properly. Then it was simply a matter of negotiating the forest of tents without running into anyone and he was free, giving the Pa'li a loose rein, figuratively. Six thunderous hooves beat the earth with the power of her stride, carrying him away from the camp and out into the gathering night.

Luckily for the boy she had not ventured far. The soft trail of markings that peppered his face, arms, and torso only just began to glitter in the shadows when he spotted the familiar stallion grazing idly, distinctly riderless. Ki'Wa's head lifted as she caught sight of him too, and a soft snort rumbled in her chest. All it took was a brief mental command to slow the beast just shy of Sreu's form sprawled out on the grass.

"You said you would wait for me," Alek murmured in their native tongue, his brows knitted in a faint frown. "You know we are not supposed to do these routes alone."

---

OOC: I hope that was okay ^-^;;. If not I can change some things, but I thought it was a good angle to make Alek annoy her xD.

[Jen]

With her nose scrunched in agitation; Sreu’lyan lifted herself from the hardy grasses of the prairie and placed her hands upon her hips. Cloth sways below her, she hastily approached her target. Attempting to land one of her oh-so-famous smacks to the back of her younger friends head; her face stiffened into an obvious gaze of disapproval. “I believe,” she started in their native tongue. “That you should have not taken so long to find me, are your tracking skills getting rusty?” Narrowing her ears, her canines bared themselves as she asserted a sort of feminine control over the youth. Although he was only a few years younger, she babied him with the same rough love she gave her own sibling. While Sreu’lyan was tender with the younger Na’vi, she was almost downright masculine with the others her age and even older. Holding her chest high, the woman did little to soothe away her punishment and harsh words. It wasn’t like Alek cared much anyway, he had decoded her roughness for affection long ago; her touch was just one that was an acquired taste—to say the least.

“You are getting dull and forgetful, now—who else to I know who is like that?” Holding her chin, she pretended to ponder before swatting at the back of the male’s head again. Rolling her eyes, she smiled only when her back was turned. Something about the young one made her temper die, and for once she enjoyed his company. Although she didn’t believe it would be too long before she desired to punch his face in. A violent streak within her kind was rare, but Sreu held an odd sense of maternal protectiveness; while she was distinctly beautiful, she did indeed serve as the sword and shield of her tribe. Clicking her tongue twice to gain Yue’s attention, the Pa’li discontinued his meal and came to her side. With one strong push, she was up and on the back of the large stallion; back straight and proud.

“What makes you think,” Sreu began with a trace of amusement in her voice. “That it is I who needs your assistance for this round.” While she understood the gears of cooperation, she did enjoy teasing Alek about it. “We all know it is you who needs me to protect you, and knock some sense into that flat brain of yours.” This time, her smile did show. It was full, bright, and radiant; like the full moons of Pandora in the clearest of midnight skies. “Do not forget who taught you.” Winking at the male, she couldn’t help but take a little credit where credit was due. After all, she had taken time out of her schedule to try and correct the mistakes that Alek made by being overly clumsy. She was a strict teacher, but Alek could have chosen no better when it came to such skills. “Wasn’t I attempting to teach you something the last time we had rounds together?” Starting her pace, she simply expected Alek to follow her. “Not that I can always succeed with such a wildcard.” She whispered to herself, not even certain if the ditzy boy could be fixed.

“My brother wished to take my routes again,” Sreu felt the need to explain. “I was angered by his foolishness—and skipped the meal.” The fatigue of her stomach reminded her of it, growling and tightening in discomfort. Yet the woman hid it so well upon her svelte and stern face; not at all showing regret for having done what she did. “Foolish, if only some idiocy could be fixed.” Musing aloud to herself, the woman finally quieted and gave Alek room to move beside her.


OOC// Same goes for you dear, so be sure to tell me. Don't worry, hon, it was lovely. She's already showing her fangs, how lucky for Alek~

[• Aerys •]

Alek'seh didn't consider himself a tough Na'vi, by any means. He could ride with the best of his tribe, certainly, could track and hunt fairly well (If he really tried), but he was not one of the brawny and hyper-masculine warriors that ran around flexing their muscles to woo the females. However, he was an excellent judge of character, and as a result had long since deciphered the biting words that belonged to one Sreu'lyan. Her behavior was purely defensive, if a little child like, and Alek had come to accept it. Underneath the layers of cutting words he knew there was a dormant, very well concealed sense of affection.

“I simply wanted you to wait for me,” he answered levelly, one hand rubbing the back of his head ruefully. “We have been scheduled to do the patrol together for several days.” There was no question that she exceeded his skills, and Sreu knew that, but duty was duty...and so was punishment. The clan was a tight-knit group; it functioned without error because each member executed their assigned chore punctually. To disobey an order, either from the Tsahik or the Olo'eyktan or any elders, was frowned upon severely.

Ki'Wa seemed hesitant to slip up beside Yue, her head lowered slightly. “He knows better. Perhaps you should channel your frustration and beat him instead of me.” The young Na'vi dug into the saddlebag fastened behind him and produced a small bundle of fruit and meat. Their shift was to last for several hours, and despite her veneer of determination, Alek knew she would be hungry. It made little sense to ride on an empty stomach, even if she was too proud to admit it.

“Here,” he said quietly, offering Sreu the small pack. “I saved some of it for you. You cannot go the whole night without eating anything, Sreu."