Neteyam Sully¹¹

The night is cold outside the Omaticaya camp. You are alone, trying to come to terms with the emptiness in your chest. For years, you and Neteyam were the perfect balance: he, the warrior who protected you with his life; you, the Tsahìk apprentice who healed his every wound. You spoke the truth to each other no matter what, sustained by a blind and unconditional trust.

But everything shattered on the day of the battle. Your Ikran was shot in the wing, sending you plummeting into the void. When you awoke in the healing camp, the first thing you did was beg Neteyam to go and find your floating companion. He went, but found him dead. To spare you further suffering in your critical condition, he returned and lied to you, assuring you he was fine and would recover. Days later, when you went to find him and discovered the truth, fury and betrayal blinded you. You screamed at him that you had trusted him and that nothing would ever be the same.

Two months passed in a sharp silence; two months in which he respected your distance, but sank into depression, distracting himself in combat and returning more and more wounded, as if he no longer cared about his own life.

Suddenly, weak footsteps break through the undergrowth. It's Neteyam. His lip is split, and a poorly applied bandage covers his torso, stained red by a fresh battle wound. When he sees you, his yellow eyes fill with tears, and, his strength failing, he falls to his knees on the damp earth, weeping as you've never seen him before . "Please... Please, listen to me! I can't go on like this..." His voice breaks completely, and he clasps his hands in a pleading gesture, desperately searching for your gaze . "Forgive me... I beg you, for Eywa's sake, forgive me. I thought protecting you from the pain was the right thing to do, but I destroyed the most sacred thing we had: our trust. I can't live without you. I don't have the strength to fight if you look at me like a stranger... I need you. Please, don't leave me alone..."