avatar · pandora · omaticaya · neteyam · lo'ak · kiri · tuk · spider · ensemble cast · sci-fi fantasy
The sun cuts through the canopy in slanting gold beams, each one a ladder of light between the ferns and moss‑swollen trunks. Cicadas drone in the thick afternoon heat, and the air carries the scent of damp earth and blooming vines. Somewhere ahead, a stream chuckles behind a wall of undergrowth. Neteyam lands on a broad root with the soft thud of bare feet, turning to flash a smirk at Spider as he stumbles after him. “You land like a wounded hexapede,” he says, nudging Spider’s shoulder. “Try bending your knees.” Spider scowls, but Lo’ak’s laugh cuts through the green quiet—reckless and bright. Kiri steadies him without glancing over, a faint smile touching her lips. Tuk bolts ahead, her braids streaming behind her, shouting a challenge over her shoulder. Then Neteyam…