Nussudle woke with a sharp ache running through his shoulders and lower back.
For a few seconds, he didn't move. The woven sleeping mat beneath him felt wrong – too damp, too uneven – and the air carried a constant tang of salt that hadn't been there the night before. The distant sound of the ocean never truly faded here. It breathed. Pulled. Pushed. Even asleep, he hadn't escaped it.
He exhaled slowly and sat up.
The hut was open on three sides, its structure formed from curved reefwood and woven fibre, designed to let wind and mist pass through freely. Light filtered in from the rising sun, reflecting off the water beyond and casting pale blue patterns across the floor.
"I miss dry ground," he muttered.
His body felt heavy, like it hadn't rested properly at all. The calls of ilu had echoed through the night, long and rolling, layered with the endless crash of waves against the reef. Even Nova's distant presence on the island hadn't fully settled his nerves.
Still, he pushed himself to his feet.
Complaining wouldn't help. This was part of it.
Outside, the Metkayina village was already awake. Na'vi moved between platforms and walkways with easy confidence, some diving straight into the water, others carrying nets, tools, or baskets filled with food. The village felt alive in a way that was different from Home Tree – less vertical, more open, shaped by tide and current rather than roots and branches.
Nussudle followed the flow of movement toward the central reef platform, where the morning meal was being prepared.
The smell hit him first.
Fish – fresh and raw – lay out in neat piles alongside sea-grown vegetables and broad, leafy plants cultivated near the shallows. At the centre of it all was a large mound of glider fins, their silver-blue bodies catching the light as water dripped from their scales.
Arvek stood nearby, directing the distribution with calm authority.
"You look like the sea chewed on you," Arvek said without looking up.
Nussudle snorted quietly. "It tried."
Arvek glanced over, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "That will pass. Or it won't. The ocean will decide."
That didn't help.
Arvek gestured toward the glider fin. "Eat. You'll need the strength today."
Nussudle paused. "For what?"
Arvek's expression shifted, becoming more deliberate. "At the peak of the sun, you will attempt your bond with a skimwing."
Nussudle froze for half a heartbeat.
"A skimwing?" he repeated.
"Yes," Arvek replied simply. "You cannot remain among us without learning our way of travel. Be it smoothly or jagged, you will learn to ride."
Nussudle nodded slowly. He had expected trials. He just hadn't expected them to come this fast.
"I understand," he said.
Arvek studied him for a moment longer, then nodded. "Good. Eat. And prepare yourself."
Nussudle moved to the food, selecting a few fish and some vegetables, eating quickly but not carelessly. The taste was sharp, clean, unfamiliar, but filling. As he ate, his attention shifted instinctively toward the edge of the village.
Nova was arriving.
The ikran emerged from the island forest beyond the reef, wings beating strongly as he crossed the short stretch of water. He landed heavily on a rocky outcrop, claws scraping stone as he folded his wings. His head lifted immediately, eyes scanning the unfamiliar environment with clear distrust.
Nussudle finished his food and moved toward him, offering one of the fish.
Nova snapped it from his hand, tearing into it with obvious satisfaction. Through their bond came relief, mixed with tension. The sea still bothered him. Too open. Too exposed.
"I know," Nussudle murmured, resting a hand against Nova's neck. "I'm still getting used to it, too."
That was when voices rose behind him.
"Is that it?"
Nussudle turned.
A group of young Metkayina warriors approached, their posture loose but confident, spears resting casually across their shoulders. At their centre stood Tonowari, taller than the rest, with the width of his chest being pushed outwards
"That's the forest Na'vi?" Tonowari continued, eyes flicking between Nussudle and Nova. "He looks small."
One of the others chuckled. "Might be light enough to float."
Nussudle remained still. He had expected Taunts, and from the look, it seemed that his peers were having a great time with it.
Tonowari smirked. "I see an ikran and hear a name. That doesn't make you a warrior."
Nova hissed sharply, wings lifting slightly, making the warriors step back before Tonowari stepped closer.
Nussudle placed a hand on Nova's shoulder, grounding him. "Stand down."
The tension thickened immediately.
Tonowari took a step even closer. "You come here from the forest, land on our reef, and think you belong here?"
Nussudle replied. "I came to learn."
Tonowari scoffed. "Then learn this – the sea doesn't care who your father is. The sea couldn't care less if you were even Eywa's So-"[1]
A sharp voice cut through the moment.
"That is enough."
An older woman stepped forward, her presence commanding without force. Koira's gaze settled on Tonowari, unimpressed. Her ears and tail flickered and swirled as she positioned herself between the two.
"Are you still a child, Tono?" she said flatly.
Tonowari stiffened and looked down as he replied. "Off-course not, mother..."
"Then act your age," Koira spoke with authority, which made the gathered young warriors look away. "All of you. Leave."
The surrounding warriors shifted, discomfort spreading quickly. Tonowari hesitated, then stepped back, jaw tight.
Koira turned her attention to Nussudle. "You are our guest," she said, "I apologise for my son's attitude, he is angered as he hasn't been granted the opportunity to ride a tsurak"
Nussudle inclined his head respectfully. "It is okay, Tsahìk, I have experienced such taunting many times in my life, and such squabbles don't affect me. Although Nova thinks differently."
Koira nodded once, glancing at the Mighty Ikra,n who hissed lowly at her before walking away.
Nova let out a low, rumbling sound through the bond – satisfaction mixed with lingering tension.
Nussudle exhaled slowly.
The day wasn't even halfway begun.
The tension didn't vanish after Koira left.
It lingered in the air like a held breath, felt more than heard. The young Metkayina warriors drifted away in small groups, some glancing back at Nussudle with curiosity, others with clear doubt. Tonowari was the last to go, his expression tight as he turned and followed his peers toward the far platforms.
Nova remained still beside Nussudle, wings folded but ready. Through the bond came a steady pulse of irritation, sharpened by protectiveness.
"They're not worth it," Nussudle said quietly.
Nova huffed, unconvinced, but settled.
Arvek returned a short while later, carrying a length of woven sea-fibre rope and a curved piece of reefwood shaped to fit against a skimwing's crest. He handed the materials to Nussudle without ceremony.
"You will need to understand this before midday," Arvek said. "The skimwing is not an ikran."
"I gathered that," Nussudle replied.
Arvek's mouth twitched. "Good. Then listen."
They moved to a quieter edge of the village where the water deepened quickly. Several skimwings rested there, half-submerged, their sleek bodies cutting clean lines through the shallows. Unlike ikran, they were built for speed across the surface, their wing-fins long and powerful, their heads narrow and sharp.
"They do not climb," Arvek continued. "They do not circle. They do not wait."
He gestured toward one of the skimwings as it surged forward suddenly, skimming across the water in a burst of speed before settling again.
"If you hesitate, you fall," Arvek said. "If you push too hard, you dive and drown. You pull up, you fall and drown. Remember, it's not an Ikran."
Nussudle watched closely, committing every movement to memory. "And the bond?"
Arvek glanced at him. "It will not be the same as what you share with your ikran. The skimwing bonds through motion. Through intent. You must move as one, or not."
That made sense.
Nussudle crouched near the water's edge, studying the creatures. They were beautiful in a sharp, practical way. No excess. No wasted movement. Everything about them spoke of speed and control.
Arvek handed him the reefwood piece. "This fits here," he said, indicating the crest. "You do not ride the skimwing. You guide it."
Nussudle nodded. "Understood."
As the sun climbed higher, more Metkayina gathered near the shallows. Not to interfere, but to watch. Word travelled quickly through the village. A forest Na'vi was attempting a skimwing bond on his first full day among them.
Koira observed from a distance, arms folded, unreadable.
Tonowari stood nearby with his entourage, trying and failing to look uninterested.
Nussudle felt the eyes on him but ignored them. This wasn't about pride. It was about being accepted into the Metkayina way.
He waded into the water slowly, the cool sea rising past his knees, then his waist. The skimwing nearest him shifted, sensing movement. Its head lifted slightly, eyes dark and alert.
Arvek's voice carried from the shore. "Do not rush."
Nussudle reached out carefully, letting the skimwing sense his presence before touching it. With their queues connected, the creature tensed, then settled as he placed the reefwood gently against its crest.
He exhaled.
The skimwing surged forward without warning.
Nussudle barely had time to react, lunging forward and gripping the rope as the creature exploded into motion. Water sprayed violently as they shot across the surface, speed ripping the breath from his lungs.
He nearly lost his footing immediately.
Instinct screamed at him to pull back, to fight for control, but Arvek's words cut through the panic.
Pull up or down, and you fall and drown.
Nussudle adjusted, loosening his grip, shifting his weight forward instead of back. The skimwing responded instantly, its motion smoothing like a missile on target as it accepted the guidance.
They skimmed across the water in a wide arc, spray rising on either side like walls.
The sound was overwhelming. Wind. Water. Speed.
Then something clicked.
Nussudle stopped thinking about controlling the skimwing and focused instead on moving with it. The tension eased. The skimwing's path straightened, speed increasing rather than faltering.
From the shore, murmurs rose.
Tonowari's expression shifted from smug certainty to annoyance as others in his clique started to rapidly talk about Nussudle, calming the skimwing.
The skimwing slowed after several long seconds, gliding back toward the shallows. Nussudle's legs shook as he dismounted, chest heaving, heart racing.
Arvek approached, eyes sharp. "You didn't fall."
Nussudle laughed breathlessly. "I almost did."
"But you didn't," Arvek repeated. "That matters."
The sun continued to climb, nearing its peak.
Arvek gestured back toward the skimwings. "You will try again," he said. "And again. Until the sea decides whether it accepts you."
Nussudle nodded, wiping water from his eyes.
Nova watched from the rocks, wings half-spread, his bond carrying something close to pride.
[1] No. They don't know that Nussudle is Eywas' child or whatever. I simply placed this in as I reckon that such an insult would be used by teenagers and young adults.