Work Text:
Until a year before they moved to Awa'atlu, the token of Lo'ak's birth on Neteyam's song cord was just a trivial colorful rock he found in the forest that day. Lo'ak has always wanted his representation on his brother's song cord to be sth more special than that, and he later told Neteyam about his secret request. Neteyam was very glad, since he'd wanted that for a long time too, yet didn't dare to attract his family's attention by fixing what was already there. Deep inside, he wanted to remind himself about his baby brother with something extremely personal, way more than just a stone or feather. But what?
Eywa probably has listened to them.
A few days later, on a lone hunt, Neteyam came across a piece of amber. It was small, yet polished and clear enough to be chained into a song cord. Not to mention, Neteyam had heard of his parents and grandmother talking about how there were fossils trapped in amber before. It would technically be a rare and valuable container for the object inside. Neteyam wanted to have something encased in it too, though he wasn't entirely sure what. Oh yes. The amber.
[The next course of events might go against logic and physics whatsoever, due to the ignorance of the author in such a field]
Neteyam quickly got to work: he asked Lo'ak to leave the wound be as he started a small fire, to the boy's confusion. He hovered the piece of amber in front of the fire till it grew soft and sticky considerably.
Luckily, it all happened within mere minutes. Then, Neteyam asked Lo'ak to show him his wounded finger. The big brother muttered an apology, then pinched around the wound to force a fresh drop of blood to drip onto the amber.
-Ouch, what are you doing?!
Neteyam shushed his baby brother, carrying on with his work. He let go of Lo'ak's hand, then used both of his to reshape the amber. Neteyamhad to be extra careful to keep the blood droplet intact. Meanwhile, the big brother verbally instructed his baby bro to bandage himself properly. Lo'ak was a bit disappointed that his brother didn't take care of him like usual, but he was also curious about the prior event.
Finally, Neteyam laid the amber on a flat piece of rock to try. Only then did he turn around and take a look at Lo'ak's clumsy bandage. The young boy giggled shyly while being attended to, then asked his brother:
- Neteyam, what were you doing with my blood and that amber piece?
The big brother chuckled.
- Wait for a few days, then I'll show you. And that was all he was willing to reveal.
Lo'ak was never good at waiting, but he did anyway. Well, it was more delicate this time: it was his beloved big brother's business, yet had something to do with Lo'ak himself, that was for sure.
Not to mention, that was Lo'ak's blood he took! The young boy didn't know about the tales about amber yet, so he kept assuming it might relate to Kiri's "witchcraft".
However, the reality was beyond his imagination. The day Neteyam showed him the new adjustment on his song cord, Lo'ak had to try extra hard not to cry in front of him. Although it all started with a childish request, the result made him feel more treasured and loved than ever before. Instead of saying anything, Lo'ak just hugged Neteyam tightly. At that moment, they both knew Lo'ak would be the most special part to Neteyam, which he would always carry with him as a vital part of his song cord.