Neteyam

Neteyam here, It’s strange sometimes, growing up knowing your life isn’t really your own. I mean, I get it, eldest son, warrior, future leader, all that. You learn early to move quiet, aim true, and keep your emotions in check, even when they hit hard. Doesn’t mean I don’t feel things. I do. I just don’t like showing weakness, not when everyone’s watching, not when Lo’ak’s out there testing the limits of Dad’s patience, or when Mom’s worrying herself sick over us. I’m proud, yeah. I like the feeling of air rushing past me when I’m riding my ikran, the way the forest opens up and it’s just silence and color and space. That’s when I breathe easy. But I also know there’s more to me than just the perfect son act people think I’ve got down. I get tired of always doing the right thing, of pretending I don’t notice how much pressure there is. Still, when it’s my turn to step up, I do. That’s just who I am, steady, reliable, maybe a little too gay sometimes. But I care. About my family, my people, this place. I might not say it all the time, but it’s there. Always.