Hunting - (Avatar, Jake/Neytiri, body language)
Jake inched along a wide branch covered in Pandora’s equivalent of moss, stalking after his mate. Neytiri froze in her hunting crouch, and he followed suit a beat slower, hoping that she would disregard the slight sound his thigh made against the branch.
Apparently she had; she started moving again, dropping to the ground for a small distance and then leaping back up into the branches. Jake still had the upper ground, though, and he trailed her more closely now.
Neytiri dropped into a small crook in the branch, straightening her bow and rising to her knees. Jake considered briefly, but he decided to stick with his original plan - if he played this right Neytiri would forgive him for disrupting her hunt.
Jake stood, balancing effortlessly in a slight crouch for a breath before jumping down to join Neytiri on her branch. He landed a few feet from her, and she jumped at his sudden appearance, turning and leaning back from him in startlement, her ears turning back and her tail whipping behind her.
Neytiri sighed, resting on her heels and looking up at him. Jake grinned at her, and she noted his tensed position and the way he held his arms out just enough to be ready to move. If she had not known him so well, his attack-ready pose might have made her nervous.
Neytiri looked, noting the warmth edging his lips, and the excitement indicated by the near-constant flicking at the end of his tail. Every muscle from his hips to his shoulders was on the edge of trembling with the intensity of his focus on her, making her warm in reaction.
Neytiri smiled, setting aside her bow and shifting, leaning back against the gentle upward curve of the branch. She flicked her braids and queue over her shoulder, allowing them to fall almost teasingly across her chest.
Jake’s left ear twitched, and he crouched, putting a hand to the branch before him, as his grin morphed into an anticipatory smile. Every line of his body relayed his intent focus on one thing - far more so than any hunt she’d seen him on - and the fact that it was her…
Neytiri reached out to him, and Jake prowled closer, still crouched low to the branch.
As he approached, she moved her feet apart just enough to allow him to continue forward, her toes curling as he shifted one hand to drag up the long lines of her leg.
Neytiri shivered happily, drawing her foot up his calf and tracing the strong curve of his biceps. The fingers of her right hand traced the edge of the blue beads adorning his arm.
Jake lowered his head, pressing a tender kiss to her belly and resting there, stretched out like a contented palulukan. Neytiri smiled, feeling the lessening of tension and stroking Jake’s ear and jaw - she was almost surprised to hear her own contented noises joining his. He tilted his head back, smiling at her - Neytiri stilled, catching the mischievous quirk of his lips and the playful twitching of his tail.
Before she had a chance to react he had lunged to his knees, straddling her hips, and pressed an adoring kiss to her collarbone. Neytiri arched, allowing him to reach it better, but he simply pulled away, dropping another kiss on the tensed line of her throat before rising above her, cradling her face.
Jake just watched her, the warmth in his eyes provoking a feeling of contentment in her chest. After a few long moments, Neytiri reached up, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders and pulling herself up to kiss him.
Jake deepened the kiss, a contented rumble welling up in his chest as he stroked softly along the prominent contour of her cheekbones. Neytiri felt her ears flicking in an outward manifestation of the trembles running through her.
Jake pulled away, nuzzling her face affectionately. Neytiri pulled away slightly, instinctively, with a slight giggle at the sensation of his breath tickling her. The corner of Jake’s mouth quirked into a smile as he realised what was causing her amusement.
Just as Neytiri was pulling Jake back down to her, they both froze, ears twitching, as they heard a crashing noise approaching them. They sprang to their feet, Neytiri stepping smoothly into the curve of Jake’s arm as they looked towards the approaching sounds.
They laughed as a flock of Ikranay flew past them, probably fleeing from a Toruk above the canopy.