Avatar = Way Of Water = Aonung Romance

=Chapter 16=

Myself and Aonung would fly often. We explored, found new beautiful places and we talked. Talking always seemed easy. A conversation would naturally flow, and sometime it would flow for hours on end. One day we were sat on the highest point of three brothers' rocks, our feet dangling over the side.

I laughed as he finished telling me the story of his first real hunt. And how he took the tooth as commemoration.

"You can't tell anyone," he said with a chuckle of his own. 

"I won't, I promise," I calmed my laughter the image of Aonung trapped in a fishing net far too clear in my mind.

"You have something here," he said going to brush something off my arm. 

"Oh it's a scar," he muttered.

"Yeah, I'm full of them aren't I?" I asked jokingly. Yet he didn't laugh.

"What is it?" I asked softly reaching over to grab his forearm. Placing his hand over mine he continued to look over my body. His expression becoming more somber with every scar he saw.

"Are they from the sky people?" he asked solemnly. I hadn't really taken notice of all my scars, it did faze me much. Yet looking down at my arm I took notice of how many actually sat there.  

"Most of them yes," I nodded as his thumb gently brushed over one.

"But not all," I said with a fond smile Aonung looking up to meet my gaze confused as to why I sounded happy. 

"I got this when I bonded with Oogi," I said pointing to my forearm where a small scar sat.

"I got this when Loak and I were playing," I said pointing to my temple the small scar hidden by my braids. 

"And I got this when Neteyam and I raced through the trees," I said pulling my hair to the side and turning around to show the scar on the back of my neck.

"The skxawng tripped us both up and we fell," I chuckled smiling fondly at the memory. My body froze as Aonung's hand gently placed itself on the scar running his fingers down it.

"Did it hurt?" he asked.

"They did. But I am glad I have them. They tell stories of my life," I smiled turning back around to him his hand still placed on my neck.

"Your song cord should do that," he said a glare settling onto his features as his thumb gently brushed my jawline. He wasn't angry at me, I knew that. He was angry at the scars. Father sometimes wore that expression when he saw them. 

"True. By they are marked into my very skin. Just like your people's tattoos. They speak of my bravery, my mistakes, and my flaws. They remind me of who I am every day," I said simply. I had come to accept my scars long ago. It was a funny thing. I had hated them for a long time. That was until Tuk was old enough to understand what they were. 

Her little eyes filled with aww as she said one simple phrase that changed my whole view of them.

"They're beautiful," she had said. That little phrase changed my whole outlook on them. 

"You have been through so much," he whispered solemnly bringing me out of my memory. 

"And I have survived," I whispered placing my hand on his arm as it moved up to cup my cheek. At that moment, with my words, Aonung's mind raced with everything I had faced. The dangers, the pain. 

"To think of you hurt," He huffed struggling to find the words. 

"It crushes my soul," he whispered. Aonung watched me for my reaction. Watching to see if his truth-filled confession was too much. For he didn't really understand why he cared for the forest girl as much as he did. All he knew was the thought of her hurt crushed him. It made it hard to breathe. Relief filled him as I smiled gently reaching for his cheek and pressing our foreheads together.