Tacenda | Neteyam

016

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TSA'TVAYI

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"TSAHIK," TSA'TVAYI CALLED OUT as she approached the pod, her voice ringing out in the air. Her heart was racing in her chest as she rushed into the pod and scanned quickly for the older woman.

She'd been running since leaving the other home, her pace constant on the sand even as her lungs burned from the effort. Tsa'tvayi promised herself that she would sleep in her own pod that night, her body aching from the constant strain she had put it under.

Tsa'tvayi met Tsahik's eyes, her chest rising and falling quickly as she forced air into her lungs. The trip from the Toruk Makto's pod to the Tsahik's was not a short one but she had pushed her body roughly in order to shorten it. "Kiri," she heaved out. "We need help."

Tsahik pushed herself to her feet quickly and began picking up things around the pod and dropping them into a basket. "What has happened?" She urged as she packed away treatments.

Tsa'tvayi waged her hands around as she tried to think of what to say. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what had happened, the sight of Kiri contorting in the water still echoing in her head. It was awful, to see the girl twisting so violently with no apparent reason. It was awful to feel Kiri's limp body resting against Tsa'tvayi's back as Neteyam's shaking hands gripped on her waist to keep his sister on the ilu.

"She formed tsaheylu at the Spirit Tree." Tsa'tvayi stepped forward, her hands shaking, and began helping the older woman in an attempt to speed up the process. "We found her seizing while still connected."

The older woman tensed at her words. "Seized?" Tsahik paused in her movements as she turned to Tsa'tvayi, the question laid loudly in her eyes.

Tsa'tvayi shrugged in desperation and ran a hand down her face. "She was convulsing, shaking rapidly and oddly with her queue attached to the tree. It stopped when we disconnected her, but she had fallen unconscious and had not woken when I came here."

Tsahik nodded firmly and placed a couple more things into the basket before shoving it into her hands and guiding her put of the pod. "We must go, then. That is not something I have ever heard of before."

The pair sped out of the pod, Tsa'tvayi being mindful of Tsahik's pregnancy despite wanting nothing more than to push the older woman to move faster. It wouldn't do them any good if the Tsahik was injured on her way to help Kiri.

Still, the older woman's words seemed to echo in her head as they left. It was not often that a Tsahik declared something as 'unheard of'; that, more than anything else, frightened her.

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TSA'TVAYI STOOD NERVOUSLY BESIDES Neteyam, the boy fidgeting as he threw concerned looks into the pod. Tsahik had arrived and had all of the sky people and their weird machines removed, the Dreamwalker- Norm- quickly departing with his alien tools.

The rest had been removed from the, suddenly, small pod, only Jake and Neytiri allowed to remain as Tsahik worked on Kiri. Tuk was wrapped carefully in Neteyam's arms, the younger girl laying her head on her brother's shoulder as she rubbed tears from her eyes.

Lo'ak had returned happily, his smile dropping as he found himself surrounded by teary eyes and fidgeting bodies, Neytiri's voice ringing even outside of the pod as she prayed to Eywa for Kiri to be alright. He had quickly placed himself besides Tsireya, the younger girl reaching over and clasping his hand in hers.

Tsa'tvayi felt a pressure in her chest that threatened to burst every time she noticed one of the newer clan members turning away with tears in their eyes as they waited around for news of their sister. She didn't know what to do, and she hated the feeling. Her head ached and her skin felt as if she'd been dragged roughly through the reef, her back burning as the numbness fell away into stinging pain.

Tsa'tvayi bit back a whine as she readjusted her stance, every part of her body aching. It would have been selfish to demand attention for her aches when it was unsure if Kiri would wake.

After what felt like hours of waiting, their patience quickly dwindling until a heavy tension surrounded the small group, Tsahik slipped out of the pod and threw them and, Neteyam immediately rushing in, Tuk still in his arms, with the Lo'ak following closely behind him.

Tsa'tvayi hesitated outside and exchanged glances with her friends. It felt almost imposing to step into the pod at the time, cries coming loudly from the pod. Tsireya fidgeted for a moment before stepping forward and disappearing into the home, Tsa'tvayi staring after her desperately.

She didn't want to go in. It felt like she would be intruding in a moment that wasn't hers to witness. Tsa'tvayi was grateful for the way the family had treated her, but she knew that she wasn't family. Not really, merely a friend of convenience.

She was not Tsireya, who had found herself enamored with the youngest son and, as the daughter of Olo'eyktan and Tsahik, had a distant responsibility to the new comers. Tsa'tvayi was just Tsa'tvayi; a girl who wished to help, not invade.

So, she took a step back, and the another, before turning on her heel and pushing herself to her own pod. She could feel every muscle in her body cry out with every step she took. The farther she got from the pod, the heavier her body felt.

Tsa'tvayi's head fell like it was spinning, the sun hurting her eyes every time she blinked them open. Her pace was slow as she pushed herself through the sand, until she reached her pod. Stepping into the cool shade, it took moments before her knees gave out and she found herself sprawled over the floor, a small whine escaping her.

She had no energy to push herself up and move to her hammock, so she merely tilted her head, her vision blurry as she stared around the pod. Then, her eyes slipped shut and there was nothing.