Always There - Neteyam x Aonung

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Aonung stirred from his sleep, a light hand tapping at his shoulder. He squinted, the bright light from outside pouring in directly next to him.

Ronal stood above him, "It's time," she smiled, caressing her only son's face. He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of his hammock. By the fire sat the tray of paints, as well as the garments he would be wearing. Tsireya came out of no where, pulling him along. He stumbled, making his way to the fire. His sister pushed him down into a sitting position. Ronal came around, crouching in front of him. Tsireya began working on his braids, which he protested to.

Ronal smacked his hand away from his braids, "You look like you just rolled out of bed," which he did. He watched his mother dip her fingers into the black paste. She lifted her hand, tracing different swirls and lines across his chest. She dipped her hand back in the paint, moving to tracing the same shapes on his shoulders, down his arms. Tsireya braided his hair with great speed, perfectly parting it so the rows were straight.

"Your father is preparing the other boys accompanying you," Ronal spoke, concentrating. She dipped back into the black paste for a final time. She held Aonung's jaw with her free hand, slowly applying the goo around his face. She finished with two lines across his lips.
Ronal stood to look over her work, she smiled down at the two. Tsireya continued to work on the last of the braids, her brows furrowed.

"My two children, how it saddens me to see you grow," she smiled, resting a hand on her stomach.

"And... done!" Tsireya clapped her hands, grinning wildly. Ronal took Tsireya, hand, helping her to her feet.

"Get changed, Aonung, then meet us outside," Tsireya smiled, patting his back. They exited the mauri, leaving him alone. He squatted down, picking up the new loincloth. It was beaded, with long strips of leather hanging down. He quickly changed, heading outside to meet up with them.

"Your father is on the dock," she lifted her hand, pointing in the direction. He stood with two other boys Aonung's age. Rotxo wasn't one of them, he was a year younger than Aonung, so he would have to wait until next year.

"Good luck, Aonung," Tsireya reached up, fixing a loose strand of his hair into his bun. He nodded, turning to his mother. She nodded her head at him, before disappearing into the mauri. Aonung took a deep breath, heading down towards the dock. He wished it would just be over, not beginning. As he approached the end of the dock where his father stood,  he realized it wasn't two boys, it was a boy and a girl. The girl happened to be Eemai. He tried to not look at her, he could feel her stare boring holes into his head.

"Now that my son has shown up, I will tell you all the two rules. Don't die, and you only have two tries. If you don't perform tsaheylu with the Tsurak either the first or second time, you fail. You will have to wait until next year to try again. Hopefully that doesn't have to happen, though," he smiled, staring straight at Aonung. He gulped, all he ever wanted was praise from his dad, and this day was definitely the day to earn it. "Let's go then," Tonowari finalized, clapping once. His Skimwing appeared behind him in an instant. Aonung yipped, watching as Eytu soared from under the water, emerging next to the dock. Aonung hopped down, connecting their tendrils. His father and  him waited for the others' Ilu's to show up. Tonowari maneuvered his Tsurak over to Aonung, smiling. "You're gonna do good, son, I know it."

"The Tsurak won't know what hit it," Aonung smirked, trying to hide his nervousness. Tonowari slapped him on the back. The others' Ilus finally showed up, and they were off. They dove under the water, following after Tonowari. It was a calming ride, but Aonung could help but feel Eemai staring at him every step of the way. They surfaced, ahead of them was a large cavern. This was where Skimwings went to mate, and have their offspring. Tonowari told the group to leave their mounts outside of the cave, as it was too dangerous to bring them in. Aonung treaded water, following his father inside. Once they entered, he could see a platform in the center. It was na'vi made, very similar to a mauri, however it was just the platform. Tonowari lead them up the rock wall to a naturally occurring pathway. This lead straight to the platform. As they walked, Aonung glanced down into the water. There had to be a hundred Tsurak down there. Every once in a while he would catch a glimpse of their long snouts, and their razor sharp teeth. Beneath Aonung's feet, stone turned to woven membrane. It bulged beneath their weight, but held. Aonung felt a presence next to him. The person got closer. Thinking it was his father, he turned to look at them.