Always There - Neteyam x Aonung

XI

As the festivities riled down, food was brought out. The Metkayina's arm continued to throb, but he ignored it. A leaf of the finest types of fish from the reef was sat in front of Aonung. He thanked the person, inspecting the fish. These types were only served a few times a year, as their numbers were scarce. They were considered a delicacy among the reef clans. Aonung sat aside the garment resting on his lap, picking the leaf up. Upon closer inspection, there were also litters of berries across the platter he had never seen before. This must have been an addition from the Sullys. He picked one up, inspecting it. The berry was a bright red, oozing with juice. It emitted a fruity smell, that wafted throughout the whole mauri. He popped it in his mouth, flavor exploding instantly. He picked the rest up, dropping them into his mouth.

"These are delicious," he elbowed Tsireya.

She peered over, nodding, "It was Neytiri who had the idea, me and Lo'ak went out and picked them." She smiled, earning a grin back from Aonung.

"Thank Lo'ak for me," Aonung moved on to eating the fish. It was hot, straight off of the fire. He blew on it before breaking a piece off. He dropped it into his mouth, blowing air out to help cool it.

Once finished eating, Ronal helped Aonung with the straps of his chest garment. She tighted it, tucking the strap into a small loop at the back.

"Now, let's get that arm fixed up," Aonung stood, helping his pregnant mother from her spot on the ground. Tsireya followed with them as they exited the meeting house. She skipped behind them, humming.

"I am proud of you, son," Ronal spoke softly as they walked, stroking her stomach.

"I am too," quipped Tsireya. She swirled a ringlet of her hair, beaming. Ronal was the first to enter the medical mauri. She stopped dead in her tracks, causing the pair of siblings to bump into each other.

"Tsireya, go get the Sullys," she spoke quickly, and edge to her voice. Aonung peered over his mother's shoulder. There, sitting up in the middle of the pod was Neteyam. His bright yellow eyes stared straight at Aonung.

The Sully family huddled around the boy. Tuk was latched onto him, her arms tightly around his waist. Jake sat behind him with Neytiri, who cried and stroked her son's face. Lo'ak and Tsireya were next to him too, crouched down. Aonung sat at the other end of the mauri with his mother. Ronal stitched the flaps of skin back up onto his arm. He didn't even feel it, he was too entranced watching the science unfold in front of him. Something burned deep in his chest, but he didn't know what.

"I'm so glad you are okay, Nete!" Tuk cried. Neteyam wrapped his arm around her, placing his face in her hair. He pulled back, smiling.

"Are you hungry?" Neytiri scooted towards him. She had a leaf of fish and berries. Neteyam's eyes lit up at the sight of the berries. He grinned from ear to ear, grabbing one hastily. He bit into it, juice running down his chin. Jake wiped it away, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. He brought Neteyam's head close to his chest, placing a hand over his eyes. Aonung continued to stare, and somehow, Neteyam's eyes found his again. He turned towards his mother, watching her work on his arm. The pain surged into his head finally, causing him to flinch. He bit his lip as she dug extra deep into his muscle.

"I'm sorry, there is barely anything here to stitch it to," she brought her hand up to cup his face. Aonung looked down at his lap. He felt a tug on his arm, and glanced up. Ronal was tying a knot at the end of the stitches, she was finished. He was glad, to say the least. He wanted to get out of the mauri, his time with Neteyam had officially ended because he woke up. Emotions stirred in his stomach as his mother applied a cream to the stitches, fanning it dry.

"You may go now, Aonung, I will stay to look Neteyam over," Ronal rubbed his back, making sure to not touch the fresh tattoo. He nodded, pushing to his feet. He stormed out, feeling angry. He didn't understand why he was mad, he guessed it was because he couldn't spend time with the comatosed boy anymore. He made his way onto the beach, calling for his Tsurak. It zoomed through the water, slowing down once it reached shore. It's maw snapped open and shut anxiously. Aonung jogged towards it, connecting their queues. It turned on a dime, launching into the air. He directed it around the island, then out to sea. It was sunset, slowly turning over to night. He hoped he would make it to his oasis before it became too dark, and the evil of the ocean emerged from the depths. Thankfully, the journey on a Tsurak was half that of an Ilu. He made it to the tall rock formation quickly, just as the sun dipped under the horizon. He directed his Tsurak downward into the water. It's powerful fins propelled them quickly into the winding cave. He held on tightly, sharing his memory of the path through the tsaheylu. It soon emerged into the hidden lagoon, and Aonung dismounted, breathing heavily. He wasn't quite used to going that fast, as even though Eytu was strong, he wasn't particularly speedy. Riding Eytu was more of a leisure ride, nothing compared to this new Tsurak. Aonung thanked the Skimwing, clabbering up the stone face onto the plateau. There, he fell backwards, staring up at the ceiling. All the emotions he felt when he saw Neteyam sitting there, awake, came rushing back. He wanted to cry, he wanted to yell in happiness and celebrate with the clan, he wanted to be angry he wouldn't be able to spend that time with him anymore, but most importantly, he felt relief that he was okay. He rested his unharmed arm across his forehead. He sat there for a while, before closing his eyes. He continued to thinks about the thoughts swirling in his head, until he wasn't. He had fallen asleep at some point.

Aonung sat on the beach, arm wrapped around Neteyam. He gingerly kissed him, allowing their foreheads to press together once they pulled away. Splashing from the water caught Aonung's attention.

"Dad! Come look and see what I found!" Aonung was about to get up, but Neteyam pecked his lips, getting up. His lithe figure shimmered when the light hit it. He trotted out into the water, bending over to look and see what the boy had. Aonung watched quietly, leaning back onto his palms. He gripped the sand, smiling.

Lo'ak appeared next to him, "Those two seem to be having fun," he mused. Aonung glanced up. The two were now splashing each other with water.

He smiled, "Seems like it. How is Tsireya doing?"

"Still complaining about pregnancy," he laughed, moving a braid from his eyes.

"I'm glad I am not a woman," Aonung placed a hand on Lo'ak's shoulder, cackling.

"Come get your son, Aonung!" Neteyam yelled. Aonung turned his head, laughing. The boy had Neteyam pinned down, wildly laughing. Aonung stood, heading out into the water.

———————

He is finally awake!