Always There - Neteyam x Aonung

XII

Aonung shot up, shivering. Dull light shone in through the opening at the top of the cavern, it was still morning. He scrambled to his feet.

"Shit," he hissed, jogging to look into the lagoon. His Tsurak swam around rapidly, catching fish in its jaws. It gobbled them down quickly, moving on to other ones. This gave him an idea. He yipped, and the Skimwing stopped in its tracks. Its head snapped in his direction, shooting from the depths. Once it surfaced, he hopped down onto her, connecting their queues. He allowed it to dive down. The pair swam around the lagoon, the Tsurak collecting a plethora of different fish in her jaws. She didn't eat them, just held them there. Once they collected a sizeable about, they surfaced. The Tsurak, who had yet to be named, placed her head on the rock, opening her maw. The dying fish fell out, flopping about. Aonung quickly dispatched them. He unwinded a fish threader from the saddle of his tsurak, feeding it through the gills of about 10 fish. He did this three more times, securing them back onto the Tsurak. He was happy with his work, sliding back into his position on the Skimwing. They dove under, exiting the safe haven of Aonung. They swam slowly this time through the winding cave system. Once out, they sprung from the ocean, gliding onward back towards the village.

As they approached the village, a figure stood on the beach. At first, he thought it was Tsireya, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was Eemai. Aonung instantly changed course, diving back into the water. They made it to shore a ways away from the village, he would return on foot. When he dismounted, the water reached his hips. He undid the bushels of fish, tossing them over his shoulder. He simply went on a fishing trip by himself on the far side of the island, early in the morning. He patted the Tsurak as he waded towards land. She whipped around, darting into the murky water of the beach. He began to whistle as he trudged on. Instead of continuing on the path of the beach, he veered up into the underbrush. He pushed through it, receiving a few scratches from unknown thorns and sharp leaves. He didn't care though, he desperately wanted to ignore Eemai. She wanted him, but he didn't want her. He knew it was harsh, and probably not the right thing to do, but she just wouldn't understand. He emerged at the back side of the village, weaving through family pods. He came upon the storage mauri, walking inside. The storage keeper greeted him, smiling.

"What do we have here?" She was older, definitely over 100. Her gray braids fell around her face in a manor that made her unique beauty shine. She walked with a staff towards him, inspecting the fish he carried. "How long did this take you, Aonung?" She prodded at the fish with her staff. He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not long, I got up early this morning," wasn't a lie, but wasn't completely the truth. He smiled brightly, she nodded.

"Just lay them over there," she motioned lazily, going back to her work of weaving new baskets. Aonung nodded, scurrying out quickly. Once away from the storage pod, he walked quietly, enjoying the warm sun.   As he walked, he stared down, watching the small inhabitants of the village swim under the membrane, twirling and jetting each way. He decided he was going to weave some netting, they could always use it. Nets were always getting washed away in the current, or tore up by different types of fish. He took a right, changing into a brisk walk. He entered the fishing pod, glancing at all of the spears, crossbows, and hooks mounted on the walls. On the far right corner was where they kept the nets. They were neatly folded in a woven basket. Hanging on the wall was the premade rope. Aonung hauled the large spool off of the wall, lunging it out. He carried it to the beach. Eemai was gone, which made him happy. He took it down by the water, sitting down. Aonung began to unspoon it, beginning to weave it into simple knots.

The sound of sand crunching behind him brought him out of his trance. He looked down, almost halfway through the net by now.

"Hey, can I sit?" Aonung turned his head, coming face to face with Neteyam. Instead of the bandage covering his whole torso, he now had just one wrapped over his shoulder, and around his upper chest thinly. The Metkayina's eyes went wide, but he nodded. Neteyam sat down on the sand next to him slowly, staring out at the ocean.

"Did Tsireya tell you Lo'ak and her are supposed to be mated before Eywa?" Neteyam smiled, turning to stare into Aonung's eyes.

Aonung gulped, nodding, "Yeah, they wanted to wait until you woke up." He scratched his head. Aonung's hands trembled slightly as he continued to knit. Why am I so nervous?

"I thought that was sweet, they didn't have to wait for me though, I would have been there in spirit."

"It's a big event, and you're family," Aonung turned to him, staring deeply into his eyes. Those yellow pools called to him, begging him to come closer.

"You're right I guess, it makes me happy that he waited for me." They fell into a comfortable silence while Aonung finished up the net. Once he did, however, Neteyam placed a hand on his tattooed shoulder. "We need to talk about something, tonight." Shit.