Always There - Neteyam x Aonung

XVI

Aonung lingered on the beach with Neteyam and Raäea for a little bit after they landed. When he had got off, his legs were wobbly, causing Neteyam to laugh. He held onto him for support. Neteyam was the first to take his leave. He chalked it up to not wanting his parents to wake up and see him not there. Aonung understood, going his own way soon after. When he reached his family's mauri, he stood, leaned against the entrance. The female Ikran sat on the beach in the pale moonlight, preening herself. Something spooked her, causing her to screech in alarm. She beat at the air with her wings, lifting into the air quickly. It wasn't long before she was out of sight. Aonung stared out at the water for a moment longer, wondering what could cause her to flee like that. He turned, shuffling into the pod. He held his hands out to make sure he wouldn't bump into anything, feeling against the wall to his hammock. His hands found it, and he slowly sat down, lifting his legs carefully onto the woven fabric. He let his body fall backwards, his head cushioned by a pillow of dried leaves. He placed his hands behind his head, lacing his hands in his curled hair. He soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

He was awoken by screams. Aonung shot up, running outside of the mauri. On the beach, laid a body. Surrounded by it were many people of the clan. Blood soaked the sand, causing it to become a bright red. He propelled forward, his tail swinging behind him rapidly. He reached the group quickly, pushing through.

Laying there was Eemai. Her legs were missing, along with one of her hands. Her eyes were dull, blankly staring up at the sky.

"What did this?" Aonung approached his father, who inspected the body. His father took a shaky breath, glancing back at him.

"Looks to be an Akula. It had to of slipped past the sea wall during the night. Her body was fresh when they found it."

Aonung's face fell, Could that of been what spooked Raäea last night?  He gulped, a wave of guilt washing across his face. Tsireya fell through the croud, clinging to her brother. Aonung wrapped an arm around her as she sobbed, a determined look on his face.

—————

Planning of the funeral started immediately, allowing Aonung to slip away from the group unnoticed. He strode into the fishing pod, grabbing a spear from the wall. The tip was razor sharp, and about a foot long. Aonung ran his finger along the edge, bringing his finger in front of his eyes. Blood appeared on his finger, beading up. He grinned, leaning it against the wall. He pulled a speargun from the rack, along with a sheath of smaller spears. He slung this over his shoulder, grabbing the larger spear on his way out. He was determined to kill that Akula, so no one else would suffer. He called for his Tsurak on the beach, as he waded into the water. It appeared quickly, snapping its jaw. He quickly mounted, tying the large spear to the saddle.

"Let's go get this thing," he steered the Tsurak out towards the sea wall, slipping past the lookouts that were now stationed on the rocks. The pair ventured around the ocean for awhile, no sign of the murderous Akula. As they passed over a relatively deep area, Aonung looked down into the dark water. His breath hitched as something large emerged. It was an Akula. It opened its maw, snapping at the Tsurak. She sped up, barely getting away. Aonung spun her around, removing the speargun from his back. He loaded it, waiting for the Akula to turn around. Once it did, it charged at them, mouth open. He took this as his chance, sending the spear flying. It lodged deep in the Akula's open maw, causing it to veer off. He hastily reloaded, spurring the Tsurak to follow the Akula. She caught up quickly, diving under it. He raised the speargun, sending another spear into the Akula's underbelly. It snapped to the right, causing a large current to push at Aonung. He flew off of the Tsurak. The Akula took this as its chance. It swam quickly in his direction, jaws open. It's razor sharp teeth protruded horrifyingly. Aonung propelled himself downward with his tail. His Tsurak appeared in front of him. He quickly pulled the spear from the saddle, looking around for the Akula. It had turned around once more, heading for him. He held the spear outward, aiming it for the Akula's head. It met the spear before Aonung. The spear sunk deep into its flesh, but not deep enough. It latched onto Aonung's calf, the teeth digging deep. He felt the bone of his leg crunch. Aonung let out a stream of bubbles, pain searing through his body. He shoved the spear deeper, with the rest of his strengh. The Akula's grip loosened, and then fully let go. It stayed suspended in the water, blood spewing from its head. Aonung beat at the water with his uninjured leg and tail, surfacing. He gasped for air, crying out in pain. He could feel his lower leg moving freely with the current, every time it did so pain shot through his body. He gritted his teeth, defending back into the water. He pulled his knife from its sheath, cutting multiple teeth from the Akula's maw. They were placed in the Tsurak's saddle bag. Aonung strapped the gear back to the saddle, mounting. He gingerly placed his injured leg in the stirrup, instructing the Tsurak to head back home.

—————

The journey back was grueling, and felt longer than the journey out. By the time he got back, he had lost a significant amount of blood. As his Tsurak surfaced, he could see a group of Metkayina gathered on the beach.

"Aonung!" he could hear a distant voice yell. His eyelids were heavy, but he pushed on, pulling the Akula teeth from his saddle bag. He limped out of the water, onto the beach. A trail of blood fell behind him, coating the sand.

"I killed it," he tried holding the teeth out for the group to see, but his hand fell limp. The teeth clattered to the ground. His vision grew blurry, and his head spun. He fell to the ground, face buried into the sand. He was flipped over quickly, the person above him crying hysterically. He went in and out of consciousness as he was being carried. Finally, it all went black.