Courting

Chapter 18

(I'm sure yall can tell canon has gone out the window so far and this chapter is no different)

Ao'nung felt a drip of blood trace his collarbone as the knife pressed his neck. Neteyam had skidded in the sand a few feet away, hissing violently. The scream was still ringing in Ao'nung's ears, the sound of anguish and agony. Neteyam had seen the knife at Ao'nung's throat, and had screamed as if his own heart was being ripped out. This didn't make much sense to Ao'nung based on the terms the two were on, but the continual trickle of blood chased these thoughts away. Jake and Lo'ak had now caught up to Neteyam, and Lo'ak grabbed his arm. Father and son exchanged a look behind Neteyam, eyes wide. Ao'nung didn't move, but Neteyam did. 

Flying out of Lo'ak's grip, Neteyam threw himself at the soldier behind Ao'nung. The soldier seemed to anticipate this, immediately throwing Ao'nung behind him and raising his knee to meet Neteyam's chest. Neteyam shouldn't have fallen for that, he had too much experience. Why had he been so rash? Ao'nung didn't have time to think about it as Neteyam collapsed to the ground, heaving breath. Whipping around just as the soldier stood on Neteyam's stomach and kicked his jaw, making him roll over in the sand, Ao'nung felt himself moving impossibly fast. Before Lo'ak could so much as hiss at the human, Ao'nung had thrown himself at his legs. Grabbing the camouflage material and pulling hard, Ao'nung dragged the soldier to the ground. Immediately rolling himself over, Ao'nung dug his knees into the soldier's back and pushed his arms behind his back. He didn't realise he had been yelling himself until he stopped, lungs empty. He lifted an elbow and jabbed the human in the back of the head, hard. The struggling ceased below him and Ao'nung carefully rose, making sure the solider was truly unconscious. 

Suddenly remembering Neteyam, Ao'nung forgot completely about the human lying below him. He fell back to the ground beside the Omatikaya, whose long limbs were sprawled haphazardly. The odd angles were worrying, as he displayed no discomfort. He also displayed no sign of breath. Ao'nung felt his own breathing speeding up as he felt for a pulse. Nothing. He turned to Jake, eyes filling with burning tears. 
"We must get to my mother, now." He scooped Neteyam up, holding under his knees and shoulders. Lo'ak seemed about to protest against Ao'nung holding his brother, but the look on Ao'nung's face shut him up. Running down to the shore, Ao'nung whistled for his ilu and heard Lo'ak do the same, as Jake called his Tsurak. 

"You sure you can carry him the whole way back?" Jake asked as Ao'nung mounted his ilu and set Neteyam in front of him, holding around his chest. Not responding, Ao'nung took off back to their village. Not waiting for the other two, nor caring if they kept up, Ao'nung streaked through the water. He didn't dare go under, not wanting to cause more damage to Neteyam's already broken body. Refusing to try and feel for the heartbeat he knew wasn't there, Ao'nung kept his focus on the approaching island, and began screaming when he was close enough to be heard. 

"FIND THE TSAHIK NOW, BRING HER TO THE BEACH!" everyone stopped moving on the beach and looked in his direction. Ao'nung yelled in frustration "FIND THE TSAHIK, NETEYAM IS DYING!" Maybe it was the word 'dying', maybe it was the anguish ripping through Ao'nung's vocal chords, but the Metkayina on the beach began moving again. Leaping off his ilu, Ao'nung carefully lifted Neteyam and yelled again. "MOTHER! RONAL! TSAHIK!" Using all three titles, anything for her to appear. She did, leaping off the walkways from the marui's. He lay Neteyam down in the sand as she approached, eyes still burning. 

"What happened?" She asked, crouching with a small basket of various herbs, bandages, and various other medical equipment. She didn't ask where they had been, what they had been doing, just what was wrong at hand.

"One of the Sky People, delivered a blow right to his lungs so hard he fell over. Then he stepped on his stomach and kicked his jaw." Ao'nung's voice cracked as he relived the scene again, the helpless body of Neteyam being beaten down. It was Ao'nung's fault, he hadn't stopped Neteyam, it was his fault they were there in the first place. 

"We need to get him inside." She placed the small cloth she had used to clean the blood caked around Neteyam's mouth back in her basket and stood. Picking him up again, Ao'nung stared at the quiet face below him. Golden eyes hidden, the expression on Neteyam's face was calm, as if he were in the midst of a peaceful dream... no, he would not allow the thought of Neteyam staying like this, he had to come back. Running behind his mother, Ao'nung heard the footsteps of Lo'ak and Jake behind him as they entered the marui. Specifically for medical purposes, this marui had many hanging baskets of growing herbs and racks of bottles. Mats stretched around the edges of the room, suspended between the posts holding the walls up. Ronal stopped at the one nearest the door, and Ao'nung gently placed Neteyam in it. As Lo'ak and Jake burst in the room too, Ronal looked at them all. 

"Out!" She yelled, quickly dipping her cloth in water and placing it on Neteyam's face to clean his bruised jaw. She poked around the base of his neck and below his ear where bruising was already darkening the deep blue skin. Not moving, Ao'nung crossed his arms. Jake hesitated, hand on his son's shoulder. 

"But Neteyam-" Jake tried, not wanting to leave his son alone

"Now." Ronal didn't yell again, but her tone clearly told them she wouldn't repeat herself. While Lo'ak and Jake slowly left the room, Ao'nung stayed. 

"Son, leave. I need to focus." 

"No." Ao'nung said, still not moving. 

"Leave now or I will ban you from hunts for a year." She grasped at something to convince him as she rubbed Neteyam's chest, feeling his ribs and moving to his throat. 

The threat was empty, but Ao'nung decided him leaving would improve Neteyam's chances, having the Tsahik's full attention. But he only moved outside the doorway, standing right beside it. Lo'ak and Jake were also anxiously waiting outside, but Jake left when he saw Tonowari approaching. Ao'nung could not hear them converse, but the expression prevalent on his father's face was darkening the longer he listened. Ao'nung met his father's eyes as Tonowari approached him, staff thumping into the wooden walkway. Refusing to look away from the anger in the chief's gaze, Ao'nung stared back. 

"You followed us?" The lack of yelling did nothing to pacify Ao'nung, the tone of his father's words enough to make his shoulders heavy. As Ao'nung opened his mouth to confess, apologise, explain, anything to hide from his father's rage, when Lo'ak interrupted.

"He was trying to help my brother and I, sir." Ao'nung flicked his eyes to Lo'ak, who didn't look at him. "We wanted to give ourselves a name, do something important. We are both warriors back home. Ao'nung tried to stop us, and when we didn't listen, he followed us to try and keep us safe." Though he said us, Ao'nung could hear the change in his voice, and new he meant keep Neteyam safe. Tonowari seemed surprised at the confession, and his angry expression changed slightly to a more confused look. 

"You tried to fight too?" the Olo'eytkan seemed puzzled, as if he couldn't believe such foolishness. 

"Yes, sir." Lo'ak bowed his head slightly, a show of submission awaiting reprimanding. 

"You may be respected in the forest, but here you are children. It was immensely foolish for you and your brother to venture into danger, especially with the Sky People. I can't say I'm glad my son accompanied you, but I am glad he is not the one hurt." 

Ao'nung was staring in disbelief at Lo'ak until those last few words. He turned back to his father.

"I wish it was me, by Eywa I wish I was dead on the ocean floor if it would keep Neteyam alive. He deserves to be here, I don't. I have already failed as your son, the future chief, and I couldn't even protect the life of the one I failed for."

(I really don't know if this chapter is good, please give me feedback)