𝒪𝒸𝑒𝒶𝓃 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈-𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐱𝐎𝐂

𝟎𝟓

Nalani 

As I held the tsurak tightly while it thrashed around violently, I couldn't help but think of what happened with the ilus. why did keolas boyfriend choose neteyam? I mean sure it could've been pure luck but ilus are linked to us in ways no sky person nor omaticaya could ever imagine.

"Lani?" my father's voice broke my train of thought and I turned to make eye contact with him. 

" yes, Dad?" I grunted as the Tsurak became more violent. why did I get the job of holding the jaw shut?

" let go now." I smiled as those words left his mouth and my arms were finally allowed rest, Jake sully sat on the tsurak, finding his footing,

" the dive-in's the most important part. your position must be strong," my dad said.

" don't go floppy when you enter the water or you'll go flying when you come out." I piped up, that was the first mistake I made with Eleu.

"I got this," jake said before diving into the water, he didn't listen to my advice and went floppy under the water because his Tsurak sped away as he swam up to the surface. 

.ೃ࿐𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓅.ೃ࿐

Tsireya's laugh filled the mauri as we ate small pieces of fish, she decided to invite the sullys around for dinner to try and get closer to them. 

I smiled to myself as Aonung mocked her from beside me. Tsireya can be a bit much sometimes, especially to people who don't know her.

Lo'ak and kiri were laughing with her but Neteyam was nowhere to be found, he never came to dinner.

" uh, Tsireya? I'm going out with Eleu, tell mother and Father I won't be long," I said standing up.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Aonung said wiggling his eyebrows at me as I slid into the water.

" no, I'm good, thanks for coming tough though guys." I smiled before swimming away.

Neteyam

I swam to the surface for what seemed to be the one-thousandth time. I was getting nowhere with nebesa. he's not just feisty he's a total dick.

"Seriously?! you've  got to start working with me, man." I gasped as I lay on the cold sand trying to catch my breath.

" what are you doing?" I sat up quickly and looked around, a figure emerged from the water, droplets sliding down its body. Nalani.

" trying to ride my ilu what does it look like?" I rolled my eyes flopping back onto the sand.

" you're not getting far on your own, let me help you," she said holding her hand out. I took hold of it and tried to stand up but she fell forward, landing on top of me.

we lay there for a moment, staring at each other but she cleared her throat and got up and waded into the water.

" hey- wait up Nalani!" I struggled to my feet and chased after her.

we waded deeper into the water as the moon danced on the waves, illuminating the night sky.

" call him over," Nalani said as she stood waist-deep in water.

"I don't know how. he just comes back and I try again." I shrugged and she sighed.

" right I will call him for now but that is the first thing we really teach the kids but again, you ilus annoying ." she made that same clicking sound with her mouth but more profound, a few seconds later nebesa rose to the surface clicking back.

"Have you named him yet?" I nodded.

"nebesa." 

she smiled and patted nebesa, moving her hand slowly over his neck as he calmed down.

"I want you to form tsaheylu before getting on ." she inked her gaze with mine, her eyes sparkling under the moonlit sky.

I waded over to Nebesa and formed tsaheylu. he began to squawk and thrash but Nalani continued to stroke him, whispering under her breath until he became calm again.

" get on." 

My body felt like a ton of bricks as I hoisted myself onto his back, unlike the other countless times Nebesa didn't react.

" right show me how you've been sitting on him." I adjusted myself into the position I'd been trying to sit in and Nalani sighed, again.

" you're sitting like an idiot no wonder you're falling off, may I?" she said, touching my calf with her hands.

" yeah sure." I stuttered slightly. why was I nervous?

Her hands were warm on my cold skin as she moved my legs into the right position, then my back and my shoulders, and then my head.

" that is the position you should go into the water with and the same as you come out," Nalani instructed nodding for me to go.

I leaned forwards, shooting off once more diving into the water. I stuck close to Nebesa as he resurfaced keeping the same position as before and thank eywa I stuck it.

Nalani

Neteyam circled back around to me with the cheesiest grin on his face.

" I've never done that before! Is that how you do it on a Tsurak?" he beamed as he came closer to me.

" no, they're kinda different. ill show you how to sit on a tsurak once you can be trusted with your ilu." I smiled gently patting his ilu.

Neteyam practiced the dive a few more times, landing almost all of them but it was fun, teaching everything I learned alone always makes me feel a sense of pride.

" oh, Lani I could kiss you right now I'm so happy!" Neteyam hadn't wiped that grin off his face since the first dive and to be honest, it was cute, a boy older than me learning to ride an ilu for the first time was probably cuter than the kids learning.

" I'm very happy for you. I think I'm going to go home now, I'm very tired and my mother will get worried." I smiled gently.

" let me take you back!" Neteyam grinned getting off his ilu.

we waded to the nearest bridge before he hopped on, his arms tensing, flexing his muscles. he turned around to look at me as I struggled to lift myself, being short comes with almost no advantages. Neteyam grabbed my arm in the same way Aonung does, hoisting me onto the bridge, I thanked him before we continued to walk until we reached my mauri.

" thank you for teaching me how to ride," Neteyam whispered, towering over me.

" you're welcome yam yam." I giggled remembering one of his nicknames.

" don't call me that." he sighed rolling his eyes.

" yam yam?" I snorted

"Stop saying that." he took a step closer 

"Make me." I retorted. Where the hell did that come from?

there was a moment of silence where Neteyam just looked at my lips and I looked at him. for what was probably seconds, but felt like hours until I broke the stare.

" goodnight neteyam," I said walking into my mauri, not waiting for a reply.

I crept past my parents' room and entered mine, laying down.

He's so unbelievably hot.