Invisible String - Jake Sully

1 (Edited)

The ocean was her best friend.

Since she was a baby, she was always surrounded by the ocean, so she aspired to be like her. Soft, gentle, and welcoming but also unforgiving, ruthless, and unpredictable when needed.

Tawn'kiri was the sister of Ronal, the Tsahik of the village, Awa'atlu, a Metkayina village off the coast of the Eastern Sea.

Just like her affinity for the ocean, Tawn'kiri's personality was gentle and soft, and she was a respectable teacher for the kids and the ladies who decided to take on crafting. 

It was safe to say that Tawn'kiri was loved and adored by many. It was also safe to say that many warriors from her village, and not often others, competed for her hand—the village sweetheart.

She was supposed to be mated to one of her suitors, an Olo'eyktan from the Anurai clan deep within the forest, thanks to Tonowari's connection with the clan when she reached the age of eighteen years old. However, she wasn't keen on being stuck in loveless matrimony for the rest of her life, so she remained alone. She wasn't complaining, she loved being alone, and with the company she had in her life, she was never truly alone.

Her nephew and niece were everything to her. She loved them with all her heart, and she would do anything for them.

Tawn had a soft spot for Tsireya,  she saw too much of herself inside the girl. Their closeness turned their bond into sisterhood, and Tawn swore to protect her niece as if she were her own. 

As for Aonung, that boy would always be the end of her. His arrogance and stubbornness reminded her so much of her sister. She saw too much of Ronal inside of that boy, which wasn't a bad thing, but it got him in a lot of trouble, and Tawn tended to rescue him for it. 

Tawn'kiri enjoyed her life. She was at peace, and she enjoyed what she did as a teacher of the metkayina. It made her feel useful, and frankly, it was an excellent way to pass the time.

"Tawnie?" the soft voice of Tsireya pulled her out of her concentration. She had been weaving a fishing basket for Aonung's next hunt.

Tawn'kiri turned her head towards her niece and hummed.

"Would you like to collect shells with Lei'la and me?" she asked, peaking at her craft.

Tawn'kiri contemplated for a while. She could use some breather since she spent all morning making the fishing basket. She nodded, accepting the invitation, "yeah, why not."

She stood up, tucking the basket securely so she didn't need to redo it again if Aonung decided to mess with her, and began her way out of her marui.

She stepped onto the bouncy bridge that connected the pods to one another and headed towards the shore with Tsireya.

The both of them took this opportunity to gossip about everything, who was courting who, who passed their ikinimaya and who didn't. Tsireya may not look like it, but she heard everything, and Tawn, being cooped up with her teaching or crafts, just listened and laughed.

They both called for their ilus before jumping into the water to meet Lei'la.

Tawn bonded with the ilu before taking off, heading towards their friend who was waiting patiently near the border.

"I see you, Tawn'kiri," Lei greeted.

"I see you, Lei'la," she returned, smiling gently, Tsireya copying her movement.

The three of them slid off their ilus before diving into the water. They swam deeper into the ocean, knowing they'd find the prettiest shell on the bed of the ocean.