Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter XXXIX

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̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　A Shadow     ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

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The road to wherever the three Metkayina kids were bringing them wasn't short, but the travel to it was calm, the sun hiding more by the time, colouring the sky a warm orange.

Pandora was full of floating mountains, ones hovering closer to the water, others submerged in it. The kids followed the others, under the boulders and through the waters until they reached the cove.

The floating islands of the location differed but resembled the Hallelujah Mountains. They were smaller and more horizontal in nature due to the different geology found in the distant atolls, but reminding of their home whatsoever.

The girl watched Neteyam be as captivated by the nature in front of them as the rest of the family was.

"This is the Cove of the Ancestors" Tsireya looked behind her shoulder taking in the foreigners' reactions. "our most sacred place." she spoke proudly.

The flux concentration of the planet showed itself most apparent by their arching circular structure of the boulders that reached high in the sky and At'anau remembered her mother speaking about the ones they used to have that had been destroyed by the Sky People, before she and her brother had been born.

Dusk fell, the sun hiding itself closer to their moon by the minute and shining its beaming rays down on the reflecting water in to the orange sky.

"Eclipse is the best time of day to be here." Tsireya said as the kids held out a hand in front of their eyes.

At'anau had repeating headaches, the light and too much movement drowning her in fatigue but the sight in front or her was too great to close her eyes for.

The girl captured the sun's last colours and basked them in her eyes from the boy's view on her right.

Ao'nung watched her skin capture half of the galaxy's stars and decorate her face as her skin became the shade of the sky looming from above. The breeze hovering over the waters not the reason of the chills rolling off his back.

He watched an almost content smile grow on her face before her eyes shifted and they met. Just for a second before they averted to the nature beyond his shoulder and all around the space.

Darkness set resulting nature to awaken, it's bio-luminescent plants lighting the environment as they reached the centre of the cover.

The plankton in the water glowed by the movement of the ilu's fins in the water, leading them to trace the waters blue with their spores.

"This is it," Tsireya stated, making the other's look at whatever she was pointing at in the water.

Under the sea was a huge tree, submerged and glowing like a beacon. "This is the Spirit Tree."

The children looked down at the glowing tree beneath them that connected to the seabed by a dense network of roots and abandoned their ride to dive deep down and take a closer look. 

It had been the first time since the girl would be under the pressure of the water since her injury, but she figured she would manage until her body would tell her otherwise. 

Swimming down with the rest of the group they swam closer to the immense feathery leafs Tsireya lead them to. 

Kiri was on the girl's tail before she tuuned around in front of one of the leafs and held her queue in her hand. The girl motioned to the other one to attach her braid on one of them and Kiri didn't waste a second before complying.