Avatar = Way Of Water = Aonung Romance

= Chapter 43 =

Then we took off. To the skies and seas, we traveled with the thought of home pushing our bodies to the limit. As I soared, I looked down to the crashing waves where a pack of skimwings cut through the water. Atop their backs there sat the Mekayina, Ronal leading them with no hesitation. Once again, Aonung found his gaze turning to the sky in search of me.

"LOOK!" Tuk's excited yell had us all looking up into the distance, where the shore had just come into sight. Fulled by our excitement, the ikrans flew faster.

And there it was. The forest.

I could see my family's faces light up at the sight of it. We landed on the beach, which only sat a short walk from the forest. Dismounting, a beaming smile spread across my face. The smell of the wet dirt, the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. It made me feel at peace.

"I will gather some pa'li," my mother eagerly bound into the forest with Tuk hot on her heels. The rest of us remained, waiting for the rest to catch up.

By the time they did, I had already packed my items onto the back of a pa'li. Just like the day we first stood upon their shore, it was now their turn to be amazed. Tsireya was the first to vocalize her aww as she rushed up to Lo'ak side staring intently at the beast. Aonung was slightly slower and more cautious his spear gripped in his hand as he came to the other side of the beast. I smiled at him over the back of the direhorse.

"This is a dire horse, I told you about them didn't I?" I asked running my hand along its tuff skin as I rounded it to stand beside him.

"You did, I did not picture them like this though," he admitted honestly craning his neck slightly to examine its head. I noticed his hesitant and weary gaze. My smile widened as I nodded to my hand for him to do the same.

"They are not like ikran. They are much more docile," I said with a small chuckle as he instead placed his hand next to the other on his spear.

"How do you ride such a creature?" he asked. He knew the logistics of it, but he imagined that it wouldn't be comfortable.

"Just as you ride an ilu," Connecting my queue with the beast I took a little step and a hop before swinging my leg over its back, and in one smooth motion, I mounted it. Readjusting I shuffled forward beckoning him to follow. He adjusted his hold on his spear his mind debating the best course of action.

"Come on, let's move out!" Father called. Aonung gave a small little run as he not so gracefully flopped onto the direhorse back like a fish out of water, I held back a chuckle as he almost slipped off the side. At the impact, the direhorse moved a few steps. Hearing Lo'aks laugh I reached back gripping onto his tunic strap keeping him steady as he shakily moved to a sitting position. Once seated he shuffled closer till my back was pressed to his chest.

"Eywa protect me," he muttered under his breath as he glanced down at the ground.

"You have nothing to fear, I won't let you go," A warm smile spread across Aonung's face as he remembered back to the first time I took him flying.

"Promise?" he asked slipping a hand around my stomach. Looking over my shoulder he was slightly surprised by my tender but serious expression.

"I promise I won't let you go," I whispered. Anonoug frowned slightly as he saw something the others had failed to see. He saw fear. His grip tightened around my waist pressing a kiss to my temple.

"Let's go!" Father called. Turning back to the front I gently nudged the dire horse forward and off we went. As we started our journey my eyes were focused solely on my mother. Her head tilted back as she took in her home. She looked at peace for the first time in so long. The sun glints through the trees casts stipes over our bodies. The breath of the forest sounded in everything. Now and then I would point out plants or animals to the Metkayina, sometimes giving warning and sometimes encouraging them to taste something.