What I Didn't See - Ao'nung X Fem Reader

Chapter 13 -Tthe Day Out

Everyone was on edge that night once Lo’ak was brought back home after his disaperance. I didn’t know much about it as everyone refused to talk about it but apparently, Lo’ak had told everyone it was his idea to go out past the reef when we all knew that wasn’t true.

But the next day rolled around and Lo’ak had seemed to find his peace with the future olo’yektan. 

I was planning on sitting alone or going for a ride on Iggy but just as I went to go my separate ways from my siblings, Neteyam grabbed my arm.

“Oh no you don’t” He mumbled. Smiling to me as he led me along with the group.

“Neteyam-“

“Oh come on sister, Just spend some time with us” Kiri exclaimed, turning around from her spot next to Rotxo.

“Yeah Monkey lover…why don’t you spend some time with your family instead of brooding all by yourself” Ao’nung said from next to his sister.

They were leading up to the docks where we would ride to the pools at the edge of the reef.

“Shut up, you don’t get a say in anything after what you did.” Neteyam snapped. The boy put his hands up, turning back to the path ahead mumbling to himself.

“I had 18 years of peace. And now one family shows up, and I do everything wrong” he was quickly slapped in the back of his head as his sister scolded him.

He let out a huff before diving into the water, popping up just a few meters away on an ilu. Tsireya and rotxo called a few ilu over, knowing we wouldn't be able to call them ourselves, but I did not follow after my siblings as they jumped on the ilu that had arrived for them.

I started to make clicking sounds myself. No one knew I had been practising, but soon enough I heard grace call out. I dove into the water and grabbed onto her handle, connecting our queues as I surfaced.

My siblings and the Metkayina kids all looked at me with confusion.

“Since when could you call them?” Neteyam asked, Guiding his ilu over.

“you’re the one who said she is better with animals than people” Ao’nung announced before guiding his ilu towards the pools once we were all mounted.

We all stepped onto land, finding a nice place to all sit down and talk. The subject quickly changed to Lo’aks experience from last night.

“I wish I’d been there” kiri said with a smile. “The ocean blessed you with a gift brother”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes slightly as my sister spoke. All I could think about was Eywa when she spoke the way she did.

“The tulkun have not returned yet.” I turned my head from my left where my sister sat, to my right where Ao’nung was lent against a tree before leaning forward “And anyway, no tulkun is ever alone.

“this one was. He had a missing fin” Lo’ak explained across from me. He looked to Tsireya and pointed to his arm. “He had a missing fin. Like a stump, on the left side”

“Poor Tulkun” Tuk mumbled. I couldn’t help but agree with her.

“Payakan” Tsireya said, leaning closer to Lo’ak and grabbing his arm.

“Who is Payakan?” Kiri asked.

“A young bull who went rogue” Rotxo explained. “He’s outcast. Alone. and he has a missing fin” So that is why Lo’ak got along with him so well.

“They say he is a killer” Tsireya said, worry incasing her tone. Lo’ak denied it over and over.

“He killed Na’vi” Ao’nung said to the boy. Trying to get him to understand just how serious the situation was. “And other tulkun”

“Well he would have to have a reason wouldn’t he?” I asked quietly, Looking up to Ao’nung. He just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

I felt for the creature. No one should ever have to be outcast. Something terrible must have happened for him to turn on his own brothers and sisters.

“My baby bro” Neteyams words knocked me out of my thoughts and back into the conversation. “The mighty warrior, who faced the killer tulkun and lived to tell about it, Huh?” The boy stood and placed his hands on his younger brother’s shoulders.

This wasn’t going to end well.

Lo’ak let out a grunt and pushed the boy off of him.

“You guys aren’t listening.” The boy spat before storming off to who knows where.

“You Skxawng” Kiri mumbled to Neteyam who I knew felt bad about what he said.

“He got it coming” Neteyam said as he crouched back down.

“Just shut up and leave him alone alright.” I hissed. I felt for my brother. I knew how he felt

“Where did you get this new found love for Lo’ak. Let alone any of your siblings huh?” Neteyam asked with a laugh. It was clearly a joke but I couldn't see it.

I stood up and went to walk off before Kiri grabbed onto my leg.

“We only need one run away in this family at a time. It can be your turn later.” She said as she pulled my arm down.

“Oh. You run away do you?” Ao’nung said with a smile, leaning back against the tree.

“Just about every day when we were back at the forest doing Eywa knows what.” Neteyam said with a smile on his face. “I have no idea how she passed all her training.”

“What’s the bet she is secretly an amazing rider and climber.”

“Well every day I would go and train so I’d hope I was good” I snapped back, almost offended at my twins comment. Then I turned to Ao’nung. “And I didn’t run away. I just went to one of the islands and came back that night.”

He shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh.

“well. Father has told me that he wants us to introduce you to the cove of the ancestors…it's getting a little darker and night is the best time to go-“

“are you serious?” Kiri asked with a large smile on her face. “of course I would-“she stopped herself and lowered her voice so she wasn’t yelling. “We would. Of course, we would.”

The group stood up and started to head in the opposite direction of the place we had landed.

Neteyam turned to me when he saw I was not following the group.

“Aren’t you going to come?” he was trying to be discreet, but Tuk stopped and soon everyone did.

I looked around, suddenly feeling very claustrophobic. I had felt it earlier, but not everyone was looking at me then.

But now I wanted to hide in a hole and not come out.

“no. Im not” I replied quietly.

“Why not?” Tsireya asked kindly, a smile on her lips. But Kiri soon spoke up, realising what was going on.

“Oh, that’s right, our parents wanted her back home” Neteyam soon caught on and started nodding.

“yeah yeah. She has to take that medication that your mother has been giving her.” He added, turning around and walking off.

“oh. We can take you another time then.” The Metkayina girl suggested before skipping off with the group.

Except it wasn’t the whole group. Ao’nung stood back, catching the eye of everyone, causing them all to slow down once more.

“I’ll take her back. I think Father wanted me to do some training today anyway” He said, waving off his sister and walking past me. “Come on monkey lover. We don’t have all day" he yelled out when he noticed I wasn’t following.

I knew for a fact he didn’t have any training because he was boasting about it just a few hours prior. So, why the hell did he want to go with me?

×

××

The boy jumped up onto the dock and held his hand out for me. I ignored it and jumped up myself.

“I don’t need your help” I mumbled, walking past the drenched boy who started to follow after me. “And I don’t need you to escort me back here either” I added, walking a little faster, trying to send him the message that I wanted to be alone.

“I didn’t think it was fair for everyone to go off and you be stuck by yourself” he called out, continuing to follow me.

“maybe I want to be alone.” I replied back, not wanting to continue this conversation for much longer.

“Maybe you have just gotten used to it” he yelled out, stopping in his tracks and planning to turn back home.

But he did not.

Not when he saw me stopping.

Not when he saw me turning around.

Not when he saw the shocked look I had.

“I ask again. Why do you do this?” I asked a little too loudly.

“do what?” he asked back, tilting his head to the side like a lost puppy.

“why do you choose to be a jerk one minute then nice the next. Constantly changing over and over” I crossed my arms along my chest, feeling very self-conscious as the older boy looked over my figure.

We had spoken of this before but in all honesty I wasn’t sure if I believed him. Sure he helped me calm down but he was still a bully.

“it doesn’t make any sense. Just choose if you want to be nice or mean and stick with it.”

As soon as I had finished my words the boy blurted out “I'm sorry”

I was a little shocked when he said it, not realising he was capable of apologising. “for what? messing with my mind or being a jerk”

“no-well, yes, but” he let out a sigh. “im sorry for it all.” He stepped forward slowly as he spoke.

“I am sorry for bullying you. I am sorry for how I treated your siblings. I am sorry for not being straight forward with how I treat you. And I am sorry for telling my parents about your…” he pointed to me, trying to find the right word. “connection, or lack thereof.”

The boy was only a meter from me now. He looked down upon my face that looked up to his.

“I am” he whispered. He pleaded. He wanted my forgiveness.

“why did you tell them?” I asked back, matching his quiet tone.

“I…I don’t know” he mumbled back, dropping his head, not wanting to see how I would react to his words. “I promise you I will not try to hurt you or your family again.”

I looked around, thinking about what he was saying.

What I didn't see was Ao’nung’s worried eyes that I may reject his apology.

What I did see, however, was Ao'nung’s goons staring at us from across the bridge.

I let out a small cough and stepped back. “it’s fine. I’ll see you the next time my siblings force me to spend time with them.” I walked off.

To be honest I was not angry with Ao’nung. I was upset. If the situation was around the other way and he was forced to live in the forest, he would not be bullied for his looks like my family was.