Moonchild | Neteyam

50

CHAPTER 50

The only thing that could be heard underwater was the sound of the water moving as they took steady strokes, and the constant hissing of Spiders oxygen mask. It was sort of calming, in a way.

But that only lasted for a short moment.

When the group of four finally poked their heads out of the water, Erìhe took in a huge gulp of air and noticed Tsireya racing toward them with a concerned look in her eyes. It seemed Lo'ak and Spider had not noticed the same that she had and were presently congratulating each other on their brilliant escapade.

As Erìhe waited for Tsireya to reach them, she looked around for Neteyam while absently tuning in on Lo'ak and Spider's ongoing conversation. "That was insane, cuz!" Lo'ak gushed and the girl shot him a glare. It was insane. Literally insane. Not whatever the fuck it was that Lo'ak was implying. She got shot and they almost all died.

And to her great disappointment, Spider seemed to agree with Lo'ak. "Yeah!" He chortled as the two boys shared a high five.

It was then that a hand shot out from under the water and grabbed onto Erìhe's shoulder, causing the girl to practically jump out of her skin in fright. "Fuck!" She almost yelled before turning around in the water and watching as Neteyam pulled himself closer to her.

Her expression of fright almost morphed into a smile before it fell into panic once more. "Neteyam?" She asked with a worried frown, placing a gentle hand on his own shoulder while allowing him to hold her to keep himself above water.

Neteyam was spluttering, coughing, and heaving in deep breaths.

Erìhe had not noticed when Tsireya arrived beside them, urging them to get onto the ilu. Her attention was fully occupied by Neteyam.

"Did you get hit?" She asked frantically, wrapping an arm around him to keep him afloat. Neteyam was trying to form the words, but could only nod at her instead. Erìhe looked around at the water desperately, noticing as the water around them turned into a sick red colour. Wether it was him or her or both, not one of those options could be any good.

"Come on, bro!" Lo'ak called to his brother and this time Neteyam managed a response: "You skxawng. I'm shot," he said breathlessly while pinching his eyes closed in pain.

Lo'ak's expression slid off his face as he now looked blankly toward Neteyam. He swam over to Erìhe and his brother, cursing under his breath as he noticed the red water around the two. Neteyam was no longer even trying to stay above the surface - with the pain from his wound shooting through his body, immobilising him - and now it was only Erìhe holding him up, biting back her sobs that threatened to spill from her lips at any given moment.

"Keep him up!" Lo'ak told Spider and Erìhe as the three of them began towing him over to the ilu.

"Shit," Erìhe sniffed and wiped at her eyes that had become blurry with tears as they all helped Neteyam onto the ilu's back. Lo'ak was telling the others what to do, but she wasn't so sure she understood any of his words. She felt him pushing her onto the ilu behind Neteyam and she complied without much thought, sliding onto the animals back before taking hold of Neteyam's shoulders, pulling his back against her chest to hold him upright.

The sounds of Neteyam's fast breathing brought Erìhe little to no comfort at all. Without even saying a word, he sounded like he was in such pain and it broke her heart. Never had she seen him in such agony: not when he'd flown fifty feet right into a pile of rocks when he'd gotten caught in that explosion back at home. Not when he'd fallen off his ikran when they'd gone hunting for sturmbeast. And she so wished she did not have to witness it now.