Mysteries Live in the Mountains

𝒳𝐼

✧⋆⁺₊⛰︎⛰︎⛰︎⋆⁺₊✧.

Neteyam.

His amber eyes were wide, but tired. Large bags hung underneath them. His hair was very messy, his braids not in order, seeming to need to be redone.

"What are you doing? You just woke up? Are you crazy?"

I couldn't help but smile. He did not seem very entertained immediately leading me back to sitting down. He sighed as he walked behind me rummaging through something. He came back into view sitting down by my wounded leg. I watched intently as he carefully begin to unwrap them. He looked like he was afraid to break me.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. Instead he continued to unwrap them exposing the two large scratch marks that ran down the back and side of my leg. The wounds were still somewhat open, but not as deep as they were the night of the event.

"You look like a mess."

I commented, but he did not react. Instead he carefully began to apply an ointment to my leg. I cursed at the stinging sensation on my skin. He hesitated for a moment then continued trying to be even more gentle.

"Did you do this the whole time I was asleep?"

No answer. I began to realize he looked thinner than before.

"When was the last time you ate?"

No answer. I began to become irritated at the silence.

"What is wrong with you? Why can't you even look me in the eye?"

Finally he froze in the middle of wrapping my leg with a new bandage. Finally a reaction. But still he wouldn't speak back. So I decided that yelling was the only way to get through his thick skull.

"Neteyam! You can't just ignore me!"

Almost immediately he began to yell back.

"You could've died! Because of me! You almost died!"

I jumped a little. Finally he was looking at me. I didn't know what to say. He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration while going back to finishing the wrap on my leg.

"Neteyam... That wasn't your fault. It was out of your control."

I spoke softly reaching for his arm gaining back his attention.

"But if we'd listen to you the first time you said something... If I had listened to you. We would've been able to escape."

I shook my head as I searched his expression. He was exhausted. This guilt was eating him up alive. It was my fault. He wasn't taking care of himself. He was too busy worrying and beating himself up.

"No we wouldn't have. And that's okay. We all survived. You and your bother survived. I survived."

I watched as tears began to fill his eyes and he hung his head down. I pulled his arm to bring him into an embrace. He collapsed into my arms immediately accepting the embrace. I felt him break down that moment. The strong mighty Neteyam was broken over this. He began to mumble quiet apologies through his sobs as I traced the patterns on his back for comfort, something my mother used to do for me.

"It's okay Neteyam. I'm okay. We're all safe. That's all that matters."

Soon enough he stopped crying. He sniffled every now and then, but soon enough his body fully relaxed on mine. His head buried in the crook of my neck, arms around my waist, legs intertwined with mine, tail wrapped around my thigh. I found my eyes getting heavy as well and I allowed exhaustion to take over. In that moment I was at the most peace I had been since we came into the Omatikaya's home.