From the Forest | ATWOW

CHAPTER THREE

SAI'EYLA WOKE UP EARLY THE NEXT DAY. She had spent all night making Tuk a few bracelets because Tuk kept asking about hers, leaving her feeling bad that the poor girl didn't have any bracelets to wear. Even though she went to bed late it wasn't an excuse for her to neglect her morning duties so she quickly got up picked a new outfit out and pulled her hands through her hair.

Making sure it looked nice before she even dared to walk out of her pod. Standing up she gathered the remaining shells she didn't use for the jewelry and neatly put them in a bowl with the rest of them. She tidied her area since she fell asleep making the bracelets; Sai'eyla hated messy places and liked her stuff to be neat and organized like everything else in her pod. The curtain to her Marui pod flew open and the girl almost yelled until she saw who it was.

"Rey. One day I am going to punch the living shit out of you." Sai'eyla sighed putting a finger to the pulse on her neck to check and see if she was still alive. "Ha! I would like to see you try."

The metkayina female just laughed as she leaned against the door frame. L'reyna was a very skilled hunter and free diver within the clan and one of the only people to have actually approached Sai'eyla with good intentions when she first arrived.

"Ao'nung was asking for you yesterday. He said something about another forest family and them being your long-lost siblings?" L'reyna squinted trying to recall what the boy had specifically told her. She never really listened to him when he was talking because she claimed all he spoke was pure bullshit. She then kneeled down on the floor to help Sai'eyla pick up the shells and beads that were scattered around.

"Ao'nung knows nothing. He is very stupid." Sai'eyla hissed out. She and Ao'nung never got along as he treated her like shit all the time.

"You know what they say about men who bully girls right?" L'reyna looked over to Sai'eyla, her eyes roaming a little.

"That their jackasses?" Sai'eyla huffed getting a tad bit aggressive with the beads she was putting up.

"Yeah, sure. Orrrrrr--" L'reyna started with a smirk until she got shoved down to the pod floor by Sai'eyla who looked repulsed.

"Don't even!" Her voice came out high-pitched and she pointed a finger at L'reyna's nose before turning away and saying a string of curse words.

When she first arrived at Awa'atlu he did nothing but make her feel like an outcast. Calling her names, bothering her all the time, and messing up any chance she had at successfully fitting in. She still remembers when he took her out to sea and left her there to fend for herself.

Of course, he got into trouble for it but it was never enough for him to completely stop. In the clan's eye, Ao'nung could do nothing wrong. It wasn't until she passed her Iknimaya did he lessen the bullying on her but only because she did it before him.

L'reyna laughed as she listened to Sai'eyla mumble about how much of a terrible person Ao'nung is; she knew herself as she was betrothed to him for a while before her parents changed their minds and backed out which she will forever be thankful for.

"Did you see the new family though? Do they actually look like you? I was hunting when they came and my group didn't make it back until later. I only found out because of my mom and Ao'nung!" L'reyna whined to the other girl as she finished picking up the last beads. Things like this rarely happen and she kept missing them.

"This is like the second time dude. I missed when you came and now I've missed the new family coming." After placing the beads in their rightful bowl she fell back into the floor.

"Maybe it's a sign," Sai'eyla said peering over to L'reyna who was glaring at her causing the girl to laugh.

"But yeah I met the youngest from the family. Her name is Tuk! She loves to collect shells and feed ilu apparently. And no, my skin complexion is a little bit lighter than theirs. Definitely not the same." Sai'eyla got up and adjusted her top before reaching a hand out to L'reyna. The girl took it and Sai'eyla yanked her up from the floor.