Rough Elegance [Neteyam x Aonung]

An Array of Feelings : Part 7

It's after him. That's all he can think. It's back to finish the job, but he won't let it. He'll end it's terror right here, right now.

Tsireya sees an opening and quickly pulls Rotxo onto her Ilu, unsure of why he stopped swimming to her. As they resurface, regrouping with the others as they make their escape, Rotxo stands and disconnects Tsireya's queue from the Ilu, and lifts her into his arms.

Tsireya- Rotxo, what the fuck are you doing?!

He doesn't answer, and throws her over to Kiri's Ilu. She slips into the water but climbs back on, while Rotxo connects his queue with what is now his Ilu, and pulls his short spear from his back. Aonung looks at him, about to protest, but it's futile. Rotxo charges back towards the Akula with a battle cry.

As it surfaces, he jumps from the Ilu and stabs the creature in the eye. It falls back underwater, taking him with it, but the creature is far from dead.

Aonung turns his ride, but Lo'ak grabs him by the arm.

Lo'ak- You can't-

He shoves the boy off of him and dives faster than his neck can actually handle without hurting, but he doesn't care. He's not letting his friend die today.

Underwater, Rotxo's spear is still in the Akula's eye, and the boy is defenseless as he finds himself trapped at a dead end. Just as the creature lunges at him with its mouth wide open, Aonung zooms past it, snatching Rotxo as he goes along, but then the Ilu is tugged back. Caught in the predator's jaws.

It slings them and the creature around until they fly off of it, and towards a wall of rock. There's nowhere for them to go as the Akula charges towards them at full speed. Aonung instinctively pushes Rotxo behind him and against the wall, but Rotxo refuses to let his injured friend protect him.

He pulls Aonung behind himself, seeing the bit of blood that comes from his neck. His stitches have been ripped.

As both boys fight against each other, trying to protect one another, the Akula reaches them. With nothing else to do, Rotxo shields Aonung from the creature, holding his head to his chest with a tight grip as death lunges at them. He tightens his eyes closed . . . But the creature is suddenly knocked downward by a brute force.

They simply stare, eyes wide, but quickly escape the water while they have the chance. Not bothering to stop and ask questions they won't get an answer to.

As they climb onto the top of the rock wall that once blocked them, they look back into the water, both of them out of breath.

The others start coming to them from a distance, until they see blood begin to taint the ocean surface. From it, the Akula emerges, floating in death with a long spear straight through the top of its head and out the underside of its jaw. A victorious figure stands on top of it.

With a deep breath, the boy flips his braids and looks back at Aonung and Rotxo. Golden eyes pierce through the bloodstained water that drenches him.

Neteyam.