𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗱

𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣

THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, the girl completely ignoring her father. McKenzie and Aonung had been all over each other. He was proud that his girl had managed to tame Skimwing, he stood with her at the shore as she introduced him to her new friend.

She had found out Lo'ak at bonded with a the tulkun while she was busy with fly Däve around the small forest near the island.

"This is Seze." She gently patted the animals head, glancing at the boy with a smirk. "She won't bite you."

"She's beautiful, like you." Aonung cheekily smiled at her. Crossing his arms as he admired her beauty.

"Don't be so cheesy now."

A shout and yell echoed through the atmosphere as rain began pouring down. Aonung grabbed McKenzie's hand and led her to a shelter.
"You okay?"

McKenzie opened his mouth to speak, but slammed it back shut as she noticed a big crowd forming. Aonung seemed to notice it aswell as she dragged Aonung towards it. They made their way through to the front, McKenzie immediately spotting her father and Neteyam who seemed to be trying to communicate with Ronal and Tonowari.

"My spirit sister and her baby have been murdered by the sky people!"
Ronal shouted with anger as the duo's eyes widened.

The crowd seem to grew louder and louder with angry chants and growls.

"This, this war! Has come to us!" Tonowari hissed out, slamming his staff to the floor.

McKenzie held Aonung's hand and squeezed it tight. In fear he would disappear from her. Knowing the sky people had found them, which they possibly did.

"We knew about this hunting of our tulkun people. It was over the horizon, far away, now it has come to us!" Maori chants now erupted in the air. Everyone was angry and mad, no one can change their minds.

"You gotta understand how the sky people think! They don't care about families!" Jake yelled out, turning around to the crowds.

"We do not answer to the sky people!" A voice came from beside McKenzie and Aonung. "Listen to him!" Neteyam shouted but his voice didn't reach further than the front row.

"The sky people are not going to stop, this is only the beginning you gotta tell your tulkun to leave! You gotta tell them to go far away!" Jake turned all of his attention towards Tonowari and Ronal, knowing they were the only ones who could control the crowd.

"Leave? You live among us, and you learn nothing?!" Ronal exclaimed, the woman clearly becoming angrier by the moment. "We will fight to protect our brothers and sisters!"

Another Metkayina from the crowd shouted as Maori chants flowed through the crowd. Angry growls and shouts erupted in the air.

"No, no, no, no! If you attack, if you fight, then they will destroy you! They will destroy everything you love!" Jake shouted his eyes scanning over everyone. They lingered on McKenzie and Aonung for a moment longer as his eyes travelled down the their interlocked hands. He looked back up to McKenzie.

"You know this! They'll listen to you! Tell them." He said. Gesturing at the chief and Ronal.

"Listen to my father, he speaks the truth!" She nodded, looking at the leaders  as Jake took the red tracker from Neteyam's hand, the crowd quickly dying down as Jake held it up for everyone to see.

"You tell the tulkun that if they are hit by one of these then they are marked for death. You call for me, i'll silence it. Saving their lives that's all that matters, right? Saving your family?" Tonowari and Ronal shared a knowing look.

"Tell the tulkun." Tonowari ordered as everyone quickly scurried away.
"Go, go!" Ronal shouted to her people.

Her eyes lingered on McKenzie, nodding in approval of her before walking away either Tonowari to warn his spirit brother.

McKenzie turned to look at Aonung but her eyes caught Lo'ak and Aonung. "Come on." She said to him.

He followed behind her.

"Lo'ak! What are you doing?!"
Neteyam shouted watching as his brother grabbed on of the ilu saddles. "No way your going anywhere, baby brother."

McKenzie realised what he was doing as he placed the saddle on the ilu. She stopped beside her younger brother.

"Where do you think you're going?" McKenzie folded her arms and pulled a face at him.

"I have to warn Payakan about the trackers." Lo'ak responded. "No, you've got to keep you skawng ass here." Neteyam shot back. "He's outcast.
There's no one to warn him but me."

"Bro." Neteyam sighed, playfully putting his hand on Lo'ak's head. "Why do you always have to make things so hard?" Loak slapped Neteyam's hand off of his head, scoffing. "No. You mean why can't I be the perfect son like you?
The perfect little solider. Well i'm not you! Okay, i'm not you. He's my brother!"

"Oh he's your brother? No i'm your brother! Neteyam shouted back as Loak rolled his eyes, jumping into the water as he landed onto the ilu.
"Lo'ak, wait!"

He sped away as McKenzie let out a sigh. Calling out in clickers and in seconds, the beautiful beast swam around below the deck. " let's go!"

Diving down before grabbing a hold of the creatures. Neteyam and Aonung followed behind with Tisreya and Kiri along with Tuk.

"Payakan! Brother!" Lo'ak shouted towards Payakan as the tulkun came closer to Lo'ak, whaling in pain. "What is wrong?" Loak signed, worry engulfing the boys body. Payakan turned around, revealing the red tracker injected into him.

"Shit! Stay calm, stay calm!" Lo'ak shouted, jumping onto Payakan as he tugged at the tracker. "Shit!" Lo'ak shouted again, noticing two ships in the distance.

McKenzie soon spotted the Tulkun before going towards him. Payakn let out a painful whistle, the girl was confused and saw the tracker on his fin. Quickly she disconnected with her animal before jumping on Payakan to see Lo'ak attempting to pull off the tracker.

"Hey little brother." The girl smirked before helping him.

The group caught up to see the situation before jumping into action. McKenzie saw that it was useless since inly her father knows how to silence it.

"Call it in! Call dad! Go do it!"Neteyam took Loak's place as Lo'ak stood on a higher point of Payakan, his eyes landing back at the ship.

"Dad do you copy?
It's eagle eye do you copy?" Lo'ak spoke, his voice full of concern. Lo'ak and Jake shared a short conversation before the he hurried back over to the group, helping them once again.

"It's getting closer!" Tsireya
exclaimed. McKenzie let go of the tracker, having an idea. She hopped back onto the skimwing that stayed around. She grabbed the rope from her belt, tying it to the creature.
"Love!" She shouted as Aonung lifted his head up, making eye contact with the girl.

"Tie this onto the tracker." She threw the other end of the rope towards Aonung, who caught it with ease. He quickly tied it to the tracker, nodding towards McKenzie.

"Pull!" Neteyam shouted to the group as Xana started trying to swim away. After a few moments, the tracker fell into the water along with the group.
They all quickly arose again as McKenzie pulled the tracker towards her, grabbing it.

"Go that way, i'll throw them off!" McKenzie shouted, holding the red tracker in her hand. "Drive on!" Lo'ak shouted to Payakan, who immediately swam away.
"Be safe." Aonung shouted towards McKenzie , watching as she rode away.

Several vibrations were sent through the water from the sky people. McKenzie shoving the tracker into a plant close by so it stopped moving — alerting the sky people that what they thought was a tulkun, was dead.

She then sped away to find her siblings and friends.

——