From the Forest | ATWOW

CHAPTER TEN

"AONUNG! SLOW DOWN," Sai'eyla laughed as the boy eagerly dragged her down the beach and into the surprisingly warm waters. "Why are we rushing??" she followed up almost tripping behind him.

He calls over his ilu and directs Sai'eyla on behind him, "We'll miss it if we don't hurry."

"Gosh!," she yelped and immediately wrapped her hands around his waist, clinging on tight as Aonung dashed through the water and away from the beach. "What are we going to miss? Should I be worried?!"

"The lights are out tonight," he said and focused back on trying to get them there on time. The night was warm as they ventured further away, coming close to the big brothers' rock. Far in the ink-black sky, the moon hung high, casting a silvery glow across the gently lapping waves.

Txon'ongmaw tawtxew (twilight skyline/horizon) was a display of lights that only came around a certain time in Pandora. They were only found in the Metkayina territory and were there once a year, cascading a phenomenal glow of vibrant colors that severely clashed with the dark sky and illuminated the ocean.

Sau'eyla had missed them by just a few days last year when she first arrived and Aonung remembered how when Tsireya told her about them she got so excited. Claiming that she wasn't going to miss them this year. He wished he knew when he had started to so much attention to the girl.

They glided through the water until Aonung brought them to this cave entrance and helped her off his ilu, he took her hand and guided her into a sort of moon pool area but it was more exposed, giving them a clear view of the night sky and the lights. Aonung kept dragging her until he found a good spot for them to sit at. Making sure to check that there was nothing that could make her uncomfortable along the way.

They sat in silence for a little while while Aonung scrutinized the sky in front of him. It was pitch black. Sai'eyla was confused but wouldn't complain knowing that Aonung went through all the trouble to just bring them here, though she was only a few seconds away from speaking up when the sky lit up in front of her.

"Holy shit," Sai'eyla gaped as the lights become visible to her, the stars glistening like diamonds scattered across the velvet sky. Suddenly a soft, luminous glow began to emanate from the water, casting a hazy otherworldy light that seemed to pulse and spark with an ethereal energy.

She gasped in wonder, unable to tear her eyes away from the mesmerizing lights, the hues of purple, blue, and green lit up the sky in a way she had never seen before. Back in the forests, they had something similar but it was barely comparable to what she was currently looking at.

"They 're so beautiful." She let out a breath she had been holding.

"Absolutely stunning.." Aonung agreed staring at her. The expression on her face made his heart beat slightly faster than normal, her wide round eyes looking up he could see the lights in them with that certain twinkle she always had. He swore that she looked even better under these lights, they beamed off her similar to the way they did with the ocean.

"We often compare them to the wood spirits. It is said that they are the spirits of those who have passed, coming back to dance upon the water under the light of the moon," He explained softly, the reverence in his tone matching the awe reflected in Sai'eyla's eyes.

A part of him was also hoping to impress her.

"That's incredible." she clapped her hands together, bringing them up to cover her mouth.

Time seemed to stand still as they sat down together, the night casting their enchanting spell. The lights weaved and twisted in a mysterious, serpentine-type dance as it continued to move along the sky. "How'd you know they'd be out tonight?" she asked curiously meeting his gaze.