The Hunter

A Talk

Lo'ak's point of view:
I couldn't help but smile slightly as I climbed the spiral in hometree. I had been looking for Neteyam for some time, and while I had assumed he was with Ahurewa, she was out on patrol at this time. While this made a conversation easier with my brother as I didn't have to put up with Ahurewa, this simultaneously made it more difficult as I didn't know where he was now. I had searched near our family platform and along the various levels, but now I knew he could only be in one other place. 

When I climbed all the way up to the top of hometree, I smiled at the warm wind blowing against my face. A few ikrans gave calls to me as I approached, but they stayed away when they figured out I wasn't their warrior. I looked around a few branches before I saw my brother sitting at the very end of the branch with his ikran. His ikran in question was currently perched above him, clicking to get his attention. I watched Neteyam smile and toss a pale pink shrimp into the air where his ikran caught it in his mouth. The razer sharp teeth popped out as he chewed before watching my brother carefully, hopeful for another treat.  

As I approached, Neteyam looked down towards the forest floor before up at his ikran. He held out a shrimp in his hand. The ikran shifted impatiently on the branch above as if ready to fly. The brightly colored tail whipped back in forth with anticipation before Neteyam threw the shrimp from hometree. I ducked at the ikran launched from the branch, sending leaves and bark flying in the process. The ikran was fully focused on retrieving his snack and gave a loud squawk as he dove for his treat. I approached the edge of the tree branch to see he had eventually caught the snack and was now flying slowly around the tree to return to his spot above Neteyam. 

   Neteyam looked up as he heard my approach and said, "Hey, little brother." I gave a slight smile, but it wasn't the ecstatic expression I had earlier. Neteyam patted the spot next to him to sit, which I walked forward to take. I had to maneuver around the various mushrooms and barnacles on the wood before I could sit next to him, but Neteyam greeted me with a smile. I nudged his shoulder as I sat, and he returned it playfully before he asked, "Why have you come all the way up here? Not for the pleasure of my company, I'm sure. You always tend to stick to yourself." I shrugged, but my brother could tell I had something on my mind.

He waited patiently, not prying, as I decided how and what I wanted to say. I cleared my throat before asking, "How did you know with Ahurewa?" Neteyam looked over at me in amazement. I was not normally so direct with my questions unless I was angry. I wasn't angry, but more curious. He sighed and leaned back on his arms before saying, "I didn't, really. I think she was more sure when we first met. It was more gradual to me. I had thought she was pretty, but we had other things to focus on." I nodded before I asked, "But when you did know?" Neteyam smiled softly, and his eyes grew distant as if remembering a memory from long ago. I didn't comment and let him think before he said, "It's like a connection. Like a connection grandmother talks about with the forest and us, it's something you feel before you know it. With Ahurewa, I was comfortable, and she became a friend. Soon it became more because it wasn't like a friendship I had before." 

I saw him perk up as if realizing I was asking this, and his eyes turned slightly narrowed before he said, "Why do you ask, little brother?" I turned away from him, my ears pinning back at his suspicious look, and said, "No reason." Neteyam shook his head and said, "I can't help you if you don't open up." I didn't comment, and Neteyam did push for a while. We sat in each other's company for a few moments before I said, "There is someone that I started to wonder if I was feeling a different way." Neteyam nodded and gestured for me to continue, and I stuttered as I didn't want him to fully know, but I said, "Kiri had actually... umm, mentioned it." Neteyam laughed, and I glared at him before he said, "I'm not laughing at you. More Kiri's constant nosiness." 

I tilted my head towards him before nodding as if that was true before I said, "She had mentioned that I seemed different between me and this girl. That I let her in more, that I'm more comfortable and interested with her." Neteyam smiled and said, "Well, that's a good sign. It could just mean you enjoy being her friend, though." I nodded before I said, "Yeah, that's what I thought. But when I did that sparing with the warriors and hunters, I was rolling with her, and we were bantering. It felt natural and fun. I did try to, umm..." Neteyam raised an eyebrow before I said, "Flirt, I guess. Maybe it was more like teasing. But either way, it seemed to have a different result on her and me, really, because she flirted right back." Neteyam chuckled before saying, "I hope you had more of an education than me. It was awful. I'm pretty sure even Mom laughed because I was shy." I thought for a moment, remembering that Neteyam was always the more polite one. I could see him trying to be very formal with approaching a girl. Then I remembered how I was with Hunter and shook my head as I said, "No, I wasn't shy. I normally can be quite aloof about things like that, but with her, I was confident almost... rebellious?"