𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 | lo'ak x tsireya

𝟎𝟖 - 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

THE NEXT MORNING, the sound of ikran wings waken tsireya and the children. lo'ak had already called his ikran over to take them the rest of the way on their journey. tsireya, zo'ile and mekanei eat a quick breakfast and pack up their area while lo'ak prepares his ikran.

once they finish packing, zo'ile and mekanei run outside excitedly, chattering amongst themselves and walking over to pet the big creature. tsireya emerges from the cove with the rest of their belongings, walking a bit slower.

lo'ak notices her approach him and touches her arm lightly, scanning her face with a worried expression. the whole morning he was thinking about her nightmare last night.

"are you feeling any better?" he murmurs quietly so the children don't hear.

tsireya gives him a weak smile and nods. "i will be."

"are you sure? if you're not feeling-"

"lo'ak... i will be okay," tsireya silences him with a serious look. she then gives him a small smile, hoping to convince him of this.

lo'ak closes his mouth and nods solemnly before taking their belongings from tsireya and tying them to the back of his ikran. once he finishes, he turns around to the children.

"okay everyone, gather 'round," lo'ak calls zo'ile and mekanei over. they quickly come to his side, bright smiles on their faces.

"we need to set some ground rules- er, i guess i should say sky rules," lo'ak begins. "i only have one ikran, and it can only carry so many people. because you two are smaller, you will require an adult to hold on to you. so, mekanei, you will be riding with your mother. and zo'ile, you will be riding in the front with me."

zo'ile and mekanei nod excitedly.

"you must hold on at all times," lo'ak continues. "it will be a little tight, though. don't try to mess around or anything, that would be dangerous and cause risk of falling off. if you ever start to feel sick, just let us know. understood?"

"yes, sir!" zo'ile and mekanei nod in unison.

"okay! let's go then," lo'ak exclaims, helping tsireya on first. he places mekanei on tsireya's lap, then swings himself up and pulls zo'ile close to him. he creates tsaheylu with his ikran and they take off into the sky.

zo'ile whoops excitedly as she looks around, enjoying the sights and seeing everything from up high. mekanei stares at the sky and clouds as they pass them, gripping onto his mother's hands with wide eyes. tsireya smiles warmly at her children's reaction to being in the sky, remembering the familiar feeling when she first rode an ikran with lo'ak.

"everyone good back there?" lo'ak yells over the wind.

"yes!" the children and tsireya respond. lo'ak catches tsireya's eye and he grins, making her smile back. it made them both happy to see their children enjoying the flight on the ikran.

after flying a few more minutes in the air, the family can see a large landmass of forest come into view from under the clouds. the sky beyond them starts to look menacing, as the clouds turn darker and lightning flashes in the distance. lo'ak's ikran begins to dip and fly downwards toward the forest as he orders him to.

lo'ak tightens his grip on zo'ile as she squeals in excitement, her big eyes shining with glee. he grins and waits for the ikran to land safely before sliding down. tsireya and mekanei also depart from the ikran.

"we made it," tsireya breathes a sigh of relief. "are you okay, mekanei?" she ruffles his curls as her son appears dumbfounded from the flight and landing.