Deep Water | Neteyam

16.

Khalo POV

It was fascinating. How the Ikrans appeared over the tops of the tree. How their wings spread with every movement they made. The way their entire bodies swung to the side as they started to sink. To us.

"Meet Karai." Neteyam introduced as one of the Ikrans landed directly next to him. I stared.
Neteyam was right, Rahil did look a lot like Karai. Its wings were turquoise with dark details. His whole body was like that.

"He's beautiful." I whispered.

Neteyam had a little laugh.

"He sure is." Neteyam grabbed my hand and pushed me a little closer. With the other hand, he padded Karai's head, making Karai lean in. "You can pat him too, he doesn't bite." Neteyam laughed again as he looked me in the face.

"Didn't he, like, try to kill you?" I pushed the words out, not sure what to expect from an Ikran.
As a Metkayina, I've never met such a big kind of 'friend' of our kind.

Or not such a 'friend' that can actually fly, not just be a few meters above the water surface.

Neteyam smiled again. I don't think I've ever seen him smile that much.

"Don't worry, no Ikran that's with us will ever try to kill you."

"Well, at least that's something, I guess." I half smiled, I didn't trust these Ikrans.

"Only when you either make them to or someone of us will guide them to." He smiled. I didn't.

Kiri laughed. "Don't scare him, Neteyam." She said this, patting the head of her Ikran. Like Neteyam did.

"Don't worry, Khalo. All of our Ikrans are super sweet. Lo'aks is a little special, though."-"Hey! He has a strong personality." Lo'ak fought off

Kiri giggled. "Sure does." She leaned closer, pretending that Lo'ak couldn't hear us if she did. "He tells himself that."

"These things are huge." Ao'nung interrupted. I almost forgot he was here.

He stood a few meters away, Roxto directly beside him.

"Do they bite?" Roxto asked, begging a little more as Karai directly looked at him.

"Don't be scared. They'll know if you're scared." Lo'ak now said. I looked at him. He tried very poorly to hide his grin.

It took a while, but Roxto and Ao'nung finally stepped closer, even touching Kiri's Ikran. They surely believed Kiri's would be the nicest one, since she was the only one who hadn't beat Ao'nung. At least that's how Ao'nung's way of thinking normally went, which ended up in the way he acted. And Roxto was most likely to follow Ao'nung in these situations.

We talked a lot; Tsireya even sat on Lo'ak's Ikran one time, not for long though; Kiri showed Roxto a few things on her Ikran; and Ao'nung came over to Neteyam and me.

It was late—too late—as we went back home.

As we glided off of our Ilus and started towards our pods, Ao'nung raised his voice.

"Thank you guys. For bringing us with you, even though we—I was such a skxawng in the beginning." He apologized.

I stared at him.

He stared at the ground.

I don't think I've ever truly heard him apologize. It was always forced.

"It's okay." Kiri smiled at him. "We all make mistakes."

I also smiled.

"Let's go, Ao'nung, Tsireya. Our parents are waiting."

The next day, Lo'ak told us to follow him. He wanted to show us something. I had a feeling what it was going to be, but I stayed quiet.
Well, only in that aspect. I chatted a lot with Neteyam. Now that he had met Fa'ye and I had met Karai, I felt like we truly connected, even though we haven't mated (yet).