Deep Water | Neteyam

17.

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It was a rainy day—a bad weather day, as Jake would call it. Tonowari and Ronal wouldn't. This weather was perfect for hunting. Neytiri, Neteyam, Kiri, Lo'ak and Tuk wouldn't. In the forest, it was only bad weather if it was storming.

And it wasn't storming. It was a gray day. A bad weather day. It was not raining all the time, even though you could see the rain clouds all day.

Jake felt like it was a day on which you stood up on the wrong foot. Neytiri was confused about what that meant when Jake brought it up for the first time. It was the day Seze died.

Khalo felt weird when he stood up. Like something was missing. Not from him, not a part of him, but like something was just missing.

Neteyam listened to him talk about how he felt. Neteyam tried to understand what Khalo meant.

Khalo appreciated it. He was thankfull for Neteyam beeing there, that he just listened.

Ronal felt empty as she stood up. Like something was missing. A part of her that she doesn't feel anymore. Like the feeling you feel when you think about a feeling you once had.

Tonowari understood. He imagined what happened. He didn't say it, though. He did not want to scare his mate, if it was nothing.

"The Tulkuns called." Ao'nung, Khalo and Tsireya spoke at the same time. Tonowari felt it too.

Ronal didn't. She began to realize. Realize in denial.

She didn't believe it. She didn't want believe it until she saw it.

But she had to see it. See her spirit sister's dead body floating in the water, and she cried. She cried because she saw no solution or explanation. She always had one. For everything. Everything happened for a reason—because the great mother wanted it.

The only ones who didn't do anything because of the great mother were the sky people. Sky people and demonbloods.

Jake would say Avatars. Ronal would say demonbloods.

Ao'nung, Khalo, Tsireya, Neteyam, Kiri, Lo'ak, and Tuk weren't allowed to follow their parents.

"What is happening?" Tuk whispered into Neteyam's chest. She was sitting on his lap, her hands tucked tightly together behind his neck. She didn't know what was going on, neither of them did, but they all felt. Felt the surrounding atmosphere. It scarred them.

"I don't know, Tuk, but it's going to be alright." He whispered back in her ear. He patted her head, knowing it would calm her. He did that since she was born. When baby Tuk cried, Neteyam would pat her head. When baby Kiri cried, Neteyam would pat her head. The only one hwo never like it was Lo'ak. He started to cry even more when Neteyam patted his head.

Khalo sat on his right side, leaning his head on his free shoulder. Lo'ak had his arms around Tsireya waist, whispering calming words in her ear since she was nearing tears. She was confused. She never felt so pushed down. She never experienced this kind of situation.

Ao'nung just sat between Khalo and Tsireya, staring at the ground. He was scarred.

Roxto and Kiri sat across from the others. They didn't touch in any way, but they whispered calming words in each others ears.

"Ao'nung." A voice neared. Ao'nung looked up, seeing Alíka coming his way. "Alíka." He sighed, standing up to wrap his arms around her.

"My spirit sister and her baby have been murdered by the sky people." Ronal cried out.

The clan was gathered around Tonowari and Ronal. Horror in their faces.
Tsireya shot her eyes closed; she didn't want this. None of them wanted it.