Moonchild | Neteyam

11

Erìhe chuckled and nudged Tuk, beckoning her to speak up, "What's your name?"

"Tuktirey," Tuk beamed.

"We all call her Tuk," Erìhe added, ruffling the little girl's hair.

The girls around them all laughed good-naturedly as Tuk tried swatting her hand away. Then one of the girls spoke, "Nice to meet you Tuk," she smiled at the young girl before turning her eyes to Erìhe, "Erìhe," she nodded her head. "I am Aluva," she introduced herself.

"And I'm Riik'o," the remaining girl smiled at them.

Eríhe was about to speak again but Tuk beat her to it. "What are you guys doing?" she asked as she pointed to one of the objects that hung from the edges of the pool.

Aluva grabbed one of them and held it up to show that it was a necklace - one that hung low to cover the chest. "We've been making these," she said with a smile. When Erìhe looked closer, she could see that the beaded clothing still had a thread hanging loose and a needle threaded through the string. It was in the process of being made.

Níawi grinned and leaned over to hand an item to Erìhe. When she accepted it and held it up she realized that it was a loincloth. She admired the beads and pearls than hung delicately from the waistband of it, "It is pretty," Erìhe told Níawi and started handing it back.

Níawi shook her head and pushed the clothing back towards her, "You should keep it. I made it for you."

"For me?" Erìhe repeated. When Níawi nodded, she smiled again as she looked back at the loincloth.

"I'll finish this up quickly and you may have it," Aluva told Erìhe as she turned around to continue her work.

Erìhe smiled and looked back and forth between the two pieces of clothing that she had been offered, "It's fine-"

The girls would not hear it. "If you are to live with us, why not dress like us?" Riik'o chuckled.

Erìhe thought for a moment before nodding. It was a fair point. "Thank you so much," she beamed.

"It is nothing to thank for," Aluva waved her off as she tied a knot with the thread. "When I am done with this, I can make something for little Tuk as well," she reached over to lightly pinch Tuk's cheek.

Instead of hitting her hand away as she usually did, Tuk smiled at her in return. "Thank you."

Erìhe smiled and was about to ruffle Tuk's hair again when she suddenly heard noises coming from the reef below. Turning her head, she could see Ao'nung, Rotxo and a few other boys swimming by on their ilu.

Riik'o and Níawi hurried to rest their chins on the edge of the pool to look over at them. Erìhe and Tuk exchanged looks before Erìhe looked over at Aluva to see that she was looking at them exactly the same. Not in a judging manner - but something of the sort.

"They are always like that," Aluva waved it off.

Níawi peeked over her shoulder at her friend, "We are not," she rolled her eyes, letting her gaze drift back to the boys. The group of boys seemed to notice them since Rotxo turned to wave and smile. Erìhe grinned - he seemed sweet.

Ao'nung however seemed a lot cockier. Once he noticed them watching, he merely smirked before turning his attention to his other two friends who had given the same reaction as him. Obviously everyone in that group apart from Rotxo were slightly full of themselves.

Ao'nung seemed to wave his hand toward his other friends before the group turned and started heading toward them.

"They are not even good looking," Tuk mumbled as she squinted, trying to get a better look at the boys who were some distance away.