A true seer | Neteyam

14. Love thrives in the Cove of Ancestors

I dragged my feet to my mauri, straightening when I saw Atswon by the flames with two fish perfectly cooked. He looked at me with a small smile.

"Atswon, what-"

"Kaltxì," he said and gestured to the fish with his eyes, "I made us breakfast. I was waiting for you to return so we could go together, but we missed it."

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry," I side-hugged him, "I fell asleep on the shack."

He brought another small wooden stool for me to sit next to him and started putting the pieces of fish in a bowl.

Atswon shrugged at my words. "It's fine. I shouldn't worry when you have the Sully boy around." He gave me a sly grin and chuckled at my face.

I nudged him and shook my head. "Skxawng."

"I hadn't seen you in days, you know. We haven't talked much," he said. I narrowed my eyes, knowing there was a point he wanted to get to. Atswon passed my food avoiding my gaze.

"Stop, spit it out or I'll make you tell me." I took the bowl and started eating. It was delicious for a pincer fish.

"Tam, tam, no need to get rude, you know." He raised both of his hands in a surrendering pose. "I'll only tell you because I know you'd kill me if you found out by someone who isn't me. I almost died."

"WHAT?" The question left my mouth before I had even finished processing what he had said.

"It's no big deal, really. Last hunting round I got pushed by a Nalutsa into a poisonous coral. Nueiy cured me. I didn't want to worry.you"

He looked at me for an answer, but I froze, flabbergasted. Nueiy, my friend, had not said a word about Atswon, I thought. I came out of my trance, grabbing whatever was next to me, which was a wooden plank to light up the fire, and smacked him with it. Nowhere from his upper half was left untouched by the board.

"How could you not think of telling me? Are you insane? We're friends! For Eywa's sake, I've been living in your mauri for a week, and not once did you mention it? Oh, I'm a terrible friend for not noticing. I'm awful!" I kept on yelling, moving my hands around.

"You are not a bad friend, you hear me? It was my fault. What I said it's true, we haven't talked in days, there was no way you'd know." He grabbed both of my hands and kept them still.

I looked at him, expectant. "Well, then, we can talk now"

Atswon nodded and pulled me down to the floor again. Sometime in between my scolding, I had begun to walk.

"As I said, Nueiy helped me. She was very gentle. And I've been speaking to her more this past month, I think I like her." His words became a whisper.

"I, well, uh- I'm happy for you. It was finally time for you to fancy someone. The whole fake-mating thing was going to make neither of us feel complete."

Atswon had his cheeks somewhat reddish, and he talked with excitement in his voice I had only heard before when he sang his songcord or when he told the story of how he became a hunter. He had this sheepish smile and a mix of emotions transmitted from his eyes. He was truly overjoyed.

"I think she likes me back but is hiding it because you and I are supposed to be together. This reminds me that when my Sempul was making the guest list for the ceremony we heard from Ta'unui that grandma is not doing well with her sickness. It should've cured by now, but it got even worse," he said. Atswon stopped his words for a few seconds and then looked at me. "I don't know what to do," he muttered under his breath, tears threatening to fall from his teal eyes.