A true seer | Neteyam

14. Love thrives in the Cove of Ancestors

"Oh." I hugged him tightly, knowing how it felt to know that someone you loved was close to death. It was awfully painful.

Atswon cried silently. "I don't want her to die," he sniffled.

"She won't." I didn't know if she would, but there were not many things one could say.

"I- uh, I don't want to keep going with this." He cleaned the tears from his face and licked his lips, something he did when he was nervous.

He meant the mating ceremony.

"I don't want to either. We'll tell everyone, just not now. You don't need that pressure right now."

I wasn't even thinking about myself when I finished my sentence. It didn't matter that I had begun to feel things for Neteyam, that I felt the need to tell him a thousand things, and that I wanted to tell everyone that we were something. But I could hold on for a little while until Atswon was alright.

By the end of our breakfast, we did as much talking as we could, getting into every detail of the past few days. When I remembered that by midday we teens were going to visit the Cove of Ancestors, I invited him in. He was yet to become friends with the Sully brothers and sisters. Atswon was a likable and sweet person that only a twat like Aonung could hate.

Tuk would love him because he had always been good with children. She'd probably get on his shoulders and get carried by him. Kiri was very connected to the sea, so it was most likely she'd ignore all of us and just do her thing. Lo'ak would call him 'bro' and they'd get along as friends, but he would be all over Tsireya to talk much to him. The only one left would be Neteyam, who was too nice and a good person to leave Atswon behind. The two of us would only spend some time together, but every glance and word would be like a non-verbal 'I'm here with you'.

As two more hours passed with me going to the infirmary and the kitchen back and forth until Neytiri grabbed my shoulders.

"You go to work and I'll help in the kitchen," she said. Honestly, her calmness and continuous cooking hours could almost make me believe she wasn't one fierce warrior and hunter of forest animals.

"Irayo," I thanked her, giving her a tired smile.

"Kea tìkin."

I ran back to where Nueiy was treating the old hunter Kxaro. He would not normally come to seek healers when he was hurt, he thought that whatever pain he was going through had been a result of his mistakes and that he needed to keep the wound intact to have a scar that'd remind him of the errors he shall never commit again. So it was very much to my surprise when he came into the hut, sweaty and stinky. He was about to die. Nueiy ran to fetch Ronal while Kxaro held onto my arm for dear life. I laid the man on the floor, on top of a comfortable mat. He kept whimpering and began trembling. His teal skin was quickly turning purple.

When Ronal came in, holding her pregnant belly, she called for the names of herbs and vials while she pulled a needle from the pouch she had with her. There were many practices only the Tsahìk knew, so Nueiy and I got out of her way.

I left by midday, Ronal still treating the man. The cases in which something unexplainable happened were increasing. There were no side effects, other than delusions about Eywa and her daughter that lasted less than a day. Ronal was under great pressure, and, from what she had told us, unable to interpret the Great Mother's intentions. It was more than rare.

As I got to the ilu dock, I saw Neteyam already there. He was alone, waiting for the rest of us to come and gather.

"Hey," he said. He was resting his body on one of the pillars where the ilu saddles were. He immediately put on a wide smile.