Solo

four

It was morning, I had stumbled out of my marui and rubbed my eyes at the sunlight.
Aonung and I had shared a marui pod, it was part of the "arranged mating" process apparently. He had his side and I had mine.
"Laya?" I looked up to see Neteyam, I saw a look of concern flash his face.
"Oh, Hi Neteyam." I gave him a smile as I pushed my curls behind my ear.
"Did you not sleep?" He asked and I shook my head, i didn't get much sleep, I was too busy thinking about Aonung and what he had said, and then Lo'ak and what he had said after.
"No." Was all i said.
"Come, The others will be waiting for us." I told him and he nodded, walking beside me as he gave me an occasional worried glance.
"I wanted to thank you for yesterday."
"For?" I frowned, turning to him.
"For making us feel welcome, especially Tuk." Neteyam grinned and I laughed, then gasped.
"You go! I forgot something for Tuk!" I told him and he nodded, I rushed back to my pod and grabbed my basket full of shells and pearls for Tuk.
By the time I had arrived they were all in the water, I placed my basket beside the dock and dived in, keeping next to Tuk who stayed at the top of the surface.
"Hi Tuk." I smiled widely.
"LAYA!" She squealed excitedly and stopped swimming, she wrapped her arms around me and I hugged her back.
"I can't reach the bottom like the others." She whined.
"Hang on to my back." I told her and she climbed on to my back, I took in a breath and dived in, I swam past Kiri, giving her a wave as she took in the surroundings around her.
I swam past Lo'ak and Neteyam, waving at them and signing for them to follow me, but they didn't seem to understand the finger talk, and needed to catch some air.
I looked back to the bottom, Aonung, Rotxo and Tsireya were there.
I swam back up to give Tuk some air before diving down to Tsierya.
'They're having trouble. Let's wait for them.' I signed.
'No they are just morons.' Rotxo signed back.
'Stop. They're learning.' Tsireya hit him under water.
'Big morons.' Aonung agreed and I rolled my eyes, looking at the family as they struggled to reach us again, Lo'ak signalled for us to come up and we joined them above the surface.
"What's the matter?" Tsierya asked.
"You're too fast. Wait for us." Tuk whined.
"Just breathe." I told her.
"I will teach you." I smiled.
"You are not good divers, maybe at swimming through trees but-" Aonung smirked and Rotxo laughed, I hissed at him to stop him and he looked at me, rolling his eyes but keeping quiet.
"Bro." Lo'ak started to talk but Neteyam cut him off.
"We are learning, and we don't speak this finger talk." He said frustrated.
"I will teach you." I told them again.
"Where is Kiri?" Rotxo asked.
"Kiri?" I looked around.
"Yeah, where is she?" Everyone began to look and I remembered seeing her by the corals.
"She's exploring." I told her brothers, who looked a bit panicked.
"She is doing better than you." Rotxo teased.
"Enough." I told him and Aonung hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling me under water.
I pushed against him as we got further down and he hid us behind a piece of coral.
'What did I say yesterday?' He signed, an angry expression on his face.
'Be nice to them Anoung. That is all I'm asking.' I replied and he rolled his eyes.
'Do not interrupt me. Or make me look stupid.'
I pushed myself back up to the surface to see them all getting out of the water, Lo'ak's head turned and he watched carefully as I left, Aonung following.
I let the water rest at my hips, water dripping from me as I shook my hair out.
"Ah!" I yelled, everyone turned to me.
"Tuktuktuk! I collected some shells and pearls for you last night!" I smiled.
"Would you like to make some?" I asked her and she let out a squeal of excitement that I took as a yes.