Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter XXX

On their way back to the marui pod, the girls reckoned he could be at their tent by now, but met with both the girls' brothers halfway there. 

"'teyam, I can't find him."

She moved out of his way, watching the boy she had spent half her day with getting dragged with his queue in the grip of her visually provoked brother and frowned. 

The girl called out for his brother again as he hauled the boy up their house. 

At'anau and Tsireya watched the look Ao'nung threw from behind his shoulder, before Neteyam pushed him to walk faster. And At'anau couldn't help but wince by her brother's approach on the boy she happened to have gotten to know a little better.  

The girl followed quickly behind them as they didn't slow down or wasted a word to the girls before storming in their marui pod. At'anau stayed in the tent with her mother and Tuk as she watched in confusion and worry Neteyam deliver the boy to their father. 

Jake turned from Kiri next to him as they both sat above the bioluminescent lake to his eldest son, who held the boy with a culpable manner. 

At'anau hadn't seen Ao'nung look smaller under her brother's infuriated grip as he demanded him to talk. Ao'nung squirmed himself out of the boy's hold and tried averting the eyes of the men around him as guilt ate him up. 

"You tell him what you told me!" 

The boy was dismissed quickly as he wouldn't be any help anymore and his presence wasn't exactly welcome. 

At'anau stood back, appalled as she had listened to the short story of the abandonment of her youngest brother by the boy she had been speaking to about nothing else but her family. Panic rose in her chest as she looked at the sea outside where her brother would somewhere be and it only offered dark waters. 

Lo'ak still hadn't returned and the chances of him doing so on his own after being left beyond the reef in it's strange tides and stranger predators was significantly low. 

She cursed at herself for being so stupid to think the boy could become anything close to a potential friend after he solely succeeded in making every day on Awa'atlu dreadful for her and her siblings in one way or another. 

Ao'nung was dismissed quickly as Jake spoke to his oldest son to keep and eye on Tuk and Kiri, but wasn't quick enough to address to his daughter who had left, despising to lose any more time before finding her brother. 

Ao'nung walked out of the tent with his head hung low discarding the presence of the girl he yearned would look up at him as an example until he heard her whistles. 

It was dark, but not enough to miss her silhouette jumping in the water. The girl rose up in the sea on the animal she had called upon. 

Ao'nung jogged to catch up with her and call her back, dreading she will be crossing the reefs border on the small ilu as well, but stepped back once the girl rose high in the air, the wings of the animal making waves around them as they soared through the sky. 

The girl screamed out for her youngest brothers name as she covered the reef. The seas were dark and empty as she reckoned her father was losing time collecting people willing to look for Lo'ak. 

"Lo'ak!" At'anau stood on the animal, cupping he hands around her mouth as she screamed looking around frantically while the creature hovered around the edge of seawall terraces. 

She looked at the horizon that blended in with the skies and looked back, noticing the small island of Awa'atlu ignite its lights as the village woke up.