Ma Tsawke (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty Four

A growl escapes Jake's throat as he rubs the healing salve onto her back. They were sat in their marui and it's been a few days since the fight. They were officially Metkayina now. Reef people. If you told Tanhì that twenty years ago she would laugh and tell you to lay off the kava.

"Fucking...bastard...my mate...son of...hell." Jake was muttering to himself from behind her, rubbing her battered shoulders. Tanhì was retelling the events which only seemed to futher piss off her mate. She turned to him when he finished, covering the jar as she crawled into his lap.

"I am alright nì'eveng." Jake's tail wraps around her middle, pulling her thighs snuggly around his waist so he could connect their queues, needing to feel closer to her.

Tanhì's eyes drift to their firstborn who was currently being entertained by their youngest and Lo'ak from his layed back position on his sleeping mat.

Ronal made it clear to them that he couldn't do any form of overexertion for at least two months. Not that Tanhì would let him anyways.

Her fingers trace the healing cut on Jake's temple with a frown, tail curling around his forearm that held one of her thighs.

"Don't pout baby, I'm right here." He nuzzles into her palm, pulling her flush against him, bringing their mouths together for a searing kiss. They pull back for air, leaning into each other as they press their foreheads together.

"Do you think they will come back?" Her ears press back in worry, Jake pulling her head to rest on his shoulder.

"They're hundreds of islands here, they don't know which one and for all they know the Metkayina could have wiped them out for hunting their tulkun. So no, I doubt it." Tanhì leans into her mate's touch, kissing his throat mole while he rubs at her back. Her eyes flicker over her children.

Kiri and Spider were poking fun at Lo'ak's pouting, Tuk nuzzling her face into Neteyam's palm while he tries to keep up with her story about her new friends despite the sleep edging at his vision. The thousand berry he needed to keep taking for the pain often made him sleepy.

"Don't worry Norm's gonna bring the container soon, we gotta wait for things to blow over first." Spider would be getting his own little room for when he needed to eat and sleep without his mask.

Not a big one because his presence alone was more than enough in their village, Ronal was gracefull enough to let him have it, better than nothing she supposed. He had the option to go back to the forest but he didn't want to leave his family and Tanhì didn't want him to go either, not when she just got her boy back.

"How are you feeling, Netty?" Tanhì was rewrapping her son's bandage with Jake helping to hold him up, Lo'ak helping her with the wrap.

"It's numb, but it starts stinging when I sit up." Tanhì frowns, brushing hair out of his face as her son and mate lowered him back onto the mat. A month has passed now.

"Good, then you'll sit your ass down. You can't heal if you're trying to get up every hour bro." Lo'ak's tail swishes behind him, patting Neteyam's arm as he sat cross legged next to him.

Tanhì smiles at his scolding, he was taking this very serious and made it his duty not to leave his brother's side until he was all better. Jake closes the jar's lid from next to Lo'ak, watching them fondly as they bickered.

"You're one to talk, this is the longest I've seen you sit still with that worm up your-" Tanhì hisses, cutting her son's words off. She stands to go find Spider, kissing Neteyam's forehead, Lo'ak's temple then her mate before leaving them to their argument.