Mune Olo'eyktan [Neteyam x Aonung]

Part 152

Once Na'haji has Aonung in the cave and wrapped well in his cloak while Lo'ak makes the fire, he heads back out to the beach and guides each pair, two by two, who arrive. Except for the last to arrive, which is Kiri, being carried by Dale.

He looks behind them, seeing only Fayne, but not his brother, which he knows Kiri was riding with. The two approach him, Dale holding tightly onto Kiri's unconscious body.

Na'haji- What happened? Where is Sorfé?

His tone is harsh, demanding an explanation as he begins to panic at just the thought that his youngest brother might be lost somewhere.

Dale- W-We found her floating on the Ilu by herself. She was already unconscious, and this extra cloak was holding her on.

Fayne holds out Sorfé's cloak with a sad expression, and her face only drops more when she sees the amount of disbelief and pain in Na'haji's face the moment he takes the cloak.

Holding it tightly to his chest, he takes a quick breath, and tries to regain his composure, speaking with a slight crack in his voice.

Na'haji- The cave is this way, hurry.

He leads them to the cave that's now warm, thanks to Talon, and Shore, who used large leaves, a few sticks, and vines to create a curtain to trap their heat in.

Yune already gave into slumber, like some others, so Na'haji just sits next to his snoozing brother, and lies Sorfé's cloak next to him. With a deep sigh, he hides his face in his hands, and some of the others that are still awake watch him with sorrow.

Coona, seeing firsthand how tough the boy is, goes over to his side, maneuvering through the packed space, and sits next to him with a gentle hand rubbing his back for comfort.

When she sees him wipe his face with a small sniff, she gives him the most privacy she can by looking the other way, but still offering him comfort.

The next morning, Na'haji immediately heads out to the beach on a search for his little brother. Part of him refuses to give up on him and accept this fate so easily.

He's followed by Coona, who is followed by Talon and Shore.

They're worried for him, and don't think he should be going out looking alone, but Na'haji doesn't stop for a second before getting on an Ilu and riding out.

The problem is, the creature refuses to take him any further than the edge of the shallows. No matter how many times he tries, switching Ilu, begging over and over for them to just continue on, it never works.

From the beach, the others watch him, pitifully unable to help. When he returns to shore, Na'haji is sure of two things.

One; His brother is most likely dead, and he probably would've followed had he been able to really look for him.

Two; They're definitely stranded. They have no way to contact anyone for help, and they can't go searching the waters for help either.

They're all on their own now, in this crazy and unpredictable yet beautiful deadly weather state, and one of them has already been lost.

Back in Awa'atlu, the parents of the missing teens have no clue whether or not their children are alive or where they are, but before anyone can go looking for them in this unpredictable weather, destroying the new base of the sky people is priority number one.

They suspect the machine that was built was made to alter the weather this way as a test to see how the environment and its life would react.

The good news is, most of the people in that base are human scientists with no avatars. Though there is sure to be some form of protection.