CHAPTER 4
Tsireya POV:
Aonung snapped out of the water quickly. A'nityra laid limp in his arms as he looked around, screaming for me. I quickly swam over and brushed the hair off of her face, she was breathing ragged breaths, her chest not rising and falling like it was supposed to.
"We need to get her to mother!" I yell, I began pulling both of them along with me. Aonung kicked his legs and used his tail to propel us. He held a hand under her neck, keeping her head out of water. I made a few clicking sounds with the back of my throat as my Ilu swam beside us.
I made the bond as I held onto the side of the saddle. She pulled us quickly to the shore were we quickly scrambled off. Aonung quickly lifted A'nityra into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and letting her body slump against his. We began to run towards our family marui when a hand shoved itself into my brothers shoulder. He stumbled back and almost lost his grip on A'nityra.
"What did you do with my sister fish lips!" Lo'ak yelled. He pushed Aonung once again and the girl in his arms fell into mine. I held her by the shoulders, barely being able to support her bodyweight after she fell.
"She wasn't na'vi enough for you so you drowned her!" He screamed.
"No! We where playing a game" Aonung tried to defend himself. Lo'ak looked disgusted as he stared at him up and down.
"Like she would do anything with you" He scoffed. He threw his fist in Aonung's face as they both fell to the ground, they tossed and turned exchanging punches and kicks as my brother tackled him and stayed above him, pinning him to the ground.
"Lo'ak stop!" I pleaded, his ears twitched at my voice as he looked up at me.
"Aonung please!" I begged. "I can't carry her alone."
Aonung got off of Lo'ak and walked towards me. He picked up A'nityra like before and jogged towards our family Mauri. I followed him, leaving Lo'ak to make sure his sister was ok.
"What do you mean! They're sixteen!" Toruk Makto said surprised, we could hear their conversation outside of our home.
"The age of mating for the Metkayina is fourteen and above, they are of age. If you live here you follow our customs. It has been decided, once they have both trained and passed the trials they will mate" Father said.
Aonung froze in his spot. I tried to pull his arm but he stood wide eyed.
"She needs help Aonung!" I whispered to him. He snapped out of his trance as we both rushed in.
"Mother, Father!" I yelled, grabbing their attention. Mother gasped seeing A'nityra unconscious, as did her mother and father.
"Place her down son." Mother said. He nodded and gently set her down in the middle of the room. Her father went to sit next to her, but his hand was slapped by my mother.
"Stay back Jake Sully, you will only interrupt the process" She slightly hissed. He recoiled and stood next to his wife, who was keeping a brave face. Mother began to poke and prod A'nityra while calling out to Eywa. Father grabbed Aonung by the shoulder.
"How did this happen boy? I knew you weren't keen on being betrothed, but this...this is extreme " He asked.
"Its not like that!" Aonung said. "We where swimming. We went too deep and before I had realised I was swimming her to the surface" He mumbled to my father. He let out a satisfied hum as he went back to watching his mate perform the ritual. I slightly shook in fear, anticipating her awakening. We all stood together waiting, minutes seemed like hours as we stared at her, waiting for anything to happen, even if her arm twitched.
A'nityra POV:
I jolted upright, coughing up small amounts of water. I heaved in air as my lungs took all they could get. My mother rushed forward and squeezed me tight, not letting me go.
"Oh great mother thank you" she mumbled into my skin as she pressed her lips to the crown of my head. Father wrapped an arm around me on the other side as he pulled me into his embrace.
"Can I have some space please?" I asked, my voice slightly hoarse. They quickly let me have room to breath as I looked around the room. Ronal and Tonowari stood with their children as they waited for me to awake.
"Thank you Ronal" I said. She accepted my thanks with a nod and ushered herself to clean all of the tools she used. I slowly began to help her as she placed a firm hand on my shoulder preventing me from moving.
"Do not move much until tomorrow, your body will need to catch up with your lungs" She warned taking the bowl I had picked up from my hands, placing it into her own.
"I still need to discuss things with your parents, my children will help you back to your marui"
On cue Tsireya held her hands out, her skin met mine as they clashed against one another. She pulled me up rather quickly as my head began to spin.
"Mother said no fast movements skxawng" Aonung scolded from behind me. He stabilised my body as he hovered a hand over my lower back, leading me outside with his sister.
"Oh, sorry" she apologised, looking at the floor embarrassed.
"It's okay Tsireya, don't worry about it" I say, rubbing a comforting hand up and down her shoulder. She softly smiled at me as I did my very best to return the gesture. I stumbled slightly, not falling as Aonung held me to his side. Tsireya held my hand, leading us towards my home.
"I don't want to go home" I huff, tugging back on Reya's hand.
"But you need rest" She retaliated. Concern filled her eyes as her nose cutely scrunched.
"No, your mother said no fast movements, not that I needed rest" I state. I smile looking up at Aonung, however, it quickly falters when I realise his face and chest are littered with bruises.
"Aonung...who did this?" I ask as he averts my gaze, I grab his chin with two of my fingers and make him face me.
"Who was it?" I ask once again.
"Ask your brother" He huffs, bringing down my hand and facing the other way.
"Which one, Neteyam, Lo'ak?" He flinches when I mention Lo'ak, which means he was the one who did it.
"Why? Did you start it?" I question.
Before he can respond his friends arrive, Aonung quickly sidesteps me and puts on a disgusted look. He averts my gaze and looks straight at his friends.
"What are you doing with this freak brother?" One of them says. Walking behind me and tugging one of my braids. I stumbled back and let out a small yelp as Reya quickly slaps his hand away.
"Stop picking on her Payntoran" She grumbles.
"Look at her hands! Five fingered freak!" He says again. I hide my hands behind my back feeling self conscious as another one chimes in.
"How are you even supposed to have kids with this-"
"Back off" Aonung jokes suddenly turning serious. He whispered something into the boys ear that made him go pale. Whatever he had said made the group leave in a hurry.
"A'nityra..." He sighed, looking at me once they left. He went to touch my arm but I flinched away.
"Don't touch me!" I hissed. Walking away, how dare he! He let's his friends tug my hair and make fun of my looks. Then tries to be kind. I'm starting to believe that he deserved that beating from Lo'ak. I don't bother looking back as I make my way down to the area I met a certain Ilu. I slowly begin to enter the water until it reaches my hips. I try to remember the call that Aonung made to attract the Ilu. As I try to replicate it I sound like my throat had been smashed into pieces. Surprisingly the same Ilu resurfaces, tilting it's head in confusion to my awful attempt of calling to it. I rub it's head lightly as I form the bond. My pupils dilate and I slide myself onto his saddle.
My legs naturally form the position Aonung had taught me as we begin to glide along the waters. I try to forget his skxawng face as I embrace the scenery, but I can't. I especially can't when in the distance I see his entourage as well as himself, attacking my brothers. This boy was really pushing my limits today. My Ilu dropped me off near the shore as I went as fast as I could without getting dizzy.
"My tail!"
"My ear!" One of the wails.
"STOP!" I yell, trying to separate the two. I grab onto Aonung and try to pull him back as his tail slams into my side.
"Don't hit my sister like that!" Lo'ak yells, pouncing on him. I fall to the ground clutching my side, breathing heavily. Air was knocked out of my lungs as Kiri came to the rescue, she pulled Neteyam and Lo'ak away from the group and gave them a scolding.
"You look stupid!" She says slightly smacking their heads.
"Go, go get yourself cleaned up!" She sneers, walking away with both of their ears in her hands. I slowly stood up. My eyes glistening with tears about to fall.
"A'nityra..." He whispers, reaching out for me.
"Is the monkey going to cry?" One of his friends tease, slapping his friends playfully as they laugh with one another. Aonung quickly turns his back to be and shoves the boy to the ground.
"What's wrong with you bro?" The friend laughs teasingly. Before another puff of air could pass through his lips Aonung got on top of him and started pummeling his face into the sand.
"That is your future Tsahìk! You will treat her with respect! Got it!" He hissed at the group, flashing his sharp canines. They all quivered at his gaze before they nodded and scrammed. He sighed tiredly and walked back to me, he reached for my hands but all he received was a hard shove to his broad chest.
"Why are you like this!?" I say, pounding my hands on his chest. I let my held back tears flow as he lightly pulls me into a less public area.
"Every time I think that you may be kind or nice you end up letting people tease me or hurting me!" I cried banging my palms on his skin. He took deep breaths as he held his mouth shut, he slowly led me into his chest and rested my head against it as he stroked my hair.
"It was an accident, I thought you where your brother" He said into my hair.
"You shouldn't be fighting people regardless!" I yell, my hand weakening against his body. He begins to rock us back and forth to soothe me.
"...I was scared" he said. I stopped retaliating against him as I leaned into his body.
"What do you mean?"
"When I was carrying you and you weren't breathing correctly. Then when I accidentally hit you, and now. Because I realise every time you get injured it's because of me. I'm scared that it's going to continue like that and I'll be a bad husband." He sighed, resting his head on mine. My heart throbbed with sadness as I realised he was only acting out in fear. I knew it took a lot of courage to admit he was scared especially as he was the next Olo'ekytan, he was the next chief, he wasn't supposed to feel scared. I traced the patterns on his chest as I began to speak.
" I understand Aonung. If you're worried about the future, just talk to me, okay? I know I won't be the perfect wife, nor will you be the perfect husband. We just need to try our best."
"But-"
"No but's, you can start being a good future Olo'ekytan by making amends with you're future Tsahìk's brothers."
He let out a huff of annoyance, knowing I was right.
"If it makes you feel any better I was scared when your friend nearly threw my bow in the ocean"
"He's not my friend anymore" He mumbled as we continued to sway.
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