CHAPTER 20
A'nityra POV:
I knew I wouldn't be perfectly fine without him, we where mated before Eywa, we would long for each other until death. But if this is what I had to do, it had to be done, especially if it meant Aonung would get his head out of the clouds. I watched as he wept in the distance, longing to hold him as he cried. I would always remind myself that he was at fault when the feeling persisted.
I was prepared for this to last until the birth of our child, I was prepared to be a mother alone if that's what it took. I would do my Tsahìk duties then return to the forest, hiding in places he could never find me.
I turned away from him, scaling trees and swinging from vines, I felt like myself for the first time in months as I interacted with the nature around me. I spent my alone time weaving a hammock, not wanting to sleep on the floor. It hadn't taken long as the moon disappeared entirely, leaving nothing but the bioluminescence of the night.
I let out a quiet call for Haikili as she swept down, she landed heavily, giving me a meeting screech, I hadn't flown her since we had arrived, and I'm sure she missed tsaheylu. I rubbed a had down her neck, letting my fingers run against her skin, she happily chirped as I connected my braid to her queue.
I swung myself over and told her to fly up. When night fell the only light that was seen where the dots on my skin, the stars, and the light of the torches below us. I resisted the urge to let out tribal calls, not wanting to wake up sleeping children. We twirled and flipped, soaring through the air as I let my spirit flow free. All good things come to an end as I begin to feel tired. We could fly longer another day. I demand that we fly further into the forest as Haikili complies, I swing into my newly hung hammock as her head tries to poke through.
"You can't sleep here" I chuckle, pushing her snout away, she huffs as I see her glide down beneath me, to the forest floor, she curls into a ball, surrounding her body with her wings as I see her eyes close.
I know that if anything where to happen she would wake, and that's everything I needed to know before I finally closed my eyes and slept.
Aonung POV:
I wiped my swollen eyes as I began the trek back to our home, if what she said was true I had really screwed things up. I despised the fact that my wife carrying my child was somewhere in the forest, no home set up, she might even be sleeping on the ground.
I took a deep breath and shoved the leaf like doors of our home, I fell to the ground, next to the closest sleeping mat as I naturally pat the area around me looking for A'nityra. My hands froze motionless as I realised that she wasn't coming home tonight. I stayed up for hours, tossing and turning.
A torch flickering in the distance caught my attention as I slowly rose from the same spot I'd been in for hours. My feet sunk into the sand as I swiped the back of my hand along my forehead.
Two familiar figures where up ahead on the rocks, they both swayed in sync as they watched the water. I stood next to my grandmother as I begin to follow their lead.
"What are you doing here Aonung? It is the early hours of the morning" She says, I take a moment to clear my head, still flowing with my sister and grandma.
"It's nothing"
She hummed as she took the time to observe my body, she noticed the markings on my shoulder as she softly smiled.
"You have mated grandson?" She questions, trying to pry, it was quite obvious I had.
"Yeah..." I mumble, my mood saddening even more.
"I knew you would find a nice Metkayina girl" She proudly claims, thinking that she was right.
"I'm so glad you don't interact with those forest children, they're rabid beasts, they don't belong in Awa'atlu"
Tsireya tenses as I do, our motions become hard and stiff as my fists clench in rage.
"There was this one forest girl with you're mother when she was in labour, I got her out with a harsh shove and a few words, I don't know why Tonowari was trying to stop me" She shrugs speaking like it was a normal conversation.
This time I absolutely freeze, A'nityra wasn't over exaggerating. I storm off, directly to my parent's marui's. I knew it was early but the baby would surely be awake and crying.
My predictions where correct as I burst into the warm glow of their home, Dad drew a knife to my throat as I stood still, waiting for him to sheathe the weapon.
"What are you doing here?" Mum asks, rocking my brother back and forth with her arms.
"I need you to get grandmother off the island again before I do it myself" I growl. His eyes widen as he puts his arms on my shoulder.
"Son, she just arrived, she want's to be here for the next few weeks" He said, trying to chuckle to alleviate the tension. I step out of his grasp as I take his hands off of me.
"If she's not gone by tomorrow I will take action" I say to him, we had grown to the same height, now we where as equally intimidating as the other. I give him a final glance before I walk out of the home.
I dive into the water, calling my tsurak as I travel to a place that only we know. When A'nityra hadn't learn the breathing technique we had arrived on land, now I would enter using the cove system.
Nearly all coves and caves where connected through a tunneling system, some of them being sectioned off for privacy. I sped through the tunnels, navigating my way through the bioluminescent walls as I found a familiar looking one.
I rose from the large pool, noticing the rainbow puddles giving off a glow around me. My ears twitched at a soft gasp as I turned my head quickly, the only person who knew of this place was myself...and A'nityra.
Her golden irises struck mine as she ushered to leave. She struggled pulling her body out of the water which gave me enough time to reach her. My arms gently held onto her biceps as she tried to struggle out of my hold.
I was so tired, I just wanted my mate.
She pushed off of the wall, trying to escape, it was futile as all she did was pull me along with her. I fell into the water, creating a large splash as she flinched back from the water landing in her eyes. I tried to wipe her eyes but she leaned back, stopping me.
"A'nityra, just let me help you" I sigh. She gives up in my grasp, I couldn't convey what I wanted in words to her, she needed to feel as I felt. I let out a shaky breath, tugging my braid and connecting our queue's. She whined at the unexpected sensation, the nerves emitting a soft glow as they combine with one another. I felt her pained heart as I circled my arms around her waist, pulling her smaller body into mine.
"I'm sorry for not believing you, I'm so so sorry" I whispered into her hair as a tear fell down my cheek. Her arms rested naturally on my chest as she tucked into my shoulder.
"It doesn't matter how absurd it sounds you're supposed to believe me Aonung, I'm your wife, not some ignorant child who lies." She sobs, pummeling a hand against one of my pecks. I continue to hold her, she was right, she's my mate, she's supposed to come first.
"And I will. You mean more to me than anything on Pandora ever could, and I'm sorry for not realising it sooner Ma'tyra" I practically sobbed into her hair as I held on even tighter, afraid she would leave again. She reached her arms up and wiped the tears from under my eyes, I revel in the feeling of her touch as I'd been missing it for the past twenty-four hours.
"Oh, Aonung" She murmurs, looking at my ghastly appearance. Dark circles dragged under my eyes as hair stuck out messily from my bun, the locks below it where un-tamed, barely keeping their curled shape.
She wrapped her arms around me, holding me to her as she stroked my body into a state of comfort. We where together once again, like to pieces of the same broken shell glued back together.
It was crazy that after everything we've been through we've always found each other, even if our story of love started with us being betrothed.
Words: 1613
A/N
Epilogue's next!