The next morning, Tsireya abruptly woke me up, dragging me to the shores vigorously like an excited child running up to a ice cream truck. Calling out to the ilus swimming by the pods as i rubbed my sleepy eyes.
I was confused by the sudden morning adventure, it reminded me of Lo'ak always running off to his mischiefs the minute he wakes up. But in her case, i guess she was excited to see how i would bond with the animals here & see the life of Awa'atlu through her eyes.
The long neck with 4 eyed creatures collectively made an adorable sound as it responded to her call. Their biological role resembled Terran dolphins & they had rudder-like tails, Tsireya mentioned that they are the direhorses of the ocean.
"Today you will bond with an ilu & swim with me down to the corals! my mother insists that she is in need of more shells for home uses" she said.
Somehow that terrified me, down as in like down in the ocean? what if i can't breath for more than 30 seconds? This might be worse than the forest.
"Come!" she said, bringing my hand closer to pet an ilu.
The cute creature swam passed me as my finger tips grazed its back, its skin felt smooth & rubbery. Tsireya guided me up onto the ilu's back, petting its head for it to be calm enough for me to make the bond. I have to admit, im sort of traumatised from bonding with my ikran. I mean look where it got me.
Then my ears lifted, hearing Aonung's vexing voice from a distance, laughing & splashing away with his boys by the rocks. I rolled my eyes & tried to focus on my ilu, but his voice got closer. I took a deep breath anyways & reached for my queue, bringing it to the ilu.
The tsaheylu was made, my eyes closed to feel it's heartbeat & hushed mind. It was magnificent-
"Hey demon blood!" Aonung howled out.
My ilu dove straight into the water after feeling a sudden jump of fright from my thought upon hearing his voice. With me gripping its queue as tightly as i could, the water pressure was too much for me to handle & i let go, throwing me back up to the surface.
I gasped for air as soon as my face felt the dry air, "Fuck- that skxawng is so annoying!" i growled. Trying my best to keep myself afloat with my tail & stiff feet.
Tsireya swam towards me along with the other ilus, pulling me back to the sand & pushing my wet hair away from my face. She picked up a rock resting by her feet, flinging it at her brother with furrowed brows,
"Im sorry for his behaviour Vi, would you like to try again?" she asked.
"C-can we get away from them?" i asked, coughing out the salty water.
"Of course! lets swim down to get the shells instead!" she said as she pulled me up.
Tsireya interlocked hands with me, guiding me back into the water again & slowly lowering me down. How do i tell her that im not a natural born swimmer? i don't have thick tails for swift movement or reptile eyelids to protect my eyes like them.
She then lets go of my wrist & my eyes widened, i tried to swim after her but she was too fast. She dove in deeper but i couldn't keep up, resorting into me swimming up to the surface for air.
I submerged my head again to look for Tsireya & i found her waiting by the orangey pink corals, hand gesturing for me to swim back down & meet her by the citrus reefs just ahead. But the more times i dove back down, the more times i had to swim back up after less than a minute.
After an hour of the constant frustration, i slapped the water on my final way up for fresh air. Tsireya took notice & swam up to meet my exasperate expression,
"Whats wrong Vi? don't you want to get away from the boys?" she asked.
"I do- but i cant seem to hold my breath for no longer than a few seconds.. I-im sorry" i apologised to her, looking down at my feet kicking myself up.
"Hey, sweetie its okay, i will teach you" she said lifting my chin up with her pleasant & kind smile.
I felt like i disappointed Tsireya too many times in the short span of knowing her. With the Sullys, i had time to practice some of the skills before using them in need. I had my Neteyam with me in so many obstacles.
Tsireya tilted her head when she looked into my dull eyes, still smiling & not giving up on making me feel comfortable in her home. She lead me to the rocks away from her brother & his boys, giving us some privacy.
My head started spinning, the overwhelming feeling grew in my chest from being a failure. Soon, Neteyam's words of encouragement before i had my Iknimaya ritual echoed in my head again, making me emotional.
"Hey hey, don't beat yourself over this Vi, you're trying your best! you'll get it! " she said, placing her hand on my thigh.
"I know.. & thank you Tsireya. I just thought i'll be able to adapt quickly like how i did in the forest, but this is 10 times harder than what i expected. My body is rejected by the water" i said.
"Don't worry about it too much, with some things in life, you have to take it slow & steady. Clear your mind & let the water flow guide you" she said, sitting up straight with her legs crossed.
"Just follow m-"
"Hey Tsireya!" a quaint female's voice appeared out of nowhere.
Our heads turned to meet one of the woman by the pods waving at us, "Your mother has been looking for you all morning! she needs you back at home!" the woman yelled out.
"Shoot!" Tsireya squeaked, quickly standing up & dusting herself.
"Im sorry Vi, i cant let my mother wait on me for too long! i'll get my brother to teach you, he is pretty good at teaching the breathing methods!" she said, calling out to Aonung.
"Tsireya i dont think that a good idea-"
She bends down to cup my cheeks, "I'll make sure that he doesn't pick on you, he knows better than to mess with my dear friend. I'll be back sooner than you think!" she said with a wink.
*ೃ༄
Not a minute has passed & Aonung arrived alone on his ilu, still with the same obnoxious look in his eyes & grin. Tsireya tapped her brother's arm, telling him that i needed help with learning how to control my breathing & he rolled his eyes over his sister's request,
"If i knew that this is what you wanted, i would have never come here! why would i help thi-"
Tsireya smacked his arm before he could say another word, giving him a loathsome look in return. The 2 siblings reminded me of Kiri & Lo'ak, when they argued over the smallest things. But they weren't as bad as these 2.
"She is my friend & i will not forgive you if you are not kind to her. Father placed her under our responsibility Aonung, do you want to disappoint him?" she asked him with furrowed brows & crossed arms over her chest.
"Arggh! FINE!" he hissed at his sister, then rubbing his temples after knowing he can't get out of this one.
Aonung & i watched Tsireya dive into water, swimming towards the women with the other ilus, leaving us alone on this damp rock covered in moss.
"You know im doing this for Tsireya! so don't think you've won just by me teaching you!" he yelled out, pointing his index finger at me.
"This is not some game! you can leave if you want to! im not interested in learning anything from you!" i snapped back at him.
He growled & sat up straight infront of me, legs crossed & letting out a deep breath to express his displeasure. Closing his eyes, probably so that he doesn't have to look at me.
"Look, i don't want to be here as much as you do, but-"
"Straighten your back" he suddenly said.
I tilted my head in puzzlement, Aonung had an instantaneous switch from being an asshole to now a calm & composed man. He spoke in a slow manner & i couldn't fathom the bizarre sight, i started chuckling thinking that this was just another joke.
"If you want me to teach you how to steady your breathing underwater, you have to tune out the noise & listen" he instructed, closing his eyes.
What the- is he for real? is this menace really going to teach me just like that? not a single insult rolling out of his lips during the process? o-kay.
"Oh- um okay, yeah i-i will" i tried to get my words out as i straightened my back.
He placed his right hand on his chest. Slowly inhaling & exhaling for a few seconds before he spoke up again,
"The way of water has no beginning & no end. The sea is around you & in you. The sea is your home, before your birth & after your death. Our hearts beat in the womb of the world. Our breath burns in the shadows of the deep. The sea gives & the sea takes. Water connects all things, life to death, darkness to light."
My brows raised & at this point i didn't know what to make of this moment. Was he just mean to me because his boys were around? to make them commend his dominance over the 'weaker' ones? maybe theres more to him than the false mask he puts on whenever he's around company.
He then opened his eyes to meet my disoriented stare, blinking at him with my lips slightly parted in awe of his perception of the sea.
"Violet? ..hello?" he waved his hand infront of my face, snapping me out of the stupor.
"H-huh?-" i brought my head back.
"Were you listening? don't make me repeat myself" he said in a stern tone.
I shook my head out of my thoughts, focusing on his abdomen as he inhaled & exhaled slowly. Attempting to mimic his breathing, i got choked up from holding my breaths in for longer than a minute. Making Aonung chuckle when he caught me trying to avoid his gaze.
"Hey, watch" he said, bringing my attention back to him.
He shifted himself closer to me, gently placing his palm on my shoulder. Breathing in with me, counting the seconds with his other free hand to make sure that i don't get choked up again & exhaling out. We did that for another 3 more times.
"Good, now listen to the waves. Listen to its song" he said softly.
I closed my eyes & let the sound of crashing waves fade into my head as i pushed out the thoughts. Each wave brought me closer to my inner serenity, my mind drifted into a place of freedom & peace, making me smile unconsciously.
"I feel it.." i mumbled.
"The sea around me.. Aonung! this is amazing!" i said as i jumped out of the inspiration, grabbing his arm in joy.
"Hah! there you go!" he celebrated with me contentedly.
"Now that you've heard & feel its song, lets try holding your breath in for a little longer. This time with the same method" he said.
I followed his lead & breathed in, holding it for 20 seconds before slowly exhaling out. The process repeated a few more times but longer each try before i started coughing out the dry air again.
"I-im sorry i-"
He then takes my hand, placing my palm on his abdomen where his diaphragm is,
"Like this- breath in, breath from down here..& breath out slowly" he said exhaling out. He guided my hand up his chest & i could feel his sudden nervousness,
"Aonung, your heart beat is fast.." i said.
His ears perked to the words with flushed cheeks, immediately avoiding eye contact with me & loosening his grip on my hand. My palm was still resting on his brawny chest, making his heart beat raced even faster & breaths slightly heavy. He lifted his head, eyes meeting my lips & back to my eyes-
"Violet i-" he said softly as he slowly leaned in closer.
"I have to go" he said. Putting my hand down & quickly making his way to dive right into the water without an explanation. Leaving me to sit alone by the rocks feeling perplexed by what just happened.
*ೃ༄