𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒚𝒂𝒎'𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒗
We waited for Tsireya but she was taking a lot more time than we expected. We weren't having the time of our lives either, knowing that I was letting her see the man who almost mated & assaulted my love, the irritating waves crashing against us every 15 seconds & it was basically dark out. But then I got distressed call from Lo'ak-
"..Its Xenía brother..she's here.." Lo'ak's responded before the signal got cut off.
"Fuck! no, no, no!" I slammed the water.
"What's happening?!" Rotxo reached for my shoulders.
"We have to get Tsireya & go home! Now!" I said in an alarmingly tone.
Without another question, Rotxo dove into the water with me, attempting to swim pass the "woven" seaweed. He grabbed my dagger from my pouch, slicing the thick stripes blades as I went above water gasping for air.
As he was busy cutting the passage way bigger for us to fit through, I desperately was trying to reach my baby brother. After hearing that name..it's never good news.
Rotxo then pulled my ankle, as a signal that I can swim back down. We pushed our way in, swimming against the current & reaching for the large rock infront of us. I don't know how Tsireya did it, because it was sure as hell not easy for us to get a tight grip especially underwater.
He noticed that i was almost running out of air, so he swam back down, swimming towards me with full force to kicked me up to the surface. As I gasped for air again, Rotxo was pushed by the current, swimming back down to wait for me.
I climbed up the rock, hearing Tsireya's cries getting louder & louder as I was reaching the top.
"Tsireya!" I huffed.
"Neteyam! he's not feeling okay! you have to do something please!" she teared.
As much as I wanted this fucking man to die right here, I knew it wasn't right & I had another thing to focus on. Something more sinister than anyone else here can imagine.
"Theres something wrong back at your home! Throw him into the water, Rotxo will get him! we'll carry him back! hurry!" I said to her.
"He's.. r-right.." Aonung wearily said to his sister.
We lifted Aonung's heavy body, dragging him towards the edge of the cliff & throwing his body into the water. Rotxo swam up once again to let his body fall, catching him & going with the current before it was mine & Tsireya's turn to go back down.
It was a struggle to squeeze Aonung's body into the sliced passageway as his body was larger compared to all of us. But with the 3 of us, we used all our strength to push his dead weight underwater.
Tsireya then called out to the ilus as I swam back up to reach my baby brother once more. But we were too far out to get another signal.
"Neteyam! what's wrong?! why is Aonung coming back with us?" Rotxo pulled me to face him.
"There was a distress call from Lo'ak! someone I knew from Hometree that shouldn't even be alive, is there right now at the Metkayina!" I said with panicked eyes.
"We need to go! & get ready for war" I added.
"W-war.." Tsireya repeated fearfully.
"Yes let's go! No time to waste, come on!" I hurried them.
Putting Aonung on Rotxo's back, we rushed home on our ilus as fast as possible. But considering how much time we've already lost from cutting the seaweed & waiting on Tsireya, a lot can happen in those few minutes. My love, my family & the people..
That crazy bitch is capable of anything.
Right ahead, we saw grey smoke coming from the trees & the villager's pods, they were all black & burnt down to the crisp. Tsireya grew more & more horrified as we got closer to the crowd by the shores.
"We need to find my father!" Tsireya panicked as she dragged Aonung's body out of the water.
"Wait! what if-"
"Come on!" she hurried Rotxo.
Pushing through the terrorised & loud tearful crowd, it was overwhelming to see the amount of people crowding around my family. Then I saw my dad, quickly standing up as Tonowari & the other men blocked my view of my mother.
"Son.. where have you been boy?" my dad asked In a dull tone.
It was weird to me. I was prepared for a scolding infront of the people because he wouldn't care who was present, but this time it looked like he had lost something & it completely broke his spirit.
"Dad, Tsireya, Rotxo & i.. we went to see Aonung" I replied.
"Son there is no easy way to say this to you.." my dad hesitated.
"What is it dad? what happened here? is everyone okay?" I asked, trying to look over the other men's shoulders.
My dad faced down, unable to get the words out his mouth. Ronal then stepped forward, eyes still as fierce but even she said nothing when she saw her daughter & Rotxo holding her son up behind me. They basically went against her in the most disrespectful way, but not a single word from her.
"Dad? what's going on? Lo'ak told me that Xenía was here, did she cause all of this?!" I asked, trying to meet his eyes.
I looked around to read everyone's faces for answers. They kept their heads down, holding one another with bruises on cuts on their skin. I have never seen my dad this silent before & it was starting to scare me. What the fuck is going on?!
"Where is my she?.. Kiri, Tuk?.. Where is Lo'ak? where is our family?!" I looked around again, feeling frustrated from the lack of answers.
"Son.. your brother-" my father looked up at the night sky as his breathing hitched.
"Lo'ak? what's wrong with Lo'ak?.. Dad!" I reached for his arm.
"Please look at me! what's going on?! what happened to Lo'ak?!" I asked him again.
*ೃ༄
All of us crowded around Mr Sully, Neytiri reached for her son's arm, bringing them to chest as she calls out Lo'ak's name with a painful cry to the night sky. Mr Sully & my dad both had numb expressions on their face while the 2 sisters? couldn't fathom the fact that their brother was killed right infront of them.
"Mommy why is he not waking up?" Tuk asked her mother.
"Oh Tuk.." Neytiri sobbed as she reached for her little one, covering her eyes with her hands so that she couldn't see Lo'ak's torpefied body lying next to her now unresponsive father.
All the physical pains in my body felt nothing compared to how everyone's is feeling at this very moment. I grabbed Kiri's hand tightly as soon as I realised the petrified look on her face, knowing that a memory like this can never be erased for her & Tuk.
Mr Sully carried his son's body, bringing him to where the villagers were. My dad rushed over to me, helping me up as the rest followed Mr Sully's back silently.
The people gathered around us, Tonowari & Ronal had no words to condemn any of us right now for bringing our problems to the Metkayina the minute the saw Lo'ak in Mr Sully's arms.
"I-.. I am so sorry for your loss" Tonowari faced down.
"Bring him here" Ronal spoke softly to Mr Sully for the first time, showing him where to place Lo'ak.
As we looked around, there was multiple dead bodies around the trees & pods, it was fucking horrifying that Xenía would still carry a grudge like this till today. Ruining homes of other clans & killing people without any mercy.
Ronal & Mira prepared a special pile of soft leaves on the ground with flowers for Lo'ak's body, not making eye contact with Neytiri as they helped Mr Sully lower his body to the ground.
Mira then ran towards me as soon as she found me standing behind the adults,
"Violet! Are you okay?! Oh great mother let me help you!" she brought my arm over her shoulder, bringing me to the near fire pit just a few steps away from Lo'ak.
"Im worried about Neteyam, Tsireya & Rotxo.. Its his brother & Tsireya's first love, they are not going to take this well" I whispered to Mira.
Mira then realised how bad this could go the minute i mentioned those names. Soon, another commotion happened right behind Mr Sully. Speak of the devil-
"..Please look at me! what's going on?! what happened to Lo'ak?!.." The distressed voice yelled at Mr Sully.
No one could bring themselves to look at Neteyam, including me. Everyone faced down, Tsireya & Rotxo were already horrified & speechless after seeing a pair of familiar dark blue legs laying flat on the floor.
Tsireya bursts into tears with Rotxo holding her back from running forward.
"LO'AK.. OH GREAT MOTHER.." she screamed.
The horror in Neteyam's eyes grew as he pushed his father aside to finally see his cold dead brother on the ground..
"N-no.. no, no, no, no Lo'ak!" He reached for his brother's arm.
Neytiri was pulled away by Ronal & the other women from the village as they couldn't let her tower over her son's body from Neteyam. The feeling was indescribable. I've lost many things in my life but never something like this, someone who was there to protect me like a true brother.
I can't imagine what Neteyam's heart is going through right now..
"I-it.. should've been me!" Neteyam yelled out to his father & the people.
Mira helped me up as I struggle to stand, slowly limping over to Neteyam & Lo'ak. She then lowered me & as I turned around, Tsireya had her hand pressing on her heart with tears in her eyes. Uncontrollably rolling down her cheeks as she stared at Lo'ak's body.
I laid my head on his cold chest, feeling nothing but emptiness. Not a single breath or heart beat echoing in his chest. I closed my eyes as soon as i heard his family screamed his name into the depressing sky, one by one surrounding us as they tried to grab hold of him one last time before the ceremony.
I couldn't look at Neteyam, I knew his heart was shattered to the point where he couldn't even think about revenge at this very moment. All he wanted was his brother back, to open his eyes & stay something stupid like it was just another prank.
But unfortunately, this was real.
Mr Sully & the rest of the remaining injured men in the village new that it was time to move Lo'ak's body, but The Sully family put their entire weight to hold him down on the ground. Refusing to let anyone take him from them.
"*Oiss* Stay away from my son!" Neytiri hissed.
"Don't touch him or I'll skin all of you alive!" Neteyam growled at the men.
Tonowari raised his right arm upon seeing their reaction, letting the men know that they should back away from the broken hearted family. Giving them time with the young son who died while attempting to save his sisters with a strong heart & soul.
Neteyam's knees were buried into the ground, stayed by Lo'ak's side for hours as the fire next to him burnt out & all the villagers were asleep after the terrifying event. Nothing could separate the 2, not even his parents, sisters or me.
"W-who did this to him?" Neteyam suddenly spoke up.
"It wasn't her.. b-but one of the warriors. They-"
"That's more than enough for me" Neteyam cut Kiri off, not wanting to hear what they did to his brother.
"Ma'Teyam.. you know that you have to let go him soon.." I reached for his shoulders & softly spoke to him.
"I c-cant.." he broke down again.
Tsireya, Rotxo, Kiri, Tuk & i huddled around him, all leaning heads on one another as Aonung sat by a rock from afar to watch. He wanted to be a part of us too, to apologise for everything that has happened but he knew that this wasn't the time. So he sat with his head facing down.
It was almost sunrise when we realised, a loud sound from a shell was then blown, as a signal for the villagers to gather the dead bodies to prepare for a funeral tonight. Which made the lot of us drop back in silence.
"..I can't do this" Kiri dully said as her eyes followed an insect on the ground.
"Neither can I" Rotxo agreed.
"We have to be with him till, the end.. sister" Neteyam placed his palm on his sister's hand.
Tsireya looked at Lo'ak one last time before she teared again, caressing his hair gently as she pursed her lips.
"I see you, Lo'ak"
*ೃ༄