A tear fell down Kiri's cheek, her eyes glossy, as she embraced Spider's tiny body.
She held him tightly as if trying to keep him from slipping away. It hurt her to part with him again after their long-awaited reunion.
Her hands were still holding him for a few seconds longer before she let go.
Prior to this, Jake and Norm destroyed Spider's old mask with the tracker and gave him a new one.
Spider wanted to stay with the Sullys on Awa'atlu, but Jake insisted he return to High Camp with Norm. They didn't have the proper equipment for him to remain with them.
Amidst heavy hearts, Katiya and her siblings bid Spider farewell.
With one last embrace, Spider and Norm flew away. They watched until the two figures were no more than specks on the horizon.
Aonung watched from a distance, anger visible in his eyes.With concern, Tsireya reached out and touched his shoulder.
"Do you still not trust the Sullys?" she asked.
Aonung fixed his gaze on her, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"It was a mistake to let them bring that human here, Reya."
Tsireya sighed. "How do we know that? Besides, he's returning to the forest, Brother. There is nothing more to worry about."
"You're wrong." As he glanced at Katiya again, his face darkened. "It's just getting started."
Tsireya opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, her brother had already walked away, leaving her standing alone in the sand.
She shook her head, unsure of what he meant.
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"Do I ball my fist like this, Kati?" Sihi asked, looking at Katiya for confirmation.
However, Katiya was too busy helping Meyta fix her form to hear.
"Remember to keep your elbows up and your shoulders back," Katiya instructed, gently moving Meyta's arms and shoulders to a better position. "That's how you'll get the most power out of your punch."
Meyta nodded, determined to learn as much as she could from Katiya.
"Kati..." Sihi pouted, her voice cracking as tears brimmed her eyes.
Katiya glared at Sihi, forcing her mouth shut, her eyes still glossy with tears that would've fallen with just one blink.
"She's oversensitive today because, well, you know, that." Meyta sighed and nudged her head in a different direction.
Katiya followed her gaze to Aonung and Narini by the dock. She appeared to be cleaning baskets of fish with him, engaged in a conversation.
Behind them, the orange shade on the horizon gave off a warm glow, enhancing the moment.
He said something inaudible that made her laugh.
Katiya couldn't help but feel slightly... indignant?Could that be the word? No, she couldn't find the exact word to describe this foreign feeling.
Aonung was so kind and gentle with Narini, it was like a dream. He seemed like a different person.
It's no wonder Sihi was upset.
But whatever, it wasn't Katiya's business. She averted her gaze and focused her attention on the girls.
"Let me see your form again, Sihi." Katiya stepped away from Meyta and moved beside Sihi, observing her posture.
Sihi straightened her back and shifted her feet into the proper position. Katiya made a few adjustments to her form, then stepped back and nodded.
"Good. Now practice a few more times, and then we'll move on."
Sihi nodded, biting down on her lip to prevent her emotions from spilling out. If she started crying, Katiya would surely drop everything and walk away.
So she tried her best to compose herself, but her lips still quivered.
Katiya noticed and sighed. "Do you want me to beat him up for you?"
Sihi's eyes widened at Katiya's offer, blinking once as tears spilled down her cheek.
"No! Don't hurt him, Kati. It won't do any good," she wailed, sounding like a little girl.
"Yeah, you're right. He couldn't even take a hint, could he? It would probably just make him more stupid than he already is," Katiya murmured, wiping away the girl's teardrops. "Okay, enough already."
Sihi's heart burst at Katiya's unexpected, but kind gesture, and she began to cry even harder. Meyta approached them and hugged Sihi, patting her back in an attempt to calm her down.
"My Eywa, Si! Aonung really made you that upset?" Meyta nagged.
"No! It's be... because Kati's being really nice to me and it's weird," Sihi replied in-between sobs.
Meyta laughed. "There, there, it's alright. I'm sure Kati's not doing it out of pity."
Sihi looked at Katiya, her eyes still red and puffy.
"You really care for me, Kati?" she asked, wiping away her tears.
Katiya rolled her eyes, already annoyed by her tears, but nodded anyway. "It would've been a good excuse for me to give the Olo'eyktan's son another nosebleed."
Perhaps it would also help her get rid of the foreign feeling sitting in the corner of her heart.
As the evening passed, Katiya opted to conceal herself inside her family's Marui.
Her breathing slowed as she felt her anxieties melt away, cocooned in the security of the Marui's coziness.
She caught herself staring at Aonung multiple times, whether he was alone, with Narini, or with his friends. As a result of her actions, she fled before he had a chance to notice her.
She felt mortified and repulsed, but also strangely drawn to him.
Her feelings were jumbled, but she knew she had to be away from him the moment she saw him laugh, his eyes innocent as he taught the Metkayina children how to spearfish.
"You can come in if you want. It's right over here."
Neteyam's voice drew her attention and she stopped sharpening her knife to glance at her brother.
"Oh, hey, Kati. What are you doing?" Neteyam stepped inside followed by the boy who had been occupying Katiya's mind.
Wonderful.
Her mouth went dry and she forced a smile. "Nothing, just sharpening my knife."
Aonung's gaze remained on her for a moment then his lips curled into a smile, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Perfect. Sharpen mine too, pretty face," he said, his voice playful as he unsheathed his knife and tossed it in front of her.
Katiya's eyebrows twitched in irritation and she bit her lip. Perhaps the foreign feeling she felt was just anger after all. It seems infuriating her was one of his favorite things to do.
"Um, okay, cool. Can you sharpen mine too? I really need it for tomorrow's hunt,"Neteyam said, oblivious to the tension building between them.
He crouched down and gently placed his knife beside Aonung's. Taking his bow and bag of arrows, he handed them to Aonung.
"Here you go. Mine's not as good as Kati's, but it gets the job done."
Aonung nodded. "As long as the kids find it exciting, we're good."
As Katiya gazed down at their knives in disbelief, she contemplated whether to throw them back at the boys, or let itgo and be considerate for once.
She decided to take the high road and let it go.
Placing her knife down, she picked up Aonung's and began to sharpenit, her movement's aggressive and jerky. Quick and to the point.
"There." After sharpening the knife, she handed it back to him, stopping him from leaving.
"Already?" He turned around and raised a questionable brow at her.
"Yes." No, but she didn't want him to return later at night for it.
Aonung took the knife from her, examining the edges. As he opened his mouth to say something, his mother's loud cry echoed from outside, startling the three of them.
They exchanged glances and ran out together to find a crowd forming on the shore.
Roa, Ronal's spirit sister, and her baby were in the water. The mother tulkun had a red device embedded in her body, and her eyes were tired and weak.
"What is this, Tonowari?!" Ronal cried, perched beside Roa in the water. "What is this?!"
Aonung felt his throat tighten and his heart drop. Towards his home, the Sky People were getting closer.
He was right. It didn't matter if Spider left. The human boy had already left a mark on Awa'atlu. And this was the result.
Katiya held her breath as she caught sight of Aonung's gaze, his eyes narrowed, burning with rage.
Rage directed at her. Her.
There was no doubt in her mind that he blamed her, her family, and Spider for this.
In the corner of Neteyam's eye, he noticed Loak hurrying toward the ilu pen.
"Shit! Kati, come on," he hissed, rushing after Loak.
She glanced at Aonung one more time and left with Neteyam.
"Loak! Where are you going?" Katiya called upon arriving at the ilu pen with Neteyam.
"You need to keep your skxawng ass here, bro," Neteyam said playfully, attempting to lighten the mood.
"No," Loak shook his head. "I need to warn Payakan. He might be in danger."
"You can't just leave, idiot. Do you know how dangerous this is?" Katiya hissed.
Loak chose to ignore his sister, no matter how frightening she was, and turned around.
He reached for the ilu saddle but Neteyam stepped forward and took hold of his forearm, forcing him back around.
"Seriously, why do you always have to make things so hard?" Neteyam placed his hand on his brother's head.
Annoyed, Loak swatted his hand away. "No... you mean, why can't I be the perfect son like you?"
"Loak, don't." Katiya's jaw tightened in anger. There was an unspoken competitiveness between her brothers that she never liked.
"The perfect little soldier?" Loak pressed on. "Well, I'm not you, okay?!"
Neteyam nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line as he backed away from Loak for a moment.
"I'm not you," Loak continued, his voice cracking as his brother walked up to him again. "He's my brother, I'm going."
With that, he turned around and walked toward the edge of the netted walkway.
"Loak!" Katiya hissed, rushing forward to stop him but Neteyam beat her to it.
"Oh, he's your brother?" Neteyam grasped Loak's forearm and forced him around. "No, I'm your brother."
"Let go of me!" Out of anger, Loak yanked his arm away. With one final glare at Neteyam, he turned back around and dived into the water, quickly mounting an ilu.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Katiya murmured, jumping after him.
On the side of the ilu pen, Tsireya and Aonung approached on their ilu, drawing Neteyam's attention to them.
"Come on! He's gone to Payakan," Neteyam beckoned, calling for an ilu.
The siblings exchanged glances.
Aonung grasped his sister's arm and held her back for a moment. "You should stay."
"No, I want to help." Tsireya shook her head. "Please, Brother."
"It's too dangerous, Reya," he hissed, tightening his grip. "You're staying."
"No! Aonung, please," she pleaded as he released her and advanced into the water, ignoring her cries.
Up ahead, Katiya could see Loak breaking through the huge waves, riding over the seawall terraces and out of the reef.
"Kati? Where're you guys going?"Kiri hollered, catching her sister and brother in the water.
"Are we playing tag?" Tuk asked, her tiny hand clutching Kiri's shoulders.
"Loak's heading to Payakan," Neteyam replied quickly. "Stay where you are! Don't follow us!"
"No, wait for us!" Kiri ignored him, turning her ilu around and following after her siblings.
It wasn't long before Katiya reached Three Brothers Rocks, her gaze set on Loak in the distance shouting for Payakan.
They noticed the tulkun emerging from the waters, with a red tracking device embedded in his fin, within seconds of seeing him. Katiya's blood ran cold and she held her breath as Loak dismounted his ilu.
Quickly, he climbed onto Payakan and tried to pull out the device.
"You're so gonna get us killed!" Katiya jumped off to assist him.
As Neteyam and the others approached, they began working quickly to remove the device. But it wouldn't budge, to no avail.
"Shit," Loak cursed as he caught sight of a Sea Dragon fleet in the distance.
Katiya's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat as she looked at her surroundings, searching for a way to get them out of there.
"Here, use this!" Kiri reached into her pouch and pulled out a rope. "Tie it around and pull."
Still mounted on his ilu in the water, Aonung panted heavily. As he noticed the fleet approaching them, he swallowed the lump in his throat.
Katiya took the rope from Kiri and tied it around the device. After securing it, she jumped off and switched places with Neteyam.
She was about to tie it to her hand when Neteyam stopped her.
"Give it to Aonung. He has more strength. It will be quicker."
Katiya paused, uncertain if she should do as her brother instructed or not. After a brief glance at Aonung, she reluctantly handed him the rope.
Without a word, Aonung took it and began to wrap it around his hand.
"Shit, hurry! They're coming!" Loak shouted.
"Tsireya, over here!" Kiri beckoned, spotting the Metkayina girl in the distance.
Aonung halted, his breathing stopping as he turned around to face his sister. He had told her to stay behind, but she didn't listen.
"Okay, pull!" Neteyam instructed, tugging hard on the device with the help of Kiri and Loak.
But there was no sign of movement.
Confused and annoyed, Katiya turned around to look at Aonung only to have her heart torn out of her chest.
She wanted to scream, but her throat was dry and no sound came out as she met his eyes, seeing him let go of the rope.
She watched, completely numb, as he swam back to Tsireya. Within seconds, he snatched his sister off her ilu and back toward Awa'atlu, leaving Katiya and her siblings behind.