It was only the warm orange glow of the torches that radiated from the shore of Awa'atlu that illuminated the gathering of a ceremony in the dark.
A peek, a glance behind the blazing fire was all it took for Katiya to see the chiseled arm of a Metkayina boy, newly inked with swirls of tattoos.
Aonung stood tall and proud, a symbol of strength and courage among the other young warriors.
She managed to avoid him for the whole day. Yet, here she was, still trying to avoid him. In her hand was her songchord adorned with the broken seashell she had obtained from Tsireya.
Katiya had decided to confront her about the seashell.
Music filled the shores of Awa'atlu, and people began to dance in celebration among the villagers. For some time now, Aonung has been walking around looking for Katiya.
At his wits' end, he desperately searched for her in the crowd.
"Kati, where are you going?" Neteyam asked, handing Tuk a leaf plate of food.
"Have you seen Tsireya?" Katiya asked, looking around.
"No, but she's probably with Loak somewhere. Why are you—"
"Kati."
The sound of Aonung's voice piqued her ears, and she quickly took off.
"Talk to me later," she mouthed to Neteyam, disappearing into the crowd.
Aonung scoffed, his tongue darting across his lower lip as he met Neteyam's gaze.
"Uh, let me guess, hide and seek?" Neteyam raised a brow at him.
"What the fuck is that?" Aonung's brows creased in confusion, giving Neteyam a strange look.
"Oh, right. Kati hides and you seek her, yadee yadee yadaa. It's a Sky People game."
"Then yeah, hide and seek," Aonung shrugged. She might have been embarrassed that they kissed, or she might have been in denial once again.
"Oh! Oh! Can I play?" Tuk asked excitedly.
"Tuk, let's leave them alone," Neteyam nagged, pulling her back by the arm.
The little girl whined and stomped her foot.
"But I want to play with them!" she protested.
Neteyam sighed and shook his head. "No, they're busy playing a different kind of hide and seek. We'll find someone else to play with."
As he said this, he looked at Aonung who had tuned them out, his eyes fixed on Katiya dancing in the crowd. She immersed herself in the music, moving along with the others, to keep distance from Aonung.
He watched her, mesmerized by her beauty, his heart aching with longing. But he remained rooted in his spot, only touching her with his gaze.
"Look at him, finally opening up to her," Ronal whispered, leaning in toward her husband as she looked at her son.
Dancing in a circle around the fire, Aonung couldn't tear his eyes away from Narini. Or so his mother thought.
Right behind Narini was Katiya, who noticed his gaze as she tried not to look in his direction.
She could feel his eyes on her, and her heart ached with the same longing. She wanted to be close to him, to be in his arms, but she stayed away.
She knew that if she went to him, she would never be able to leave, and she had to save herself.
As she flicked her wrists and ankles to the beat of the music, she twirled gracefully, the glowing fire making her shine like a goddess.
Her steps were light and she smiled as she danced, a rare sight. Her movements were effortless and she seemed lost in the moment, her body swaying and spinning in complete harmony with the music.
Until it wasn't anymore.
Katiya felt a tug on her hair and immediately stopped when she couldn't lift her head.
"Oh no, Kati! I'm so sorry," Narini gasped. Her armband had caught on Katiya's hair, pulling her head downward.
"Fuck, stop moving," Katiya demanded, struggling to untangle her hair. But she couldn't see what she was doing.
As Narini tried to help with her other hand, Katiya slapped her hand away.
"Aonung," Narini gasped, looking up at the tall Metkayina boy.
Katiya froze, mentally cursing herself.
"Hold still," he demanded, his gaze fixed on her as he stood between them, untangling her hair from Narini's armband.
"Did you get it?" Katiya asked, panic in her voice. She wanted to get out of there as soon as he freed her.
"Not yet," he lied.
Narini's gaze trailed from his face to her armband and Katiya's hair in his hand, now free of tangles. After realizing what had happened, she held her breath. Was there something going on between them?
Meanwhile, Kiri was about to help them but stopped when she saw Aonung helping them instead. She watched as he successfully untangled Katiya's hair from Narini's armband, but he remained where he was, his hand still holding onto Katiya's hair strands.
Aonung closed his eyes momentarily, taking in Katiya's scent as she pulled her head away from him. She looked annoyed and angry as she glared at him and walked away.
He paid the Ta'unui girl no mind as he smiled and followed Katiya. As they weaved their way through the crowd, they headed toward a dim and less crowded area.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, spinning her around and pulling her close.
"Stop it," Katiya hissed, trying to escape him.
But Aonung tightened his grip on her hand. She trembled, as his fingers dug into her skin.
His gaze trailed down her body, landing on the broken seashell attached to her songchord at her hip. With quick reflexes, he reached for it and held it up, its shell shimmering.
"What are you doing? Let go." She tried to pull free, but he tugged her closer to him.
"You're so cold-hearted, Kati," he said, his gaze fixed on her. "You kiss me and then run from me. Are you taking advantage of me?"
There was a playful tone in his voice, despite the seriousness behind his eyes.
"It was only a kiss. We just happened to be caught in the moment, that's all," she murmured, swiping at her songchord but failing as he moved his hand away from her.
"Yeah, a lot of things just happened to happen to us," he scoffed, letting go of her hand to grab his songchord from the small pouch hanging on his waist.
In front of her, she watched the two shells merge into one as he brought them together.
"I guess this also happened to just land in your hand, huh?" Aonung teased, his voice barely audible as he stepped closer to her.
He let her songchord slip away from his hand as it hung on her hip again. He stuffed his back into his pouch, his eyes fixed on her.
"Your sister gave it to me. You can have it back," Katiya replied.
"It belongs to you now. It's yours, Kati."
"I don't want it," she lied, her lips moving on their own.
Aonung raised a brow then shrugged, extending his hand out. "Fine. Give it to me."
"What?" She paused, staring at him with wide eyes.
"You heard me, sweetheart."
She glared at him as she undid her songchord around her hip and put it in his palm.
"Now stop following me," she muttered, turning around and walking away.
Aonung bit back a smile as he watched her disappear into the jungle. He looked at her songchord in his palm, suddenly wishing to know about the various beads and feathers of her life.
Then he placed it inside his pouch and glanced around, making sure no one took notice of them before stepping in her direction. He learned to tolerate her assertive behavior, only wanting to taunt and tease her more.
Her words might have stated otherwise, but her lips and touch spoke volumes about how she felt about him.
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The sound of a waterfall could be heard as Aonung ventured deeper into the jungle, the grass beneath his feet lighting up with every step he took.
He had no idea where she was headed, but he followed her for some time without her noticing.
As he drew closer to the waterfall, the fog surrounding the area thickened. Then he saw Katiya in the water with her back turned toward him.
The moment she moved her hair to the side, he realized she was naked. As he stared at her, his heart raced and his face flushed. He wanted to turn away, but he couldn't.
He felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch her. He was powerless to resist her.
But he steeled himself and closed his eyes momentarily before turning around to leave. If she knew he had followed her, she would surely give him another nosebleed.
Aonung bit his lip, his cheeks warm as he tried to shake the image of her bare back out of his head. He was barely a few feet away when he heard a group of Metkayina boys laughing in the distance, heading toward the waterfall.
"Shit," he cursed, turning around and heading back toward Katiya.
She was still in the water, now standing at chest level. The waterfall roared and she remained oblivious as Aonung jumped into the water.
He swam up behind her and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around. She swung her fist at him, but he quickly caught it. He had learned a lesson or two from their previous banter.
Katiya's eyes were wide, one of her hands covering her chest in the water as Aonung pulled her behind a protruding rock in the water.
Standing close to her, he towered over her.
"What are you doing? Get out!" Her voice shook as she covered her chest with both hands.
Aonung glared at her and covered her mouth with his hand. "Shut up."
His other hand remained on her shoulder, holding her in place as she looked up at him in confusion and anger. He returned his gaze to something behind them, behind the rock, as Katiya's ears picked up multiple voices close by.
Due to the loud waterfall, they shouted at each other. Then the boys' voices faded into the distance as they disappeared back to where they came from.
Katiya and Aonung, however, remained rooted in their position, their heartbeats accelerating. She held her breath as her eyes landed on the tattoo on his arm which was still over her mouth.
Her gaze trailed to his other arm, noticing the scar she had given him.
He followed her gaze to his arm, and in an instant, the air between them changed. She knew they were both thinking the same thing, and silence was all the answers they needed.
Katiya's silent and obedient behavior puzzled Aonung, who focused on the burned scar on her chest.
He slowly reached out and touched the spot. It felt warm and alive like it had a heartbeat. The intensity of the moment was overwhelming, and neither of them said a word.
She didn't budge or step away from him. She let out a shaky breath as his fingers trailed up her scar to her neck, then her chin.
He lifted her head and fluttered her eyes shut, anticipating his next move. The corner of his lips curled into a smile and he moved closer toward her, his body lightly pressed against hers.
Katiya's eyes flickered open when she felt something firm poking against her stomach and she blushed as she realized what it was. Coming back to her senses, she pushed him into the water and quickly scrambled out before he emerged from the water.
She quickly slipped on her top and bottom as she stumbled away from the water, her heart pounding. She glanced back at him, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Aonung broke through the surface, drenched from head to toe as he gasped for air. He looked around for her and finally spotted her in front of him, her face red with anger as she yelled at him.
But the waterfall was too loud, and he had no idea what she was saying.
Instead, he just laughed and stood there, watching her, until the anger melted off of her face and she came toward him.
However, she became concerned when she saw panic in his eyes. She turned to the side and froze as a thanator snared its jaws at her.
She felt a wave of terror in her chest but forced herself to stay still. Her eyes landed on a pink scar beneath its underbelly and she quickly realized it was the same thanator she had encountered back then with Aonung.
Roaring, it launched at Katiya but Aonung was quick, already out of the water as he pushed her out of the way. Its claws slashed at his chest, leaving a gash as blood began to flow.
She looked back at him as he struggled to stand. In an effort to escape the black feline creature, she grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her.
They managed to escape the thanator and hid in a cave, covered with hanging vines as the inside glowed with tiny crystals and bioluminescent plants.
They heard a faint sound from outside and realized it was the thanator, looking for them. They held their breath and waited until the sound faded away. Exhausted, they finally started to relax.
Aonung inhaled sharply as he leaned against the cave wall, blood oozing from the cut on his chest. Quickly, Katiya pulled out a cloth from her pouch and dabbed at his wound.
He winced, groaning painfully at her touch. Within moments, the bleeding slowed and his breathing calmed. He watched her, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she pulled out a small leaf-wrapped item. Inside were some crushed medicinal herbs.
"You're an idiot," she nagged, applying the herbs to his wound. "Great Mother save you, Aonung. Always so stupid."
She rambled on, frustration evident in her voice but her touch was gentle and caring. He remained quiet, observing her tend to his injury.
"I know. It was stupid," Aonung murmured, drawing her attention to him as he held her hand. "But I'd do it all over again for you."
Katiya's breath hitched in her throat and her anger nearly broke as she stopped moving.
"No, you wouldn't."
"Yes, I would," he replied, searching her eyes.
She lowered her gaze, unable to hold onto his. "Don't make false statements. Saving me and getting hurt in my place. We both know what you did was pure instinct."
"It wasn't," he shook his head.
"Yes, it was," she said, her voice stern as she glared at him. "You're only interested in getting rid of me and my family. You're a cold-hearted man and a liar."
"Are you saying our kiss meant nothing?" He asked his voice low. "I'm a man of many things, sweetheart. But the only man I want to be is yours."
Katiya's expression faltered, and her heart fluttered at his words.
"Keep dreaming. I will never forgive you for what you did."
"Then don't."
Still holding on to the thin line of denial, she was stubborn.
"I will make you bleed. I will make your life a living hell," she threatened.
"Do whatever you want with me. I'll never stop chasing you until you're mine."
Frustration gripped her heart as her breath quickened, annoyed that he wasn't fazed by her at all.
"I will leave you here to die. Don't test my patience," she hissed.
Aonung paused, a hint of a smile on his lips as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her skin.
"Don't make false statements, Kati," he said, his voice barely audible as he reflected her words at her. "Treating my wound, nagging me for being stupid. We both know what you did wasn't pure instinct."
Katiya's eyes flickered for a moment and she remained still. She didn't pull away from his touch, she didn't yell at him, she didn't hit him.
And he knew she had made the decision, she had gone with it, and there was no going back this time.
With defeated eyes, she declared, "I hate you."
Aonung let out a low chuckle, wincing from the wound on his chest as he leaned forward, closing the distance between them.
"Then hate me. Hate me for the rest of your life, Kati," he whispered, reaching for his queue as he gazed at her through hooded eyes.