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Tìyawn makes her way to the main ground, everyone gathered around to eat together once again.
The same as every other day.
The air was alive with laughter and the aroma of delicious food.
Everything seemed to radiate with a warm, communal energy, as everyone's attention was focused on the joy of the moment.
Tìyawn made her way, walking towards her friends.
"Look!" Àteyo's friend whispers to him.
Ateyo turns his head to look at Tìyawn, watching her as she walks past them.
His eyes gradually moving downwards, towards her hips.
The way that her hips swayed gently from side to side like a rhythmic pendulum. Her every step seemed to carry a melody, a dance-like cadence that turned heads and commanded attention.
Her tail swaying along.
Each movement radiated a quiet confidence, as if she were embracing the music of life itself.
"Not so much of a forest freak now huh?" Àteyo's friend teases him.
"Oh shut up" Ateyo kisses his teeth and looks away from her.
"Ateyo can't seem to take his eyes off you" Rotxo snickers.
"Ew" Tìyawn scrunches her nose in disgust, sitting down beside him, "he's weird."
"He is. Everyone says he is" Rotxo agrees.
"Sorry we're late!" Tsireya cheers as she runs towards the others, her arm linked into Lo'aks.'
Tìyawn turns around to look at the two, smiling at them before looking away.
"Hey Tsireya, have you decided what you're wearing for your birthday?" Kiri asks.
"Most likey something.. brown" she gives a little smile to Tìyawn.
Tìyawn then returning it back.
They begin to eat, as they all sit and laugh with one another.
"Hey lover boy" Tìyawn whispers, giving Rotxo a nudge, "how come you're not sitting next to Kiri?"
"Neteyam sat there before I could" Rotxo let out a sulky pout.
"You know if you really need my help, all you have to do is ask" Tìyawn responds and then looks forward to Neteyam, "Tey. Come here I need to speak to you."
Neteyam stood up, walking towards them.
"Excuse me Rotxo, if you don't mind sitting next to Kiri, that'll be great" Tìyawn speaks for everyone else in the group to hear.
He gives her a little smirk, before getting up to be seated next to Kiri.
"What is it?" Neteyam asks, sitting down in beside Tìyawn.
"Don't be a cockblock" Tìyawn whispers back.
"What are you talking- to who?" Neteyam asks.
Tìyawn points her eyes towards Rotxo and Kiri.
Neteyam turns his head to see Rotxo and Kiri sat closely to one another, smiling as they were whispering.
"Your sister deserves a bit of happiness. Let her have it" Tìyawn whispers.
"You know my dad will kill me if she gets a boyfriend right?" Neteyam turns his head to look at Tìyawn.
"She's a grown woman. Besides, your mother is fine with it. And your father won't exactly go against her. He's a simp."
"Don't say that" Neteyam playfully hits her hand.
"I'm right though" Tìyawn shrugs.
Neteyam gives it some thought before he nods, "yeah you're right."
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"It's nice that your father is hosting a surprise party for Tsireya" Tìyawn says to Ao'nung.
The two of them walking back to her marui.
"Well yeah, she is his favourite" Ao'nung sighs, with a shrug.
"Awh, don't feel bad" Tìyawn squishes his cheek, "your mother loves you. You can see that you are her favourite, quite clearly."
"I am not" Ao'nung rolls his eyes.
"Yes you are" Tìyawn argues back.
"Anyways, why do you want to go back to your marui so early?" Ao'nung asks.
Tìyawn shrugs, "there's not much for me to do is there?"
"If you want to fun, there's somewhere I can take you" Ao'nung suggests.
"I feel like I've heard this joke before" Tìyawn looks at him displeased.
"What joke?" Ao'nung looked confused.
"I've heard a boy once tell me if I wanted to have fun there is somewhere I can take you. And when I asked where, their response was the bedroom" Tìyawn looks at him awkwardly.
Ao'nung bursts out laughing, "someone actually said that to you? Wow, forest boys have no skills on impressing girls do they? Was it Lo'ak?"
"What? No! I'd kill him if he said that. It was another boy. Let's just say, I was quite well known within the younger people. Many say it is because I don't have any parents, so the stress on impressing them is not as much, compared to those that do have parents" Tìyawn sighs, shaking her head in disappointment.
"Well, I believe that is absolutely stupid" Ao'nung laughs, "if anything, they should putting in twice the work to impress you."
"Yeah.. we're not heading to my marui are we?" Tìyawn asks, realising they had come across a different path.
He shook his head no, "come on."
He takes her hand, the two of them running along through this path, as they make their way into the woods.
"You know I've been here before right?" Tìyawn tells him.
"Yes. But there is more you have yet to discover. There are many paths to this forest, it is not as small as you think it is" Ao'nung tells her.
They walk through a different route, making their way past a lake, with tiny fishes swimming through.
Soft, ethereal light emanated from an otherworldly source, casting an entrancing glow that danced and flickered, creating intricate patterns on the water's surface.
"That is really pretty" Tìyawn whispers.
"They only glow at night" Ao'nung tells her.
"Do they have a specific purpose?" Tìyawn asks.
"Not really no. They just swim around at night" Ao'nung shrugs.
Tìyawn let's go of Ao'nungs' hand, crouching down towards the lake, dipping her fingers inside.
The fish beginning to swim around her fingers, causing her to giggle.
"They do that" Ao'nung smiles, "they are light hearted and love company."
"They are adorable" Tìyawn smiles.
"Come on, there's more to see" Ao'nung holds his hand out to her.
She looks up at him.
His smile full of warmth.
As she looked into his eyes, a gentle wave of warmth washed over her heart.
With every beat, her heart seemed to radiate a newfound energy, a soothing sensation that spread through her veins and filled her with a profound sense of contentment.
In that moment, the world around her faded, leaving only the soft glow of affection and connection, as her heart basked in the tender warmth of his presence.
She gave him a smile back, taking his hand.
"You know, I feel like you'll like this next part" Ao'nung tells her.
"I will?" Tìyawn asks, "what makes you so sure?"
"Well, I know how much you miss your home" Ao'nung tells her.
"I suppose it is because I go on about it quite a lot" Tìyawn chuckles.
"And you should continue to do so" Ao'nung responds, "it's nice to hear the many beauties of the forest."
"Well I'm glad" she responds.
They come towards a rock, covered in many leaves, flowers growing out from inside, as it connected one part of the land to the other.
"We've gotta walk over this. I'm sure you're not scared of this, are you?" Ao'nung asks.
"Me? Scared? I've been climbing things since I was born" Tìyawn confidently walks past Ao'nung, stepping onto the rock first.
Ao'nung tilts his head, letting out a low chuckle before he joins behind her, the two of them running past, coming towards a hurdle of trees.
All covered with vines.
"This really does remind me of home" Tìyawn chuckles.
"I wasn't wrong was I?" He shrugged as he started walking backwards, facing Tìyawn as the two of them walk through the vines.
She kneels her head down as she walks through.
A gasp unfolding out of her, when she looks around. It was as though she had come across an entire different universe.
"Wow" she whispers, herself in awe as she looked around.
"Welcome to the land of Se'yal" Ao'nung whispers to her, joining her to stand beside her.
"Se'yal?" Tìyawn asks, looking at him.
He points forward, Tìyawn letting her eyes follow the direction of his fingers, where he points towards a waterfall.
"That is.. I see that all the time when I come to pick up my fruits" Tìyawn begins to walk closer, her eyes wandering around the closed up forest, noticing a couple of birds spread out, sat on different branches.
Many plants, and a lot of different fruits growing out.
Fruits that Tìyawn had never seen.
"I told you. It's a different route to get to the edge of the reef. You have to dive into that waterfall, and swim across" Ao'nung follows behind her.
"I can't believe I'm seeing this" Tìyawn whispers, it's like a completely different world."
"A lot of people don't come here. It is a special place, that we like to keep clear. Especially from the young Metkayina's who like to be crazy" Ao'nung chuckles.
Tìyawn chuckles back, "they're just kids."
"Yes but some of them can be real evil" Ao'nung responds, walking forward, "so, what do you say, we go for a swim?"
"You want me to jump? Down there?" Tìyawn looked at him, not believing if he was speaking the truth of just bluffing.
"Why not? You scared?" Ao'nung chuckles, "I can hold onto you if you'd like."
"Haha, very funny" Tìyawn responds.
"Come on. You can't be scared. Technically this is part of your training" Ao'nung responds.
"What is this, the marines?" Tìyawn asks.
"Marines?" Ao'nung looks at her confused.
"Something Jake has- nevermind. But I am not diving down there. Look at how high up we are!" Tìyawn scoffs, "it is said that when you jump from a high surface, you have a likelihood of dying, and I want to live."
"Who said that?" Ao'nung asks.
"Norm" Tìyawn responds.
"Norm?" Ao'nung laughs, "what kind of name is that?"
"A human name. Unfortunate, I know" Tìyawn nods.
"Tìyawn" Ao'nung walks towards her, "would I make you do this if it'll kill you?"
"I hope not" Tìyawn responds.
"Then come on!" Ao'nung cheers.
"I'll just watch you from here" Tìyawn responds, "you don't need me with you."
Ao'nung shrugs, "suit yourself."
Tìyawn watches him as he begins to tie up his hair.
With deliberate yet fluid motions, his fingers wove through his hair, guiding it into a graceful arc at the back of his head.
The way his muscles moved beneath his skin was mesmerizing, a symphony of controlled strength and delicate finesse.
As he secured the tie, a few rebellious tendrils escaped, framing his face in a portrait of effortless allure.
"Am I that hot?" Ao'nung asks, looking back at her finally, noticing how she stared at him willingly.
"What are you blabbering on about?" She looks away from him, turning around and looking towards the water fall.
He smiled to himself, knowing she was nervous.
Ao'nung then walks past, adjusting his shoulders to get down into the water.
He turns around to look back at Tìyawn.
"I'm telling you Tìyawn. You should join me" Ao'nung tries to persuade her.
"I'm not sure-.."
"Great!" Ao'nung grabs onto Tìyawn's wrist in a space of a second, to stop her from reacting towards him, as he holds her tightly.
Tìyawn feels herself bump into Ao'nungs' chest, without any warning, before feeling her feet completely off the ground.
"Ao'nung!" She shouts, before looking down, realising she was going down with him, "I'm going to kill you!"
She wraps her arms around his shoulders tightly, burying her face into his shoulder, keeping her eyes shut tightly.
The surface shimmered above like a distant memory as she descended, weightlessness enveloping her like a second skin.
The world above seemed to fade as the liquid embrace swallowed her, cocooning her in a serene silence broken only by the muted symphony of underwater life.
Ao'nung pulled himself back up to the surface, pulling Tìyawn with him as he kept his arms tightly around her.
He let out a gasp, a laugh coming along after it, once his head was up on the surface and he was able to breathe.
"Woo!" He cheered, before looking towards Tìyawn who still had her eyes tightly shut.
He leans down to her, "you're okay, Tìyawn."
Hearing Tìyawn's whisper, she opens her eyes slowly, seeing Ao'nung look back at her.
It was as if the universe had conspired to create a space where doubts and fears had no place, where the weight of the world lifted in the warmth of his eyes.
The connection they shared was a tapestry woven with threads of shared moments, laughter, and understanding, forming a bond that transcended words.
"You skxawng!" She shouts, slapping his arm as she moved away, his grip around her waist becoming light.
"Admit it. It was fun!" Ao'nung cheers.
"I thought I was going to die!" Tìyawn shouts back.
But it wasn't a shout of anger.
If anything, she let out a chuckle after, "by Eywa, Ao'nung, you are so careless."
"Hey! I'm only careless because it's fun" Ao'nung tilts his head, giving her a cheeky smile.
Tìyawn suddenly feels a drop hit her head.
In an instant, the atmosphere transformed, the air filled with a petrichor-laden fragrance that seemed to awaken every sense.
As she looked up, the rain intensified, it danced upon her skin, tracing rivulets that shimmered like liquid jewels.
"It's raining" she smiles and looks back down at him, "it's raining!"
"I know!" Ao'nung responds, "doesn't it feel nice?"
Tìyawn nods.
"I-!"
"You love the rain!" Ao'nung cuts her off, finishing her sentence.
She looks at him, her eyes forming the look of realisation. Realising how much she knew him.
Her gaze fixed on him with a mixture of tenderness and longing. The droplets clung to her lashes, mirroring the unspoken emotions that shimmered in her eyes.
She felt her body float towards him, feeling Ao'nungs' arm curl up around her waist once again, holding onto her securely.
Both her hands lightly grasping onto the muscle of his arm.
His gaze rested upon her with an intensity that spoke volumes, a magnetic pull that seemed to bridge the gap between them.
His eyes traced the contours of her face with a tenderness that held the power to stop time itself, each look a caress that conveyed a yearning too profound for words.
It was a gaze that whispered of untold stories and unspoken longing, a silent plea to cross the threshold between friendship and something more, leaving her heart racing in anticipation of the kiss that hung like a delicate question in the rain-kissed air.
Their faces gradually moving together, letting the tip of his nose touch hers.
His lips parted slightly, as if on the cusp of releasing the words that danced at the tip of his tongue. Yet, there was a hesitation, a fleeting moment of uncertainty that held his voice captive.
His eyes, a window to his thoughts, flickered with a mixture of emotions — a blend of eagerness and apprehension, a desire to bridge the silence but held back by the weight of unspoken thoughts.
There was a sudden noise, causing them both to let out a startled jump, when they realised an ilu wished to swim in between, causing a larger gap than before when they gave it way.
The two of them look at one another once again.
Tìyawn could sense the awkwardness, as the two of them had almost kissed.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come so close" Tìyawn tells him.
He shook his head no, "it's fine."
Ao'nung looked back at the ilu, slightly thankful it helped him avoid the kiss, knowing he felt to nervous to kiss her in that moment.
And Eywa forbid, he messed up the first kiss that she'd remember.
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