𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀. 𝙉𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙔𝘼𝙈 ¹

𝙩𝙬𝙤. 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚

After Fei'uey had left Kiri to explore more, she met back up with the rest of the group. She surfaced right next to Tsireya. "Kiri is curious, but safe. Do any of you want to ride an Ilu?"

Tsireya nudged her with her elbow. "We can take Lo'ak and Tuk, you can teach Neteyam on your own." She hadn't asked for Fei to teach him, but practically stated it. The girl weighed her options. If she said no, her sister would probably make a big deal out of it. Then, it would hurt his feelings. She opted for the safer, but more uncomfortable route.

"Fine."

That was how she ended up further away from them, alone, with Neteyam. She stood in the shallow water and used her mouth to make calling sounds. She hadn't dared to look at the boy other than quick glances to make sure he was still behind her. Even then, she hadn't looked in his eyes, just a flash of deep blue as an indicator.

She kept her eyes trailed on the reflection of the water as she spoke to Neteyam, her head tilted to the side. "Ilu are the equivalent to Ikran or direhorses in the water tribes. They are both strong and beautiful."

He scratched his neck. "Will they try to kill me?"

Fei'uey furrowed her brows. She was confused. "Ilu are not vicious. The ones for the Metkayinan warriors are the ones that kill." She stroked the face of her own Ilu, Alat, nuzzling his face as an unconscious smile spread across her lips. "Ilu are harmless."

She finally looked back at Neteyam, letting him look at her face for once. Even if she wouldn't return the eye contact, she felt vulnerable. "You can bond with this Ilu," she moved onto another one, petting its head and waving her hand for the boy to come. "Mount her."

He reluctantly swung one leg over and situated himself on the creature. Fei kept her eyes trained on the Ilu than him. She grabbed one of his hands and closed it around saddle handle. "Hold on tight, or you will blow away like a leaf in the wind."

When she let go of his hand, he slipped his grip. Fei quickly put her hands back on his. "Tight, I said." She huffed and pursed her lips. "You're like a baby. You don't listen to directions."

Neteyam finally spoke. "This is new for me. You heard your dad, we're in the dark about this stuff." Fei sighed and finally looked up to meet his gaze. Compared to his mother, they looked incredibly similar.

It could have been her imagination or how he usually looked, but the way he looked at her was with intent, like she was a puzzle he wanted to solve. Boys had looked at her in a similar way, but it didn't feel the same with Neteyam. Here, he looked so genuine. She feared that if he would do it any longer, she would lose herself and her purpose.

She focused her gaze back down at the Ilu. "Make the bond." She motioned to his queue and held up the one from the creature. She watched as the connected. Of course, she had felt it hundreds of times when riding her Ilu or the network of souls, but she had wondered what it would feel like to bond with another.