𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀. 𝙉𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙔𝘼𝙈 ¹

𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚. 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩

"I wish I'd been there," Kiri grinned in fascination. She always had a connection to the life around her. "The ocean blessed you with a gift, brother."

"The Tulkun have not returned yet." Aonung lifted off from the tree he had been leaning on. He still didn't believe what Lo'ak had been repeating. "And anyway, no Tulkun is ever alone."

Neteyam scratched his hairline. It was a habit Fei had noticed when she had spent so much time with him. She swatted his leg and gave him a look. He still didn't believe his younger brother.

The boy still persisted. "Well, this one was." He turned to Tsireya and pointed to his left arm. "He had uh, a missing fin, like a stump on the left side."

And suddenly, Fei's eyes met Tsireya's with one thought: Payakan. The older girl huffed at the irony. An outcast with an outcast. Eywa must have been pulling their leg. "Shit," Fei mumbled.

"Payakan," Tsireya whispered. She repeated it again while looking at the rest of the group.

"Who's Payakan?" Kiri asked.

Rotxo glanced at her. "A young bull who went rogue. He's outcast, alone. And he has a missing fin."

"They say he is a killer," the girl next to him tried to say.

"No, no-"

"He killed Na'vi," Aonung cut in. "And other Tulkun. Not here, but far to the south."

From the side, Fei'uey could tell how pressured Lo'ak felt. She pursed her lips and opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted.

"No, he's no killer," the boy explained.

"Lo'ak, you are lucky to be alive."

"I'm telling you guys, he saved my life!" He glanced at the rest of them. "He's my friend."

"My baby bro," Neteyam announced, standing up suddenly. Fei had tried to slap his arm and pull him back down, but he evaded her move. He stood behind Lo'ak, planting his hands on his shoulders and shaking them. "A mighty warrior who faced the killer Tulkun and lived to tell about it."

Lo'ak shook him off with the wave of his hand and grunted in anger. He stood and backed away, throwing his hands up in annoyance. "You guys aren't listening,"

"No, Lo'ak, I'm listening!" Tuk promised. It was the first time she had spoke.

"Lo'ak," Kiri tried to reason. "Come back!"

When Fei stood to chase after him, she shared a look with Neteyam. It was clear that he set off the final fuse. She held anger in her eyes, scoffing at his poor attempt to make his brother feel better.

He gripped her arm to stop her. "Fei-"

"Don't," she dismissed, pushing his hand away from her arm and rushing toward the direction Lo'ak had gone. Even in her anger, her gaze still softened when she met his eyes. However, her brows narrowed immediately after they had relaxed.

The boy was left in exasperation and rolled his eyes. He had acted on pure instinct, only remembering who had been around him until Aonung nodded to Fei's direction and crossed his arms.

"What was that, huh?"

He only groaned and walked away from the group.

Once Fei caught up to Lo'ak, she called his name. He finally stopped and turned around. "What?" He demanded. "You wanna make fun of me like my stupid brother? You probably don't believe me," He shook his head and went to turn around.

"Stop," she put her foot down on the situation. "Back there, I couldn't get a word in." She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, similar to that of an older sister. "Lo'ak, I believe you. Every word."

He scoffed. "Why would you? Payakan is just a killer."

He meant to jab at her statement, but she wouldn't back down. The way Lo'ak felt was eerily similar to a time when she was younger. A darker time. "I trust you. I know you would never lie. You are faithful and stronghearted." She pushed a finger into his chest, pointing directly at his heart. 

He felt seen. There was that hopeful glint in his eyes. "You do?" He said like he didn't believe it.

"Yes, Lo'ak," she affirmed. "I believe you. I trust your judgment." She pointed to the direction he had been walking. "Now go find him tomorrow, it's getting too dark."

He nodded and turned on his heel. In a way, she had wished it was her who had been trusted and believed. But the moment had passed years ago. It was useless to still hold hope.

Fei lightly smiled before walking back. If Lo'ak didn't have anyone to support him from his family, she would just have to do it herself.

---

Later, Fei approached Neteyam, who had been lying in the grove. Their grove, as he liked to call it. "I knew I would find you here," she spoke in the silence. He hadn't even bothered to look up.

With his gaze on the clouds and the sunset sky, she lied down next to him. Even if he had been agitated, he still moved to hold her hand. Fei smiled and moved her body closer to him. Their legs brushed against each other as she pulled their interlocked hands onto her stomach.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to control you like that. I just didn't know if Lo'ak needed to be alone or not."

She bit the inside of her cheek and sighed heavily. "He needed someone and you weren't there for him. I had to do something."

"But you heard them, Payakan is a killer-"

"I know, Neteyam." She assured, brushing her thumb over his hand. "I know of Payakan. But I also heard Lo'ak speak his truth. I believe him because that is what he needs."

He had finally looked over at her to find her gaze already on him. How could he look into her eyes and still hold a grudge? In the soft orange light, she had looked even more ethereal than before. "You're beautiful," he whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear.

The corners of her lips turned up and her ears twitched. That was all he needed to grab her hips and readjust their position. Fei squealed in shock. "Neteyam!"

He laid half her body on top of his in an intimate way. She looked back up at him. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged and whispered, "I just want you to be closer."

They met in the middle with a soft, tender kiss.

this was almost an angst chapter because i was in a little bad mood (i didn't do great on my math midterm) but then i realized that i would have scrambled up the plot. i don't wanna introduce my next plot point too soon. 

tuk has my heart tho she's so precious <3 and her actress is so pretty and funny

also i'm so stupid there are so many plot holes and the next chapter lowkey sucks