The Sullys stick together ⤝Avatar The Way of Water⤞

Chapter 11: The sea holds a piece of your home

The next day Liläk decided she would not go to the sea. She was tired and felt like she wasn't improving anyway, she didn't feel like hearing Aonung mocking her. She walked away from the village and towards the edge of the beach, where their ikrans had been left.

Ikrans' liked the height and so, they had migrated towards the top of their trees. The trees were interesting, the roots where enormous and where above the ground unlike the trees of the forest. She got in the water to get closer to it and looked up.

She imitated the call of a bird.

-Pìwopx!-she called. She yelped once more and then she could see the silhouette of Pìwopx coming down the tree.

Her ikran landed on the sand, shaking her head as she stretched her wings.

-Hey girl...-she patted her neck. She linked to her and got on eagerly, finally she would be able to feel like she knew what she was doing. Pìwopx flew just as longingly as Liläk, both of them having a break of the estrangement. She closed her eyes and smiled as the wind hit her face...it was so different to be up there than be down on the water...up on Pìwopx or running through the trees she felt free, as opposed to how she felt in the depth of the sea. The enormity of the sea also intimidated her, it was very open. If someone was attacking her on the sea where could she hide?

She went down and hugged Pìwopx's neck tightly.

-What am I going to do Pìwopx...-Would the Metkayina even let her stay if she couldn't adapt? But my parents would never let me go...would they? She doubted. She wasn't going to be the tsahík, it seemed obvious to everyone everywhere that Neteyam would be olo'eyktan, which meant she wouldn't be tsahík, she didn't even want to. What was her use to them? Maybe they would kick her out...she would fail her mom again all because she couldn't learn how to hold her breath for long enough. Would Neteyam let her go? No, he wouldn't. Ever. That she was certain about.

She went back to the hut not expecting to find anyone, her siblings where out, probably in the sea and her parents were...she didn't really know what her parents were doing, she had forgotten that they had to learn how to do things as well.

But when she got into the hut she stumbled with her bag as she saw her father inside, which made her fall and drop her stuff on the ground.

-Liläk!-he said as he got up.-Are you okay?

-I'm fine,-her dad was crouching beside her.-dad I'm okay I just fell!-She said exasperated.

Jake was startled by his daughter's presence, wasn't she supposed to be learning with the metkayina kids?

-Hey aren't you supposed to be swimming?-She looked at him frustrated with tears in her eyes, because she felt so useless and she had actually stumbled over a bag! She had never stumbled ever, she wasn't clumsy, at all. The omaticaya couldn't be, they run through the trees constantly, clumsiness could cost you your life...literally. As Jake saw the tears in her eyes and she sighed, he worried. He had been so busy trying to adapt as quickly as he could he had forgotten his kids where also trying to adapt.

-Is everything okay?

-I can't do it...I have tried day after day and I can't pick it up! Even Tuk has been able to go underwater for minutes on end and I can't!

-Hey 'evi, 'evi, calm down.-Jake said at his daughter's ramble.

She breathed intensely.

-Where were you now?-he asked.

-Flying on Pìwopx.-A small smile escaped her father's lips. She's so much like her mother, Jake thought. He sat beside her.

-Give it time tsawksyul. You think when I became Omaticaya I learned in a week? It took me years...you should've seen me then, I was clueless...-Her father paused, thinking Liläk didn't know anything, but she did, she had seen some of the video logs.-And even if you are never like Lo'ak or Kiri...we can't be perfect at everything. I bet the metkayina kids would never return to even try to learn after a day in the forest and we all know you are the best with the bow and arrow.