Seeking Refuge | Neteyam

Chapter Seven

I sat beside Neteyam, our feet draping over the edge of the dock and sitting in the water. The flower still sat in my hair, leaving a smile on my face that just wouldn't go away. I looked out into the clear water, watching as all the different creatures moved around.

"So," Neteyam spoke, "I heard you humiliated a few boys today."

I snickered, "Yeah. I was getting tired of them. And they kept laughing at Lo'ak."

It was silent for a few moments before he spoke again, "How are you liking it here?"

"It's beautiful," I tell him. "The forest is beautiful too, but the sea is beautiful in its own way. It's amazing. But..." I sighed, "I kind of miss the comfort of the forest. I was free to actually run."

"I know what you mean," he muttered.

I looked over at him, his shoulders drooped forward and head faced towards the sea. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself."

His ears perked up as he turned to look at me. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." I looked into his eyes, feeling my heart start to race. It always seemed to do that with him, but now it felt like air was being sucked out of me when it happens. "Being the responsible oldest sibling doesn't mean forcing yourself to be perfect at everything."

His lips thinned before his gaze shifted back to the sea. "I know, but it feels like I have to. Like I have to be perfect in order to meet my dad's expectations."

"Neteyam," I whispered, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Your dad will love you no matter what. He just wants you to be the best version of yourself, and he wants you to be safe."

He looked into my eyes and smiled, before his gazed turned upward and he reached for the flower in my hair. He twirled the stem between his fingers, admiring it. "You know, I gave this to you because I thought it was pretty..." he paused, turning to make eye contact with me once more,"...just like you."

Heat rose up to my cheeks as my smile grew wider. My head dropped as I looked away, placing my hands in the water and swaying them back and forth to soothe myself. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Doing this! Making me smile like a skxawng."

He laughed, "But I like your smile."

I turned to him, giving him a playful glare. "Stop it."

"Or what?"

I looked at him intently as he continued to look into my eyes with that little glint in his irises. Quickly, I splashed his face with water, causing him to freak out.

"Hey!" he laughed. He wiped the water off his face before reaching his hand and splashing me over and over. Giggles and squeals left my mouth as I tried shielding my face, but to no avail.

Eventually, I reached my hands over to his, pulling them out of the water. "Stop!" And he did. When I let go of his hands, he had that same look on his face as he did before. I shook my head, not being able to stop my smiling. Standing up, I started walking off.

"Where are you going?" he called after me.

"I'm going to find your mom, I need to talk to her about something." I told him before running off to the sand and following the shoreline.

Not long after, I heard shouting in the distance. I walked faster towards the sounds, my legs breaking into a sprint once my eyes landed on the familiar dark blue figures, surrounded by aqua ones.

Aonung, Rotxo, and their friends kept pushing Kiri and Lo'ak around. They especially targeted Lo'ak, grabbing at his arms and tail.

"Look at his tail!" They laughed.