Seeking Refuge | Neteyam

Chapter Eleven

Night had fallen by the time we made it back. As soon as I got off of Laea, Neteyam pulled my hand into his and started leading me through the village. Many people remained outside as they worked or had fun.

I grew anxious as we got closer to our tent—a sudden worry about how the family would react filled my mind. To my appreciation, Neteyam gently let go of my hand as we got to the entrance. We walked in, side by side as our arms lightly brushed against each other.

"Hey, kids," Jake nodded, giving us a look before going back to working on his gun. "Where were you two?"

An unexpected smile formed on my lips as I raised my hand to cover it. "Uh-"

"We went flying," Neteyam blurted out. He looked over at me and smiled, giving me a subtle wink. I rolled my eyes at the boy.

"Flying?" Lo'ak barged into the conversation, shooting up from his resting position on his mat. "Bro! You should've told me! I've been wanting to go flying for so long!"

"Where did you guys go?" Tuk asked excitedly, jumping up from beside Kiri and running over in front of us.

"We explored a tiny island," I smiled at the girl, patting the top of her head.

Jake's head perked up at this as his ears shot up. He looked at Neteyam with an approving smile. My head tilted as I looked between the two boys. I turned to the boy on my right, giving him a questioning look. But he just shook his head and smiled.

Neytiri looked at the three of us, smiling as she stood up and pulled Tuk into her arms. "That is enough. Come, now. Go to sleep."

Reluctantly, everyone did as told and set up their mats. I laid mine down between Neteyam and Kiri, like I always did. As I laid down on my mat, my back faced to Neteyam, Kiri looked at me with a smile. "Nice flower."

My eyes widened as she said it, and I reached my hand up to take it out of my hair. I completely forgot about it. "Thanks..."

She looked around before whispering, "Don't worry, I'll try to keep everyone's teasing minimal." My ears perked up as I felt heat rise to my cheeks, but she just kept smiling. "Sleep well, Ayn'at." She rolled over, turning her back to me, as Neytiri cut out the light.

The moment it got dark, I felt a tail brush against the back of my leg. Rolling my eyes, I turned over to see Neteyam giving me a cheeky smile.

I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face as well. "Go to sleep, skxawng."

His smile grew wider. "Sleep well, my beautiful Ayn'at."

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"Ayn'at!" Tuk's voice called as I felt her body land on top of me. She shook me as she kept shouting. "Ayn'at! Ayn'at!"

Rubbing my face, I groaned and sat up. I pat the girl's head, "What's got you so excited, Tuk?"

"The Tulkun returned!" she squealed, grabbing my hands and pulling me up onto my feet.

My eyes widened at this. I looked around the tent to see everyone gone—everyone except for me, Tuk, and Neteyam. The taller boy just stood against the pillar in the middle of our home, looking at me with a wide smile. "Hurry up, sleepyhead. Don't make us wait now."

I rolled my eyes and picked up my mat, rolling it up before I tossed it to the side. I patted Tuk's back, pushing her towards the entrance of our tent. "Come on, then."

Tuk ran out of the tent instantly, causing a smile to form on my face from her excitement. That girl's happiness always radiated off onto me. I turned to Neteyam, finding the boy with a wide smile on his face.

My head tilted to the side, "What?"

He shook his head and continued to smile as he walked over to me. "Nothing." He pecked my cheek and gently grabbed my hand as he led me out. I felt my cheeks burn as he did it.

The moment we made it to shore, I felt the air knocked out of me. There were so many Tulkun, wading in the blue waters and jumping around. They were gorgeous. All of them  filled up the bay as Metkayina people swam around, connecting with their long-lost friends. It was amazing.

Neteyam called his Ilu over and mounted him, pulling me on behind him. He turned his head to look at me, "Hold on."

I shook my head at him with a smile. "I think I will be oka-" Suddenly, he jerked the Ilu forward, causing me to quickly wrap my arms around his waist and lean my face into his back. 

He bursted into laughter, "I told you to hold on."

I lightly hit his shoulder, "Quit being a skxawng and go!"

I wrapped my arms around his waist again as he chuckled, nodding his head. "Yes, ma'am."

We swam around the Tulkun, watching as they all talked to their spirit siblings. Some of them even playfully splashed us. When we submerged into the water, it was all the more magical. So much emotion filled the blue abyss. It was just so phenomenal to see how they interacted with everyone. It made me happy.

After the excitement died down, I found myself sitting on the shore beside Neteyam. My feet sunk into the sand as I ran my hands through the grainy ground. It was peaceful—the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, commotion and people talking in the distance, and simply being in his presence.

His hand slid into mine as he pulled it into his lap, playing with the beads on my parents' bracelets. I smiled at the sight. Neteyam was always close to my parents; they loved him. His voice soft, he spoke, "What did these mean to you?"

My smile grew wider at his curiosity. The respect he'd show my family was always admirable. "They represented our love for each other. I made them for us when I was 5."

He smiled, "Yeah, I remember. You were so proud of yourself for making them." I felt my heart tingle. The fact that he remembered so many meaningful moments in my life was heartwarming. His smile grew wider, "Do you remember when your dad took us hunting that one time?"

I laughed, "Which time? There's like hundreds."

He shook his head, "The time I hurt my leg so your dad had to carry me home."

"Oh, yeah!" I laughed, "You were so embarrassed."

He started tracing shapes into my palm as he nodded his head. "Was not my best moment."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "Well, what was one of your best moments?"

He paused for a moment, lacing his fingers through mine. "Choosing you." He placed a kiss on the top of my head, sending shivers down my spine. It was like ever since the night before, all the feelings I had when I was with him were now increased by thousands.

I picked my head up and turned away, pulling my hand out of his as I covered my face with them. My cheeks hurt from the amount of smiling I was doing. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?"

I felt his hand on mine. He gently pulled my hands away and grabbed my chin, turning me to face him. His usual light smirk was on his face as he looked into my eyes. "And how many times do I have to tell you that I like your smile?" He leaned in and pecked my lips, sending another tingling sensation throughout my body. His hand made its way to my left cheek as he lightly caressed it with his thumb. "I can't help it, Ayn."

I was at a loss for words. It was like anything he did to me made me breathless. I just smiled as I leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. Leaning my head back on his shoulder, I placed my hand back in his as he intertwined our fingers. "Choosing you was one of my best moments too."