How To Steal A Heart

III. Ilu

"llu is very gentle, but you should still take it slowly," I instructed Neteyam.

I stood next to Neteyam, checking his posture and hold on the saddle.

"Okay, looks like you're all set. Do not go underwater for a long time. Today we will work on your breathing again, so don't overdo it," he nodded and listened carefully.

He took his braid revealing the queue. Slowly he made the tsaheylu connection with the ilu and it twitched a bit, but instantly calmed down. I shot him a smile when he managed the ilu to stay calm.

"You're doing great! Now try to swim with him a bit and remember to go with the flow of the water or otherwise it will rip you out of the saddle," I gave him my last instruction while I stepped back to give him enough space.

His face contorted in deep concentration, the tip of his tongue showing between his lips. I couldn't help but smile how hard he tried to get it right. Once the wrinkles on his forehead cleared a bit, the ilu moved forward. At first, he did a few slow circles around me, but as he gained more confidence in the bond he made the ilu go faster into deeper water. He dove underwater and after a while he jumped from it.

When he came over to her she touched his stomach to check his breathing. From the corner of her eye she saw his tail twitch. Smiling to herself she looked at him and praised him for his good work.

She spended the rest of the morning teaching others the sign language that they will use under the water. It was funny and frustrating at the same time.
Neteyam was very understanding student, she couldn't say the same about Loak. He was constantly looking at Tsireya and not paying attention to the lesson.

Namaari couldn't help herself but be a little jealous of her sister. She hoped that one day she would find someone that would look at her the way Loak looks at Tsireya. Looking away from them she looked to Neteyam to find him already staring at her. Smiling at him she continued the lesson. She tryied to teach them some basics like greetings,... but she gave up after a while.

Let's go back to the village, so I can prepare our lunch and then we'll continue with your breathing technique lesson."

Everyone helped prepare the meal and once we finished eating and cleaned everything, it was time to rest a bit before we had to continue with the teaching.

_______

Namaari and Neteyam decided to try diving.

After taking a few deep breaths, she and Neteyam dived under the surface. Neteyam noticed that she had begun to collect shells at the bottom of the sea. Feeling that he was running out of oxygen, he floated to the surface. After a long, deep breath, he swam back to her, only to ding her looaking at very beatutiful shell.

He noticed that the shell was actually quite similar to the one she was currently wearing. As they made their way to the shore with Neteyam helping her carry the shells, she saw Tsireya and Loak on Ilu.

She sat down on the sand and looked at his hands.He put the shells away.

He was visibly confused when you asked to compare hand sizes, eyes flicking back and forth between his hands to yours.

But after a few moments of awkward silence, he ends up obediently holding up his hand to you, earning a pleased smile from you.

The air felt weirdly tense as he felt your soft palms brush against his, a strange warmth enveloping inside his chest. He has never felt that intimate towards your touches.

Neteyam watched the pads of your fingers drag itself into the calluses of his palm, it made him slightly jolt from the ticklish sensation and you couldn’t help but quietly giggle at his reaction. He gave you a playful glare that silenced you, but there was still a smile on your face.

Smiling, she continued her observation of his hand.

Finally, she laid her hand flat over his— mirroring his outstretched fingers. neteyam realized how much her hands were completely different from his.

He noticed that her fingers were much shorter compared to his. if he could clench his hands into fists right now, your hand would be completely engulfed in his slender fingers. It shouldn't come as a surprise to him, you were a whole foot shorter than him – he always had to crane his neck whenever you two talked or he always teased you about being short.

He could feel himself heating up just by your closeness. And by this distance, he could see every beautiful feature on your face perfectly.

If you were able to blush you would when you feel his hand wrap around the end of your tail so gently and with a little curiosity.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, I just thought I might say hello." Ao'nung interrupted them with a smile. As Neteyam stared at Ao'nung all the way back, the sun began to set.

Saying goodbye to Nateyam, she made her way back home.