Lone

10

I whistled and clapped for my ilu as she circled me, she came up, her face rubbing against mine as I chuckled, stroking her, I connected the bond and climbed on her gently.
We circled the water a few times and once we came back up for air, she turned to me, a happy call escaping her mouth.
"It is nice to meet you, Lasi." I smiled and she let out a chirp. I let the water soak into my skin as I looked at one of the leaves of my cover fly off into the water.
"Terina!" I turned around to see Tsireya waving at me from the small dock.
Lasi and I swam over to her.
"Wow! You've mastered the ilu already." She clasped a hand over her mouth as she looked at the two of us in awe. I gave Lasi another pet on the head and smiled.
"She is a beauty." I nodded.
"Much calmer than the skimwing." She giggled as she reached a hand out to me, I took it and Lasi dived underwater, circling where Tsireya and I stood.
"Much calmer." I agreed.
"I am sorry for that brother of mine." She said.
"It is okay. He apologized."
"Good."
I looked down as the wind blew off another piece of my cover.
"Come, we should make you a new cover, a part of the forest and a part of the water." She took my hand again as we entered her marui.
"You have your own?" I asked her.
"Yes, do you think I would like to live with Aonung?" She giggled and I shook my head, a small laugh escaping my mouth as well.
"He has his own too."  I nodded, that was understandable. They were the chief's children.
"We can keep some of your forest leaves and I have some shells we can add on too." Tsierya picked up some shells and my ears perked up as she came closer to me, attaching some shells, sowing it through the leaves on my waist belt.

"This is ilu. If you want to live here. You must ride." Aonung announced as he called the ilu's, they circled him and he looked at me.
"You have a new cover?" He commented and everyone's eyes turned to me.
"Tsireya and I made it." I looked down and looked back up.
"You look... amazing."
I heard Lo'ak growl next to me and I hit him in the stomach, knocking the wind from him as he grunted in pain.
"Thank you." I fiddled with the water.
"Since Terina already knows how to ride, maybe she can help us teach them?" Tsireya looked at me and I nodded slowly.
"No! I mean... i can still teach her." Aonung offered.
"No, she is good already, I saw her swim this morning." Tsireya smiled.
" I can try." I told her.
"Come on! You are great. I saw you ride this morning." She giggled and my eyes brightened up.
"I can help her learn more-" Aonung started.
"You can be partnered with Lo'ak, I will teach Tuk, Roxto can teach Kiri, although she seems to have got it too, and Terina will teach Neteyam." I watched Aonung and Lo'ak's faces turn sour at the thought of being with each other and I let out a laugh, they turned to me and i clasped a hand over my mouth.

"Make the bond." I told Neteyam, who just stared down at me expectantly.
"Neteyam-" I clicked my fingers.
"How am I supposed to focus when you're standing here?" He huffed, annoyed.
"I- What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Your new cover."
"What about it?"
"You look... good." He blurted out.
"Really?"
"Like... really good."
"Oh..." I looked down at it.
"Like, really, really good."
"Shut up and ride." I rolled my eyes.
He pulled his queue from behind him and I rested my hand against the ilu.
"Feel his breath, feel his movement."
I watched as the connection was made and steadied the ilu.
"Woah." Neteyam laughed and I joined him.
"Hold on tight. Your posture is questionable." I wrinkled my nose up at him.
"How do I sit?" He asked, his lips forming into a smirk.
"You know how-"
"I think you'll have to show me."
"Damn it Neteyam." I sighed and called my own ilu, sliding on and sitting upright, legs around the ilu and holding on to her.
"See?"
"Yes... very clearly." He nodded and his eyes scanned my body.
I hopped off into the water and scolded him, splashing him with water as he shot off with his ilu.
He had good strength as he rode her for a good few minutes, until he fell off, looking back at me from a distance as he threw his hands down in the water in defeat.
"It was good!" I yelled out to him as Aonung swam up to me.
"What about you? Are you skilled or would you like a few more lessons?" He asked.
"She's good." Neteyam appeared out of nowhere. I jolted in surprise.
"Aonung! Come on bro! I need to understand this!" Lo'ak yelled from the far side.
"Hold on." Aonung spun back to me.
"She's good bro." Neteyam repeated and I hissed at them both.
"You are like children. Let us switch." I grumbled at the two of them, who looked as if they were having some sort of stand off.
"What?" They both asked at the same time, but I was already swimming over to Lo'ak.
"Okay. Let's go." I clapped my hands and he made the bond, zooming off into the distance and falling off again.
"URGH!" He hit the water and it splashed him in the eye.
"OW!" He held his eye and I rolled my eyes, swimming over to him, which took me some time as I was still not that fast in the water.
"You have too..." i held up my finger as I took a few breaths, holding myself up.
"Feel as if you are one." I told him.
He groaned. "This is useless."
"No it is not. You can do this." I called his ilu back and looked at him.
"Again."