oel ngati kameie - avatar twow

chapter 10

"Ow!" Ao'nung hissed, jumping from the burning feeling under his eye.

"Can you be quiet and stop moving? I told you it's going to burn. So, stop fussing around," Mi'reya snapped as she wet the cloth again, cleaning it from the blood.

"Do it more gently!" Ao'nung whined as he bit his teeth in pain.

"Do not order me around. You are lucky I haven't gone to your mother with this. Your father would skin you alive if he knew," Mi'reya said, placing the clean cloth more gently on his wound, wiping away the blood that fell down his face. "It's not so deep so at least you won't need any stitching."

Ao'nung winced at the thought of stitching and tried to sit still as per the girl's request. He looked at her face, seeing how concentrated she looked as she cleaned his wound. It reminded him of when they were children; he would get cuts on his skin from the coral, and Mi'reya would have to clean each one if he wished to avoid his mother's lectures.

"Thank you," Ao'nung smiled at the girl, Mi'reya turning her eyes away from his wound to his for a split second before turning them back.

"No problem," Mi'reya replied. "It was stupid how you all fought, but at least I had something to laugh about."

"The forest boy is dead next time I see him," Ao'nung hissed under his breath, annoyance seeping through his tone.

"Do not get ahead of yourself, Ao'nung. If it wasn't for the little follower you have, I am sure there would be no fight."

Ao'nung rolled his eyes, knowing that it was true. Nevertheless, he was still angry with Lo'ak for punching him, which was understandable, and was thinking of a way to get back at him. However, he tried not to think about it too much for now. Since Mi'reya was cleaning his wound, he wanted to cherish every second he had with her, not look for revenge; he had time for that later.

"Mother was angry that I had stayed away for the night," Ao'nung grinned at Mi'reya, remembering how they talked for hours yesterday before falling asleep from exhaustion.

"And what did you tell her?" Mi'reya questioned abstinently, still focused on healing his wound, now spreading a mash of herbs on it.

"That I was with you."

Mi'reya hummed as she heard his answer, ignoring the warm feeling she felt when he told her that he didn't hide the truth from his mother.

"My father, too, asked where I had been. I usually don't run off at night anymore."

"And what did you say?"

"That I was with you," Mi'reya repeated his words, sending him a smile. "He let me off once he heard that. You should have seen his face."

Ao'nung chuckled at the mere thought, knowing well how Mi'reya's father often was. The man somehow always accepted Ao'nung as Mi'reya's friend; the boy figured it was because he and his father were close friends.

Mi'reya hummed a tune under her nose, one Ao'nung knew all too well, as she cleaned up the cloths and put all the herbs away, Ao'nung watching her every move. He saw how she looked even more beautiful from the last time he had seen her up close, not counting last night. How her eyes now held happiness and comfort, how a small smile was resting on her lips or how her ears perked up with every noise she made. When Ao'nung was young, he came to realize two things gave away what Mi'reya was feeling, her ears and hands. He saw how her ears would perk up whenever she was happy and how they would fall when she was sad. He believed that even she didn't know that she did those things,

"So," Mi'yera began, filing with her fingers, a sign she was nervous. "What now?"

Ao'nung turned his head in thought, and his ears perked up as he smiled, "how about we skip lessons and go for a swim? Tsireya can handle the forest people on her own."

Mi'reya grinned at the thought and stood up, her eyes shining in excitement, reminding Ao'nung of when they were children. "I'm up for that."

"Race?"

"You bet," Mi'reya smirked, diving into the water.

Mi'yera laughed, feeling happier than ever as she and Ao'nung dove in and out of the water, doing various flips and turns. Her head turned to Ao'nung to see him smiling at her, occasional laughs escaping his lips as he splashed water onto Mi'yera.

"Reya, hurry up, you're so slow!" he shouted over the waves, laughing at the face she made before speeding up, swimming far ahead of him.

When she turned her head back to him, she saw the challenge in his eyes, his lips forming a smirk as he sped up, holding tightly onto the skimwing so he wouldn't fall off.

Mi'reya focused her eyes on their destination, diving into the water, making sure not to get tangled in the plants, twisting and swinging from side to side, making her feel dizzy. When Mi'reya was ready to dive out since she was close, Ao'nung sped above her, coming out of the water first, a broad smile on his face.

The girl's mouth fell open as she slowed down her skimwing, gliding next to Ao'nung, a loud laugh echoing around them.

"You idiot! That's so cheating!" she shouted.

"There can't be cheating if there are no rules, Reya," Ao'nung smirked at her, loving how she got riled up.

Mi'reya huffed in frustration, her heartbeat calming as she realized where they were, a smile finding its way onto her lips.

"Get off your skimwing and come on," she instructed, already diving into the water, making sure to take a deep breath.

Her eyes lit up as she swam towards the Spirit Tree, the beauty of it always making Mi'reya feel safe. She turned her head to see Ao'nung following her; she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the branches that connected them all to Eywa.

Ao'nung's mind cleared as they neared the Spirit Tree, not having been here for a long time. He forgot how beautiful it was and was reminded of it each time he came.

Mi'reya suddenly halted, remembering the last time she came here and the things she saw.

Ao'nung felt her hand tense under his and turned to look at her, his brows furrowing in confusion. He didn't understand why she was worried, so he hesitantly pulled her towards the Spirit Tree, guiding the Metkayina girl around the branches and noting exactly how her skin changed color with the light - finding it to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The boy turned his head sideways in question as the girl's gaze darted sideways.

This where I saw the vision, she signed, and Ao'nung's eyes widened in understanding, remembering the night she had told him about it and how it had ended. I don't know if I can connect to the tree again.

You can't live in fear. Try, Ao'nung signed, trying to give the girl a sense of comfort; he squeezed her hand and pulled her towards one of the branches. He grabbed her queue, handing it to her encouragingly.

Mi'reya, after a moment of hesitation, sighed, connecting herself to Eywa.

love <3

gosia