Mighty Jewel | LO'AK + NETEYAM

chapter twelve

"It might sting a little." Kyalayi warned Lo'ak before putting her father's medicated aloe ointment under his eye. The boy hissed at the girls' touch, it stung. "Kiri, can you pass me the seaweed? The one who's soaking in sea water."The Sully girl quickly did what she had been instructed as the healer's daughter turned to Neteyam and rubbed the same ointment on his busted lip. The blood blending with the white mixture turning its color more pink. After the fight, Kyalayi thought it would be best to bring the injured Sully in her hut, to take care of their wounds. She was relieved to find it empty when they had arrived. Kiri handed the soaked seaweed to the healer's daughter. She stretched it a few times before enveloping the eldest's knuckles with it. Neteyam carefully looked at the girl as she wrapped his hand. She must be used to this gesture since her leather strands, Neteyam thought. "The salt of the ocean will help with the healing." She informed, briefly meeting the boy's eyes before turning to his brother. "And you, just put this under your eye once a day for the next week." Kyalayi smiled to Lo'ak as she handed him a small portion of the ointment in a mined seashell. He smirked as he nodded to the girl in front of him. "I'll go check on Ao'nung and the other ones." Kyalayi paused, she walked toward the exit of her hut. "To make sure you didn't kill them." Kyalayi smiled to the Sully brothers before she stepped out and went to heal some more wounded teenagers. Both Neteyam and Lo'ak kept their gaze on where she had stood, smiling.

"Stupid boys." Kiri laughed as she put a hand before her mouth like she had tried her hardest to hold it, causing her brothers to shift their attention to their sister. "Let's go." She exclaimed as they made their way out of Kyalayi's hut and into their family's.

"Sir." Neteyam said as they entered their hut to find the rest of the Sully: Tuk, Neytiri and Jake. The mother quickly stepped closer to her sons as she saw their injuries. Gently touching their bruised skin.

"Who did this to you?" She firmly asked. Neytiri had an idea of who it was, she just needed confirmation.

"What happened to being on your best behavior?" Jake grabbed his sons by the back of their neck and moved them away, to talk in private.

"Sir, this is my fault," Neteyam started as he stepped forward but got caught off by his father's annoyed growl.

"You need to stop taking the blame for this knucklehead's action." Jake angrily replied, causing Neteyam to jerk back. "Lo'ak." The father paused, inhaling a big breath. "Go apologize."

"You said to make friends with them. We tried." The Sully boy protested. "It's not our fault they don't see pass our fingers."

"Now." Jake repeated, in a more firm tone. Lo'ak sighed to his father's demand as he returned to the village where Ao'nung and his friends were. And Kyalayi, he thought which made him fastened his pace.

"Came for a second round?" Ao'nung smirked as he stood up, making Kya's hand dropped to her side. The girl sighed, ointment still on the tips of her fingers since Ao'nung had moved.

"I have came to apologize." Lo'ak rose his hand in the air as if he surrendered. Kyalayi was surprised to see the forest boy already apologizing. Lo'ak was more the holding a grudge type. "I'm sorry I've punched you." He paused. "So many time." He smirked.

There he was, Kyalayi thought, laughing to Lo'ak's comment.

+++

As the eclipse started to show, Tsireya thought it would be a good idea to show the spirit tree to the Sully's. As an attempt to ease the tension between the Metkayina and Omatikaya. Tsireya had asked Kyalayi's help to keep the Sully's busy and away from Ao'nung. The chief's youngest did not want to explain another fight to her father. She had got enough trouble for today. Everyone mounted their Ilus, Tuk behind Kiri since she was too young to ride one alone.

"You riding with me?" Lo'ak asked on his Ilu to Kya as she was swimming toward her beast. She thought about it. "I swear, I'm better." He added.

"No. Not today." The girl replied as she mounted her Ilu.

"How about a race then? Seems fair to show you what I've learned." Lo'ak smirked to the girl as he rose his eyebrows. The healer's daughter squinted her eyes, she knew how Lo'ak loved a challenge. Now that her father had tell her the truth about where she had came from—about her mother—Kyalayi felt lighter. As if now that the questions had been answered, she could let herself enjoy life more. Right now, Lo'ak didn't offer just a race, he offered her the possibility of being carefree, reckless and fun. Finally, Kya's chance of being a kid. A simple kid who races on Ilu's backs just because they can.

"I'm in." She smiled which made Lo'ak's smirk grew even wider. The duo stayed side by side, waiting for Tsireya, Ao'nung and the others to be farther down the ocean. "I have to tell you, my odds are better."

"You really shouldn't underestimate me." Lo'ak chuckled, keeping his gaze glued to the horizon. Because the boy knew that one glance toward her way and he was done. He would definitely lost the race and his pride. So, he stayed focused. Kyalayi find it funny. Seeing the forest boy deep in his thoughts, mentally preparing himself for the challenge. "Okay. I think they're far enough."

"I think you're right." The girl paused, straightening the leather straps on her wrists before crawling onto her Ilu. Ready. "Let's do this."

In a matter of seconds, the forest boy and the ocean girl both raced underwater. The Ilus so fast, they could barely spot their opponent. But Kyalayi caught glimpses of Lo'ak, straight ahead of her. He was winning. She watched in between bubbles and fishes, the boy was struggling to keep control over his Ilu. The girl gave a small but firm tap with her foot on the creature, making it catching up with Lo'ak. He glanced as he saw Kyalayi arrived by his side. The boy wanted to make the challenge a bit more amusing so he started circling around the girl. It distracted her Ilu and as they slowed down, Lo'ak grabbed Kyalayi by the arm and forced her to sit down in front of him. They came to the surface, both inhaling a breath before laughing, face to face. Kyalayi glanced at her Ilu who stayed close.

"You were scared to loose?" Kyalayi asked with a playful smile.

"Maybe." Lo'ak grinned.

Kyalayi looked up, the eclipse had set. The girl deflected her attention to the environment around her. She smiled when she realized they were at the spirit tree, it had been a long time since she had last visited it. Neteyam watched the girl slowly slid down from his brother's Ilu. Lo'ak restrained her by the arm before she could swam away. He said something that made her smile before she mounted her own Ilu. Neteyam wondered why it had taken so long before they had arrived, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was, for a few days, Kyalayi's smile was becoming familiar. Something she never did when Neteyam first met her and the boy loved it. His thoughts got interrupted by Tsireya's and Tuk's shouting.

"Neteyam!" Tuk cried out as she swam towards her brother. "It's Kiri."

Kyalayi quickly turned her head toward the youngest's cries and so did Lo'ak. Both worried. Neteyam immersed himself in the water where he saw the most terrifying image. Her sister having strong seizures underwater. Seizures that could kill her.