Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter XIV

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̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　 At home Still    ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

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At'anau had almost forgotten the events from a few days prior, the wound under her battle band almost fully healed besides the bruise reminding her of the engraved damage in her skin.

The siblings still had troubles expanding their lung capacity, but were getting better the more they tried. The youngest was adapting quickly as she was able to hold her breath for a remotely longer time than her older siblings already.

As they had gone deeper in the ocean with their Ilu, At'anau started covering terrain, looking for Kiri who had still not made it back to them. But it only took the help of Tsireya to return with the younger sister hot on her tail with her own tamed Ilu.

At'anau hadn't seen a smile as the one she had now grow on her face since the capture of their friend and was glad she could see her do so.

The five of them swam into the deeper water though the reef, playing tag and chasing each others in the waters on their ilu. Now that she had someone to trust her safety with in the water the girl felt a lot more confident entering it.

Dawn hadn't happened, but the sky started to change colour when they decided to finish the day and return back to their residence. Nobody could call it home yet as they lingered grounding their feet back in the forests. At'anau herself wanted to believe this was a temporary thing, but for it to be that they needed to remove the obstacle in their way keeping them locked in their place. Which was something At'anau wasn't informed of how to handle.

She questioned her parents holding their plan quiet for her was a result of them not thinking she could participate in succeeding, therefore not worthy enough as a warrior she was training so hard to become. This troubled her as she tried formulating various practises she could execute for them to realise she could help in bringing them back home.

The girl had left the youngest with Tsireya, as they connected with the ilu more and the younger girl didn't seem to mind releasing Tuk from her hands.

The sand was still uncustomary between her toes as she walked back to her shared marui pod. "Neteyam!"

Despite it not being the name she was assigned to she felt spoken to and turned around just to look at where her brother would be, but only a couple of eyes pointed at her.

At'anau frowned and her ears turned in confusion as she watched Ao'nung and his firends catch up to the girl but stop when they realised it wasn't the person they were looking for.

"Oh," Ao'nung held a hand up, but the slightly mocking smiles on his friends' faces weren't directed at him and his mistake. "sorry forest girl," he motioned with a hand and an expectant look in search for her name "At'anau." they didn't miss the indifferent look on her face as she answered, but just one twitch of her ear gave away her unconscious reaction.

"right," he nodded and the girl waited for a couple of seconds before nothing else resulted and she turned back around continuing her way, but the multiple quickened footsteps told her they were not done.

"What is it," she heard and turned back around at the sound before waiting for him to reformulate the question. "Are you," he started "jealous?" The girl still didn't know at what they were getting at and the look in her eyes showed it. "Why is it you copy him?" With that At'anau could pick up they were talking about the looks the siblings shared, but she kept her tongue to the roof of her mouth.

"How is it knowing they don't see you?"

"I mean they see you," he corrected himself, using his hands to add to his words "but they won't see you, right?" he tilted his head, as he watched every feature.

The girl ignored one of the smaller ones asking after her name again in a whisper and another laughing at it before playfully shoving the kid. The girl searched Ao'nung mischievous eyes before she turned the corners of her lips up for a second. "ah," she scrunched her nose a rose her shoulders "don't worry about it."

Deciding not to use anymore words she closed the conversation and walked back to where her mother would be preparing the meals for the family. Just missing the interaction Neteyam had found himself back by his sister's side who dismissed him asking about what it was about. The boy looked over his shoulder at Ao'nung who was barely in sight anymore.

"uh oh," At'anau snapped out of her train of thoughts and looked at what her brother was looking at, but was only met with her own reflection in his eyes. "I know that," The girl rolled her eyes at the boy. "Or you're going to do something stupid," he pointed behind his back "or you're going to make him do something stupid." to which the girl scoffed and laughed airily. "It's like you read my mind, big brother." she joked halfheartedly.

The kids had made it in time for dinner and Tuk filled the room with all the stories about the adventures she experienced and the treasures she discovered. At'anau wearing the shell she was gifted around her neck proudly.

The deeper the sun hid in the sea the more thoughts washed up to the shore of the girl's mind. Ignoring the elephant in her room was more burdensome than she had thought it would be. The swallowed questions making her nauseous and potential scenarios hurting her head.

The girl wasn't sure what she would do without her brother who sensed her night dwells in her sleep and woke her up to engage in head clearing wanders around the shore.

"Aren't you angry?" the two sat on the cooled sand, watching the waters of the night as the girl broke silence.

"I shouldn't be." The boy confessed "Father knows what's best." The two kids trusted their father, maybe more than they should've. But thinking he chose the best decisions was a controversial topic.

"It's okay to be mad, tho" the girl comforted her brother "I'm furious." she confessed. "Even when we go back home, our future will be nowhere near what we we were born for it to be." At'anau reminded both of them of the new Olo'eyktan and their future titles that have been given to his offsprings instead of them.

The girl didn't care much about her right to become Tsahik, but her brother was shaped to become the leader of her clan in her eyes. "Olo'eyktan was your birthright." She voiced her thoughts for the first time.

"I did nothing to obtain that right" The girl turned her head to her brother who held his head lower, scanning grains of sand around them. "It was still yours." She stated as the brother swallowed the brick in his throat "I just want to go home." he unmasked.

The sister sighed, unable to voice it better. Her heart heavy with his brother's gloom.

"This is our home, brother." the girl tried to bite the corner off her lips back down, but couldn't keep it in by the look in the older brother's eyes at her sister's words. He shoved her shoulder with his as she put her head on her knees, closing her eyes and imaging the sound of waves crashing were the trees rustling around her.

The two consumed the quietness for mere minutes, respiring the salty air before the brother called for his sister's attention. At'anau turned her head towards him from her position and met his eyes.

"I see you."

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