"𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘺𝘢𝘮,
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦."
Life in Awa'atlu was as predictable as the way water flowed across the sea, with everything set in motion with routine and order - that is, until the Sully's arrived...
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"You know, we would've won the shoulder wars if Tuk hadn't kicked me in the face." Neteyam defends.
I just shake my head, fighting back laughter as I recall his sister's foot coming at him full force. She attempted it again when she and Ao'nung were fighting Lo'ak and Tsireya, but it backfired because Lo'ak stuck his tongue out and licked her foot, which shocked her to the point where she fell back, causing Ao'nung to lose balance and fall back as well. It was hilarious to witness, to say the least, especially seeing Ao'nung take a child's competition so seriously. We wound up staying out longer, ignoring Tuk's demands for a rematch, and instead playing beach ball games. Neteyam was behaving strangely after the competition, just standing afar in the water for a bit—part of me thought he was irritated about losing as well—but after a short while he returned with his smile, as if nothing had happened to play with us. It was odd behaviour, but I decided not to question it because, to be honest, the Sullys were strange people—in the nicest possible way.
When it got dark, Neteyam and I got together again to work on his abilities. It had become such an unspoken norm without either of us realising it.
"I'm not kidding, right now my face is still stinging,"
I can't help but smile as I roll my eyes at his dramatics. "You're underestimating Tuk, there's no way we would've won."
"How about if Tuk wasn't a serial cheater?" He asks
That one got a giggle out of me. Tuk was the cutest little girl ever; however, she was also one of the most ruthless Sully's, which at first came as a surprise but now is the funniest thing. Tuk was a force to be reckoned with, whether it was provoking her siblings or blatantly cheating in games — looking back, it makes sense her siblings were so against her partnering with Ao'nung for the first ilu ride; they were scared for him, not her.
"Maybe then we could've possibly won, though then we would have to face Lo'ak and Tsireya, who aren't any better." I say as I lead Kame back into his pen, gently patting him.
I would feel bad taking him out each night if it didn't seem like he enjoyed it so much. It's like he waits for this time of the day too, not that I do...
Neteyam comes up behind me and puts the ilu that he's been training with away too, mimicking my actions that I did with Kame before turning to me with a smile.
"Have you named her yet?" I ask
"Not yet... nothing really sticks."
"Well, whatever you decide will be..." When his gaze is drawn to mine, I stop. He does it so often that I should be used to it, but our proximity made my heart flutter. There's a brief pause before I look aside, remembering to complete my sentence. "It'll be great..."
We simply continue away from the pens and return to our maruis. The walk is quiet but not uncomfortable; it's just that we've never walked back together before; I was so used to leaving first that it never occurred to me that we could. When the village sleeps, nature awakens; our silence is filled with the sounds of swaying tree leaves in the breeze, the soft crash of the sea that surrounds us, and the gentle crunch of the sand beneath our feet. It was soothing. We eventually find ourselves at the crossroads.
