"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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Although it never truly stopped, Neteyam and I had planned to resume our regular meetings, only this time with the roles switched. I was the student, and he was now my archery teacher—though I told him that I don't find myself having to combat anything because, as I previously stated, I'm a gather; I harvest crop on land and in sea; he insisted that if I don't know how to properly fight, I should at least know how to use a bow. I protested that I would never find myself in a situation where I would need to use one, that I don't travel deep enough into the forest to encounter a predator that would require me to shoot an arrow, but he insisted that it was a basic form of self-defence that all Omaticaya people learned from childhood, so I caved. If children can do it, how difficult can it be?
We agreed to meet up again after I got some rest and recovered, seeing as Neteyam didn't think it was a good idea for me to overexert myself after what happened. I had attempted to reassure him that I was fine, but my legs failed to keep me upright and embarrassed me, so he just walked me back to my mauri, where I carefully snuck back to my sleeping space, praying no one saw or heard me. The next few days were spent strictly in bed, as my mother had ordered; I was visited by Aunt Ronal and Tsireya, who came bearing medicines that she had crushed and brewed specifically for me to drink while I was resting. Neteyam didn't visit, not that he was the only one; none of the Sully's came, but Tsireya said they were asking about me daily, particularly little Tuk.
Those days flew by; being stuck at home resting can really condense your days into just one, and I was feeling much better than I had before. My mother shook me awake, frantically putting some things into a small basket.
"Za'ranin, get up! We're leaving soon!" She says, going back to run around the marui.
I rub my eyes, perplexed, and groan slightly as I try to adjust my vision to the light. Though my sleep hasn't improved significantly, I've been trying to get some sleep since I may have been the cause of my seizure. I looked over from my bed to see Rotxo carrying a flower arrangement that, by the way it was cut and tied, I could only assume was done by my mother.
"Are those flowers for me?" I murmur, only just loud enough for him to hear.
"No, they're for the Sully's." He responds, causing me to shoot up from my laid-back position. Rotxo flinches at this, nearly dropping the flowers, letting out a sigh of relief when he successfully catches them before they can end up on the ground.
"The Sully's are coming here?!"
"Don't just sit up like that, damn." He clutched his chest as he tried to calm his heart, sending me death glares. "And no, they're not coming here."
I just nodded and prepared to lay back down.
"We're going over to them."
‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧
It seemed like I wasn't the only one unaware of our sudden visit, as when we arrived at their mauri, the Sully's looked equally surprised. Toruk Makto, their father, was the first to stand from his seat, with his wife following suit. Up close, they were way more intimidating than what I remembered seeing from afar: Toruk Makto's eyes were smaller, which his furrowed brows cast a shadow over, making it seem as though he was angry, not helped by his height and sharp features as he looked down on us. His wife, though her eyes were bigger and she had softer features, had a threatening aura to her whether intentional or not, i couldn't help but think back to how she snarled at Ronal when she first arrived
