Moving Against Water

11

Sola sat on the beach until the sun had arose. She didn't know why she was upset about Ao'nung getting hurt. The time they did spend together, she was complaining about him being there or they were fighting each other in training.

Her head was laying on her knees as she watched the water growing closer to her. The sun was high as it was the midday. She felt tired but thinking of too much to even sleep.

'Sola!' she heard yelled from behind her, turning she saw Lo'ak making his way to her.

'Ao'nung is awake,' Lo'ak said from behind her, taking note of how her ears perked up and her tail started to sway.

'He's okay?' she asked as she turned to look at him better.

'Yes, just some bad bruising,' he said as he tried to hide his smirk, 'Are you going to come say hi with the rest of us?'

'No,' she said as she turned back around.

'Wait what?' Lo'ak asked, taken back by her response based on her attitude towards his health yesterday.

'I'll talk to him when he can walk around. I already helped make sure he didn't bleed out,' she said as she turned to look back up him again.

'Are you sure? You'll be the only one who isn't there, even Neteyam is going,' Lo'ak said as he turned to look at the group waiting for them.

'I'm sure, I'll see him at a different time,' she said as she didn't look at him again.

'Are you sure sure? I don't think'-

'Lo'ak I know what you meant. Go, he's probably waiting for someone to,' she said as she reached to push him away.

'Okay then,' he said as held up his hands as he hurried back to the rest of them.

'Why isn't she going?' Roxto quickly asked as Lo'ak came closer.

'I don't know,' he said making every turn back towards her, who was still sitting in the sand as the water grew closer to touch her.

——

Dinner was quickly approaching as she heard the sounds of laugher form in front of her. She passed her pod through the dark sky, noticing her family not there.

As she walked farther, she didn't see anyone through the village. She walked down more, but walking into a pod instead. 

She pulled back the curtain, revealing Ao'nung. He was leaned over eating, his hair still long down past his shoulders as he looked up at her.

She pulled the curtain back, closing it to the outside eye.

'Look who decided to come say hi,' he said annoyed as he held eye contact as she looked down at him.

She didn't respond as she kept looking at him.

'Glad to know you wanted to be the only one IN THE WHOLE village,' he said spreading his arms out, 'who didn't want to make sure I was okay.'

She walked to the other side of him that didn't have the food.

'You're rude on purpose,' he said as he moved to lay on his back to look at her.

She kneeled on the side of him, looking into his blue eyes.

'You stupid, stupid idiot,' she said as she hit his arm.

'Hey!' he said as he went to block her hands.

'Do you know how worried I was?' she said as she hit his arm again.

He smiled as he tried to stop her.

'I helped your mother you ungrateful asshole, and she's not the nicest to be around,' she said as she kept hitting him, 'Don't say I didn't care.'

He laughed at out loud as she glared at him.

'I didn't know you helped my mom,' he said as he continued laughing, rubbing his arm.

'We fought most of the time,' she said as she continued her glare, 'It was not fun.'

'I told you you could be Tsahik,' he said as he smiled at her.

'I'm just too good at most of the things I do, you're lucky I was there to help,' she said as she kept her face straight, a loud laugh leaving his lips.

'Why didn't you come earlier?' he asked as he watched her expression relax as she sat.

'I wanted to hit you without the company of others,' she said making him laugh again.

'Have you eaten dinner?' he asked as she kept the distance between them, but her tail rhythmically hitting the floor.

'I just came here,' she said as she looked at him.

'Eat this,' he said as he grabbed a piece of the fish, pushing it past her lips before she could protest.

'Thanks,' she said as she pushed his hand away, him smirking at he took another bite too.

'Does it hurt?' she asked as she ate another piece.

'Just my arm, it started hurting a few minutes ago,' he teased with a smirk, earning an eye roll from her.

'Just sore,' he said as he went to lay back on his back again.

'good' she said as she turned to make sure her eyes didn't wonder as she sat next to him.

He didn't say anything as he grabbed her hand. She turned to look at him as he was looking at where he grabbed. Suddenly he pulled her back, her now laying on his chest.

'Ao'nung,' she said in a gasp as she tried to sit up, his arm wrapping around her waist as his tail wrapped around her calf.

'This would make me feel much better for tomorrow,' he said as he leaned his head back closing his eyes.

'Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head?' she said as she laid on him, trying not to move.

'Are you sure you know how to relax?' he asked as he kept his eyes closed, 'It feels like I have my arm wrapped around a rock.'

'Haha,' she said sarcastically as she tried to lean into the hold, her tail slack and her breathing shallow as she tried to relax.

'See you're learning,' he teased with a smile on his face, getting a stiff nod back as she looked at the roof of the pod.