Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter 45

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̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　 On It        ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

[edited]

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The next morning came on its own time, which was agonisingly slow to the girl. She had stayed awake the majority of the time the people around her slept and shifted in the sheet she lay on like a newborn child searching for its comfortable ways continuously.

She could describe it as nerves, but didn't, and kept the signs of doubt to herself.

Her father watched as the mother helped clothe the child appropriately for the journey she would be setting out on.

At'anau noticed it wasn't excitement they radiated, but rather faith. She knew her mother didn't fully desire her forest-born daughter to claim her way deeper into the foreign clan, and she knew the kid thought so as well, but she held faith in her eyes, understanding it was what needed to be done at the time.

Neteyam seemed to possess the skill of hiding the similar thought better than anyone in the room and plastered an all-knowing smile on his face.

He wanted to say some motivating words but didn't quite have the right things to lift the mood without them somehow being backhanded.

The girl scratched the itch under the bands around her wrists before turning at the sound of many footsteps coming closer to their marui pod.

The family watched the Olo'eyktan stand in front of their tent, greeted him, and the warriors stood beside him. At'anau had the usual loose strands around her face tied in braids around the crown of her head, out of her sight. She eyed the younger hunters among the men, who seemed to be only a couple of years older than her, and walked to the bundle of teenagers.

Neither of the three boys said a thing as they watched the foreign girl join them, and At'anau missed the way they laughed at her size, but they quickly retrieved themselves by the looks her twin gave them, walking closer only a step before Kiri held his shoulder.

The father watched his daughter leave with the men and didn't turn back, as the anxiety written on her face would have been in capital letters.

She hadn't felt as uncomfortable as she did in that moment and only wished for one recognisable face beside the one of the chief.

The girl had only watched the floor beneath her feet and didn't even know how the other boys looked from behind and honestly did not possess the desire to do so.

The two other warriors on each of the chief's sides kept their composure with the youngest child behind them.

At'anau didn't know any of the men and kept quiet, following them on the shore where a silhouette had been waiting on them, spears the size of her body in one hand.

Coming closer to the stoic figure, At'anau got a close view and concealed her sigh of relief, biting the small smile of recognition off her lips.

Ateyo greeted the chief, looking down at all the kids one by one and passing a look over the girl just as he did to any of the other kids.

At'anau watched his stoic face stay glued on her as she shared a look, and she accepted it immediately but couldn't help the slight drop of her gut by the ignorance of the man.

They were all past the single weapon, and At'anau watched the material in her hand, felt the weight of it hang on her shoulder before eyeing the sharpened bone at the end of it.