Afterglow - Tsireya

Chapter 8

Pandora Reef

Metkayina Clan

The small group of friends sat in a circle in the early morning while Lo'ak told them what had happened beyond the reef. Tsireya sat in between Tsu'tey's legs, her back against his chest. The omatikaya boy drew gentle stars on the girl's skin as Lo'ak spoke. Kiri stared dreamily at her brother; Tsireya was intrigued by the girl's connection to the ocean, so it was no wonder Kiri was fascinated.

"I wish I had been there; the ocean blessed you with a gift, brother", Kiri said, fascinated with his story.

But the Metkayina teenagers looked more concerned than captivated. Ao'nung pushed himself off the tree he was leaning against. "The tulken have not returned yet", he interjected. The kids all looked to Lo'ak, who scoffed, "anyway, no tulken is ever alone."

Tsireya meddled with her fingers, terrified for her friend's safety. Lo'ak rolled his eyes at Ao'nung "this was. He had a missing fin," the boy pointed to his left arm as he tried to explain ", like a stump on his left side".

Tsireya gasped, leaning forward away from Tsu'tey's chest. She looked at her brother in worry as he exchanged the same expression. " Payakan. It's Payakan," she breathed, eyeing Ao'nung and Rotxo. The two Metkayina boys looked down in worry. After hearing the stories of the killer tulken when they were little, it sent a shiver down their spine to know he was close to their home.

"Who's Payakan" Tuk piped up from behind Tsu'tey.

Rotxo smiled sadly at the girl, trying not to scare her with his words."He's a young bull who went rogue." he wet his lips before continuing, "he is an outcast, alone, and has a missing fin".

"They say he is a killer", Tsireya whispered, pleading with lo'ak to get him to listen. His eyes darted to Teya, who tilted her head sympathetically.

Like his father, Ao'nung bent down to the person he addressed, staring them in the eye." he killed na'vi and other tulken." Teya let out a small gasp turning to Lo'ak, so Ao'nung quickly spoke up, "Not here but far to the south".

"No, he's not a killer", Lo'ak protested.

"Lo'ak", Tsireya whispered, getting his attention. "You are lucky to be alive". He saved my life. He's my friend, I'm telling you guys" his eyes darted around his friends, trying to get them to believe, but he could see they didn't believe him except one. Li'teya sat next to Neteyam, her blue eyes giving him a look, letting him know she believed him.

Neteyam smirked, reaching over Teya and placing his hands on Lo'aks shoulder. "My baby bro, the mighty warrior who faced the killer tulken and lived to tell about it" he squeezed his brother's shoulders teasingly, making Lo'ak shove him off.

"You guys aren't listening, " he mumbled, walking away from the group. The weight of the world on his young shoulders. Tsireya fell back into Tsu'tey's embrace in defeat.

"Im listening", Tuk squeaked.

"Lo'ak", Teya tried, but he was already gone. She sighed, looking down at her lap but looked up when she felt everyone staring at her. "What?"

"Aren't you going after him?" Rotxo questioned, genuine confusion in his voice.

"Why would I?" she responded, lightly scratching her knuckles.

Everyone stayed silent, not knowing how to approach the situation.

"Because you are in love with him", Tuk said happily, smiling from ear to ear, clearly unaware of what she said.

Ao'nung let out a low whistle as Teya tried to protest " no, no, I'm not. We're just friends" now she knew how Lo'ak felt. It was hard to say something with everyone's judgmental stares.