Wise Fish | aonete

8 𓆞 Catch My Drift

"Some days, I'm scared too. We've had to leave too much already. I can't give you up too."

Lo'ak's words had been echoing around Neteyam's head ever since he and his brother had returned to the village for dinner. He knew that he needed to patch things up with his sister soon, lest they drift an unfixable distance apart, but he was even more frightened of starting an argument by confronting her too soon, thereby perpetuating things.

Until he figured out how, Neteyam did his very best to stay out of Kiri's way. He had managed to swallow down any venomous words before, but he was worried what might escape him if they went another round.

During dinner, Neteyam sat alone, privately enjoying not needing to talk to anyone. He could feel Kiri's glare burning into the side of his head, but chose to ignore it. When Neteyam saw Ao'nung and Rotxo approaching from farther down the beach, he quickly stuffed the rest of his food in his mouth before hiding himself in the complicated paths between the marui.

Neteyam wandered around Awa'tlu as the sky grew dark, deep in thought. He wondered if he had made the right choice in giving Ao'nung a second chance when he wasn't even the one that had been hurt. Maybe he'd been selfish; not even thinking about how his siblings might feel before he acted.

Neteyam had reached the end of the marui. He started at the shore, seemingly never ending as it stretched along the length of the island. He sat down, letting his legs dangle over the edge, his toes brushing the wet sand, waves lapping up against his feet.

He knew that if it came down to it, he would always choose his family, but the thought of having to take Ao'nung out of his life like a diseased tree from a forest was unbearable. Neteyam had grown to care about him since that fateful day with the nets, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop.

Neteyam heard the creaking sound of the marui path moving. He knew without even looking who it was.

Ao'nung sat beside Neteyeam, his own feet connecting with the water in a splash. He didn't try to initiate conversation, for which Neteyam was grateful. The two sat in silence, watching as the light of the stars grew brighter and the sea began to glow with the light of the creatures in its depths.

Neteyam's tail swept back and forth behind him, the hair at the end brushing against Ao'nung's larger one. The quiet stretched on, and Neteyam eventually began listening to Ao'nung's deep breaths, watching his chest expand and contract out of the corner of his eye.

Ao'nung breaks the silence, "Where were you all day?"

Neteyam's eyes followed the ripples Ao'nung's feet made as he swept them through the water. "At the Three Brothers."

Ao'nung's head whipped around, his eyes wide as he gaped at a sheepish Neteyam. "Why? You know that they are dangerous—"

Ao'nung suddenly snatched up Neteyam's injured hand, now wrapped more firmly with one of his dad's sky people bandages. Neteyam hissed and snatched his hand back, his palm throbbing where Ao'nung had accidentally pressed his thumb right on the cut.

"And you're hurt," Ao'nung said softly. "You could have led the akulas right to you. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Neteyam admitted glumly. He laid his hands limply in his lap. He didn't have the energy to fight with people he cared about anymore.

Neteyam fell back so that he was now looking straight up to the stars, his braids spread around him. His head now resembled the pappus-like atokirina. Ao'nung twisted to look at him, his weight resting back on his hand.

"Why were you out there?" Ao'nung asked firmly, his eyes scouring every inch of Neteyam's blank expression, searching for anything that might clue him in to what he was thinking.