bound - avatar oc x oc

part 29

Ever since their mating, Akaia and Mak'korro had been inseparable.

On the rare occasion they weren't together, they were certainly thinking of one another. Every day brought something new, some adventure or quiet moment they could share. Today, Akaia was teaching Mak'korro how to use a bow.

They'd flown out to the island Akaia had discovered months ago—a place that had become their private escape.

"Breathe in," Akaia instructed softly as she stood behind her mate, watching his form.

Mak'korro obeyed, his brow furrowed in concentration. Akaia stepped closer and gently pressed her hand against his abdomen. "Deeper. Stronger," she said, demonstrating the motion by placing her hands on her own stomach and inhaling deeply.

His eyes trailed from her stomach to her chest, then to her face. His focus faltered.

"Mak'korro," she warned, raising a brow, "concentrate."

"Sorry," he mumbled, quickly looking back toward the target. Akaia stepped beside him, observing his stance.

"Alright," she said. "Release when you're ready."

The arrow flew... and landed in a bush far from the target.

Mak'korro groaned loudly, dragging a hand down his face and kicking at the ground as he stalked off to retrieve it.

Akaia laughed. "Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad."

"Oh, ha ha," he replied dryly, trudging back toward her with the arrow. "Laugh all you want."

She grinned. "You're like a baby."

He turned to her with mock offense. "Excuse me?"

Akaia only laughed harder, watching his sulking expression.

"Here, I'll show you again." She gently took the bow from his hands and demonstrated the correct stance. "Look at my posture—shoulders back, core engaged. Your power comes from here." She tapped her stomach.

Mak'korro was staring at her again.

"Are you even listening?"

He blinked and cleared his throat. "Yeah. Totally."

She smirked. "We can stop. You seem a little... distracted."

"I can't help it," he said with a chuckle. "You're distracting."

Akaia rolled her eyes, though her smile softened. She reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"We should head back anyway. Your mother said she wanted to talk to me."

Mak'korro frowned. "Did she say why?"

"No." Akaia shrugged, tugging him along as they walked toward Sar'zoo. "She made it sound serious though."

He sighed, letting her lead the way.

They approached Sar'zoo, who gave a small huff at their entwined hands. Akaia smiled as she began securing the bow and arrows to the saddle.

Once everything was strapped down, she mounted her Ikran and held a hand out to her mate. He took it, climbing up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hold on," she said with a grin as they launched into the sky.

⸻
When they returned to the village, they made their way to Mak'korro's marui, hand in hand. As they neared, raised voices drifted from inside.

"Sit down!" Tonowari's voice boomed.

Akaia and Mak'korro exchanged a glance.

"Let's see what's going on," she whispered, leading the way.

At the entrance, Jake and Neytiri stood quietly, watching the scene unfold. Neytiri turned at the sound of her daughter's approach.

"What's going on?" Akaia asked softly.

Neytiri sighed. "Lo'ak's in trouble."

Akaia winced and peeked inside the marui just in time to hear Tonowari's heavy voice.

"In the time of the First Songs, tulkun fought among themselves. For territory. For revenge. But they came to see that killing, even for justice, only leads to more killing. So it was forbidden. That is the Tulkun way."

Akaia knelt beside her parents, Mak'korro following. Her eyes stayed locked on Lo'ak, silently begging him not to say something foolish.

"Payakan is a killer. So he is outcast," Tonowari finished.

Payakan? She blinked in confusion.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you're wrong," Lo'ak said firmly.

"Lo'ak!" Neytiri hissed.

"I know what I—"

"Enough!" Jake barked, cutting him off.

Mak'korro's hand found Akaia's back, grounding her.

Lo'ak turned to Tsireya, who shook her head, pleading with him not to continue. But he did anyway.

"I know what I know."

Ronal hissed.

Jake shot up, storming over to Lo'ak. "That's enough," he said through gritted teeth. "I'll deal with this one."

He grabbed Lo'ak by the arm and pulled him from the marui.

Akaia sighed heavily. Her gaze met Mak'korro's, both of them tired from the tension.

"Everyone out," Ronal snapped suddenly, rubbing her belly. The other teens quickly filtered out.

Akaia and Mak'korro stepped aside as well. Ronal looked between them before her eyes landed on Akaia.

"You said you wanted to speak with me earlier," Akaia offered, gesturing toward the door. "I can come back later if now's not—"

"No," Ronal interrupted, stepping forward and taking her arm. "Come. We'll talk now."

As she led Akaia away, Mak'korro stood frozen, already missing her.

Tonowari chuckled. "They'll be fine."

Mak'korro looked at his father nervously. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

Tonowari smirked. "Not a clue."

———

a/n

sorry this took so long

fun fact its actually my birthday today!! don't ask me how old I am cause I will cry. 😭😭