I WANNA BE SAVED, neteyam

Ch 26: Hunt or Be Hunted

"Ayatney!"

The father called, using a hand to cup around his mouth. His voice echoed in the forest, bouncing off of the leaves around him. He had sent his daughter off to retrieve her arrow, but it had been a while since she was to return.

So in worry, and not wanting his mate to find out he had lost their only child, he'd set off to look for her on his own. Though the sky people weren't present on their home any longer, besides those who were trusted, he was still worried of those who could possibly be in hiding.

It was his day off from the hunting party and just as he promised, he was teaching her the ways of the Omatikaya. She was at the right age to began training using a bow, it was also a plus to distract her from the Olo'eyktan's children.

A young Ayatney popped out between the fern with the found arrow in hand. Putting a finger to her mouth she shushed him then motioned him to follow quietly.

Following his daughters strange antics, he ducked under the wide leaf. He found his daughter crouching, observing the animals that rolled in the grass. To his surprise, it was a palulukan and her babies. More to it, he was shocked that the animal hadn't even heard his booming voice as he called for his daughter.

It was fascinating to watch something, that they associated with the word dangerous, be so soft as well as calm as it licked one of its babies. But yet, he knew that if they were to even make a small sound or mistake, they could be the family's next meal. Blindly searching for her hand, Mäowieym led his daughter away from the mother and her cubs.

"Wait— I still want to see them."

He never let his grip falter, not even for a moment. Mäowieym feared that her ever growing curiosity would kill her, that her temper would expose them to the beast. She needed to become stronger and more firm rather than childish and soft.

"Father! I still want to see the palulukan!" Ayatney whined, trying to pull her small and skinny arm out of his strong hand.

Running out of patience, the father turned mid step, dropping to one knee as he placed his hands over her shoulders. His eyes were hardened and stricken with some fear.

"That palulukan is something I told you to stay away from!" His hands roughly shook her by the shoulders, trying to bring some sense into her young mind. "If it even so catches the trail of your scent, you are done for! You hear me?!"

Ayatney was shaken up by her fathers words. They rang true and it scared her even more with the way he stared into her. Her father and mother could be scary at times and when they did realize what they had done, they would immediately apologize and explain that they acted that way for her own safety. If they wanted their daughter to survive in this world, then she must know of all the dangers that live in it.

"Ayatney— ma'ite..." Mäowieym swallowed the building saliva in his mouth, his finger nails ever so slightly digging into the soft flesh of his daughters skin.

"There are monsters in this world a—and sometimes, it's better to be the hunter rather than the hunted."

In the waters, Ayatney pushed her self to tread along the current. She gasped for air as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. Never in her life did she think that Neteyam would be the one to do that to her.

"Neteyam!" Ayatney screamed angrily, spitting out the water that pushed its way inside her mouth. She waited for a response and after she had received none, she turned her head side to side to look for Tuk and Tsireya.