𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 | lo'ak x tsireya

𝟏𝟑 - longing

author pov

"tsireya?"

the metkayina girl lifted her face from her hands in surprise, starting a quick attempt to wipe away her tears. mo'at was standing at the entrance of the tent, her expression visibly concerned.

"oh, tsahik... i'm so s-sorry," tsireya murmured, realizing she had entered the wrong tent. the girl quickly stood up and started to leave before the tsahik stopped her.

"no, no, do not apologize. please, stay."

tsireya obeyed her and sat back down, wiping away another tear that slid down her cheek with the back of her hand. a quiet sniffle soon followed.

"my child, what is the matter?" mo'at questioned her gently. she sat down in front of the girl, taking her hands into her own.

"i... i just miss my home," tsireya mumbled in a small voice, turning her head away from the tsahik's line of sight. she felt a bit ashamed to be crying in front of her.

"your home... i see. tell me about it, child."

tsireya looked up slowly, a small smile forming on her lips. it brought her great joy to speak about her home. "my home? it is by the ocean... and my people, we are all connected to the water and its way of life. it provides for us and protects us. i love it and... i miss it dearly."

the tsahik nodded as she listened, a faraway look in her eyes. a short silence followed, while tsireya wiped the remainder of her tears off her face and mo'at stayed quiet, thinking to herself.

"you know... you make my grandson very happy."

tsireya flushed at the sudden comment and blinked twice. "i-i do?"

"yes," mo'at nodded amusingly, smiling at the girl. "i can tell by the way his tail perks up when he talks about you. it always did that since he was a child when he talked about things he liked."

tsireya failed an attempt to suppress a giggle. she covered her mouth with her hand in embarrassment.

the omaticayan tsahìk smiled warmly, pleased to have made the young girl laugh. "just... keep that a secret between you and me."

tsireya nodded, a bright smile exposing her dimples. it quickly disappeared when the sharp, throbbing pain once again returned to her head. this time, it made her feel dizzy and tiny black dots began to cloud her vision.

the girl started to sway slowly in her spot and her eyelids fluttered, causing the tsahìk to become worried.

"tsireya? tsireya!" before the girl could hit the ground, mo'at leaned forward and caught her small figure in her arms. "oh, dear eywa..."

lo'ak pov

"and so i told him, like, you're not gonna go all the way out there on patrol when you can't even make tsaheylu first," yuka blabbered on, making my ears twitch in annoyance.

"yuka, can you please be quiet," i grunted, readjusting my grip on my bow. "i'm trying to focus."

"oops, sorry," she giggled, taking her hand off my arm to my relief. i rolled my shoulders back, craning my neck as i squinted down at my prey, prepared to release the arrow.

suddenly, the comm on my neck buzzed and startled me. i let out a hiss of disappointment as the small animal sensed our presence from above and ran away.

"lo'ak? lo'ak, come in, this is urgent!" i heard norm's voice over the mic.

"i'm here. what is it, norm?" i asked, touching two fingers to my throat. my skin burned with vexation at the lost prey and yuka's annoying chatter.

"where are you right now?"

"uh, i'm out hunting with yuka, rinko, and täey. why?"

"you need to come to the lab, quick. it's tsireya. she passed out in mo'at's arms a few minutes ago."

my heart dropped at the mention of tsireya's name. i knew something was wrong with her, yet i had failed to notice the small signs. the headaches, her strange behaviors... i knew it.

i turned to yuka and roughly handed her the bow and satchel, causing her to stumble backward in surprise.

"lo'ak, w-where are you going?" she called after me as i skidded down the rocky crevice, leaping to the ground.

"to norm's lab!" i yelled over my shoulder. "tell the others!"

frankly, i didn't care if she told them or not. i had one responsibility over everything else, and that was to not let anything bad happen to tsireya, no matter what. i had a sinking feeling that i had already failed that responsibility.

the trees blurred past my peripheral view as i ran through the forest, my feet barely touching the ground with every step. i rushed into camp and ran straight towards the lab, pushing past a small crowd hovering in front of the entrance, earning a few angry scowls and protests.

i burst into the lab, making eye contact with max, who was standing near the entrance. i nodded a quick greeting, my chest burning for air as i panted. "where is tsireya?"

his eyes widened at my sudden entrance and pointed to the back of the lab. i ran over to the back room where i found her lying supine on the table. norm and a human nurse were also in the room, examining her closely. tsireya's eyes were closed and her arms lay motionless at her sides. she looked so fragile and helpless that it hurt me to stare.

"what happened to her?" i asked breathlessly, my voice cracking slightly. it felt so unnatural to see her in the state she was in. my heart ached as i watched her breath make small clouds inside the plastic mask attached to her face.

"like i said before, she fainted in mo'at's arms when they were having a conversation. mo'at claims she has no idea why, which is why she brought her to us," norm explained with a solemn expression. he scrolled through his device, taking glances at tsireya now and then. "she is still unconscious. we think it's due to dehydration and low blood pressure."

"well, can't you just give her some water or something?" i pressed frustratedly, crossing my arms over my chest, my eyes still glued on tsireya.

"it's not that simple, kid," the nurse gave me a look as she stuck a syringe into tsireya's arm. my lips formed a tight line and i rolled my eyes slightly.

"the truth is, lo'ak, she just needs to go back to the ocean," norm said in a serious tone. "where she belongs."

the woman left the room with the syringe while norm checked her blood pressure before giving me a nod. "i'm gonna run a few more blood tests. let me know if she wakes up." then he left the room, leaving me alone with tsireya.

almost immediately, i fell to my knees beside the table and let out a breath i didn't know i was holding. slowly, i reached out to touch her hand. i winced when i felt how cold and limp it was, but i held it with both of my hands as gently as i could. i stared intently at her face, my brows furrowing with concern as she remained motionless on the table. she looked as if she were in a deep sleep, but her expression was peaceful.

in that moment, i wished i could see her shining blue eyes again, and the smile that enchanted my inner being. to just hear her gentle voice and her laughter sound like melodies in my ears, was the only thing i wanted at that moment. i just needed her.

"please wake up soon, reya," i whispered. "i... i can't lose you."

i released her hand and stood up, sending a quick prayer to eywa. i took a deep breath and closed my eyes. then i leaned forward slowly, placing a light kiss on her forehead.

"i promise, we'll get you home soon."