𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 | lo'ak x tsireya

𝟏𝟔 - wonder

lo'ak pov

the air felt cool and smooth on my skin as i soared in the sky on my ikran. i was free... but not for long. my dad's blaring voice over the comm brought me back to reality.

"everything looking good, lo'ak?"

i was on a sky patrol with my dad. we often did this since we had settled into the metkayina clan. usually, my mom and neteyam would go with dad, but nowadays it was just him and i.

i took a quick look around the island of awa'altu, scanning for any signs of unusual activity. everything looked normal, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. a spark of anxiety flickered inside of me. i didn't want to miss anything to disappoint my dad, so i tried looking harder. still good.

i touched my throat briefly. "yes, sir."

"good. that'll be enough spotting for today, let's coast for a bit and then land on that island to rest before we head back," my dad swooped in closer so i could hear him up close, pointing to the secluded island near the awa'altu village.

i nodded and followed him, using tsaheylu to direct my ikran in the direction of the island. once we landed, i slid off my ikran and followed my dad to where he stood looking out at the water. i walked up to him and stood at his side. i wondered if now would be a good opportunity to ask him what payakan had suggested.

"hey dad, can i ask you something?"

"sure. what's on your mind?" jake kept his eyes on the ocean, scanning the distance.

"how did you know mom was going to be your mate?" i asked.

my dad blinked as if he wasn't expecting that question to be uttered from my mouth.. he chuckled and blew out air from his mouth slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. he was silent for a moment before turning to look at me.

"well, son. your mom... ah. i knew she was the one because i had this feeling whenever i was around her. she wasn't like the other na'vi women in the clan, and i felt my eyes were always glued on her. neytiri also helped me learn the ways of the na'vi, and everything about the omaticayan people and their ways and traditions. she was the only one who believed in me, and then... i fell in love with her."

he turned his gaze back to the ocean, smiling faintly. "does that answer your question, son?"

i nodded, swallowing hard. i had never really heard my dad speak in depth about things.

"is there someone you have eyes on?" he questioned, his tone so nonchalant that it caught me off guard.

"huh? oh, no i was just wondering," i replied quickly, shaking my head. i didn't dare to tell him about tsireya. i was anxious about what his response would be.

"have you talked to spider at all?" jake asked out of the blue.

my ears flattened. "no, sir. why..?"

my dad shrugged and sat on one of the rocks poking out of the sand. "i don't know. i just assumed you two were friends."

"we're probably not friends anymore," i mumbled, shoving a foot in the sand. "not after what he's done."

"lo'ak. spider is going through quite a lot. i wouldn't push him away like that," jake warned.

i glanced up at him in confusion, feeling anger bubble up inside of me. "are you saying you agree with what he did?"

jake shook his head, his eyebrows knotting in frustration. "no, i'm not saying that. i just think you should take it easy on him. the kid has been through a lot."

"i'll try," i muttered, hoping that would be enough to please him.

but my dad wasn't convinced. "well, i want you to apologize to him at some point. you don't want to get mixed up in more conflict than you can handle."

i nodded, feeling a knot form in my stomach. i knew my dad wanted peace, but i didn't like the implication that i had to talk to spider again.

we sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the waves crash against the shore. i could sense my dad's uneasiness, like there was something he wanted to say but didn't know how to.

i was staring down at the sand until suddenly my dad shot up quicker than a bullet. i looked up at him, craning my neck in confusion. "what is it, dad?"

"come on, lo'ak, we gotta go," he whispered, his eyes not leaving where he was staring at. he put his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me in the direction of our ikrans.

my curiosity spiraled upwards. "why? what did you see?" i looked in the direction of where he was looking, towards the ocean and the surrounding islands, but i couldn't see anything unordinary.

my dad didn't answer and instead mounted his ikran. "come on, lo'ak!" he yelled in desperation when he saw me frozen in my spot.

i hurried over to my ikran and swung one leg over it, grabbing my queue and creating tsaheylu as quickly as i could. i followed him into the sky, glancing back at where we just were. a feeling of dread made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

tsireya pov

i trudged up the sandy hill, re-adjusting the satchel of corals on my shoulder. the cool ocean breeze blew behind me, ruffling my hair and causing me to shiver slightly. i observed that i was falling slightly behind my mother, so i ran to catch up to her.

"you did great work today, maʼite," my mother praised me, creating a feeling of warmth in my cheeks.

"well, you did most of the work," i responded humbly, looking down to the ground as we walked back to the village.

"you are getting better at this skill every day," ronal reminded me. "and it will serve you well as a future tsahik." she nudged my arm, her eyes moving to a group of young metkayina boys untangling fishing nets. "and soon you will need to find a mate as well."

i felt my face heat up as my thoughts immediately traveled to lo'ak. i wondered how my mother would react. instead, i decided to ask her a simpler question.

"but ma sa'nok, how will i know?"

"you will know when you find someone who can take good care of you and show the potential of a great leader," she replied. "there are many young warriors among our clan that could be a suitable mate for you."

i bit my lip and sighed quietly. lo'ak was not considered a warrior of the metkayina yet, and i was not sure my mother had warmed up to him, either. my heart twisted with yearning as i felt my strong feelings for him resurface. i did not want anyone else in my clan to be my mate. i just wanted lo'ak.

as we walked back to the village, i continued to think about lo'ak as a sense of unease washed over me. my heart was heavy with the thought of having to choose a mate from within my own clan, even though my heart belonged to someone else. lo'ak was always looking out for me, and i thought he displayed admirable leadership qualities, ever since he led us to freedom from the recoms.

i didn't realize we had arrived in the village until my mother spoke up. she nudged me gently, snapping me out of my deep thoughts. "go wash up, maʼite," she said. "we will prepare for the communal meal soon."

i nodded obediently and dragged the satchel of corals along with me, although the burden on my heart felt heavier to drag.

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glossary

tsaheylu - bond
maite - my daughter
ma sa'nok - mother