Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter XXXXXXV

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̶̶̶̶  «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ 　My Responsibility　 ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶  

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Evenings were quiet. The family was daily reminded of the member they lost and forced to watch their daughter lose herself in the process. 

At'anau was estranged to a world without her brother and silenced by the quietness in the air. 

The days were dull, the family still mourning of the boy they lost and the girl they're losing. 

Undoubtedly all of the siblings were affected by the loss of the oldest. Lo'ak's cold sweats in the night taunting him of his faults. 

And the human boy taking it upon him to be at fault of those. Spider could almost hear the thoughts the family members had, and he didn't know how to describe his gratitude towards them for not speaking them true. 

It had only been days after the war, yet At'anau seemed to not have the greed of sitting down and resting like the rest allowed themselves to do. The wounds that opened up throughout her journey had no time to heal. Neither the parents were granted the time of her day and quickly the adults grabbed on to the fact the girl wouldn't be at home for any longer then whenever she would show herself. 

There was no reason behind her neglect. The girl simply wanted to be left alone. She had no time in sorrows and prayers towards a Great Mother who didn't answer. She couldn't watch whatever emotion everyone in the village had towards the Forest Girl that failed to protect her family. 

She had no will in facing Ao'nung of the chief and watch pity be the only thing they could offer. 

At'anau thought about her behaviour, she thought about the future and a time that cold white  fire in her heart would be dead, she also thought about the many unspeakable things she needed to do to get there. 

The phoenix in her mind worshipped the hatred growing by the day, untamable by the lack of guidance, the fire nicked at her skin and stoked the air in her lungs to toxicity. 

Every day, the sand on the beach awaited her, and every day it held the same cold temperature grounding her back down to the earth. 

The salty breeze going trough her braids and behind her ears, wiping past her cheeks, sensing the coldness of the wind crashing on the wet streaks of tears that coated her skin. 

The girl sat, watching past the waters for hours, the silence deafening, but the only thing she wanted if it wasn't going to be the voice of her brother to fill it instead. 

At'anau tried to get her mind off of things, she really did, but if her thoughts weren't of the twin she'd lost they would drop to the hunter, soldier and friend she had abandoned in the deeps of the sea. Still resting there, waiting for a burial. 

At'anau hadn't found anyone mourning a private relationship with Ateyo, she had never noticed him with his children, or partner, and it didn't take long for her to find out he didn't have any. 

Ateyo passed as a loyal warrior of the Metkayina and there was no one that would be passing his story on. 

No one to bury his body, and no one to mourn the loss. 

Could she live with that? Did she really have to? There had to be something the girl could do to praise the man who saved her life paying with his.

At'anau released a quiet sigh as she sensed a figure making their way towards her. She wondered when the people would stop, accept she was not to be spoken with, accept half of her was with their ancestors now.