𝖲𝗍𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗍

𝗍𝗐𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗒-𝗈𝗇𝖾

      

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐨𝐧𝐞

༄𓆉︎♫︎☀︎︎❦︎☀︎︎♫︎𓆉︎༄

      THE DAY AFTER NETEYAM’S FUNERAL, TU’AHU WAS PERMITTED TO LEAVE THE TENT WITH AONUNG. She wanted to see Meuia. He had been alone since his mother died, only being visited once by Lo’ak who fed him under Tu’ahu’s instructions.

      They walked side by side on the beach, Aonung holding Tu’ahu’s only hand tightly, rubbing it with his thumb. Her long hair was unbraided, and she had no plans to rebraid it any time soon. Kiri had tied half of it up, keeping it away from her face.

      Tu’ahu felt extremely useless. She couldn’t do her hair, she couldn’t dress herself, and she wasn’t even allowed to go into the ocean. Aonung tried to keep her spirits lifted and her mind off of her brother, but he was struggling.

      “Thank you for coming with me.” Tu’ahu said quietly, looking down at the sand as they walked.

      Aonung squeezed her hand, looking over at her. “I’m right here, if you want to talk.” he offered, though he knew there was no point.

      “I won’t, but thanks.” she said, looking over at him, her hair falling in her eyes.

      They continued walking after Aonung paused to brush her dark hair from her face. “I’m excited to see Meuia.” he said.

      Tu’ahu nodded. “Me too. Lo’ak didn’t tell him what happened to Loran, so I have to tell him.” she really didn’t want to have to relive Loran’s death as she explained to her son where his mother had been, but she had to tell the calf something.

      They arrived at the portion of the beach where the ikran settled, and Meuia ran over to Tu’ahu, climbing into her lap as soon as she sat down. He whined, nuzzling into her the way he did Loran. “Hi, Meuia.” Tu’ahu said as Aonung sat down beside her.

      “He’s growing so fast, look at him.” Aonung smiled, his hand going to the baby ikran’s nose.

      Meuia nuzzled into Tu’ahu’s stump, making her groan quietly, gently pushing the ikran away. “Flrr, Meuia, flrr.” (Gentle, Meuia, gentle) Tu’ahu said quietly, tossing some sand over Meuia’s head, watching him shake it away.

      “Do you think he wonders where Loran is?” Aonung wondered, playing with the ikran alongside Tu’ahu.

      She nodded. “I just think he’s confused. She left, and she never came back, but when he gets older, he won’t remember her.” Tu’ahu explained. Meuia was too young to know how to properly communicate with Tu’ahu, but he could understand what she was saying. He was still less than a week old, and he barely knew who Loran was. 

      “Are you gonna tell him when he’s grown?” Aonung questioned, tossing the baby a small piece of fruit.

      “Yeah. I’m gonna ride him, he’s going to be my ikran when he’s old enough.” Tu’ahu could picture it now; flying through the skies with Meuia, taking him to all her favorite spots. 

      Aonung hesitated, but he asked the question anyway. “Tu’ahu, are you sure you’re going to be able to ride again?” he asked gently.

      Tu’ahu inhaled sharply, smoothing out Meuia’s wings. “Yes, I am. I can’t hunt anymore, I can’t even use a bow. I can’t go to the Spirit Tree to see Neteyam, I can’t even get in the water, so I’m not losing another thing. Meuia and I will ride, just like Loran and I were supposed to.” she said firmly, and Aonung wrapped his arm around her, kissing the side of her head.