Eighteen

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"Ma!" Little Mireya was running across the sand with a fearful look upon her face. Her father stood up and looked to Mireya and held out his hands.

"Stay back child." Her father held her back but Mireya had already seen her mother in the water crying.

"What's wrong?" She asked, Mireya's own eyes filled with tears and her father shook his head.

"Come sit." Tonowari guided her and sat her on a rock, facing away from her mother.

"Will mother be okay?" Tonowari smiled and wiped away the girls tears. He nodded and Mireya sighed in relief and hugged her father, hiding her face away into his chest.

"Ma Rey... meet your brother, Ao'nung." Mireya crawled into the water and held out her hand and pressed her fingers to his head. Energy coursing through her fingers and she smiled down at him.

"Ao'nung." Mireya sighed softly and the little boy cried softly and Mireya giggled. "I love him already."

"Give it back, Ao'nung!" Mireya chased after her brother who had snatched her toy Tulkun. The boy giggled loudly and dived into the water, Mireya hissed and jumped in after him.

The two resurfaced and Ao'nung gave her a cheeky smile. "You know I am a fast swimmer. Better than you." She jumped onto her brother and pulled him into the water. The young boy struggled against her and managed to get out of her grip.

"I am a great warrior. I fight better than you." He smiled and Mireya rolled her eyes.

"That's not fair."

"I understand you're sad, Ma Rey. So I made you something." Ao'nung stepped forward and sat down beside her on the sand. Mireya wiped away her tears and looked to her brother, he raised his hands and he held something that was covered with a purple cloth.

Mireya frowned and was hesitant before picking it up and out of his hand. She slowly removed the cloth and her eyes widen, a new hunting knife, carefully crafted by her brother. The handle was made from the trees, with waxed colours of a purple. Then through the small hole of the handle, small leaves hung from it in reds and oranges. The dagger was carefully crafted and shaped sharply from an Akula's tooth. The tooth was one of the smaller ones and was lightly coloured and waxed with a purple.

"It's so beautiful." She cried and Ao'nung smiled and took the cloth from her hands.

"That knife is to last a lifetime, Ma Rey. Or Til the day I die." Ao'nung raised his finger and pointed at the knife. Mireya nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, Ao'nung."





Mireya washed his skin and the bleeding had been stopped by Tsahik and Kiri. Mireya whimpered when she removed his arm band, necklace, and his cummberbund. He was now pure, once more. Neytiri helped re-braid his hair to perfection and it's like what they said. He looked like he was sleeping. She took away his songcord and her heart broken even more as she held the beads in her hands.

"Come Ma Rey." Neteyam held out his hand and she took it and stood to her feet. Her top garment was a grey colour, and her loincloth was a light teal. Paint was all over her body in markings that symbolised a passing. Tsireya took Mireya's other hand and Rotxo stayed behind the three and sobbed into his hands. His hands muffled his cries and pain and when Jake lifted Ao'nung's body, the trio stiffened and it was time to walk down with him.

Mireya felt Neteyam squeeze her hand and she bowed her head and squeezed back at both Neteyam's and Tsireya's.

Their steps were slow and steady and their focus was only ahead where Tsahik waited. The crowd around them hummed softly and Mireya spotted Alira who silently cried. Neytiri helped Jake up to the top and the Sully's and Metkayina moved around them and stood over the hole in the ground. Mireya felt the hot tears run down her cheeks once again as Jake lowered Ao'nung down. A woodsprite came down and floated before Mireya and the woman inhaled a sharp breath before softly moving the woodsprite down to the ground where Ao'nung now was.

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