Thanatophobia | Ao'nung

⋆˚✿˖°ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟙𝟘⋆˚✿˖°

"Breathe in," Tsireya instructed, and the Omatikaya children took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. "And breathe out," She said.

Shortly after lunch ended, Tsireya and Rotxo led the Omatikaya teens to an area that would be a little more private so they could learn without being disturbed. Luckily, Ao'nung had taken Ni'la's advice and decided to not come with them, which meant that training should be smooth sailing for the most part. The breathing exercises were a change of pace from learning how to ride the ilus earlier that morning.

Kiri and Ni'la hadn't been struggling with what Tsireya had asked of them, and Neteyam seemed to be doing pretty well on his own. Lo'ak, however, was struggling a little bit, so Tsireya decided to help him individually. The twin girls watched as Tsireya placed her hand on Lo'ak's chest to feel his heartbeat and her other hand on his abdomen.

"Breathe in," Tsireya said, and Lo'ak followed her instructions. "Breathe from down here," She pressed on his stomach, and he took a deep breath before looking down at Tsireya with wide eyes.

"Lo'ak, your heartbeat is fast," The Metkayina girl glanced up at the boy, causing Neteyam and Rotxo to snicker while the girls rolled their eyes. The boy glared at his older brother before turning his attention back to the girl he had a small crush on.

Ni'la thought it was cute that Lo'ak had taken a liking to Tsireya, and if they were to get into a relationship, she would approve because Tsireya was a lot nicer than her brother. She also thought the Metkayina girl was a complete sweetheart who had welcomed her and her family with open arms, even when her mother didn't.

After Tsireya told Lo'ak that he needed to breathe from his lower stomach, he seemed to be catching on a little faster, but he still had a lot of work to do. All of the Sully children had things they could improve on when it came to their training which is why they knew they had a lot of work ahead of them. However, when it came to who learned the fastest, so far, Tuk was in first place.

Tuk was younger than the rest of her siblings, which meant it would be easier for her to pick up on new things. It genuinely made the older siblings jealous of their little siblings.

The group of Metkayina teens and Omatikaya teens continued to work on their breathing for a few more hours before deciding to call it quits. Neteyam and Lo'ak left to go hang out with Rotxo because Jake had told them to make friends, Tuk already had a couple of friends, Kiri wanted to go swimming, and Ni'la decided to go take a walk to explore the village.

Because it was later in the day, the sand had cooled off, and the softness of it felt nice against Ni'la's feet. She looked left and right as she saw children running around playing while their parents tiredly chased them around. She saw how Metkayina men threw nets into the water before pulling them back up and placing the fish they caught into a bucket.

Despite her initial distaste for her and her family leaving home, the Metkayina clan wasn't so bad, even if some of the people weren't as welcoming as she would have liked. But the more Ni'la thought about it, the more she realized that her reaction probably wouldn't be any different from theirs. If a family of strangers had come to her home asking for Ukturu, she would be cautious and hostile towards them as well.

Of course, she wasn't excusing their behavior in any way, but the least she could do was show them some understanding.

As she continued to walk alongside the beach, Ni'la heard laughter coming from in front of her, and the girl turned her head to see Ao'nung and his friends messing around. Stopping in her tracks, she immediately turned on her heel to walk away in hopes she could get away before they noticed her.

"Hey, freak!" A voice yelled, and Ni'la cringed as she realized she hadn't gotten away fast enough. But instead of turning around to talk to the boys who had called her a freak, Ni'la decided that she would try to make a quick getaway. The girl quickened her pace to go back home, but a hand on her shoulder yanked her back.