Skxawng • Neteyam

15

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Yeriyah was up before everyone the following day. The sound of the ocean played over and over in her mind. The sun, too, was brighter than ever, and she didn't understand how anyone else could sleep in this light. In the forest, most of the trees blocked it. She sat up and looked down at Neteyam with a soft smile.

She squeezed his arm as she got up and quietly left their hut. She wouldn't go far, but she wanted to experience the village while everyone slept. She hopped along the pathways until they stopped and turned into the sand at the beach. It was quiet, and she saw a few others further down collecting things in the sand.

She observed them before looking at her feet and the sand below. Her eyes widened as she saw shells lying in the sand. She crouched and brushed her hand over the surface to remove the sand. A beautiful white and gold exterior stared back at her. A small smile graced her face, and she picked it up, flipping it in her hand to observe it.

She stood and walked a bit further before crouching down and finding another. This one had hints of green; she liked it better. She admired it in the sun, and a voice behind her spoke. "I like the green one more."

She smiled. "Too bad, so do I."

Two hands come around her front and pull her flush against a hard chest. Neteyam lays his head in the crook of her neck and breathes in her scent. "Why are you up so early?" Neteyam asks.

"You didn't have to follow me." She notes and turns in his embrace, his hands falling to her waist instead. She loved the feeling of his hands, and they hadn't been able to be alone together since their first kiss. It was safe to say they'd both been dying to touch.

"I never know what you're going to get up to, and after that conversation with my father last night, I was worried you'd take off on your ikran and disappear for the day," Neteyam admits, and her ears fall, and she looks down between them to her hands. She plays with the edges of her shell.

"Would that really be a bad thing?" She wonders and felt his fingers brush under her chin, pushing her gaze to his. He was always so gentle with her. His hand brushed against her face before falling and tugging on the end of her braids. Neteyam had made such a habit out of tugging on her braids that she'd placed more beads there for him to do it—most of the time, he did it subconsciously.

"I know this sucks, and it sucks for everyone, but like my dad said, we have to be grateful to them for letting us stay, and we show that by learning their ways. Disappearing on your ikran, a forest creature, every day could be seen as rude." Neteyam says cautiously, and she turns a wary eye to him.

"How am I meant to go days without riding her, Neteyam?" She breathes. "I do not care if it is rude. Zaeyli is my family."

"You will have time, you stubborn warrior." He tells her. "I will find time for you to fly. I promise."

"Thank you, Teyam."

She pressed to her toes and leaned up to kiss him. His hands immediately tightened around her as he kissed her back. One hand travelled up her back and to the back of her head. His hand weaved through her hair and tugged, causing a little moan to come out of her. Neteyam pulled away first and looked down at her with pure hunger in his eyes, but it was he who said. "As much as I would love to do this all day, we should probably get back."