invisible string ↝ ao'nung

XVIII ; I Know The End

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
Somewhere in Germany, but I can't place it
Man, I hate this part of Texas
Close my eyes, fantasize
Three clicks and I'm home
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Sylwana awoke abruptly, coughing and spluttering. She clawed desperately at the obtrusive object on her face, before realising it was an oxygen mask. Breathing it in suspiciously, she relaxed when she registered the Na'vi air. She closed her eyes, willing her heart to slow. How long had she been out? She couldn't afford to let that happen again. She needed to be on guard, constantly.

She jumped at a tapping sound. Her eyes darted to the door, which had a circular window- that's what it's called, she finally remembered- and through it she could see Spider. Right, he was here, too. Probably faring better than her, as he apparently had free reign of the ship.

"Sylwana?" His voice was oddly muffled, but she was able to make it out. "Spider," she breathed. The relief of seeing someone familiar was immense, and her heart ached thinking of Spider trapped on one of these ships for months, with nobody.
Spider grinned, and then the door was opened, revealing two guards watching her closely. She wondered if they could speak Na'vi; if they couldn't, then she and Spider could arrange a plan to escape.

Cautiously, with one eye on the guard who had entered the room behind Spider, Sylwana spoke. "Spider," she began, "how long has it been?"
He hesitated at the spoken Na'vi, but eventually replied, "Two days. You passed out and I had to beg them to let me see you. Here," he placed something on the ground beside her.
She inspected it gingerly. It looked to be food, but she didn't recognise it. It had been two days since she last ate, but she refused this food. "It is demon food?" she questioned Spider sharply. He shook his head. "No, but we have left the Metkayina waters. This is sea fish, not reef fish." She didn't move. "Sylwana," Spider pleaded, and she reminded herself that he was the only one here she could trust. If she doubted him now, she really would have no one.
As soon as she took her first bite, she wolfed the remainder down. She'd never gone so long without food, and she'd never felt this hunger before.

Spider filled her in on everything that had occurred while she'd been locked up, which wasn't much. The demons never said anything of their plans while he was around, so he knew nothing. Sylwana thanked him anyway and he told her he'd be back to give her food again tomorrow. The door opened and Spider exited. The guard didn't follow immediately, instead eyeing her for several moments. She hissed and bared her teeth, and he left.

The door slid shut, and Sylwana sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Two days. How much longer until they arrived at their destination? How much longer did she have to escape?

Ao'nung had not slept in two days. His mind and body had not allowed it. He was determined, and though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he was desperate. The thought of Sylwana returning to the forest had often crossed his mind, for she talked about it frequently. He was beginning to understand that it would break him much deeper than he thought.
If he felt this way after two days, what would years of separation do to him? Knowing that she would never return, that she would need to find an Olo'eyktan to rule alongside her. Despite this, he felt he couldn't possibly leave his home, even if it meant finding another. He imagined she felt the same.

The warriors had left Awa'atlu, and were slowly following behind the demon ship. Several warriors were being sent as scouts to visit neighbouring villages, who had all been wronged by the Sky People in many different ways, to assist them. They were amassing quite the army, and it was only growing by the day.
Ao'nung wished they could just attack the ship, but Jake was adamant that Sylwana wasn't in immediate danger. The route to the Txepìvam's island wasn't familiar to him, but the elder warriors leading the way, including his father, knew the general location.

Ao'nung had been stationed in the centre of the army. From behind him, he heard murmurs of confusion and some warriors shouting. Panic gripped his throat, but he glanced back, he saw a crowd of tulkun swimming below them. He gasped when Aweng surfaced beside him. "Brother!" Ao'nung felt fury ignite in his veins. His spirit brother was purposely putting himself in danger, and for what?

Aweng looked him dead in the eyes. "I have word from the forest girl, Sylwana."

Sylwana moved to take a breath from her mask. She had been scarce with how often she was using it, as she was unsure if she would get a refill. It had been a few hours since Spider had spoken to her, and it was well past eclipse. She had no intention of falling asleep again, not after she had slept for so long before.

Her ears pricked up, and she heard something moving in the water. Something larger than the fish and such, something familiar. She eagerly moved to the window, pressing her ear to the glass. Her eyes widened. She knew that sound, she-

Moving her eyes to the glass now, she grinned when she saw him. Aweng, Ao'nung's spirit brother, was looking at her through the glass. He started to speak, and she pressed her ears to the glass again. Unfortunately, she wasn't well versed in the tulkun language, and couldn't discern what he was saying. She told him as such, her hands moving frantically to keep up with her racing mind. She thought he made a noise of affirmation, before he disappeared again in the dark waters. Sylwana felt giddy with hope, and she prayed that Aweng was able to come and go without the demons realising. She would ask Spider the next time she saw him whether or not this ship was designed to hunt tulkun or not. Perhaps they wouldn't bother going after Aweng, if their main goal was to kidnap her, perhaps they would just ignore him. However, even as she thought it, she knew it wasn't true.