Rough Elegance [Neteyam x Aonung]

Heart & Cure : Part 2

Meanwhile, at the lake, as the others start to go enjoy themselves in the water, making a point to keep to themselves, Aonung finds himself staring off into the distant hills of meadows, wondering if Neteyam is there. That familiar feeling of just wanting to find him starts to surface.

He wants to talk to him and, despite his fears, thinks he should just give him what he wants and deal with whatever the consequences may be.

He looks at the others splashing each other with water and smiles before he decides to stray from them, leaving the lake. Even when they notice, there's no questions asked. They already know exactly what he's going to do, and Lo'ak is hoping he succeeds and brings his brother back.

As the heir walks off towards a patch of trees, he gets the notion to just look up at the sky, and there he sees an Ikran soaring far above him and heading in another direction. On the creature's back is the blue boy he's dying to see.

So, without a second thought, he runs after it.

He isn't sure how long he goes for, but he's led into one of the large forests at the base of the mountain on the edge of the meadows. He knows Neteyam's Ikran landed here somewhere, he just has to find them.

As he makes his way through the dense bush of the forest floor, moving through the many leaves of plants, he tries to listen for him through the noises of other creatures roaming the forests. His now beaming eyes take in his surroundings filled with curiosity, but he forces himself to stay focused.

His ears twitch endlessly, listening to sounds from all directions as he looks up at the towering trees around him. The sight brings a smile to his face as he treads on, slowly getting lost in his wonder. Endless curiosity ends up leading him deeper into the forest, to where the ground begins to rise, leading up the mountain wall that surrounds their home.

He continues uphill until the terrain becomes steeper and steeper, making him practically have to climb, but he doesn't mind it. He wants to see how far up he can go. Unfortunately, when the sound of something coming towards him distracts him from his goal, he looks up just in time to see a figure sliding on a piece of wood slam into him, knocking him into the black void that is unconsciousness.

When the void of darkness fades and his eyes open, Aonung's vision clears, allowing him to see his rocky surroundings. It's clear he's been asleep for a while, since his eyelids feel heavy. He turns to the right, and immediately knows he's inside a cave, one that opens up into the sky it seems. When he looks to his other side, deeper into the cave there's a familiar looking Ikran resting.

Neteyam- You went looking for me again.

The calm voice makes him lean himself up, propping on his elbows, and seeing Neteyam sitting against the wall across from him. His tail sways a bit. He remembers now, the blurred figure that slammed into him was the boy he was looking for.

Neteyam- Why do you keep doing this?

Aonung- I wanted to see you.

He leans all the way up, observing the now pained expression on Neteyam's face. He isn't sure if it's because he was knocked unconscious, but the boy seems different than what he's used to. There's a calm atmosphere around him, almost too calm. Like lightning in a storm, he seems, unpredictable.

Neteyam- I believe you.

Neteyam momentarily looks down at the knife he was fiddling around with before Aonung woke. The marine boy observes his surroundings again, his gaze lingering on the view right outside the cave opening.