𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 | neteyam

016 | PAYAKAN

Many people gathered on the edge of the Mauri pods by the water, seeing Jake swimming back to them with Lo'ak. Someone yelled out to everyone, "The boy has returned!"

Ay'yeiva stood behind her brother, spear right at his back so he would stay and not lie. Lo'ak saw Aonung and started rushing towards him, stopped when Jake held onto his shoulders, "Hey, hey." Jake sighed and turned to Lo'ak's side, "Let's have a look at you. Okay." He turned to everyone, "He's fine, he's fine. Just a few scratches."

"Lo'ak!" Neytiri appeared at the front of the group in anger and worry. She jumped down to where he was and checked him over for injuries. Knowing he wasn't badly hurt, her attitude changed to full anger, "I pray for the strength that I will not pluck the eyeballs out of my youngest son!" She snarled at him, motioning to pluck his eyes out. He backed his head away from her hands to not get hit.

Tonowari stepped in, "No. My son knows better than to take him outside the reef." he placed his hand on Aonung's shoulder and pushed him to his knees, Ay'yeiva placing her spear to her side. "The blame is his."

Jake, wanting to get the whole issue over with, told Lo'ak and his family to go to their marui pod, but Lo'ak opposed, "No. This is not Aonung's fault."

Ay'yeiva shifted her head back slightly in confusion. Her brother had made many stupid, dangerous decisions like this before (and very recently with starting a fight) and she wouldn't out it past him to of left Lo'ak stranded past the reef.

"This was my idea. Aonung tried to talk me out of it. Really." Lo'ak tried convincing Tonowari.

Jake jumped up to the main level everyone else was on, telling his family to follow him. Neytiri tried scolding Lo'ak, but he followed Jake after apologizing.

As Tonowari pulled Aonung to his feet, Neteyam stood up next to Ay'yeiva and met her eyes as he passed by to follow his father.

"Aonung. What were you thinking?"

•••

Due to the events of the night before, Tonowari and Ronal wanted Ay'yeiva to always have an eye on either her brother or the Sully kids. They were together this morning, which meant she had to be around all of them at once; also meaning she had to pay more attention to what was being said.

She was leaning against a tree as Lo'ak had told them what he had seen outside the reef.

"I wish I had been there. The ocean blessed you with a gift, brother." Kiri spoke excitedly.

Aonung leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees as he spoke, "The tulkun have not returned yet. And anyway, no tulkun is ever alone."

Lo'ak protested, "Well, this one was. He had a missing fin, like a stump, on the left side."

All of the Metkayina's were slightly shocked and worried, Tsireya speaking to just them in confirmation, "Payakan."

"Who's Payakan?"

"A young bull who went rogue. He's outcast. Alone. He has a missing fin." Roxto answered.

"A killer." Ay'yeiva spoke up for the first time the group had been there, leaning off from her spot by the tree, "He killed Na'vi."

Aonung continued, "And other tulkun."

Ay'yeiva looked to Aonung and behind him saw Neteyam. She was reminded of the night of her ceremony and the vision the Spirit Tree had given her. She was on the beach, in the same spot they were just now. Only, it was just her and him, for some reason. And for some reason he was holding onto her hand. For some reason he decided to care about her enough to make sure she went with him wherever he was going.

She zoned out from the conversation the group was having, her state only being noticed by two. The boy had no idea why she was zoned out, and neither did her sister. Tsireya thought she knew, but she didn't.

•••

"I am sorry we had been talking about outside the reef today, sister." Tsireya whispered to Ay'yeiva when Lo'ak left. Everyone had gone off to do their own things, Ay'yeiva not fully noticing when she was preoccupied with her thoughts.

Ay'yeiva shook her head, "You have nothing to apologize for, Tsireya. You know I am fine with that now." She hesitated telling Tsireya what was really on her mind, deciding to give her a little bit of her mind when she saw the confused look Tsireya held. "I have only told dad bits and pieces of what I saw at the ceremony."

Tsireya's eyes widened slightly, not thinking this was going to be what was shared.

Ay'yeiva watched Tsireya's face grow in fear, expecting it to be something bad if she had needed to tell their father. In a way, she was right. But she didn't need to know that. So, Ay'yeiva told her the *other* part of her vision that she hadn't told anyone.

"There was a boy in it. He was holding onto my hand."

Tsireya smiled when she heard the first part, expecting there to be more. When there wasn't, she asked, "Do you know who it was? Was there anything else you remember?"

She shook her head. The last thing she wanted Tsireya to know was *who* she  believed the boy to be. if she knew she'd never stop bothering her about it.

Tsireya let it go, taking the new information happily as she walked off, leaving Ay'yeiva on her own.