Ayoeng [English version]

Chapter 04

It was early in the morning. While the couple leading the clan began to prepare for their day's work, their children were already at work. As the group had agreed on a small morning expedition the night before, Tsireya was in charge of preparing the trail for the journey she would have with Tuk and Kiri, while Ao'nung and Rotxo concentrated on their hunt.

They were far from the dock, with their illu they were moving away from their village and reaching the deepest areas of the reef. Rotxo, who was following his friend, could see the figure of other na'vis. They were Ao'nung's hunting companions and when he realized that it was no coincidence to find them there with them, he wanted to leave immediately.

Ao'nung's "friends" were too annoying, he wouldn't be surprised if they failed to pass his iknimaya, because they were certainly skxáwng babies: immature, arrogant and extremely annoying. He wasn't surprised when they almost forced him to be the first to try to hunt something today, nor when they started laughing at his misguided aim with the harpoon at his prey. He wasn't a novice, of course, he had hunted before and without problems, but he was slow and that was his greatest difficulty. When it came to completing his rite with his akula he would have to be fast, physically and mentally speaking, so he had to coordinate his thoughts and actions so as not to end up like the idiots who only laughed at him. Being used to that, and seeing how Ao'nung didn't participate but didn't intervene either, he just concentrated on achieving his goal, changing weapons and even techniques. Ao'nung gave him advice from time to time while he thought about what to do with himself.

He still couldn't find a way to secure loyalty in his akula. Even if he managed to bond with them on several occasions, they were still rough and very wild creatures, it would be quite a headache if he had to bond with a new one every time he needed it. That was starting to worry him, he even thought about what he would do if the animal didn't even accept him and he lost the opportunity to complete his rite, it would be the end of his life if he failed and he would have to wait until next year to achieve it.

-You look terrible Ao, do weirdos give you trouble?

- What? - Ao'nung came out of his bubble, turning to look at his companions who were watching him with amusement.

- It's been several weeks, do they still not understand how to swim?

-So many days and they are still here, are they really going to live with us?

-If that happens we are doomed.

-I can't believe you have to deal with them every day.

Rotxo, who had heard everything and being the observant boy that he was, just looked at his friend to see what he would say. However, he couldn't, he didn't know what to say because he didn't know how to act either. Denying that he had gotten close to the Sully family was impossible, but admitting it was perhaps even more so, so he omitted to comment on the relationship that was forming between his sister and Lo'ak, his little game with little Tuk or his new and recent friendship with the eldest of them all, Neteyam. With his fake and mocking laugh that everyone already knew, he joined in the jokes about the omatikayas. Rotxo sighed disappointed by his attitude, but he didn't complain about his behavior nor did he comment on what he could see between him and the Sullys, especially with the eldest. After all, Ao'nung was always easy to manipulate and get carried away by idiots, he knew that he wasn't bad, he was simply a skxáwng incapable of saying what he really thinks.

That's how the morning went by among the young people, with each new joke that appeared, Rotxo moved further away from the group, hunting on his own and in silence. It was something that happened slowly but even so Ao'nung noticed it and worse still, he knew why he did it and he couldn't help but feel bad about himself for causing all this. He lowered his ears unconsciously and hated the situation, having convinced his friend to hunt together after so long and that he didn't feel comfortable with his group, something he knew well and yet there they were together, making the situation worse with his two-faced attitude, being false in front of someone who knows well how he acts constantly and on top of that having to say things he doesn't think or feel, about na'vis who little by little are starting to like him. It was destroying him little by little and he did nothing to stop that guilt and that situation.