Mune Olo'eyktan [NeteyamxAonung]

Part 3

Neteyam and the others led out of the crowd, and to a spot right at the edge of the communal area, which is the most scarce spot in the trees, leaving room for their celebrations.

There's a group with three boys. The bulkiest of the bunch is Hoskno, who's sixteen. Second, and recently acknowledged man is Korva, who's seventeen, like Lo'ak and Rotxo. His hair is dreaded and shoulder length.

The oldest of them is Wift, a warrior with his short braids in a ponytail on the top of his head, with one hanging down on each side of his face. He's a year older than Neteyam.

At the sight of their familiar faces, the boys stand from their spot, eager to greet their old friends.

Korva- No way. Lo'ak!

Lo'ak- Bro!

Lo'ak brings his old best friend into a hug, also sizing him up to see who's taller.

Korva- Man, I knew we'd end up the same height.

Lo'ak- That sucks.

Rotxo, quietly standing behind Lo'ak, smiles softly at the reunion, then earns the gaze of Lo'ak's old friend.

Korva- Who's this little guy?

He's instantly hissed at by the little reef boy who hates being referred to as such.

Lo'ak- Sorry, he doesn't like being called small in any way.

Korva- Oh, my bad bro.

Lo'ak- This is Rotxo, my mate. Rotxo, this is Korva.

Korva- Mate? You sure didn't waste any time.

Lo'ak- Hell no, we've been mated for two years, man.

Korva- I should've known you'd be the type to mate so young.

Lo'ak- That better be a compliment.

Korva- You know it is. I'm still single.

Lo'ak relaxes his arm around Rotxo's shoulders, purposely making his best friend feel more single than he already does.

Lo'ak- You're missing out.

Korva- Fuck you.

They share a laugh, and Rotxo finds their relationship amusing.

The largest boy in the group walks up to Kiri, who's next to Tsireya, and she gives him a weird look.

Kiri- Who the hell are you?

Lo'ak- That's cold, Kiri, don't you recognize him?

She squints at the boy, then realizes his face resembles a certain scrawny kid that used to have the biggest crush on her, which was more annoying than anything.

Kiri- Oh my gosh. Hoskno?

Hoskno- That's me.

He laughs softly, still giving Kiri the same affectionate look, which makes her want to walk away.

Kiri- Wow. Talk about a glow up.

The moment Yuuki releases Neteyam's hand, he's tackled to the ground by the last boy, and the two begin to wrestle. Aonung almost intervenes, but Spider stops him with a hand on his arm.