A Drop In The Sea - Chapter 3: Contemplation

A Drop in the Sea - Chapter 3: Contemplation

Aonung x F!OC

The Metkayina and the Ta'unui reef clans have long had a close relationship. Ever since Aonung was born, the clans have come together every two years for a fortnight-long celebration. Following the attack on the Ta'unui by Quaritch and his men, tensions have been high between the two clans. In hopes of righting past wrongs, Tonowari invites the Ta'unui back to Awa'altu for the first time in four years. With the celebration comes the reunion of friends old and new.

It has been four years since Aonung has seen Payiva, the second daughter of Ta'unui's Olo'eyktan. They have known each other all of their lives, but things are different now. Aonung is eighteen years old and learning how to be a good leader. How will Payiva react to seeing him after all this time? Will they be able to rekindle their friendship, even as his clan harbors the man responsible for the attack on her own people?

CH1, CH2

Awa’altu was larger than Payiva remembered. As a child, she loved to spend her days running around the village and its surrounding biome. There was always something new for her to discover, a new place to hide from her mother.

Now, all Payiva could do was compare Awa’altu to her own home, Seya’altu. The Ta’unui village had always been smaller, though never had it been more obvious to Payiva than it did now.

“We just built a new section of maruis for this year’s celebration,” Tsireya was telling Pxe’ali and their mother. “Everything should be prepared for you already, but do not hesitate to let us know if you need anything.”

Payiva resisted the urge to assure Tsireya that it did not matter if there was a hole in the ceiling, Ley would not be complaining about a single thing. It was not in Ley’s nature to complain to her hosts, it was much too rude for the Tsahik. Instead, she would air her grievances to her family, who had no choice but sit and listen.

The rest of the clan trailed behind them, waving and calling out to old friends as they passed. Payiva was happy to see them so joyous, the past few years had not been easy for her people. This celebration was a well-deserved reward for the Ta’unui.

Behave, Payiva’s father had whispered into her ear after they dismounted their ilu. And be nice.

Payiva was not as politely demure as her sister, or entirely concerned about decorum, much to her mother’s dismay. She had a track record of being blunt in the most inappropriate of situations and an issue of not knowing when to hold her tongue. On more than one occasion, Ley had been heard saying that the Great Mother had blessed her with two daughters and thankfully, Pxe’ali was first.

Payiva was not fit to be Tsahik, and everyone knew it.

“Aonung was actually the one who made most of the maruis you will be staying in,” Payiva heard Tsireya say.

Tsungetsa clapped the boy on the back, rattling on about the importance of an Olo’eyktan knowing craftsmanship. The scene almost made Payiva nauseous. Aonung was the son her father wished he had, and Tsungetsa was nothing if not obvious. Ley was no better. Payiva was certain she heard her mother coo something at Aonung as well.

They treated Sreng, Pxe’ali’s mate, the same way. The young male had been chosen to become the next Olo’eyktan almost ten years ago, and Ley still treated him like he was an Eywa-given gift. It bothered Payiva more than she would like to admit - the amount of adoration her parents gave to Sreng over their own child, but it allowed her more freedom to do as she wished.

Aonung’s back was to her, so Payiva took the opportunity to observe the boy while he was not staring at her like an ilu watching a fat fish.

He had grown, both in height and in muscle definition. The last time they had seen each other, Payiva was the same height as Aonung, if not taller. She now only reached his shoulders, and he was likely to grow more. Payiva could not say why, but this annoyed her.

She did not quite know what to think of him. They had been friends as children, such was the nature of being the children of clan leaders: you tended to gravitate toward one another. Aonung was never friendly by any means. Payiva actually remembered him being ornery and selfish, unused to not getting his way. But he would play games that Pxe’ali had long since grown out of, and that was all that really mattered.

He was handsome, Payiva supposed, in the way that most Metkayina warriors were: tall, strong, and proud. Aonung had long curly hair like his sister, though his braids led back to a topknot, with half of the strands falling freely. Payiva rarely wore her hair unbraided - something that bothered her mother. While she liked the typical fashion with which Ta'unui women wore their hair, wearing her own hair like that annoyed her more often than not. Payiva could not understand how Aonung or the other Metkayina hunters dealt with their long tresses outside of the reef.

Aonung glanced back over his shoulder at her, but Payiva quickly turned her gaze toward the village. The last time they had seen one another, Aonung practically overflowed with pride and arrogance. There had been times, between just the two of them, that he had been open - vulnerable even, but Payiva was not sure that she wanted to test those waters again. She most certainly did not want to add to what was likely an already overinflated ego.

Tsireya led them to their maruis, which Aonung supposedly built by himself. Payiva would have to make sure the structure was sound before she could comfortably fall asleep tonight.

Their party came to a stop. “We will let you settle in before the feast,” Tsireya said, her cheeks dimpling with a sweet smile. “Welcome back to Awa’altu.”

As the Metkayina siblings departed, Payiva did not gush over them as her parents did. She gave Tsireya a kind smile, but gave no such gesture to Aonung.

Truthfully, Payiva had no reason to ice the young man out. They had parted on good terms, but she did not know how to interact with Aonung anymore, and it was an awkwardness that Payiva did not appreciate. It felt like she was in unfamiliar territory. Being overly friendly with the next Olo’eyktan was not looked upon the same way at eighteen as it was when they were adolescents.

Payiva had already squashed a number of rumors two years ago, when she became an adult, about her friendships with the young hunters in the clan. While she recognized the fact that she would likely end up mated to one of the young men eventually, Payiva did not intend for that to occur any sooner than necessary.

Admittedly, the rumors were not helped by the fact that Payiva occasionally liked to experiment with one or two of the boys.

Either way, Payiva was still deciding if resurrecting her friendship with Aonung was worth the potential hassle. She did not have as much patience for spoiled princes as once before.

Ley would have a field day if she heard that her youngest daughter was sweet on the Olo’eyktan’s son. Having not only one, but two daughters as Tsahik would be a dream come true for Payiva’s mother. Payiva’s ability to be a spiritual leader be damned.

The last thing that she wanted was to be shackled to such a position. Payiva had seen the life of a Tsahik through the eyes of her mother and sister, and it was not for her. Payiva lacked the patience for healing and the discipline for leadership. Even skills like weaving and cooking evaded her.

Hunting, however? Payiva was born to hunt. She relished in the feeling of an early morning hunt, the cool waves beating against her skin as she cut through the water, and the silent moment right before catching her prey. Payiva did not care if she was using nets or spears, hunting was the one time she felt right.

There was no joy in killing the creatures, as Payiva once explained to Pxe’ali. It was more the thrill of being in the water and providing food for her clan. The knowledge that her people would not go hungry because of her handiwork was something that no one could take from Payiva.

By no means could a Tsahik not be a warrior - Ronal was a prime example of such. But being Tsahik would always come first, and Payiva could never do that.

“Stop being so grumpy,” Pxe’ali whispered. “We are here. Let us enjoy the celebration.”

Payiva took a deep breath in, then nodded. Being cordial and standoffish were two different things, and it would do her no good to be the latter.

She put her things down in the marui before turning to her older sister. “I just hope our sister clan makes food as well as I remember.”

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