"Ohh god, what's that smell?" Jake crowed at you when you first entered the mauri. He playfully closed his nose with his fingers and waved a hand in front of his face, causing you to blush uncontrollably.
It wasn't your fault that you didn't have time to visit the bathing pools, besides, something told you that both Ronal and Tonowari liked you smelling like them. Though Jake, being the little asshole he was, couldn't help but to needle you relentlessly.
Giving him a taste of his own medicine, you quickly fired back with, "Maybe it's your breath, you should learn to brush your fucking teeth more."
You laughed at him when he glared at you, but at the very least he dropped his act and sat back to talk to you. He stopped idly sharpening his knife as he looked to you with an expectant look on his face.
"Sooo? Did you have a good night?" Jake asked you smugly, and it took all you had not to deck him in his stupid face.
You had come back wearing some of Ronal's clothes, your top and loincloth not really appropriate for wearing anymore, and to your luck Jake was waiting in the marui for you. Despite it being well into the day when you came back, he seemed to be waiting around the Sully home. When he saw you walk in gingerly in the Tsahik's clothing with hickeys all up and down your neck, that asshole had started laughing at you.
"Eat ass Jake."
Not wanting to put up with his bullshit, you moved around him and gathered some of your clothing but choosing to leave your human technology behind, figuring that it would be better for Jake to hold onto. "Oh come on, this is a good thing isn't it?" he asked, moving with you and getting in your way.
"Were you not going to tell me?" you asked with a pout.
Jake chuckled, "No, I wasn't. It wasn't my place to tell you, you nosey bitch, besides everything turned out great in the end didn't it?"
You reluctantly had to agree with him, "Yeah, it did."
The two of you were silent for a moment as you pattered around gathering little knickknacks into your bag. You were happy to be able to move in with your mates, hell when they brought you back from Tonowari's little island the first thing that they did was show you around their mauri. Ronal pointed out where they kept dried foods and places to store your clothes, while Tonowari was proud to show you where the family's songcords hung. There was a distinct space between their songcords and the children's, a space left for you to put your songcord in.
Feeling touched at the amount of thought they put into bringing you into their hearts and home, you teared up. Both of your mates crowded you, worried that they did something to upset you but you just waved them away. "It's happy tears," you said as you wiped at your face, "I'm just very happy." They smiled at you and agreed with that sentiment, they were very happy too.
Now, while getting your things from the Sully mauri you felt a bit out of sorts, you had spent so long just living for this family because Jake had asked it of you. Now, you were leaving this family for the first time ever, and it was bittersweet. You always had your brother in your life, in fact for a little more than three decades you had lived with him, not counting the six years the two of you spent in cryo.
You sniffled at the thought that you were leaving, even though you would be just a few homes down from them, you had never lived away from Jake, and his family by extension.
At the first sign of tears, Jake moved to get in front of you, "Hey, hey, what's these tears for huh? Aren't you happy to be moving in with Ronal and Tonowari?"
You nodded but looked at your brother, "It's just-just, its always been us, you know?"
His ears flattened against his head, "Yeah kiddo, I know." Jake looked a little somber watching you, standing there with all of your things in a little bag and ready to go off to a new chapter of your life. You had changed from the annoying little sister he had to a beautiful young woman, and while he would miss having you close to him, he would not get in the way of you making your own way through life. "I'll always be here for you, you can't get rid of me that easily asshole," he joked and you giggled a bit.
"I'll come back for lunch," you offered.
Jake swatted at you with his tail, "You just like Neytiri's cooking."
"Hey! Don't think I don't see you swiping food as she's cooking it!" you hissed back at him.
He grinned, "Not my fault she's damn good at cooking, better than anything I could ever make."
You hissed at him, batting at him with a free hand, but you felt light and happy, "See you soon?"
Your brother nodded, "See you soon. Also if you see the kids tell them what's going on, Tuk wasn't happy knowing you wouldn't be here to kiss her goodnight anymore. And I think Lo'ak went to apologize to Ao'nung, so he might be hanging around."
"Will do," you said before leaving the mauri.
While making your way through Awa'atlu, you were greeted more often and you smiled and talked with some of the patients that you helped Ronal with before. They chatted with you lightly, asking you when you would be back working with Ronal. You responded that soon you would be making the rounds with her again, and they complimented your headpiece. You thanked them before going on your way, eager to get to your new home and put away the things in your bag.
For once, going through Awa'atlu wasn't filled with people staring at you in confusion and mistrust, this time they all seemed curious as they watched you go through the village while dressed in their Tsahik's clothing. Children came up to you, pulling on the small shells that were woven into your loose skirt, asking you questions as to why you were wearing the Tsahik's clothing. They touched at your hands and one brave little girl held onto your tail, like your nieces and nephews did when they were younger.
You cooed at them, explaining that you were now mated to their leaders, but you whispered to them that for now it was a little secret between you and them. Their little faces lighting up at the prospect of being a part of a secret and they nodded seriously, before running off.
Eager to put your songcord up next to their cords, you had a bit of pep in your step and hurried to the mauri. When you entered the home, you paused a bit at seeing Tsireya knelt in the middle of the floor while she sewed together something in her hands. She looked up at the sound of you entering, and smiled brightly, getting up immediately to help you.
"It's okay, I got it, but thank you Tsireya," you grinned at her.
She shook her head, "Please, I insist!"
The young girl looked so excited to be of help, that you reluctantly gave her your bag of things. Together, you put away your clothes and little pieces of jewelry away with her help, having to ask her multiple times where to put something. Tsireya chatted with you about anything and everything, calling you sa'nok while she talked. You were flattered that she already thought so highly of you, and pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you Tsireya," you said.
"For what?" she asked, looking puzzled.
You pulled back to look at her, brushing a stray curl from her face, "For welcoming me into your home, and into your heart. You are a very loving girl."
Her smaller face lit up, excited at the prospect of being thanked for something. "Of course sa'nu! I was so happy when Mother and Father told me they had planned to mate with you!"
Laughing you sat down, pulling her down with you, "I was very surprised when they approached me, but no less happy for it. Now tell me a little more about yourself."
So you sat there with your new daughter, listening to her as she talked. You learned that she enjoyed teaching others, and that her current favorite students were your nieces and nephews. Tsireya going on to gush about how well the kids were taking to free diving with the clan, and how she felt proud that they were able to do so with her help. When you asked her how she felt with having a new sibling to welcome into the family, she sighed in relief.
She would be glad to not be the youngest anymore, something that Ao'nung teased her for apparently. You commiserated with her, telling her about your experience of being the youngest of your siblings and how on the best of days you did your best to not hit Jake for the slightest of offenses. Something that she knew quite well when dealing with Ao'nung and his friends.
You talked to her about her spirit sister, and how she could hardly wait for them to return to tell her about the recent events in Awa'atlu. She wanted to introduce you to her, saying that Loran would love to meet her new mother. You felt touched, Tsireya was such a loving and kind young girl, and while you didn't really know her yet you vowed to do your best to get along with her.
Hell, maybe you'll nudge her and Lo'ak together a little bit more, you've seen how that boy followed her like a lost little duckling.
While you were talking to her, you brought out your songcord and fingered the beads that adorned it. You need to add more to it you figured. Over time you gained the habit of singing it every once in a while to Tuk, so that she could sleep easier through the night. Just as you had done for her older siblings when they were young. You thought of the different materials that you could use to symbolize your mating with Ronal and Tonowari.
Maybe you would ask to use one of their beads or shells for your cord.
The creaking of the woven floor snapped you from your thoughts, and you rose just in time to greet a rather smug looking Ao'nung as he entered the mauri. He paused at seeing you there with Tsireya, but gave you a smile.
"Oel ngati kameie, Y/N," he greeted you and you returned it.
You sank back down next to Tsireya, gesturing for him to sit with the two of you, "Sit, sit. How are you Ao'nung?"
He shrugged, "Good, I guess." The young boy scratched at his scalp, not caring if you or his sister were next to him. You glanced at Tsierya to see she has rolled her eyes at his lack of manners, but you smiled a bit. He reminded you of Lo'ak and Neteyam, just a little bit with his mannerism. While your nephews did their best to be little versions of Jake, they were still teenage boys who smelled bad and didn't mind picking their nose in front of their family.
"That's good! Your head doesn't hurt you anymore?" you asked.
Ao'nung sighed but answered you, "No, it doesn't. Mother made a paste for me to apply to it, so it can heal faster."
Besides you, Tsireya shuffled a bit, moving to grab a small bowl with a purplish paste in it, "Here, before you forget and Mother puts it on for you." Ao'nung grabbed the bowl with a little more force than either you or Tsireya would have liked, and grumbled when he applied it to his swollen eye.
"Still, I'm sorry that my nephews fought with you, they were raised better than that," you sighed, "I hope that they apologized to you for their actions."
"Lo'ak did, so we took him hunting with us," Ao'nung mentioned as he put the bowl to the side, "I haven't seen Neteyam yet."
You brightened up at the mention of Lo'ak apologizing, especially since he did it before his brother. Maybe the young boy took your words to heart, and was trying to get along better with Ao'nung. "Ohh, what did you hunt? Where did you go?" you asked, genuinely curious since you haven't been hunting with the Metkayina yet.
The young boy mumbled, something you couldn't quite hear, but Tsireya suddenly hissed at her brother.
"Woah, woah, woah," you put yourself in front of her, "What's the matter?"
She didn't respond to you, instead choosing to yell at her brother, "You took him where!? Ao'nung!"
Ao'nung snarled in response, not liking being yelled at by his younger sister but you intervened, "Wait a minute you two! What is going on?"
"He isn't supposed to be there Ao'nung! You know better than that!"
You moved to look at Ao'nung, "What is going on? Where is Lo'ak?" When he didn't meet your eyes, you hissed and he growled back at you.
"We left him at Three Brothers Rock hours ago! What is the big issue?" Ao'nung responded, but you were all confused.
Wasn't that outside the reef? You tried wracking your brain for anything that Tonowari might of said to you in passing about that location, but you were drawing a blank. Tsireya, on the other hand, knew exactly what that meant.
"Nobody has seen him! We all assumed he was with you Ao'nung!" Tsireya cried out, "He should be back to Awa'atlu by now since the ilu know their way back, unless something happened to him!"
For the first time since he had entered the mauri, Ao'nung seemed unsure of himself. Like the situation at hand finally registered in his brain, but to you it felt like all you could hear was a piercing ringing noise. This boy, who was to be your new son, had lured Lo'ak from the safety of the reef and left him in dangerous waters. Your precious nephew, who you would gladly die for, was lost and no one was aware of that face besides you three.
You could feel a growl build up in your throat, "Lo'ak is missing?"
When no one answered you, fear crept into your heart.
Lo'ak was missing.
You were on a war path, but with each step you took you could feel your composure cracking into bits.
Behind you, both Tsireya and Ao'nung scurried to follow you as you prowled through Awa'atlu with a strong grip on Ao'nung's arm. Even though he clearly didn't want to be seen being dragged by the arm like a child, there was not much he could do in the face of your anger. "Jake! Jake! Where are you?" you called as you neared the Sully mauri, and when you found him sitting on a boat outside the home with Kiri you pushed Ao'nung forwards.
"Hey? What's going on here?" Jake asked, all confused.
You whipped around to Ao'nung, hissing at the young man, "Tell him, tell him what you told me!"
Jake stood up, his concern fading away and turning into the stone cold seriousness of a soldier, "What? Tell me what boy?"
As Ao'nung sheepishly began explaining to Jake what had happened you looked at Tsireya, "Stay with him, and make sure that he stays out of trouble. I will go find Ronal and Tonowari."
"But- sa'nu!" the young girl began but you shook your head.
"Please Tsireya, I-I," you choked up, "He could be hurt, or worse, so I need to get a search party started for him. Stay here with your brother, and keep him out of trouble."
At the mention of Lo'ak being hurt, or even dead, she clammed up a bit; a stark contrast from the bright, bubbly girl from earlier. Tsireya's ears flicked down in anxiety as she nodded, you pulled her into a hug and thanked her quietly before taking off.
Running along the bouncy pathways that connected all of Awa'atlu together was rough, you were constantly bumping into people and posts while you hurried to find either of your mates. Different Metkayina hissed at you, telling you to watch where you were going but you could barely hear the over the blood pounding in your ears. You were terrified of something happening to that boy, Lo'ak was precious to you. All of your nieces and nephews meant the world to you, and to hear that any of them were in danger made your heart drop to your stomach.
The last time you had been this scared was when Jake was telling you about how Quaritch had found them by the old shack, and how him and his men had held the children at knifepoint. How any wrong move made by him, Neytiri, or Neteyam could see those beautiful necks slit.
Now, that frenzied panic was back in full force, and you did your best to keep your tears in. Now wasn't the time for crying, you had to help find Lo'ak before something bad happened to him, and since you only had a scant few hours before eclipse and then night it would be a small time to have daylight to search.
You managed to push your way to the soft shores of the reef, looking around in circles desperately trying to find either Tonowari or Ronal. Big groups of fishermen and hunters were now returning with their catches, making it hard for you to see past them as most of them stood a head taller than you at the least. You felt so terribly small and terrified as the Metkayina around you talked and looked at you.
Their talking and the sounds of the world around you, made it feel like your were being closed in and your panic flared even more. All you had to do was find your mates, and then everything will be alright. They knew this area more than you did, surely they would be the ones to find Lo'ak and you could put this nightmare behind you.
Stopping in the shallow parts of the shores, you gasped, feeling terribly short of breath.
What if something worse had happened to your nephew? You bit your lip hard enough to draw blood, what if Quaritch had found him? It was bad enough having known the man as an older, but war hardened Marine, putting that nasty attitude and knowledge into a younger body was a deadly mix. He would not show your nephew mercy, just like he didn't show you or Jake mercy when you both betrayed the RDA. You would never forget him threatening to destroy you in every way possible, and that if given the chance he would skin you alive for what you did. Quaritch was more than capable of hurting you and Jake, and you were terrified of what he would do to a young boy.
It felt like you were dying, your mind going to the worst possible scenarios and you hunched forwards, managing to stabilize yourself by propping your arms on your legs. You were shaking terribly, and your breathing was too fast for you to get any air into your lungs.
Oh Eywa, it hurt you to not be able to catch your breath and in the back of your mind, the doctor part of you recognized that you were having a panic attack but that part of your mind was detached from you. You had no anchor to hold onto and nothing to keep focus on long enough to calm down.
Where was Tonowari and Ronal? Where were they?
In your panic, you failed to hear the voices calling your name and fell to your knees while pawing uselessly at your chest. You felt your tears spill down your face when gentle hands wiped them away and you threw yourself back in fear and shock. In front of you, Ronal was grabbing at you and trying to keep you from scratching yourself while Tonowari held your face in his hands.
You hiccupped pitifully, trying to keep focus on Tonowari but the burning feeling from the lack of air in your chest was threatening to kill you. It stole your focus from your beautiful mate and your ears flattened against the side of your head.
"Mawey yawne, you need to calm yourself, breathe with me," Tonowari instructed, and when you couldn't match his breathing he cursed.
Ronal prodded at you, gaining your attention, "Ma yawntutsyìp, can you hear me? Good, now tell me something that you can feel?"
Feel, something you could feel? Your mind raced as you tried to process what you were feeling, before you could finally identify something.
"H-hands," you chocked out, "T-Tonowari's ha-hands."
She kissed your brow, and praised you, "Good girl, now, can you tell me something that you hear?"
You nodded, that was something you could do. After the ringing in your ears dissipated at the sound of your mates' voices you could hear the waves hitting the sea terraces in the distance. "Water," you said, more sure of yourself, "I he-hear the water."
"Now, something you can smell."
Nostrils flaring a bit as you took in deep breaths, you smelled the salt in the air. By the time you answered her, you were breathing better and no longer felt like you were dying. That burning feeling was gone and you collapsed forwards into Tonowari's arms, trusting in him to catch you. He did easily, but he moved you so that you were sitting against him as you cried. Now that you were no longer panicking, the fear and fatigue had finally caused you to break into tears while you tried to explain what was happening.
You felt embarrassed since you were always so quick to cry.
The Tsahik shushed you and rubbed her hand against your back, trying to understand what you were babbling, and you struggled to gather what little composure you had left. "What is wrong? Has something happened?" Ronal asked, to which you nodded.
"Lo- Lo'ak is missing!" you wailed, "He we-went outside the re-eeef with Ao-Ao'nung and hasn't come ba-ack!"
Tonowari tensed around you, "He went outside the reef? Ao'nung brought him there or did he ask to go?"
"Ao'nung br-brought him," you admitted, "To the Three Br-Brother's Rock. We h-have to go search for him!"
"Shhh," Ronal soothed, "The boy will be found my dear, worry not. Come, let us return to the village."
You allowed them to pull you up, their hands keeping you upright when your strength failed you. They shushed you gently, helping you find strength in them as they lead you back near the Sully mauri. Jake was gone, and in his place was Neteyam and Kiri, keeping an eye on both Ao'nung and Tsireya. Upon seeing his children and confirming the story you had told them, the Olo'eyktan called forth warriors, hunters, and any that had experience leaving the reef's waters, and bade them to search for your nephew.
After an initial wave of Metkayina took to the waters, you stood there numbly watching the horizon and deaf to all that was around you. The grounding touches from Ronal and Tonowari were gone, leaving you chilled, while they both berated their son. You didn't have the heart, nor the will, to tell them to stop because truthfully Ao'nung, who was akin to being your child now, had essentially lead Lo'ak to an early grave just because he didn't like him.
"This is not the actions befitting a future Olo'eyktan!" Ronal hissed, and you silently agreed.
You could hear Tonowari sharply reprimand the young man, "You disappoint me, son. You better hope that the boy is in good health and spirits when he returns."
From the corner of your eyes, you saw how hurt Ao'nung looked in that moment, and how the disappointment of his parents wounded him more than any punishment ever could have. It reminded you of your nephews, so desperate to be the perfect son that they believed their father wanted, and while you empathized with his plight you could not sympathize with him.
Not until Lo'ak was safe and sound.
So you stayed there, on the pathways, waiting through eclipse and to the start of nightfall. Each passing hour made you worry more and more, especially when both Jake and Neytiri had arrived but without their son. Both of your mates had to coax you to eat and care for yourself, but the nerves and fear ate away at your stomach and depleted what little appetite you had. They comforted you, and you bemoaned that this was the start of your life with them.
To think, all you wanted to do today was add a couple beads to your songcord and then hang it next to your new family's songcords.
-the boy!" you heard in the distance and your ears cocked back.
Your head snapped to the source of the sound and you felt like crying in relief when you saw Lo'ak sitting on the back of a warrior's mount. He had barely gotten on the platform when you rushed forwards past both Jake and Neytiri, grabbing at him and looking all over for any signs of wounds. The young boy hissed a bit when you grazed some minor cuts and bruises and when you finally were happy with his state of being you hissed at him.
All of the fear and worry had melted away, leaving behind a burning anger that you tried hard to cover up.
"What were you thinking Lo'ak? You know better than to leave the reef!" you yelled at him, not caring that half of the village were watching you, "You scared me half to death! If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will jerk a knot in your tail young man!"
Neytiri stepped next to you, "I agree with your aunt, and I pray to Eywa for the strength to not pluck the eyes of my youngest son!"
Your brother nodded, "Don't worry Tonowari, I'll take care of this knucklehead."
While your mates were not overly concerned, they paused when Lo'ak called to them claiming that the hunting trip was his idea and that their son was not to be blamed. Everyone present knew who was really at fault here, but Ao'nung had perked up despite his shame. Ronal looked at you with a question in her eyes, asking if she should play along with their little ploy.
Lo'ak looked so defiant, but you could see the metaphorical olive branch that he was extending despite the fact that he almost died out there.
You nodded and she whirled around to Ao'nung, "Is what Lo'ak said true? Was it all his idea?"
The young boy looked at Lo'ak, who nodded to him, and did not answer. Not wanting to lie to his parents again no doubt, but both of them dropped the matter and dismissed everyone. Your niece and nephews went their own ways while Tsireya stuck with you and her parents; your brother offered his congratulations to Ronal and Tonowari, followed by Neytiri's own congrats. You gave them a weak smile, pushing your brother playfully before looking at your mates.
"Shall we go home?"
Later that night, you were snuggled sound asleep between your mates while the children slept in their own space detached from the main part of the home.
Near the mauri coverings, your songcord hung between Ronal and Tonowari's cords, three new beads gleaming in the dying light of the firepit.
Sa'nu - Mom, mommy
Loran - Elegance, grace
Yawne - Beloved
Fe'pey - Feel dread, expect something bad to happen, fear
Just a little plot, gotta get through some major events before we can move on to the development of your relationship with Ronal and Tonowari. Don't worry, Ao'nung will warm up to you.