CHAPTER VII:

( the perfect day )

LEIO REFUSED TO BELIEVE IN THE IDEA OF A PERFECT DAY. The sun could be shining in the most eloquent way to create a shimmer on the bay and she would find out a bracelet of hers had broken. She could have a wonderful time in the sea—diving for shells, admiring the coral in the deepest parts of the reef, finding lost trinkets, and yet the worst kind of storm would wash away all her findings.

But for the first time in years, she felt as though her perfect day may have just been waiting for her to catch up in her years.

Su'leio lay in the water of her favorite cove—far enough from the village to not have anyone bother her but close enough to hear if there had been a commotion she could return with ease. She floated, her arms extended out to her side and her face peeking out of the water to reveal the serenity she had been feeling. The rocking of the waves took her where they pleased, the sun beaming golden rays to make the water appear crystalized, and her tsurak, Uwei'lo, swimming near to create soft rumbles underwater.

This atmosphere had been one of the many days for Leio that could be deemed perfect. Except the perfect day didn't exist.

Though her ears had been in the water, muffling all other sounds, the sounds of an argument still rippled through the waves. She debated whether it could be solved without her but she knew if her father had found out she was near and didn't de-escalate it, she was sure to get a lecture because of it.

She sighed sitting up finally taking in the sounds of the waterfall to the right of the cove that rumbled down into the water. Leio bonded with Uwei'lo and began her swim to the other side of the cove.

The sight she witnessed was a good reason for her to have left her space of balance. As she glided onto the shore she saw Kiri standing in the sand shouting at a group throwing each other into the water and letting their fists make contact with their faces. It wasn't much to think about the fact that if Kiri was there then somewhere among the Metkayin were Neteyam and Lo'ak.

Dismounting Uwei'lo, Leio had no desire to intercept the disagreement between the boys but she knew it was what she needed to do. She prayed for the strength of her Great Mother to not scream and lose her temper anymore for the boys ruining her day.

Kiri had taken notice of the older girl approaching and could only know that the boys in front of her had whatever was going to happen coming to them. There hadn't been too many one-on-one interactions between the two girls but Kiri knew from stories from her eldest brother that the girl was a force to be reckoned with.

Su'leio found that Neteyam could handle himself for a moment more so she made way to detach Aonung from Lo'ak's tail. She took hold of his ear between her fingers and pulled him away in a way that only his mother had done before. When she let go, pushing him into the sand, he had been ready to go back but the look she had given him had been enough to not test her limits.

Next came the other boy, oblivious to what had happened with Aonung but soon he wouldn't be. She gripped his shoulders with the strength of a trained warrior and plied him off being sure that he hit the ground to knock the wind out of him. "Go!" Leio shouted at him pointing in the direction Aonung had been watching her.

      Lo'ak stared at her catching his breath. "Thank-"

      "Get up," she ordered. His ears pointed downward from how they had just twitched at her rescue.

      Then came Neteyam and whoever it was that he had been on top of letting his fists pounding on his face. Su'leio had been completely over the fight and was ready to go home and sleep the day away as the duties of her future in being first in command for the army had beckoned her to prove herself.

      Her feet pressed into the sand deeply with every step she took toward the final two boys and her irritation rose. She planned to come from behind Neteyam and pull him by the waist to avoid getting an elbow to the face, one movement to finish the event and then everyone could go home. But just like a perfect day, one movement to end something could not ever exist.

      Leio had reached to grab hold of the boy's waist and that's where things had gone downhill for them.

      Neteyam had gone for another punch to the boy but he had readjusted his stance to get more power with it, except the power had gone backward instead of down.

      He had hit Su'leio.

      His head had turned to see what it was he had hit and his heart had dropped to the balls of his feet when he saw her clutching her cheek. Eyes had widened from those who had been taken out of the scene. Neteyam's mouth fell open with a reeling breath he inhaled while Leio had been coming back to her senses.

She stared at him wide-eyed waiting for an apology or anything, but he had been at a loss for words, and that only angered the girl beyond what he had known.

Leio retracted her right arm and then the blow had been fired right into his cheek to make them even.

He stumbled off of the boy he had been hitting once upon a time and he sat in the sand staring in shock not yet registering the fowl stinging sensation he felt on his chiseled blue cheek.

      Tsireya had followed the noise like Su'leio had done before yet all she had been able to witness was the forceful response the girl had given to Neteyam's fist. She gasped at the sight and also caught herself without words while she watched her friend leave without saying another word or giving any of them an ounce of her attention. "Go home, all of you," she said to the group sparing them somewhat disappointed yet confused looks before following her best friend.

      Su'leio rightfully didn't believe in the idea of the perfect day. The weather had been perfect, waves crashing in the sound of a lullaby, and she could have time to herself, but then by the time the sun would set she would have to endure the sting of an elbow to the face.

NOTE. leio is a very "act first ask questions later" kinda gal