CHAPTER X:

( missing boy )

      LEIO HAD BEEN ANXIOUSLY TREADING WATER ON HER TSURAK, UWEI'LO, IN SEARCH OF THE YOUNGER BROTHER OF NETEYAM. Only moments ago had she been pushing Aonung toward where Neteyam sat, anger and fear both flowing through her as she demanded Aonung tell the boy of what he possibly condemned Lo'ak to.

Neteyam's eyes widened when Su'leio further explained that hunting beyond the reef was a dangerous task to be done by inexperienced hunters, let alone those who had not even been deemed warriors in their clan yet.

Four days of no conversation and then the first word spoken is that of Neteyam's brother possibly being at risk for death if he wasn't already dead. They sure had a way of breaking the silence with the dramatics.

Neteyam gripped the younger boy by the arm and rushed him to his father, Leio staying behind to gather herself. She needed to remind herself that she was trained for things like this. The ink markings she bore on her thighs were proof that she was one day going to need to experience the possibility of death near her. Yet, she hadn't expected that day to come so soon.

Su'leio quickly exhaled, shoulders relaxing and mind clear. She dove into the water where Uwei'lo had been circling and once she made the bond with him she had set herself to be on her way.

The girl sped quickly through the sea in search of a familiar Mauri pod, it was not hers but with how much time she spent there it might as well have been. The water had been quick yet soothing against Leio's skin, it worked as a sort of mediator for her heartbeat to stay as calm as possible as she washed up at Tsireya's home.

"Tsireya!" She called dismounting the tsurak and hopping to the bungee walkway. "Reya!" she repeated, feet stumbling over each other. Tsireya emerged from within her home and grew worried at the look in Su'leio's eyes. "Your brother took- left Lo'ak beyond the reef," she finally said.

Leio watched Tsireya's expression change—eyes widening, mouth gaping, and a gasp let out. She could only wonder if that was what she had looked like when Aonung told her the news.

      "I must tell my father," Tsireya quickly said, Su'leio could only nod in fear that her words would reveal how anxious she truly had been.

      "I will start searching for him," Leio stated. And with assuring nods from the two best friends, they had set off in opposite directions.

      This then lead to the present time when Su'leio searched in the farthest outreaches of the reef. Eclipse had dawned upon the village as if the search for the Sully boy hadn't been any more tedious, darkness could only be the best way to solidify the difficulty of the search.

      Awa'atlu's warriors scoured the waters on their tsuraks, calls of the boy's name heard from every direction. Leio and Uwei'lo swam around the ornate rocks that were set in the water, ripples following behind them as the girl scanned her surroundings for any sign of the Omatikayan boy. It was getting later and later and as more warriors took their tsuraks to the sky, the ones in the water returned to the village.

      The girl would admit, in the dire times of life or death, all she needed were the stars to keep her heart at bay. The way the constellations almost created pathways just like the bungee trails in between the Mauri pods had entranced her, even just for a minute, as she floated on Uwei'lo letting him take the lead.

      "Hey!"

      The call from her right had her head snap away from the stars and widen. "Lo'ak?" she called out. And there he was. The missing boy in one piece standing atop the farthest ordination of bioluminescent stones from the island. "Thank you, Great Mother," she whispered to herself as Uwei'lo picked up the speed of his tail, body slightly out of the water, and created a wake of water as they neared Lo'ak.

      The tall girl slowed near the boy, tsurak submerging his body into the water once more. Leio surveyed the state of the boy while reaching an arm out to him. "Come, grab my arm," she directed as he lowered himself into the water. Lo'ak did as he was told, latching his hand on the upper part of her forearm and her doing the same to him. She quickly pulled him to her, turning so he would be able to mount Uwei'lo. "Are you alright?" she questioned attempting to look him over.

"Yeah," he plainly answered, mind obviously elsewhere. "I'm fine."

     "THE BOY HAS RETURNED!" A voice called as Su'leio had returned to the village with Lo'ak, Uwei'lo's wings spread wide to guide the teens through the sea and back to solid footing. "It's the Sully boy!" another remarked.

Uwei'lo lowered to the water and slowed near the bungee trail where many Metkayin had been gathered. Lo'ak hopped off of the tsurak turning to Leio to sign thank you to her, she nodded acknowledging him guiding Uwei'lo away from the commotion, and dismounting him so she could climb atop the bungee.

"Alright, let's have a look at you," Jake Sully ceased his son from continuing up to the higher bungee deck. He gave him a brief look over, briefer than Su'leio would have thought him to seeing as his son had been gone for hours, but she stayed silent as her father made his way behind her to also watch the events play out. "He's fine, he's fine. Yeah, just a few scratches!" he assured the crowd.

Then Lo'ak's mother pushed herself through the crowd, Kiri, Neteyam, and Tuk following her but stopping at the edge of the deck. "I pray for the strength that I will not pluck the eyeballs out of my youngest son," she hissed. He could only be bothered to roll his eyes at her.

"No," Tonowari interjected. "My son knows better than to take him outside of the reef," he pushed Aonung down on one knee, "the blame is on him."

Su'leio, from where she stood, almost covered completely by the crowd but visible enough so she could see everything, had been upset with Aonung for his immature choices. Her eyes had been cold when staring at how he had gotten forced to own up to his decisions but then they tore away from him and went back to Lo'ak.

"No, this is not Aonung's fault, this was my idea," he said. Su'leio could only hold her mouth slightly open while watching the lies spill from Lo'ak. "He tried to talk me out of it, really."

Leio could only walk away, weave through the maze of people standing by, and get away from the stupidity she was witnessing. She passed Neteyam, his eyes had been trailed on her once she had gotten near him to get past. Their eyes met, and the boy had a hopeful glint in his eye when she didn't glare at him or quickly turn her back to him but it was cut short as his parents rushed his brother away from the crowd to speak with him privately and he followed.

Su'leio waited beside the Mauri pod Jake had scolded Lo'ak, keeping her attention to the bioluminescent waves to not listen in on anything she was not supposed to. Lo'ak had left the pod quickly, his eyes flitting to Leio and bidding her a minuscule smile to not be rude to the girl who rescued him. And then came Neteyam. He had turned the edge of the Mauri pod to be met face to face with the girl warrior and had been caught by surprise at her presence.

She stared at him, a tendency she became familiar with doing when he was in her line of sight. Leio looked away first before he could. She was nowhere near equipped for things like this.

"I'm sorry," she finally said.

Neteyam's eyes fell on her once more watching her fidget with the beads adorning her wrists. "I should not have ignored you without knowing why you were fighting with Aonung." His eyes lit up at the possibility of reconciliation. "And I should not have hit you," she grimaced thinking about it.

"I should not have hit you," he chuckled scratching at the back of his head. "I hit you first, remember?"

She nodded her head. "Mine was on purpose though, yours was on accident. And mine had much more power than yours," she lightly smiled, feeling more at ease the more they spoke.

"Did it now?" The deep blue boy tilted his head, a matching smile drifting to his features. "I will take your word for it then."

      "Smart choice, Forest Boy," Leio agreed. Her fidgeting had ceased to exist sometime in the middle of their long-awaited conversation, apologies being all they needed four days ago to go back to the things they were. Though his brother had nearly been at risk for death by the vast ocean and her close friend had been at risk for death by her own hand, a laugh and a grin were a fix for them.

      "No more ignoring?" he queried.

      "No more ignoring," she replied.

      The boy held his hand out for a handshake to seal their reconciliation but Su'leio ignored it. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Neteyam's neck catching him off guard but quickly he recovered by snaking his arms around her waist. When they released each other, they weren't so fast to remove their touch from the other but when Leio saw Tsireya in the distance turning away from them attempting to be inconspicuous, her hands were off of him in an instant.

      Su'leio squinted at her friend who attempted to look back at them but strolled away when she knew she had been caught.

      "I will see you, Neteyam," she nodded to the boy with a grin while beginning to be on her way toward Tsireya.

      "And I will see you, Su'leio."