CHAPTER XI:

( pride of the moon )

TWO MONTHS HAD PASSED SINCE THE SON OF TORUK MAKTO HAD BEEN RETURNED FROM HIS ADVENTURE OUTSIDE OF THE REEF AND IT WAS FINALLY TIME FOR THE NRRA OARE FTXOZÄ—The Pride of the Moon Celebration.

      This celebration was Su'leio's most favorite thing to celebrate ever since she had been allowed to at the age of ten. Happening nearly every two thousand days, this celebration was to honor the Metkayina who were finally being recognized as warriors and those who were taking their place in society. They would experience their rite of passage, the warriors would claim their tsurak, and then a large gathering would happen which lasted hours upon hours.

The girl had already been a part of the celebration in the past, claimed Uwei'lo to be hers, and celebrated until she couldn't bare standing anymore. But now, she would be completing her first cycle of being Metkayina combatant and earning new tattoos to seal it. Along with that, Toruk Makto's family would be experiencing it for the first time. Leio was most excited to introduce them all further into their culture as they were all on their way to becoming more Metkayina.

      Su'leio strode around the bay of their village in an attempt to figure out where the different placements for the festival would be. Her hair had been adorned with a multitude of different beads and shells that her day-to-day assortments would feel worthless at the sight of them. Anklets and bracelets and bangles and chokers and waist beads lay on her body to match the beaded top she would soon be wearing during eclipse and her ears shone golden cuffs leading from her earlobe to the length of the top of her ear pointed most.

Her jewelry cast her as a royal relic in the perfect lighting but in mere hours she would be wearing more to parade her loyalties to her clan.

An astonishing bonfire had to be in the largest area of the sand, stations of body paint furthest from it, cabanas for the older generations closer to the body paint to keep away from the brash dancing that would ensue, and so much more for her to have gotten lost in thought.

      She and Tsireya would be in charge of decorating the children and teens who would be a part of the celebration—Leio painting those who would be experiencing their rite of passage and Tsireya painting those who were simply wishing to participate in the fun festivities.

      "Leio! Are you almost finished?" Tsireya called out to her friend as she made her way over to the older girl. "It is almost time and my father wishes for us to further explain it to the Sully family."

      Leio turned quickly to Tsireya, eyes seeming to have forgotten her other duties that lay outside of the body paint. "Tell me that they are already going to the cove?" she pleaded while rushing alongside her friend in the opposite direction of where the bonfire would soon be ablaze.

      Tsireya nodded, "I told them right before I came to get you." Su'leio sighed in relief at this. "But if we don't want them to shout when someone claims their tsurak we must hurry or my father will have our heads!"

"WE MADE IT!" SU'LEIO BREATHED OUT WITH TSIREYA DOING THE SAME AT HER SIDE. The duo had been standing in front of the four Sully children, their parents most likely being placed with the Olo'eyktan and Tsahík already.

The four children couldn't help but widen their eyes at the way the two girls had presented themselves in such assortments on their bodies and their hair. Tsireya had been wearing similar jewelry to her friend but with the exception of Su'leio's being that of a warrior, Tsireya wore the tsakarem adornments on her forehead and in her hair.

Lo'ak couldn't conceal his widened eyes as he gaped at Tsireya and Neteyam had done the same. "You look..." Lo'ak had begun but couldn't find the rest of his sentence.

"Shiny," Tuk finished his sentence, eyes glittering at the sight of such jewelry.

A crowd had begun an uproar of cheers on the other side of a large sandstone behind the Sully's and Su'leio lowered her head exasperated. "Did not make it," she corrected her past statement. "Come! We will explain on the way," she rushed while ushering them to follow. Neteyam and Lo'ak had been the first to immediately follow the two girls, both seemingly attracted to the golds they wore. Kiri could only roll her eyes at her brothers but found it in herself to understand their feelings while following last behind Tuk.

"This is Iknimaya, our rite of passage, and this is almost the end," Leio explained as they traveled into a stone hall that opened into an arena seating area with a deep dip down past a fence. "Our warriors must tame a tsurak and complete the bond by taking their first ride." The kids walked through the different people who had been carefully watching whoever had been in the lower position of the cove.

Tuk went to the edge of the built-up stone that kept spectators on top of the cliff and she leaned over. Her eyes lit up at the sight of a Metkayin girl jumping atop a tsurak as the crowd went immediately silent from their loud chants to watch her carefully.

      "Tuk, come on," Kiri whisper shouted to the young girl holding her hand out and earned a harsh shush for doing it.

      Su'leio had ceased her speaking to observe the girl claiming her tsurak. The two tussled for a moment before she dove deeply into the water, spectators watching intently and as silently as an entire village could possibly be, and then they emerged from the water with a large splash. Everyone erupted into cheers and chants, all standing up at the sight of the newly tamed animal spreading its wings widely, Neteyam tore his eyes off of the sight and grinned when he saw Leio joining in on the noise being louder than he had ever heard her.

      Tsireya pointed forward further into the crowd to get better seats and views and everyone soon followed. "We must hurry before the next is tamed!"

      "Why-" Lo'ak had begun a question but Leio cut him off quickly as many people began sitting back down in their seats.

      "We will explain when we get there, now come on!"