Among the glowing waterfalls
Nolrr Aykxor Kip
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The festival began with Mo'at kicking off the dance and the Sturmbeest meat was prepared in different ways and taken off the fire. The same fire that the people were dancing around after Mo'at led her group in. It was Mo'at, the shamans, Neytiri, the puppeteers and some singers.

Although the hunt was about the talioang(sturmbeest), they weren't the only symbolic animals. There were pa'li and ikran. It was clear that Kìra's spirit was one with a Palulukan.

Tsu'tey knew she couldn't participate in the dance at first, but he knew he could do her a kindness. He was aware of her spirit. So we're the weavers. Whenever he had time, he'd start a project on an article of clothing for her. For the festival or any ceremony.

First a top, simple and functional. Indicative of her new rank as a child of the Olo'eyktan and Tsahik. A thick beaded necklace with a loop of tense and firm material to hold the fabric which would cover her chest(a suggested feature from Peyral). Her loincloth was multilayered and light, a garter strap was added and a woven "feather" was added to it. Arm braces and anklets. And finally a mask with nantang and Palulukan teeth inlaid into the solid, wooden, plain face. Woven feathers like the palulukans sensors were designed and added onto the top of the mask, and large enough eyeholes were added. The idea was Palulukan enough, but the message was plain: it was about her spirit.

It was what she refused to see in herself and he made these according to how he saw her.

However, there was no Palulukan in the talioang hunt.

He snuck it onto her belongings rack in the night and let her believe it was from her new family. But he knew. And she wore it proudly. The mask was hung around her neck instead of on her face, she didn't want it obscuring her view of the clan. Her face was painted in ash to reflect the Palulukan, so we're her hands, feet and tail.

She was something to behold.

Everyone seemed to know but her, everyone she knew well anyway. It was from Tsu'tey. It was a risk. Any gesture so large would be considered a courting move, which would break tradition and disrespect Neytiri. But it went unpunished, largely because of how new Kìra was. She didn't have ceremonial clothes. Now she did.

But the party kept on.

Kìra kept to herself, enjoying the dancers and the music. Overhearing the words of distant conversation. Jake being one of the loudest, talking his tale about his escape from the last shadow. It spurred laughter from the surrounding warriors. A chuckle from Kìra.

"Come, I am bringing something for the warriors, you should participate too." Tsu'tey helped her to her feet while carrying a basket-like structure that was full of different cups and bowls with alcohol.

Kìra accepted with a smile and followed him to place where Jake and the warriors were seated, Grace included. He set down the basket and caught the attention of the warriors.

"Enough talk." He said.

He offered a cup to Jake first. It was like a peace offering from warrior to warrior.

Jake didn't even go for a sip and just downed it.

"God-damn." He chuckled.

Tsu'tey offered a cup to Kìra who only sipped on it. It was sour, tangy, almost buzzing on her tongue.

Not too much of this for me.

The dancing continued and so did the drinking. Luckily for Kìra, she had a decent tolerance. Not as good as Tsu'tey, but he drank more on an empty stomach, so she went to retrieve some food for them from the layout.

She used the tongs to grab what she wanted and returned back to the group to find most had dispersed. That included Jake. Tsu'tey was being harassed for a dance by Saeyla.

He was about to get up when she came back with food.

"We should sober up. Don't wanna embarrass ourselves on the dance floor do we?" Kìra chuckled sweetly, ignoring Saeyla's deepening frown.

Tsu'tey nodded thankfully and shared the food. Which also led to Ka'ani taking Saeyla to dance instead.

"So... she's pushy." Kìra chuckled and chewed on a particularly tough piece of Talioang.

"She's just a naive girl." Tsu'tey disregarded.

"She's smarter than you give her credit for. She's a woman Tsu'tey. And she's had a claim on you for as long as I've known her." Kìra swallowed and went for another piece.

"What would you have me do? Break tradition with her? I have no such feelings for her." Tsu'tey grumbled and continued eating.

"Or Neytiri. What I suggest is that you let her down easy. All this frustration shouldn't be put on her for liking you. Almost every available woman has her eyes on you." Kìra answered.

"What makes you think I don't have feelings for Neytiri?" He eyed Kìra skeptically.

"You barely talk to her unless it's about tradition, teaching, or Jake being stupid. You don't have that look in your eyes when you look at her." Kìra pointed out.

"What look?" He lifted an eyebrow as he sipped on a cup full of water.

"The one that Atan has for Maru, or Jake and alcohol, Ka'ani and food." Kìra listed.

"What's your point?" Tsu'tey reached for the last piece before reeling back for Kìra to have it.

"You shouldn't mate with someone you don't love. I'm sure you and Neytiri would be fine. But I don't think she'd be happy. She's a free one. Likes to spread her wings. I read that the Tayrangi clan has an Olo'eykte whose mate isn't Tsahik. Why can't we do something like that?" Kìra suggested.

"We?" Tsu'tey whispered.

Kìra stood and looked out at the dance.

"They're playing my favorite hunt song, come! It needs two dancers!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

The current dance was like Dabake from Lebanon, a slow belly dance, and the precise and smooth motion like a waltz.

Tsu'tey and Kìra made their way in. She found her footing and joined the hip rolling, hand motioning, body swaying dance. Tsu'tey was mirroring her motions with more skill, it hadn't been his first dance.

Kìra smiled for the first time in a while. Tsu'tey gave a smirk. He glanced up at his motioning hands and slowly back down at her while she was rolling her body out. She had her eyes shut with a big grin on her face.

He wasn't sure if it was the drinks or the lighting, but she looked like the most beautiful girl in the room right then.

For a moment Tsu'tey forgot how to dance when their hands brushed against each other. But he kept dancing.

Eventually the dance devolved into something less formal as the night continued. In the chaos, Tsu'tey and Kìra snuck up the spiral of Kelutral. Laughing silently and shushing each other as they climbed. They made it to their Ikrans and left in the night.

The flight was resplendent. Pia'ray's back was bright with joy as they flew in circles about the sky. The wind cooled their bodies and swept Kìra's hair. Her heart pumped with the excitement from the flight, the alcohol she ingested warmed her body.

When they did land, they weren't far from hometree. Just at the precipice of the waterfalls where the rocks broke up the rushing stream. No one could hear them, see them here.

Kìra almost wanted to slip down the stream of the falls and tumble into the lake below. It looked inviting and bright.

Tsu'tey had taken her hand unknowingly, when she noticed, she was surprised. She gripped his hand tightly and peered over the edge.

"Don't jump." Tsu'tey warned with a chuckle.

"It looks like fun!" Kìra grinned and turned back to him, "what would you rather do?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm.

Tsu'tey smiled at her and said nothing, only holding her hand firmly and admiring the freckles of light the shone brightly with her joy. They ran over the bridge of her nose, up her forehead and brow, over her cheeks, down from her eye's corner to her jaw, and down her neck over her body, dripping like water over each surface like she bathed in light.

Kìra beheld the beauty of the falls and each small detail. The rock was slick with algae. She took a small step and felt her body begin to plummet. She was spun around and swept off balance, but ensnared by strong arms.

"I have you." Tsu'tey sighed deeply. His eyes shut slightly and his stomach stopped tying itself in knots.

Kìra breathed deeply in surprise and held onto Tsu'tey. She blinked away her passing fear and relaxed in his arms.

"You got me." She chuckled.

"Always." Tsu'tey said, his arm began to release her. His hand settled on the small of her back. He fixed a stray portion of her hair with his other hand.

"With how clumsy I am, I may need you until I stop walking like a baby yerik." Kìra cajoled.

"You'll always have me." Tsu'tey decided.

Kìra took in his words, her heart in her throat. His words lingered in the air like a soupy fog. She glanced up and asked him directly.

"You mean it?"

It was almost childish and in a way it was. Her tone was almost serious, but on the edge of laughing it off incase he didn't actually mean it.

"I mean it." Tsu'tey stated.

"Promise?" Kìra implored

"I promise, so long as I live, I'll be here for you. When you fall, when you're sick, hurt, sad, or happy." Tsu'tey decreed.

The stars practically shimmered in her glossy eyes.

No stranger had ever promised themselves to her in such a way. No man of no obligation.

Tsu'tey's posture shifted to meet her height and start wiping away her tears.

"Hey, don't cry." He whispered. It was so soft in a tone so gentle and sweet. It felt like a bamboo blanket.

"I'm sorry- I'm sorry..." she began furiously swiping at her eyes through her smile.

"Don't apologize, I made you cry." Tsu'tey pulled her close, "and you're probably right, I'm betrothed and you've just been attacked by your friend, and everything's happening so fas-"

"It was happy tears. I'm happy and if you'll let me, I wanna be there for you too." Kìra peeled her face off of his chest and bent over to splash her face with water.

Tsu'tey kept his hand wrapped around her arm, just in case.

When she turned around, Tsu'tey had a small smile and a question.

"Does this mean you'll let me be your mate?" Tsu'tey asked, "I'm not certain of how sky people choose their mates or what you expect, but I will be slow and careful." He said, "I can teach you all about it unless you'd rather talk to Tsahik about it and if there's something you want to do different, I'm open to anything, so long as I'm by your side." He began to ramble.

He's not perfect at leading conversation or decision making in times like these.

"Shouldn't we be dating first?" Kìra giggled.

"Courting, that's what I meant." Tsu'tey mentally slapped himself.

Almost made it sound like I was asking to mate with her on the spot!

He sighed defeatedly.

"Yes. We should probably bring this before Mother." She smiled.

"Maybe when we're not so drunk." Tsu'tey murmured.

Kìra nodded.

Tsu'tey turned to Kanaw's saddle, peeling open the bag and pulling out an intricately woven armband.

"Consider this the first of many." Tsu'tey said while tying the piece onto her arm, tight enough not to fall off, but comfortable.

"You need to stop giving me gifts, I have no way to repay you. Nothing I know you'll like."

Tsu'tey only grinned. He liked it better that way.