Chapter Text
I was putting some stuff together when a horn was blown and Yana headed into our Marui.
"The Tulkun have returned!" She signed happily. Mom and dad went outside while Yana quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me with her.
She stopped, her hand still in mine, I noticed she was wearing her rings again. We stood there and watched the tulkun jumping around, the Metkayians were swimming with their Ilu to their friends.
"Come on!" Yana said out loud and pulled me with her into the water, she reached for her Ilu and pulled me behind her on Jacha.
I laid my hands around her waist and looked around. The Tulkun were all so beautiful. Yana softly clapped her hand against my leg and pointed at a Tulkun.
"Mine." She pointed at herself and I understood that it must've been the one she connected to.
We swam to her tulkun. She greeted it with the hand move and stroked along it. I swam next to Yana and smiled, watching her being happy.
"This is Reen, he is my soul brother!" Yana explained and swam a bit around with Reen. I noticed that he also had a small extra fin, like Yana with her hands.
"This is Lo'ak." Yana signed then and looked at me. I made the 'I see you' sign as a greeting and received the sound of him back.
"He is friends with Payakan." Yana signed. I told her and the others about Payakan but why did she tell him?
While swimming next to them, I couldn't keep my eyes off Yana. She seemed so peaceful and happy. I've never seen her this happy before.
"Reen knows Payakan. They used to be friends." Yana explained to me suddenly, I listened up and looked at Reen. He made some sounds and I understood them as he agreed with what Yana had said.
Then Yana turned back to her soul brother and told him about the last few months. She told him about her training with her Skimwing Tewagī and she told Reen about me. The night we swam together and also about how her water connection has changed and is stronger now.
Watching them, I started to think about Payakan. He was outcast. The others called him a killer. But what did he do? I didn't believe he was a killer. Payakan was kind and funny. He was my friend.
I swam back up to get some air, then I stayed there and just watched Yana and Reen from above. They were making circles together, Yana showing him some of her new 'power' moves she learned while he covered her from the others. They were truly soulmates.
After a while Yana said bye to her brother and swam back to me. She smiled happily and like she had a small break from everything that happened.
"I'm going to visit Payakan later." I signed as we arrived back at the Marui. She looked surprised but then she looked down and back at me.
"Can I come too?" She asked and smiled.
"What? Sure, I think." I signed in surprised but at the same time I was happy she is going to join.
We jumped into the water, I'm on my Ilu and Yana on hers. We arrived behind the reefs and I jumped off the Ilu and so did Yana.
We swam a bit further away and I waited for Payakan. He swam to us. Yana sighed deeply and I was confused why she had tears in her eyes.
Her hand stroked along Payakan, then she sat on his fin, like I always do and I joined her. Payakan looked at Yana.
"I am so sorry." Yana signed. Payakan made some sounds but Yana shook her head.
"I thought I could help but I didn't, I made everything worse. I'm so deeply sorry for what happened." Yana signed with tears running down her cheeks.
"What happened?" I asked and looked at both Yana and Payakan. Yana looked down.
"The reason why he's seen as outcast.." Yana signed, then we decided to ask Payakan and we dived down.
"Can I come too? Yana signed to the tulkun, he made some sounds again, I figured he said yes. Then he opened his mouth. I locked eyes with Yana. She nodded, so I swam before Yana and she followed.
The moment it got dark, her skin started to glow a bit, I noticed I was glowing slightly too. Then the inside of Payakan lightened up. We swam deeper into Payakan's mouth until we reached the Tsaheylu.
"Lo'ak.." Yana started, I looked at her.
"If you connect with him, you two are soul brothers." She explained and smiled.
"It means.. you'll be one of us. It means you will be Metkayian." Yana signed, I looked down but then I nodded and connected my queue with Payakan.
The tulkuns were in panic, They were crying in pain and shock. There were ships, Skypeople ships. They were shooting at the tulkuns and some Metkayians.
Blood was in the water and bombs were flying around. They had some of the tulkun captured. The Metkayians were dying, sinking down.
A bomb hit Payakan, it ripped his arm off. He was in pain and he yelped for help. From afar he could see a small girl, she swam around in panic, she was lost.
"You have to go! Try to leave!" The little girl signed, tears running down her face. She was also bleeding, her arm had a wound.
"Please, go! Leave!" She signed to Payakan.
I snapped back and looked at Yana. She had tears in her eyes again. We were holding hands and I breathed heavily.
We swam back out of Payakan's mouth. I quickly went to hug him.
"It's okay." I stroked him and he closed his eyes. Yana watched us, I held out my hand for her. She smiled and hugged Payakan too.
"It's not your fault." I mumbled to both Payakan and Yana. She tried to help them.. but it wasn't her clan, how did she know? I have to ask her later because she seemed younger than now when it happened. So I guessed, it has been a while.
We were sitting on Payakan's fin. Still spending time with him, just sitting with him, so he wasn't alone.
I softly grabbed Yana's arm and looked for a scar which I found beneath some jewelry. I stroked over it with my thumb.
"It doesn't hurt anymore." Yana signed and smiled a bit.
"We should go back, we have to tell my dad that you connected with Payakan.." Yana signed. I grabbed her hands, stopping her from singing.
I looked at her hands, her rings. My stomach hurts as I looked at them. Why was she still hiding when now she wasn't alone anymore? I was here with Five fingers. And Kiri too. And my dad too.
"Why are you hiding..?" I mumbled, not intending to let her know what I said but she did. She took her hands out of mine.
"We should go back." She signed again, then she jumped into the water and I followed her after saying goodbye to Payakan.
Yana and I followed Tonowario into the Marui. Ronal pushes me in. Then she walked forward and pointed at her daughters and Ao'nung.
"You allowed this! You allowed him to bond with the outcast!" Ronal yelled and signed a bit for Yana.
"Mother-" Yana tried but she shushed her down. Then Tonowari looked at Yana.
"Yana. You disappoint me, daughter." He said and signed. Yana looked down, her ears laid back and she had a shaking chin. Then Tonowari looked at me, and behind me. I looked back a a bit and saw my parents walk up.
"And you are the son of a great warrior!" He said, pointing at me.
"He saved my life, sir. You don't know him." I defended Payakan. Tonowari nodded.
"Sit." He said and pointed down. I looked at him, he repeated himself softly and I sat down.
"SIT DOWN!" He yelled, Yana flinched together and sat down next to me. Tsireya too and Neteyam and Ao'nung sat down slower.
Tonowari explained how the Tulkun were before, how they were fighting, killing.
"Payakan is a killer and so he's outcast." Tonowari said then.
"Im sorey but you are wrong, sir." I said back. Mother grabbed my hand for a moment.
"You are speaking with the Olo'eyktan!" She said and Ronal hissed at me.
"I know, I know-" Dad interrupted me.
"That's enough!" He said. I waited a moment. My eyes met Yana's, she nodded slightly. She wanted me to say what I think.
"I know what I know." I said, dad grabbed me and pulled me with him. Yana jumped up but I shook my head and she stayed.
"Yana, don't." I heard Tonowari say. I looked back a bit, she was signing energetic and tried to tell her dad what happened but he looked away.. She stomped her foot and turned away, leaving.