Friends?
The sun eventually came up and I took it as my cue to finally be able to start doing things for the day. I figure I would start with the apology I “owed” Aonung. I saw him and his little posse out on the water, riding their Ilus. So, I called mine over to me and rode out.
Once I got closer he was able to see Aonungs black eye, which caused me to force my smile down.
Aonung and his friends all shared a look once they realized that I was approaching them.
There was a small pause of silence before I finally spoke, “Sorry I hit you,” then the smirk I was trying to force down resurfaced, “So many times.”
I could see Aonung smile, though something looked off about it. I couldn’t put my finger on it but my best guess is that it just wasn’t a genuine smile.
“No worries. How about we be friends?” He asked, holding his hand out, indicating for me to shake it so I did just that.
“Alright.” I responded.
“We were just to go hunting, beyond the reef, care to join us?” He asked me.
“Beyond the reef?” I asked for reassurance that I heard him right.
“It’s where the men hunt. Maybe I’m asking the wrong brother, Neteyam would do it.”
When he said that it was like an old flame rekindled in my mind. I had always been compared to Neteyam growing up, either by Jake, the other clan members, or even by myself. And every time I never seemed to measure up, I was never enough.
I wasn’t supposed to go beyond the reef. I knew that. But my dad did tell me to make up with these kids, and this was an opportunity to follow his orders. Maybe this would actually lead to me gaining some friends. So, why not? What’s the worst that could happen?
“No you didn’t, I’ll come.” I told him.
We rode our Ilu’s out, which is when I learned how to do a cool trick from one of the other boys.
“Bro, that was awesome!” I said to them once we reached a good bit outside the reef.
“Maybe we can teach you more one day.” The boy who taught me the trick said, I think his name was Roxto.
We dove down and started hiding, waiting for the fish to come to us. When a big one came swimming right around where we were hiding Aonung signed with his hands to call it. So I tried to mimic the call I’ve heard others use, and it worked! The fish came right in front of me and I got a good shot at it. I was so excited that I did it on the first try, but when I turned around I saw that all the boys had left. “Where had they gone?” I wondered. I swam up to the surface and got on my Ilu, looking around for them.
“Guys?” I called out, “Where did you go?” My search for them however was cut off by a sudden jump from my Ilu. I looked behind me to see what had spooked it and it was an Akula. I tried to get my Ilu to get the hell out of there but It couldn’t swim with me on it, the Akula had bitten off one of it’s fins and it couldn’t handle my weight along with that. I saw it charging again and had no choice but to bail, diving into the water. Somehow the Ilu managed to swim away and I was grateful for that. I wasn’t so grateful that the Akula decided to turn to me. I tried to swim away, but it chased close behind. I managed to duck into a large reef of coral, blocking the Akula from getting me momentarily. But the Akula was bound to break it eventually. I panicked and tried to find a way out but there was none. It swam back, ready to charge at the coral in an attempt to break it, again but this time, something bigger slammed it into a large rock. I was so relieved that it was done attacking me but I still had so many issues I was facing. How was I going to get out of here? What if that bigger monster tries to attack me? Not to mention I was running out of breath. I decided to risk it and swam out of the coral, desperately trying to reach the surface so I could breathe, but it was too far. I could feel the water go into my lungs and everything just started fading to black. I was sinking. I was drowning. And there was nothing I could do. I would die here alone at the bottom of the ocean, and nobody would know it.
When I eventually woke up I started vomiting up water, it was just as desperate to get out of my body as I was for it. Everything was still hazy. But I wasn’t dead, I thought, but maybe I was. I had no idea what it looked like once you died but I sure as hell hoped it wouldn’t feel like this. Once my vision focused I was able to see that I was on the larger creature that had killed the Akula. I definitely wasn’t dead, thank Eywa.
I sat up, and moved towards its eye so it could see me.
“You saved my life, thank you.” I told it, as I tried to sign it, not knowing which it would understand.
He let out an appreciative sounding wail, but I couldn’t understand it. “Buddy,” I said to him with a laugh, “I have no idea what you just said.”
I noticed that he had something in his fin, it looked like it was made by the sky people. “Do you want me to take it out?” I asked him and got another wail in response, but I assumed it was a yes.
I got back into the water and started figuring out how to get this thing out of his fin. Eventually I managed to figure it out. While I was down there I was able to see that he had lost his other fin.
“What happened?” I asked him.
The response I got was him dumping me off his fin and opening his mouth wide. It probably wasn’t the best idea to swim in but I did it anyway. He closed his mouth, making it all dark except for his Tsaheylu. I swam over to it and connected mine to his.
That’s when I saw what had happened to him.
It was the sky people.
He had been outcasted.
He was like me.
Once the vision stopped he opened his mouth again, allowing me to swim out.
I went to his eye and did my best to hug him, though it didn’t really work because he was way too big to wrap my arms around. “I’m sorry.” I said, “I know how you feel, I feel all alone too, outcast.” I signed to him.
He let out a wail, this one sounding a bit sad.
“Friends?” I signed to him, this time getting a more excited wail.
Somehow I did manage to make a friend during this trip, even if it wasn’t someone I expected.
“Yes, friends! We’re friends!’ I yelled happily.
He playfully splashed me and I couldn’t help but laugh, I had finally made a friend here.