CHAPTER FIFTEEN. ✧˖*°࿐
❝ TO EYWA I PRAY STRENGTH. ❞

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"Hurry! Emea is in pain!"

Neteyam heard chaos outside of his and his family's home. He looked at his mother and father before turning to look at his siblings. Tuk came running in after making some friends and hanging out with them, embracing her mother who immediately hugged her back.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked his daughter.

Tuk sniffed, having been crying. "Emea, she wouldn't wake up. My friends told me that she had worse pain today and that she is connected to Eywa which makes her feel the death of everything."

Jake and Neytiri looked at one another before glancing at Neteyam who frowned. Before they could talk to him, he immediately walked out, running towards where he and Emea were just at.

He had been with her in the morning, having been woken up by the sun shining on his face. She even woke up to see him staring at her, calling him a creep before telling him she'll see him later since she was feeling a bit better.

What could've happened?

"What's wrong?" Neteyam asked Ao'nung.

Ao'nung sighed and shook his head, looking off in worry. "My sister... they're afraid that the pain she is feeling is going to kill her."

"They're also afraid that her pain means more death has happened," Tsireya appeared next to the two, her eyes watery. "Our sister doesn't deserve this."

"She wouldn't like hearing you say that," Ao'nung glanced at his sister. "You know how much she appreciates the gift Eywa has given her."

Tsireya looked like she was about to argue back, but Neteyam placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. They watched the people pray by Emea's body, her father holding her hand and her mother doing the same practice as she did with Kiri.

As they all prayed, Neteyam stared. He could only have hope. She was everything to him and she understood him the most. The beginning of the unnamed friendship between them was all bickering, but he found safety in the way she could easily express herself.

"Emea!"

Too deep into his thoughts, Neteyam glanced at Tsireya's body rushing towards her sister. Emea had opened her eyes, looking at everyone in a panic state. Her chest heaved up and down and her eyes didn't show nothing but panic.

"Oh, my daughter," Ronal sniffed, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, even Jake and Neytiri who stood behind Neteyam, watching the scene unfold in front of them. They watched the way Emea clung onto her family.

"It still hurts," she whispered, loud enough for those closer to hear. "It hurts so much."

"Do you know what could be the cause of it?" Tonowari asked his daughter, watching the way she shook her head.

"No, no," Emea breathed out before sitting up, ignoring the pain coursing through her body. "I am in pain, but I am okay. Do not worry about me."

Neteyam could only smile a little at her words. His fingers itched to touch her to make sure she was really there and that he didn't almost lose her. He didn't know how a girl he has only met not so long ago has made more of an impact to those he has known longer.

As everyone left, a warrior came towards them, rushing. He dropped to his knees in anguish and spoke in a tearful matter.

"Olo'eyktan," the man spoke, voice shaky, "there are tulkuns not so far from here... they appear to be dead."

The families stopped breathing and Emea's eyes immediately looked towards Neteyam. He couldn't even imagine the pain she must be going through.

"Let's go..." Tonowari glanced at Ronal who became teary eyes just like her children, just like her people who had overheard. He then looked at Ao'nung and Tsireya. "Stay here."

Taking that as her sign to go, Emea looked at Neteyam who headed towards her in a millisecond, helping her get up.

"I'll take her with me," he told her parents and his, not having seen the way his dad and Tonowari reacted to the sudden action. Tonowari inhaled.

"Very well. Let's go."

Neteyam had placed Emea in front of him as their ilu swam right behind the others towards the place the warrior had told them to go before they left.

"I am here with you," Neteyam whispered to Emea, who nodded, her heart quickening up its pace as soon as she the tulkuns not so far. "If you need to cry, I am here. You're not going to deal with this alone."

"Thank you," Emea whispered back, keeping her eyes on their interlocked hands.

She finally looked up when she felt the ilu slow down and then did she see the catastrophe in front of her.

Her mother gasped at coming to see her tulkun, immediately swimming towards her and touching her. But then, the sight that caused Emea's heart to break, was the body of her own tulkun.

"Auli," she breathed out, getting off the ilu before swimming towards her tulkun embracing the calf.

Tonowari could only watch his wife and daughter grieve the loss of their spirit sisters. Jake, Neytiri, and Neteyam looked at one another before looking at the other dead tulkuns.

Ronal glanced at where she heard her daughter's cries, her forehead having been touching her spirit sister.

"She was my spirit sister," Emea heard her mother. "She was the composer of songs. We would sing together. She was elated to have a daughter as strong as her and she waited many breeding cycles to have this calf. The clan was so happy for her. What is this, Tonowari? What is this?"

At hearing her mother grieving, Emea could only watch her tulkun before crying. Crying and crying. She felt weak and she felt even weaker at knowing that everyone behind her could hear her and see her.

"She's gone, Father," Emea sobbed. "She's gone. My Auli is gone... "

Both Tonowari and Ronal couldn't bear to hear their daughter's pained voice. She was already suffering enough with feeling the pain the tulkuns have felt. Their poor daughter, the one who was always strong and never smiled, was in front of them, grieving for her friend and sister.

"Take her,," Tonowari glanced at Neteyam who was hiding the tears escaping his eyes. "Be with her."

Neteyam nodded and he swam towards Emea, grabbing onto her. She immediately hugged him, crying into his chest, feeling the way his hold on her tightened. His arm wrapped arm around her waist to take them towards the ilu, making sure she was okay. But, she wouldn't let go of him so he had to have her facing towards him while he led the tulkun back to the village.

"My people need me and I'm over here crying like a baby," Emea sniffed, wiping her tears away. She inhaled and exhaled before wiping her tears away. Neteyam glanced at her and gave her a look.

"Do not try to hide your feelings," he told her. "You can be a leader and cry. It's better to have one who can show her emotions than one who chooses not to show them."

Emea looked at him and she sighed, nodding. "My parents are going to fight back..."

And she was right.

Ronal and Tonowari talked to their people, telling them the news of the tulkuns. Emea wished not to be present as she went to calm down her pain and nerves, praying to Eywa to give her strength. Neteyam came to tell her the news of what her people are instructed to do, giving her the space she needed to calm down.

"You are brave and strong, Emea," he told the girl who looked off, feeling the pain of her chest and body leave. "You need to remember what you are and you are a leader, a daughter, and a sister. You are everything your people need but, you need yourself, too."

Emea listened to his words and nodded. "It's crazy to believe what has happened... But, I do have a question."

"Anything."

"If your friend is apart of this," she closed her eyes, "I will not hesitate to kill him. I do not care if he is family or not, he is not mine."

Neteyam couldn't argue. Right now, she was feeling anger for the death of her tulkun and the other tulkuns. She was grieving for the people who died and lost their homes. He couldn't blame her.

"I won't stop you," Neteyam mumbled. Emea opened her eyes in shock at his words and he shrugged. "All I know is that it is impossible to step in when a woman is grieving. I've seen my mother."

Emea slightly chuckled at his words before continuing to tell herself affirmations.

"You are something, Neteyam," Emea told him and she could feel his stare. "Now, stop being a creep and stop looking at me."

"You like the fact that I stare at you," she could only smile at his words, knowing that he was trying to make her feel better and it worked.

"I won't say yes but I won't say no."

Neteyam smiled at her words before turning to look at the sound of footsteps not so far from him. He eyed the figure of his brother and his eyebrows furrowed at having an idea on what he was going to do.

"I'll be right back, Emea," Neteyam mumbled but she had opened her eyes and seen where he was looking at. He looked back at her and she nodded.

"Be careful. I'll keep watch just in case anything happens."

"Thank you."

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

Listening to sad music so
you could make yourself sad
in order to write sad parts is the
way to go

Hehe now... Im going to prepare more
chapters and more scenes between
Emea and Neteyam because, again, I
don't want to rush their relationship

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