Chapter Text
Lo'ak thought that once his family got rid of the SeaDragon crew, the situation would get worse. But that wasn't the case.
Surprisingly, they didn't see any Sky People ever since. After a week, his father grew worried and flew out to investigate, just to be sure.
But things seemed to calm down - maybe the humans realized it would be futile to keep pursuing their family after they left the spot as leaders of the Omatikaya clan.
He was no fool, he knew further conflict was inevitable. They would support the rebellion, but as his father said, not in the near future. They needed time to heal. To rest and prepare.
Several weeks have passed and still nothing out of ordinary happend. However, Lo'ak had other concerns poisoning his mind.
Payakan was his only true friend, that was one thing he knew for sure. And he also knew he wanted to spend almost every waking moment with him.
But there was always the threat of loosing the tulkun, especially if he kept roaming so far away from the village.
They got a few messages from other villages saying the fishermen kept returning from time to time, but never getting too far from the coast. It was no suprise. After all, stopping aging was certainly worth more than some rare metal.
And Lo'ak couldn't face another loss. He just couldn't. And so time went by with worry eating on his soul.
Towards the evening of the previous day a terrible storm raged at sea, and its force did not cease on the whole following day. Giant waves could be heard crashing against the reef barrier, the wind shaking the giant roots between which the village of Awa'atlu rested.
Lo'ak tossed restlessly all night. Fear that something might happen to his tulkun friend was bothering him, and even drove him back out to sea early in the morning when the storm had finally calmed.
The sun had not yet risen and the village of the people of Metkayina was eerily silent. Lo'ak sat down on the edge of the dock and called for his ilu. A for moments after the low clicks pierced the water, a thin head appeared on the surface, the creature greeting him with quiet warble. Lo'ak patted the creature's head but otherwise wasted no time, attached the harness over the ilu's long neck and set for the open sea behind the Reef.
Gripping the reins tightly, they dived beneath the raising waves.
Thankfully, the waters at Three Brothers Rock were calm, reflecting the clouded sky above. After arriving, he left his ilu to swim on its own – he knew that if he needed to, the domesticated creature would arrive again.
He just floated on the surface, enjoying the slighty chilly water that surrounded him, eyes searching the greyish depths for any sign of movement.
“Where are you?” he shouted. “Payakan!”
But before he fully pronounced his friend's name, a huge head popped out of the water next to him, sending droplets in all directions.
Lo'ak grinned as Payakan fixed a side pair of orange eyes on him, raising his lower eyelid in his signature smile.
The tulkun was striking, majestic, an embodiment of unstoppable power of the sea.
Even though according to the Metkayina, the young tulkun was no more an outlaw, he still bore the mark of a killer.
Yeah, what a nonsense.
Lo'ak didn't believe any of the rumors even when he first heard them. He was sure the tulkun had his reasons.
And as it turned out, Payakan simply wanted revenge. But given the tulkun strict code of pacifism, it all have been taken completely out of context. Supposedly, tulkun shouldn't bring harm to others even with their own life at stake which was… brutal and unthinkable to someone like Lo'ak, who fought for his freedom from the day he was born.
In this sense, Payakan was very different from his own kind. Just as he himself was from the Na'vi. They were both lost souls, searching for understanding.
Payakan immediately swam closer and pressed the side of his huge head against the smaller chest of his friend and closed his eyes. Lo'ak embraced as much of his head as he possibly could, running fingers over the smooth, wet skin.
“Hey, buddy. How were you?”
Payakan opened his eyes, letting out a clicking sound. “Lonely…”
“Sorry I couldn't come any sooner. That storm was dangerous. Are you all right?”
Payakan raised his longer fin and playfully pushed Lo'ak under the water. “I am now.”
Even though Lo'ak was eight feet tall, he was dwarfed by the sea creature that started to swim around him in circles. Payakan was still growing and yet he already reached a respectable length that was pretty much ten times his own size.
Lo'ak swam under the white underbelly of his friend and poked at the stripe-like markings on the other side. Payakan offered him a fin, lifting him out of the water. But he didn't stop there and threw him high into the air.
When Lo'ak hit the water and submerged again, Payakan was quickly upon him. The tulkun swam closer, brushing soft skin against the whole length of his smaller body. He certainly seemed unusually lively this morning.
Lo'ak chuckled, a few bubbles escaping his mouth. “Is something the matter, Payakan?” he signed with his hands. First rays of the new day began to shine through the water, painting their surroundings with golden spots.
The tulkun stopped swimming around and brought his head closer. Big orange eyes focused on Lo'ak's braid for a moment before returning to his face.
“Just happy you are here.”
Lo'ak grinned at the sound of excited clicking and purring. With fingers sliding down his long braid, he reached for his queue. Several short, light-coloured tendrils appeared at the end.
He swam under Payakan and with his other hand, he grasped one of his dual queue that protruded from the bottom of his snout in area between the smaller front fins. Well, only one fin, in Payakan's case. The other was… cut off.
Lo'ak felt a sting of anger and sadness, but let it wash away. Payakan didn't need to feel his pity.
He patted the bigger queue and let the tulkun show his own tendrils. Then he closed the final gap and made a connection.
The act known to Na'vi as tsaheylu felt different with Payakan. Different from when he established a neural link with his ikran or ilu, or every other non-sapient fauna or flora. With Payakan it was… more intimate. The link itself ran deeper. It was…
Lo'ak shivered, heart beating faster. It was pure; they both perceived even the most imperceptible part of each other's being. At that moment all distinctions became meaningless. At that moment they felt like one.
Lo'ak suddenly felt hot all over as if the temperature around him raised rapidly. He felt restless. Shivering with need. A need to… to…
He glanced at Payakan with wide eyes. Oh.
This was the first time Payakan shared such intense and personal emotion through their bond with him.
The tulkun has been forbidden to meet anyone for who knew how long and now, even after everything that occured, he still hasn't been truly accepted among the others. It made sense that he craved any attention he could get. And especially the more intimate one.
Lo'ak blushed as he felt a new surge of desire, clear as the water surounding them.
It made him painfully aware of his own pent up urges - with having no time for himself in the last few days nor doing any real progress with Tsireya, the daughter of Metkayina clan leaders... not like he actually wanted to, after all, but it was still frustrating how she subtly pushed their relationship with all the light touches and suggestions.
He slowly raised his hand, mind weighted with a decision. “Would you want me to help?”
Payakan, using his long queue, brought Lo'ak closer to his face so they could see eye to eye, and blinked slowly.
“Yes, please...”