CHAPTER 111: SERAKAI OR TAHRAKA? (1)

That wasn’t the last time they met up. Aiyana refused to be beaten and made it her mission to be better than Sahco. She’d fit in fighting the Apatka at least once a week. Something that had been irritating and troubling slowly transformed into excitement, and a keenness to meet him and learn more.

Somehow word had spread about Sahco and Aiyana attacking each other randomly. It had turned into something of a game. What had been only spontaneous attacks between the pair then turned into spending time together, as brief as it always was.

Each time she’d learned something more about him and new fighting techniques that the Oncari didn’t teach. They were a little ruthless, but that didn’t bother her. She had a reputation already, one Atia had helped with by always calling her a savage or vicious princess.

Aiyana smirked and it cost her.

Sahco tackled her clean off her feet, sending her crashing into the river. Water exploded around them, muffling the sounds of the jungle as she plunged beneath the surface. She tried to twist away, but in the water, Sahco was deadly, and far stronger, overpowering her tenfold.

Aiyana wouldn’t give up that easily though. She sank her teeth into his neck. He growled, his fingers loosening just enough for her to twist free. She caught a glimpse of his shadow looming over her, swallowing her body entirely before she kicked him hard in the head. He is head snapped to the side.

Swimming to the surface, she broke through with a gasp, and hauled herself onto the riverbank. She collapsed onto the rocks, chest heaving, soaked and breathless. It shouldn’t have caused her to breathe this heavily but Sahco was a big guy, and the shock jarred her body more than anything.

She shouldn’t have been so distracted in the first place.

"What happened?" Sahco emerged from the water like some sort of cruel water god.

Aiyana huffed and forced herself to her feet. "Nothing."

Sahco didn’t believe her. He prowled towards her, the water parting for his giant form until he crawled onto the rock, his body leaning over hers. The green tips of his dark locks curled slightly and plastered to his forehead from the water.

Aiyana’s breath caught, but she held his darkening gaze. She would not be fooled by his looks or charm. Girls fell for it. She was a woman, training, and only using Sahco as a means to improve herself.

As though sensing her guard securely in place, more solid than usual, Sahco’s grin broadened, enjoying the challenge. Instead of their usual game, he rested his damp head on her thighs.

"What are you doing?!" Aiyana froze, eyes widening. She might flirt, and fight like a warrior, but at heart she was still somewhat of a princess. Nobody dared touch her like this. No one except for Atia.

Sahco rolled his head slightly, so he gazed at her with one eye, the other resting on her thigh, closed. "What distracted you so, Aiyana? It is not like you."

Aiyana narrowed her eyes at the guy she’d known many moon cycles now. If there was a cup size of softness in him, she hadn’t seen it yet. Everything he did was for his own gain. It was the way of the Apatka. They always sought to be the most powerful and strong amongst each other.

That was why he was perfect to fight against. She sought him out for that only... Not because of his devilish looks and charm... She bit her lip, the only sign she’d given away that his little move was working.

"And this is not like you," she counteracted, arching her brow, back to her steely self again.

She tried to budge him off from her, but he was heavier than a rock, and her legs were starting to go numb from it.

"Yana?" Atia’s voice snapped their heads up. His expression was hard, eyes flicking between the two, his upper lip curling momentarily before vanishing like it was never there in the first place, replaced with an overly chipper smile.

"Yaaaanaaaaa?"

"Oi!"

Aiyana caught Atia’s finger before he could flick her nose, her attention returning to the present. Why was it only ever Atia that caught her unawares? They were Tahraka, warriors bonded, and yet he occasionally managed to sneak up on her.

Although, the one time Sahco snuck up on her and tackled her, she’d been thinking about this annoying man. She grumbled, moving aside so Atia could lie down beside her.

"I thought you were hunting...?" Aiyana asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Slow night... Kept getting distracted. I thought you were resting...?" He countered, staring down at her as he tugged his plaited hair to fall on his torso.

"I couldn’t sleep..." Aiyana murmured, her eyes flicking up to the stars as she felt his gaze lingering on her face.

Realising what he was doing, Atia cleared his throat and started to make himself more comfortable. He lifted Aiyana’s feet and put them on top of his. Hers subtly curled more into his, seeking his warmth.

It was something of a habit. Ever since they turned eighteen, their Tahraka bond pushed them even closer together. Although the island was hot and humid, at night, when Aiyana sought rest, her feet chilled more than the rest of her body and she always kept them near a fire or covered them.

"Want me to sleep beside you again?" Atia whispered, his voice so low, like the trees might hear their conversation and report it back to her father.

Aiyana curled into him and nodded quietly. "Just this one time..." She whispered the words she’d repeated one too many times over many dances of the sun and moon.

Atia’s arm wrapped around her, his lips curling softly as he gazed upon the stars, his muscles relaxing beneath Aiyana’s slowing breaths. All her worries and spinning thoughts seemed to fade away as her heart beat to the same tune as his.

Many believed her and Sahco would be an item. But nobody knew Aiyana better than him, and nobody, nobody deserved to be her mate.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Due to Atia’s distractions the night before, they woke at first light, readying themselves for a day of hunting, neither of them speaking of that wish the night concealed.

Cicadas buzzed lazily above while the two young warriors crept through the underbrush. Aiyana moved like a shadow, her obsidian braid coiled high atop her head, bare feet silent against the moss-laden roots. Atia followed closely, bow drawn, dark eyes fixed ahead.

"Keep left," she whispered, facing ahead.

Atia nodded, aware she knew he heard her. Most of the time, they didn’t need to speak.

They had been tracking the boar for nearly an hour. Yoa told them not to stray too far, especially with the Ancient’s acting up a lot lately. But it wasn’t like they were infants, or weak. Aiyana never listened to that kind of warning, which was probably why this pair always caused more trouble because when she decided to do something, Atia followed, most of the time without question. He always had.

Not because she was the chief’s daughter.

But because she was her.

Today they did not shift into their jaguar forms. It made the hunt too easy, and since she’d been lost in thought about Sahco and Atia, Aiyana wanted to brush up on her skills more.

Atia tightened his grip on the bow as the jungle stilled. Aiyana held up a hand and crouched low. There, in the clearing, the boar rooted near a fallen log. Thick and tusked, with grizzled fur and twitching ears. Atia watched her draw her spear.

"You’ll miss if you throw from here," he murmured.

"I never miss."

He dramatically rolled his eyes. But she was right. She never did miss. It should be annoying really, and it might have been when he was younger but that was when he didn’t understand what he was feeling...

Aiyana stood slowly, body coiled like a spring. Then she jolted abruptly, throwing powerfully. The spear soared with an almost silent whoosh and struck the boar in the neck. It squealed and turned, instantly charging towards them. Aiyana rolled her shoulders back, eyes locked with the angry beast, and tilted her head to the side, assessing it.

But Atia wasn’t as crazy as Aiyana and didn’t want to spend an entire day healing from a wound made form one of those deadly tusks. He moved in front of Aiyana, loosing his arrow. It thudded into the creature’s side, sending it crashing to the forest floor.

"Perfect," Aiyana said, brushing a leaf from her shoulder.

Atia didn’t answer. He was watching her—how the sunlight caught in the curve of her jaw, how the flush of the hunt gave her that wild, untouchable look.

She turned and caught him staring. "You going soft on me?"

Atia flushed and looked away. "You wish."

Aiyana laughed and tossed him a grin, but it was brief. She always turned serious again after a kill. She knelt by the boar, murmuring thanks to Tayun as she pressed her palm over its heart. Atia did the same. Even in silence, their movements were in sync.

Their golden bands glinted beneath the sunlight, a mark that had been hiding a truth since it first appeared.