°○𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝○°ᵃᵒⁿᵘⁿᵍ

05||Darkness and Light

CHAPTER 5

We continued to rock back and forth together, our heart beats melding into one. The darkness of my skin clashed with his as I began to hum a song the researchers would play in Grace's lab. I traced the wave like patterns of his skin with the pad of my finger, stopping only to trace the next wave. I pressed my ear into the middle of his chest, listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart once again. I sighed knowing the peacefulness was soon to end. It never stayed.

My finger soon came across a bruise, I frowned at the gnarly purple that contrasted against the aquamarine of his skin.

"Does it hurt?" I ask, tracing around it.

"Only a little" He responded quickly, slowly lowering my hand.

"Can I ask something that may make us both feel a little uncomfortable?" I say, looking up to gauge his reaction. His eyes widen lightly as he leans his head down to nod. I avert his eyes as I stare at his tooth necklace.

"What...what is the mating ritual for the Olo'ekytan and the Tsahìk? Especially in Awa'atlu."

As predicted he freezes slightly, he lets out a small cough to clear his throat, I stop tracing his flesh as I just lean against him.

"Well, in Awa'atlu, for anyone to mate they have to pass the trials, where young men and women have the task to tame a Tsurak. We'll have to complete an extra set of challenges, each one used to test our knowledge of our future positions. We start in two separate parts of the island, the last task is to find one another, and once we do, we drift out to sea and enter an underwater cave. And after we get there we...umm...do the thing were supposed to do" he mumbled the last part, getting a smile out of me.

"That's a lot more complicated than the Omaticaya..." I mumble into him.

"How do they mate?" He asks curiously.

"They go to our spirit tree and make the bond...that's it." I say scratching the back of my neck.

"That doesn't sound difficult"

"It really isn't"

We fall back into silence until I interrupt it again.

"Can I ask another slightly uncomfortable question?"

"Go ahead."

"I'm growing out of my clothes. I have nothing to wear, and I don't know what to do" I sigh.

This time his head snaps my way and a light coat of blush settles on his cheeks and ears.

"What about your other clothes?"

"I've grown out of them as well skxawng" I mutter. He looks around like someone is going to whisk me away and help, but no one does.

"I could ask Tsireya?" He questions to himself rather than me.

"I am not wearing your sister's clothes Aonung" I state calmly.

"Well she's a seamstress, she could help you" He said. I nodded at his words as he broke away from our position. He stood oddly close when he was in front.

"What are you doing?"

"If your clothes are getting small it means your top is, which means..." he mumbled my way.

I gasped at the sudden realisation and crossed my arms against my chest. I was horrified. He led me to his family marui, hoping Tsireya would be there. Once we entered various heads snapped our way, both of our parents where in the same room, it seemed very intense.

"Umm..do you guys know where Tsireya is?" Aonung asked for me.

"Out on the rocks, teaching children the breathing technique." Ronal quickly said. We swerved swiftly away from their tense conversation as soon as we knew where Reya was. We bolted towards the rocks where she sat teaching a circle of small kids how to breathe properly. Before I could speak Aonung beat me to it.