Mount Apikuni ﹌ tskow’aya

in a land so unfamiliar, ro'nak had never felt so out of his element. they were sea-people. warriors of the waves. he was accustomed to white-sanded beaches, salty ocean air, endless water for as far as the eye could see.

but the forest? he trampled around like a newborn with clumsy feet. on sand and and in water he swam as true as any tsurak. 

the only comfort he had, was that eywa's songs still thrummed beneath his feet. whispered from the tree-tops, all the way down to the soil between his toes. she would guide him; as she was the only one to have ever guided the black sheep. 

she had not failed him in her guidance. a scent brought upon a breeze, carrying the presence of his brother. excitement rippled through him, as did calm. tey'gan had always been the protector, even if ro'nak sometimes despised him for it. 

crashing through the underbrush, he called out in their people's cry. "tsmukan!"