description: ever since you and your family arrived on awa'atlu it had been practically impossible to stop you and ao'nung from butting heads, which often led to fists being thrown. but what happens when even the tsahik, ao'nung's mother, notices? even better yet, what does she make of it?
warnings: fem!reader, mentions of minimal injuries?, ronal is lowk a little mean but we all love her still, my atrocious header should be its own warning sorry guys it's my first time making one 😭😭
genre: slight angst (maybe? if you squint?), slow burn & enemies to lovers if i acc continue this lol
wc: 1502 w.
walking to the tsahik's marui felt like walking in a daze. your legs guided your body towards it, feet rubbing against the worn woven material. the odor from her healing pastes and medicine subtly made itself known within your senses, a quiet reminder of why you came in the first place.
there sat before you ao’nung, facing his mother. your presence clearly went unnoticed, as the tsahik continued to reprimand him. “stupid, stupid boy,” she muttered, applying a paste across the top of his cheek, “you are being trained to become olo’eyktan one day. is this how an olo’eyktan behaves?” his ears pulled back at that last sentence, his teal eyes refusing to meet his mother’s. shame painted his features, annoyance bleeding at the edges.
“but mother-" “enough. you’ve made enough of a fool out of yourself. i have another person to attend to” ronal cut off, nodding her head towards you while still keeping an eye on ao’nung’s injuries. you felt like a deer in the headlights as ao’nung’s head turned towards you. heat crept up your neck towards your ears as you felt you intruded in a moment you did not belong to. the thought almost made you scoff. when did you ever belong on this stupid island?
the metkayinan boy eyed you up and down, looking at the result of the previous scuffle. to be frank, you barely had any scratches on you, a testament to your skilled combat. your ‘injuries’ were a stark contrast to ao’nung’s, with you only having a few scratches compared to ao’nung’s blooming bruises. in all honesty, you did not need to visit the tsahik, but your father forced you, so that you would “learn the hard way,” whatever that meant.
you smirked and nearly snorted, carrying a smug air about you, which undeniably pissed off ao’nung. a bitter taste was left in his mouth; he had never been good at losing. the ends of his lips curled into a frown. as he stood up to leave, he sent you one last glare before stomping off to eywa knows where, leaving you with ronal.
ronal, who was not only the tsahik but his mother. your smirk dropped instantly at the realisation, at the implication that she may treat you much harsher than how she treated ao’nung. so this was what dad meant. your heartbeat suddenly quickened as she beckoned you to come and sit, almost as if awaiting a trial’s verdict. as you crossed your legs and sat facing her, she firmly but gently grabbed your face and inspected it. her eyes darted across, each look landing like an arrow on your chest. few people scared you, but ronal had earned her place on that short list since the moment you arrived. after what felt like hours, she let go of your face and dipped her finger in a pale green salve, and applied it on the few cuts. the treatment did not sting, luckily, which alleviated the dull pain but also the anxiety which sat like a weight on your chest.
“you fight well for an outsider,” ronal suddenly said, her voice leveled and calm, “few can readily take on five boys at once, and not to mention you’re a girl.” you almost felt your whole body shrinking under her words while she spoke, until the last phrase. your back almost straightened, and you found the voice to speak “being a girl has nothing to do with my capability. besides, my brothers were with me too.”
she paused, then nodded, “indeed.” a silence settled between the pair of you. you were unable to tell if it was a comfortable one, or not. her eyes met yours again, and you could almost touch the wisdom that brimmed beneath them. the feeling was similar to your grandmother’s eyes. the thought sent a pang to your heart; you silently yearned for your life that once was, with the forest, the omatikaya, and the mountains.
your thoughts quickly dissipated as ronal’s voice brought you back to reality, “you, and your brothers, fought ao’nung and his friends today. five against three, and you leave with barely a mark on you.” she studied you for a long moment. “tell me then, what do you make of him?”
what do you think of her son? the only proper answer would be pompous, egotistical, and a complete pain in the ass. but you bit your tongue, and quickly answered, “respectable. he cares for his clan a lot-“
“do not take me for an idiot. you cannot seriously think your words are believable after the state you left my son in. tell me, honestly this time, what you think of him.”
you gulped. then blinked. why would she care for the words of an outsider? it suddenly clicked. you had no reason to mold your words to her liking. no reason to attempt to gain her favor. what she expected of you were unfiltered and unflattering words. maybe that was exactly why she was asking. you answered honestly, but still carefully choosing kinder words (she is the tsahik after all), “he… is unfriendly to say the least. he has an unjustifiably high ego, and he lacks empathy. though, i can’t completely blame him for being hostile.”
your words certainly took her by surprise as she blinked twice. “you cannot blame him?”
“no,” you responded meekly, “my family and i have known nothing but war. us coming here… it’s only reasonable that you fear the war will be brought to you.” you paused. “but what i cannot find reasonable is your son bothering kiri. she is the best of us. kind. compassionate. gifted.”
“gifted?” “yes, gifted. she’s different than the rest of us. she hears eywa better than us. but with her kindness she compromises her awareness. ao’nung took advantage of that. he chose the one who wouldn’t necessarily fight back. it’s weak. he is weak. no one, especially the olo’eyktan in training, should manipulate that trait to their advantage.” the words tumbled out before you could think, your habit of running your mouth getting the better of you. as soon as the words left your lips, you inhaled sharply as you realized the gravity of what you said. “tsahik, i am so sorry… i was out of line.”
her application of the salve paused while you spoke, listening almost attentively. her lips drew into a thin line, which made your chest tighten. now you really did it. only a few weeks in having sought uturu and you will already be thrown out. dad would seriously skin you. alive, possibly.
“you are right, unfortunately.” she muttered, coming back to the routine of putting on healing salve. this reeled you back in, and rendered you in a complete state of shock. she waited for a moment, before speaking again, “i have a feeling, however,” as she dipped her fingers into the salve, “that i will be very familiar with your face soon.”
you blinked, “i don’t plan on getting into any more fights, tsahik.”
“that is not my point. i never said it would be you causing them.” ronal replied, talking about her son as if he were simply the weather, “ao’nung has rarely lost a fight, and even then he does not come to me when he loses. twice now he has come to my marui, and both times it was because of you.”
your heart jumped to your throat, her words silencing you. “the first time, he complained that you fought dishonorably. completely unorthodox and unfair, his words.” her pause made your tail swish in worry, “the second time, he came to complain that you did not.” her eyes met yours, this time you could feel almost a sense of amusement creeping up to the surface. “i raised that boy. i know contradiction when i hear it. and i also know what usually causes it.”
“with all due respect, tsahik, i think you’re reading too into it.” you quickly said, averting eye contact and dreading whatever would come out of her words next.
“perhaps.” her tone was unconvincing. she continued applying the salve as if nothing happened. as if what she just said did not worry you to the bone.
you felt years being lifted off you every second longer she took to tend to your cuts, your suffering finally ending when she took one good look at you and closed the jar of salve. you visibly relaxed, figuring the end is near. “perhaps you should prepare yourself for the possibility that i am not.” she gestured towards the entrance in a quick, almost graceful motion. “you should rest. you will surely need it for the days ahead.”
you muttered a thank you, and an i see you, before exiting the marui and heading toward your family’s. her words replayed over and over in your head. even as you laid down to sleep.
great mother, you quietly prayed, whatever that skxawng has in plans for me, please guide me through these terrible times.
—
i do not permit any of my works being re-used (reblogs are amazing though and greatly appreciated!) or being fed into ai... JUST IN GENERAL DO NOT USE AI WITH MY WORK
love you guys thank you for reading! it would mean a great deal to me to hear any feedback (in a nice way tho pls </3) as i'm fairly new to writing on tumblr and would love to improve.
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