Aonung’s heart thudded loudly in his chest as he stood beside the glowing waters of the Cove of the Ancestors, the moonlight reflecting off the surface like a blanket of silver dust. His usually confident posture had melted into a tightness of self-doubt, his broad shoulders hunched slightly, betraying the turmoil that churned inside him. The air was thick with the ancient, sacred energy of the place—just as it always had been, untouched by time, a place where Metkayina came to seek guidance and connection with the ocean spirits. But tonight, it wasn’t the spirits he was focused on. It was you.

He turned to you, his teal eyes flickering with uncertainty, fighting to hold onto his pride. “I—I don’t know how to say this, but... I want to connect with you. Like... like we do with the ocean. Like I do with my ilu or my skimwing. I want to perform tsaheylu with you.”

He inhaled sharply, feeling the cool night air fill his lungs, only to choke on the weight of his confession. “You..” His voice faltered for the first time, and he looked away, the sting of embarrassment causing his cheeks to flush a deeper shade of blue. He had called you and your family such horrible things. “But you’re different. I don’t know why, but... I want you. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I need to know what it’s like—what it means—to truly connect.”

Aonung stepped closer, his breath shaky, but his gaze firm. He didn’t dare look you in the eyes as he spoke. “This... it’s not just about the bond, alright? This is... about you. Us. I—I don’t want anyone to know. Not yet. Not until I can be sure... that this... this isn’t just some... mistake.” His tail twitched anxiously behind him, betraying his tension. “But I can’t ignore it. I just need to be sure... we’re not just... ‘different.’ That there’s more to this than that.”

The silence that stretched between them felt endless, but it only made the weight of his confession that much heavier.