I have already lost so much, but I am about to lose possibly all I have left.

Y/N has always supported me. In my crazy ideas, in my wildest dreams, my risk-taking nature. I loved my mother, and I loved my father, who both cared for me and taught me all I know now, but with my sister it is better than a mother-father-son relationship. Why? 

Because she saw through me like I was a mirror, her own reflection looking back at her. She and I shared our crazy ideas, our wildest dreams, with our similar risk-taking nature. I didn't have to explain myself to her, because she understood me. We share the same soul.

And then there's a lot I regret, with every fiber of my being. Taking in our Uncle's "favor" by spying on our sister, keeping her far away from the outsiders in order to "protect" her, which is still a grey matter for me, because Y/N can take on threats by herself.

How I wish I could tell her the truth, to rid myself of this gut-consuming guilt that is plaguing me. To tell my sister that we are aware of Uncle's evil nature, that he is trying to get himself in our system to control all of us in order to fulfill his long awaited desire to take over the clan. 

The plan for now is to play along this ridiculous plan. To act convinced and reliable to Uncle so he doesn't suspect anything, or ask us to do much worse. 

The cost? Losing my sister to these strangers, and losing her to absolute hatred for me, for Keapi, for poor Errik.

Every interaction is just a quick, regretful glance now. A millisecond's worth of glances and I can tell easily how much we've disappointed her. 

Now, her group has won the race, followed by the Sully boys...and just then, us.

Embarrassing as it is, I'm just grateful the crowd is too preoccupied celebrating with the guests and their Olo'eykte. 

And the worst part of all of this is that she seems almost glad. She's back to herself when she's with them, and especially with Neteyam.

I land, unchaining myself from my Ikran. A trembling and dripping Errik joins me soon afterwards.

"I'm cold."

"Yes, I know."

"Can't you get me a towel?"

"No."

Upon my merciless responses, he looks to the direction I'm looking at.

He sighs a little, scratching the back of his neck. 

He tries to say something, no doubt to ease the tension, but he can't make a joke out of this. Our sister hates us for "siding" with our Uncle, and we can't even tell her it's all an act for as long as he lives.

For as long as he lives.

"What are you plotting?"

I swallow. "It's nothing."

"You can't do this." His teeth chattered. "You can't keep things to yourself, expecting us to understand."

"I don't expect you to understand."

"I know I am not like Y/N, okay?" He scoffed. "There is no way I can help you and understand you without you uttering out a word about it because I'm not like that. I'm not understanding like her." Then he smacks me in the back of my head. Hard. "But right now, it's you, me, and Keapi against our Uncle. We're a team."

"Wow, look at you," Keapi chuckled as he approached us from behind. "Where is this speech coming from, huh?"

I snicker. "I think the cold is making him delirious."

"Great Mother, take me seriously for once, yeah?" Errik clenched his jaw. "It's us playing along to the sound of Uncle's twisted notions, for Y/N's safety."

Errik might be a charming boy, with every intention of moving the people around him with his kindness, but he's not the wisest. Years of falling for Keapi and I's merciless tricks on him, he is very gullible. 

But this time, he took the initiative, reminding us once again the mission at hand. 

Our Sister has protected us from everything. It was our turn now.

"I mean, it won't last forever, right?" Errik sighed. 

Silence fills us all, but almost in sync, Errik and I break out laughing. 

"I mean, how long does Uncle even have until he joins our ancestors?" He giggles out. "Old man is too delirious to know right from wrong."

"Out of all the people we lost...he's the one who's left?" I wince. "Great Mother, what is this?!"

Keapi bites his lips, refraining himself from joining. "Enough. Let us be serious about this for now." He said. "We need to be more convincing. Uncle has to believe we are upset with our sister."

"I am doing the best, out of all of you." I say. It sounds like I am bragging, and I hate it. "I am more convincing with the way I am harsh and cold with her."

"Being harsh and cold isn't much of a brag, brother," Keapi snorts. "But you are right, you are more convincing than us. We need to be less, uh, mopy, Errik. We need to be more cold. Understood?"

"This is a weird command."

"Understood?" He repeated.

"Yes." Errik widened his eyes at him. "It won't be easy for me, but I'll try."

Keapi and I are both aware Errik would never dare hurt someone, unless of course, it is an enemy. 

Where does Uncle fall in? He is one of the People, but everything he does and everything he is, is corrupt. His actions are corrupting the balance of life. I do not know what made him so, and every time I try to ask Father about his life as a young boy, he would avoid the question.

Looking over at the Sullys, I realize they're more of a family than we are. They may have lived through the fear of warfare, but together they remained. 

"What's up with the eldest kid?" Errik complained. 

"What about him?" I asked, even though I sense it too. 

"He's oddly infatuated with Sister. And it isn't the usual boys of the clan. This one really likes her and they barely know each other."

"Maybe he likes her for her powers." I roll my eyes. I turn to Keapi. "What about you? You never said anything about him."

Keapi stills. "Am I supposed to?"

"Brother, you used to scare off her suitors for sport." I shrugged exaggeratedly. "How is he different?"

"Because he is. Trust me." He eyes the boy. "I think they are good for one another."

"Did you prophecy it in the fire?" I asked him. "I never pegged you for a fan of Y/N and a suitor."

"No, Father saw in the fire. Just-" He hissed out. "Leave them alone. Neteyam is a good kid, he would never hurt anyone. He's more of the protective, caring type than a fighter."

Before us, the said "lovebirds" are talking to one another, separating themselves from the crowd despite being in the center of it. Y/N's back is facing us, so we see only Neteyam's reactions to whatever she says to him.

They're yelling over the loud commotion. Y/N clasps her hands on each side of her head, no doubt gushing about the thrill of the race. 

Neteyam only laughs and nods, his eyes heavily lingering on her ecstatic behavior. And I didn't miss the way, even from where we stood, his pupils dilated admiringly.

I sniff. "Y'know what I think?"

"No, we're not taking him to the Ronsem Viper  pit. Not when he's survived one."

"What?" Errik and I screeched in unison.

I let the thought linger for a moment. The fact that a Forrest boy managed to live trying to escape the monster. It is fascinating, and I am impressed. Witnessing the monster you either have to have a drill for safety, or you are done for good. 

There is no beginner's luck, when there are no "beginners" to tell you how they escaped it. 

Except for him and Y/N, I guess.

"What I was going to say, even if I didn't see it in the fire, is that the boy-"

"Neteyam." Errik and Keapi corrected.

"...that Neteyam is a fighter with the way he loves, and a lover with the way he fights." I clicked my tongue over at pair. "I see what you're saying about him being too much of a softie to hurt anyone, but he's surrounded with people who love him. He'll fight for them."

"Yeah. We all saw him earlier." Keapi switches his standing weight to the other side. "He looked like he wanted to tear me into two."

Errik eyes me. "Are you saying Y/N is one of those people, then? Who love him?"

"As much as I hate to admit it..." I nod toward the pair, who were now hugging and staggering from side to side as they struggle to stay in place. "Yes. She is."