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/speech/=Na'vi

"Jake?" Neytiri asked in the silence that followed Carla's blunt statement, an edge of panic in her voice.

"Sorry," Carla said. "Max just dragged him off. Pretty much literally. It's…he'll be up and around again tomorrow I'm sure, no matter what any of us have to say about it."

"How long can he survive?" Mo'at asked.

Even as he feared what the answer might be, Tsu'tey was just as glad that she'd asked the question. It needed to be asked, and he didn't think that he could have put voice to it. Not with the image of Toktor Grace, too weak to survive passage through the Eye of Eywa, strong in his mind, anyway. And from the expression on Neytiri's face, she certainly wouldn't have been able to do so.

"Not long. Sepsis moves fast, especially at this stage." Carla sighed. "It's been a few years since my residency, but I'd say we're talking a few days—a week at the absolute most—before he has to go into stasis. And that's assuming that we can come up with a new drug cocktail that'll slow the progression back down since the current one isn't doing much good any more. But, again, the longer the wait, the weaker he's going to get."

And the more difficult the transition would be for him to make, Tsu'tey had no problem finishing, although she didn't actually say the words. Neytiri's ears were flat against her head, the same thought obviously uppermost in her mind, although Mo'at was still managing to maintain a calm expression.

"If you don't have any more questions, I'm going to give the radio back to Marie and go help Max convince Jake to stay still for awhile," Carla said after a few moments of silence. "Maybe take another look at the broad spectrum antibiotics we have and see if I can come up with a better combination than the one he's on now. But we wanted to let you know what the situation was. If you do have any more questions, or if you want to speak to me or Max or anyone else again, just let Marie know."

Tsu'tey was fairly sure that Mo'at offered her the appropriate thanks, but his mind had moved to the logistics of moving the clan back to the Tree of Souls as soon as possible in order to help Jake make the transition. In theory, it wasn't necessary—Jake's strength and willpower would be the deciding factors, provided that the transition was also Eywa's will—but given that said transition had only been attempted once before, and then unsuccessfully, he didn't see that the clan's presence and prayers could hurt. Nor did he think that any of them would not want to be there for one who was Toruk Makto.

It wasn't as though it was an impossible journey by any stretch of the imagination. This Hometree was slightly further away from the Tree of Souls than the old one had been, but it was still less than two days' journey by pa'li and on ikran it could be done in one. It would be necessary to bring food and supplies on the journey so they would not need to stop and do so on the way, of course, which would take some amount of preparation, but….

He shook his head slightly. The Omaticaya were no longer a homeless clan that had lost everything and was thus traveling unencumbered now, though. They had begun to build a new home, and if they left it unprotected, nantang, riti, and a dozen other forest creatures would undoubtedly raid it in their absence and very probably destroy a much of what had been built thus far. It was a loss that he was more than willing to take for his friend, and he thought that the majority of the rest of the clan would feel the same— again, for Toruk Makto if not Jake— but there was also the fact that there were those who were very young or injured who could not—should not—be taken on yet another journey that cause them to weaken or their injuries to be aggravated. And, from a practical standpoint, taking along the injured and frail would slow the journey considerably. Carla had made it clear that time was something that Jake did not have a great deal of.

/If we leave tomorrow morning, we can be there in two days,/ Neytiri said, obviously fighting down her own worry to offer practical ideas. /We can be ready to begin the journey then./

/Not all of the clan can travel. Certainly not quickly./

Tsu'tey wasn't sure when his mother had arrived, but given the subject of conversation and the fact that she was a healer, Teylar might have decided to fetch her as well after Neytiri and Mo'at. It had been a good thought, and Tsu'tey would have to remember to compliment him. Later. /How many are unfit for travel?/ he asked her.

/Perhaps twelve cannot, and almost as many should not. You are one./

The statement was accompanied by a pointed glare, but Tsu'tey paid the comment exactly as much attention as it deserved—which was absolutely none, even coming from his mother—and glanced at Mo'at. /If I select perhaps ten warriors to stay behind and protect Hometree and those who cannot travel, do you think that we can begin the journey tomorrow?/ He wasn't precisely asking for permission, since as Olo'eyktan he had the right to command such a journey if he wished, but….

/You would do better to ask for volunteers rather than select directly,/ she said with a nod, /although it may come to that in the end. I expect that most will wish to make this journey./

Since that had been his thought as well, he nodded. And very carefully avoided looking at his mother when he spoke again. /I cannot make the journey on pa'li, but I can fetch Jake from the Sky People's place and bring him to the Tree of Souls./

/I—/ Neytiri broke off with an unhappy frown and a quiet hiss as she realized that as much as she might want to, she couldn't go to Jake herself. Well, she could, but on pa'li the journey would take many days given the terrain between here and there, which made it an unusable option. She could fly in with someone, of course, as she had been doing for her visits, but in that case the ikran would likely already be carrying too much weight to take Jake back as well.

/I will need you with me to care for his Uniltirantokx on the journey and then prepare it and the clan for the transition,/ Mo'at said. /We can do some as we travel, but the majority must happen when we arrive./

/You should be leading the journey,/ Tsu'tey's mother said with a frown as Tsu'tey bit back a grimace at the reminder of that soulless body that was the other part of the transition. It would be different later, perhaps, but for now he still didn't understand how she saw Jake there. He made himself turn his attention back to his mother as she finished with, /It is properly your place now./

/I cannot travel on pa'li with my leg in this cast./ His leg couldn't bend properly to ride as he normally would, and he wouldn't travel on one of the litters made for the injured. /And on ikran I will be no more useful than any other scout./ Less useful, in fact, since his cast also negated his ability to complete most of the more ambitious aerial maneuvers that he normally performed with ease. /But I have flown with Jake before—I am the only one who has—and Denan is accustomed to his weight./ She didn't like it, of course, but now was not the time to bring that up.

His mother didn't look overly happy with that declaration, but after a moment she flicked her tail and acquiesced. /I will accompany you. You may both be in need of a healer by the end of the journey. But I will likely be carrying medical equipment, and Sessis is aging. I will not be able to take another./

That was clearly directed at Neytiri, but she seemed mollified by the fact that she could take care of Jake's Dreamwalker body and only nodded slightly before glancing back at Mo'at. /I will prepare a carry-harness for the pa'li./

/I will assemble the clan,/ Tsu'tey said to Mo'at and his mother as Neytiri turned to go. It was late, but not too late; all but the youngest children would still be awake speaking or telling stories or working on crafts. If they were to begin the journey tomorrow, they would have to begin preparations tonight.

Despite her words, Neytiri followed him rather than going to where the pa'li herd rested as he began to move among the small groups, asking them to collect any others that they saw and meeting in the main area. Unfortunately, Tsu'tey wasn't quite sure what he could say to her. He had never been particularly skilled—or, really, even more than marginally tolerable—when it came to offering comfort to others. Especially in a situation like this, where he was worried as well.

He shook his head. Jake had insisted that the wounds were nothing, the bleeding was nothing, but the way Max and Carla had spoken…. Tsu'tey didn't doubt their words, but the idea that Jake could be dying from such a thing seemed almost surreal. But then, so was the idea that Jake could be dying at all. /He is strong. He will survive,/ he finally offered.

Her tail lashed as she spoke for the first time since they'd left the radio. /You cannot know that./

Maybe not, but…. /Jake is strong,/ he repeated. Even in an undersized Sky Person body and broken as he was.

He wasn't sure if she found his words at all helpful since she didn't say anything else, but all of the clan was nearly gathered now, and it was time for him to speak.

Tsu'tey tried to shift and ease some of the muscles in his leg without his mother noticing. It was, of course, a futile hope, and he knew it, but he couldn't help but try.

/Do you need to rest?/ she asked.

/No. We are not far now./

/It is not a great hurry. We will need to stay at the Sky People's place tonight and start back with Jakesully tomorrow if we are to arrive with the rest of the clan. There is little sense in getting there before them./ Her ears flicked back. /No sense, in fact, since I am not a Sky Person healer./

Tsu'tey shook his head. He had made this flight once before without stopping, and he could do it again. He just hadn't slept much last night. The clan had reacted as he had expected, immediately agreeing to make the journey and starting to make preparations—despite Mo'at's suggestion, he had had to select the ten warriors who would stay behind, and he knew his mother and the other healers had had to forcibly prevent some of the injured from including themselves as well—but time was still passing. And Norm had been uncomfortably quiet this morning when they'd asked about Jake.

Given the look on Neytiri's face when Norm had said that Jake was still sleeping and it wouldn't be a good idea to wake him to come to the radio, Tsu'tey was almost glad that he wasn't with the clan right now. Of course, he was going to see Jake, which might possibly be worse, but given how agitated she'd been when they'd been loading the pa'li with supplies for the journey…well, he didn't think that she'd be a pleasant traveling companion.

The Sky People's compound came into view on the horizon, and Tsu'tey asked Denan to dive towards it. She wasn't entirely happy with his request, but when he assured her that they would be leaving again tomorrow, she did as he asked.

/I See you, Tsu'tey,/ Max greeted as they landed outside the hanger. /I See you, Atanva./

/I See you,/ she returned with a nod.

Tsu'tey echoed her words as he swung down off Denan and tucked his crutch under his arm. /How is Jake?/

/He's tied into an…./ Max frowned and then shook his head and switched to English. "He's tied into an IV drip at the moment and not at all happy about it, but physically he's doing about as well as can be expected."

/You can explain what a healer might need to do for him on the journey?/ Tsu'tey's mother asked. /I know nothing of Sky People injuries./

/Carla and I can. This way, please./ He gestured towards the building behind him.

Tsu'tey and his mother followed him inside, much to the displeasure of both Denan and Sessis. Apparently leaving tomorrow was not soon enough for either ikran if their riders were leaving them, and Tsu'tey wasn't surprised when they took to the air again with unhappy shrieks.

/Carla said she'd put a pack together for the trip,/ Max said to Tsu'tey as he pulled off his mask and hung it beside the door, /but Jake's resting in his room if you want to go see him./ He shook his head. "Technically he should be in medical, but he pitched a fit about staying there, and since the IV and the monitoring equipment are mobile we decided not to force the issue."

Given that he had absolutely no interest in listening to the healers, nor was he likely to be of any use to them anyway, Tsu'tey nodded and turned down the corridor that angled off the one the two of them were taking. He hadn't missed having to move around in a crouch, but it wasn't as though he hadn't had plenty of experience with it, and he remembered the way to Jake's room clearly enough.

There was no response when he tapped lightly against the metal panel, and he finally opened the door cautiously and peered inside. "Jake?"

Jake was lying on his side on his bunk, his eyes closed and his wheelchair sitting empty beside him, and he didn't respond to Tsu'tey's question. Tubes carrying some kind of liquid ran into his arm from two hanging bags, and a wire ran to the back of his hand from a metal box, and if the faint beeping from the box didn't mean anything to Tsu'tey, presumably it did to the healers here.

After a moment, Tsu'tey stepped inside and crouched beside him. "Jake?" He frowned when Jake's eyes remained closed and then reached out to nudge his shoulder lightly. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do and he should allow Jake to remain asleep, but Tsu'tey found the stillness disturbing, especially after what he'd been told last night. Jake didn't look so different than he had the last time Tsu'tey had seen him, but…. "Brother?"

Eyelids twitched slightly, and then one eye opened as the beeping increased in speed slightly. "Mm?" Jake blinked and then stared up at Tsu'tey. "Hey. Didn't you go home?"

"Yes," Tsu'tey agreed. "But now I am back. And you must come with me tomorrow."

"Hm? Oh. Right." Jake yawned. "Man, how long have I been asleep?" He didn't wait for an answer, which was just as well since Tsu'tey didn't have one. "Whatever they've got me on now knocks me out like nothing else." He rubbed his eyes and then pushed himself into a sitting position—something that seemed to take him far more effort than it ever had the other times that Tsu'tey had seen him move—and then hunched forward abruptly and made a choking sound.

"Jake?" Tsu'tey put out a hand, prepared to keep him from falling forward off the bunk. His skin was normally oddly pale to Tsu'tey's eyes, but he had never seen it turn so close to white before.

Jake took a few deep breaths and then straightened and scowled at the tubes going into his arm. "It's nothing. I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"The way you use 'fine' is not with the meaning I was taught. Or Max or Carla or anyone else was taught, it seems." He was beginning to understand some of the healers' frustration when it came to uncooperative patients.

That got a quick grin as Jake swiped at his eyes again. "Really, don't worry. I just don't feel so well. It's because of the antibiotics and whatever other crap it is that they're pumping into me. I mean, I know I need it, I don't need that lecture again, but the side effects are kind of nasty."

It was Tsu'tey's turn to scowl as he set his crutch down and shifted to sit on the other bunk. "You should have told the scientists that you were hurt." Or had not made Tsu'tey say he would not tell them.

Jake looked away, grimacing. "Yeah, I guess I did screw that one up pretty good. But I just figured that it was like every other sore I've gotten since I ended up in that damn chair and would eventually heal up on its own. When I realized that it was getting worse instead of better I did tell Max, but by then it was a little late." He shrugged and then shook his head. "So I didn't figure you'd be my ride to the Tree of Souls."

"I have flown with you before. And Denan is used to you and understands that she should not bite you. Another ikran might forget itself and decide to eat you when its rider wasn't looking."

Jake grinned. "Great, there's a nice thought."

Tsu'tey smirked. "And my mother came with me. She is speaking to the healers now."

Jake groaned. "I don't suppose I could convince someone to slap me in a stasis pod for the trip?"

"No."

"Worth a shot." He shifted himself backwards slightly, leaning against the wall and pulling a blanket around behind him. Which seemed odd to Tsu'tey, given that it was not cold, but Jake started speaking before he could ask. "So how goes life at the new Hometree? Last time I talked to you, you were starting to say something about the clan needing more water?"

"Uh, he hasn't eaten anyone—or anyone's ikran—right?" Jake asked.

"No. That you would have been told about."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jake shook his head. "I just figured he'd have taken off after the battle. I mean, I didn't ask him to hang around."

Tsu'tey shrugged. "Mo'at believes that he is waiting for you."

"Huh. Well, I do owe him a thank you; I guess that makes it easier." He shook his head again. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. You've been here for what—two, three hours? It's got to be nearly dinner time. Not that I've been able to keep much down with that stuff going in to me," he gestured at the hanging bags, "but I should probably go prove to Max and Carla that I haven't keeled over—died—yet."

Tsu'tey nodded. He and his mother hadn't eaten more than a light snack on the flight here, and his stomach was beginning to inform him that it was time that he ate a meal as well. Hopefully there was still appropriate food in the cafeteria.

Jake began to pull himself across the bunk towards his wheelchair, and Tsu'tey debated whether or not to offer assistance. Normally it was a maneuver that Jake completed with ease, and even if Tsu'tey had already noticed that he was having much more difficulty moving around today, that didn't mean that he would welcome help.

Jake lurched forward again as he had earlier, and the decision was made as Tsu'tey automatically reached out and braced a hand under his chest to prevent him from falling. But something was wrong, because he could feel Jake's heart pounding against his hand, and the beeps from the machine that Tsu'tey had managed to ignore during their conversation were suddenly louder and much more rapid. "Jake?"

Jake shook his head but didn't say anything as his fingers curled into the fabric on the bunk and his breathing increased in speed as well.

"Jake?" Tsu'tey tried again.

Again Jake didn't respond—this time he didn't even show any signs of having heard as quick breaths changed to outright gasps—and for lack of any idea what else to do, Tsu'tey shook him lightly.

"Jake, stop!"