Chapter Seven | The Worst Thing Imaginable

'Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.' - Proverbs 16:18

The months flew by, and the Omaticaya clan was excited for Jake and Neytiri, due to the fact that within a couple weeks they would have a prince. Neytiri was preparing in earnest for the child's arrival, and Jake mainly stayed out of the way. She was wearing a lot of padding now, to make it seem like she was eight and a half months pregnant, which was beginning to get quite annoying, and even managed to give her back aches which, while they did make the pregnancy more realistic, were as annoying as hell. Kiyeri was still staying out of the way, and was, as far as they knew, with another clan that was not her own. Neytiri was somewhat worried for her, but she knew Kiyeri was a strong girl. She'd managed to keep herself and the baby alive all this time, after all.

"All right, what about Dimitri?" Jake suggested. They still hadn't decided on a name for the baby, and Neytiri was still insistent on him having a human name.

Neytiri grimaced. "Sounds... Well..."

"Too girl-ish?" Norm suggested.

"Yes," Neytiri said. She turned to her mate then with a loving smile. "Come on. What is wrong with Sequoia?"

Jake laughed. "And you thought Dimitri was feminine?" He asked incredulously. Neytiri shrugged when Mo'at came in, looking flustered. "Sa'nok, what's wrong?" Jake asked. He called Mo'at 'mother' now, since they were so close. Neytiri was so grateful Jake and Mo'at got along so well – most in-laws didn't get along with their sons and daughters-in-law. Now, she turned to look at her mother, and her heart rate accelerated.

Mo'at hesitated. "I do not want to worry you... But a healer from the clan Kiyeri is staying at has come." Jake and Neytiri exchanged glances and looked back at Mo'at. "It seems Kiyeri took a fall..."

· · ·

"She is eight and a half months pregnant! What the hell was she doing riding a Pa'li?" Neytiri exclaimed as she paced around their room. Jake was sitting on the hammock, and Norm was leaning against the wall.

Jake sighed. He was getting used to Neytiri cussing, but it still caught him by surprise. "She's obviously bored."

Neytiri groaned. "I was hoping she would use these months as a time for... thinking."

"She is sixteen years old. You remember what it was like to be sixteen. It's a rebellious time," Jake pointed out.

"Sure, but she got knocked up. Isn't that rebellious enough?" Norm pointed out.

Jake turned on his friend. "Zip it!" He snarled. Jake had reached the end of his tether, and unfortunately had to take it out on Norm. Norm's cat-like ears flew back and he kept quiet. Jake never snapped at him, and Jake sighed. "Sorry," he apologised. Norm nodded. This was obviously taking a toll on Jake as well.

"Both of you calm down," Neytiri sighed. She sat down beside her mate and took his hand in hers. Jake wasn't the one to worry about this fake pregnancy – Neytiri was. What had changed?

"Well the healer will be checking up on her. We'll have to wait until then," Norm said. He got up. "I'll leave you two be." Once Norm had left, Neytiri rested her head on Jake's shoulder. He kissed her forehead tenderly, murmuring loving words in her ear. He could feel how tense she was, and he was trying to calm her down.

It didn't really work, as for the rest of the day, Neytiri was on the edge. Jake was too, but for an entirely different reason. For the majority of the day, they waited anxiously for a member of Kiyeri's surrogate clan to come and tell them what happened. When they laid their heads down that night, Neytiri just couldn't fall asleep. Jake sighed. "Neytiri, calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down?" She echoed. She sighed and looked at Jake. "What happens if her actions..." Neytiri looked away; she couldn't finish.

Jake wrapped his arms around his mate and kissed her neck. "We can only hope."

And hope they did, for hours after that. The next day, they hadn't got any news. Neytiri was terribly worried for the whole morning, until a Na'vi male came to the clan. His name was Txep'tey, and he was healer of the clan Kiyeri's foster clan. Jake grimaced as he came and he beckoned him to come upstairs. Txep'tey knew of their situation, but couldn't help but be a little surprised as he saw Neytiri come out to greet them both. She was wearing the padding, and though she claimed she was worried someone would come and see her, Jake got the impression she was just holding onto it, like it was the last thread of hope they had.

Txep'tey sat down and looked at Jake and Neytiri. "It seems that Kiyeri sustained a... reasonable injury from her fall." Neytiri's breath caught. "It caused a placental abruption, where the placenta separates from the uterus."
Neytiri's hand flew to her throat. "Oh..."

"Don't panic – there are degrees of this," Txep'tey added quickly.

"Well, how long till you know?" Jake asked, trying to keep his impatience down. Na'vi medicine was different to humans. While it was effective – much more effective in the long run – the time it took was painfully long.

"We will know within a few hours," Txep'tey told Jake.

Neytiri looked at Jake. "I cannot wait that long... I have to be with her."

Jake nodded understandingly and looked at Txep'tey. "We'll follow you back to the clan." Txep'tey bowed in response and walked down with them to where his Pa'li was waiting.

· · ·

A few hours later they arrived at a small, remote clan on the plains. As Jake looked around at the small tepee like huts on the ground, he had the painful memory of when he and Neytiri flew to the Horse Clan almost a year ago, calling them to battle. The leader had been killed in the war, leaving behind his mate and his baby daughter, Akwey. The Omaticaya helped the clan get back on their feet after the devastation, and the Horse Clan were one of the clans who had a strong connection to the Omaticaya; Jake hoped that it would stay that way.

Neytiri practically jumped off the Pa'li, and Jake was very thankful no one saw. Even though Txep'tey knew, and the whole clan knew Kiyeri was heavy with child, they didn't know that Jake and Neytiri were taking the child in. They followed Txep'tey quickly to the tent where Kiyeri was residing. Kiyeri was resting on her back, and she gasped and sat up quickly when Neytiri and Jake came in. "Jake! Neytiri! W-What are you doing here?"

Neytiri had tried to prepare herself to see Kiyeri, but she still got a shock when she saw the state she was in. Kiyeri was so young; how was it possible that she could carry a child, and that the child seemed to be so big, the way her stomach was swollen. Neytiri sighed and swept over to her bedside, sitting beside her. "We came to see you. How are you feeling?" Neytiri was kind for those few moments that she said that, but then her expression turned hard. "And what the hell was going through your mind?" Jake quickly decided to leave them; this was girls' business, and he didn't want to get in the middle.

Once Jake was gone, Kiyeri sighed. "I'm bored. All I do is lay around."

"Being pregnant, that is all you should be doing," Neytiri growled softly. Kiyeri's ears shot back at her cousin's hostility. Neytiri calmed down and shook her head in disappointment. "What was going through your mind...? What if you hurt the baby?"

Kiyeri rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the baby is fine. You need to calm down."

Neytiri raised an eyebrow. "'Calm down'?" She echoed. Kiyeri had really turned into a human. Well, Neytiri wasn't one to judge, but still. "It is 'mawey' – do not forget your native tongue." Neytiri shook her head. "How could you be riding a Pa'li? Where did you get one?"

Kiyeri looked at Neytiri as if she was an idiot. "It's the Horse Clan. They have Pa'li everywhere!"

"Let me ask it again. How did someone let you?" Neytiri sighed.

"Let me just say, when you have guys in this clan, you can get them to do certain things," Kiyeri smirked.

It took Neytiri a second to catch on. She made a face and stood up quickly. "Oh! You are just... Impossible! No wonder you are pregnant!" Neytiri growled. She scowled at Kiyeri and shook her head. She was definitely the black sheep of the family, and the worst kind. "You are coming to the clan with Jake and myself."

Kiyeri looked up. A smile came over her face. "Really? You're going to get me out of this jail?"

Neytiri frowned. "You should be grateful to this clan," she said to her cousin. "And do not think for even a second you are free, young lady, because you are not. When you come with us, you are going to stay in the room until the baby is born." Kiyeri's eyes widened. She frowned then. Neytiri felt terribly evil as she smiled. "Yes. You shall be trading one 'jail' for another." Neytiri got up then and started to walk out as Kiyeri called, "You cannot make me go there! And Jake wouldn't allow it." Neytiri felt a wider smile come over her face as she turned to Kiyeri. She went back over to her and sat beside her. "Let me just say, when you have Jake as a leader and as a mate – oh, how did you put it – you can get him to do certain things." Neytiri smirked in the way Kiyeri had to imply her meaning, and then left.