Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter sixteen of 'Gone in the Dark.' This chapter has some Lo'ak/Tsireya. It features the first appearance of Payakan. I am happy to have finally gotten to this point. He will be an important character much like in Avatar: The Way of Water. I decided to name Tsireya's spirit sister La because I felt it would be perfect for her. Stay tuned for chapter seventeen.
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Chapter 16: Tulkun Encounter/On the Beach
A banshee flew above the ocean. It flapped its wings three times before squawking loudly. It saw Three Brothers Rock coming into view. It went to the first one and landed on a ledge near the top of it. It folded its wings and placed them on the ground. It emitted a tired chirp before shaking its head. It glanced toward the horizon.
The banshee looked down at the water to see Lo'ak and Tsireya come into view on June and Meena. June had the ball tied to her tail. The ilus squeaked with much excitement. They lifted their heads a little higher when their riders pulled back on the harnesses somewhat. The couple looked around, their lips pressing together. They turned to each other.
"This place gets more beautiful every time I see it," he said with a quiet laugh.
"I feel the same way," she agreed. She spotted the banshee and pointed her finger at it. "Look at that."
"I see it," Lo'ak said, smiling in great warmth. "We've seen a bunch of ikran around the ocean over the last several days."
"Talk about us being very lucky," Tsireya responded, a giggle leaving her mouth.
"I wonder when Payakan will show up," Lo'ak commented.
All of a sudden, Payakan leapt upward not far from the young Na'vi. He turned on his side, hitting the water with two huge splashes. A slightly smaller third one came right after. The force of the water nearly knocked them off their ilus. Tsireya glanced at her boyfriend amusingly.
"You were saying, Lo'ak?" Tsireya asked, breaking into a fit of giggles.
"I am sorry I said that," Lo'ak said, holding up his hands.
She shook her head. "You're too much."
"No, you are," Lo'ak teased, a big smirk forming on his face.
"Hush. Let's go see Payakan," Tsireya said, waving her hand toward herself.
He chuckled. "Yes. Let's."
Payakan came to the surface as Lo'ak and Tsireya willed June and Meena to go to him. He spouted air from his blowhole. He squeaked warmly when they stopped close to him. He blinked three times before opening his mouth a tiny bit. He folded his tongue.
"Hello, Payakan," Lo'ak said while waving to the tulkun.
"Hello, Lo'ak. Hello, Tsireya. How are you doing?" Payakan squeaked.
"We are doing great," Lo'ak said, moving his hands downward and showing off his muscles.
"Let's see you lift me out of the water with those muscles," Payakan joked.
"No, thank you," Lo'ak said, shaking his head and touching his chest. He moved his hand forward in a flat motion. "You're too heavy, even for a strong boy like me."
"Oh, shit," Payakan chirped in disappointment.
"Watch your language, you bastard," Tsireya scolded playfully as she shook her finger at him.
"You should watch yours," Payakan responded in amusement.
Tsireya giggled under her breath. Lo'ak glanced at the ball and untied it from June's back. He shifted his attention back to Payakan, who lifted his head slightly.
"Do you remember this ball?" Lo'ak asked, pointing at his temple and patting the ball.
"I do," Payakan squealed happily.
Lo'ak laughed. "Great. Here comes the pitch."
Lo'ak drew his arm back and heaved the ball as hard as he could. Payakan watched it sail over his head. He dove downward, his tail slapping on the surface. He leapt upward, hitting it with his head. This sent it back to Lo'ak, who caught it. Tsireya laughed in great delight. Payakan landed on his back, creating two huge splashes. He came back to the surface.
"Nice catch," Tsireya complimented.
"Thanks," Lo'ak said and offered her the ball. "You want to throw the ball?"
She took it from him. "I don't mind if I do."
Tsireya moved her arms back. She threw the ball very hard with a loud grunt. Payakan dove underwater again. He broke the surface, hitting the ball with his crest. It went back toward her. She held up her hands, but it sailed over her head instead. She and Lo'ak observed it landing on the water not far from them. They looked at each other. Payakan hit the water on his side. This made a huge splash, followed by a smaller second one.
"Damn. I missed it," Tsireya grumbled embarrassingly.
"That's okay," Lo'ak said while holding up his hand. "I will—"
Suddenly, the ball hit Lo'ak in the back of his head, knocking him off June. He broke the surface, looking very annoyed.
"Hey!" Lo'ak shouted. "What's the big—"
Lo'ak gasped in great surprise when he saw La stick half her body above the water. La squeaked amusingly while waving her front flippers. Tsireya squealed in so much joy that it seemed she was about burst from it.
"It's my spirit sister!" Tsireya blurted out.
"What in the hell she is doing here? I thought she was with her pod," Lo'ak said, climbing back on June and making tsahaylu with her.
"I don't know, and I don't care!" Tsireya responded, giggling. "I am just grateful to see her!"
La came back down in which she laid her head on the surface. Tsireya willed Meena to go to her. La squeaked in much happiness as she made eye contact with her. Lo'ak came to her side with June.
"Hello, La," Tsireya greeted while waving at the tulkun.
"Hello, Tsireya. Hello, Lo'ak," La chirped happily.
"What are you doing at Three Brothers?" Tsireya asked as she moved her hands in circles and formed fists. "Did you—"
"No, I didn't violate the tulkun way," La squeaked gently. "I decided to leave the pod and join Payakan here, so he would not be alone."
Tsireya touched two fingers to her chest. "I understand you do not want him to be alone." She did the same to her temple. "Won't your mother be worried about you?"
La opened her mouth and emitted squeaks. "She was all right with what I wanted to do. She just warned me to be careful and not do anything stupid."
"That's what my parents always tell me when I go out," Lo'ak said while touching his chest and drawing a circle in front of him with his finger.
"But we are kids. We are going to do stupid stuff," La responded and blinked twice.
Lo'ak chuckled. "No denying that."
Payakan swam over to La and nudged her affectionately. She did the same to him. They looked at each other.
"Seeing you hit Lo'ak in the back of his head with the ball was quite funny," Payakan chirped in amusement.
"He was completely unaware of it," La responded and rolled on her side to expose her flippers. "He fell into the water like this." She slapped them against the water. "If he was on land, he would have landed flat on his face."
"Yes, he would have," Payakan agreed as she returned to right side up.
"Hey!" Lo'ak said, waving his hands in the air. He formed his hands in the shape of a ball. "Are we going to play ball or what?"
"Yes, we will," Payakan replied while lifting his head out of the water.
La dove underwater with a delighted squeal. She broke the surface, hitting the ball toward Tsireya. The girl caught it very easily. She tossed it to Payakan. He threw his tail upward, knocking it to Lo'ak. The boy managed to catch it. He rolled it in his hands.
"Now, let's see La do the same tail hit," Lo'ak said, smiling. "Oh, yes."
Lo'ak tossed the ball La's way. She did an upward throw of her tail, sending it back toward him. He held up his hands, only to be hit in the head and knocked off June again. Tsireya laughed as he returned to the surface and spit water out of his mouth.
"Now, that is what I call a hit," Tsireya joked.
"Oh, hush," Lo'ak retorted as he grabbed the ball. He climbed back on June to make tsahaylu with her. "Let's continue this game."
Lo'ak threw the ball to Payakan, who knocked it back to him. He caught it, a delighted laugh leaving his mouth. He proceeded to focus on La as the banshee flew away.
00000
The late morning sun beamed its rays on Awa'atlu. Spider, Kiki, and Kipling were walking along the beach. They had small sacks across their shoulders. They looked toward the ocean. They could see three black-backed dolphins leaping into the air. The dolphins twisted three times before reentering the water. They returned to the surface, spouting air from their blowholes. They rolled on their sides to slap their flippers against the water. They dove underwater, squeaks coming from them.
Kiki spotted a shell sticking out of the sand and let out a very delighted squeal. She ran toward it. She picked it up and looked it over. It twisted around from top to bottom. It was cream-colored all over. Brown stripes decorated it from the middle to the bottom. It had an opening in the front. She giggled as Spider and Kipling joined her side. Spider rubbed his nose while placing his hand on his side.
"What a pretty shell!" Kiki shouted happily and placed it in her sack.
"It is not as pretty as the last one I found," Kipling said as he crossed his arms.
"That's what you think," Kiki retorted and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Guys, this is not a shell-finding contest," Spider said, rolling his eyes. "It is just a simple hunt for shells, okay?"
"Okay," Kiki and Kipling responded.
"Spoilsport," Kipling mumbled.
"I heard that, Kipling!" Spider shouted annoyingly. "I may not be Na'vi, but my hearing is sharp. Be careful with what you say."
Kipling nodded at the boy. They and Kiki resumed walking while smacking their lips. He saw another shell laying on the sand. He smiled and walked quickly to it. He picked it up. It twisted around at the top. It went straight down from that point. It was blue and contained red stripes all over it. It had a narrow opening in the front.
"Another pretty shell for me to have," Kipling said as Kiki and Spider joined his side.
"A kid can't have too many shells," Kiki commented, her ears and tail swiveling.
"You got that right," Spider agreed with a big smile on his face.
"Oh, yes," a male voice said.
Spider, Kiki, and Kipling spun around to see Nekx standing a short distance away from them. Nekx walked up to them, his head tilting somewhat. Spider gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils.
"Since when did you become interested in kids collecting shells?" Spider demanded.
"It reminds me of when I collected shells on the beach of my village during my childhood. It was a fun activity," Nekx admitted.
"Sure, you did," Spider said sarcastically.
Nekx scoffed. "Kid, there is no need for sarcasm. I am just trying to be friendly with you."
"Why should I be friendly with the man who attacked my father and whose comrade tried to kill my mother? You should not even be here!" Spider snapped.
"You really need to watch your mouth!" Nekx retorted.
Kiki choked back a sob. "Please, stop fighting!"
Kipling sniffled. "You're scaring us."
"The children have a point. No one should argue in front of them," a female voice commented.
Nekx, Kiki, Kipling, and Spider turned to see Ronal standing not far from them. She walked up to them. Her children ran to her and hugged her waist. She placed her arms around them.
"You are right, Ronal. No one should argue in front of children," Nekx admitted in a low but firm voice.
"Of course not," Spider agreed.
"I am glad you both see that. When adults argue, children can begin to feel threatened and act out their frustrations. It does not matter if they are family or not. Children will copy adults," Ronal explained.
"Mirroring can be used to express empathy and compassion. It can also be used to manipulate and abuse," Spider commented.
Kiki and Kipling hugged their mother a little more tightly. Nekx lowered his ears a little bit while placing his hand over his chest. He took slow yet even breaths.
"Kids, I am sorry for yelling like that," Nekx said in a gentle manner.
"Yeah. Me too," Spider agreed.
"Thank you for apologizing," Ronal responded softly. She heard Nekx sigh heavily and saw him close his eyes. She caught sight of a tear falling down his cheek. "Is something troubling you, Nekx?"
"Your children remind me of my son," Nekx said, opening his eyes.
"You have a son?" Spider asked curiously.
"I actually never got to raise him. He and my mate died in childbirth fifteen years ago," Nekx said, going over to a patch of sand and sitting down. The others came to his side and seated themselves. "Before then, Reva and I had agreed to name our child Rami if it was a boy and Nifa if it was a girl. We were very excited about the upcoming birth. She went into labor a month early, but Nessa was confident the baby would be born healthy. Unfortunately, complications set in. Reva delivered Rami, but he was stillborn. She died not long after. I was so devastated that I never looked for another mate."
Nekx sniffled and wiped a tear from his eye. He looked down at his lap with great sadness. Spider pressed his lips together before placing his hand on the sand.
"I had no idea you went through not one but two losses," Spider said sympathetically.
"Now, you know," Nekx said, glancing at him. "Even your enemies have families. Those families can suffer tragedy."
"I never knew either of my parents. Both of them died when I was just a few months old. I was raised by the colonists at Hell's Gate. I spent more time with the Na'vi than I did with humans. My father was brought back to life through cloning in which human and Na'vi DNA were spliced. He and the recoms were among the few people who treated me well during my time in captivity. I found it hard not to bond with them, especially him," Spider commented.
Nekx shook his head in disbelief. "It baffles me you would stay here knowing Quaritch and his friends could come after you at any time. Your family would be in terrible danger."
Spider snorted. "Dad does not want to separate us because Sullys stick together. It is our greatest weakness and our great strength."
Nekx perked up his ears. He was astounded at how this young boy could be so wise. He had known a number of wise young Na'vi throughout his life. However, this was his first time meeting a wise human. He looked at Ronal, who allowed Kiki to climb into her lap.
"Look at you, Ronal. You have two toddlers and two teenagers. That is a lot for a tsahik to take on," Nekx said.
"Aonung and Tsireya can take care of themselves. Kiki and Kipling are a handful, but it is nice to be able to care for toddlers again," Ronal said.
"I can't understand why you and Tonowari would allow Lo'ak to be around Payakan after what he did. You two are well known for enforcing the tulkun way," Nekx commented.
"Lo'ak taught us there are exceptions to every rule and/or law. He was never one for blindly believing things. Payakan may bear the deaths by the tulkun way, but he did not kill those Na'vi and tulkuns. He was trying to stop humans from hunting our brothers and sisters. He was brave to do so, but it was a stupid move as well. Humans are very powerful. Their weapons cause a great deal of damage. We were lucky we won the battle at Three Brothers because it was just a small army. It is much larger than that," Ronal explained.
"If a large part of the army had been there, you would have been finished. Awa'atlu would have been destroyed along with the other reef villages," Nekx muttered, swallowing hard.
"Unlike the last confrontation, Jake did not have time to gather the reef clans to fight. We had to go out immediately because the kids were trying to free Payakan from a tracking device. The SeaDragon was nearly on top of them when they got it out," Ronal explained.
"I still see Jake as responsible for a lot of the mayhem that has plagued the People," Nekx said seriously.
"That mayhem would have come, regardless of Dad's presence. No one person is responsible for everything. One decision often starts a chain reaction that leads to something huge happening," Spider responded firmly.
Nekx swiveled his ears. He and the others looked toward the sky to see the sun being covered by clouds.