Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter seventeen of 'Gone in the Dark.' This chapter has some Lo'ak/Tsireya and Jake/Neytiri. There is a chance I will show a number of the kids visiting Three Brothers at some point. Stay tuned for chapter eighteen.
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Chapter 17: Playing/Discovery/Getting Back
Payakan and La pushed Lo'ak and Tsireya underwater by their feet at Three Brothers Rock. They dove downward, bubbles leaving their blowholes. They headed for their surface. They broke it, throwing the young Na'vi into the air. Lo'ak and Tsireya put their arms together as they reentered the water. Payakan and La landed on their stomachs. This created two huge splashes.
Lo'ak and Tsireya swam for the surface in which they broke it. He pushed his hair out of his face. Payakan and La surfaced not far from them. They spouted air from their blowholes. They rolled on their sides and slapped their flippers against the water three times. They squealed in great joy before turning to right side up. Lo'ak and Tsireya looked at each other.
"I have to say I felt like a SeaWorld trainer right there," Lo'ak said, laughing delightfully.
"It does seem that way," Tsireya admitted. "It sucks that orcas are nearly extinct in the wild back on Earth."
"SeaWorld and other aquariums are the reason why orcas are still in existence. They used to fare poorly in captivity, but the creation of pools that simulate the ocean improved things immensely," Lo'ak pointed out. "They live as long as their wild counterparts now."
"The thought of humanity colonizing our world makes me sick to my stomach. No one has the right to take someone else's home away just because they destroyed theirs," Tsireya said in disgust.
"No, they don't," Lo'ak agreed. "Might does not make right."
Lo'ak and Tsireya turned to see Payakan and La were gone. They became confused, their hearts beating fast.
"Where did Payakan and La go?" Lo'ak wondered.
"I don't know," Tsireya responded. "Maybe they—"
Tsireya screamed in surprise when La surfaced underneath her. She grabbed a hold of her. She held on tight as La raised half her body out of the water. La slipped beneath the surface. She came back up with her spirit sister still on her back. Lo'ak chuckled in a loud way.
"You really got surprised by La there, Tsireya," Lo'ak commented with a smile. "I think she—"
Lo'ak yelled surprisingly when Payakan came up from underneath him. He took hold of him very tightly. Payakan raised his body to where his front flippers were showing. He wiggled them before coming back down. He went underwater. He returned to the surface with his spirit brother still on his back. Lo'ak heard laughter and looked toward Tsireya.
"Payakan surprised you just as much La did me," Tsireya teased.
"Oh, shut up," Lo'ak blurted out.
She shook her head. "No, you shut up."
Lo'ak and Tsireya dove into the water. They swam a short distance away from the tulkuns. Payakan and La rolled on their sides to expose their flippers. They waved at their spirit siblings. The young Na'vi gave them waves of their own. The tulkuns headed underwater, breaking the surface a little further away from them. They dove downward once more. They spyhopped in front of them. They let out playful squeaks. Lo'ak and Tsireya couldn't help but laugh.
Payakan and La opened their mouths after coming back down. They squeaked in much pleasure when Lo'ak and Tsireya rubbed their tongues. They closed their mouths after the young Na'vi took their hands away. They headed underwater. They surfaced underneath them, putting them on their backs. Lo'ak and Tsireya fell off and hit the water with small splashes, laughing loudly. Payakan and La swam a little bit away from them. They spyhopped and wiggled their flippers, squeaking delightfully.
"You're such silly tulkuns!" Lo'ak blurted out excitedly.
"Of course, I know some people who are sillier than a tulkun," Tsireya joked while looking at her boyfriend. "Yes, I do."
Lo'ak snorted in annoyance and smacked his girlfriend on the shoulder. He screamed when she squeezed his neck. Payakan and La swam toward them and went underwater. They resurfaced and spit water all over them. They repeated both actions four times before turning on their backs. Lo'ak and Tsireya ran their hands along their stomachs. They listened to them squeak in pleasure.
The tulkuns returned to right side up and sank beneath the surface, as did the young Na'vi. They allowed bubbles to escape their blowholes as Lo'ak and Tsireya touched their noses. They nudged them in their stomachs before swimming away. Lo'ak and Tsireya swam alongside them, running their hands along their sides. Payakan and La whistled pleasurably while sliding their tails against the sand on the ocean floor.
Payakan and La swam toward the surface, singing beautiful songs. Lo'ak and Tsireya grabbed their back flippers. They laughed in delight as they broke the surface with them. Payakan and La dove underwater, swinging their tails upward and hitting them on the surface. Lo'ak and Tsireya joined them. They rubbed their tongues when Payakan and La opened their mouths. They took their hands away, allowing them to close their mouths. Payakan rubbed his nose against Lo'ak's chest, as did La with Tsireya.
Payakan and La swam toward the sand. They rubbed their stomachs against it. Lo'ak gripped Tsireya's hand tightly and pulled her along for a swim. They dropped behind them and went for the sand. They sighed contently at its smoothness on their stomachs. They made their way toward them. They rubbed the areas behind their blowholes once they reached them. Payakan and La squeaked with delight, opening their mouths as bubbles left their blowholes.
The tulkuns headed for the surface with their spirit siblings close behind. They broke the surface simultaneously. Payakan and La moved a little bit away from Lo'ak and Tsireya. They let out a series of clicks and whistles. They dove underwater, slapping their tails on the surface. Lo'ak and Tsireya looked at each other with soft exhales.
"I just love being underwater with a tulkun," Lo'ak said in delight.
"I wish we could actually breathe underwater," Tsireya said, forming a small frown on her face. "Then we could really spend some time with a tulkun or another marine animal."
Lo'ak splashed water into Tsireya's face, only to be hit with a bigger splash from her. They became engaged in a huge water fight. They screamed in surprise when Payakan surfaced underneath them. He put them on his back for ten seconds before they fell off. They laughed as he approached them while opening his mouth. They rubbed his tongue gently. They took their hands away as he closed his mouth. They eyed each other.
"That was so wild being surprised by Payakan!" Tsireya yelled in great joy.
"It sure was!" Lo'ak agreed, clapping three times.
She scratched. "I wonder if La will do the same."
All of a sudden, La surfaced underneath the couple. This caused them to scream surprisingly. They held on tight as she stuck her body halfway out of the water. They slipped off her as she came back down. They whooped in a loud way. She approached them to nudge each of them in their chests.
"You were saying, Tsireya?" Lo'ak teased as he looked at her.
"Okay," Tsireya responded. "I talk too much."
Payakan and La went underwater. Lo'ak and Tsireya inhaled deeply and joined them. They swam to the front of the tulkuns. They touched their noses. Payakan and La sang beautiful songs. Bubbles escaped their blowholes. They began to swim away. The couple grabbed the back flipper of their respective spirit sibling. Payakan and La slid their tails along the sand. They let out a series of clicks, whistles, and squeaks.
Lo'ak and Tsireya petted their spirit siblings on their sides before swimming upward to join each other. Payakan went under them and pushed them toward the surface, a soft click leaving his blowhole. He caught them on his back, and they fell off right after, laughing in delight. He dove underwater, swinging his tail upward and hitting it on the surface. They dove underwater to go to La.
Lo'ak and Tsireya petted La on her nose. She nudged each of them in their chest gently. She headed downward, swinging her tail to the side. She came up underneath them. She pushed them toward the surface, catching them on her back. They fell off quickly after hitting it. They laughed in much delight. She slipped underwater, her tail swinging upward. They dove beneath the surface and went to their spirit siblings.
Payakan and La headed for the sand, sliding their stomachs along it. Lo'ak gripped Tsireya's hand tightly, and they swam to him. They ran their hands along his back. They went to La to do the same to her. They dropped back a little bit and went toward the sand. They turned on their backs to feel it against them. They couldn't help but smile.
Payakan and La headed for the surface with Lo'ak and Tsireya close behind. All four of them surfaced at the same time. The tulkuns blew air from their blowholes. They opened their mouths and wiggled their tongues. They closed them before ducking their heads. They slapped their tails against the water twice. They laid them on the surface, lifting their heads.
"Wow. That was such a refreshing swim with tulkuns," Tsireya said, running her hands through her hair.
"Yeah. I feel so lucky to do this," Lo'ak exclaimed with a delighted laugh.
"The best part about it was doing it with you," Tsireya commented.
"You got that right," Lo'ak commented with much pride. "Oh, yes."
Tsireya leaned in for a kiss, wrapping her arms around Lo'ak's neck. He slid his arms around her waist. He coaxed her lips open with his tongue and slipped it inside her mouth. He traced every part of it. She moaned excitedly as her heart pounded relentlessly. They slipped underwater while maintaining their lip lock. They returned to the surface after a minute, pulling apart and gasping for air. They tried to hold back laughs, but they couldn't help themselves.
"Wow. I never thought I'd be able to keep kissing someone while going underwater!" Lo'ak exclaimed and put his hand on top of his head.
"Me neither. It was pretty neat," Tsireya whispered, leaning close to him. "I hope we do lots of kissing underwater."
He winked at her. "Mm-hmm."
Lo'ak and Tsireya shared another kiss and hugged tightly. They released their hold on each other, sighing contently. They started swimming again, slipping beneath the surface. Payakan and La followed them close behind.
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Three white-spotted dolphins leapt into the air in the open ocean. They went back in just as fast. They dove deep before turning upward. They did leaps upward. They spun three times before landing on their backs with big splashes. They returned to the surface. They blew air from their blowholes. They turned on their sides to slap their flippers against the water. They returned to right side up. They resumed swimming in a straight line.
Just then, Aonung, Rotxo, and Riri surfaced on Roxi, Pire, and Julen alongside the dolphins. They held spear guns in their hands. They wore waterproof backpacks on their backs. The backpacks were filled with food and medical supplies in case they came across any injured warriors, whether they be friend or enemy.
Julen emitted a soft squeak before bobbing her head. She was dark brown above and white below. Her upper area contained gray spots here and there. Her front right flipper appeared to have a tiny chunk taken out of it. So did her back left flipper, except the chunk was slightly larger. She looked around, her eyes closing.
"It's such a nice day for hunting, guys," Riri said warmly.
"It sure is," Aonung agreed. "Dad was wise to suggest we get away from the village for a while. Hunting is the perfect way to get our minds off this war."
"Lo'ak and Tsireya are relaxing their minds by playing with Payakan at Three Brothers," Rotxo commented warmly.
"I do wish Payakan would rejoin the pod. He's got to be lonely there," Aonung said, frowning.
Riri raised her eye ridges. "Aonung, we can't force Payakan to return to the pod. He will when he wants to."
"Riri's right," Roxto agreed. "He enjoys the solitude at the place he went to after his exile."
"I know. Still, being alone much of the time can make someone go nuts," Aonung pointed out.
Roxto exhaled. "Nobody blames you for feeling that way, Aonung. Then again, Payakan is fine. He can take care of himself."
Aonung nodded in agreement. He, Roxto, and Riri spotted an island not far from them. The dolphins headed underwater. They slapped their tails on the surface. She smiled a bit.
"We are finally at our hunting ground," Riri said very warmly.
"Yeah," Roxto agreed and glanced at Aonung, who had a very serious look on his face. "What is it, Aonung?"
"Something is wrong. I can feel it," Aonung said in much concern.
"Well, you are the son of a tsahik," Riri commented honestly. "Boys are not exempt from getting strange feelings."
"We better check it out," Aonung said. "Let's go."
The ilus raced toward shore in which they stopped close to it. Their riders disconnected from them and headed for the beach. They stepped onto the sand. They stared at the trees.
"Keep your eyes peeled. Green Spears could be hiding here," Aonung warned sternly.
"Of course," Rotxo responded.
The trio headed into the rainforest. Their eyes scanned their surroundings in a careful manner. They heard growling and spun around to see three viperwolves standing on a fallen tree. The viperwolves purred curiously before taking off into the undergrowth. Aonung, Rotxo, and Riri looked at each other.
"Do you think we are being watched?" Riri wondered.
"By what, the plants?" Rotxo asked with a raised eye ridge.
"I don't know," Aonung said and swiveled his ears. They perked up when a groan came out of nowhere. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah," Riri admitted as she moved her ear back at another groan. "We better check it out."
Aonung, Rotxo, and Riri resumed walking. They came upon a group of bushes. They went around it carefully. They whispered inaudible words. They gasped at what they saw.
"It's Keye'txon of the Green Spears!" Riri blurted out.
Forty-year-old Keye'txon coughed twice. He was laying on his back and cradling his right arm. He was slightly shorter than Tonowari was. His hair was up in a bun. Many strands stuck out. The lower part of his right arm had a gash. It looked quite red. Pus happened to be oozing out of it. Aonung, Rotxo, and Riri came to his side. They got on their knees.
"Shit. He does not look good at all," Riri whispered and swallowed hard.
Aonung touched Keye'txon's forehead. "He is running a fever due to the infection in his wound. We've got to get him home quickly. I will bandage him."
"What do you want us to do?" Roxto asked.
"You two can get material to build a stretcher for him," Aonung said and took a deep breath.
Riri nodded at him. "You got it."
Rotxo and Riri stood up and walked off. Aonung removed his backpack from his back and laid it on the ground. He heard Keye'txon groan and saw him move his head from side to side.
"Nekx, we must fight the Metkayina," Keye'txon whispered and gasped painfully. "We can't let them win this war."
"Hang in there," Aonung whispered and emitted a soft shudder. "We'll get you medical care."
"Nekx—" Keye'txon mumbled.
"Shh," Aonung shushed softly. "Stay calm."
Aonung opened his backpack and proceeded to get medical supplies out. A hexapede walked behind him, but he didn't notice it.
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Clouds covered much of the midafternoon sky above Awa'atlu. Jake and Neytiri were walking along the shoreline. They held hands and swung their arms back and forth three times. Gentle waves came up around their feet. They retreated out to sea, only for more to come in. They tightened their grip on each other a bit.
"It's nice to get away from caring for patients for a while, isn't it?" she asked with a light exhale.
"It sure is," he agreed. "I noticed Nekx seemed less insufferable than he was earlier. He even offered to change a Metkayina's bandages."
"I spoke with Ronal. She said he revealed to her, Spider, Kiki, and Kipling that he lost his mate and son in childbirth this morning," Neytiri explained.
"He had a mate and son?" Jake asked in surprise.
She nodded. "Mm-hmm. His mate's name was Reva. His son's name was Rami. Spider felt a bit of sympathy for him, despite they nearly got into an argument in front of Kiki and Kipling. It is obvious Nekx has helped him to see our enemies have families who can suffer."
"Spider has always been a compassionate boy," Jake pointed out matter-of-factly. "It does not matter if the individual is human, Na'vi, or animal. He feels deeply for all of them."
"To think I shunned him simply because he was Quaritch's son makes my skin crawl now. You were right. A child should not pay for the sins of its parents," Neytiri whispered, her ears lowering in shame.
"Nobody blames you for fearing his dark side would emerge and cause harm to others," Jake said in great comfort.
"Still, treating him like I did was not right," Neytiri commented, a sniffle coming from her.
"Now, look at you. You see him as your son. You have become a little overbearing toward him," Jake teased.
"Well, a human is much more fragile than a Na'vi is. When I held your human form in my arms, I could have easily crushed you," Neytiri said, cringing a bit.
He raised his eyebrows. "But you didn't. You were really careful with me."
Jake planted a kiss to his mate's temple while slipping his arm around her shoulder. She slipped her arms around his waist. He chuckled, causing her to look at him in confusion.
"What's so funny?" Neytiri wondered.
"I just remembered Return to the Blue Lagoon. Richard and Lilli walked along the beach after the Tradewind departed. They were holding each other like how we are now," Jake said, smiling.
"Oh, I remember now. It was like their blissful life had never been interrupted," Neytiri said in sweetness. "I can't help but wonder if we will ever get any visitors from other worlds besides Earth. Who knows if they will be friendly or not?"
"It is possible," Jake admitted, suppressing a yawn.
"I have to say it is very nice to be able to walk on a beach every day," Neytiri whispered with a small smile. "You told me the coastal Native Americans had a similar luxury."
"In Free Willy, Randolph told Jesse there were so many fish in the water that his people had to spend only one day a week gathering food. He said everyone ate like kings," Jake explained.
"I imagine their bellies being full from all the fish," Neytiri said and giggled under her breath.
"Randolph's tribe was called the Haida. I believe he was a commercial fisherman at one point. He must've quit the business due to his heart no longer being in it and began working at Northwest Adventure Park. He became Willy's caregiver," Jake pointed out.
"This area has so many fish that it does not take long for us to catch many with the net back at the mauri," Neytiri said truthfully.
"I recall you teaching me how to catch a fish on a line," Jake commented, smiling.
Neytiri snorted. "It is best to start off simple. Then we can move up to more complicated stuff."
Jake nodded in agreement. "Right."
The lovebirds hugged each other a little more tightly. They looked around at a steady pace. They cleared their throats.
"In The Blue Lagoon, Emmeline looked disgusted while she watched Paddy clean out a fish. I don't blame her because she was brought up in a city," Jake commented with a soft laugh.
"Emmeline became used to fishing, hunting animals, and gathering fruit and coconuts. She wanted to stay on the island when the ship appeared. She didn't light the signal fire. Richard wanted to leave and was angry when he found she hadn't done that," Neytiri answered and babbled.
"He tried four times to leave. Every single boat he built sunk like a stone," Jake said, snickering under his breath.
"Emmeline told him he didn't even know where San Francisco was. In their case, they said San Frisco. Because they were stranded on the island at a young age, their vocabulary wasn't as developed," Neytiri murmured.
"Despite that, they managed to figure things out," Jake said in much warmth. "If we were in the same position as they were, I believe we would've figured things out too."
Just then, the horn sounded in a loud manner. Jake and Neytiri raced up the beach. They could see Aonung, Rotxo, and Riri stopping not far from the shoreline on Roxi, Pire, and Julen. A stretcher made of thick sticks and leaves carried Keye'txon. It was attached to Roxi. The trio willed their ilus to stop. Keye'txon groaned in much pain. Jake and Neytiri came up to them. Tonowari and Ronal arrived right after them.
"What's going on here?" Jake asked.
"We discovered Keye'txon on an island in the area we were about to hunt in," Aonung said, disconnecting from Roxi and jumping off her back.
"He has an infected wound on his right arm," Riri added and touched her forehead. "Aonung touched his forehead and found he was running a fever."
Ronal and Neytiri went over to Keye'txon, who emitted a soft gasp. They could see blood seeping through the bandage. Jake headed over to Neytiri's side. He winced at the sight of it.
"That does not look good at all," Ronal said, shaking her head.
"Aonung, Rotxo, I want you two, Neytiri, and Jake to carry Keye'txon to the village," Tonowari commanded firmly.
"Okay," Rotxo said. He disconnected from Pire before leaping off her back. He eyed Riri, who mimicked his actions with Julen. He headed over to Keye'txon. "Let's get the ball rolling."
Aonung and Rotxo untied the stretcher from Roxi, who let out a soft chirp. Squeaks caught their attention. They, Tonowari, Ronal, Jake, Neytiri, and Riri turned to see Lo'ak and Tsireya coming toward them on June and Meena. The ball was tied to Meena's tail.
"Oh, damn. We've got another patient," Lo'ak shouted as June and Meena came to a halt close to the group.
"It's Keye'txon, a member of the Green Spears!" Tsireya added. She and her boyfriend disconnected from their ilus and got off them. They went to the others. "He does not look good at all."
"He's got an infected wound," Jake responded urgently and grabbed a handle. So did Neytiri, Aonung, and Roxto. "Your brother and his friends found him."
"So, Norm is going to have to administer penicillin," Lo'ak commented.
"Yeah," Jake admitted. "There is a first time for everything."
"How many times have you told the other kids and me that?" Lo'ak wondered and emitted a snort.
"A million times," Jake said and shook his head. "Come on."
Jake, Neytiri, Aonung, and Rotxo began carrying Keye'txon toward shore. Lo'ak and Tsireya walked alongside them, as did Tonowari and Ronal. They winced at Keye'txon's painful moans. Jake glanced at his son.
"I am going to let you help Norm administer the penicillin, Lo'ak," Jake said.
"Really, Dad?" Lo'ak responded surprisingly.
Jake nodded at him. "Yes. You've done a fantastic job in giving medical care to every patient you've had. It is time you learn something new."
Lo'ak sniffled. "Thank you."
Jake winked at Lo'ak as the group reached shore. They headed for the village as four Metkayina went to get the ilus.