Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty of 'Gone in the Dark.' This chapter shows Lo'ak, Tsireya, Aonung, Riri, Roxto, Rishi, and Kiri heading out to see Payakan and La. There is some action as well. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-one.
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Chapter 30: Dangerous Sneak Attack
Three black-backed dolphins leapt into the air not far from Three Brothers around noon. They performed three spins in midair before reentering the water. They dove deep and turned upward. They returned to the surface. They blew air from their blowholes. They turned on their sides. They slapped their flippers against the water. They returned to right side up and swam parallel to each other. They clicked in a soft way.
Just then, Aonung, Rotxo, and Riri surfaced on Roxi, Pire, and Julen alongside the dolphins. So did Lo'ak, Tsireya, Kiri, and Rishi on June, Meena, Penny, and Eveng. The teens had 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.
Eveng raised his head high and let out a loud squeak. He was light brown above and white below. His upper area had many black spots. His front left flipper had two small chunks taken out of it. So did his middle left flipper with the exception of the chunks being slightly smaller. She looked around as she closed her eyes.
"It's such a nice day to be seeing Payakan and La at Three Brothers," Lo'ak said, excitement showing in his voice.
"Tell me about it," Kiri agreed. "Maybe the tulkuns will surprise us like they did with you and Tsireya."
"I bet it will be Payakan who surprises us first," Aonung suggested.
"No way," Tsireya said, shaking her head rapidly. "It will be La."
Rishi laughed sarcastically. "Sure, she will."
Rotxo blew a raspberry. "Rishi's sarcasm never gets old."
The ilus dove underwater. They headed deep before turning upward. Roxi, Pire, and Julen leapt upward with their riders. June, Meena, Penny, and Eveng followed suits with theirs. The teens whooped in great joy. Their mounts reentered the water. They did two more leaps upward. They twisted their bodies in midair with delighted squeaks.
Aonung, Rotxo, Riri, Lo'ak, Tsireya, Kiri, and Rishi yelled joyfully. They were so loud that they scared the dolphins off. Roxi, Pire, Julen, June, Meena, Penny, and Eveng reentered the water. They and their riders returned to the surface. They swam toward the giant rocks. They stopped close to them. They looked around carefully.
"Where do you think Payakan and La could be, Lo'ak?" Kiri wondered. "I do not see them anywhere."
"I don't either," Rishi agreed.
"Who knows?" Lo'ak responded with a shrug. "They could be somewhere else feeding on fish for lunch."
"There is so much fish in the water that they will be full in no time," Riri commented.
"Gray whales would suck up sentiment from the bottom of the ocean back on Earth. They'd filter out everything, except for crustaceans and fish," Lo'ak pointed out.
"I don't want to get sand in my mouth," Aonung grumbled in disgust.
"Me neither," Rotxo agreed. "Bleh."
"Bleh indeed," Tsireya added.
"Maybe we should bury Lo'ak in the sand back home," Rishi joked with a snicker. "He has already wanted to sleep there."
Lo'ak rolled his eyes. He, his girlfriend, his sister, and his friends scanned the area carefully. Kiri started to breath a little heavier. She felt her heart beginning to beat faster and a chill go down her spine.
"Something is wrong," Kiri whispered alarmingly. "I can feel it."
"I can too," Aonung agreed and swallowed hard.
"We'd better get out of here," Rishi whimpered in fear.
"Okay," Lo'ak commented with a nod. He turned and gasped in horror at what he saw. "Holy shit! Look out!"
Aonung, Tsireya, Riri, Rishi, Rotxo, and Kiri turned to see two young Green Spear women aiming their crossbows at them as they sat on their skimwings a short distance away. They let out horrified gasps. The women pulled the triggers. The teens willed June, Roxi, Meena, Julen, Eveng, Pire, and Penny to dive underwater. The ilus complied quickly. The bolts barely missed them. The entire group headed for the kelp forest quickly. The skimwings hissed as their riders ordered them to dive. They obeyed them eagerly.
Lo'ak took the lead with June. He knocked kelps out of his way with his hand. One hit him in the face, but it did not knock him off his mount. Tsireya was close behind him on Meena. Riri, Rishi, and Rotxo were on her tail with Julen, Eveng, and Roxi. Aonung brought up the rear with Pire. The ilus squeaked in fear as they increased their swimming speed. The first woman aimed her crossbow at Aonung. She pulled the trigger. The bolt flew toward him, but it missed when the ilus dove downward.
The second woman willed her skimwing to go ahead of her comrade. She took aim at Riri. She pulled the trigger, sending the bolt flying. The ilus swam in different directions, causing it to miss the girl completely. Lo'ak, Tsireya, June, and Meena went together. Both ilus swam faster. Lo'ak and Tsireya peered over their shoulders. They looked ahead, seeing two middle-aged Green Spears men coming at them with their crossbows held high.
The duo's enemies swung their weapons at them. June and Meena headed upward. This caused the men to miss. They hissed in a muffled manner. They went after their targets. They loaded their crossbows with bolts. They took aim at the teens. They placed their fingers on the triggers and pulled them. The bolts flew toward them. Lo'ak and Tsireya guided their ilus downward. The bolts nearly hit them. The men and their skimwings went after them.
Aonung, Riri, and Rotxo guided Roxi, Julen, and Pire through the kelp. They got hit a few times without being knocked off. Two young Green Spear men headed up from below with their skimwings. The skimwings opened their mouths wide. The trio looked down at them. They and their mounts scattered in different directions as the skimwings snapped their jaws at them. They barely missed being bitten.
The men saw Riri and Rotxo heading off on Julen and Pire. They smiled evilly and decided to go after them. The first man grabbed a bolt to load his crossbow. He put his finger on the trigger after taking aim at Julen. He pulled it, the bolt flying toward her. It hit her in the back flipper, causing her to cry out in pain. This knocked Riri off her. Rotxo disappeared into the kelp with Pire. The second man aimed his crossbow at Riri.
Just then, Rishi came from the side on Eveng. Kiri was right behind her on Penny. Rishi grabbed Riri's arm and pulled her onto her mount's back. They, Kiri, and Penny took off quickly. The man snarled and willed his skimwing to go after them. It roared eagerly and headed in their direction. It increased its swimming speed. It opened its mouth wide. It snapped its jaws at Penny's back flipper, biting it hard. She squealed in pain. Kiri fell off her as Rishi, Riri, and Eveng went further into the kelp. Kiri began swimming in another direction.
Kiri swam a little faster. A middle-aged Green Spear woman came at her on her skimwing from the side. Suddenly, Aonung appeared on Roxi from below. He took hold of Kiri, pulling her onto his mount's back. The woman and her skimwing missed them. Roxi swam past kelp very fast. Aonung disconnected from her when he spotted an airbell. Roxi headed off as he and Kiri went up into the air pocket. They surfaced, gasping for air.
"You okay?" Aonung asked.
"Yes," Kiri admitted and put her hand over her mouth. "I can't believe we just got attacked by Green Spears."
He blew hard. "I know. It's—"
Without warning, Lo'ak and Tsireya surfaced beside Aonung. This caused him and Kiri to jump in fright. The couple panted hard while bracing their backs against the side. Aonung growled at them annoyingly.
"Don't scare us like that!" Aonung hissed.
"Hey, we didn't mean to," Lo'ak insisted while pointing his finger at him.
"You need to—" Aonung started.
Kiri snorted. "Hush, you two!"
Tsireya shuddered a bit. "We can't spend time arguing!"
Lo'ak, Kiri, Aonung, and Tsireya looked down. They observed a middle-aged Green Spear man passing underneath them on his skimwing. He narrowed his eyes as he moved his crossbow from side to side. They saw him go out of sight. Lo'ak swallowed hard while closing his eyes. He emitted a shuddering breath.
"Salana-ayun-iaisis. Salana-ayun-iaisis," Lo'ak whispered and balled his hands into fists. "Salana-ayun-iaisis."
"This is no time to speak the Haida prayer, Lo'ak!" Kiri shouted angrily.
"Shut up, Kiri," Aonung responded with an irritated huff. "He knows what he is doing."
"Aonung is right," Tsireya agreed. "Don't you dare interrupt Lo'ak."
Lo'ak repeated the Haida prayer in an inaudible voice two more times before opening his eyes. He inhaled deeply and slipped underwater. Aonung, Tsireya, and Kiri mimicked him both ways. They began swimming in single file. Kiri fell behind a bit. She felt herself being grabbed from the side by a young Green Spear woman. She tried to punch her, only for her rival to catch her fist in her hand.
The woman twisted the girl's arm, causing her to emit a muffled scream. Bubbles escaped Kiri's mouth. The woman formed a malicious smile on her face. She punched her in the stomach. She went behind her and wrapped one arm around her throat. She did the same with the other one regarding her body. Kiri tried to break free, but she couldn't. She opened her mouth, and more bubbles came out of it.
Without warning, Rotxo swam in and punched the woman in the face. This caused her to lose her grip on Kiri, who looked about ready to run out of breath. Aonung and Tsireya swam up to her and grabbed her arms. They swam for another airbell. They headed up into the air pocket as Roxto backhanded his enemy across the cheek. He gave her three punches to the stomach before jamming thumbs into her eyes. The woman screamed in a muffled way, bubbles leaving her mouth. She rubbed at her eyes frantically.
Rotxo was ambushed from the side by a young Green Spear man. The man uppercutted him in the neck twice. He delivered a punch to his cheek. Roxto grabbed him around the waist. He swam quickly toward an airbell. He slammed him against it. This knocked it down. He let go of him and began swimming away. The man recovered quickly and drew his dagger. He began going after him. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes at him.
The man increased his swimming speed and was about to grab Rotxo when Rishi rushed in from the side and pushed him away. She delivered two punches to his stomach before giving him a backhand to the face. She grabbed his throat. She started to choke him. A muffled thunk came out of nowhere. She looked down to see his dagger sticking out of the upper part of her stomach. She turned to him, her mouth opening very slightly. He yanked it out.
Rishi grabbed her wound as it began to bleed profusely. The man was about to finish her off when Riri arrived and gave him an uppercut to the throat. He lost his grip on his dagger. Rotxo took hold of Rishi and pulled her to another airbell. He got her up into the air pocket. Riri clenched her teeth while punching the man in the face multiple times. She wrapped her hands around his throat. She choked him until he lost consciousness. She swam for the airbell, surfacing beside Rotxo, who had his arm around Rishi. Rishi was breathing fast.
"Oh, shit," Riri whispered as she saw Rishi's hand becoming stained with blood. "The wound is serious."
"We've got to get her to the surface," Rotxo cried frantically and panted heavily.
Rishi shook her head. "Just leave me here to die. Go on without me."
"Don't talk like that, Rishi. You are going to make it," Riri insisted.
"No," Rishi whispered.
Rotxo exhaled. "Come on. Take a deep breath."
Riri took hold of Rishi's other arm after going to her side. They and Rotxo inhaled deeply and slipped underwater. They began swimming for the surface. They became surrounded by six Green Spears on their skimwings very quickly. They stopped in place. Their enemies aimed their crossbows at them. They placed their fingers on the triggers, evil smirks forming on their faces.
Loud bellows came out of nowhere. Payakan and La swam toward the Green Spears from different directions. They turned and swiped their tails, knocking them off their skimwings. The skimwings swam away. They hissed fearfully as they disappeared from sight. The Green Spears lost their grips on their crossbows. Riri and Rotxo resumed swimming for the surface with Rishi.
The first, second, and third Green Spears proceeded to go after the trio. Payakan came up underneath them. He caught them on his back. He went toward the surface. He leapt backward, throwing his friends' rivals into the air. The Green Spears screamed fearfully as they hit the water. He landed on his back with two huge splashes. They tried to swim away, but he appeared beneath them in which he caught them on his tail. He threw it upward, tossing them into the air again. They hit the water as it slapped the surface.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth Green Spears spotted Lo'ak, Tsireya, Aonung, and Kiri swimming for the surface. They decided to go after them. La swam past them quickly, causing them to lose their swimming forms. They looked around, but they did not see anything. They were about to head for the surface when she came up from underneath in which she caught them on her back. She bowed, and they lost their grip on her. She reentered the water as they hit it hard. They attempted to swim off, only for her to come toward them and swipe her tail. They lost their swimming forms again.
The Green Spears saw their skimwings coming toward them. They made tsahaylu with them. So did their comrades when theirs came to them. The skimwings rushed for the surface with their riders. They broke it and spread their flippers. They began flitting away very quickly. Other Green Spears followed with their skimwings. Payakan and La came up, spouting air from their blowholes. They squeaked in satisfaction at their enemies disappearing from sight.
"Nice job, Payakan," La chirped.
"You too, La," Payakan replied. "You too."
Just then, Lo'ak, Aonung, Tsireya, and Kiri surfaced near Payakan. La dove underwater, slapping her tail on the surface. Lo'ak went to him and hugged him.
"Thank you, brother," Lo'ak whispered gratefully. "Thank you."
La broke the surface with Rotxo, Rishi, and Riri on her back. She squealed in great alarm. Payakan felt Lo'ak, Tsireya, Aonung, and Kiri get on him. He went over to her, hearing her cry. Lo'ak shuddered when Rishi removed her hand from her wound very slightly. He could hear her labored breathing.
"Shit!" Lo'ak yelled in horror. "Rishi has been stabbed!"
Rotxo looked at a huge rock. "We can treat her over there!"
"Come on!" Riri blurted out.
Tsireya nodded. "We need to move fast!"
Payakan and La swam toward the rock quickly. They stopped very close to it. Lo'ak, Aonung, Tsireya, and Kiri stood up and jumped onto La's back. Lo'ak, Aonung, and Rotxo grabbed Rishi's arms. Riri, Kiri, and Tsireya followed suit with her legs. They stepped into the water as they carried her. They struggled to climb up the rock due to its slipperiness. They managed to get to the straight part and laid her down. She took her hand off her wound. Lo'ak let out a horrified gasp.
"Oh, no. It is very deep. It is bleeding very badly," Lo'ak said, getting on his knees. He eyed Aonung and Rotxo coming to his side and kneeling down. He grabbed the former's hands and placed it over the wound. "Keep pressure on it, Aonung."
Lo'ak took his backpack off his back as Kiri, Tsireya, and Riri went to the other side of Rishi and got on their knees. He laid it beside him and opened it. He pulled out a bandage. Rishi choked back a gasp.
"Lo'ak…" Rishi whispered.
"What?" Lo'ak asked, touching her cheek.
"This war must end," Rishi responded weakly. "It must end."
"Hang on," Aonung pleaded as Lo'ak pushed his hands away and placed the bandage on her wound. "You are going to make it."
"Please, don't go," Tsireya whispered, choking back a sob. "Please."
"All this bloodshed," Rishi said, moving her head from side to side. Lo'ak started to wrap the bandage. "All this…"
Suddenly, Rishi stopped breathing and ceased all movement. Her heartbeat slowed down until it stopped completely. Lo'ak gasped horrifyingly, tears streaming down his face.
"No!" Lo'ak screamed and looked up at the sky. He turned back to his friend and hugged her tightly. "Not Rishi! Not her! No, Great Mother! No!"
Lo'ak buried his face into the young woman's shoulder and cried hysterically. Aonung glanced down at the blood in his hands. He curled them into fists, an expression of guilt forming on his face. Rotxo, Kiri, Tsireya, and Riri started weeping. Payakan and La emitted mournful squeaks. They raised their heads a little bit.
"The war has reached a turning point now that the kids have become targets," Payakan clicked.
"Those Green Spears were determined to kill them," La said, moving her head from side to side.
"They have become overzealous in their desire to defeat their enemies," Payakan growled angrily.
"The Metkayina will be enraged at losing another child," La suggested in uncertainty.
"I agree," Payakan commented. "I believe a lot of blame will be thrown at Nekx. He was the one who encouraged his warriors to go after any Metkayina they saw."
"This did not have to happen," La murmured and blew air from her blowhole.
Lo'ak continued to cry. Aonung began shedding tears as he closed his eyes. He placed his fists against his chest and proceeded to sob hysterically. Kiri placed her hand over her mouth. Tsireya looked down, emitting a soft cry. Rotxo glanced away, his breathing turning into shudders.