Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter eight of "Gone in the Dark." It has some action. Nekx makes his first appearance. There is a little bit of Jake/Neytiri as well. The main reason why I decided to write about Na'vi clans being engaged in a war is because few fics have actually dealt with such a thing. Some people believe the Na'vi are a peaceful species. They aren't as they have warriors in their clans. They are prepared to fight wars if they need to. Stay tuned for chapter nine.
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Chapter 8: Fierce Attack/Returning Home
Jake, Neytiri, and Kuai reached a less dense part of the rainforest four minutes later. They looked to the canopy. They could see the sun was almost eclipsed by the moon through the trees. The sky was very close to total darkness. They looked ahead, their hearts beginning to beat a little faster. He lowered his gun, his body shaking some.
"Shit. The eclipse is almost complete," Jake mumbled irritatingly. "I was hoping we'd reach the beach before then."
"I was hoping for that too, Jake," Neytiri agreed and breathed deeply. "It is not easy moving when you have to keep an injured person steady."
"Nor is it easy to walk when one of your legs has a stab wound," Kuai added.
"I have seen much worse wounds than that, Kuai," Jake admitted, shuddering quietly. He flared his nostrils. "Marmax discovered Xena was the one who wounded him in the Xena: Warrior Princess episode called 'Is There a Doctor in the House?' She apologized. He told her not to be because he'd had worse wounds, but he never had one that taught him so much."
Neytiri twitched her ear. "Wounds can be lessons for war, especially when you make stupid decisions."
Jake cleared his throat. "Believe me, Neytiri. None of us will ever stop making stupid decisions. It's life."
Jake, Neytiri, and Kuai sniffed the air, catching a whiff of salt in it. They saw the beach coming into view. They sighed in much relief.
"Thank Eywa we have finally reached the beach," Jake whispered, laughing in delight.
"All we will need to do is wait for our comrades to update us on their searches," Neytiri added.
Suddenly, Jake came to a stop. This caused Neytiri and Kuai to halt themselves. He looked around while swiveling his ears and swinging his tail from side to side. His breathing became a little heavier.
"Neytiri, take Kuai to the beach and stay there," Jake commanded sternly.
"Why, Jake?" Neytiri asked.
He looked at her. "Just go."
Jake watched Neytiri and Kuai go to the beach. He looked through the canopy as the sun was completely eclipsed by the moon. The entire area became enveloped in darkness. His bioluminescence spots glowed rather brightly, as did that of the markings on the plants and ground. He walked around, taking great care not to step on anything. He narrowed his eyes, a soft growl coming from him.
Rustling caught the former marine's attention. He spun around rapidly and aimed his gun at two viperwolves standing on a fallen tree. They tilted their heads while growling in curiosity. He could see their bioluminescence markings glowing in a very bright way. They sniffed before taking off into the undergrowth. He placed his gun at his side.
"Jake, you need to get yourself together," Jake whispered with a shake of his head. "Get it together."
Without warning, Jake felt an arm wrap around his throat. A hand grabbed his wrist. It squeezed hard, causing him to lose his grip on his gun and drop it. A foot kicked it out of reach. The arm became a little tighter around his throat. He took hold of it with both hands as he clenched his teeth. The owner revealed itself as forty-eight-year-old Nekx.
Nekx let out a loud, fierce snarl. He was the same height as Jake was. His long hair was tied up in a bun. A few strands stuck out from the sides. Both of his eyes contained scars underneath them. His left strake had tiny knicks in the front and back ends. His right strake appeared to have a chunk taken out of it in the middle.
"Well, well, if it isn't Toruk Makto himself," Nekx sneered while flaring his nostrils.
"Nekx," Jake mumbled, looking at him in the corner of his eye.
"That's my name. Do not wear it out," Nekx responded and laughed. "You should not have come out onto a battlefield in the ocean."
"We were just trying to find Kuai and her hunting party. She told Neytiri and me how you and your comrade attacked her," Jake explained.
"She deserved to be attacked. Do you remember when I came after you two when the tensions between our clans first started?" Nekx asked curiously.
"Yes," Jake admitted. "Neytiri and I were just doing some fishing. You decided to go after us because some of your fellow clanmates had clashed with ours."
Nekx hissed softly. "You both made a lucky escape. You won't be so lucky this time."
Jake smirked. "I would not say that."
Jake elbowed Nekx in the stomach. He felt his grip on him loosening and became determined. He repeated the same action twice. He managed to get free. He spun around to punch him in the face. He gave him two uppercuts to the neck before backhanding him across the cheek. He grabbed him to knee him in the stomach.
Nekx snarled and gave the former marine a hard headbutt. He drew his dagger and swung it at him. Jake jumped back to avoid it. He grabbed him around the waist and pushed him toward a tree. He slammed him against it, causing him to drop his dagger. He narrowed his eyes at him. He punched him in the face with one fist, followed by the other. He alternated between fists while yelling like a maniac.
Nekx shoved Jake away with his foot. He picked his dagger up as his opponent fell on his knees. He stalked toward him, a snarl leaving his mouth. He raised it high, rushing it downward. Jake caught his wrist in his hands. Nekx moved the dagger toward him. Jake growled determinedly and pushed it away from him. He managed to make it to one knee. He snarled in much fierceness and stood up. He gave Nekx a knee to his stomach, which made him stumble backward and fall on his side. Jake made his way toward his gun.
Unbeknownst to Jake, a young Green Spear man came out from behind a tree with a crossbow. He aimed it at his head. He narrowed his eyes at him. He placed his finger on the trigger. He ran his tongue all over the inside of his mouth. He chuckled in a malicious manner. Suddenly, he grunted when something hit him in the back. He fell down dead, revealing an arrow sticking out of the middle of it.
Jake stopped close to his gun as he had heard the grunt. He spotted the man's body. He began breathing heavily. Just then, Neytiri came out of the undergrowth while holding her bow sideways. She flattened her ears against her skull. He smiled at her as she turned toward him while swinging her tail from side to side.
"Thanks, Neytiri," Jake said. "You—"
Without warning, Nekx rammed himself into Jake, knocking him down. Neytiri hissed in anger and raced toward him. He swung his dagger at her as she got close to him. She stopped in her tracks just short of it. She smacked him in the face with her bow. This caused him to drop his dagger. He backhanded her across the cheek, which made her stumble off to the side and drop her bow. He approached her to grab a fistful of her hair. He jerked her head back. She cried out painfully.
Neytiri kicked Nekx in the side, freeing herself. She grabbed him around the waist and raced toward a tree, slamming him against it. She punched him multiple times in the stomach. He shoved her off with his foot. He clasped his hands together. He swung them upward, nailing her in the chin. She stumbled backward, falling on her back. He got on top of her, pinning her down with his weight. He wrapped his hands around her throat to choke her.
All of sudden, Jake grabbed Nekx and pulled him off Neytiri. She took in a big gulp of air. She panted heavily while rubbing her throat. Nekx broke free of Jake's grasp. He turned around and shoved him away with his foot. He backhanded him across the eye. Jake stumbled off to the side. He drew his dagger and swung it at Nekx as he came toward him. He cut him in the upper part of his right arm. Nekx yelled in pain and grabbed his wound. He pulled his hand away, seeing blood on it.
Jake gave his enemy two punches to the face. He grabbed him around the waist. He rushed toward a tree. He slammed him against it. He let go of him. This caused Nekx to sink to the ground. Jake went over to Neytiri, who had sat up and was shuddering somewhat. He got down on his knees and touched her shoulder. She swallowed hard.
"Are you okay?" Jake asked.
"Yes," Neytiri said and shot a glance at Nekx, who touched his arm and winced painfully. "You injured him."
"Yes. We need to get him treated for his injury," Jake replied seriously.
She nodded in agreement. "I know. Of course, I can't help but be mad at him for injuring Kuai."
He gestured toward the warrior with his head. "I do not blame you, but we must help him. Come on."
Jake and Neytiri rose to their feet with loud grunts. They proceeded to go toward Nekx.
00000
The late afternoon sun beamed its rays on the ocean. Jake guided Nova close to the surface. Nekx held onto him with his uninjured arm a little tightly. His wound was bandaged. He heard squawking and glanced up at Artemis, who gave her wings two flaps. Neytiri patted her neck while whispering inaudible words to her. The rest of the search party was not far behind Jake and Nova. Kuai rode with the first man. The second man's skimwing carried the body of Nekx's clanmate.
Jake breathed deeply before looking up at the sky. He remembered when his comrades contacted him and told him they found no trace of the rest of Kuai's hunting party. He was very disappointed, yet he felt grateful to have found her alive. He decided to call off the search and head home just as the eclipse was ending. He prayed her comrades were in Kia being treated for injuries.
Nekx looked over his shoulder at the others. Kuai made eye contact with him. She flattened her ears against her skull and emitted a soft yet angry hiss at him. He shifted his attention to the ocean. He saw an ilu surface and squeak playfully. He knew they were getting closer to Awa'atlu. He looked at Jake, who peered at him in the corner of his eye.
"You really should not be taking me to Awa'atlu," Nekx whispered through clenched teeth.
"You're injured. You need to receive medical care," Jake responded in a low but firm voice.
"You hurt me. Your mate killed my comrade," Nekx snapped.
"You attacked me without provocation. I injured you in self-defense. Neytiri killed your comrade to protect me," Jake said with a snort.
"This war was started by the Metkayina. They attacked my clanmates unprovoked first! Besides, Tonowari and Ronal will be very angry when they see you have brought the leader of the Green Spear warriors and hunters to their village," Nekx pointed out and hissed.
Jake looked ahead with a huff. "You do not look like a leader to me. You look like just another warrior or hunter."
Nekx scoffed. "That's easy for you to say when you do not look like a reef Na'vi at all."
The entire group saw Awa'atlu coming into view. A young Metkayina woman spotted it from the lookout. She picked up her shell horn and put it in her mouth. She blew into it. The horn's sound echoed throughout the village. The skimwings folded their flippers against their bodies and settled on the water's surface. They headed for shore, stopping very close to it.
Tonowari, Ronal, Mo'at, Lo'ak, Tsireya, Spider, Kiri, and Tuktiery headed toward the shoreline as Artemis landed right on it. Neytiri jumped off her before disconnecting from her. Tuktiery hugged her mother once she reached her. Neytiri responded by giving her a big hug. She wrapped her arm around Lo'ak after he gave her a hug. Tonowari, Ronal, Mo'at, and Tsireya went toward the others.
"We are so glad you are home, Mom," Tuktiery cried as she and her brother let go of their mother.
"I am glad to be home too," Neytiri responded lovingly. She hugged Kiri and Spider tightly. Her children responded with big hugs of their own. They let go of each other. "Did any patients cause any trouble?"
"Julay complained about how I was giving her medical care," Lo'ak mumbled with a roll of his eyes. "She even bitched about me unwrapping her bandage too slowly."
"Crazy, huh?" Spider asked while furrowing his brow. He glanced toward Kuai as Tonowari, Ronal, Mo'at, and Tsireya waded into the water. He turned back to her. "You managed to find Kuai. That is great."
"It is, but we did not find any trace of the rest of her hunting party," Neytiri said sadly. "Her ilu was killed."
"Oh, no," Kiri whispered, her ears lowering.
"It is likely her friends are at Kia being treated for injuries," Neytiri suggested hopefully. "We must not lose hope."
Ronal and Mo'at took Kuai's hands and helped her off the skimwing very carefully. The former put the young woman's right arm over her shoulder. She slipped hers around her waist. Kuai winced painfully as she did her best not to put much weight on her right leg.
"Thank Eywa that Jake and Neytiri found you alive, Kuai," Ronal whispered in great relief.
"How do you feel?" Mo'at asked.
"Exhausted," Kuai whispered and swallowed hard. "I am worried for the rest of my hunting party."
Tsireya shook her head. "We should not worry about that right now. Your wounds need to be treated."
Ronal motioned toward the village. "Let's go."
Ronal and Kuai headed up the beach in a careful way. Mo'at and Tsireya were right behind her. Jake disconnected from Nova to jump off him. Tonowari sighed in much warmth.
"Thank you for bringing Kuai back alive, Jake," Tonowari said.
"You're welcome. I wish we could have found the other members of the hunting party," Jake said, eyeing Nekx. "Here is Nekx. I ended up injuring him after he attacked me, so he needs to receive medical care. Neytiri killed one of his comrades when he tried to kill me."
"It is nice to see you, Tonowari," Nekx hissed sarcastically.
"I could say the same thing about you," Tonowari responded with a huff.
Nekx looked toward the Sully family. He growled fiercely when he caught sight of Spider. He glared at Jake, who swiveled his ears.
"That is your family?" Nekx asked incredulously.
"Yes," Jake admitted.
"Two of your kids look more human than they do Na'vi. You even have a human in your family," Nekx snapped. "That is really dangerous. How is he even able to breath the air?"
"Spider's history is rather complicated," Jake retorted defensively. "He is actually Quaritch's son, but I have never held that against him. Neytiri did not accept him at first, but she did after she admitted she had always cared about him and was plagued by doubt due to his origins."
Tonowari snorted. "Spider is a part of this clan. He earned it. We know it is risky for him to be here, but he wants to be. We respect his wishes."
"He is able to breathe the air because Norm and Max invented a serum that gives him immunity from Pandora's poisonous atmosphere. Other humans we know have taken it," Jake added.
"That is impressive. It still doesn't take away the fact you are responsible for all the mayhem that plagues the People!" Nekx hissed, glaring at the other Sullys.
"Don't talk about Dad like that!" Spider shouted angrily.
"Go back to your kind, kid! You do not belong here!" Nekx screeched with a snarl.
Neytiri flattened her ears against her skull. "You leave my son the hell alone! He's done nothing to you!"
Jake waved his hands in the air. "All right, that's enough. Let's get this guy's butt inside, so he can be treated for his injuries."
Nekx huffed and climbed off Nova. He, Jake, and Tonowari went up the beach. He emitted a soft yet fierce hiss at Neytiri as they passed the group. She stood firm, a huff leaving her mouth. She looked at her children. Spider shook his head in disbelief.
"I am sorry that happened, Mom," Spider apologized.
"Do not be sorry, Spider," Neytiri responded firmly. "Like some humans, some Na'vi just cannot see."
"I have to admit this is the first time in a long time I've seen Spider react with such anger," Lo'ak said, chuckling nervously.
Kiri made a funny noise. "That's an understatement."
"For sure," Tuktiery added.
Neytiri gestured toward the village. "Come. Let's go help the patients."
Neytiri, Spider, Lo'ak, Tuktiery, and Kiri walked away. The rest of the search party disconnected from their skimwings and climbed off them. They proceeded to handle the body of Nekx's comrade.