Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter ten of "Gone in the Dark." This chapter features the return of Eli and Julay. I felt it was time to bring them back, especially since Nekx is within their vicinity. Stay tuned for chapter eleven.
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Chapter 10: Tension in the Air/Family Bonding
Tonowari unwrapped Nekx's bandage slowly as he sat next to him on a cot in a marui. Lo'ak was going through medical supplies that sat on a nearby table. Jake and Kiri were near him. They were speaking inaudible words. Nekx looked over his shoulder at them. He winced a bit painfully and glared at Tonowari, who furrowed his brow.
"Damn it. Be careful!" Nekx snapped.
"I am sorry. I did not mean to cause you discomfort," Tonowari apologized guiltily.
"You better not start complaining about how Tonowari is giving you medical care," Lo'ak said, joining his leader's side along with Jake and Kiri. He held a bowl of ointment. Jake had the bandages and needle thread. "I heard enough from Julay."
"Julay is the biggest complainer amongst the Green Spears," Nekx admitted while shaking his head in disbelief. "Sometimes, I just want to catch a fish and put it in her mouth to make her shut the hell up."
"So, you know how I feel," Lo'ak commented, emitting a soft snort.
"Yes," Nekx said, nodding in a slow way. He glared at him and gritted his teeth. "That does not mean we will become best friends. Remember that, freak."
"You will not speak to Lo'ak in my presence like that," Tonowari retorted very sharply. He flattened his ears against his skull. "He is not a freak. Neither are Jake and Kiri freaks. Is that clear?"
Nekx huffed and looked away. Tonowari glanced at Jake and Lo'ak and made a motion with his head. The duo laid the supplies next to him. He placed the bandage next to the needle once he was done unwrapping it. He picked up the bowl and dabbed ointment on the wound. Nekx winced somewhat painfully.
"I am sorry for making that sting," Tonowari apologized with a heavy sigh. "I can't help it."
"I do not care right now," Nekx admitted with a snort. He eyed the ointment, becoming curious. "Where did that stuff come from? I do not recognize it."
Jake took a deep breath. "It is an ointment from Earth. It is known to sting, but it is great at minimizing the appearance of scars."
"I probably will have another scar," Nekx muttered irritatingly. He looked down at the floor. "It's no thanks to you."
"I did what I had to do to defend myself. I wasn't going to let you kill me or Neytiri," Jake commented through clenched teeth.
"You should consider yourself lucky you are alive right now. This war is getting more brutal by the day," Kiri added in a fierce voice.
Lo'ak twitched his ears. "Neither side is innocent in all this. Both sides have attacked each other unprovoked. By the way, some of your friends are in a marui a few steps away from this one."
Nekx huffed. "Would you please bring them to me? I would like to see them."
"Of course," Jake said with a nod. He glanced at his children. "Come on. Let's go get Eli and Julay."
Jake, Lo'ak, and Kiri headed out of the marui. They broke into quiet chatter, though Nekx could hear it. He observed them going out of sight. He shifted his attention to Tonowari, who put the bowl down. He grabbed the needle. He poked it through the end of the wound. He proceeded to stitch it up.
"Where in the hell did you learn to stitch up wounds?" Nekx wondered with raised eye ridges. "Olo'eytkans are not exactly known to be healers."
"Jake taught me how to do this. He learned about applying medical care to injuries when he was a marine on Earth. A marine is a warrior who fights for freedom," Tonowari explained.
"He does not look like a warrior to me at all," Nekx said with a shake of his head. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "He looks like someone who has no clue about our world, though he has lived among the People for more than a decade."
"Jake has learned a lot about Pandora. Pandora is the name humans gave our world. It is based on Pandora from Greek mythology. She was the first human woman to exist. She was given a jar called Pithos by Zeus. He instructed her not to open it. She was very curious and opened it. She let out all the evils of Earth. She closed it before hopelessness could escape. As a result, humans still have hope. Zeus did not punish her because he knew she would open it. He was the Greek god of thunder and ruler of Mount Olympus," Tonowari commented.
Nekx suppressed a small yawn. "That is a rather…interesting story."
"Jake, Neytiri, and their kids have taught us a lot about human culture. It consists of the good and the bad," Tonowari pointed out in a soft yet firm voice.
"While it is nice to know you have learned about another culture, it does not mean I will entrench myself in it," Nekx warned sternly.
Tonowari narrowed his eyes at him. "I do not expect you to."
Nekx twitched his nose before putting his right ankle over his left one. Footsteps diverted his and Tonowari's attention. Jake, Lo'ak, and Kiri came in with Eli and Julay. The entire group stopped before the duo. Eli and Julay sighed in great relief.
"Sir, thank Eywa you are alive!" Julay shouted in happiness.
"We've been worried sick about you," Eli added and saw Tonowari finishing up stitching Nekx's wound. "Did a Metkayina—"
"Don't start," Nekx commanded in a stern voice. He glanced toward the Sullys. "I do not want to make any trouble. Neither should you."
"Sir, you should know—" Julay started.
"I know of your complaints about Lo'ak's application of medical care," Nekx snapped irritatingly. He glared at her while gritting his teeth. "You can never keep your mouth shut, can you?"
"He did a bad job treating my wound," Julay insisted, looking at Lo'ak.
"No, I did not. Tsireya said I was doing just fine tending to your wound!" Lo'ak blurted out angrily.
"She only said that because she is your girlfriend," Julay blurted out fiercely and flared her nostrils. "I do not get how she can be attracted to someone who does not even look like a true Na'vi."
"Dad, Lo'ak, and I are true Na'vi! We do not have to look like it!" Kiri hissed through clenched teeth. "What you look like does not make you civilized. It is in your attitude. If you treat others badly because they look different, you are acting uncivilized."
"That's exactly what you are doing right now, Julay," Nekx said and snorted loudly. "I want you to treat the forest Na'vi with respect. You do not have to be buddies with them. Just acknowledge them. Is that clear?"
Julay hissed frustratingly as she looked away. Nekx narrowed his eyes at her as she turned back to him. She let out a heavy sigh before gritting her teeth. She flared her nostrils.
"Yes, sir," Julay relented.
"Thank you," Nekx whispered in relief. He and the others watched Julay walk off in a huff. He looked at Jake, Lo'ak, and Kiri. "She'll come around to showing you respect."
"I hope so. Let's go, kids," Jake said. He and his children headed out of the marui as Tonowari finished stitching Nekx's wound. "We should…"
As Jake continued talking with Lo'ak and Kiri, Tonowari put the needle down. He got the bandage and started to wrap it around Nekx's wound.
"I have to admit you are good at mending injuries, Tonowari," Eli complimented.
"Thank you, Eli," Tonowari responded, warmth lining his voice. "Jake said everyone who wanted to help with medical care should do so. His friends from the forest have been very helpful in their assistance."
"They sure have," Eli admitted with a nod. "I have never seen such talented doctors and healers in my life."
Tonowari smiled. "It takes great dedication to be a healer or a doctor. Medical care is not an easy job, but someone has to do it."
Eli perked up his ears. "Sometimes, those who appear to have no knowledge of something turn out to be very knowledgeable."
Tonowari nodded in agreement. He proceeded to talk about the time Aonung and Tsireya played a prank on him.
00000
Jake, Lo'ak, and Kiri reached the Sully marui within five minutes. Lo'ak went to the doorway leading out to the pier. He grabbed the top of it and leaned his body forward a tiny bit. He sighed softly as Jake and Kiri came up on either side of him. They could see the sun was not very far above the horizon. They could not help but smile.
"Sunsets are beautiful, aren't they?" Lo'ak asked warmly.
"They sure are, son," Jake said while laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You would never see sunsets like this on Earth. It is covered in a thick layer of air pollution."
"You once told us that it was recommended people wear masks to counteract the effects of the pollution," Kiri whispered and ran her tongue all over the inside of her mouth.
"We were, but I rarely wore a mask. The air didn't bother me very much at all," Jake pointed out truthfully. "The universe can be a cold-ass bitch at times. We must take each day as it counts."
"That is so true," Kiri agreed with a chuckle.
Lo'ak released his hold on the doorway and placed his hands on his sides. He swung his tail from side to side twice. He repeated his action up and down three times.
"I am so glad to get away from Julay's big mouth," Lo'ak grumbled in much irritation. "I have to admit I felt like punching her out."
"Who didn't?" Jake responded while crossing his arms. "Nekx looked about ready to scream at her."
"I do not blame him for saying he wanted to catch a fish and stuff it in her mouth," Kiri said, snickering under her breath. "I found the comment kind of funny."
Lo'ak smirked. "Imagine trying to talk while a whole fish is in your mouth."
"You'd be mumbling your ass off," Jake admitted and chuckled to himself.
"Who does not mumble under their breath when they are pissed?" Kiri said, raising her eyebrows.
"When Cartman said Kenny was pissed off in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, the v-chip shocked him. It was not even a curse word," Jake said, giving a shrug.
Kiri glanced at him. "You said your parents would wash your mouth out with soap whenever you cursed."
Jake nodded at her. "They did, but that did not stop me from cursing. Sometimes, I did it on purpose just to get a reaction out of them."
Lo'ak stepped away from the doorway. He went to the center of the marui and sat down with a loud grunt. He drew his knees to his chest and folded his arms. He laid his arms on top of his knees. Jake and Kiri walked to his side and seated themselves beside him.
"Shit. This war keeps dragging on. Who knows when it will end?" Lo'ak mumbled in frustration.
"I know, right?" Jake whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. "On top of that, we are dealing with the human expansion of Pandora. I am surprised they have not decided to go after us. We are kind of distracted with fighting our enemies."
"They seem to be too concerned with harvesting meat from animals they are hunting to take notice. I believe they intend to send it back to Earth to feed the population," Kiri explained.
"Spider told me he was disgusted his captors wasted tulkuns after harvesting them for amrita. An animal that size could feed entire villages for months on end. The Metkayina do not hunt them. Nor do the Ta'unui. It is quite possible there is a reef clan that hunts them for food," Jake added curiously.
"Humans have explored only a tiny percent of Pandora," Lo'ak commented and breathed deeply. "Who knows what else is out there?"
"Maybe we can do some exploring in the future, so we can find out," Kiri suggested.
"I would like that a lot," Lo'ak said, a little excitement lining his voice.
"I would too," Jake admitted, smiling softly. "I have always been curious about various subjects."
"Like Grace was," Kiri murmured with a contented sigh.
"Your mother admitted to me some clans prefer to keep to themselves. They would rather not get involved in the affairs of others," Jake responded gently.
"You should never force something to do something they do not want to do," Lo'ak said seriously. "Problems can result if you do."
"You must always remember life can come at you so fast that you do not have time to blink," Jake said in a low but firm voice.
"Like when we had to leave the forest because Quaritch was after us," Kiri pointed out.
"Exactly," Jake agreed. "I did not want to take you away, but we did not have a choice. The Omaticaya would have been destroyed if we stayed. Unfortunately, war did come here. After Neteyam died, I realized we could not keep running away. We had to stay and fight. Thankfully, skirmishes with humans have not been common over the last three years. This has given us the chance to focus on getting through this war."
"Everyone wants it to end. Let's hope it will be soon," Kiri replied and pressed her lips together. She started talking about life in the forest before Quaritch's return.