Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter fifty-two of "Gone in the Dark." This fic has two chapters to go before it reaches its end. The tulkun celebration will be in the next one. I was unsure about actually doing it at first. Then I decided I would do it as I believe the Metkayina needed to celebrate the end of the war with the Green Spears. Stay tuned for chapter fifty-three.
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Chapter 52: The Sully Family Together Again
Clouds covered half the midmorning sky above Awa'atlu a week later. The sun came out from behind a large one. The wind began to pick up a little bit as a banshee flew not far above it. It flapped its wings to gain altitude. Another banshee joined it. It squawked to its companion, who responded in kind. They gave their wings three flaps in almost perfect unison.
The banshees looked down to see Jake guiding Neytiri across a bridge at a slow pace. Mo'at walked alongside her. He had his left arm around his mate's right one. She used a staff to keep her balance. It twisted around its entire frame. The top had feathers sticking upward. It contained the carving of a phoenix taking flight. The phoenix's beak was wide open.
Jake sighed very warmly. He was so glad that Neytiri recovered more quickly than he thought after the tube was removed from her nose. He was eager to take her back to their marui after Max, Norm, and Maureen gave him the okay to do so yesterday. However, he wanted to take things slow as she was still in a bit of pain. He felt grateful to Mo'at for suggesting her daughter use one of the staffs he made for injured Omaticaya.
His thoughts shifted to his mother-in-law. He was so grateful to her for providing her medicine to war patients. He felt it did their pain a great deal of good. He wasn't surprised to hear they didn't like the somewhat bitter taste. He knew many healers made medicine with such a thing. He had no doubt he would encounter it with other clans in the future. He didn't mind since it would always be part of them.
Jake, Neytiri, and Mo'at heard playful squeaking. They stopped at to the ilu pen. Two ilus swam over to them. They stuck their bodies halfway out of the water. They wiggled their front and middle flippers. They opened their mouths while raising their heads high. They emitted sweet chirps, clicks, and squawks. The trio couldn't help but smile. Neytiri leaned against her staff.
"Talk about the ilus being silly," Neytiri said, chuckling to herself.
"You said it, Neytiri," Jake agreed. "I believe they are also happy to see you are doing much better."
"Of course, they are, Jake. Why wouldn't they be?" Mo'at asked, crossing her arms.
"I remember when we first arrived. One of the ilus tried to play with Tuk as Tsireya led us past the pen. She seemed enchanted by it. The rest of us weren't quite sure what to make of it," Jake explained.
"When you see something for the first time, it captivates you. You want to see more of it. However, you can be put off by it if it attacks you," Mo'at commented.
"That is true," Jake agreed. "Come on, Neytiri. We need to get you to our family marui."
Neytiri nodded at her mate, who resumed guiding her. She tightened her grip on her staff somewhat. She wrapped her arm around his a little more tightly. Mo'at went after them. She caught up to them quickly. Neytiri tried not to chuckle, but she couldn't help herself.
"I never thought I would be helped like this by anyone in my life," Neytiri said and sighed to herself. "It feels so unreal."
"There is a first time for everything, Neytiri," Jake responded and kissed her temple very lightly. "It doesn't matter anymore. Your wounds are healing well."
"Indeed, they are," Neytiri agreed.
Mo'at uncrossed her arms. "They still need to be watched for infection. You can clean wounds up very well and still find them becoming infected."
"It is good to know Keye'txon is back in Kia. Nekx said he would be on full bed rest for a good while," Jake pointed out with raised eyebrows.
"That penicillin did so much good for him. There was no sign of infection in his wound after treatment was done," Neytiri said in relief.
"We had the penicillin standing by in case you contracted an infection. It never came," Jake whispered, sighing in a soft manner.
Neytiri smiled. "Thank Eywa. Thank you for staying with me the entire time I was in and out of the coma."
Jake nodded at her. "You're welcome."
The trio came upon the Sully marui. Neytiri let out a relieved sigh as tears came to her eyes. She choked back a sob before pressing her lips together. She emitted a soft sniffle.
"Home sweet home," Neytiri whispered, her ears lowering a tiny bit.
"Yes, it is," Jake agreed.
Mo'at touched her daughter's shoulder very lightly. "Kids, your mother is here."
Jake, Neytiri, and Mo'at entered the marui. They stopped in front of the doorway as Lo'ak, Kiri, Spider, and Tuktiery arrived. He released his hold on Neytiri, who leaned against her staff a bit. Neytiri wrapped her arm around Lo'ak carefully. He gave her a gentle hug.
"It is good you are finally back with us, Mom," Lo'ak said, happiness radiating from his voice.
"I am too, son," Neytiri responded. She let go of him and hugged Kiri and Spider very lightly when they went to her. She received a light hug from them. They let go of each other. "If you are wondering about my wounds, they were cleaned and bandaged just before I left that marui with your father and grandmother."
"The anti-scar medicine was put on them, right?" Kiri asked.
Neytiri nodded. "Yes, it was."
"Who knows how big your scars will be once your wounds heal?" Spider wondered with much curiosity.
"No two scars are the same, Spider. I can tell you that much," Neytiri admitted, her ear twitching. She gasped painfully when she felt Tuktiery wrap her arms around her waist. She touched the girl's head. "Be careful, Tuk."
"I am sorry, Mom," Tuktiery said guiltily while letting go of her. "I am just so happy to see you here."
"You need not worry, Tuk. I won't be going anywhere for a long while," Neytiri assured. "I can't, anyway."
Tuktiery pointed her finger at the staff. "The way you lean on that staff reminds me of Gabrielle after she began to recover from her injuries in Xena: Warrior Princess. Xena helped her out of that healing temple."
"I will be using it for support for some time," Neytiri admitted and eyed her bandaged left thigh. "It is no thanks to that."
"It stinks," Tuktiery added and blew a raspberry.
Lo'ak came to his mother's side. "Let me help you sit down."
Lo'ak put out his arm, allowing Neytiri to wrap hers around it. He guided her at a slow pace. He bent down once he reached the center in which he helped her sit down carefully. She laid her staff next to her. Her mate came to her side, sitting down. Her mother and children mimicked his movements.
"The war's end has brought great joy to us. It has also brought great sorrow," Neytiri whispered, her ears lowering in sadness. "We lost many Metkayina."
"It is no less awful than losing many Omaticaya and warriors from other clans in the first war against humans. That's for sure," Jake admitted.
"The Green Spears suffered just as many losses," Mo'at said with a heavy sigh. "I heard some Metkayina say they deserved to die because they were the enemy."
Lo'ak scoffed. "The Green Spears may have been our enemies, but denying them medical care would have made us no better than they were."
"Leaving any injured Green Spear to die would have been just as bad," Kiri added, swallowing hard.
"Aonung, Rotxo, and Riri could have done just that with Keye'txon, but they didn't. Aonung took care of his wounds. Rotxo and Riri built a stretcher for him. Their actions saved his life," Spider explained.
"He is very grateful for what they did. He vowed to never take life for granted again," Mo'at said, smiling somewhat.
Kiri growled in some anger. "I hope I never see Julay again. I fear I will break her in half if that happens."
"You're not the only one who feels that way, Kiri. I do too," Neytiri admitted as a tear fell down her cheek. "She caused so much trouble for everyone. It did not matter if you were Metkayina or Green Spear. She went off on you all the same." She acted as if she were spitting at the floor. "She made me sick."
"She actually laughed when she overheard me talking with Kiri about how you may not survive. She said you deserved to be attacked. I came pretty close to punching her lights out," Spider said, flaring his nostrils.
"You may be small, Monkey Boy, but you are mighty," Kiri said.
Spider blinked twice. "That I am."
"Still, it was good you did not react to Julay's taunt. It was what she wanted," Kiri commented.
Tuktiery made a retching sound. "Julay makes me sick. She deserved to be exiled from her clan over her deeds."
"That's right," Lo'ak said with a sharp nod. "She is so pathetic that it is not funny."
Jake rubbed his chin before running his hand over his face. He laid it and the other one in his lap. He tapped his fingers against it while clicking his tongue. He swung his tail up and down twice. He did the same from side to side three times.
"I have to admit I have learned a lot from this war. One thing was putting differences aside with the enemy to work toward a common goal," Neytiri said honestly.
"We found out some people become so overzealous that they will knock down anyone who stands in the way of their goals," Kiri added, her heart skipping two beats.
"We learned you can be responsible for what people have become, but it is not your fault if they took part in actions you never ordered them to do," Spider commented.
"Will we ever be involved in a war like this again?" Tuktiery wondered.
"To be honest, Tuk, I don't know. One thing is clear. The Metkayina/Green Spears war changed everyone here," Jake explained somberly. "It may be over, but the sense of normalcy won't return for a while."
"Who knows how long that will be?" Lo'ak muttered with a humorless chuckle.
"There is one thing that will always ring true," Jake said, smiling. "It's—"
"Sullys stick together," the others responded joyfully.
"Right," Jake said, nodding. "We must stick together, no matter what. It is in our blood. This family is our fortress."
Everyone voiced his or her agreement. Jake proceeded to talk about aiding the war patients in recovering from their injuries and trauma.