Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty-four of 'Gone in the Dark.' I felt it was important to have a major character severely injured to show the brutally of war. I saw Neytiri as the perfect choice because it is very rare for her to be shown wounded in any severity. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-five.

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Chapter 34: Not an Absolution

Fkeu was wrapping a bandage around twenty-five-year-old Dila's stitched-up shoulder wound as he sat next to her on a cot in another marui. He whispered inaudible words. Ferris stood in front of her daughter. She had her hands clasped together. She swung her tail up and down twice. She repeated her action from side to side three times.

Dila looked down at the floor. She resembled her mother with the exception of being shorter than she was. Her left strake was riddled with scars. The right strake had a small chunk taken out in the middle of it. A tiny white dot could be seen on the tip of her nose. She winced painfully and glanced at Nia, who lowered his ears in shame.

"I am sorry for causing you pain," Fkeu apologized.

"It's all right," Dila answered, her ears moving back a bit.

"I am so glad you were not hurt worse than you were, darling," Ferris whispered in relief.

"I am glad too, but Neytiri was brutally attacked by one of my own. Ronal was injured while she tried fend off the attacker," Dila said, her breathing turning to shudders. She closed her eyes, tears falling from them. "They should not have come searching for me."

"An attack would have likely happened, regardless of who went to find you," Fkeu pointed out. "Just be grateful you are alive and well."

Ferris sighed in a soft manner. "Fkeu's right. You cannot control the actions of another person."

Dila snorted and opened her eyes. "All right."

Fkeu finished wrapping the bandage and tied a knot in it. Dila moved her arm forward at a very slow pace. She brought it back at a similar speed. She laid her hand in her lap.

"Thank you very much. You did a great job tending to my wound," Dila commented gratefully.

"You are welcome," Fkeu responded, standing up. He touched the back of her head lightly. "You were a great patient."

"I was pissed when I learned Julay complained about how Lo'ak tended to her wound," Ferris said, gritting her teeth.

"Me too," Fkeu agreed as Dila rose to her feet. "Most everyone has had enough of her whining and complaining."

"Be lucky you do not have to deal with her every day. Mom and I do," Dila grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "There are times we just want to throw her off a pier into the water."

"Who hasn't felt that way about someone they did not like?" Fkeu commented, giving a shrug.

"I can tell you one thing," Ferris said while crossing her arms. "Those who complain constantly are destined for loneliness."

Fkeu and Dila voiced their agreement. They heard talking and turned to see Lo'ak, Spider, and Kiri coming into the marui. The teens stopped before them and Ferris. The adults came a little closer to them.

"What are you kids doing here?" Dila wondered with much curiosity.

"We just wanted to inform you that Mom has fallen into a coma. Norm and Maureen admitted they were not sure if she would survive. Dad said he wouldn't leave her side unless it was to get something to eat or drink," Lo'ak explained in a somber way.

"Oh, shit," Dila said, sniffling softly.

"Norm has also taken some of her blood for testing. He just wants to make sure she has no signs of infection, despite none of her wounds appeared to be infected," Kiri added.

"Just because someone looks fine doesn't mean they are," Fkeu commented and put two fingers to his chest. "They could have something really wrong going deep inside of them."

"Mo'at and Tuk haven't come back from their walk, have they?" Ferris asked and emitted a soft shudder.

"No, they have not," Lo'ak admitted with a heavy sigh.

"They will be horrified when they learn what happened," Spider said, glancing at his siblings.

"Do you think they will blame my mother and me?" Dila commented, cringing quite a bit. Her heart started to beat a little faster. "Mom did ask Neytiri to search for me. Ronal decided to tag along."

"No," Kiri answered, shaking her head fast. She clasped her hands together and breathed deeply. "Grandma would blame the man who attacked Mom. I do not see her blaming Nekx. She did chide Lo'ak and me over blaming him for Rishi's death. She said his warriors made the choice to attack us and our friends at Three Brothers."

"I hate they did that," Dila said, anger lining her voice. "Rishi did not deserve what happened to her. Mom told me Nekx called Julay out for cruelly dismissing her death."

"What?" Lo'ak, Kiri, and Spider shouted shockingly.

"It's true. Nekx told me what Julay said. I was really disgusted," Ferris said and made a retching sound. She flared her nostrils. "In fact, I thought I was going to throw up. Julay has always been a bitch, but I never thought she'd express such cruelty."

Lo'ak, Kiri, and Spider looked at each other. They were glad Nekx had the courage to call out one of his own for being cruel. They knew he was changing and was regretting the war. They knew he was unsure of how he or anyone else could stop it when so many Na'vi on both sides were eager to fight. They turned back to the trio.

"I do want to say I am sorry what happened to your mother. She did not deserve to suffer such a brutal attack," Dila said, sadness showing in her voice.

"Thank you," Lo'ak answered gratefully.

"Ronal said she tackled Mom's attacker when she heard her screaming as he was stabbing her. They fought until he stabbed her in the leg. He was about to stab her again when two Metkayina ambushed him and stabbed him multiple times. She crawled to Neytiri's side. She heard her breathing was labored. She contacted other Metkayina for help in getting her home as her comrades built a stretcher for her," Kiri explained, a tear falling down her cheek. "We never thought we'd see her in such a horrible state."

Spider rubbed the back of his neck. "It reminded us of when Gabrielle was brought in severely wounded in the Xena: Warrior Princess episode called 'Is There a Doctor in the House.' Xena was horrified at her condition."

"Before you ask, this was a show Dad watched while he was growing up on Earth. It was about Xena working for the greater good as she tried to atone for her sins of her past," Lo'ak added.

"That is quite interesting," Ferris commented in much awe.

Lo'ak inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Yes, it is."

Just then, Norm and Maureen came into the marui. Ferris, Dila, Fkeu, Lo'ak, Spider, and Kiri looked at them in surprise. The duo placed their hands on their sides.

"Norm, Maureen, what are you two doing here?" Spider asked, his eyebrows raising.

"We thought you two were tending to Mom," Lo'ak added.

"We had to come to you kids right away. There is something we need to tell you about your mother," Maureen said urgently.

"Is she—" Kiri started.

Norm shook his head. "No, her condition has not worsened. We got the results of her blood test. She has no signs of infection at all. You won't believe what we are about to tell you next."

"What is it?" Lo'ak wondered.

"Tell us now," Kiri demanded firmly.

Maureen crossed her arms. "She's pregnant."

Lo'ak, Spider, and Kiri gasped shockingly, as did Fkeu, Ferris, and Dila. Their jaws fell to the floor as their eyes widen to the size of saucers. They looked at Norm and Maureen more closely. They could see the duo was telling the truth. Norm pressed his lips together. Maureen followed suit with hers.

"I know it is a lot to take in, kids. Your mother is pregnant for the fifth time," Norm said.

"But Grandma said Mom's chances of getting pregnant after Tuk's birth were almost nil. Mom had accepted she was unlikely to have another child," Kiri commented seriously.

"We never forgot what your grandmother said. This revelation is not the only one," Maureen responded.

"What else did you learn?" Lo'ak asked in uncertainty.

"The blood test revealed she is pregnant with twins. She is at least five weeks along," Maureen explained while clasping her hands together.

"Oh, shit," Spider yelled in great shock. He eyed Lo'ak and Kiri, whom appeared about ready to fall over. He rubbed the back of his neck with both hands before suppressing a yawn. "Mom is really lucky her attacker's dagger never touched the area of her abdomen where her womb is."

"Very much so," Dila said, feeling her heart skip a beat.

"We could end up losing not one but three lives," Kiri mumbled, sobs rising in her throat.

"It is a possibility, kids," Norm admitted. "We've done all we can for her. It is up to her from now on."

"You are echoing what Xena said when Democrites begged her to help Gabrielle," Spider pointed out.

"I know," Norm said with a nod. "It's been a horrible day. We lost a patient due to severe injuries. Rishi was killed at Three Brothers. Neytiri was brutally attacked and is fighting for her life."

"How did Dad react to the news of Mom's pregnancy?" Kiri commented, another tear welling up in her eye.

"He was really shocked. He looked about ready to fall over," Maureen responded truthfully.

"I can't imagine why he wouldn't," Ferris murmured and bit her lip. "Mo'at and Tuk will be really shocked at this news."

"I do not even want to think about that right now," Lo'ak said, cringing somewhat.

"Me neither," Kiri added.

"None of us do," Dila said and cleared her throat. She began to talk about being rescued by Metkayina.