Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter forty-seven of "Gone in the Dark." This chapter has a bit of Jake/Neytiri and Aonung/OC. I enjoyed doing the latter in the last chapter so much that I decided to show it in this one. Stay tuned for chapter forty-eight.
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Chapter 47: Finally Resting
Clouds moved through the late evening sky above Awa'atlu at a steady pace. A tetrapteron flew in and landed on the windowsill of the marui Neytiri was in. It looked inside to see Jake wrapping a new bandage around her left shoulder very carefully. She had her eye on the ceiling. She suppressed a yawn. She tried again with another one, but she couldn't help herself.
Neytiri pressed her lips together. She remembered when Jake told her Eli had returned and revealed Uzukay and Nessa were willing to talk with Tonowari beginning tomorrow morning. She felt so much relief. She hoped a deal could be reached quickly. She even prayed her attacker would recover quickly, despite he nearly killed her.
Her thoughts shifted to the rest of her family. She recalled Mo'at coming to see her earlier and informing her Lo'ak, Kiri, Spider, and Tuktiery were sleeping. She was glad they managed to fall asleep. She had no doubt they were nervous about the impending negotiations. She couldn't blame them as she knew things could go south quickly. She hoped that would not be the case. At the same time, she understood it was best to be cautious.
She started thinking about Julay. She hoped the young woman would be given a justifiable punishment for her attempted revolt. She wished she could have been there to see Nekx reprimand her. She would have found it very satisfying to see. She had seen her as a huge heap of trouble from the second her foot stepped onto her clan's shores. She hoped to never see her again for as long as she lived.
Neytiri shook her thoughts out of her head. She looked toward the tetrapteron with raised eye ridges. She observed it moving its wings up and down. She winced somewhat painfully when Jake's pinkie brushed against the bandage as he neared finishing wrapping it. She looked at him as he formed a guilty look on his face.
"I am sorry about that, Neytiri," he apologized.
"It's all right, Jake," she responded in sympathy. "It can be tricky bandaging a wound while a patient is lying down."
"Hmph," Jake mumbled and cringed somewhat. "It really doesn't matter the position of the patient. Pain is pain. You can take all precautions to avoid causing it, but it still happens."
"Like Lo'ak accidentally causing Julay pain," Neytiri whispered with a roll of her eyes.
"Exactly," Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I have a feeling she won't get off lightly for what she did."
"If I ever see her again, I fear I will break her in two," Neytiri mumbled with an irritated growl.
"Nobody blames you for feeling that way," Jake said, sighing to himself. "I admit I wanted to beat her up over what she did."
"Some people might get on our cases over our feelings," Neytiri responded and emitted a huff. "I don't give a shit. The way I feel is my business. It is yours too."
Jake finished wrapping the bandage and tied a knot in it. He took his mate's hand into his. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before placing his against it. He stayed this way for thirty seconds. He pulled away from her.
"The twenty-four hours you were in that coma were the longest of our lives. I even thought time was going to stop," Jake mumbled while giving her hand a gentle squeeze.
"I am sorry you all had to go through that. I had no idea I was being stalked until my attacker stabbed me," Neytiri whispered, pulling her hand out of his and touching his cheek. She felt a tear slide down her cheek. "I should have watched my surroundings better."
"It's not your fault you were attacked. That is all on your attacker," Jake said as he touched her wrist.
"I was so focused on finding Dila. I wondered if she was dead," Neytiri said and snorted. "Thankfully, she was found alive. She was injured, but Ferris didn't care. Ferris was happy her daughter survived."
He rubbed the back of his neck as she took her hand away. "I understand why Dila thought she was going to be blamed for the attack on you."
"It was my decision to go out and find her," Neytiri commented firmly. "Ronal decided to help and gathered a search party for it."
"Splitting up is a good way to cover more ground, but it is important to remain as close as possible when a quick reaction to a situation is needed," Jake explained.
"If those Metkayina weren't nearby, Ronal and I would likely have been killed," Neytiri said, her heart skipping two beats. "I was scared I would never see my family again, especially you."
"I love you so much, Neytiri," Jake said, sniffling.
She touched his hand. "I love you too, Jake."
He pressed a very light kiss to her lips. He wrapped his arms around her carefully. He gave her a light hug. She slipped her arm around his neck, hugging him just as lightly. They broke apart after ten seconds. She touched the breathing tube in a careful manner.
"I will be glad to have this out of my nose," Neytiri said and let out an annoyed groan. "It feels really weird."
"I don't blame you. You are still not out of the woods, so it needs to be there. If you lose consciousness again, you will have oxygen going into your lungs," Jake explained.
"I may not be fond of humanity, but I am grateful for the medical technology they have. It has saved so many lives," Neytiri whispered.
"Keye'txon is doing so much better. He is eating and sitting up. The penicillin should be done going into his system in the next day or so," Jake commented, a small smile crossing his lips.
"If there is one thing I have learned over the course of his war, it's that you may have to work with your enemy to achieve a goal sometimes," Neytiri said, focusing her attention on the ceiling.
"When we first learned about the rivalry between the Metkayina and Green Spears, you developed a slight disdain for the latter. It increased when Nekx attacked us during our fishing trip," Jake pointed out while perking up his ears.
"I was pissed he went after us for no reason other than we were Metkayina," Neytiri growled in some irritation. "I did not like working alongside him in treating patients, but there wasn't really a choice. We needed all the help we could get."
"He became less hostile as time went on. He realized the extent of the war was pointless and put a stop to it," Jake said happily.
Neytiri sighed in relief. "Thank Eywa for that. I have a feeling that negotiations will go well tomorrow morning."
Jake ran his hand over her forehead. "I have the same feeling. We will finally be able to move on from all this."
Jake kissed Neytiri's forehead again. He started talking about Tuktiery finding seashells during her walk with Mo'at.
00000
Nekx stared at the sky as he stood on the beach close to midnight. Waves came up around his feet and retreated out to sea. More came in with some going past him. They went back out. He narrowed his eyes as three small clouds moved over Polyphemus as it hung just above the ocean. Footsteps diverted his attention. He spotted Ronal coming his way.
"Hey, Ronal," he greeted in a low yet firm voice.
"Hello, Nekx," she said, stopping next to him. She leaned against her staff somewhat with a soft sigh. "Can't sleep?"
"No. I am nervous about the negotiations. I have no idea if they will go well," Nekx admitted, chuckling humorlessly.
"Tonowari feels the same way," Ronal responded.
"The Metkayina olo'eytkan is nervous about working out a deal? That's something new," Nekx mumbled in surprise.
"He told me this while the kids were stargazing on our marui's pier. I can't say I blame him or you. It has been a long time in coming," Ronal said honestly.
Nekx huffed. "It should have happened months ago. Unfortunately, many Na'vi on both sides were determined to fight to the death."
"Declaring a war over is probably the hardest thing ever for the People. You are not sure if it should end. For some clans, calling for a truce just means either side needs time to reorganize their war strategies," Ronal said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Under normal circumstances, that is true. In this case, we really want the war to come to a complete end," Nekx said, seriousness lining his voice.
"We have to give peace a chance, no matter how unlikely it seems," Ronal replied calmly yet firmly.
"Who knows if the talks will lead to peace or not?" Nekx wondered, giving a shrug. "We must try."
Ronal nodded in agreement. "Yes, we must."
Nekx and Ronal felt the waves come up around their feet. They watched them go back out to sea. More came in, going past them somewhat. They retreated rather quickly.
"I was once told time is like a river. Disrupting its course would lead to drastic consequences," Nekx said while rubbing his nose. "Most things happen for a reason."
"Neteyam took a fatal shot, so Lo'ak and Spider could dive to safety. He died surrounded by his family and Tsireya," Ronal whispered in sadness. "She was so upset when Aonung, Rotxo, Tonowari, and I reunited with her."
"Reva and Rami's deaths showed me how things can turn south very quickly," Nekx said with a heavy sigh. "I wish they did not die in childbirth, but they did. I had to accept it and move on. The pain of losing your family never really goes away, though."
"Losing two children to miscarriage made me fall into depression. The first time was really bad. The second time was nowhere near that," Ronal said, blinking twice. "It is as if the baby was born and died soon after."
"Reva never had a miscarriage, but her mother suffered three miscarriages before having her," Nekx said and emitted a soft sniffle. "I feel for Na'vi couples who cannot have children of their own."
"A couple can always adopt a child. It would not be any less part of the family. Just because someone is your flesh and blood does not mean they can treat you however they want," Ronal said, anger lining her voice. "I heard stories of parents in a number of clans treating their children horribly."
"I have too. Like human children, Na'vi children will not tell others about being abused. They fear the abuse will get worse if their abusers find out," Nekx commented, shuddering in disgust. "Children should confide in anyone they trust."
"It can be a parent, a friend, a teacher, etc. It can be hard telling someone about abuse, but it can save lives," Ronal murmured and swallowed hard.
"Jake told me he knew kids who were being abused by their parents. He told others about it, but no one believed him because the parents were upstanding members of the community," Nekx said, shaking his head in disbelief. "No one wants to believe someone they know is capable of horrible things."
"A pretty face can hide a cruel heart. It applies to humans and Na'vi equally," Ronal said bluntly.
"So true," Nekx agreed. "I consider what Neytiri's attacker did to her heartless. She was just trying to find Dila for Ferris alongside you and other Metkayina."
"When I overheard her say she'd go look for Dila, I had to get involved myself. I was not about to let her go alone," Ronal said.
"It is good you did," Nekx said in relief. "I believe she would've died if you had not been there to stop her attacker. Even if the Metkayina who stopped him had been nearby, there is no guarantee she would have lived."
Ronal tightened her grip on her staff somewhat. She started talking about when tensions between the clans first started.
00000
Aonung and Riri walked along the beach in the early morning. They looked toward the sky. They could see Polyphemus was higher in the sky. A large cloud moved over the top part slowly. It kept going until covering it entirely. A meteor shot through the sky in the distance. It appeared to be glowing somewhat. She rubbed the back of her neck.
"It is a beautiful night for a walk, especially since we can't sleep," she said warmly.
"How can we sleep when we are nervous about how the impending negotiations may go?" he responded.
"Everyone is nervous about them," Riri whispered.
"Dad said he has…has—what was that expression again?" Aonung wondered confusingly.
"Butterflies in his stomach," Riri said, chuckling to herself.
"That's the one," Aonung said, holding up a finger. "I never thought I'd see him nervous about working out a deal."
"He was nervous when he learned from Jake that you and Tsireya were in danger," Riri pointed out as they turned to each other.
"We were happy to be reunited with him and Mom. The happiness was gone when I learned Neteyam had been killed," Aonung mumbled, sadness showing in his voice. "He was just fifteen. He had many years left to live."
"Neteyam gave his life for Lo'ak and Spider. Rishi did the same for Rotxo. They are both heroes," Riri said, wiping tears from her eyes.
The couple stopped walking to look at the sky. They observed the stars twinkling one at a time.
"Jake said humans would wish on shooting stars on Earth," Riri murmured with a small smile.
"The shooting stars were not that. They were meteors," Aonung pointed out with his ears perked up.
"Many meteors have gone through our atmosphere. On rare occasions, we may see several of them fly past us at a time," Riri said.
"Jake told us dinosaurs were wiped out due to a meteorite striking Earth. It sent dust clouds into the atmosphere and blocked out the sun for a long while. Vegetation withered and died. The herbivore population went down drastically. Then the carnivore population suffered. It did not happen overnight. It happened over thousands of years," Aonung explained.
She emitted a soft exhale. "The blue toruk was even bigger than common one was. It is no longer around. It went extinct thousands of years ago. The forest clans have some of its bones."
"Jake revealed Neytiri showed him a cave with paintings of the blue toruk. He was amazed at how similar the two species looked," Aonung said and chuckled softly. "I want to see those paintings in the future."
"I would too," Riri agreed. "I have no doubt they are amazing."
He put his arm around her shoulder. "Mm-hmm."
She slipped her arms around his waist. She leaned into his embrace and sighed in great content. Their tails moved toward each other until they crossed at the tips.
"We've been dreaming of the war ending for months. Now, it is finally a reality," she said in happiness.
"Of all people, it was Nekx who declared it over," he whispered with amazement.
"That was very brave of him. Julay is being closely watched by warriors on his request. He won't let her cause trouble anymore," Riri said in determination.
"I want to kick her ass for attacking my sister," Aonung growled angrily. "She deserves it."
Riri huffed. "Yes, she does. I think she will be harshly punished for her attempted revolt against us."
Aonung looked upward. "I think so too. Lo'ak said Nekx looked really serious when he said she was in big trouble when everything was settled."
Aonung hugged Riri a little more tightly. They resumed walking as an ilu surfaced not far from the surf.