Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter forty-nine of "Gone in the Dark." This fic has five chapters to go before it reaches its end. Whether or not I will have the tulkun celebration remains to be seen. Stay tuned for chapter fifty.
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Chapter 49: Off and On
Lo'ak held a red ball while standing on the pier outside the Sully mauri in the early afternoon. He had his eye on Itchy, who lifted his head slightly. Itchy opened his mouth and folded his tongue. He emitted a series of clicks and whistles. He closed his mouth before blowing air from his blowhole. Lo'ak turned the ball in his hands. He felt his heart skip a beat or two.
Lo'ak exhaled while drawing his arm back. He tossed the ball very hard. Itchy observed it flying over his head. He dove underwater, his tail slapping on the surface. It landed in the water with a tiny splash. He surfaced underneath it, getting it on his nose. He ducked and tossed it toward him. Lo'ak caught it with a quiet laugh. Itchy tailwalked in place, causing him to laugh.
"Wonderful throw, Itchy. How about another one?" Lo'ak asked as he turned the ball in his hand. He chuckled at the dolphin's nodding. "Okay. Here we go!"
Lo'ak tossed the ball very hard with a loud grunt. Itchy dove underwater and broke the surface. He knocked the ball back to him. Lo'ak held up his hands, only for it to hit him in the head. It landed on the pier and rolled off the edge. It landed in the water. Giggling caught his attention. He turned to see Tuktiery standing in the doorway.
"Another day, another hit to the head for Lo'ak!" Tuktiery teased as she came to her brother's side.
"Very funny, Tuk," Lo'ak retorted with a snort. He shook his finger at her while tilting his head. "You better watch yourself. You will get hit in the head by a ball like you were last time."
"No way," Tuktiery said, shaking her head rapidly.
"Yes way," Lo'ak said, nodding fast.
"Unh-unh," Tuktiery said and blew a raspberry.
"Uh-huh," Lo'ak said with a playful growl.
Without warning, the ball hit Tuktiery in the temple. It fell on the edge of the pier and landed in the water. She looked toward Itchy, who had half his body sticking out of the water and was waving his front flippers. She clenched her teeth while touching her head.
"Hey!" Tuktiery shouted irritatingly.
"Now, that is what I call a big hit!" Lo'ak teased and formed a big smirk on his face.
"You distracted me long enough for Itchy to throw the ball at my head!" Tuktiery griped and poked him in the arm with her finger.
"It was the perfect way to get back at you for teasing me about getting hit in the head again," Lo'ak pointed out with raised eyebrows.
"Oh, shut up," Tuktiery retorted.
He looked up and shook his head. "No, you shut up."
"No, you," Tuktiery said and emitted a loud huff.
"No, you," Lo'ak commented and pinched her cheek.
She grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand off. "No, you."
Without warning, the ball nailed Lo'ak in the forehead. It landed in the water, creating a small splash. He glared at Itchy, who wiggled his flippers while chattering amusingly.
"I can't believe you did that, Itchy!" Lo'ak blurted out while shaking his finger at the dolphin.
"Distracting you was a great way to got back at you for calling me out for teasing you," Tuktiery commented, turning her nose upward and smirking widely.
"Don't hold that nose so high," Lo'ak warned and moved her head downward somewhat. "You will drown if it pours down rain."
"No way," Tuktiery said and looked up again. "I will hold it as high as I want."
"Suit yourself," Lo'ak said and rubbed his nose. "It won't be my fault you drowned because you didn't listen."
Tuktiery stuck her tongue out at her brother, who waved her off. She pulled it back into her mouth as he dove into the water and grabbed the ball. He climbed back on the pier. He got to his feet and turned around to face Itchy. He tossed the ball upward. Itchy caught it on his nose. He ducked his head somewhat. He shot the ball into the air. Lo'ak caught it, a laugh coming from him.
"Nice throw, Itchy," Lo'ak said with a smile.
"Let's do some behaviors," Tuktiery suggested.
He put the ball down. "Okay."
Lo'ak and Tuktiery stuck their hands in the air. They waved as they clicked their tongues. Itchy lifted half his body out of the water and wiggled his front flippers. He let out a series of delighted squeaks.
"Wonderful job, Itchy," Lo'ak shouted happily. "Your waves get better every time."
"How about a pec slap?" Tuktiery suggested.
He laughed. "Okay."
Lo'ak and Tuktiery raised their arms high. Itchy rolled on his side, exposing his flippers. They jerked their arms downward. He slapped his flippers on the water. He dove underwater with a click. He shot into the air a short distance away. He spun in midair before landing on his back. This created two huge splashes. Tuktiery laughed in a happy way.
"Itchy loves doing those leaps," she said.
"He sure does," he responded and picked up the ball. "Let's see him toss this ball back to me."
"Watch out. It might hit you in the head again," Tuktiery warned.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lo'ak said, rolling his eyes. "I know the drill."
Lo'ak narrowed his eyes at Itchy, who had returned to the surface. He tossed the ball very hard. Itchy leapt upward while squealing. He hit it with his nose. It went back toward Lo'ak, who held up his hands. He caught it and let out a delighted laugh.
"The ball didn't hit me this time," Lo'ak said, smiling.
"It still hit you in the head twice," Tuktiery pointed out.
"I know," Lo'ak groaned annoyingly. He put the ball down and seated himself. He placed his feet in the water. "Anyway, I hope negotiations are going well in Kia."
"I do too," Tuktiery agreed and sat beside him. "Who would've thought Nekx would be the one to declare the war over?"
"He had no problem going after any Metkayina he saw several days ago," Lo'ak said and bit his lip. "Now, he wishes the war never started."
"He changed due to seeing the grisly sights of war up close," Tuktiery whispered, sighing softly. "Some people don't change, even when they see it."
"We can't force people to change. It has to come from the inside," Lo'ak said, laying his hand over his heart.
"Yeah," Tuktiery murmured, her tail twitching somewhat. "Both clans lost many members. It will take a long time for things to return to normal."
"There is still the matter of dealing with humanity's expansion on Pandora," Lo'ak said fearfully.
"It is rather interesting our people have had no major battles with them in the last three years," Tuktiery said curiously.
"You would think they would take advantage of us being distracted with the Metkayina/Green Spears war and launch an attack. Something tells me they found Na'vi from both clans trying to kill each other more entertaining," Lo'ak explained.
"Most likely," Tuktiery agreed.
The duo looked toward the horizon. They could see three banshees flying in the distance. They listened to their squawks.
"It is good to know Mom is able to eat," Lo'ak said, happiness radiating in his voice.
"Keye'txon is doing very well too," Tuktiery added. "Dad said he finished his eel broth within a few minutes of his arrival. They chatted about the end of the war."
"I believe Nekx will continue to stay here while Keye'txon recovers," Lo'ak commented.
"It is best to have familiar faces watching over you instead of strangers," Tuktiery said, pressing her lips together.
Lo'ak rubbed the back of his neck with both hands. "Sometimes, that is not possible."
Tuktiery nodded in agreement. "I know. Even strangers can be the friendliest people."
"Dad said humans talked about the dangers of strangers back on Earth a lot when he was a kid. The thing is a child is more likely to be harmed by someone they know than they are by a stranger," Lo'ak said, cringing somewhat.
"That's not to say kids should not avoid strangers. If they suspect something is wrong with the person, they should run away as fast as they can," Tuktiery said, balling her hands into fists. She moved her arms back and forth rapidly.
"Running in a zigzag pattern can make it more difficult for a creep to catch a kid," Lo'ak added.
"We've run into a few creeps in the form of rogue Na'vi in the forest," Tuktiery mumbled, shuddering disgustingly.
"No denying that," Lo'ak agreed. "We escaped them by zigzagging all over the place every time."
"They were really confused by that," Tuktiery admitted, a laugh coming from her.
He cupped his chin in his hand. "Yep. Of course, I am the better zigzagger."
She scoffed. "No, you're not."
Lo'ak grabbed one of his sister's braids and tickled her cheek with it. He spoke gibberish in a loud manner. She swatted his hand aside and slapped him upside the head. They shared a laugh.
"I really do believe we will see a lot of Nekx and Eli after everything is set and done," Tuktiery said.
"Me too. They were very helpful in giving medical care to war patients," Lo'ak commented and licked his lips. "I hope we never see Julay again. She was a total bitch."
"She made my skin crawl," Tuktiery said and made a retching sound.
"I wanted to smack her every time she called me a freak. I learned instigating a fight over name-calling is not worth it," Lo'ak said. He began talking about the day Julay arrived.