Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here is chapter fifty of "Gone in the Dark." This fic has four chapters to go before it reaches its end. I decided to have Payakan and La stick around because I felt they needed to have a bit of a presence in this fic. Stay tuned for chapter fifty-one.
XXXXX
Chapter 50: Any Way Possible
Jake and Lo'ak walked along the beach in the late afternoon. Waves came up around their feet. They retreated out to sea. More came in, going past the duo. They pulled back as more came up, but they did not pass them. Jake and Lo'ak shifted their attention toward the sky. They could see almost all of it was now clouded over. They felt the wind pick up somewhat. Lo'ak put his hands on his hips, his tail going up and down.
"It seems we will be getting rain later," Lo'ak suggested with a soft chuckle. He and his father looked ahead. "I will never forget when it started raining on Tsireya and me at the Cove of the Ancestors. One raindrop hit me in the head. Another hit Tsireya on hers. Then many came down."
"You two headed to that cave and got it on," Jake teased while pressing his fist to the boy's arm.
"Yeah," Lo'ak whispered, feeling his heart skip two beats.
"In Bambi, Bambi was woken up by the sound of rain. A raindrop hit a leaf next to him," Jake said while drawing a circle in the air with his finger. "He became curious and moved his face toward it. One hit his nose. Another came, followed by many. The rain became steady. Animals ran around looking for shelter with the exception of ducks heading out for a swim. Bambi got scared at the thunder and lightning. He was asleep by the time the storm ended."
"We were used to getting lots of rain in the forest. We had to adapt to going for weeks without it after arriving here," Lo'ak pointed out matter-of-factly.
"We had to learn to deal with occasional cyclones hitting the area. You remember the one that blew the some of the covering off our marui two years ago?" Jake asked.
"Oh, I do," Lo'ak admitted. "I was freaked out when pieces of the covering started blowing off. So were the other kids."
"It occurred at Tonowari and Ronal's marui too," Jake added. "In fact, many of the marui lost a portion of their coverings."
"The wind did damage to the trees on the beach. Some were knocked down. Some lost branches. The forest wasn't spared either. Tonowari said it was the worst cyclone that had struck the area in decades. He said we earned the honor of being part of such a strong storm," Lo'ak explained, chuckling to himself. "We found that amazing."
"Thanks to that seawall, we were spared worse damage," Jake commented, crossing his arms. "The 1900 Galveston hurricane killed over six thousand people. The survivors were determined to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The seawall was built, and the city was raised above sea level. It went through its first test in the 1915 Galveston hurricane. It suffered damage, but the loss of life was much lower."
"Hurricane Ike's waves went over the seawall in 2008. The damage would have been way worse if it had not been built at all," Lo'ak added.
"The biggest difference between the seawalls is ours is natural. It was formed after many years of erosion," Jake said.
"It is amazing how erosion can create such beautiful natural structures," Lo'ak whispered in much awe. "It sucks it is so slow, though."
Jake uncrossed his arms and patted his son's back. They heard clicking and glanced toward the water. They spotted Payakan and La spyhopping close to each other. The tulkuns wiggled their front flippers. Two white-spotted dolphins leapt in front of them from opposite directions. They went back into the water. Payakan and La came down to their heads. They opened their mouths and made wiggles of their tongues.
"It has been nice seeing Payakan and La over the last few days, though I wish it was under better circumstances," Jake whispered in a sad voice.
"They stopped those Green Spears from killing all of us in the nick of time," Lo'ak said, a tear falling from his cheek. "Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save Rishi." He choked back a sob. "It is so hard to believe she is not here anymore."
"Even visiting our loved ones in Eywa doesn't make the pain vanish. It just makes it a bit easier to deal with. It usually takes six months to a year to come to terms with a loved one's death," Jake explained softly.
"Seeing Rishi in Eywa made me feel at ease. Tsireya and I even got to play ball with Kaylee there," Lo'ak said, his ears perking up at the sound of Payakan's singing.
Jake put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Let me guess. You got hit by the ball."
"No, it was Rishi who got hit," Lo'ak admitted and stifled a laugh. "It was pretty funny."
"You have been hit by balls at least five times here over the last few days. Running gags usually do not die," Jake replied.
"Tuk has been hit at least twice in the same amount of time. It was annoying for both of us, but it was entertaining for the animals who threw the balls at us," Lo'ak said, giving a shrug.
"A hit to the head often hurts a bit due to its hardness. A hit to the butt usually does not hurt as much due to its softness," Jake said, shuddering.
Lo'ak suppressed a yawn. "My head didn't hurt much at all. Neither did Tuk's."
Payakan and La closed their mouths. They dove underwater, their tails slapping on the surface. They leapt backward from opposite directions. They arched their backs, reentering the water with huge splashes. They returned to the surface, air leaving their blowholes.
"Payakan told me that he and La agreed to head out to sea and alert the pod after it was confirmed a deal had been reached. We should be able to find out when the tulkun celebration can be held not long after that," Lo'ak whispered while rubbing his arm.
"That pod has been waiting for this war to end. We could have still had the tulkun celebration while it was ongoing," Jake commented.
"If we could get them to agree to it, that is," Lo'ak added softly and crossed his arms.
"Believe me. It is not very easy to convince tulkuns to do something, especially if it possibly involves violating their religion," Jake answered as he ran his finger along his ear.
"The tulkuns didn't want to postpone the celebration. Neither did Tonowari and Ronal. I feel both groups did the right thing. It was very dangerous out there," Lo'ak mumbled, shuddering badly.
"You kids were lucky not to get attacked until the trip to see Payakan and La at Three Brothers. I honestly believe Green Spears were watching you and Tsireya playing with the tulkuns. They planned to ambush and kill you whenever you returned. They did not expect you to bring your friends and siblings," Jake explained.
Lo'ak swallowed hard and wiped tears from his eyes. "I do not think I will get that image of Rishi dying in front of me out of my mind for a very long time to come."
"No one blames you for that. The fall of Old Hometree still lingers in my mind. You never forget those major events," Jake murmured, a sniffle leaving his mouth. "I feel like I have changed even more due to this war. I realized the value of working with your enemies to move toward a common goal. In this case, it was doing everything in our power to make sure all patients received medical care."
"Mom has similar feelings about that. She told me she went her own major change when she killed that Green Spear. She never thought she would ever kill a Na'vi in her life. She didn't want to, but she had no choice because he was aiming to kill you. She even referred to the Green Spears who killed Metkayina in a very brutal fashion as savages," Lo'ak said.
Jake winced. "I have never liked that term, but I can understand why it is used sometimes."
Jake and Lo'ak resumed walking. Payakan and La headed underwater, slapping their tails on the surface. They resurfaced in another spot. They rolled on their sides and slapped their flippers on the water. They repeated their action three times before going back underwater.
"I hope Tonowari returns home soon. I am anxious to hear if the clans have reached a deal," Lo'ak said, his body shaking a little bit.
"Everyone is, Lo'ak. Nekx mentioned he had worse wounds than the one I gave him before he left. I was not too surprised to hear that," Jake commented while rubbing his hands together. "I imagine where he got them."
"I do not think I want to know," Lo'ak said, chuckling nervously and touching his temples.
"Me neither," Jake agreed and patted his son's neck. He rubbed it so lightly that it seemed he wasn't even doing that. "We do not need to know every detail about every wound a person has gotten."
Just then, the horn sounded in a loud way. Jake and Lo'ak picked up their pace when they spotted Tonowari guiding Olei above the water. Nekx, Eli, and six Green Spears were close behind him on ilus. So were five Metkayina on theirs. Olei squawked while folding her wings against her body. She settled on the surface. The ilus came to a stop next to her. Their riders disconnected from them and got off. Jake and Lo'ak came to a stop on the shoreline as the group exited the water and stopped before them. Aonung, Riri, Tsireya, and Kiri joined them. Payakan and La surfaced not far from the ilus and skimwing.
"We are so glad you are finally home, Tonowari," Jake said in relief.
"We've been walking on eggshells since you left," Lo'ak added.
"I can't blame any of you for that, Lo'ak," Tonowari responded with a soft chuckle.
"So, what happened?" Aonung asked while shaking his hand.
"We managed to reach a deal," Nekx announced proudly. "The Metkayina and Green Spears agreed to allow members of either clan to pass through their territories without fear of attack."
"If members do not wish to pass through, they must be allowed to return to their territories unharmed. Anyone caught attacking without provocation will receive the punishment of exile from their clan," Tonowari said, eyeing Nekx closely.
"We have also agreed to assist each other in dealing with the human threat. There is a chance the RDA will start turning their attention toward the Green Spears," Nekx commented, his ears going back.
"The war is officially over," Tonowari said firmly. "There is peace between our clans now."
Jake, Lo'ak, Aonung, Riri, Tsireya, and Kiri sighed in great relief. Aonung and Tsireya approached their father to hug him. Tonowari wrapped his arms around his children. All three Metkayina shed happy tears. Jake put his around Lo'ak. He did the same when Kiri came to his side. They emitted happy cries, tears falling from their eyes.
"This is a great day, Dad," Tsireya said, looking up at Tonowari along with Aonung. She sniffled softly. "We thought it would take a long time for a deal to be reached."
"I thought so too," Tonowari said, sighing in a soft manner. "Nekx made it clear to Uzukay and Nessa that he wanted a deal reached as quickly as possible. They agreed to do so."
"Will you be taking Julay home anytime soon?" Riri wondered.
"I will be taking her home very soon," Nekx admitted and touched his ear. "Uzukay and Nessa said they wanted to see her in their marui right when she got home. They were dead serious."
"When our leaders are dead serious, it isn't good at all," Eli commented, cringing a bit.
"That is an understatement," Kiri murmured.
"For sure," Lo'ak agreed.
Happy singing caught the group's attention. Jake, Lo'ak, Kiri, Aonung, Tsireya, Tonowari, Nekx, Eli, the Metkayina, and the Green Spears turned the water. They could see Payakan and La leaping into the air from opposite directions. The tulkuns went back into the water. They did spyhops, more happy singing coming from them.
"Look at Payakan and La having their own little celebration at the official end of the war," Jake said delightfully.
"They have been waiting for so long. Now, they can head out to sea and alert the pod about it," Tsireya whispered, a tear falling down her cheek.
"I never thought I would see tulkuns so close to shore outside of the annual celebration. Payakan and La's sticking around brought a sense of comfort to everyone," Tonowari added.
"Do you think this will ever happen again, Tonowari?" Jake wondered, his eyes showing much curiosity.
"I am not sure," Tonowari admitted and emitted a quiet sigh. "One thing is clear. Payakan and La are heroes for sparing our children from death. Nekx is a hero for declaring the war over and calling for negotiations."
"We need to alert the rest of the Metkayina and Green Spears about the deal," Eli said seriously.
"Of course. Let's go," Tonowari said, motioning with his head. He and the others headed up the beach.