Shells | Lo'ak Sully

Part 6 - Missing

I didn't know Lo'ak well, I only knew that he had a short temper and didn't like it when I beat him at something, which helped me in no way whatsoever. In fact, it only made me question whether I should waste my efforts to find him at all.

Nothing was coming to mind anyway, absolutely no ideas came into my head. Instead of thinking logically, I leaped off of the platform and swam to find my ilu, who caught up to me in an instant. I guided her out into the reefs, keeping us afloat so that I could try and get a glimpse of something. I decided I'd go right the way to the edge of the reefs and work my way in, that way no wave would go unswam.

When I got there, dozens of Na'vi were already circling the edges of the reefs, calling Lo'ak's name and scanning both the rocks and the water's depths. A familiar face appeared, Neteyam was out here too, probably thinking in the same way I had done. But, something else caught my attention.

"Why isn't anyone going out past the reef's edge?" I yelled out to him, as the sound of the waves crashing onto the rocks beside me was thundering.

"Not allowed, it's too dark!" He explains, using his hands to better express what he was saying.

But, he couldn't have known that, right?

I supposed it was getting much too late to stop and think about things, seen as if Lo'ak hadn't been seen since morning then he'd been out for a full day already.
So, deciding to ignore Neteyam's instructions, I backed up a few meters before diving towards the reef's edge and jumping out of the water and over it atop my ilu.

Neteyam most likely yelled something sarcastic as I did so, probably warning me that I should listen to him which I pursued to not do.

I understood then why it was deemed as dangerous to be outside of the reef without a light source, as the waves were far bigger and stronger out here and due to the darkness I couldn't tell from which way they were coming from or when they'd hit. Holding on, I swam out straight ahead, hoping to find something useful.

I must've been out there for at least an hour before coming across an item. It looked to me like some sort of cutting tool? But it had a spear attached to it, so I assumed it was a strange gun the Reef People would use underwater. Not only did this piece of evidence prove that Lo'ak was out here, it proved to me that he was nearby and that I was on the right track. I took it with me as I didn't know what exactly was underneath me at the moment - I hadn't exactly had a full de-brief on the creatures that live in the oceans here. With my weapon, I continued ahead for another long while.

I began to call out the boy's name a few times, beginning to realize I was getting much slower and much more exhausted after crossing every wave.

I stumbled across a rock, which I climbed onto in order to get a slightly better view of the sea, even thought it was even darker than before now.

I scanned and scanned, looking for signs of life between the waves. A sound erupted, a loud blowing noise followed by a cry which I knew to be that of a Tulkun's cry. I located it, noticing that it was floating at the ocean's surface. I knew that this wasn't the normal behaviour of one of these creatures, so I reluctantly had to go and see what the situation was.

I held onto it's right fin, which I soon realized had been severed, locating it's big eye and asking it 'what's wrong?' with my hands. Not expecting much, I heard a rather mean crash from the opposite side of it, resembling that of it's other fin hitting the water. Assuming this was the answer, I climbed atop the Tulkun and paced across it's back, finally discovering what it wanted me to find.

"Oh my eywa- Lo'ak!" I whispered to myself, scrambling over, quickly grabbing him and pulling him up onto the Tulkun's back in order to better position him.