Shells | Lo'ak Sully

Part 12: Uncertain Ends

I started to gasp as i breathed in or out, my vision blurring as all traces of energy were being used within my mind.

What if—

I started to blink uncomfortably, my legs starting to slow down as kicking became much too difficult.

She's okay, she—

The blinking turned into violent stretches of time where my eyes were closed; I couldn't see anything anyway even if I did open my eyes, however I began to become disoriented.

She wasn't moving, she wasn't. moving.

Water started to clog my system, my head sinking lower and lower above the water's surface as my body was unable to keep itself afloat much longer.

But the blood, the— There was so much, I don't—

Within a matter of seconds, I felt myself start to stop moving altogether. Somehow my breathing slowed yet my heart did the opposite, it's heightening beating being all that I was able to hear apart from my own thoughts. I couldn't hear the wind anymore, or the waves. I could feel the cold spread across my face and my shoulders, onto my eyes and my neck. Though my eyes were already closed, they somehow got darker...

Darker...

Deeper...

Down, down, down.

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(POV: Narrator)

"— It's the only way! We can't attack without information, and we have none. We don't know where they went, who saw them, anything. For all we know, she could be dea—"

"Dad! Dad! Lo'ak's opening his eyes!" A small voice cut over her dad's, who was talking to his wife in 'private'. He looked back at Neytiri, knowing she'd want to waste no time with carrying on their conversation with the news of her son's health.

The three of them rushed towards his hut, Jake holding the young Tuk's hand as she pulled him, eventually gathering around the boy as he was indeed beginning to open up his eyes.

This was the first time in three days that they'd seen him move. They weren't sure how long he'd been unconscious for when they found him, however the distant sound of whale-cries put them a little at ease when considering his overall safety while they weren't with him. However, the fact he was alone did scare them.— Because he hadn't been awake to tell them, nobody had any sort of idea where Ni'teya was, however Jake deducted and figured out quite quickly why the two were out at sea in the first place.

One eye appeared, then the other, both of them closing and reopening again a few times before they stayed open and focussed.

He let out a groan, narrowing his eyes and looking around at everyone slowly, individually.

"Dad?" He groaned once again, rubbing his eyes and lifting up his head a little, to which Neytiri aided him by holding the back of it up with her hand.

"Can you hear me, Lo'ak?" Jake asked, holding his son's weak hand.

"Dad?" He said for the second time, having looked at everyone in the room. "Where—" He coughed, unable to finish his sentence. Neytiri lifted him up a bit more so that he was sitting up straight, allowing him to breathe better.
"Where's my—"

He would've been able to finish that sentence if he only knew how to. He suddenly remembered everything. He recalled the blood, it's amount, the wind and sea, her face, her body, lifeless.

His complexion worsened.

"No, no..." He began to look around the room once again, his chest rising and falling at an increasing rate, making everyone rightfully worried.

Both Jake and Neytiri continuously asked him what was the matter, if he was alright and so on, however Lo'ak couldn't hear them properly.

"No, no, no, no—" He moved from his spot, standing himself up and not caring about the fact he had to hold onto his father for support. Instead of waiting to find his balance, he stepped away from the man, stumbling along on his way as Jake chased him.

"Lo'ak! Sit back down, come on! You're not well." He tried, following his son away.

"No, I—" Lo'ak stopped, covering both of his eyes with his hands, his lips starting to shake and his ears starting to twitch.

"What is it? Tell me, Lo'ak." He noticed his son's distress, standing in front of him and lowering himself so that he was levelled with Lo'ak. He placed his hands on his shoulders, not attempting to take his hands away from his face. He then saw a small tear escape. — "I won't get mad. I promise you." He reassured in a whisper, making the boy lower his hands to reveal his truly messed state.

He breathed in and out a few times, not succeeding in calming himself in any way; Not that he wanted to, anyway.

"It's... It's Ni'teya, she—" She chocked on his words, avoiding the man's eyes as he waited patiently for his son's confidence to speak.

He started uncontrollably crying, forming the words through his deepening sobs.

"I think— She, she's dead." He broke down even more, covering his own mouth as he continued to look away through the tears.

Jake simply looked at him. He didn't released nor tighten his grip; He just froze up entirely. Even though the man somehow knew her absence couldn't be a good thing, there's no way he could've predicted his son's words in that moment.  Darkness struck his face and his heart, everything becoming all the more real to him.

...

"Tell me everything."

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