Blood and Water | Neteyam

Falling ∼ 40

Neteyam's world came crashing down around him as Tcelia collapsed into his arms. He instinctively went down on his knees, cradling her close to his chest. Her body felt frail and light in his arms, and he could feel her weight against him. He could hear Lo'ak and Jake's panicked voices as they grabbed onto Tcelia's arms, trying to keep her from slipping away.

He clutched onto Tcelia tightly, as if his grip alone could keep her alive. His mind couldn't process the reality of what was happening as Tcelia's breathing grew ragged, her eyes flickering around, trying to focus on something.

The sound of someone screaming echoed in the background, but he couldn't tell whose voice it was. Maybe it was him. Maybe it was Tuk or Kiri, or Neytiri. It all blended together into a cacophony of noise that drowned out any rational thought. He could only hear her voice echoing in his mind, saying his name over and over again. Teyam, Teyam, Teyam.

For a moment, there was nothing but him and Tcelia as her eyes slowly closed, shutting him out, shutting everything out and leaving him behind. He felt a desperation unlike anything he had ever experienced before, desperately wishing he could follow her.

He wished with all his being that time would stop, to freeze and allow him to stay in this moment forever, where there still might be a chance of saving her. There was a loud ringing sound in his ears as he blinked into existence again, realization crashing down around him.

"No, no, no, no," he murmured, "no, no, no," his voice rose as he pressed a shaking hand over her wound in a feeble attempt at stopping the bleeding. But the blood kept coming, welling up through his fingers, and sending waves of nausea through him. "Help, dad, please!" He called out for his father, his voice raw with emotion, hoping beyond hope that there was something they could do. The world around him blurred as tears filled his eyes, his throat tightening and making it hard to breathe.

"No, no, no," he whispered to himself, gently stroking Tcelia's hair away from her face, accidentally smearing her own blood across her forehead and getting it into her hair. He wasn't even sure if Tcelia was breathing anymore.

"Neteyam, listen to me!" His dad grabbed Neteyam's arm, and Neteyam was ripped out of his frantic haze, blinking rapidly as the tears began to fall. He vaguely noticed Lo'ak on the other side of Jake, looking just as miserable as Neteyam felt. He was staring transfixed down at Tcelia's face, clutching on to one of her hands, shaking his head ever so slightly in denial.

"Neteyam," Jake urged, tearing Neteyam's gaze away from his brother. "The bullet is still in her. Neytiri can take her on her ikran - back to the village - to Norm and Max."

Neteyam's ears were ringing, and his vision was blurred as he stared down at Tcelia's still form. He could feel the weight of her body against him, and the warmth of her skin seemed to seep into his own. He couldn't bear the thought of letting go, of losing her. The deep sense of despair seemed to tear at his insides, shutting out any rational thoughts, and he could barely hear his father's words over the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest. He didn't want to let go of Tcelia, he didn't want to leave her side.

"I can't lose her, dad." Neteyam's voice broke with emotion as he tightened his grip on Tcelia. He barely noticed his mother as she kneeled beside him, her hand resting gently on his back as she looked down at Tcelia with a mixture of concern and sadness. The weight of Tcelia's motionless body against his chest felt heavy and suffocating. He didn't want to be strong, he didn't want to let go. "I can't - I can't let go of her-"

"Listen to me, boy," Jake grabbed Neteyam's shoulder, trying to steady him, "They might be able to save her, but you need to let her go for now, alright? You need to be strong."