They all fight to get Neteyam to his parents in time; barely succeeding. Kailua doesn't quite realise the severity of her wound until it's too late.

~
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ypdkGuQnq83SSSw5JmJzU?si=bef7e65485ca46e9
Five more minutes, Miss you & Patience
~
Initially, Kailua wanted to say she'd been shot. Purely on the basis that she didn't want to die. The pain wasn't even that bad! And the water always made a bloody injury seem worse than it was... and the water wasn't that red around her. She shook the injury away... there was a bigger problem.

And that was Neteyam had also been shot. She kicked towards his struggling body and looped an arm around his chest. Lo'ak grabbed his left arm while the pink Spider grabbed his right. "Get on!" Kailua used the water to help push them all afloat a bit quicker as they swam to her sister's Ilu (Eywa bless her soul)

Kailua grabbed the side of the saddle, hurriedly explaining everything to Tsireya. "Wait, Kiri and Tuk are still on the ship!" She suddenly shouted. Kailua glanced back, her mind already made up. "Get him to Jake! I'll go back for Kiri and Tuk!" She shouted over the waves. "Be safe?" Kailua grabbed her sister's hand. "Always,"

There was no need to mention she'd been shot. It would only worry her.

She let go of the saddle and immediately began swimming back to the ship, cussing to herself. Her side had begun to burn a little more. Not quite painfully, but a definite uncomfortable burn. Like a muscle strain. So she preserved. It was probably a superficial wound. More often than not, they hurt more than the deeper ones.

Once, when she was younger, Kailua was swimming in the coral. She'd scratched herself badly and cried that it burned and hurt. A few months after that, she stood on a thistleprick shell and pierced her foot. It took seven hours for the pain to set in. So the chances of her wound being fatal by the small pain she currently felt was slim; like she said, superficial.

She climbed up the side of the ship, using the broken metal as a climbing frame. Jesus (a personal favourite word of hers she'd heard from the Sully's) where did she even start? She crouched low to the ground, wincing when her side pulled taut. Nevertheless, she continued scouting for the young Sully children. Kailua wasn't stupid, and neither was Quaritch. He wouldn't kill the girls, not while he still had his sights set on Jake. He'd keep them alive (and mostly safe) until Jake arrived.

Then... well... Kailua had no idea to what extent he'd go to, to torture Toruk Makto, but it wouldn't be at all surprising if he did shoot the girls. She rounded the corner, immediately dropping into a defensive crouch, teeth bared, hissing harshly. Before her stood a small pink person, like Spider. He held his hands up in defence, eyes widening. "Kolan ngati kxu ke!" Kailua stopped hissing. The wording was a bit wrong, but... "You are looking for the Sully children?" He continued. "'eve iu fa 'oratsyìp," Kailua narrowed her eyes. "Ayfo iy 'eko 'ngati," Ah... that would by why. Kailua continued glaring. "Why?" She hissed. Previously, she'd asked Lo'ak to teach her some English words as an extra hobby. She didn't know a lot, and didn't really know the language well enough to speak it, but she mostly understood it. "I didn't agree to hurt kids,"

Hm. She gave the man one sharp nod and made a move back for the edge of the boat. "Nari si," He called. She turned quickly and flashed a brief smile. "Too!"

~

As she swam to the rocks where the others were, including Jake and Neytiri, Kailua was distantly aware of the warm feeling spreading and growing hotter, almost painfully. But at the same time, she felt cold.

So cold.

She suddenly felt very tired and drowsy. She shook her head, a harsh sigh leaving her lips as she focused on the collection of rocks ahead. There was a sudden deep lethargy in her legs, slightly worrying her foggy mind. Usually being in the water at least prevented any passing outs... maybe her injury was worse than she thought. She shook her head hard enough to move some of the braids Ao'nung had done for her into her eyes.

A sudden sharp pain hit her chest. She cried out softly, looking down. Oh. She'd hit the rocks. She clambered up, jolting in shock at the sight. Jake, Neytiri, pink Spider, Lo'ak and her dear sister were all crowded around a very still, very silent, Neteyam.

No.

Oh no.

Ewya please. Not him...

Kailua took a small stumble forward, stuttering in her steps. The rocks around him were wet with a horrible dark red. She sighed near silently to herself. It had all been for nothing. Neteyam had died... The sea gives, and the sea takes. A voice whispered in her mind.

Fuck that. The sea gave Spider, but took Neteyam.
What kind of a person allows a young man to be killed? By people not even of this planet?! A sudden burning dislike of the great mother scorched Kailua's veins as she unblinkingly stared at the dead form of her fast friend. You must choose, young one. The sea has one more to give, and one more to take. Kailua shut her eyes with a grimace, wishing she was deaf and blind.

Nobody should have to hear the heartbroken cries coming from Neytiri... or witness the silent dissociated tears from Jake or Lo'ak. Daring to open her eyes once more, she exhaled shakily and approached the silent and still Toruk Makto. She hesitantly reached out, tapping his elbow. "I-I wanted to warn you, Toruk Makto," She began softly. Neytiri continued wailing loudly behind. "Kiri and Tuk, they're on the ship still. Quaritch has them by the moon pool,"

Jake turned quickly, with such fury in his eyes, Kailua tripped over her tail and hit the ground. She refused to hiss or wince or burst into tears. The pain from her own wound was very much there... along with a sickly feeling of something running down her side. "Where is it?" He growled. "The moon pool?" Kailua opened her mouth but realised: she doesn't actually know where it is. Not to verbally say at least; and she was far too weak to physically show him. "WHERE IS IT?!" Jake shouted. Kailua looked to the pink Spider fearfully. "I'll show you," He said.

They went off, a bloodthirsty Neytiri not too far behind. All that remained on the rock was Tsireya, Kailua, Lo'ak and... Neteyam.

All were silent for too long. Kailua's pain addled brain was taking too long to process everything. She could barely think around the splashing of the waves. "I'm sorry," She mustered, turning her head to face her ex. "I tried. I really did, I tried to protect him... but their bullets were too strong for my wall..." She whispered, feeling guilt all of a sudden. "I shouldn't have made you guys come... it's my fault," Lo'ak whispered back. "No. You were helping your brother... I would have done the same," She argued weakly.

"Lua?" Tsireya's voice broke through. She turned. "Yeah?" Reya seemed to be looking for something. "Are you hurt?" She asked. Kailua saw Lo'ak glance up from his hands with a confused frown. She bit her quivering lip. "Only superficial. No worse than you guys," She said, stupidly believing herself. "Let me stitch that scratch on your leg... it's a mess," Oh Tsireya. Ever the mother. Kailua stood and moved closer... or tried to. Unable to reach her full height, a rush of heat fell from her side. She cupped her side, crying out in pain. "Lua? What's happened? What's hurt?" Kailua looked up for a split second, shutting her eyes immediately. There shouldn't be two Tsireya's. "I um... I think I've been shot,"

The last thing she saw was her sister's panicked face.

~

Kolan ngati kxu ke - I mean you harm not
'eve iu fa 'oratsyìp - Girls are by pool
ayfo iy 'eko 'ngati- They will attack you
Nari si - Be careful.
https://learnnavi.org/navi-vocabulary/