Towards Love

42.treasure

First, Neteyam heard a muffled thud in his ears. Like a loud and continuous whistle. Then there was pain. A throbbing pain throughout his body as if his skin was open all over his body and he was burning from the inside. He tried to open his eyes several times. Only his left eye opened completely, the right only half opened. All around him were flashes of red and orange light and a strong smell of burning. Glowing debris floated in the air like flakes of fire, landing on the ground and crackling. His head was spinning and he felt a strong urge to throw up. He turned onto his side and emptied his stomach, the spasms making him groan in pain. 

Suddenly he remembered. Quaritch pulling out a grenade, Spider, Noxus and himself running outside to get as far away as possible, and the explosion."Spider." Neteyam tried to sit up the best he could and looked around. The smoke was blocking his view, preventing him from seeing clearly around him. He saw a shape moving not far from him but could not tell if it was his friend or not. "Spider?" His voice was broken and his throat hurt but he kept repeating himself until he was answered. "Yes bro... I'm here no need to shout." Relieved, he had a burst of energy and crawled towards his friend. He found him soaked in soot, the side of his head bleeding. He looked as disoriented as Neteyam, but he gave him a semblance of a smile anyway. "You look terrible, bro."

"Yeah, speak for yourself." Spider winced and they helped each other to their feet. Neteyam could barely stand on his legs. "Where's Noxus?" They looked around and the young human spotted an inert Na'vi a little further away. Hobbling over to him, he crouched down and turned him over to discover the hunter. "There she is! She looks badly injured." The young man cursed and reached for his necklace. He had no choice but to call his father.

Lola pov

Lola couldn't wait any longer. She had not left her hut since Neteyam and Spider had gone to look for Ozai. Sylwanin, who sensed her mother's anxiety, stayed close to her to comfort her. "Mommy, why are you not well?" 

"Oh, no honey everything's fine. I just want us to spend some time together."

"You don't look fine." The little girl frowned, unconvinced by her mother's words. Just as Lola was about to give her daughter a more convincing answer, Jake entered the hut like a tornado. Fear was visible in his eyes and he seemed to be searching for words. Something had happened. The young woman grabbed Sylwanin in her arms and stood up, rushing to her father-in-law. "What happened?" He explained to her what his son had told him. Quaritch, the information about where he was holding their child and the explosion. Tears welled up in Lola's eyes. Her son was already missing and now her mate was badly injured. "I have to go get Neteyam." As she was about to leave, Jake put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. "Go to Zeltron and Ionia instead. They're in the mountains looking for Ozai. I'll take care of Neteyam." 

"But he needs me."

"Your son needs you more. Think about how scared he must be all alone in the mountains. He'll need his mother when we find him, he doesn't know our hunters."  Lola knew that her son needed her and that he should be her priority. But she couldn't stop thinking about Neteyam, about the pain his injuries must have caused him, about the fact that if it was very serious and he died out there in the forest, she would never see his big loving eyes on her again. She wanted to be by his side like the last time and watch over him until he got better. "Please let me know if it's really bad. I need to know." He nodded and let Lola go. She got to Kiri's hut and explained the situation. The young healer took Sylwanin in her arms and wished her sister-in-law good luck.

***

Flying on her ikran, Lola scanned the area around the mountains for Zeltron and Ionia. She found it difficult to concentrate, her thoughts constantly going to Neteyam. He had better not die because she would never forgive him. The young woman eventually spotted the two Na'vi flying over the mountains. She called them by the recognisable cries of the Omatikayas. Signalling that they had heard her, the two hunters slowed their pace so that she could catch up with them. She followed them in their hunt, hoping they were on the right track. 

Several minutes passed before they suddenly swooped towards one of the mountains with caves visible from the sky. Lola's heart began to pound hard in her chest. Perhaps they had spotted her son. Landing in front of the entrance to the main cave, Ionia crouched down to look for clues. Zeltron ventured into the darkness for a while before turning back. "Have you got anything?" The young woman, though grateful for their dedication, became impatient. Ionia looked up at her, her lips pursed. "There are footprints, but it's hard to know which caves they might lead to."

"We'll search them all then." Not wanting to split up in case they were attacked, the three of them headed for the main cave. Nothing. It was large, damp and devoid of life, Ozai had never been there. Turning back, they headed for another cave more out of the way than the first. Still nothing. It was certainly smaller in size and might have been perfect for hiding a child, but her son was still not there. Back outside, she couldn't help but call her son. "Ozai!" She hoped to hear even a distant sound that might lead them to him. When she heard nothing, she called again. Ionia then moved to a listening position. Her ears stretched forward. Lola had not heard anything, but the hunter's heightened senses had. "This way. I hear like crying." Zeltron reached out to confirm. "Yes, it's coming from the cave on the left." They hurried to the indicated spot and entered the darkness. Their eyes adjusted and they could distinguish shadows playing on the cold, damp walls. She felt someone grab her arm and understood that it was Zeltron when she heard him whisper next to her hear. "Call for him again." She did so, and just as she spoke her son's name, cries were heard nearby. Without thinking, she started to run and soon arrived at the bottom of the cave, turning on herself she then distinguished a small form curled up on itself, crying loudly. 

She ran to him and immediately took her son in her arms. Ozai was frightened at first, but then, recognising the smell of his mother, snuggled up to her and cried more, this time with relief. Lola noticed that he was tied to the wall with a rope tied to his foot. "Son of a..." She tore off the rope and held her son tighter to her. "It's okay baby, mommy's here. You're fine, everything's fine." She cradled him gently, straightening up and joining Ionia and Zeltron, who smiled at the sight of the mother and her son finally together. 

"Thank you so much for your help. I will forever be grateful for you. Now, we still have to find this bastard."

Author's note
I hope the suspense was not too long :) Don't forget to vote and comment!