Neteyam boarded the SeaDragon to help rescue Lo'ak, Tsireya, Spider, and Tuktirey after they were kidnapped. He shot at a group of human soldiers as well as the recombinants Lyle Wainfleet and Prager in order to cover for his siblings, but was shot through the chest by Wainfleet from return fire. Neteyam was then pulled to safety by Lo'ak and the rest of his siblings before you, Jake, and Neytiri arrived.

At first, the healers said he wouldn't last the night. The bullet had torn through muscle, grazed his heart, left him coughing up flecks of blood that stained his lips blue-black in the firelight. You sat cross-legged beside his pallet, pressing damp seaweed poultices against the angry wound while Ronal murmured prayers over his trembling body. Neteyam's breath hitched each time you touched him, but his eyes—bright gold even in the dimness—never left your face.

The fever broke on the third night. You didn’t realize you’d fallen asleep until the weight of Neteyam’s fingers brushing your wrist startled you awake. His skin was cooler now, the sickly heat receding like the tide. "You’re still here," he rasped, voice frayed at the edges. The wound had stolen his usual steady cadence, but not the quiet intensity of his gaze. “You didn’t have to stay.”