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Spider wasn't entirely sure if it was a good idea to jump out right in front of the helicopter to save Jake. It was a spontaneous idea, because the man was trapped and couldn't escape the guns' sights. Utterly helpless.
Spider knew they wouldn't dare shoot him; he'd heard the scientists in the lab talking about how valuable his body was to humanity. Total bullshit, but it worked.
Here he is, running with Jake, covering him from behind, urging him on because he's scared. Spider thinks it's over, but when another volley of machine gun fire from the helicopter, he thinks it will never end. Again and again, bullets rain down on the runners. They've almost reached the sheltered space behind the iron containers when Spider feels a blow to his side. He stumbles, but quickly rises to shield Jake. He tugs on his tail and keeps running, feeling a terrible burning sensation in his right side, but he doesn't pay it much mind; they're not out yet, they're not free, this is no time to feel sorry for himself. Spider barely notices the warmth trickling down his thigh, wetting his loincloth, but he's not ready to pay attention to it now. He and Jake think this is the end, that they won't escape, but the bullets suddenly stop raining down on the iron container, and the helicopter crashes in a deafening explosion. Only then do they see Neytiri running toward them, her skin painted red, her face full of rage and fear, her bow clutched tightly in her hand. Time is running out, they climbing on the woman's ikran and take off into the sky, passing numerous iron structures and a huge wall.
For a long time, neither Jake nor Neytiri paid any attention to Spider. It wasn't until he felt ill, leaning against Jake's chest, that he noticed that Spider's entire right side, all the way down to his feet, was stained red.
"What?" Jake muttered, confused. He tilted Spider slightly to the side and immediately noticed the wound. It went right through him. "I hope it didn't hit any vital organs," flashed through Jake's mind, well he was wrong. The man called out to Neytiri, worried and sharp. She realized something was wrong and tucked her ikran toward the ground.
Spider literally fell off the animal, but Jake caught him and placed him on the rocks near the river. Neytiri watched in horror as the blood trickled into the water.
"How did this happen?" Jake blurted out. He tried with all his might to press on the wound, to stop the bleeding, but it kept flowing, seeping through his fingers. Now Spider looked much paler than he ever had in his entire life. He felt much the same: pale, drawn, and ill, the wound throbbed, not hurting but burning. He tried not to cry, because he was a "tough kid," but he couldn't help it when Jake pressed harder. He sobbed and cried, digging his nails into Jake's arm and trying not to look at Neytiri, who towered over him with a worried expression, as if she had seen a ghost.
Spider was so tired, he didn't want to look at Jake or Neytiri. He didn't want to think about dying without experiencing everything he wanted, because now he could breathe, he had kuru, now that he had everything he wanted, he would have to return to Eywa and give back everything she had given him. He didn't want to think about how much he hadn't felt in this life, how much he hadn't done, how he hadn't yet been truly loved, truly happy, how he hadn't yet grown enough to die.
"Will I die?" Spider asked hoarsely. "Will I die? Will it hurt more than already? Will it be scary?" he continued, trying to see Jake through his tear-stained eyes.
"No, no, what are you saying? We'll patch you up, you'll get some rest and then we'll go back to High Camp. Norm will patch you up. Everything will be fine, son." Jake's eyes filled with tears, because he knew he was lying. He looked up at the movement and saw Neytiri falling next to Spider, reaching out to him with her hands. She was crying, pressing her forehead to his and whispering, "I see you." This made Spider cry even harder, making it even more painful for him to leave.
"I want to go home, dad," Spider whined, grimacing in despair and pain.
"We'll be going home soon, son, but you need to rest for now, you need to sleep, my boy." Jake was crying, seeing either Spider or Neteyam before his eyes. His hands were no longer able to withstand the wound; it was useless, no matter how much he pressed. Blood had already stained his hands and knees, trickling into the water and drifting further downstream.
Spider suddenly turned to Neytiri, as if remembered something. His voice was filled with pain and incredible anguish, as he asked:
"Can I call you mom? Just once, I've never said it before, please." He groaned and whined, trying to stay conscious for a little while longer, and grabbed her hand.
"Yes, son, of course, I will always be that for you," she said, taking his hand in hers and looking at him in a way she never had before: with love.
Spider began to cry, howling like a wounded cornered animal, feeling like he could no longer stay awake.
"Mom," he whined quietly, tightly. His lips were pressed together, his eyes fixed on the sky as his breath went away. And only now, for the only time in his life and the last, were Neytiri and Jake's eyes fixed on him, their love and acceptance enveloping Spider and lulling him into a deep sleep.
They had lost another son, but they gonna bring him home. And they going to mourn him as their own. He's one of the people now. He's with Eywa.