Indigenous
Chapter 1: An introduction... sort of
The old Na'vi sat by the fire and waited for the younger generation to meet up and listen to her. She took a deep breath and smiled as they filed in, calmly taking their seats. She waited for them, silently watching as they played and laughed together. She stood and spread her arms wide, as if to take the whole world into her arms. She waited for silence and began...
"The Na'vi were a secretive people, they did not give their secrets lightly... at one time it was a matter of honour. To tell a secret that wasn't yours was the height of shame... it is just such a secret that both freed and imprisoned our people. Only once a generation may we tell this story... the ultimate secret.
"So long ago... before our grandfather's, grandfather's ancestors... we were not the only people on our world. We shared, with good grace, this home of ours with another race. The Tzi Kaah. They were similar to us, with green skin and red night eyes, but taller and more toned. The first recorded meeting between us was our clan leader and theirs. While we have a rigid connection with the plants above ground, the Tzi Kaah developed sprawling underground homes, with their connection to the rock and the art of crafting from both stone and ore. Thier leader was named Kai'duran, who was tall and slim, his red eyes scared our clan leader, who believed that he meant us harm. He sat by our fire and listened. For two months he did so, his tail twitching. Eventually he stood and aproached our clan leader... silence fell.
'"Hello, my name is Kai'duran, leader of the Tzi kaah. We have heard the mutterings of the stone, telling us of intelligent and noble creatures such as ourselves.' he bowed and smiled, showing needle like teeth 'It is an honour to meet you.' And the clan accepted him as a brother. From then on, we would trade for food. The strange subterranean food was like nectar, while they enjoyed our own sustinance. We would visit them in their halls, hewn from rock with powerful claws. Ahhh... these were good times, prosperous times. Sadly it was not to last... sadly... we could never repay them for what they did for us... and never shall we get the chance.
"My story... the great secret... will start with a young Na'vi hunter named Silvri, who is crouched on a tree branch one night..."
Silvri drew back her bow, aiming carefully down the arrow. She tried her mentor's old technique of feeling the shot and visualising it. She never had the patience for it before, but figured now was as good a time as any. It was at that moment she heard the noise, it was just above her and soft... as only a creature trying to be stealthy can be. She looked up slowly, trying to be silent. She saw glowing blue embers in the night, looking around. They fixed on her own in the pitch blackness, one closed momentarily and they continued their vigil, she couldn't think of any creature of her world which had those eyes. She looked up again, the area was dark... she was alone.
"Evening." Came a voice on her left, almost knocking her from the branch "Oh... sorry, hang on... I see you... that's it." The creature laughed nervously "My name's Nata 'ir."
"I see you." I wish... "I am Silvri... where are you?"
"On your left... see?" she felt a rough, calloused hand on her arm. She stiffened automatically, he let out a breath.
"Sorry... stonehands, my mother used to call them." the touch was removed and he fell silent, unsure what to do. She looked to her left, seeing the eyes, cyan now that they were close to her, and the vague outline of a shape, she thought it must be nice to see so well without light. "If you don't mind my saying... The Shadowed Forest is not the place your people usually can be found. Not that I'm ungrateful for the company, mind..."
"Above ground is not normally the place to find one of your people either." Countered Silvri, heatedly. The glow from the eyes vanished as he turned away she heard him emit a strange noise before saying something Tzi Kaan.
"Annima kel durkl... bekkh dun maddok." You were not to know... I will forgive you.
"I'm sorry?" she asked, worried she had offended him.
"Never mind...Would you like me to escort you back to your... Home... tree?" Then you could see me properly." he laughed, it was a rough sound with a rasping edge to it... Silvri hated it upon hearing it. But she smiled and looked him in the eyes.
"Yes, I would like that." she smiled and hopped lithely from the tree, he followed making a huge thump as he landed. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"Bones of rock." he shrugged and began to run. He wasn't fast and Silvri took an early lead, but when she was flagging with tiredness he was plodding on at the same pace as before without a sign of excersion, Silvri rolled her eyes and kept pushing herself. Eventually they entered the luminescent part of the forest and she could see her companion clearly. he was tall and his ears long, evidently Tzi kaah. But his skin was grey rather than green, his brown markings black. His eyes were that curious cyan, not deep vermillion red. He was tall, even for Tzi kaah, standing at nearly thirteen feet, he was also more skinny than toned. His feet were bare, showing the perculiar foot thumbs and his hands had the double thumb that the Tzi kaah were famous for, one on each side of the hand.
"We are almost at Hometree, would you like to stay before going back to your home?" she asked, more for the sake of politeness than actual caring.
"I wouldn't want to be a burden..." he said hastily, giving Silvri the wrong idea.
"So my company means that little to you?" she huffed, preparing to go into a sulk.
"Nana'ei! Nana'ei..." No! no... "I'm just... different..." he dropped his eyes and scanned the floor "If you would like me to join you I shall." he said, more formal than he had been in the forest.
"Come, come! Eat with us, we haven't seen a Tzi kaah in a while." and he followed her towards the fire, frowning slightly. He hoped to slip away in the early morning... perhaps he could hide his shame until then.
Please R&R, first Avatar fic and the idea's just been knocking around in there since I saw the film. Taking guesses on what his "Shame" is... not what you think. There really is no clue in there so unless you're SERIOUSLY lucky I doubt you will.
Disclaimer: The Na'vi, Pandora and the inspiration behind the story belong to James Cameron. The Shadowed Forest, the Tzi kaah and the story itself belong to me.