Pandora Rules: Part I

by The Big Blue Jacket

No one is left to protect him. No oxygen, no people, just an entire planet bent on ripping his body limb from limb. Whatever happens, he's gotta fend for himself and try to survive, to play by the rules. Pandora rules. (Updates released as of 12/2/18 ; PART II COMING OUT 3/1/19!)

Flung into a new world, no home, nothing. No one knows that I'm alive or even here, I think. No one has come back for me or anything. No one to keep me from dying. No one. No one…

I began to tie my leaves together into a shoddy roof that would make even a hobo feel sorry for. 'Saltarus. I should have known' I thought. They were the worst to use for a sturdy roof, but it was already raining and my face was getting drenched. I didn't need to be muddy and shelterless. I never asked for anything, but it was given as an incentive apparently. Good thing I was a Boy Scout back on Earth, lest I be a rotting carcass to some weird abnormal animal that crawled the surface of Pandora. Who knows what's even out there, and frankly I don't want to, and hopefully never will. It was evening on the alien moon, and was nightfall approaching like a wolf in sheep's clothing. My flimsy hut was almost done if not for a few more mammoth sized leaves from the illuminated oasis of a jungle that I was stranded in. By myself. And no one more, or less. None.

I silently cursed when I saw that my stick pile was nearly done for and I was required to retrieve more. So far my "home" consisted with that of a 5 ½ by 7 ft. area in the middle with a thatched roof of leaves and anything relating to pine straw. The walls were made of thick sticks stuck into mud and secured firmly by heavy rocks. The tops of each were carved into "v" shapes in order for the roof to be properly secured in place. It was nearly 6 feet in height, and the handy work was done quickly derived from how it had taken me roughly 2 hours to make. The back wall was secured on the back of a grand tree that bore a gigantic width, which I presumed to be a good thing. The roots seemed to be locked within the soil or dirt and as stationary as the Great Wall of China. I was finishing up my entrance when I ran out of sticks. I knew I couldn't make a door with hinges or anything close to it, so I decided to go with a drawbridge sort of entry/exit. My hands had become scratched and muddy with dirt plastered underneath my fingernails. Hastily, I ventured out a small ways to collect more branches or anything I could scavenge within the vicinity of my new house and found a few scraps of metal. Curiously, I observed the trinkets, identifying all kinds of ridges and tears along the borders.

"The Na'vi here really were ticked off if they could make this kind of destruction…" I whispered quietly while twiddling one of the larger chunks in my left hand. They seemed to have come from one of the battle mechs that rampaged throughout the landscape, with the structure of the metal being curved to an angle of defense. I placed six or seven scraps in my jean pockets and waddled back over to my shelter, cautiously avoiding any movement that would cause the inside of the pockets to rip. Not long after I arrived, and used which parts I could piece together for wall support and suck them in with wet mud to harden the walls and increase my barrier protection.

I backed up to admire my work in full view. "7/10 I'd say, possibly livable." I said to myself. My scrunched up limbs stretched out as I cracked and adjusted my body from such a cramped squatting position. Before I had begun my shelter I had gotten some food and stored it in a few plastic boxes I could get from the wreckage of a Scorpion heli not to far away, along with a few pocket knives. Suddenly, I heard a low cackle from one of smaller, but still lethal, predators of the moon. I quickly got my makeshift door and barricaded my hut from the outside with a hunk of metal acting as a lock. It was, from what I could guess, around 10:00, so I took a long strand of cloth I had taken and made a floor out of it and dozed off to sleep. Many things had already happened, yet I could feel from the blood coursing through my human veins that it was only a fraction of what to come. And if I wanted to stay alive, I would have to play by the rules. Pandora rules.

WELCOME TO PANDORA, POPULATION: UNKNOWN

I awoke with a jolt of pain in my lower calf, where I had scraped it on the hunk of metal by the door in my sleep. Sighing as I ripped a piece of my t-shirt off, I carefully tied an excuse for a bandage over my currently scabbing-over wound. I undid my door lock and stepped outside for a shower of golden sun beaming down on my white, humane skin. It took me a minute to get my bearings after such a beautiful morning, and I set my priorities. 'Okay, so where was I… Oh yeah, I was going to try and get some new clothes from Hell's Gate, and try not to die from anything…' I thought. I backtracked from where I had originally fled from and held one pocket knife in each hand at the ready for anything. My mask was on tight, I had braided my growing hair over the straps so that it would act as a sort of holder to the buckles. An hour later I arrived at some of the gates of the fortress, remembering how it had formerly looked before the showdown that had taken place. The place was in a wreck, and even though I was never a driver of some avatar, I could see where some had previously been through with footprints that seemed to be dry.

I looked onward and stepped forward through the bashed fences. The farming/gardening areas were a wreck, and the former driver stations were in shambles. To think that I had been dragged here to live for years was unthinkable. How could anyone possibly stand this? I had heard of a group of human drivers leading the revolt of the Na'vi, but I never thought they would wreak havoc on this place too like they did…

"This is insane…" I muttered. There was no way that I could possibly fight off or survive an encounter with the natives, more or less anything else that walks or flies. I crept along the empty asphalt roads in a crouched and slow movement, careful to make any sudden movements in any point of time. Slowly but surely I made my way on down through the deserted streets, with surprisingly nothing springing up and out into view. For all I knew, I could be watched from afar, judged on my every reflex, but I was sure it was paranoia skulking into my cranium. I knew the fortress inside and out, every curve and spot (that is if those spots weren't in pieces on the floor). I made it to one of the hangars, finding it almost reassuring that these things were empty and barren. It would be peaceful if not for the fact I was one of the only humans left on the dern planet. I got inside one of the neatest looking heli's that was still somewhat intact, although part of the rutters where missing and the entire cockpit was riddle with bullet holes. It could be possible that that person Jake Sully came through here. I shivered at the thought. If I were to run into him, it would instantly be a game over for me. I shook my head to get my grip once more and pushed on. Luckily there was a Desert Eagle not too far from here, so incase the time that I would have to defend myself I would have a better time fighting off a creature.

I slid the pocket knife in my right hand into my mouth and slid open the chopper door. Inside were two massive machine guns, a few boxes of which were barely readable, and a flying kit including gloves, the microphone headset, and more. In the backside of the heli were two rows seats for sitting or deploying soldiers, a few lone ammo boxes that most likely won't be used, and other items that weren't of much importance at the time. I picked up the flight gloves and slipped them on, I could tell they were fresh but someone else was planning to wear them. However as I was rummaging around, I found a large satchel underneath a seat. I smiled gleefully at my fortune and slipped the brown leather strap over my head. I took a few .357 ammo boxes, some bandages, and an extra exo pack mask just incase my current one broke. I sheathed the pocket knives and stored each on my side pocket with the little clips attached to the outside of my lining. I deduced that I could now carry the "Desert Eagle" (it was used similarly and had a striking resemblance although a newer model) anyway, so I trot over to the pistol and attached the holster to my side and drew the gun out. It had obviously been used before a small amount of times, but was very reliable. It has a small modification of a sight and a small attachment on the bottom of the barrel, which made the holster seem a bit odd at first. I took aim at nothing just to see how it would work, because of which prior I had never used anything besides a Magnum or some kind of pump-action shotgun, which are very different. Honestly I wanted to use the beauty soon, but I hoped it wouldn't be in any incredibly dire situation.

I went around the next few areas, taking this and that, and eventually made my way to the room where they would assign avatars or have them in tubes. Of all the rooms he had seen so far, this one seemed to be the least damaged, and some of tech was still functional. Although all of the avatars and drivers were gone or destroyed, it was still fun to look at. There were notes and papers along with clipboards scattered all across the room. However many times I looked though, there still wouldn't be anyone there. Along the walls of the circular room, not counting the hallways, were wide pods that were used to connect or bond with the driver's avatar of which people would use for research or a new life. I knew though that even if I were to switch bodies and talk or act like a Na'vi that I would always be the same person in the end no matter how hard I wanted it. While I was admiring all kinds of trinkets, something else caught my eye, something that was very confusing. One of the control panels had a blinking holographic button that wanted to be pressed, although there was nothing that it was linked to, so why would it be blinking? This by itself stumped me, so I went on and pushed the button. From one of the control panels a new screen popped up, although this one was a bit staticy from some collateral damage it had previously taken. Text came into view in front of my face that read:

POD PREPARATIONS: CLEAR

SEPARATION OF POD: CLEAR

RELEASED POD OPTIMIZATION: CLEAR
LINK SYSTEM: 100%

CONNECTION: SECURE
LINK PREPARATIONS: CLEAR
DRIVER PREPARATIONS: CLEAR
DRIVER BOOTH: READY

OPTIMIZED DRIVER: STAND BY

I stared blankly at the screen with a mass amount of confusion welling in my mind. 'Optimized driver? What in the heck could that mean? There are no more avatars, nor drivers to use them, so why would this be up, and how? I gotta get a closer look…' I questioned myself as I swiped a few times to pull up a "HELP" manual on the uses. I scanned over the articles multiple times, checking over time after time, unable to find what my curiosity hungers for. After searching for a good five minutes, I finally found a sort of document detailing on the functions of the services and how to use. The entire service must have been a very complex tool to operate if it took that much time to find just one simple thing in such a vast sea of information. I read the instructions intently, my eyes keying in every single digital word that popped up. From what I read after I finished, was that the last system was ready for one of the avatars that was about to be uploaded into the RDA drivers and Na'vi. But something else irked me, which was the fact that the pods wouldn't work if there was no avatar to link with in the first place, raising the question of how does the pod work, and why?

I looked around the room for some kind of hint as to the rogue pod, but nothing could be found except for the one singular connection unit that was supposedly working at the moment. I opened the pod, secretly intrigued to find out what it's like on the inside since I had never actually been inside one before. I poked the gelatin-like substance on the bottom where we were supposed to lay, childishly amused when it slowly sank back up into the banks. I stepped inside of the machine, wondering what would happen if I did like I had seen once before like the other drivers. I debated which buttons to hit during the process, all of them were on a small keypad not too far away from me, so I just hit a random one. I wasn't exactly sure if it was the right one, but when the top began to retract down onto me, I knew that was the correct one. Or, at least thought it was. As the top finally clamped shut around me and the net resembling appearance on the top of the machine was pressed right into my eyes, almost too close for comfort. The bed slid inside the wall once more, and I felt myself drift off to sleep in the soft and smooth lining. Before I drifted off to sleep I could hear the buzz and clicks around the vessel, preparing my body to entire into another non-existent avatar. Faintly in the background were a few unsettling beeps from the control panel, but I ignored it and continued to get comfortable.

Suddenly a sharp ring pierced the quiet serenity of the bed and the entire machine ejected back out and popped back open. This startled me of course, and the control panel had a few new issue panels springing onto the screens surrounding them. I quickly got back out and headed to the panels. From what I could tell, there was no avatar plugged into the other side for me to be a driver for, so I was a fool to think I could have that kind of luxury. All the other remaining tubes had been taken back eight days ago along with the rest of my kind. So lucky me, I was kicked off the ship and stranded. One notification seemed to stand out like a sore thumb, and from my small amount of knowledge on these contraptions I could tell it didn't have anything to do with one of the pods, or my tinkering of the beds. No, it was a link to a security camera. Only two were still functional, if not able to make out a hazy and scratchy picture. It peaked my interest, so I opened the window. A screen slid into viewing area, showing a smudged but still functional view of where I had come in, and blackened outlines searching for something across the hangar. I attempted to zoom in as my face scrunched up to find out who or what just entered in behind me. A few seconds later I heard tapping similar to that of footsteps or paws padding down the exact same hallway I came through. I drew my pistol from it's holster, trying not to make any sound and backed up around the control desk for cover. I had seen enough movies to know that when in uncharted or unknown territory to find a safe place to make a stalemate in proportions of fighting. I withdrew a pocket knife in my left hand and gripped the gun tightly in the right. As the sounds go closer to my location I gripped my weapons tighter and a bead of sweat trickled down my head. I tensed up when I looked over the counter to deduce what had followed me in. 'Viperwolves.' I thought. The alien hounds came crawling inside the room sniffing around to find their newest possible prey, although they would have to work a bit harder to catch this meal. I took aim at the first three that entered the area, and proceeded not to make a sound as to alert them of my presence. I took a gulp of courage, praying that I would survive something that I most likely wouldn't. It wasn't before long that one of the hellhounds spotted me looking over the edge of a panel, and it reared back on its haunches in a defensive position. 'Well now it's either fight or flight' I planned as the next two identified me and hissed back onto their forelegs.

The beasts had six legs in total, and were so deadly hardly any soldiers that ventured out by themselves survived on their own. The beasts began to crawl toward me as I readjusted my grip on the buck knife and backed up a bit. Studied by my every move and muscle contraction, I made sure that the viperwolves were far enough so that I could have a possible chance of running if they gave a sign of attack. I wasn't looking where I was going and I accidentally stepped on a piece of metal that slipped from my boot to the wall, and the viperwolves took it as a sign of assault on them. 'Crap!' I scolded myself with blood roaring in my ears as I hastily put my legs into motion and booked it on down the corridor behind me. I was somewhat muddy and beginning to sweat, but those weren't of importance at the moment. The viperwolves took after me with no hesitation whatsoever and thus a chase ensued. I sprinted with all my might and thoughts rushed in and out of my head with panic attempting to sweep through my remaining options. The wolves were beginning to cover some distance and fast, so I aimed my desert eagle and shot the low bearing bar of a large shelf lined on the wall. The bullet pierced straight through the bar to my success, and the whole shelf collapsed under the weight of itself onto the viperwolf in front of the others, trapping it under the rubble. The remaining two jumped over their fallen comrade with ease and continued running after me. I saw an opening in the roof of the hallway that had been ripped open, and I could possibly be able to get up and through the gap if I could step on something and climb up. Luckily there was a table not to far from it, but moving it would cost me time. I overturned the table as fast as I could, hoping to buy some time. More sweat trickled down my face as I realized it was only a minimal obstacle and the crazed beasts would continue to pursue their prey, me. I stopped and tossed together a small pile of things on the ground, then getting on top and jumped as high as I humanly could. I barely managed to reach the top of the roof, and tried to pull myself up with all my might. The remaining viperwolves were about nine meters away, and shrinking. I heaved up my legs at the last second before one of the wolves bounced off their hind legs and lunged for my juicy (not so meaty) right leg but missed by mere inches. The second wolf began to jump up through the crack after me, but I shot it's paws before it could get a good grip. It fell with a helpless whimper and I heard it smack against the metal floor with a large thud. The final viperwolf jumped up from the top of their friend, and cleared the gap. It reared back in an observation-sort of stance and eyes me up and down. It screeched at me, allowing it's neck flaps to flare up intimidatingly. I bit my lip in regret. I was about to fight a viperwolf in hand to hand combat! What was I thinking? I cracked my neck to seem intimidating back to the animal, but it didn't know what I was doing apparently. The animal scoured me for openings to attack and weak points to take me down easier, as I did the same. The remaining predator seemed to have relied on these gill-like slits on their necks to breath, similar to that of a fish. Since there was such a miniscule amount of air on this planet, the species had adapted to filter in those small packets similar to my mask, and the middle set of legs were used for central balance and grip. The front paws were bearing sharp and beaming pitch black claws, probably used for ripping down opponents or digging into the ground due to the curved shapes. The viperwolf screeched once more before commencing the battle by full force lunging at my face, fangs shining in the light, ready to rip open my innards. Thinking fast, I bent backward and carefully grabbed the middle set of legs and stabbed the beast in the left flank before kicking it off me. It landed on the ground awkwardly but hastily recovered from the blow. They started to wobble around and stumble after getting back up, still a bit stunned from my hit.

"Like that? Let's dance Romeo, come on!" I shouted. It hissed it response. I knew that the creature didn't know what I was saying, but it got my message. Once more it jumped to try and bite my leg and I retaliated back by sweeping around the right and hitting it's other side. The creature howled in pain, blood beginning to trickle out. I inched toward the wolf slow and steadily, trying to be as precise as possible. With an amazing boost of speed, it slashed at my chest and landed the cut on my left arm as I tried to block the strike. I cursed as I struggled to keep my guard up and defend against the oncoming storm of bashings. I was heavily bruised and cut badly, the gash on my arm coating my sleeve in blood. I gritted my teeth together in sever pain. My body became heavy and vision blurry. I did a quick draw with my gun and shot two shots in anger at the beast, with only one landing on the it's massive body. I let out a helpless yelp of agony as it stumbled once more due to the bullet lodged in it's spleen. The viperwolf began to back away in retreat, knowing that this fight could only lead to it's death or severe wounding like I had taken. It turned around and hissed at me one more time, before running off and back into the corridor the chase had taken place in. I let a small grin slip onto my face in accomplishment of the brawl. I tried to slow my extensive panting and took out a few bandages that I had packed in my bag. Wincing at the pressure applied, I mopped up the rest of my arm and carefully wrapped the white sheets on my appendage. Relief washed over my body like a tsunami as the pain slightly retracted, although the rest of my scoured bruises still remained. I hopped down back inside of the hallway, glad to see that the viperwolves all escaped with the help of each other and I headed on my way once I put away my weapons. After a long extent of time and looking and rummaging through storages later, I stumbled upon the living areas of the troops. My luck had seemed to change right about then in my mind as I searched for more supplies or new clothing items. Around sixteen rooms later, I had found many different sets of leftover clothes, mostly military uniforms and a few casual shirts and pants. I gathered anything that had appeared to be in my size, making sure it was for men and not from women, since I was a guy of course. I picked up a large amount of resources too, around four changes of clothes, three packs of water purification tablets, a second pair of gloves, a lighter, flashlight, blanket, and more. Overall I was pretty satisfied with my salvaged finds from the area. I continued to check through the living quarters, but then I arrived upon a section that stood out to me, and as I slid the door open I saw that there were some note logs and journals scoured throughout the room, along with a video camera hooked up to a computer. 'Who would document their time here? I heard that lots of people would make logs, but they would have separate cameras than this. So why would someone be using this kind of camera? A new type of video log or something?' I wondered. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I boot up the laptop and allowed the pixels to illuminate the screen. The first window to take up the screen was a video from the camera. I clicked on the full screen button and started the log. The first thing to come up was a man in a wheelchair, one of which I had heard about when I was first shipped down to Pandora. The video started with a crippled man in a wheelchair and two other men looking at a Na'vi pod. The avatar inside was most likely for the crippled man due to their similar looks, and another soon-to-be driver stood close by along with a scientist explaining what the avatars are and how they work. I squinted closer to get a good look of the researcher but couldn't make out the name. The man in the wheelchair spoke into the camera first.

"The idea is every driver is matched to his own avatar so their nervous systems are in tune. Or something. Which is why they offered me this gig, because I can link with Tommy's avatar, which was insanely expensive." He said. The name "Tommy" caught me off guard. I paused the video for a moment before the crippled man spoke again. 'Tommy…? Where have I heard that before, was it from the training, or… wait a minute…' I debated when reality struck me. I stared at the screen in shock. 'Tommy was my friend from 6 years ago, when we were still in training camp to be drivers but he was killed back on Earth!' I exclaimed in my head with reality clashing against my memories. I resumed the video so I could answer the massive amount of questions piling up in my mind. I had deduced that the crippled man had to be Tommy's brother and was taking his place as result of Tommy's death. I was still locked inside of the jail at the point that this was take place because of the date on the top right corner, and I didn't have much knowledge of anything going on outside except that the Na'vi were going and revolting against the humans, before sending us all back. Unfortunately for them, they missed one. Tommy's brother turned around to the other men behind him. "Is this right? I just say whatever in these videologs?" He asked. The second driver spoke up in response.

"Yeah. You just need to get in the habit of documenting everything- what you see, what you feel- it's all part of the science. Good science starts with good observation." They explained. Tommy's sibling nodded back and faced the camera once more.

"Right. So, whatever. Here I am. Doing science." He studied the area around him before speaking again. "Never been in a lab before." The scientist lowers over his shoulder to talk to him.

"Log off. It's time to meet your boss for the next five years." He concluded and the video ended with Tommy's brother shutting off the camera and ending the first log. I sat there with half understanding and half confusion at the new information I had just found. I stopped there and looked around the room once more when I got up from the swivel chair I was sitting down in. I was standing in the crippled man's room, Tommy's brother. Unlike the rest of the dorms I thoroughly took my time to examine my environment. I spent at least half an hour in his room and the rest of the day for the entirety of the living quarters, but it there were still a multitude of areas to explore in Hell's Gate. There was no way that I could explore the entire thing in one day, so I ventured back out into the wilderness of the alien planet. By the time I got back "home" it was nearing nightfall. I placed all my findings inside along with my pocket knives and took another look at my hut. I decided that the rest of my night would be dedicated to renovating my hut and strengthening the walls incase something bad happened. four hours later I finished up, and the walls were finally finished completely. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and washed of my hands at a basin of water not too far off. I ate two granola bars and a banana for dinner that night, and used the blanket while I slept. So far everything was going good for me on Pandora. I had been lucky enough to make my shack away from any carnivorous plants or animal nests, and a week ago I scoped out the area. The closest animals to my settlement were just a few direhorse nests, which wouldn't be a problem to manage with. I laid my head down, exhausted from the exhilarating day I had just experienced. I shook the cover over myself once more and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning was one of the hardest I had ever had in my life so far. My eyes cracked open from the dawn's humidity making me rub them with a groan. Everything hurt or had an ache or was bruised badly from my skirmish the day before. I heaved my body up to stretch out my tired limbs, only to be greeted by pain and bone pops. Chugging a bottle of water as I went, I left my small camp to once more have the magnificence of Pandora rain back into my mind. As I moved out the doorway, there stood in front of me a 4 meter tall goliath of a direhorse and it's pack not too far away. I watched it's movements from the side of my hut, praying to heaven that it wouldn't charge through my work. It sat in the same spot for around ten minutes, while I studied it all the while. After then it saw me, and eyed me up and down as well. I crawled forward a little bit, restraining and sudden moves to keep it from being startled or feeling threatened. The direhorse was similar to the viperwolves from how they both had tiny slits in their necks like gills and lanky antenni, although these were neutral connectors that the Na'vi used to train some of their direhorses. This one was slightly smaller than the rest and was straying behind a bit from all the others just to eat a few of the alien plants, but didn't seem to mind. The closer and closer I got, the more unsure and agitated the animal got. "It's alright… I ain't gonna hurt you, I promise…" I said to the creature in my softest voice I had. Needless to say it couldn't understand me, but the soothing attitude in my speech began to calm it down. Most of the flora and native creatures on Pandora didn't exactly care humans so much on their moon, possibly since we had began to use their resources so quick and we were an invasive species, so this animal's response to me was quite surprising, although I didn't show it through my expression. Ever so gently, my movements got calmer with each step, along with the direhorse. "That's it, there we go, nothing to fear." I soothed. The closer I got the easier it became to make out the details on the animals body. From some of the markings I presumed it wasn't as young as an adolescent, but not yet an elder of the pack. The steady gaze resided on me the entire time I inched forward but with a hint of relaxation. I stuck my left hand out for the final test. The direhorse backed up at the action, uncertainty clouding their' eyes. At this time we were about two feet away from each other, so now or never. I held my breath and closed my eyes as I pushed my arm forward. I had expected the worst, but what happened was very different to what I thought would take place. They actually allowed me to touch them! A smile spread across my face as I started to rub the direhorse's face. They snorted with satisfaction, I could tell that it was a really tough choice for them to decide whether they should allow some human to touch them. The direhorse began to lay down right there and calm it's nerves as I softly pat their' back. They looked at their herd that was beginning to get a bit too far away and bid me adieu. "Looks like there are a few things in this place that are okay with humans." I said to myself. Being the only human left on the moon was beginning to get lonely anyway.

Two days later...

Today I spent all of my time getting more resources and food, plus warding off more predators from my territory. I quickly learned that the viperwolves were very common around my area and were starting to be pests. Deadly pests, at that. It was about 1:32 in the afternoon, the sun stood glistening high in the sky and showering golden rays of light down through the gaps of such a cloudy day. I had my raincoat that I found a few days back on incase the skys wished to start pouring down on the surface. I had made many trips back to Hell's Gate to get much of my supplies back like how I used to live, but that was when I had other people around me helping. Ever since then, I had been relentlessly trying to get a radio signal from the outer ports of a possible straggler ship that decided to stay behind. I mean, the RDA was a hard-headed bunch, so they most likely wouldn't forget about this. When I had thought about that, it gave me hope for the next four days. I rushed and rampaged through any possible broadcasting system that had been once available to use, and each time they would have been deactivated or busted. On day five I had returned to reality and realize that no one was going to come for me, one of the first people to not support the efforts the RDA were pushing so hard to be put into motion. Not those fresh recruits, but me. But instead of being backed up by someone, I was shut down on the spot. Hurt. Scoffed and laughed at. Disgraced. The boys even had me throw into the jail for something I didn't do. Those jerks got what was theirs though, so why am I still stuck by myself, and what did I do wrong? Whatever it was, I had already cast aside to the outreaches of my mind, deciding that my priorities were to find a way to survive as long as possible. My rations were starting to get low, and in my present situation I needed to begin hunting for food. I took out a book that I had found a few days ago from my pack. It had detailed a large amount of animals and flora with their abilities and specialities, along with whether they were edible or not. One animal interested me, and that was the Hexapede. It was an antelope-like species, and had a majestic neck fan or mane that had a beautiful design. The Na'vi would hunt some of these for food, normally only killing if it was necessary. I put the book back into my bag and switched into one of the army outfits I had, which was more camouflaged than jeans and a (ripped from the viperwolf attack) blue t-shirt. I still had my extra exo-pack close at hand incase anything happened, although I was sure it wouldn't come off anytime soon. I slathered on some mud on my arms to cover myself from my prey, leaving my face out from the mud bath. Steadily, I remained in one of the places that the guide had said the Hexapedes were likely to go through, and I waited patiently. It reminded me on how my dad would take me out hunting as a kid, and taught me to shoot a gun for the first time. He told me the key to finding a good animal is to wait, since these things didn't happen quickly. Around twenty minutes later, a herd folked into view, barely within range to fire upon. I decided to aim for the head of the largest, since I didn't want it to be in pain or get away. 'Almost… almost… stop moving - now!' I rehearsed as the bullet spat out from the barrel and skewered the brain all the way through. The Hexapede let out a wail and flopped to the ground, dead as a doornail. The rest of the flock scampered off in fear. I laughed to myself in accomplishment. I knew that such a loud sound would attract predators, so I hastily dragged the corpse over to my camp and began to skin the beast around the legs, which were supposedly the best part of it to eat. The sound of the skin peeling disgusted me and made me gag, but when I saw such delicious meat my mouth began to water. Prior to this I had been eating the few food items that hadn't spoiled or gone bad which consisted of some hardtack, trail mix, and other breakfast items. Now I had an entire meat fest for myself! Later, once I had gotten all the preparations out of the way, I made a fire to roast the chunks and burn any of the other parts that may attract direwolves or some kind of other deadly carnivore. Fortunately for me, the rain had already died down with the sun, which was also the time when carnivores were at their best.

"*Munch* Mmm… that's delicious… *gulp* I see why the- *chomp* people eat these things now!" I exclaimed at such an astounding flavor. It was a combination of bear and beef, and a unique texture. The other parts that I couldn't eat were put in one of my coolers, and the other parts that weren't edible were burned to ashes. I was blissfully unaware that smoke wasn't really appreciated on this moon though. Around 9:00 I feel asleep, normally earlier than usual since I had eaten like a king. I had slept in for a very long time, longer than I had wanted to and scampered out the door. I was wiping the sleep from my eyes as I clumsily ran through the alien jungle when I saw a strange shape flash out of the corner of my eye. This peaked my interest, although everything was new to me nowadays. I backtracked to observe the figure, but what I found surprised me. There lie dead on the ground an adult Na'vi that had been shot in the chest. They were wearing RDA provided clothes and the body was still perfectly intact, but was a very sorry sight to see. I stared at the corpse, wondering if the driver was still alive. "Poor guy… didn't even have a chance…" I said in sympathy for the Na'vi. I bent down to study him, but to my surprise he had had his gun taken away already and had a few native markings drawn on their face. I stood back up to pay my respects to the fallen warrior and went on my way once more. More and more bodies began to appear around me, Na'vi warriors and humans alike. I had entered the battlezone. The scene was horrific and disheartening to look at, with burnt trees and dead warriors everywhere. I scampered to get out of the area, but something stopped me. On my way out there was an abandoned AMP suit, lying disabled and most likely abandoned from when the driver saw a stamped of hammerheads. The attachments had the standard GAU 30 mm cannon, although the mech itself seemed to be more suited for maintenance work or excavation. The RDA had been short a few suits after the flora and indigenous animals began the assault on us too, so they used all of the available mechs they had, including renovational ones. When I had arrived on Pandora, my job was to be a mechanic for much of the equipment and exo-packs, not really a soldier. I was one of the best in my class though, so I had operated a few of these babies before. I sprinted up to the machine, my heart pulsing in my chest. "YES!" I shouted into the air. I couldn't believe my luck! These things could crush trees with ease, pick up cars like they were baby toys, and had amazing battery life. Along with this, they were motion controlled from the inside, with many different types of attachments having their own specialties, and there was one right here! I was as giddy as a kid on Christmas day! I gladly popped opened the top hatch of the cockpit and slid inside the control outfit. I boot up the metallic wonder, almost squealing at the sound of the gears and wires buzzing or revving up for business. The cockpit closed once more, and the air filter commenced. My heart fluttered as the robotic arms swung around to the same motion of mine, everything was fully functional and ready for work! I reattached the GAU cannon into the back slot, and practice walking around in the area. Auto-stability chips are functional, gyroscopes are clear, nothing wrong that I could tell! I took the massive gun off of the AMP's back, and aimed at a tree. As I pulled the trigger, I heard a faint clicking sound instead of a large bang. Confused, I observed the GAU cannon to make sure it wasn't damaged or malfunctioning, which it wasn't. What had happened was that the feed of bullets was jammed and the cannon wouldn't fire correctly. I facepalmed myself. "Of course no one would just leave this thing here, there had to be something wrong with it first…" I scolded. I yanked and yanked on the chain, hoping that it could pop back into place. Over and over, time and time again until my arm got tired. Frustrated, I pulled in a quick jolt, hearing the feed snap back into place. The GAU cannons were known to get jammed a lot, and this was no different. I placed it once more on my back, careful not to jam it again. 'Where to now… where to… how about I make a little defense system around my hut? I guess that would be a good idea.' I decided. I head back the direction I came, careful not to step on anything or anyone. There was destruction all around that had been caused by my fellow humans that had managed to destroy their home planet too. Sometimes we live and we learn, but not all of us abide by that. Some of us think that we just failed the first time and need to try again. Some think that they're never wrong or can't possibly be wrong. Who knows, hell, I could be one of them, a hard headed moron. That's what got me into this mess, anyway.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed by the cockpit, mere centimeters away. I reared back in shock. "What the-?" I whipped back around behind me to find a hunting squad of Na'vi riding on the back of a direhorse that had apparently found me taking the AMP suit. My mind kicked into overdrive and panic splashed through my thoughts. I knew that I was in for something bad, and I had done it then. My instincts kicked in, and I spun around and sprinted off in some direction that I had no idea where I was going. 'Run run run run RUN!' I panicked as I bounded over fallen trees and Pandorian flora. The AMP suit's behemoth legs hammered into the surface of the moon, sending large thuds from every enormous step. Blood roared in my ears and I grinded my teeth. On my back I heard arrows bouncing off the exterior of the massive metal and the cries of the Na'vi behind me. Every part of me began to shake and quiver from fear. Far in front of me was a crashing river, flooding down to the left. I was running out of area, and fast. I skid to a stop to avoid falling in the roaring rapids and gazed through the rearview mirror at the approaching doom. I was cornered like a small animal about to be eaten by the vicious predator. I shook my head as a ridiculously daring thought crossed my mind. An arrow pierced the right mid arm of the AMP suit, and another through the left calf. "Now or never..!" I told myself as I backed up to get a running start. As fast as the machine could go, I rocketed forward and at the edge of the river bed sprang up in an attempt to clear the body of water.

Time seemed to almost slow down. A drop of sweat formed on my forehead as about a billion things crossed my thoughts. I was almost trapped in a time limbo, unable to move. For a moment, everything was still and peaceful. Then, I felt the suit crash down clumsily on the ground, jerking me down onto my side and smashing my head against the right window of the cockpit. A ruby colored bead of blood slowly trickled down the side of my head, as my vision became blurry for a moment and I saw double everything from a very low and mild concussion. I had aches and pains all around my body as the machine slid forward in the dirt, before coming to a halt after compiling a pile of dirt my wake. I wiped off the blood with a bandage from my bag and repossioned myself. My head felt heavier and I was dizzy, but managed to keep my balance. I could faintly hear the annoyed cries of the hunters from the other riverbed as I took off farther into the dense lush greenery. As soon as I was sure I was out of sight, I took off the AMP suit's gloves and wires. 'Ugh… that maybe wasn't the best jump in the universe, but it sure did hurt a bit…' I winced from the pressure put on the newly wrapped bandage I had put on. When I was finished I was hit with yet another dizzy spell, and nearly passed out. The moon spun around me, faster and faster, becoming more distorted everytime. It took around ten minutes before the spinning and distortion stopped, and about that time I was ready to puke my guts out. It was starting to become dusk, and I really didn't want to spend the night in this big hunk of metal and wires. I didn't have enough food to last me through tomorrow, maybe a good meal for tonight and a bottle of water, but nothing for dawn. At that time I realized another problem: I had gotten myself lost. I whipped my head back and forth to find a way that may possibly be human made but I found nothing. At this point there was no turning back, lest I be tracked down by the tall blue natives. I had backed myself into a corner. A very deep corner without a flashlight to guide me back on my path. I switched on the headlights of the AMP suit and the ground lit up in front of me, brighter than the natural glow of the flora. But to my horrible luck, the lights flickered and shut back off. Frustrated, I flipped the switch for the headlights on and off, only getting angrier as there was no response. "Oh come on! Really?!" I shouted in annoyance. I punched the glass of the cockpit out of rage. My knuckles bled a little. Nothing was working for me and I was stranded out in uncharted territory! Why was this happening!?

Then, something strange happened. A woodsprite popped into view from over the glass of the cockpit and fluttered down onto the ground in front of me. I knew what they were and that they normally appeared to people whenever they were trying to convey a sign or aid, but it was highly unlikely. What was it trying to tell me? I stared at it like I was trying to decipher a puzzle, and then another came into view. And another. And then another. The woodsprites kept filing down onto the Pandorian dirt, billowing calmly a few inches above. I started to follow the line of jellyfish-like seeds, for what seemed like hours. "How many of these things are there?" I asked in amazement. It was like a never ending chain of seeds, more and more around the corner; where they stop nobody knows. I was becoming dreary and exhausted from such an exhilarating day, and more walking was the last thing I needed. What was to become of such a tired soul, I pondered. Over dead tree limbs and roots and through or over rivers I traversed on my path, following the line of woodsprites that was lain out before me. Then before my eyes, it appeared before me. A large portable living unit used by few and very expensive. This one was busted and destroyed, most likely wrecked by the man who had been impaled twice from native arrows in the broken AMP suit not too far away. No doubt that the closest clan had already been alerted of my presence and probably scouring the area for any other stranglers. Little did they know it was just me, unlike the dead man. I exited my suit and put on my mask. The straps made my head throb in protest but I sucked in the pain. 'Whatever happens has got to be more important than a little bruise', I kept telling myself. The inside of the unit was busted and of course it had been used, but there wasn't anything that was to my interest besides one of the exopacks that was left behind which I swapped for the used one I had. I looked out one of the broken windows, watching the sprites float inside and a few land on my arms. It was incredibly scenic and ridiculously beautiful to watch, since I had honestly loved this god-forsaken place ever since I landed. The woodsprites indefinitely tickled my skin as they fluttered down, and I restrained myself from itching the spots. I trudged through the hallways, sleep beginning to drag down my eyelids. At this point I felt like the path was beginning to turn into a wild goose chase that would lead me to just exhaustion and weakness. I could feel my nerves starting to get the best of me, what did they want anyway? If I knew what I was doing then it would be much easier to find what the woodsprites were showing me!

My stomach grumbled in annoyance and I scowled. The spirits had taken me thoroughly through the entire unit and then some, but not many things interested me. What was the purpose of them leading me here? I was hungry, stupidly tired, and I had been way too far away from my home for any type of comfort. At this point I had already left the area and started to exit back out to my AMP suit when the woodspirits returned. "What is it already? I know you can't talk but-" I complained but I cut myself off. As I reared the corner of a tree, I saw something that shot shivers down my spine. Right there in front of me, was the same Na'vi patrol group that I had ditched at the river earlier, and they must have followed my tracks. They were a long ways away from my current location, but if I made a loud enough raket then they would surely strike me down on the spot. I had to find a way out, and fast there was nothing else to evade into or an escape route. My heart began to kick into overdrive for the second time today. If I ran back to the AMP then they would easily notice me and that would be a game over for me. If I was an idiot then it would certainly be a game over also. I decided to just hide inside the unit until the pack passed onward, hopefully not noticing the extra mechanical suit parked in front of the unit. I sprinted back into the unit and launched myself in through one of the broken windows. My back slammed against one of the link chambers and fell with a thud. 'Ow… that reeeeeally hurt...' I peeked over the broken glass to monitor the hunting group, careful not to cut myself on any of the remaining shrapnel. 'Just another thing to best, I can do it, I can be smart…' I repeated in my head. Then, I heard something that almost made my heart stop. One of the hunters had seen the extra AMP suit and alerted the rest. They would be coming over soon. Right to my hiding place. Right. To. Me. 'Crap' I thought as I sank down quickly and pressed my body up against the cool metalic wall. I could feel the vibrations in the ground of the direhorses galloping onto the scene. I stiffened. The Na'vi began to get off and look around, bows at hand. Some were shouting, and one, which seemed to be the leader, said "'I'awn, ayfo ake alim ta fu'i tsenge!" The leader shouted, anger rumbling deep in his voice. The Na'vi could smell "sky people scents" distinctly, and the entire unit must be smothered in the flatulence. I sighed at the thought of a tad bit of safety, but I hastily covered my mouth. Massive mistake. A few of the guards must have heard me from outside and started to alert the others to find the source of the sound. I mentally cursed myself. They would examine my perimeter soon, and in my case there would be no struggle to take down a sleep deprived human. I could hear about three Na'vi coming my way, and my brain was scavenging any possible ways to avoid the danger or some kind of hiding area. Suddenly, I heard footsteps directly outside of the shattered window I was using for cover. I took a quick breath and held onto it. My heart beat harder and harder, adrenaline coursing through my veins at 80 miles per hour. Everything went quiet. One false move, and I would be dead meat. I felt the Na'vi scan the room I was in. My heart seemed to stop.

After about what seemed to be an eternity, the hunter moved on from the window. I slowly caught my breath. I knew that I couldn't keep up my little window spot for much longer and I would have to move. The hunters were going to come inside a moment, and I would have to use my wits to find another hiding spot. 'I never should have followed those stupid seeds…' I scolded myself. My head whirled around and around to find any safe place, but the best I could come up with was getting inside one of the link chambers and shutting the door to act like it was disabled. It annoyed me that there wasn't a better way to get any cover, but I couldn't complain if it was going to save my skin. All I could do now was just pray and wait. Tnk tnk tnk… tnk… tnk… tnk... went the metal floor as the natives scoured the unit. It was what seemed to be hours before I could tell that they even might have left the area. Even then, I was patient a little bit longer because it was obviously a safe or sorry moment. I peaked out of the pod, then continued to get out of my hiding place and see if the hunting patrol was still around. As I got out though, something really took me back. It was already morning, and I had spent the entire night in the living unit. At this point my vision was becoming blurry and my eyelids weighed a ton each. I had to get back to the AMP suit before I go to sleep, but I couldn't tell if I would make it all the way there it seemed way too far away… Everything became a challenge, standing up right, thinking, moving, until my body just couldn't take it anymore. I was 10 meters away from the AMP when my legs decided to give out on me. Against my best urges, my eyelids flopped shut on the spot, and my brain began to shut down. My body went limp and I feel on the ground, letting sleep waft over my exhaustion.

My eyes cracked open into slits. Crust had formed around the edges of my eyes and my head felt as if a earthquake had shaken my very neurons themselves. My body was groaning at me for more rest but I hushed it. Light slashed at my retinas aggressively, making me close them. I could feel that my head hurt in an enormous amount, and I wasn't on the ground anymore due to how I was flopped on my stomach, and probably moving. I opened my eyes again to see the ground zipping about at high speeds, and strong, muscular blue legs came into my vision galloping gracefully off the Pandorian dirt and spraying it everywhere else behind. There were hooves on the bottom of the feet, large and hard. Everytime they sprang up, the back of the animal hit my stomach, each time hurting more than the last. I was feeling sick, and I was pretty sure I had a concussion. Everything seemed heavy to me, and I passed out again.

The next time I woke up, everything hurt, and sound flooded my ears like a tsunami wave. Vibrations crashed against my eardrums, making me wince in pain. That only cause an onslaught of agony in my head, and I noticed that my arms were tied with a strong vine. My pants I was wearing were beaten and dirty, and my shirt was no better. I could feel that I didn't have my bag or my gun, although what worried me more was where I was. That, and there was a large fleet of Na'vi on direhorses armed with bows, spears, and knives all around me. They made up 2 circles, the direhorses in the back, and warriors at the ready in the front. Directly to my front was (from what I presumed) the leader of the group. He bore a large knife at his side and a bow strapped to his back, and only a loincloth for clothing. His facial expression was an unwavering glare that could stop a bull in its tracks. I shivered a bit inside and gulped a bit. When he saw that I was awake, he signaled to one of the warriors behind him to go get something. The warrior nodded in understanding and walked on behind him. I continued to observe my surroundings to try not to do anything to offend the Na'vi, but I didn't know what to do since my existence here may be a nuisance in itself. "So… um, is anyone going to explain to me what is going on?" I said to break the silence. No response. "Okay then, I guess you can't understand me… great…" I responded. The Na'vi said nothing and continued surveilling me. It was no doubt intimidating but also slightly awkward. A few minutes later the warriors in front of me opened up to reveal (again, from what I could only presume was) the clan leader and his wife. Anyone could clearly tell that it was the chief, since they bore spiritual markings on their face and chest. A drop of sweat fell from my forehead. Again, one wrong move and I would be mincemeat. Sometimes I wished it wasn't like that though and I could talk like a regular person, but nope.

The chief walked straight to me and looked down. I wasn't sure if it was a staring contest or not, but it sure did feel like it. His gaze never wavered for a moment, and I could tell this Na'vi man meant some serious business. Then, to my surprise, he spoke. "Where are the rest of you? There can't be just one of you." He said in perfect English. I admit that knowing English AND being the chief of a whole clan can be pretty intimidating for your prisoners, and at that moment I wanted to shrink back into a corner. The chief continued to stare at me, expecting an answer impatiently. Unfortunately, he wasn't taking no for an answer. I gulped and mustered my courage to speak.

"There is no one else, I was left behind. The other humans should be on the journey back to Earth right now. I...I'm the last of them." I said. He didn't believe my response for a single second. His face darkened a moment.

"I will ask one more time. Where. Are. They." He said, his voice beginning to rise and his tone becoming harsh. I shivered slightly. I cracked a small grin.

"And I will answer one more time: They all left. If I'm not mistaken, you people sent them back on their way home to Earth, but because I liked Pandora, and they kicked me off the shuttles back to our home and trapped me in this majestic torture." I replied. The chief didn't like my answer one bit. He then slapped the ever living hell out of my cheek, which I just sat there and took it. The chief really had some arm, because my cheek felt like there was already a red mark left. This guy wasn't taking any kind of crap, and he really wanted his answers. Right then, right there, otherwise I would be killed right then and there. I could tell the warriors didn't have a problem with it, and he certainly would enjoy it. The warriors got in a ready position to take me down if I struck back, but there was no way I would do that. The thing that irked me though was that I thought that I had seen his face before somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it just yet. The chief then signaled for some of the guards. Two warriors picked me up off the ground and shoved me over to the left. Being about three feet shorter than these people was intimidating in itself, but being unarmed and unprotected against their any move was even tougher. Apparently there was a mass of Na'vi behind the wall of fighters, and when I came out it was a tiny bit embarrassing. The people cleared a path for me, some pulling the young close to them to make way. I just looked forward with no expression. 'They're only keeping me alive because they want information if the humans plan on coming back.' I reminded myself. If I gave them another reason to kill me though they would gladly take the chance. In their eyes, I was an evil beast. A monster. A selfish abomination known as a human. All the others like me had done horrible things in their pursuit of Pandora's incredibly useful unobtainium, so how was I any different? From a long period of time I walked and walked, unknowingly going to the meeting grounds located not very far from the tree of spirits. Once I reached the meeting grounds, the guards shoved me once more into the center for judgement. Not long later the chief and the wife came also, although I'm not sure this was going to be a welcoming committee. There were people here too, although most were staring with confusion and interest. I stood in the middle, silent and still while waiting for the chief to say something or make a move. As if on cue he asked me, "What is your name?".

"My name is Mark Uliss, in all respects." I replied. I was trying to act cool and collected, although on the inside I was nerveracked. The chief looked at me sceptically. I knew that it would be highly unlikely that I would be the only person left, but if he wasn't to believe me then what was I to do?

"Are you really the last one left here?" He questioned.

"Yes, I was kicked off the final boarding Valkyrie against my will." I answered. A spark of interest twinkled up in his eyes and he crossed his arms. His wife came down from the little "stage" they were standing on and inspected me. She began to circle me and do weird things like poke me in places or hit me lightly sometimes. She stopped in front of me.

"You seem to be on your own, the sky people's scent has started to fade. He is telling the truth Jake." She said in rough english. Then, it hit me. The resemblance, the voice, I knew that I had recognized it from somewhere! Anger began to creep into my thoughts. All this time I had no idea that he, of all people, actually survived the war he started. My eyes widened for a moment, but I attempted to hide it. I stared at Jake, a wave of surprise flooding over me. Jake gaze relaxed a little.

"Explain why you were left." Jake said. I sighed.

"It's a bit of a long story, but…it was long before you arrived on Pandora, before many people had. I was with Tommy while he was in avatar training. We knew each other very well, and when he passed it was nearly impossible for me to comprehend, but I finished my work and studying to make it into the engineer's section of the RDA. I got the offer to come to Pandora after I got a promotion, which was 6 years ago. The next thing I know I was shipped over here like a Ned-X package and I came down to this beautiful view and luscious greenery. I fell in love almost immediately, but I still continued my work on AMP suits and renovation vehicles. I was one of the first shipments here, although I later realized why they chose me. The reason I had thought that they offered me the position was because I was able to adapt to many of the schedule changes and many of the assignments I was given I completed with ease. But the real reason was because they needed newer, bigger, and better machines to explore here. They needed innovation and weapons. Similarly to you, I rebelled. But instead of anyone else supporting me, all of the others hurt and sabotaged my work. I was put in the first stages of the jail and I sat there for almost half a year. After about a month, I had regret my actions completely and agony blinded me. Then, you guys came along. The avatar program had become so great, I could even comprehend at that point what it was like. At that time, they were thinking of sending me back, but they couldn't get enough engineers to work so I was vital to their progress. When I heard that rogues were upon us, I thought that I had made a name for myself. My efforts weren't in vain. But no. I had been forgotten and discarded. In fact, I saw your little breakout myself. The entire scene I saw, oh yes, did I see it, but why would you let me out? There was no reason, and who knows what I had done. For all you know, it could have been homicide I dealt! So I sat there to rot for what seemed like an eternity, until I found out the RDA lost the war between man and nature. Inside, I rejoiced for you and cheered although moments later I was shown force and I pleaded to stay. I bargained, reasoned, even tried resisting, but it was to naught. I was boarded and stowed like everyone else. Everyone stared at me in disgust and some with anger. They all thought that I helped the Na'vi and sold them all out. Even Parker himself hated me! Their eyes drilled into my skull with my head bent in shame. After the shuttle was out of sight, a group of soldiers dragged me to the back of the loading dock, and began beating on me. Once they had their fun, one opened the door while we were moving. I was scared senseless and I was resisting with all my might but to no avail. Pressure was cracking down on me and I squirmed and cried for mercy. The response was laughter and a bloody nose. Then, a big burly marine got in my face with his grizzly beard making me itchy at the sight. He said, "You think you can come back with us? You think we allow tree hugging idiots to be one of us? Well if you like this place so much, then how about you stay here!" , then my heart stopped and the men shoved me out the back. From the on, I had gashes all over my body when I woke up from the impact I had taken. " I lifted up part of my shirt to show a half-healed scar that stretched from my left shoulder blade down to my waist. "And from then on, I had to survive on my own, and knowing no one was coming for me…" I trailed off. Both Jake and his wife were deeply intrigued.

"And you know they are not coming back?" She asked. I sighed.

"I don't know, but they were enraged that they couldn't stay on the planet. One thing is for sure, no one would come back for my sorry ass." I said. I held as many compiling emotions down in my gut as I could. "I don't know why myself I love this moon, all I know is that I feel that it should be a part of me, it is me." I finished.

Jake just stared at me, taking a moment to process everything. "Wow, that is quite a story." He replied. I looked back at him. "You may have been cast out from the RDA, but I'm not too hasty on allowing you to go free. For now, we will allow you to stay on Pandora for the next few days, but we will be monitoring your actions to see if you do anything suspicious. Mark, you appeared out of nowhere, which is uncommon for which I cannot let go unseemly by. I grant you the ability to go back to your camp for the next few days. Until then, we will contemplate what will become of you." Jake spoke. My mind eased for the first time in days. I bowed to him and thanked him very so. Afterwards Jake had me escorted out of the Na'vi homes and territory so I could return to my home. I had to say, watching the guards ride off back on their direhorses was one of the most comforting things I had ever experienced. I had to be careful now, more than ever. It was like an acute test of skill and my spiritual strength, the deciding benediction would hold the outcome of my future forever.

I let out a great exhale of exhaustion and relief. That took some major balls that I didn't know I had to pull off. It's not everyday that you get an alien species to allow you to stay on their home world! Now my only problem was… "Where is my home?" I asked myself. I switched my head back and forth to find a sort of marker, showing that I may be close to my home. "Nothing…How am I supposed to get back now?" I slumped over in defeat. This was going to take a while.

A few, long and boring hours later…

"Nothing nothing nothing! Where is my camp?!" I shouted in frustration. Why did it have to be so trivial for a simplistic task? Pandora must have been a giant puzzle because I was at a loss of directions. 'It could be nicer if I still had the AMP suit. That would really make things easier than they are…' I wished. Jake was kind enough to give my sash and gun back, although I didn't have a few things in my bag that I had sworn I had stowed away inside. I sighed and decided to just take a leisurely walk around and enjoy the lush greenery and stunning vegetation. Somewhere there were beaches and other places floating islands and many special biomes that thinking about them hurt my head. Then I remembered the throbbing in the bump on my head where I crashed the AMP and how tired I was. I yawned and stretched. At this point it wouldn't be long before something spotted me, so if I wanted to take a nap I would have to camouflage into the flora or dirt. 'A tree would be good for cover, they don't have many animals on them at the bottom.' I reassured while I gathered leaves and/or dead branches or dead plants. Not exactly the most comfortable, but it was a more natural bed, and it felt so intoxicating to lay down and close my eyes. My mind went blank and sleep wafted over me. It was one of the best things I had ever felt to finally rest my crazed nerves…

I woke up at who knows when to a pain in my neck and an ache in my head. I cautiously cradled and popped them while stretching. Maybe sleeping on tree roots instead of a pillow wasn't the best idea. Then, sounds flooded into my ears, pounding on my ear drums. I clung to them agony, what was happening? I jerked my head around in circles, which found me in the middle of a hammerhead titanothere territorial dispute. Their massive legs crashed down on the dirt, spraying sediment everywhere. I ducked my head to avoid anything getting in my eyes or face, then getting up to get out of the way of one of the charging hammerheads. I scrambled from my hiding place, and dove out of the way moments before the behemoth of an animal destroyed the tree I was sleeping under like snapping a toothpick. Neither had seemed to have noticed my presence, although that was soon to change. Sweat trickled from my forehead down my chin. The second hammerhead skid to a stop from charging too far, enraged that it had missed its intended target. I took the time to hide behind a particularly thick tree. I backed up close to the truck and peeked out to the left to make sure the beasts weren't going to bust my cover again. The hammerheads began to circle each other in a defensive stance at the ready. Every so often I would scamper to another tree when neither of the animals were facing me. Each time seemed to be harder than the last, it would feel as if they already know my presence and were simply waiting for me to move. Being evasive was one task, but moving quietly when there are plants everywhere isn't the most simplistic objective.

Then, both goliaths charged at each other at the same time, the impact of the clash of horns almost shook the ground around them. The hammerheads clashed their flat horns together, bucking and squirming with all their might to tip over the other and gain dominance. The force exerted was amazingly strong, that which making me tremble when I thought about me being in the middle of the feud. The second hammerhead's legs began to tremble and wobble back and forth, of which its rear was directly in front of my tree I was hiding behind. 'Oh no…'

Everything happened in a flash. The first hammerhead had bucked the second off of their back legs, making it lose its balance and be pushed to me. The body alone must weigh at the very least three tons, and that was coming at me like a bulldozer no less. My muscles kicked into overdrive and I dove over to the left to avoid the danger, narrowly evading the beast's bottom. My landing wasn't as graceful as I had wanted it to be, I slammed to the ground and rolled like a ragdoll that had been dropped down a flight of stairs. This caused the titanothere who had already tipped the other over to turn their attention to me, which they merely just stared and observed me. I began to slowly walk away without breaking eye contact. If I did then no doubt that they would go ballistic without a second thought. Caution warnings and alerts were blaring inside my brain, but I tried to keep them to a minimum as I made my way over to the next tree, which I would then break the line of sight and make an escape. 'Almost...there, just a bit closer…'

Then, oddly enough, the hammerhead titanothere lost interest in me. Instead, it looked above and stood hesitantly at something to my back. I was afraid to make any other sudden movements, since when we first came to Pandora, each worker was given a hasty run down of the animals or flora or other things that may affect your job and the quality put into it. Being the engineer meant that when I was fixing AMPs I had to check for any signs of hammerhead damage, which they only stopped or would take their focus on a predator or something that may be of a threat to them. This one was definitely locked onto a predator, or it could be a tree falling over. Something told me that it wasn't a tree though. Suddenly, a great roar rattled my bones like maracas. It was the type that would make anyone under the age of 20 to wet their pants easily and shut down. The kind of roar that would make a lion whimper in its fur. I gulped and turned my head ever so gently to reveal the beast lurking behind. Only one thing could make such a sound, and that was a 'THANATOR OH NO NO NO NO NO NO!'

My legs shot forward without my brain having to, my muscles surging and pushing as hard as they possibly could. There was no way in heaven that I could out run something like that, but why would I try to riddle the thing with bullets? They would just fall to the ground and I would just be a red stain! The hammerhead took the idea and reared to take off. The thanator also let out yet another mighty roar, sprinting at lightning fast speeds past me onto the hammerhead's flank. I could barely see anything while I continued to jump and duck above and below pesky obstacles that may make me mincemeat for such an enormous carnivore. Eventually I got far enough that the screams and shrieks of the hammerhead titanothere were very distant and far, although I could tell that it would be only mere minutes before I would another hunter on me. Then, I realized how tired I was and my legs just gave out. I toppled down and put a hand on my chest. I didn't care how far I had run, but whether it was far enough. "What now… *huff* huff*" I had to act quickly, and boy did this place really push that aspect! My heart pounded in my chest and blood streamed in my ears at 300 miles per hour. An idea rocketed into my head, which I put into use instantly. I dumped a bit of water onto the soil and mixed it together. Then, I took my bag off and hid it in a nearby bush. I once more laid down but this time I was in a dense amount of exotic shrubbery. I bathed myself in mud, sinking my face all in the substance and smothering it hastily everywhere. It wasn't the most cleanly approach, but it may work. I bet a few Na'vi that were watching me from the trees were scratching their heads wondering what the heck was I doing. I shut my eyes to prevent any kind of detection and ly as perfectly still as I could. It was a very primal technique compared to others, but it worked, and it was all I needed to survive!

Just as I had suspected, not very long later the sleek black body of the Thanator pounded and beat the ground as it ran for me, it's prey. Silence followed, occasionally broken by a spine tingling growl or thump of alien paws. Trnk trnk trnk. No wonder this animal was a feared and respected predator of Pandora, nothing was more powerful, more amazing, more dangerous than them. Anything that had ever dared to stand face to face or challenge it head on lived much longer than a few minutes. Skills superior to anything foolish enough to stand in its path and tactics ingrained into the very DNA strands. Such a wonder rightfully deserves a feared name, and I was having trouble not quaking in my pants each time the thanator came somewhat close to my hiding spot. Time kept going on with each minute being absolute torture, but the sounds being emitted were starting to diminishing. As nerve-racking as the event was, I had done something that had impressed even myself. I had survived a thanator attack!

I was very hesitant of checking if the coast was clear, since the beast may just be hiding or stalking me. I allowed more time to pass, letting my paranoia get the better of my mind. I scraped the mud off of my face and sat up right. It was like how some people would say "crossing the street" but instead of cars there were bloodthirsty goliaths. I had never been so happy yet so worried before, it was a new feeling that I couldn't quite grasp. But I had to get my priorities in order before I did something idiotic. I shook my head and got out of the mud while scrapping as much as I could off of my torso, arms, and legs. It quickly came to my senses that the Pandorian mud was much more sticky and thick than Earth's, finding the task of wiping myself down harder the more I got off. Frustrated, I forcefully scratched at the dry and flakey chunks. 'How hard is it for someone to get mud off of themselves?!' Feeling defeated, I picked up my traveler bag and tried to set my bearings. Then, I heard a familiar sound boom across the jungle. I swiveled my head around while trying to see the creator of the noise, who revealed themselves to me as a face I had seen before!

The direhorse galloped up to me, greeting me with a relaxed expression. "Good to see you too, I was getting worried!" I said while I rubbed one the muscular thighs. The direhorse responded with something close to a whiny and nudged me with its snout. I let out a little chuckle. It was good to have someone who cared about my well being instead of the taste of my meat sometimes. My friend lowered themselves a bit to where I could easily climb it, offering me a ride. A smile cracked open from my face as I gladly hoisted my legs and body over the back of the beast and stroked their neck in thanks. Although I had never ridden anything close to a horse in my lifetime, nor had I the slightest idea of how to communicate to my friend, they seemed to know what I wished to do. I must admit, the seating on my acquaintance's back was a bit uncomfortable and bumpy at times, but it was better than walking the whole way. "Alright, now, how do I…?" I looked around the body up and down for something that may assist me of a sort in steering, but all I had were the tentacles on the side of their head which the Na'vi used to make a bond with them. I didn't have a magical hair braid or anything, so I was stuck in a sort of rut. I shrugged and slightly dug my heels into the chest, acting as a gas pedal. I grabbed the head tentacles for braces during the ride, and my steed and I rode off.

My friend was moving at speeds that really surprised me, which I could only assume was at 40 to 50 miles per hour at the slowest. No doubt though was it fun to bounce up and down like a loose spring, even if it did hurt a bit each time. I attempted to direct my steed over trees and bushes and other obstacles that were in our way, feeling the gracefulness and beauty of each jump and gallop. The flora began to splotch into colorful blurry pictures as they whizzed by. "I hope you know where you're going, because I'm of no help." I said as if my steed could understand me. The determined glint in my friend's eye said enough to assure me that they (somewhat) knew what they were doing, which was good for me. I gazed at the gorgeous scenery of the environment, taking in every tiny bit. Dang it, I strayed from my focus again! If I didn't need to wear these ridiculous masks, I would have loved to have taken in the rejuvenating air. Not long after, I arrived to a landmark that I had seen before and pat my loyal friend on the neck. They decelerated and stopped in a reserved spot not too far from my camp. I rubbed my friend in appreciation for giving me a ride home, and beckoned for them to follow suit. 'Wait… if I'm going to have someone with me, they should at the very least have a name. But what would be a good name?' As I led my accompaniment along, I began to think more and more on how I could get to know them better. At last we made our way into my dinky little base that I had left unfinished before departure. I though for a moment and began looking around for something to give as a thanks for hauling me around. The only thing I had was a small amount of lettuce, which I came out of my hut and offered to my companion. They sniffed my hand curiously before raping their tongue around my arm and receding into the mouth. I let out a nervous laugh. 'Gross…' I wiped my hand on my pant leg and smiled as my friends face lit up with glee from the tasty snack.

A name came to me while I started to make a rickety barrier surrounding my area. "Dorian! That's what I should call you!" I exclaimed, feeling quite smart. "Do you like it?" Dorian just stared and then went back to eating. I sighed in response. "I'll take that as a yes then." I put my hand on my chin and rubbed it in contemplation. What now? 'Okay, first thing's first. If Dorian is going to stay, then I'll need to make them a nice place to stay, and tidy up the place while I'm at it.' I immediately got to work on gathering large and sturdy leaves that were scattered near vines and trees, but remained careful not to stray too far. Who knew surviving took so much renovation?

(-)

"That… *huff* took longer *huff* than I thought…" I said, exhausted. From my time back, I had made a bed for Dorian out of thick, fine leaves. I had interwoven the stems together so that they wouldn't spread out too much if something were to be a storm or gust that scourged the forest. Along with that, my other tasks I had set were to expand the shoddy hut I had made, craft a water catcher, scavenge more items, and a few others that were yet to be to be finished. Dusk was creeping over the skyline above and the small critters and life exploded with sounds and calls resounding everywhere. Every once in awhile a viperwolf or other predator would slink around my camp, but I would just scare them off and continue working. A group of viperwolves decided to be pests at one point in the night, which I didn't stand for. "Screw off. I don't have time for you." I said while keeping my eyes focused on the objective at hand. What came back was an annoyed growl and even more excessive barking. Now they were really getting under my skin. I pulled out my deagle and fired once into the air. Wimpers soon followed and I was left too myself once again. 'Better.' I flopped down on my back and steadied my breathing. There really was no rest and relaxation here on Pandora, no such thing as easy. "Those guys… who threw me out… will definitely regret it." I wheezed. I hopped to my feet and walked into my slightly bigger hut. The hut was gradually beginning to look better than before, which made me feel good about my architecture skills. My thoughts then shifted to my developing and sagging bags that had been accumulating under my eyes. A mighty yawn flew from my jaws. Up until then I hadn't ever realized how sleep deprived I really was. I took a few of the pieces of fabric I had and wrapped up into a cocoon. Did I ever mention how cool it gets at night?

The next morning was absolute torture to live through. My eyes were crusty, the sheets thrown every which way. Was it even possible that Pandora intentionally made mornings worse? Unlikely, but the conditions were probably up for blame. I sluggishly hauled my still waking body up and got ready to start the next accursed day. I slid the "door" back to have the shimmering bright rays of sunlight that had broken through the canopy top. Then I was caught by surprise when Dorian came into view, standing directly in front of the entrance and stuck their head inside expectantly. It was as if they were saying "Good morning, Mark!" I laughed and said hello back to Dorian. Dorian turned around and began to eat out of a vase shaped plant a few meters away, satisfied. 'I must have befriended the weirdest direhorse of them all…" I opened my food storages and peered inside at the contents. There seemed to be enough for at the very least two months worth of rations due to the advanced cooling technology built into the coolers. I had limited myself to only two meals a day, and instead of lunch I would have a snack. It was hard to adjust to the lifestyle changes, but it was what had to be done. I went on to eat breakfast and start my next task: get more materials from the wreckage of Hell's Gate. I sighed, knowing this would be one of the most tedious tasks of my list. I proceeded to Dorian who was lying down in their bed. They must have been very fond of it because Dorian looked like they were about to take a nap if I hadn't gone over to them. Dorian picked up their head and stared at me expectantly. "Alright Dorian, we're going to Hell's Gate, so let's get a move on!" I said. I grabbed my travelling bag that I had leaned up against the hut the night before and mounted my steed.

Unlike last night, I would have to steer in which direction we were going and be the navigation system. I hoped that I may get lucky and find a map of the surrounding area. I bumped Dorian's side with my right foot to tell them to start going off. At first it confused them, but another light bump got the message through. I tapped the head tendrils twice with my hands to signal another increase in speed, but this time it was a more drastic turn of speed. Trees whizzed by in crazed blur of colors colliding together. The wind pelted my mask in an annoying yet at the same time refreshing way, and my scraggly hair was flapping in every direction. My satchel was whipping and slashing all around my waist and most definitely would have flown off if it was strapped over my shoulder. I had to duck and dodge many diverse types of obstacles that would get in my way from heaps and hunks of metal to broken trees and thick brambles. Occasionally one of the branches flying by would evade my vision and hit me and break, although it wouldn't cut too far though the clothes. Not very long afterwards we arrived at the east quadrant of Hell's Gate. The broken hole in the gate that I had regularly used to get in and out was too miniscule for Dorian to fit through. I told them to wait outside until I found another way to let them get inside, possibly a way to open the compound fence doors. Dorian snorted in response and stood patiently as I ran off to the damaged entrance leading into the control bay. Once inside, I sprinted to the main panels and mashed a button to allow a controlled amount of entry time through the gates. I checked out one of the many windows peering down on the east quadrant from atop the tower I had climbed for Dorian's location, and to my relief they had already made their way to the garden and was chowing down on a fruity snack. The doors soon closed again and I started my next scavenging of Hell's Gate. I started at the armor bay for something that may aid me in close combat, pocket knives weren't exactly the best idea anyway when there is a blood thirsty devil dog chomping at your heels. To my misfortune, the armory had already been mostly cleaned out and nothing much of use could be found. All of the AMP suits, Scorpions, Sampsons, and Dragons were gone along with anything that could be used to fly or get a vantage point. I scraped together more fabrics and blankets and trinkets, then depositing my finds into the satchel. Oddly enough, this area seemed to be the least touched by native life and with good reasons. The walls were meters thick with concrete and security systems could only be bypassed by organisms that can understand such complexities. The area, since when I had touched down slowly began to evolve into the epicenter of Hell's Gate and one of the most valued places too due to the amount of protection it can expand into other perimeters. So I had it coming searching one of the most important places in Hell's Gate. Luckily, a combat knife was left behind in a metal cabinet near an AMP suit loading station. On closer inspection the knife was a SecOps knife and the handle was slightly worn and was already sheathed. My heart launched itself out of my chest when I found the tool. Such a find! I attached the sheath onto my belt and continued on my path. Then, sound exploded outside and began to bounce around ring in the armor bay. This startled me and I scurried outside to see what happened and find out if Dorian was alright. I couldn't make out what exactly what was going on, but it seemed like sentry turrets were opening fire on an animal or obstruction. I restrung my exo-pack onto my head and peeked outside of a hole in a metal tunnel that had been torn open. My head swished all around, eager to find out the source. In a flash, an animal came slamming down onto the outside concrete and little pieces of the creature sprayed around it. This made me gag, although in another sense it was quite comical seeing the flying creature splat on the ground.

As I made my way back outside through all sorts of security systems, locks, bolts, and doors, I remembered that sometimes stingbats, a sort of deadly prey to the beastly flying Banshees, would fly down (they had small brain capacities and weren't too smart, so they would try to infiltrate Hell's Gate a whole lot.) and be shot before they got anywhere close by the special sentry turrets strategically stationed in many places all around the perimeter. Surprisingly, Dorian was only a small distance away from the dead stingbat and was calmly taking a nap down in a shaded area from the pounding sun. I sighed and clutched my heart in relief. I hated the probable fact that I would have to get used to such a lifestyle anyway whether I liked it or not. Fearing that more predators could be attracted by the boisterous attitude of the turrets, I scuttled on around the armor bay, trying to find anything that could be of use or aid to me and then mounting Dorian once more and heading back off.

One of the most astounding things that I noticed while riding my friend was that Dorian's reflexes and reaction time was incredibly acute compared to such a "young" age (I could only presume that they were such, I would have to consult one of the few books that I had scavenged from one of my more recent tools to find out for sure). Dorian almost instinctively dodged every branch, bush, root, and anything else that was obstructing our path with ease. I was very grateful that I had befriended someone so athletic!

Finally, we returned to camp and I strew out my findings in a neat order to see what I had to work with. The end result was a 238 millimeter SecOps knife, a small pile of fabrics that had been torn off of various things, a box of ammunition, a neat indigenous fauna log book, and a sharpening tool (used normally for sharpening blades such as knives). I placed my knife back into its sheath and the sharpening blade into my bag. Then I began to cut out pieces of cloth and started knotting it into my hair braid so that it wouldn't come undone. My bangs weren't pulled back into the braid though (a few stubble hairs were growing too), so each time I ran tendrils of hair would sometimes sway in front of my mask. I opened my canteen and took a swig of water to cool myself down. Suddenly, a blood curdling screech pierced my ear drums from above and I covered my ears from further damage. Ringing ensued, and a shadow flashed across the ground. I sung my head from side to side to search for the creature and gazed into the sky.

Another beastly screech sounded from behind me and I ducked forward just at the right moment to evade the massive body swooping overhead. Without hesitation, I whipped out my Desert Eagle and began firing at the creature in a mad flurry. My heart pounded harder and harder with each shot. I couldn't see my opponent very well, but I from what I could make out as they circled around the thick trees was the addition of two extra wings behind the first pair. The head was a long and slick blue and the beast resembled that of a pterodactyl. Underneath/on the bottom of the head was a long skin flap that was similar to a shark fin. Like Dorian, they too had head tentacles sprouting from their skull, which allowed me to think what kind of animal wished to eat me: an Ikranay. A fatal force to be reckoned with and native to the forests instead of their mountain-dwelling cousins (some call these creatures "banshees"). Dorian was petrified with fear and trot over beside the hut. I fired 2 more shots from my gun, and then reload while the Ikranay was circling back around. Luckily, I had landed one of my bullets near the shoulder blade and my attacker let out a surprised cry. They settled at ground level around 10 meters away, and began to slink closer. Viciousness and blood lust was plastered all over the face of my enemy at I steadied my gun the best I could. My legs were beginning to wobble and the Ikranay flashed its razor-sharp black teeth at me. I was sweating profusely from every part of me as the creature got closer and closer.

Suddenly, I got an idea that would have to make me buy some time in anyway I could. I sprinted as fast as I could over to one of my box piles stacked next to a stocky Obesus tree, and the Ikranay took this time to rush at me and opened their jaws, preparing for the final lethal strike. Then, something weird occured. My mind shut off and my body took complete control of the situation. My legs and arms were in a frenzy of movement, and my eyes could barely follow, much less comprehend what was happening! From the only things that I can remember in the tidbits are a few blurry images of me throwing something onto the Ikranay's mouth, jumping onto the back of the beast, and the rest I can't comprehend.

I guessed that I had passed out from exhaustion during my fight, since when I woke up I had a Na'vi standing directly in front of me. What then alarmed me was it was Jake standing who was staring down patiently. 'Was he waiting for me to wake up from being knocked out?' I stood up and shook my head, which was hurting again, but my bandage was gone for some reason…

"What happened… where… where am I?"

"An Ikranay attacked you and you wrapped a net around its mouth before climbing onto its back and stabbing it twice. Then you let it fly away and you collapsed shortly after, but that was an amazing sight to watch!" Jake explained. I let a nervous smile crack through.

"Th-Thanks, I didn't really even know what I was doing…" I admitted. Jake smiled back at me in acknowledgement. Although I could tell that the guy wasn't doing anything to me, his shear height alone was a bit intimidating.

"The fact that you've survived on your own for this long, and even befriending a direhorse is pretty incredible, if I'm going to be honest. Anyway, I've come to tell you that many of our people don't really appreciate you staying on Pandora, even though you yourself haven't done anything wrong Mark, which I'm grateful for. But Neytiri persuaded me and many others that you should stay at the new Hometree." This put me at a loss for words. Living with the Na'vi at their home tree! I couldn't believe it!

"Wow… thank you so much! I'll try not to be much of a burden to you all, although I'm not formally introduced with your culture yet, I hope that I will be able to adapt into the Omaticaya clan correctly. You will not regret this!" I couldn't thank the Na'vi nearly enough with the gratitude I felt! Jake grinned wider and laughed.

"Just try not to stare at anyone and do anything stupid, and you should be fine. Tomorrow, either Neytiri or I will come to escort you along to Hometree and from there we will arrange living quarters and other plans needing to scheduled. We already have a few other humans in the clan that aided us during the battle against the RDA, and I think they would appreciate seeing a new face there." He said assuringly.

"Hey, I'm not the one who single-handedly started a war on an invading species." I joked. We laughed and Jake bid me a farewell. He was kind, and I could tell why people would follow him. I turned back around to ask Jake something else, but he had already vanished. That sort of thing can be pretty scary… "Mark, what the hell have you gotten yourself into." I murmured under my breath and looked around. Once again I would have to navigate back home alone, which was beginning to get tedious pretty quickly.

It wasn't even the crack of dawn and Polyphemus was still relaxing under the horizon when I woke up rejuvenated and luminescent. I slid back the rickety door and took a large breath, waking up Dorian. If direhorses had human faces (although that would be utterly disgusting), Dorian would have bags under their eyes and inconvenience written all over. I ate my breakfast, changed clothes, and prepared my belongings to move. I placed all my food and stored materials inside of my hut for safekeeping, and packed all the necessities into my satchel. By the time I was done, my satchel had nearly torn my shoulder off with all the extra mass and food. All of the plants around my home seemed to be even brighter than usual in their mesmerizing glow once I had cleaned up. Why did this place have to look so amazing?

"Are you Mark Uliss?" Neytiri asked suddenly, scaring me senseless. The Na'vi were exceptional hunters in their field and could remain silent for as long as they wished and whenever the pleased, so I was definitely startled.

"That's me, you are Neytiri, yes?"

"Yes, I am. Come, try not to make noise."

"Wait, can't Dorian come too?"

"Who is Dorian?"

"My friend, who is right th-" I stopped mid sentence and scanned for my buddy, but they were nowhere to be found. "Nevermind. He ran off already to who knows where."

"You said that you were the only one of sky people that left. " Neytiri replied in broken English, narrowing her eyes inquisitively.

"Dorian isn't a person, you'll meet them later."

"Good. Now we must move." Neytiri said and zoomed through the forest gracefully. I quickly followed after, careful not to make too much of a ruckus. Neytiri leaped from root to root, swinging off of branches and landing perfectly without a thought. I was having to run to keep up with her speed, which I would have to get used to whenever following someone. Eventually Neytiri noticed that I was having a hard time catching up and slowed her pace. Out of nowhere, she said "You and Jake are similar." I didn't know what she meant by that, so I kept quiet. "You both were sky people. Have strong hearts, and very weird. But different. Too. You know what is good. You only kill when needed. You are quiet. You are smart. But clumsy."

"Really? Jake seems to me like he knew a lot about Na'vi." I said. Neytiri gave a small laugh.

"No, he was ignorant. Loud. Like an infant. He could not see." She said while nimbly jumping over a root. 'He couldn't see? What does that mean?'

"Who knew. Oh, I forgot to mention, Jake said something about how there are other humans living in the clan. Will I be able to meet them?"

"Maybe. Many do not like that you will stay at Hometree. They think that you will only destroy, but that is not true. Sky people destroyed our home. They are still angry, so you must be cautious."

"That's nothing really new, it doesn't matter what you do; if you're a human then Pandora will give you hell." Neytiri laughed again.

"Jake said that too. Very similar." I couldn't help but smile. If hadn't had known who Jake was prior to this then I would have thought he was a naturally born Na'vi. Finally we arrived at the enormous Hometree. I had imagined that the tree would be large, but that by itself is an understatement. Only a few times were these places mentioned, and with that somehow Hometree was even larger upclose. Just about everything on Pandora is huge! As expected when I set foot near the grounds, every head turned to see. It was like a clown walked into a funeral and threw a pie at the preacher. I followed behind Neytiri while trying not to give an odd look to anyone. Curious and confused murmurs arose along the lines. I could tell the topic was probably me. The sea of blue parted in front and closed back up behind, and every once in a while one of them would touch me out of interest. I didn't mind. 'I can only imagine how awkward this was for Jake.'

We went from the bottom level of the tree through the hollow inside and up the interior of the trunk, all the way to one of the mighty branches on the top floor. All around us were saddled mountain banshees, awaiting their riders whom they were bound to life with. Unexpectedly, the moment I took a step back outside of the tree, a few banshees began to start screeching in alert to each other about the alien trotting along one of the branches. Suddenly, another mountain banshee flew up into Hometree and landed in front of Neytiri. I stumbled back as it shreaked in aggression. 'Should have known.' Neytiri stroked its neck to sooth the beast. She said something calming in Na'vi to the banshee and it lowered itself down closer to the wood. I tripped while I was stepping back and fell, which made Neytiri laugh again. I rolled to my feet and dusted off my pants to act like nothing happened. Then, an enormous shadow soared overhead and the other banshees fell silent all at once.

"Um, what was that?" I asked fearfully. Neytiri only smiled back, as if she had already answered my question. A gargantuan yellow, red, and orange banshee with a blue stained dorsal that was around triple the size of Neytiri came crashing down beside us, somehow not even fazing Neytiri to the slightest. What I didn't realize was that atop the behemoth was Jake, who also thought it was quite comical to laugh at my reaction. "What the hell is that?!" I exclaimed.

"Hey Mark! This is the Great Leonopteryx, or Toruk. It is incredibly difficult to bond with and rules the skies." Jake said. From every part of my being I wanted to shout at him for embarrassing me, but I kept it in. Keeping my cool was key, and stirring up trouble would get me killed in the end, so I kept my mouth shut. Jake dismounted from the back of the Toruk and greeted Neytiri by touching foreheads and exchanging a few words in Na'vi to the spiraling inner trunk as pointed downward. "For now, find one of my good friends, Norm. He should be able to guide you for now. He may still be on the second floor. Also, welcome to Pandora, Mark!"