James Cameron's Avatar is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

-Personally though, I think the story will always belong not only to James Cameron, but to every one of the (literally) hundreds of people who worked so hard and for so long to bring Pandora and all of its wonders to the masses.



The nights on Pandora were never truly dark and even less likely to be quiet. This was especially true at the new Kelutral of the Omaticaya clan where the night was accented by the sound of cooking fires, conversation, and laughter. Smoke rose from the base of the tree and carried the scent of gently roasting yerik and talioang meat with it, wafting to the higher reaches of the Omaticaya's home. The aromas climbed the up the twisting height of the kelutral, silently passing the sleeping blue forms that rested on branches and in cocoons of soft fiber, until it reached a large platform-like hammock and began teasing the nose of one particular Na'vi.

Jake Sully looked away for a split second to home in on the source of the scent and received a yank on the ear for his trouble.

"Oouch!" Neither he nor Neytiri could hold back laughter as he wrapped his fingers around the tiny hand that clutched the pointed tip of his ear. "She's got a strong grip", Jake smiled as he gently coaxed the infant's hand onto his finger and off of his head.

"Careful, she bites too." Neytiri couldn't help but smile at the child she held against her heart. The baby in her arms giggled back, hands still tightly wrapped around her father's hand.

"Really?"

"Skxawng!" Neytiri smirked playfully as her mate scooted closer to his mate and draped his free arm around her shoulders.

"Sounds like a happy family" The couple looked up to see the familiar blue forms of Norm who, along with half of the original avatar team was walking along one of the larger branches which hung above the nivi hammock where Jake and Neytiri were resting. It had taken ages for the Na'vi to accept the dreamwalkers as allies and only within the last two years had a choice few of the scientists been allowed into the new Kelutral, though, in truth, Jake could hardly blame the Omaticaya. Of the ten present only half wore the traditional Na'vi loincloth, the rest were content with the ragged remains of whatever clothing they had been able to scavenge from Hell's Gate. Norm wore the faded remains of a red t-shirt even though it barely counted as clothing at all. The rips and tears it had gathered over the years clearly showed the healed over bullet wounds his avatar had collected nearly ten years ago.

"We brought you some dinner." Norm smiled as he dropped from the branch onto the nivi and passed Jake a handful of food before hustling over to Neytiri. The hammock creaked with the added weight but the fibers which held it taught against gravity refused to give. The rest of the scientists-gone-native either sat down on the branch above and began to eat or hopped down to the nivi to get a closer look at the newest addition to the Omaticaya clan.

Norm, forgetting the cultural divide, quickly made an ass of himself.

"Hey there little girl. Hey. Hey." He waved his finger in front of her in the general reaction most people have with children that aren't their own. Jake rolled his eyes and bit into the nikt'chey while the rest of the scientists had to fight down snorts of laughter. Neytiri's ears immediately went flat against her head and her tail began to swish back and forth in agitation.

"What are you doing, Norhman?" Her voice had all the tenderness of a tiger about to pounce.

"Oh, I ahh-" Norm stumbled over his words as the baby happily released her father's hand and grabbed the newest one.

"It's a sky people thing, Neytiri, he's just playing with her" Cassandra, a shorter sharp featured avatar who wore traditional Na'vi garb and acted as the team's xeno-biologist, came to Norm's rescue. She sat on the branch above him, kicking her legs back and forth in the air smiling. "He doesn't mean anything by it. He just wants to make her laugh." The rest of the team finally broke into fits of laughter; some of them even had to dig into the bark of the branch to keep from tumbling over the side. Neytiri's ears remained flat against her head but the threat of injury left her eyes, only to be replaced by a look of stunned fascination.

"Do all Sky People act this way around their children?" Neytiri had always wondered how the Sky People raised their young. So far she was less than impressed.

"Usually," Cassandra smiled as she took a bite of yerik.

Cassandra and Neytiri had not begun their friendship on the best of terms, though truthfully Neytiri had been the most accepting of the Omaticaya when the avatar drivers began to follow in Jake's footsteps. Many of the warriors who survived the Sky People's war hadn't liked the idea of dreamwalkers on their planet much less within their community. Jake was the only exception, he was the Olo'eyktan and the sixth Toruk Makto. Everyone else was still an interloper. After almost ten years only half of the original Avatar team had been allowed to train and eventually join the Omaticaya. Cassandra was the first to complete her training, and a month later she was also the first to accept Ewya's greatest gift. To leave behind her human skin and take her avatar body as her true form.

When she had finally made the switch whatever animosity between Neytiri and Cassandra evaporated and the two became fast friends. Each was curious about the other's culture, which made conversation inhumanly easy between the two of them. The rest of the team had a little more trouble getting the Omaticaya to warm up to them but there were many hopeful signs that the divide separating the two species was beginning to fade completely.

"So," Norm quickly regained his composure, "Have you guys given her a naiimE!" Norm whipped his fingers out of the little girl's mouth and she giggled reflexively. "She bites!" He looked at Neytiri with indignant disbelief but she, and the rest of the team, only burst into a renewed laughter.

"Until Mother can perform a naming ceremony, this one is called Unil." Neytiri ran her fingers down the baby's nose before kissing the child on the forehead. Unil smiled, cross-eyed, up to mother. Her Na'vi features were prominent, but hints of a human heritage were also obvious. Her eyes were smaller than a pure Na'vi and her nose more slender. Her hands, however, had the traditional four digits and her skin was the same sapphire as her mother's. The fact that she had been born at all was nothing short of a miracle, as many of the scientists had no clue if Avatar and Na'vi genetics were naturally compatible since the idea of scientists mating with the natives had never been considered, let alone tested.

For a while there was only laughter. Laughter as Jake gave Neytiri something to eat and took baby Unil into his arms. Laughter as Norm was tossed a nikt'chey and missed catching it only to see it bounce off the nivi and into the open air below. Laughter as Cassandra, Aaron—the team's field medic and resident daredevil—and Jake talked about the day's hunt, about work that still needed to be done to fortify the new Hometree, and about the current status of the other Avatars who had chosen to train with the Omaticaya.

" Jake! Jake, are you there?" The sound was mechanical and accented with a rush of static. "JAKE!" Handing Unil to Neytiri, Jake stood and walked over to the large branch the other avatars sat on. This branch was where his Chey hung. It was also where a comlink was beeping furiously in a desperate attempt to get the attention of anyone close by. Flipping the switch on the back of the machine Jake brought the tiny monitor to life. On screen was the face of a familiar bearded human: Dr. Max Patel, one some twenty scientists, mechanics, and mercenaries who had mutinied against the RDA and took the compound for the Na'vi. Max was usually an easy going guy and because of this nearly everyone at the former base liked him. The avatar team was especially appreciative of Dr. Patel, mostly because it was his generous donation of time which kept the avatars that hadn't transferred their minds up and running.

"Max? What's going on?"

"Speak English!" Max wasn't snapping, it sounded like he was panicking. His face was twisted with worry and beads of sweat were rolling across his forehead.

"Sorry, what's wrong?"

"There's something coming!"

"What?"

"Jake, it's the satellites, they just turned on all of a sudden, and the readings… something's just entered the system!"

"WHAT?"The color drained from Jake's face. It couldn't be, it was too early. It was far too early.

"Jake, I think it's them. I think it's a ship."

"Max, it can't be them, it's too soon, they shouldn't be back for at least another two years, you said so yourself!"Neytiri's ears went back and the eyes of everyone present went wide. Suddenly Max's panicked state made perfect sense.

"Jake, it was a model, an educated guess. They shouldn't be here, I know, Damnit, it should have taken them more time to figure out what to do!"

"Maybe it's a meteor or something just passing through the system."

"No, the satellites weren't the only thing to come on. Jake, the whole base is waking up! Computers, navigation systems, databanks, life support, things we shut down are just reactivating by themselves. Jake, it has to be them!"

Nothing but silence. Jake held the comlink as if it were about to explode and there was nothing he could do to stop it. His knuckles were white. He swallowed and tried to talk, but all that came out was a strangled whisper.

"How long do we have until they get here?"

"Jake, it's moving fast,"Max turned the camera of his comlink to one of the holographic monitors in Hell's Gate's control room. Jake could see a model of Pandora's system, its stars and sister moons orbiting around Prometheus, but what drew his attention was the small red dot tracing a flashing line across the display

"If it maintains speed…" Max's voice was shaking and his comlink was wobbling in his hand, "they'll be at Hell's Gate by morning. This thing what ever it is, hasn't decelerated, it hasn't changed course. It's coming right at us."

Jake dropped the machine, his face blank as the comlink bounced to his feet on the nivi. Everyone was staring at him, Neytiri held Unil close to her chest.

"You said they wouldn't come back yet" There were tears forming in Neytiri's eyes as her daughter began to cry.

"Neytiri" Jake felt numb, he felt like his world was crashing down. He felt like the fear building up at the bottom of his chest was going to burst out and… no. He swallowed that feeling he pushed it to the back of his mind. There was time to be scared later. He had known they would come back eventually, they had to, but something was wrong. Why only send one ship? How had they gotten organized so quickly?

He stooped to the comlink, "Max, we're on our way."In one swift movement he switched off the machine and connected it to a strap of leather hanging on his shoulder. He grabbed his bow and knife before turning to face his mate. "Neytiri," she wasn't crying anymore, whatever fear had rooted in her heart she banished it just as Jake had. Now there was only a steely flash in her eyes as she wrapped a squirming Unil in soft talioang leather and secured the baby against her chest. She nodded to her mate.

"Let's go."

Catlike, she leapt up to the branch where the other avatars already stood waiting. Jake was up and running down the massive branch after her a second later and his team followed him as fast as they could. Their feet dragged hard against the wood of Hometree, searching for traction, the cool night air whipped by their faces. They didn't worry about falling, they didn't care about tripping, and their only concern was the path ahead.

To Jake the next few moments were a flurry of green and blue, of half blurred faces and half heard greetings as he pressed past the members of the clan who went about preparing for a restful night that now would never come. They ran to the base of the Kelutral, leaping from branch to branch and never seemed to approach the ground fast enough.

"MO'AT," he shouted. "MO'AT!" Before he realized it they were on the ground, where the People gathered to share their meals, where the cooking fires suffused the air with sweet scents. "MO'AT!" he called again and again, searching for the Tsahìk, soon Neytiri and the rest of his team were shouting as well. Faces turned and idle conversations stopped cold. Suddenly it was as if the group was the center of the universe.

"What is going on?" Mo'at's voice was filled with worry. For the dreamwalkers to shout in the Hometree was a nuisance. For her daughter to sprint to the ground with a baby in her arms shouting with them, that was cause for concern.

"Mother, it's them" Neytiri's eyes were wide and she was breathing hard, Unil was crying. "They're back, the Sky People are back!"

If Mo'at panicked she didn't show it. She looked to her daughter and to the Toruk Makto.

"We need to get the People away from the Hometree." this time it was Jake who spoke, "We need to hide them somewhere where they can't be seen from the sky."

"The forest could hide them" Cassandra offered. She was gasping hard but forced herself to continue, "as long as they got away from the Hometree, RDA wouldn't be able to tell their heat signals apart from the animals."

Jake nodded in agreement. So long as there were satellites in orbit the Na'vi would have to hide in plain sight.

"Mo'at, can you take the People, somewhere safe in the forest?" She nodded. "Alright, get them out of here. You, you and you round up ten of the best hunters here and meet me at the ikran roosts" Jake pointed to three Na'vi in turn. Everyone at the base of the Kelutral had gathered around Toruk Makto and shouts of fear echoed out when they learned of the Sky People's return. "Now!" he shouted, sending the three, who had been standing numbly, scrambling to gather the hunters. A decade of living amongst the Na'vi had shaped Jake into a leader, a lifetime in the marines had forged him into a soldier and now both halves were needed to protect his home.

"Only ten?" It was Norm, he was breathing hard like there rest of the group.

"We're not attacking Norm, we need information. What are they doing here, how many enemies, did they bring heavy guns or light infantry? These are things we need to know before we strike." Jake didn't snap but he needed his people to trust him. Norm nodded and stepped forward, meeting Jake's gaze. The years had changed Norm as well, just as they had changed everyone else.

"We're coming with you."

"Only if you're on your ikran in five minutes." Jake spun around to face his mate.

"Neytiri go-"

"I am coming with you as well." She had already taken Unil out of her harness and given the baby to Mo'at who fastened the child to herself. Jake hadn't noticed before but she had her bow slung across her shoulder.

"Neytiri plea-"

"I need to see them Jake." Her eyes were full of fury, they looked as though they were literally on fire, "I need to know if they mean harm to the People" Jake didn't even try to stare her down, he knew that was a match he would loose. Instead he unhooked the clasps that held the comlink to its harness and held the device momentarily, feeling its weight, before handing it over to Mo'at. "Here, we will use this to tell you if the aliens mean to do us harm." She nodded and took the comlink, holding it while at the same time trying to touch as little of the device as possible—Mo'at's opinion on Sky People technology was well known—and turned to her daughter.

Jake bent down and kissed Unil softly on the forehead, "Mo'at, please keep her safe, please."

"As if I would let anything harm my granddaughter." Mo'at didn't even try to sound offended, though the false outburst allowed Jake to laugh nervously as he kissed his daughter's head again. With that he turned and sprinted to the lowest handhold of the Kelutral, seized it and vaulted up onto the path to the ikran roosts. Norm and the other Avatars followed close behind and several hunters after them. Neytiri remained and kissed her child softly as the People made ready to disappear into the forest.

"She will need to nurse soon" Mo'at's matter-of-fact tone cracked with genuine worry. She had tears in her eyes as she placed a hand on Neytiri's shoulder. "She will need her mother before long."

"Then her mother will have to make it back," Neytiri smiled as she carefully hugged Mo'at, "Sky People or not."

With that she turned and ran after Jake. Mo'at stood for a few moments, staring blankly at the empty space Neytiri had occupied before leaving.

"Eytukan, please… please watch over our daughter…" Then she turned and shouted to the gathering crowd telling them of the return of the Sky People, of the Na'vi who flew to meet them and of the protection they would be seeking in the forest.


It felt as though no matter how fast they flew it wasn't nearly fast enough. Jake's ikran screeched with impatience but its rider spurred it onwards, and the beast could feel the urgency in the command. Jake led a formation of some twenty riders, made up of the hunters he needed and the avatars that refused to stay behind. Neytiri flew beside Jake and seemed to be the only other rider as focused as he was.

They had flown for hours and the night had bled away into a dawn which carried the promise of a downpour. Thunderheads cracked in the distance as the forest's bioluminescent glow faded into a muted green. There were no battle cries or shouts about the foolishness of the Sky People for returning. There was only the sound of wind rushing by.

They reached Hell's Gate before the clouds had a chance to release their deluge. The base's pentagon shape cut a five mile wound in the surrounding green. Thick chain-link fence towered over the flat asphalt landing pad and added to the bases unnatural feel.

"We'll land there." Jake pointed to one of the gun towers the group was fast approaching "I want three of you to spread out to those other towers," he pointed to each of the neighboring towers in turn, "and keep watch." They had slowed down so that Jake's voice could be heard clearly over powerful wing beats. "Then I want the rest of you to find a good spot and stay hidden until we know what they want. Norm, you and me will go to the base and make sure everyone got out."

There was a thunderclap, far louder than any heard on Pandora.

"That's a sonic boom! They're here!" Jake couldn't tell if it was Norm, or Cassandra, or one of the other avatars.

"Everyone down!" Jake steered his ikran into a nosedive and plunged through the thick green canopy, his warriors following right on his tail.

They bobbed and weaved through the twisted maze of thick branches and green vines as the roar of an engine became louder and louder until their eardrums threatened burst. Then as suddenly as it had appeared the engine's roar cut off. The hunters landed and hid themselves at the tree line just, looking out at Hell's Gate.

The base had seen better days, and though the nature of its construction and the strength of the herbicides used when it was maintained by the RDA had kept the foliage at bay for almost a decade, Jake could see grasses and stems forcing their way up between cracks in the airstrip and vines climbing up the side of long abandoned buildings. However, it was the shuttle that held his attention.

"What the hell is that?" Jake recognized the voice this time, it was Aaron's harsh whisper, he had already drawn his bow and was nervously pulling an arrow taught. The Toruk Makto didn't scold his scout, in truth he wished he had an answer to the question, even as he motioned for Aaron to put his weapon away. The behemoth ship was the size of a mountain and it wasn't a shuttle that ferried troops to or from an ISV. It was something out of a science fiction story. The hull of the ship was bright silver in color, polished until it was a mirror but dulled by the grey sky overhead. The hulk resembled a whorl of metal with only a basic symmetry and a plethora of lights to remind that it was a ship and not a work of art. It hovered only a few feet above the airstrip, but with almost no sound aside from a loud dull drone. The blue lights that shone under its bulk warped the air beneath the ship so that the ground underneath looked like a mirage.

Above the heads of the hunters the thunderclouds cracked ominously.

"I don't think that's human."


Kelutral-Hometree

Yerik- The little blue deer with the freaky mouth.

Talioang-Think giant space buffalo.

Skxawng-Moron

Nivi- It's like a huge flat family sized hammock. Usually its where mated couples and their budding families sleep.

Nikt'chey- Its like a Na'vi power bar, usually meats and fruits wrapped up in an edible leaf.

Unil- Dream

Chey- personal belongings rack, where you store your stuff.

Ikran- Banshees

Well there you go. Its not my first fanfiction, but it is my first in a while. If you like it or if you hate it post a review, I'd love to hear your opinions.

Id also like to give a shout out to my fantastic beta-readers! The Starving Thespian, WhiteWolf Demon-Slayer, Sheechiibii, and AsterEris, thank you all for making sure I didn't get lazy with this!-I.L.