A/N: So.. here's my first Avatar fic. Please keep in mind that I've only seen the movie once. I'm sorry if any of the facts are off. And, in case you were wondering, "sempul" and "sempu" mean "dad/father". Review?
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. Though I really wish I did.
"Sempu," The boy called in his native tongue. Jake looked up from the skin of a Viperwolf that he had been curing, only to see his son running towards him with a make-shift bow and a few arrows. "Will you teach me to shoot today?" The boy spoke both languages of his parents; english and Na'vi. Jake glanced up at his son. He really needed to finish curing the hide; it would not be soft and flexible if he stopped now. But he had been waiting since the day the boy had been born for his son to show an interest in bow hunting. The hopeful look in the young boy's eyes did not help the situation, either.
"Not now, Thomas." Neytiri had named the boy after her mate's brother. Jake had reluctantly accepted it, after some serious persuasion. "Go find your mother. She was looking for you earlier." Thomas stared dejectedly at his feet as he walked away.
Jake silently cursed himself. He didn't want to disappoint his son, but things were hard on the whole clan now. The time of Great Sorrow had really affected them; they had to start all over in a new Hometree. Meat, grains, fruits, vegetables... they all had to be collected and stored. The People needed new hides and furs. Firewood had to be collected. All of this had been burned along with the old Hometree by the Sky People. Jake had the responsibility of building a new life for the clan on his shoulders, along with the duty of being the new Olo'eyktan and his new family. Some days, it was just too much to keep track of all of it.
A week passed, and Jake was so busy that he forgot about the incident with Thomas wanting to learn to hunt. The week also brought a break to the massive amount of work that had to be done. With hunters and gatherers working overtime, a supply of food quickly built up. Those who could not hunt made tools for the clan. To celebrate the break, the clan held a small feast with the bit of surplus food they had collected. The feast was held early in the morning to give the People the majority of the day to just relax.
Jake sighed in contentment. He was reclining in a hammock with one arm around Neytiri, relishing the afternoon heat. They were both giggling uncontrollably. Truth be told, they were a little tipsy from the special drink served at celebrations. Though, neither of them would admit it.
"So do you feel any different being Olo'eyktan, my Jake?" She mused, toying with his long braid. He grinned and stroked her cheek.
"I am definitely busier," He laughed. She laughed softly also. "But it is sìltsan. It's good." He captured her lips in a soft, quick kiss. But she wasn't letting him go that easily.
"Sempul." Jake and Neytiri had been making out for over a minute before their son had interrupted them.
"T-Thomas!" Jake stuttered, obviously embarrassed that his son had caught them. "What do you want, son?"
Thomas fingered the string on his bow, which was slung across his back. "Will you teach me now?" The boy asked quietly.
"Not now, Tommy." Jake rubbed a hand across his eyes. Neytiri placed a hand on her mate's shoulder.
"Why don't you just go?" She whispered in his ear. "We can finish this later." With her last sentence, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. A cold chill ran all the way down his spine to the tip of his tail.
"Okay," He shook his head and stood up, grabbing his bow from the floor.
"Keep your shoulders back," Jake corrected, gently pushing the boy's shoulder back. "Feet a little wider. Elbow up." Thomas hung onto every word his father said and corrected his posture without any hesitation. Jake walked a few feet in front of the boy and dug a wooden post into the ground- the target. From this point, he could really see how much his son had grown in just seven short years. He was taller; more of a boy than a child. Intelligent, too. Thomas held the bow with the precision of a skilled hunter. Jake could hardly believe it was the same boy who had been cradled in his arms as a newborn only, what seemed like, a day or two ago.
Suddenly, it hit him. His son was growing up, and he was missing every bit of it.
"Like this, Sempul?" Thomas shouted.
"Exactly like that. Now just pull back and let go." An arrow when whizzing by his head, just a few inches from the post. "Okay, that's good. Try it again. This time, aim a little lower." The arrow missed by a few inches to the left.
"Just like this," Jake murmured. Standing behind Thomas, his large hands over the boy's small ones, Jake was suddenly having flashbacks to his first bow lesson with Neytiri.
"Skxawng," She muttered under her breath after he had missed the target yet again. "Move your shoulders back," A rough hit to the shoulder followed her statement. Another miss. "Keep your elbow straight!" A hit to his elbow. This time, he hit the target. The arrow, on the other hand, did not stay in the post.
"This is impossible." Neytiri groaned and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "I told you Sky People could not be taught."
"Hey, I'm sorry, okay? I guess I'm just a slow learner. But I am trying." To prove how hard he was working, Jake pulled the arrow back forcefully and let go. Both of them watched as the arrow flew past the post and dug into a tree behind it. "Dammit!" Jake yelled in frustration.
"Calm down," Neytiri sighed. She walked behind Jake, her long arms curling over his. Her hands guided his as he brought the bow up and pulled the arrow back. With her help aiming, the arrow hit the post dead center. However, even after Jake had set the bow on the ground, they stayed locked in an embrace, staring into each other's eyes. "Ah.." Neytiri shook her head and stepped back, blushing. "That was.. better."
"Yeah," Jake sighed, also blushing.
"Again," She commanded.
Jake shook his head, smiling, to get rid of the flashback. He hadn't noticed while he was remembering, but now his son was staring up at him, a confused look on the boy's face.
"Are you alright?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's try this again." Jake guided the boy's hands as he shot the arrow into the post. "See? Just like that."
After a whole evening of practicing, Thomas could finally hit the arrow into the post continuously. There was no limit to the proudness that filled Jake as he brought Thomas back to Hometree on his shoulders. His son had just complete the first step in becoming a warrior. Becoming a man.
Jake only wished he could slow the time down.