Author's Note: The Elemental Masters Series by Mercedes Lackey inspired the changes I have made to the original Avatar movie. When speech is presented as :This, it indicates a spirit is speaking to those it to wishes hear it and there is no language barrier to them. The story starts when Jake first gets lost in the jungle, but a little better prepared.
Jake pulled himself onto the shore and looked around breathing deeply. The surrounding jungle was lush and green. Nothing looked familiar, but why would it. It was his first time off base after arriving three days ago. First thing he did, was locate a branch that was sturdy enough to use as a pole arm. He then assessed his resources. It wasn't good, but it wasn't terrible either. He had lost the pack the base had supplied him, but managed to keep his kit and all its contents. It looked like a set of saddlebags thrown over one shoulder, thicker on the back thin on the front and secured together with a strap at the opposite waist. He had a knife, again marine issue, and the clothes on his back.
He knelt down to the earth and cut a circular design into the dirt. In the center he placed a couple small fruits he had found in the yard. He spoke softly and walked away. He checked the sun's direction, remembered where the base might be in relation to it. He settled his grip on the makeshift staff and began walking carefully and quietly through the jungle. Had he stayed or the Na'vi that was following him they might have seen a little creature come out of the grass and inspect the circle before taking a fruit.
Some time later Jake, still lost, heard an odd sound. Like a whimper, but a little like a cry for help. Rather than rushing headlong toward the sound, like the average marine, Jake crept forward carefully. Through the trees, he saw three cloaked people standing in a circle. They were the right size to be Na'vi, standing nearby were horses that were dark colored and nothing seemed right about the situation. Lying on the ground in the center was a young woman in obvious pain. The cloaked ones just watched her and not the jungle around them. Jake searched the front of his pack while he reviewed what he was actually capable of. He left a surprise near a tree as he crept around to the far side of the group picking up a much thicker branch. They didn't even look around. They just stared down at the girl.
When the set of firecrackers went off, they certainly jumped. Two rushed to investigate, the third had their back to Jake as he rush forward raising the branch and bringing it down on the person's head and shoulders. They went down quickly and Jake wasted no time throwing the girl over his shoulder, tossing another set of firecrackers toward the horses, and picking up a dagger that was just lying beside her. Jake took off running into the jungle where the trees were thickest. He heard a woman shriek with rage just before the second set of firecrackers went off scaring the horses.
When he thought he could stop a moment, he located a tree where he could hide under the roots. He settled her against the center root. She was barely more than a girl, and wasn't actually awake. Just below the rib cage was a shallow stab wound that oozed a smelly, green liquid. It didn't take a scientist to guess that was poison. The dagger had a thin layer of the same liquid.
Jake spread his shields to include her and sank his power into her. She was covered in dark magick; he ignored the strangeness of its presents allowing his water magick to flow through her like a dreg net forcing the darkness before it and back out the wound. Again and again he swept her body of the poison. He wasn't certain how long it took to clean her system, but when he wiped away the last of the poison and bound the wound, he realized someone was kneeling beside him. He felt a little drained, but tried to hide it. It was another Na'vi female that look exactly like the one he had rescued. He had to make a double take to be sure there were two. The new one cradled her arm and stared at the other Na'vi afraid.
"Are you hurt?" Jake whispered hoping she knew English. She jerked back and stared wide-eyed at him. "Easy, I don't know how much I can help, but I will try. My name is Jake Sully."
"Releana, that is my sister Valeana," she said cautiously. She let him examine her shoulder. Luckily it was only dislocated.
"This is minor, but it's going to hurt," he explained.
Unfortunately, she didn't take precautions when he popped it back into place. She shouted and they heard horses coming toward them. "Sorry," she whispered.
"Never mind that, we got to get her safe," Jake said picking her groaning sister up.
"This way," Releana said lunging out from under the tree. Jake followed searching for the cloaked ones through the trees and was relieved to see Releana guiding him to a horse. She mounted and motioned him to get on. There was pounding nearby.
"Too late," he stated lifting Valeana behind her. "Go, I'll try to slow them down. Just get her to your people."
"No, they'll kill you," Releana argued.
"It's you and your twin, they're after. Send someone back if you wish, but go now. Take this," he ordered, handing her the poisoned dagger, and slapping the horse's rear. "Run! Save her!"
Releana tossed him her bow and arrows as the horse galloped away. 'Crap, as if I know how to use these.' He turned to face his opponents. There were four this time, all mounted. He approached them as they rode down on him. He lunged right hooking the bow around the neck of the nearest rider dragging them from the horse. He tried to grab the ankle of a second rider behind the first, but was kicked in the shoulder. The two on the left keep going. The leader was female as she screamed an order and continued on after the girls followed closely by the other two.
The rider got to their feet, their cloak continued to hide their face. Instinct told Jake, he didn't want to see the face underneath. They drew their weapon, which looked like a sword and somehow seemed weird for the surroundings. Jake drew his dagger, holding the bow and arrows, and squared off forgetting about the horse until it reared at him lashing its feet in the air. Jake stared a moment too long at the feet that weren't hooves, but more like a raptor's with talons.
Releana pushed her horse as fast as the mare could. She gripped her sister's arms around her waist, hearing her moan. She was terrified to look behind her. She could hear the pounding of their horses. 'Faster, faster,' she thought.
The moment she thought the guards would hear her, she screamed for their aid. She was prepared to scream till she lost her voice, but a war cry split the air followed by the sound of horses galloping toward her. She heard those behind her slow and perhaps stops. She rushed passed the warriors yelling she was being chased. They continued on to hunt the cloaked riders.
She rode straight into home tree. "Help, please!"
"Releana, what happened?" her mother demanded and then saw Valeana and carefully pulled her from the horse. "What's wrong with her? What happened?"
"We were attacked. She was poisoned with this," she said holding out the dagger. She then gasped and exclaimed, "I left him! I left him behind!"
"Who?" her father snapped. Mo'at came forward taking the dagger and looking at Valeana's condition.
"The dream walker! He rescued her, tended her and me. He sent us off, while he stayed to… to face them alone," she pleaded. "I have to go back."
"No!" her father ordered. "You will not leave here till it's safe."
"Then you bring him here," Mo'at ordered, surprising the clan. No dream walker had been allowed inside home tree for a long time. "For your daughter should already be dead from this poison. Bring him quickly; he may be weakened by what he has done."
Releana quickly told him where she left Jake. With her father went a few warriors. Mo'at settled the dagger safely aside and un-bandaged Valeana's wound ignoring how her mate stared at her.
Jake gasped clutching his shoulder. The strange horse was limping away leaving its rider behind. Jake managed to stab the rider with an arrow and someone hit the rider with another arrow. The rider was wheezing for breath and Jake stumbled forward leaning on the bow determined to find out anything he could about this group of cloaked bullies. Before he could reach the rider a number of viper wolves came out of the brush. Jake backed up quickly; the wolves sniffed at the wounded rider and glanced at him. He kept moving back with the dagger and bow pointed at the wolves. He looked up at a noise. Above him was a Na'vi woman reaching down to him. He scrambled up the tree as the wolves pounced on the rider and began to drag them away.
The woman pulled him up the rest of the way. Then the adrenal started to wear off. He realized that horse's talons had raked the back of his shoulder. Strangely, there had been magick involved on the emotional front, but the rider didn't seem to be wielding the power. Jake's shields had been battered with mostly fear spells during the fight. "Thank you," he whispered and added, "I'm sorry but I haven't had a chance to learn even a word of your language." He pulled off his kit, vest, and picked at his shredded shirt.
The woman watched him and then yanked his shirt, which ripped and fell off. "You are so stupid," she hissed inspecting the injury.
Jake stared at her a moment and admitted, "You are probably right." She blinked at him surprised. "But I was taught that survivors learn from their mistakes. I've always tried to be a good student." He draped the kit across his thighs and pressed what was left of his shirt against the claw marks. "That was one strange horse, if it was even a horse." She was silent watching as he tended his wounds, slowly she noticed he was shivering. Jake said nothing about it but could feel the first signs that he had nearly over extended his magick. Without the spirit pact, all the power was currently coming from his magick aura. Much more magick and he would be drawing the power from his physical body, never a good idea. His body temperature was dropping slowly, warning him of the potential mage fever. Oh, he hated being cold.
"Are you all right?" the woman asked.
Jake wrapped his arms around him, shrugging he truthfully said, "Nothing that some food and a safe place to rest won't cure I'm sure. Do you think they made?" He tried to change the subject.
"They are not as stupid as babies," she hissed.
Jake looked at her and whispered, "All right, you made your point, but in my defense I'm not supposed to be here. My brother had trained for three years before he… I had a week's notice before coming."
She frowned as though deciding whether or not to believe him.
Then a familiar voice rang in his mind :Jake, sorry to interrupt, but you're going to have company, and not the kind you want.
Jake looked about the jungle floor. "They're coming back."
"How do you know that? I hear nothing," she demanded.
"Just trust me," he said, but one look at her face told him that wasn't going to work. He had no choice and no time but to go on a leap of faith and admit the family secret. "Please believe me… I have an allied spirit with me. I'll introduce you to him later, but I really think we should make ourselves scarce now." He started getting up, but his wounds and chill made moving a little painful. 'My family's gonna kill me when they find out I told a total stranger,' he thought.
"Very well," she said and muttered, "Stupid and a little mad." The woman took his kit from him and grabbed his arm. She led him along the branch to the tree trunk.
The sound of horses followed soon after and they hid behind a tree trunk. Jake was relieved to see it was just the three cloaked riders. They didn't appear to have caught the girls. It was short lived, with the lead female's fury. Jake tightened his shields as the fury revealed her magick nature. He was in no shape to face her. "We need to leave," he said as softly as he could.
"They'll see us if we are not careful," she hissed. She watched as Jake paled and shook. "What's wrong?" Jake didn't answer as the cloaked woman screamed something truly frightening. The dream walker obviously didn't understand, but now she really wanted to be gone. "Come, quietly."
Jake did the best he could while his injuries and growing fever slowed him down. The Na'vi suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist and forced him forward. Far behind them, one of the cloaked ones was climbing a tree tracking them. It wouldn't be long before they were caught. Jake pushed on wanting to tell the woman to leave him so she wouldn't get killed, but wasn't about to point out the obvious to her. A wave of dizziness hit him and he stumbled into a tree trunk. "Not now," he hissed.
"Come," she ordered so softly in his ear tugging him along.
"Water…" he breathed, "If I can reach… I can gather strength."
"Water? For what?" she hissed, looked behind her, and gasped. The rider was close enough to draw his weapon. Below them was a stream, not very deep, but the dream walker couldn't escape without her help. She chose to go with his request regardless of how strange it was. "Jump!" she snapped and lunged off the branch before the rider reached them. She let him go to ready her bow.
When they landed in the knee-high water, Jake crumbled to his hands and knees. With what strength he thought he could spare, he rapidly performed two spells. One to basically beg for help from the spirits of water which he had no agreement with to force their cooperation. The second to bend the present water to his will. He drew its strength into him as he sat up. Then the water rose in a single column that bent around him as he raised his arms, with a fierce determination he quickly pointed toward the rider willing the water to rush passed him.
The woman watched in shock, as the water seemed to do as the dream walker directed. The column of water slammed into the cloaked rider before he could climb down. The rider was thrown back. The rider was still a moment before rising and then took off running. The woman looked back at dream walker to see an odd sight. Where he should have been there appeared to be a male of her own people was and beside him lay the dream walker. The male looked up at her and whispered, "Perhaps, I am a fool, but the truth is I am a Master of Water magick though no one outside my clan would believe it. I hope I can trust you with my secret." The woman only stared. He certainly spoke with the dream walker's voice. He cocked his head aside and sighed, "we need to leave right now, please." He dragged himself to his feet and the image of the dream walker on the ground faded.
"How did you? Why did…? What just happened?" she demanded. He groaned though not totally in pain. "He's gone, I deserve answers."
"Not gone, he's bringing her. I don't have the strength to face her. We must go. I will answer all your questions at the right time, I swear on the light of the Great Mother. Please, somewhere safe first," he pleaded.
"That female who shouted?" He slowly nodded. "Why are you afraid of her if you don't know what she said?"
"Somehow I'm sure I don't want to know what she said." Jake started walking along the stream to where he could feel a larger water source before answering, "She is a Master of Earth. At least as powerful as me…at my best which I'm not right now," he looked back at her, "but she is of darkness that goes beyond just the attack on those two girls."
The woman walked ahead of him, "Follow me, quickly." She still had his kit and the added strength helped enough for Jake to follow her. "To the river?"
"If it doesn't take us further from safety."
"No, it runs near my clan's home," she said, determined to keep him alive for the answers at least. "Can you swim?"
"Yes," he answered dryly.
At the shores of a wide river, Jake stepped in feeling the water soak his pants and enter the boots. He closed his eyes a moment feeling the water naturally ease his aching feet. The woman moved ahead holding her bow above the water. "Come."
"Stop right there!" screamed the cloaked female. The three riders rode through the jungle.
"Oh crap," Jake whispered and heading into the water.
The woman placed an arrow to her bow, as the riders neared the shore. "You are the trespassers here. Leave before my people come to deal with you."
The female sat on her strange horse and her yellow eyes were the only visible part of her face. She regarded the Na'vi woman and Jake like they were rodents she was considering an act that meant nothing good for them. "Now, now, all I want is that demon man. Your people dislike their kind. This I know." Her voice was as smooth as silk but icy cold. "Give him to me and I will see that their kind never bother your people again."
The woman began to lower her bow and Jake realized that female was using a trance on his protector. He seized her shoulder, spread his shields over her, and whispered, "She's trying to capture your mind. Wake up."
She immediately brought up her bow again, aiming it for the female's heart. "My clan owes him a debt of gratitude for what you did to our young sisters. You will not have him."
The female hissed her angry and glared at Jake, "Who is this? There wasn't an empowered anyone among your people before. Where did you come from?"
Jake didn't answer, mostly because he didn't know what was said. He matched her glare for glare, hoping to bluff her into retreating for now. Her power pressed against his and he poured as much as he could to maintain the bluff regardless of the cost.
The female practically snarled and the other two riders advanced. Behind him, he felt a warm, vibrate being reach up and grab the end of his braid. He felt something come over him but nothing about it gave him cause to fear. It took over his mouth and he spoke in a language he didn't know, his voice added a strange accent, "Of course, dark one, I had no need to draw attention to myself before. Those girls are now mine to cherish. Also, it is her will this dream walker is protected."
The female cautiously leaned forward, "What is your name, bright one?"
"Mine to keep, now leave before my friends make you," the being warned through him. Jake hoped that threat wasn't empty.
Their horses backed up as something rose out of the water behind him, Jake couldn't move to see. The woman certainly saw and was plainly shocked by what she saw. The female pointed at him and snarled, "This isn't over." The riders wheeled their horses about and galloped away.
When Jake thought it was safe, he turned around and said, "Thank you for your…" he stopped when he saw a thick column rising out of the water. Jake leaned his head back just as the woman was doing. The column was a neck that to his disbelief mounted a head that reminded him of the creature most humans referred to as the loc ness monster. "Whoa." He could have sworn the creature and the other two slightly smaller versions behind it were laughing at them. Jake placed his open hand over his heart and bowed. The lead creature nodded. The woman was still staring; Jake tapped her with Releana's bow, "Say hello."
She blinked, raised a hand to her forehead, and then bringing it down saying something. A moment later, she turned to him and asked, "How have you done this? Call the great water horses? Change your face? And you said you didn't know the language."
"I don't know your language, but she does," he said pointing down to a seemingly Na'vi woman that stood waist-height to them though her feet were on the water's surface at their knee-height. The woman looked closer and saw the little creature's hair was dark green not black and her skin had scales edged in white. "An undine I think, water sprite. Beautiful, isn't she?" The sprite wrapped her arms around his arm and batted her eyes up at him. "What did you mean change my face?" he looked up at the woman and saw himself standing behind her. He turned to the water horse, "May I ask for an explanation?" The water horse turned its head and twisted about a tentacle toward him. "What does this mean?"
"He wishes to connect with you, of course," the woman said.
Jake was starting to get really tired of his lack of knowledge being slap in his face so much. "I'm sorry, I just realized I have been incredibly rude. My name is Jake Sully, to whom do I own my life to?" he asked, again placing his open hand on his chest but only nodding this time. She stared him. "Would you do us both the honor?" He indicated the water horse's tentacle. "Since I have yet to learn, much less understand this connecting."
The water horse nodded and offered his tentacle to her and the woman watched as Jake's face returned to his own and the other become the Na'vi male. "How are you doing that?"
"I'm not actually. I think the water horse is, right?" he asked sounding as confused as she. The image of the Na'vi male jumped onto one of the other water horses.
As Neytiri connected with the great water horse, its voice felt like it echoed around her with sound of waves crashing on a rocky shore. :Indeed, you needed the help, young brother.
"Agreed and I am grateful to you…"
:Come, we will take you both to her home. The water horse motioned to his own back. Neytiri gracefully lighted onto his back. The water horse dipped lower into the water for Jake. :You have pushed your strength too far, though you tried not too. Well done.
Jake settled behind Neytiri feeling proud of the compliment but he was cold, hungry, and tired. "Thank you so much. I don't quite understand all that's happened today." Then something tapped his shoulder, the third water horse had a branch in its mouth.
"Good idea," Neytiri said, "Eat those fruits." She settled his kit across her lap. "My name is Neytiri."
"Please to meet you." Jake took the branch and pulled off a bite-size yellow fruit. "Before I forget, I promised to introduce you Sebastian," he said popping the fruit in his mouth.
"Sebastian? Who?" she asked suddenly on guard.
Jake reached around her and opened the flap to the thicker side of his kit. "The spirit that warned us earlier, and you called me a little mad for I think." He pulled out a thin, leather case. She said nothing as he opened the case and slide out what looked like a Na'vi-sized hand mirror of black glass. "This is his anchor point be very careful with him." She stared at the dark surface thinking the dream walker was in fact crazy. Then the clear glass turned smoky with gray swirls. "Mirror ally in my hand, answer now to my command."
With a sigh that sounded like the soft symphony of wind instruments, Sebastian spoke :I hate that spell.
"Sorry, I'm tired," he said eating another fruit. "Say hello." He placed the mirror into Neytiri's hands.
:I see you, lady Neytiri. He said as his white human-looking face became clear under the surface of the black glass.
Neytiri stared, "You, you're… real?"
:Yes, I'm used to this reaction, you know. I am grateful, you save one of my favorite Sully's.
"By Ewya, what kind of spirit are you? I have so many questions… about all of this."
:Mirror spirit. Ask away, it's not like I'm going anywhere.
Neytiri rapidly spoke in her language and Jake listened and ate. He didn't mind not understanding, Sebastian would tell him later. The water horse's tentacle whipped aside and pulled away from Neytiri's braid and stopped in front of him. She nodded at him and continued her conversation with Sebastian.
Jake shrugged and grabbed his braid. The water horse was calm in his mind, but wary. :It has been a long time since I have converse with a son of water.
"Really?" he whispered not wanting to disturb the other conversation, "Why is that? And what do I owe you for your aid?" A seedling landed on his shoulder and Jake stared at it. "What is this?" Another and another landed on him.
:There has been no need to awaken the light of power in the two-leggers for a time. Everything was balanced. I am quite relieved to see she approves of you.
"Has it to do with the mining?" he asked with a sinking feeling. "And what are these seeds doing?"
:The digging to a point, yes. But more when the dark ones arrived.
"They are very pure spirits," Neytiri told him. She watched more amazed than Jake felt as more seedlings gathered on him.
Soon his torso was covered with them and then as strangely as they arrived they all left. "Odd." Jake swallowed another fruit with difficulty and tried to think.
:The price, you will teach the sons and daughters of the Omaticaya about the light, of course. You will also learn from them, as much as they will teach you. It is, as you promised.
"Yes, I remember my oaths and as long as I get permission from the clan. I will not force them," Jake answered. Neytiri looked at him a moment then continued to speak with Sebastian. "What do you mean by the dark ones arrived? Just how many? And when?"
:There it is, little brother. The water horse said yanking his tentacle aside and away. Before them was a beyond massive tree.
"This has been an interesting day," he said resigned. "Neytiri, do you plan to tell anyone about my magick?"
"Yes, why not?"
:It is normally a bad idea. Sebastian said. :More often than not, people's reaction to magick is either of jealousy or fear. Some people think the power is a fix all, it's not.
Jake nodded, "As it is, I'm so tired I couldn't prove my ability. I am nearing a mage fever."
"Mage fever?"
:It's when one of magick over-extends their talent and makes themselves sick. The only way to prevent the worst affects is, at the first signs, to immediately get them eat first and then send them to bed. Jake keep eating.
"Yes, grandfather," Jake joked and popped another fruit in his mouth.
"Are you?" Neytiri said.
:No, his grandfather rescued me… well, sort of.
"He did his best. It's a long story," Jake said.
They turned at a warning cry. Along the shore rode a group of Na'vi warriors. Neytiri shouted back raising her bow. The warriors stopped and stared at them in shock. The water horses continued swimming toward home tree. At the nearest shore to the tree, the warriors were waiting for them. Neytiri tossed his kit over her shoulder and cradled Sebastian's mirror in her arm. "Come," she ordered him jumping off.
"Thank you for the lift," Jake said politely sliding off. He walked slowly to the shore, watching Neytiri argue with a warrior. Another warrior grabbed his braid pulling him among the rest of the warriors, but as he lifted his feet out of the water most of his borrowed strength drained out of him and he collapsed against a tree. His body temperature also dropped. "Definitely, over did it," he whispered.
"A threat, really!" Neytiri snapped at Tsu'tey, the warrior she had been arguing with, and then asked Jake, "You got nicked by one of their daggers, correct? He's been poisoned. Quickly, to my mother."
"Why should we take this demon any further?" Tsu'tey demanded.
"He saved our sisters, it is worth it. There has also been a sign."
The water horses amazed the warriors and many of them simply stared. As they turned to leave the largest of them lowered his head and nudged at Jake. "I will rest as soon as I can. There's just so much to…" The water horse snorted. "Yes, rest, right." The image of the Na'vi male rode off with them and waved before diving into the water.
"Help him," Neytiri ordered and started toward the tree.
The warriors shoved Jake along and held him up when his legs buckled. By the time he got there Tsu'tey was speaking to a male that appeared to be of some importance. Neytiri was speaking to a woman that actually looked a little familiar. The woman glanced at him and motioned him to come forward.
"Jake Sully!" Releana said sprinting over to him. She almost knocked him down, wrapping her arms around him.
"You're all right," he said relieved. "How's Valeana? How's your shoulder?"
"I'm fine. You don't look well. Come," she said half carrying him over to Neytiri, the woman and a small group of Na'vi.
Valeana lied near a fire between a boy and a woman that Jake suspected were her family. They watched him carefully as Releana helped him to sit down near by. He nodded to them and reached out to Valeana's forehead lightly resting his inner wrist on her forehead. Her skin was as pale as his but not as light as before. She was cool but not cold and her breathing was steady. "She's better, that's good, real good." Then he remembered he still had the bow, "This is yours, thanks. I lost the arrows though, sorry."
Releana accepted her bow with a smile, "It's all right. How can you tell that about her? How do you know?"
He sat back unsure of what actually were good manners to these people. "I was initially a field medic before…"
"What's that?" the boy asked.
"Vi hush," Releana snapped.
Jake smiled at him, "It's a warrior who has been trained in the healing arts, but really only so far as to help his brothers and sisters survive to reach a fully trained healer. I don't know… anything about your people or I could have done more. But she's not as pale as before, her breathing is even instead of that gasping rasp she had, and she was going cold now she's warmer." He rubbed his arms trying not to show how cold he felt. "Those are all signs I was taught for improvement. I hope that's true here."
"It is," Mo'at said joining them. Jake tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. "Stop, you have earned your rest and your right to stay."
"Thank you very much," he said with an opened hand on his heart, bowing as deeply as he could without falling over.
Neytiri returned his kit, but hung onto the mirror and the case. "The poison should run it's course by mid-morning."
:Jake, that's Neytiri's mother and the clan's shaman, Mo'at and she knows you're not poisoned and your magick. Apparently, there's to be some discussion about how and who to tell. Sebastian informed him.
"Why have you come?" asked the man who had been talking to Tsu'tey earlier.
:And that would be her father, the chief.
"Many reasons, sir," Jake began, "I was asked to take my brother's place. I wanted to go someplace where I didn't have to listen to people only tell me what I couldn't do and find what I could do. My other reasons… I'm not ready to talk about at this time." Then a huge yawn tore though him and he barely got his hand up in time to cover his mouth. Rubbing his face. "Sorry, it's been a long and confusing day."
"So I heard, then rest," Mo'at said, "Tomorrow you will begin your search under my daughter's instruction, of the ways of this clan." Neytiri jumped, looked at her mother and then at Jake.
He blinked at them completely surprised and looked like he was trying to think of something to say. Finally, he managed, "Thank you." He paused bewildered and whispered, "If the surprises could stop for the day I would really appreciate it."
"Why?" Mo'at said with a wicked smile.
Jake looked up at her realizing the joke but played worried, "Please, no more tonight." Several Na'vi laughed, including Mo'at.
Then as the clan began to go about their business, the children's mother tried to shoo her son off to bed, but the boy refused looking fearful. "You and your nightmares again," Releana hissed and explained. "He has nightmares."
"Nightmares?" Jake asked shifting into a more comfortable position.
Releana rolled her eyes at her brother and he glared at her. "They're not nightmares if I'm awake," he grumbled.
Jake crooked his finger fighting against sleep. "What kind of nightmares?" The boy came closer and pointed to the fire. Jake looked into the flames and started to smile. "Come here, I get it," he whispered. The boy looked hopeful and sat beside him. Jake ignored surrounding Na'vi and whispered into the boy's ear, "You see a little creature with blue eyes in there." The boy nodded and opened his mouth. "Shush, that little guy is a fire spirit, I think he is trying to see if you are strong enough to learn fire magick." The boy stared at him. "We will talk more in the morning, kept your mouth shut about this and get some sleep." The boy nodded happily and surprised everyone by curling up against Jake's shoulder near his kit. Jake stared a moment and said, "Is this… forget it." He settled, crossed his arms, and tucked his chin. "Don't break anything of my things, all right."
The boy grinned, pulled the kit to him, and began poking around under his mother's eye.
"This is not a good idea," Tsu'tey snapped at Neytiri with her parents nearby.
Neytiri frowned, "It will be fine. I will watch him."
"What is that you have?" her father asked noticing the mirror.
She blinked at it not wanting to give up Sebastian's mirror. "It's…"
:It's a mirror of his clan's that Jake was given the honor to carry. Sebastian suggested and Neytiri jumped on it.
"His clan?"
"Yes, we talked while riding the great water horse. He is from the Jarhead clan." She answered, as Sebastian continued supplying information.
"Jarhead? Interesting, what is the importance of this mirror?" her mother asked.
When Neytiri faltered again Sebastian spoke to her, :Show them the back of my mirror. She held out the mirror really seeing the back for the first time. Carved into the ash wood were symbols set into about five over-lapping circles.
To their surprise some of those symbols were similar to some of theirs. "Are these what I think they are?" Mo'at asked tracing the carvings.
"I didn't ask about that and the water horse was speaking to him privately as well. It was strange what Jake said to him once."
"What?" Tsu'tey demanded.
"I remember my oaths and as long as I get permission from the clan. I will not force them. I don't know what he meant."
"Then we ask, he's too tired to lie," he said.
Neytiri glanced over to Jake and smirked, "Really, how will you ask?" They all looked and saw Jake was very much asleep with young Viton curled against him to his recently returned father's amusement. "You know once they fall asleep, they don't wake until they wake up."