Before we start, Ninat's going to refer to Norm as No-orm because she doesn't really know how to say his name--yet. He can probably teach her.

Back to the story.


Tirol banked hard on a thermal, letting the wind carry her and Ninat towards their destination.

Crouched on her ikran, Ninat looked behind to make sure the baskets she'd tied to her back were still secure. Tirol was not the largest of ikran and flying with cargo was not easy for her, but she was a determined creature. It was good though that their journey was not a very long one. The Sky People's place was not very far, especially not for the taronyu who knew the land as well as Ninat and Tirol did. Soon the destruction of the forest gave way to the strange landscape of the Sky People's home. Tirol let out a cry and tucked her wings, falling towards the ground. Ninat adjusted her stance as she plummeted, letting out her own whoop of joy as the adrenaline coursed through her. Pulling up at the last moment, Tirol landed on the hard ground surrounding the Sky People's large buildings.

Ninat jumped off her back and broke their bond, undoing the ties of the baskets and stacking them before walking forward. The ground felt strange under her feet, much harder than Eywa's soft soil. Tirol let out a huff and pushed off the ground, leaving Ninat alone. She would go off and hunt or circle the area until Ninat needed her again. Ninat watched until Tirol's form was blocked out by the bright sun before she turned and hurried towards the building that the few Sky People who remained occupied. Setting down her baskets outside the doors, Ninat bent down to look at the blue panel that flashed softly. Reaching out she pressed her thumb to the device like the Sky People had told her. It flashed a brighter blue in response before the doors opened with a hiss. Piral picked up her baskets and stepped into the smaller, shaded room.

Here the floor was even harder, filled with things that did not grow in Eywa's grace, things the Sky People brought with them. They felt strange on her feet, strange in a way Ninat did not like. When it came to the Sky People, Ninat knew there was a good strange and a bad strange. This was the bad strange. Through the clear doors she could see the Sky People's sterile home. She didn't understand how the Sky People could live in this place. There wasn't any color--there was no life here. They were so separate from Eywa, Ninat was sure she would go crazy if she had to stay in this place for a long time. She was certain that the Sky People who lived in the cold walls of this place were more than a little crazy.

Dr. Max Patel rounded the corner at a fast pace, one of his hands clutching a strange thing she was sure she had seen the human's wear before. She smiled when she saw him. He was one of the few Sky People there and he had helped them when the rest attacked them. He was not a taronyu for his people, but he was very brave. Brave and nice. And hairy, though Ninat wasn't sure why. All the other male Sky People she had seen kept their hair very short but Dr. Max seemed to have an abundance of it. Ninat was sure if he was a Dream Walker he would have a very long queue. He stopped right in front of her and spoke, his voice accented as he greeted her.

"Oel ngati kameie, Ninat," Max said.

"Oel ngati kameie, Dr. Max," Ninat said, "I have brought you food," she continued, switching to his language, "and more bandages for No-orm's Avatar."

"Thank you," he said, moving to the wall and pulling on another of the black devices, pressing a button that made it let out a sharp hiss as it began to work. Keying in something he opened the glass doors and stepped into where she was. Ninat immediately knelt down, trying to bring their faces a bit closer together so he didn't have to strain to look up at her, "I've got something for you too," he said, his voice slightly distorted by the clear mask he wore, "this," he said holding up the black thing, "will let you come inside."

Ninat felt her ears perk up. To go inside the Sky People's home? That was definitely good strange. She had heard Neytiri describing the small home Jake had lived in and it sounded strange, full of beds that closed over you and food that came in packets. And from the way Neytiri had talked about it, that had been one of the smaller homes. This was a big one. Ninat couldn't help but look over at the doors before looking quickly back at Dr. Max and the strange device he held.

"Like what you wear?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "I modified it to work for you," he held it out to her.

Ninat took it, holding the strange thing in her hand. The material felt as strange in her grip as the floor did on her feet. It was large and curved with a black rim going all around it and two black straps. She looked at it and then at him, noting how the straps went around his head before pulling it over her own. It took her a moment to settle it, adjusting her queue so it would not be pressed on by the black straps but soon it was on. She slid the strap over her chest, the pack hanging just below her bow. Her fingers found the button on the top and she pressed it. A hiss echoed in her ears as the black rim tightened around her face.

"Did it work?" she asked, frowning at the strange echo of her voice.

"Yes," he said, "come on in."

Ninat nodded and picked up her baskets, stepping into the Sky People's home. She just fit, her head resting just under the white tiles of the ceiling. She was lucky to be relatively short, even for a member of the People. The little bit of soil that remained on the ground in the room she had been was gone here, the ground completely free of Eywa's warmth. Ninat felt her toes curl at the unexpectedly hard and cool surface. The sounds were strange too, soft whooshes and hisses that kept this place alive and running. Ninat could just imagine smaller machines keeping the big one going, like the bits and pieces inside the People. Dr. Max kept his pace slow, letting her have plenty of time to look around as they made their way through the place he called home.

The joy on Ninat's face made the past three sleepless nights completely worth it. Ninat had been one of the first People Max had encountered when he came to Pandora, back before the People decided the Sky People were not welcome. The first time he'd seen her she'd been standing with a few other Na'vi as Grace tried to explain her idea of the school to the leaders. She was not a highly ranking member of the Clan but she'd been there, half hidden in the bushes, watching them so intently. When they had returned, on a whim, Max had waved to her and much to his shock the young Na'vi had perked up immediately and copied the gesture, even though she did not know what it meant.

Now Ninat was one of their main suppliers, always making sure they had food and other things that Hell's Gate did not supply its residents with. They had food of course but their food wasn't going to last forever. Slowly acclimatizing themselves to the Na'vi food was just another step in becoming permanent residents of this had already been talk of growing Avatars for those who did not have them. But that would take years and their food wasn't going to last that long. But a few of the more curious members of the Na'vi had begun to come there regularly, leaving their things in the airlock for them to pick up. So Max had started to modify the Exopacks to allow them to come inside.

Ninat was one of the smaller females of the Tribe and though Max knew she had been trained to be a taronyu--as most were--he knew her interests lay elsewhere. She was a singer, one of the best in the Tribe. As singing was one of the main ways the People worshipped Eywa, Ninat had a good place in the Tribe, the place of a mid-level Priestess back on earth. She did not wear the same ornaments as most of the taronyu. Her braids were threaded with shells found on the shores and twined with vines and often bright flowers. Most of the ornaments she wore had shells and stones that had been smoothed either by hand or nature. Walking down one of the corridors, she was a sharp reminder of the world that lay outside the confines of Hell's Gate.

"What's that?" Ninat asked looking over her shoulder at the bright room.

"That's the control center," Max said, "I'm sorry, here, put the baskets down, I'll give you the tour."

"They are not that heavy," she said setting them down anyway as he led her into the room, "control center?" she asked looking at the circular room.

"Yeah, this is where the magic happens," he said, "here, I'll show you," he said hurrying over to one of the terminals.

Ninat followed him slowly as he bent over one of the terminals, his fingers tapping the black screen. Her eyes widened as she watched the screen flash to life. Her eyes widened as she watched it respond to his touch. He brought up some strange square shape, filled with smaller circles. She leaned flower, her eyes darting across the strange shapes.

"Press this," he said pointing to one circle.

Ninat reached forward, pressing one finger to the strange and smooth surface. Instantly the bright light overhead went out. Ninat gasped, snatching her hand back as her eyes shot up towards the darkened lights. One button made another thing happen, even though she could not see how the two were connected. It was like standing in the woods with Eywa connecting them all. Except there was no Eywa here. Nothing but what the Sky People had built. How strange, to think the Sky People had struggled and done what Eywa had made so effortlessly. There was effort here, lots of effort. But beauty as well. Ninat let her hand slide from the screen. She had not expected there to be beauty.

"Your world is strange," she said, her eyes moving to him.

"Your world's strange to us too," he said, "or it was, when we first got here. Press that again and lets get the lights on before I take you to where Norm is with his Avatar."

Ninat tapped the circle again, the lights seamlessly turning on as she followed him towards the main part of the Sky People's home. He took her down a long corridor where the ground became marked with small squares that felt even stranger against her feet and walls that were filled with squares that, when pressed, slid out to reveal a variety of strange objects. The place was so strange and yet so incredible Ninat was sure she was going to need to stop and catch her breath before continuing to look around. Dr. Max led her down the corridor before he stopped and stepped into a strange doorway. This room was darker than the others, the lights glowing as blue as the sea.

Ninat glimpsed a group of small beds stacked neatly along the wall, each with a few belongings close by. Another part had been portioned off with for where they prepared their meals with another for where they ate. She knew the place was large but the Sky People seemed to have confined themselves to a small portion of the place. She turned to look further in but Dr. Max stopped her.

"And this is the main room," he said, "sleeping, eating--all the magic happens here. There aren't many of us so we've cut power to most of this place, no point in using what we might need. Now before we go further, in there's the link chamber and Norm's Avatar. We've had it in liquid suspension to jump start the healing process. Its moving but it's not feeling, okay?"

"Moving but not feeling?" Ninat looked at him, confused, "you cannot move without feeling."

Max looked at her. Explaining the Avatar process was difficult to even a scientist. Ninat was not a fool but the Na'vi technology was far behind Earth's. There was no need for them to have their technology. Still he did not know how she would act when she saw the Avatar. Norm was fine but his Avatar had been damaged seriously in the battle with the rest of the RDA. Carefully Max stepped aside. Ninat stepped forward, venturing deeper into the room. Her eyes found the form of the Avatar, suspended in liquid and illuminated by flowing blue light.

The body twitched inside the blue liquid.

Ninat gasped, her fingers pressing her hands against the glass as her tail twitched back and forth. She had expected this one to look like No-orm, but even so it was strange to see his features on the body of one of the People. The body didn't wake when she pressed her fingers against the glass, the glass of her mask pressing against the slope of the tank. Her eyes went to the scars that covered on his shoulder and chest, from the injuries the weapons of the Sky People had given him. Maybe the body had been dead, maybe it still was. it was just strange to see, one of the Avatar's floating there so still while the person who controlled it was somewhere else.

"Oel ngati kameie, Ninat."

Ninat tore her eyes away from the strange sight to see No-orm standing there. He was taller than Dr. Max and far less hairy, but the Sky People were still much shorter than the People. But No-orm was one who always seemed sad. As if he had had something torn away from him, like he had lost something he had cared deeply about. Something or, maybe, someone. Even so he was always respectful when he talked to her, though the formality of his words had been getting less and less. Ninat was grateful. When she'd first talked to him, it was like talking to a Tsahik or Olo'eyktan. Now it was just like talking to a person.

"Oel ngati kameie, No-orm," she said, "how is your body doing?"

"Recovering," Norm said, lips twitching at the inquisitiveness in Ninat's eyes.

She was by far the most curious of the Omatikaya, forever touching and asking questions. He doubted any of the others would want to come to this place, to venture this deep into the Sky People's home. But Ninat had not only come, she looked excited to be there. He would have expected her to react badly to the site of one of the Avatar bodies but she seemed interested, her eyes flicking between him and the Avatar as her marks lit up in a display of interest and puzzlement. She was quick too, easily grasping the basics of human technology without any of the understandable disgust the Sky People showed towards it.

"Does this No-orm feel anything now?" she asked looking at the body.

"He'll respond to stimuli," Norm began, seeing confusion in her eyes, "if you poked him, he'd move. But he doesn't feel anything."

"Would you feel if I touched him?" she asked.

"Not unless I was linked," he said.

"Linked?" she questioned, brow furrowing as she looked up and around, trying to see what he could mean by link, "I do not understand. How do you link No-orm?"

Norm smiled at the innocent sight of her confusion. He didn't think that they had ever shown someone the Link process. Even with the first of the Avatars, the People had not really wanted to understand the particulars and the few who had were overshadowed by the fear of their leaders. Ninat would probably not understand half the things that went into making a successful Link, all the neurology and technology, but he could at least show her a few things. Ninat looked at him curiously.

"You want to see how it works?" he offered.

"Yes," Ninat said, nodding eagerly.

"Come with me," he said, leading her deeper into the room.

Making arrows was boring work.

Boring but necessary.

So many things had been lost in their fight with the Sky People, Arrows were a secondary concern. But now they were a primary one. Taronyu sat in a small circle, their fingers working over long sticks, feathers and tips. They would be tipped later with the toxin. But first they needed to be made. Piral's fingers worked carefully to attach the tips to the arrows. Usually taronyu made their own but they needed more. Too many. So now they worked together. Of all the strange differences introduced by Jakesully, this was one that Piral did not mind. They had already made more arrows together than Piral knew each could make on their own, all working in perfect synch. They were taronyu, they knew how to work with each other.

It was very good the work was mindless.

Piral's thoughts were a thousand miles away, all centered around one man who lay barely a hundred feet away, hidden by the shelter of the trees. A man who was upset at being alive, at being saved by Eywa. Ninat was off making a delivery to the Sky People, something Piral knew as necessary. Yet she wished her friend was there, if for nothing else than to listen to the thoughts that collided in Piral's head. Once, when she had first made tsahaylu with Tanhi, the ikran had dove and the sensation of being weightless and falling had stuck with Piral. In time she had come to like it--to enjoy it even--but the first time it had been so unpleasant. Now she felt that once more, the same unpleasant, weightless feeling. The ground she had been so used to was gone and in its place was nothingness. Nothing to stop her fall, nothing to do but brace herself for the inevitable impact.

"Where are they going?"

At the other taronyu's words, Piral looked over to see the Tsahik leading her daughter and jakesully towards the shelter where Tsu'Tey lay. Piral's fingers paused as she felt her ears flatten in distaste. Tsu'Tey would not want anyone to see him as he was now, especially not the woman he thought he would mate with and the man who had cost him everything--Toruk Makto or not. Angrily Piral turned back to the arrow she was making. It was not her place to question the actions of the Tsahik and her daughter, only to follow them. But if she could have questioned, she would have. They had done so much, they had changed everything and for what? For their daughter's happiness? For a peace that would never be? What had all their sacrifice been for?

"Piral," Kame, one of the other taronyu spoke her name, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Piral snapped back, her tone clipped as she finished the arrow she held and reached for another.

"Where is the Tsahik going?" A'win, another asked as she fixed feathers on the edge of an arrow.

"To look after the Olo'eyktan," Tr'enu replied, his fingers moving over the arrow's shaft.

Piral wanted to tell them what he had said but his bitter words stuck in her throat. She knew they would not hear otherwise. They too believed he was Olo'eyktan, just as she did. Because they had spent their entire lives learning to trust his words, learning to understand that he was their leader. The sacrifice he had made was not just his, it was theirs as well. Piral would stake her last bead on the fact that whether jakesully was Toruk Makto or not, if Tsu'Tey had rejected him the People would have as well. But he had accepted him and in doing so the others had followed suite. Because Tsu'Tey was their leader. Because if he had ordered them to go to the Sky People's home on foot, they would have without question. Because he was their taronyu, their brother, their Olo'eyktan.

"Eywa be thanked for his return," A'win murmured moving to the next arrow. The others looked at her, "even if he cannot remain Olo'eyktan, he is there to train jakesully."

"Tsu'Tey is Olo'eyktan," Tre'nu cut her off, his voice edged in anger, "he will remain Olo'eyktan."

"He is not Neytiri's mate," A'win said looking at him.

"He is our Olo'eyktan," Tre'nu snapped, "jakesully is Neytiri's mate--"

"And as such he must be the Olo'eyktan," Kame spoke up, eyes not moving from his task, "it is the law."

"Then why did Eywa save him?" A'win demanded.

"Do not question the All-mother's will," Piral snapped, silencing the younger taronyu, "Eywa saved him."

A'win opened her mouth but Kame, ever the peace maker cut her off.

"Piral is right," he said, eyes moving up nervously before returning to his work, "we should not question the All-mother's will. The Olo'eyktan has been saved, for whatever purpose Eywa wills, Atokrina eyk tireafya'o."

Piral nodded and murmured the prayer for guidance as well. They all needed guidance in times like these. They spoke no more of the matter of who their Olo'eyktan would be as they finished their work, transforming the raw materials into the arrows. Or of any matter really, their lips silent as they finished the work of the day. The sun was past its highest point in the sky by the time they were finished with their work, the raw materials transformed by the skillful hands of the taronyu. Finally finished, they all stood and left the circle they had created to work in. Flexing her fingers, Piral stood and walked towards the outskirts of the camp, intent on either hunting or spoiling Tanhi.

"Piral."

Piral paused as she looked over her shoulder. Kame approached her. He was tall, even for one of the People, large as well. He wore his hair in the style favored by most of the male taronyu, leaving his features free of the braids of his queue. Even with his size, he was among the most gentle of the taronyu. Like Ninat his skills lay elsewhere, more for the arts than the warrior craft. Still he was graceful as he walked towards her, closing the distance between them. Though Piral found him to be the more tolerable of the taronyu, at the moment she had no desire to socialize with the others. Not now. Not when she had so much on her mind. Still she stayed still as he came next to her.

"You have seen him, haven't you?" he asked, eyes searching his features. Piral looked down, "is he awake? Does he suffer? Is he--"

"He is awake," Piral said looking down before looking at him, "and in time he will recover."

"Irayo," he breathed, closing his eyes before opening them and looking at her.

He understood. Every taronyu there understood Tsu'Tey's reluctance to be seen by his fellow taronyu. Even so he saw that he was worried, concerned for their Olo'eyktan and fellow taronyu. Piral stepped forward, reaching out and grasping Kame's arm. Kame nodded in return to her comforting hand, though they both knew Tsu'Tey would not return to them as Olo'eyktan. Letting her hand drop, Piral turned back to the woods, intent on hunting but before she could take another step a shadow fell across them, announcing another's presence. Piral and Kame turned to see Mo'at standing there. Immediately they bowed, showing their deference to the Tsahik.

"Oel ngati Kameie, Tsahik," they both greeted.

"Oel ngati Kameie, taronyu," she replied, "Kame, my daughter wishes to speak to you," Kame nodded and bowed out, leaving the Tsahik and remaining taronyu alone, "The son of Ateyo sleeps," she said, "though he rests, his journey back to us will not be an easy one."

"The taronyu will help him--" she began but stopped when Mo'at spoke.

"His path has changed. My daughter's actions and those of her mate have changed the path we all thought we would walk. This is the will of our All-mother, daughter of Atan."

Piral nodded, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment at the stern note in the Tsahik's voice. She was not the only taronyu to have mixed feelings about the mate of Neytiri but she was one of the oldest and certainly one of the most experienced. Her words were listened to by the other taronyu, especially the ones that she had had a hand in training. Never terribly good at hiding her emotions, Piral was sure others knew of her objections. Of the fact her loyalty was to the son of Ateyo rather than the Dream Walker. But she was older, a leader--she should have put the needs of the others before her own selfishness. She could not change her feelings, but she could have changed the way that she acted to the others.

"I will walk the path Eywa sets," she said softly, her eyes locked on the ground.

"Jake Sully will be the Olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya," she said, "but he will need help to walk this path, the help of the taronyu, taronyu who followed him into battle against the Sky People. A battle Eywa herself saw fit to bless."

Piral nodded, shame filling her stomach at her behavior.

She still did not know how she felt about jakesully, but the Tsahik's words were a sharp reminder of what she had forgotten. Eywa had fought alongside him, blessed the battle. The All-mother had seen fit to give him another chance, to save everything he was in the body of his Avatar. The All-mother had blessed him. Who was she to question the All-mother's will?

"Yes, Tsahik," she said finally, the words sticky in her mouth.

"The son of Ateyo refuses to see the others," Mo'at said, "but you have seen him already, he will not refuse you."

"Tsahik?" she questioned, unsure of what she was about to say.

"When Eywa steers us on a new path, the first step is the most difficult," she said, "it eases when we know that others walk the path with us."

Piral opened her mouth to object. To tell the Tsahik that there were others--anyone else--who could remind Tsu'Tey he did not walk the path alone. He had isolated himself from them to learn to become Olo'eyktan and now what? Now she was just supposed to walk in and remind him that just because everything had been ripped away there was still hope? That there was still a reason to go on? She risked a look at the Tsahik's face but saw only seriousness there. She was serious. But what about Neytiri or jakesully or anyone? But the Tsahik had chosen her and there was no place for her to object. She closed her mouth, looking down at her feet.

"I will do the bidding of our All-mother, Tsahik."

"We all serve the All-mother, taronyu," the Tsahik reminded her, "and walk whatever path She sees fit."

"Srane, Tsahik," she said, lowering her head in submissions.

The Tsahik nodded before moving away. Piral stayed where she was for a moment longer before turning and heading for the shelter where the son of Ateyo lay. Standing in the doorway, she surveyed him. His eyes were closed but the rise and fall of his chest was much steadier than it had been. He looked better as well, but that could just as easily have been the shadows that took over the sun. The Tsahik was skilled at bandaging but his would need to be changed soon. But for the moment he seemed content to rest. Crossing her arms over her chest, Piral glanced behind her at the few other taronyu walking on their way to the forest to go hunt. Well there was not going to be any hunting now. Yet another thing the war had taken from her.

Letting out a breath, Piral walked forward to where he lay. It was a testament to how tired and hurt he was that he did not stir when she knelt down beside him, looking at his oddly peaceful features. Piral frowned, trying not reach out and see if he was still alive. Sitting down next to him, she crossed her legs under her and leaned back against the wall next to him. Between hunting and doing watch, they had been pushing themselves as hard as they could. She had not realized she was tired.

She didn't even realize when, sitting next to him, she fell asleep.

Okay so next time Jake and Neytiri are (finally) going to have a larger role. They are going to be a crucial part of the story, especially as Tsu'Tey gets better. I know that sometimes there is an anti-jake tone to this but the whole point of the story is to explore the Avatar events from the viewpoint of people who might not have been all gun ho about Jake's leadership. Oh and next time Tsu'Tey's going to wake up. Probably to a sleepy Piral.

Now, onto something else. The number of alters and faves on this story has about tripled since my last update. I am honored by that, really I am. What makes me a little disappointed is how few of you decided to review. Really I understand if you fave/alert the story you are enjoying it but I really like your feedback, especially with reviews but PMs work too.

So please PLEASE review!

Ninat's ikran is named Tirol which means Song