4. Taking a ride

In the early afternoon Tawtewng's group returned. They had not seen any aysawtute flying machines near the Tree of Souls, which was a big relief for the clan.

"They know that Vitrautral is sacred to the Omatikaya," Mo'at said once again. "Sometimes I wish we had not let the ayuniltìranyu into our village."

"I wish they had never come to our world," Amhul said. "Since they came, too much has changed. Too much is damaged already. It I were tsamsiyu-"

"You are not," Mo'at interrupted her, "and that is good. We already have Tawtewng to worry about."

"Tawtewng?" Amhul didn't quite understand. "He is a fearless young warrior."

"Srane. Too fearless at times. He would charge at palulukan with his bare hands." Mo'at shook her head. "You, I hope, are not like that."

"Oh no! I would never do that." Amhul had once seen palulukan, not even up close, and it had frightened her. She was convinced Eywa meant well, but palulukan was... oh well.

"You do better teaching children to sing, Amhul, together with Puvomun and Ninat," Mo'at said in a friendly voice.

Then their conversation was interrupted by the loud voice of Neytiri.

"You will never be more than 'eveng," Mo'at's daughter yelled as she and Jakesully came walking into the space beneath Hometree. "Your aim is bad, your pose is bad, you hold the tsko all wrong and you can't find the arrows that went wrong. Hrah!" The young woman ran past her mother and Amhul, not seeing them in her anger.

Mo'at glared at the man who had done it again and walked off. Amhul also looked at him but did not walk.

"Looks like I pissed her off again," Jakesully said, with a shurg and a smile that conveyed an apology.

"You did what?" Amhul didn't understand the words the uniltìranyu said.

"Pissed her off. Made her angry, you know." He explained, waving his hands.

"You should not do that," Amhul said. "She is Tsahik ìte."

"I guess, but she's pushing me." Jakesully shrugged once more. "And I think I damaged this bow." As he held up the bow, the broken string hanging from it, he looked guilty. "Neytiri is right, I am an idiot with a bow."

"Tsko," Amhul corrected him.

"What?"

"That. Bow. Is tsko in our language."

"Oh, right, I see. Tskow."

Amhul felt sorry for Neytiri. She took the bow from Jakesully's hand. "I will take this."

Then the noise of screaming ikran made them walk outside and look up. Tsu'tey's group had returned. Amhul smiled as she saw the graceful way the riders made their ikran fly among the branches.

"That's cool, isn't it?" Jakesully commented. "Neytiri said I am not ready yet."

Amhul looked at the broken string. "She is right."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jakesully said, laughing.

Neytiri reappeared, I'awn was with her. Neytiri didn't look very pleased, so Amhul suspected that Neytiri had run into her mother.

Neytiri glanced at the man. "Come. I'awn and I will show you how to ride pa'li without falling off. Again." The tone of her voice made it clear that her hopes for success were quite low.

I'awn looked at the bow in Amhul's hand. "Did you do that?"

"No. He did. Puvomun will not be happy."

"At least it is only the string this time. Maybe he has to learn how to repair that himself."

"I'awn, ayfa'li are waiting for us!"

I'awn grinned quickly and dashed off, after Neytiri and Jakesully.

As Amhul turned to put the bow away, Tsu'tey, Lolet and Txewì came down the tree. "What did you find?" she asked.

Tsu'tey looked dismayed. "Nothing."

"But that is good, right?"

Good was not good enough, evidently, as the warrior walked past looked at the other two, in wonder.

"Don't mind Tsu'tey," Txewì said. "I think he had hoped for something more. Something to fight. We saw traces of the machines of the aysawtute, but that was all."

Lolet looked as if she wanted to leave quickly.

"Why are you in a hurry, Lolet?" Amhul wanted to know.

"I have to see to something," the young woman said and quickly walked off.

Txewì laughed. "She is going to see if the new kava she is making is already done. She talked about that on the way back, and Tsu'tey was quite unpelased with that. I think that is what annoyed him more than not finding the aysawtute."

"I understand." Amhul grinned with Txewì.

"Amhul? What happened?" Puvomun's voice stopped their laughing.

Amhul first wondered about the question, then she recalled the bow in her hand. "Oh, this? Jakesully-"

"Him again?" The singer-teacher sighed as he took the tsko. "At least it is just the string this time. Maybe he is learning something. It is a good thing that pa'li are not so easily broken."

Amhul laughed loudly, to the surprise of Txewì and Puvomun. When she could talk again, she said: "Jakesully is trying to ride again now!"

Puvomun grinned as he understood Amhul's joy. He put down the bow and said: "Come, let's go and watch how he is doing."

"Go? Where?" Rakan asked, who had just come back from the jungle.

"We're going to see Jakesully and his riding," Amhul explained. "Do you want to come with us?"

"No. I am going to find Lolet," Rakan said. "You go and have fun without us."

Txewì laughed. "I am sure you two will have fun without us as well." He had to duck as Rakan fake attacked him. Then, laughing, everyone left for the field where Neytiri and Jakesully usually practiced the riding.

As the small group approached the field, they heard Jakesully talk.

"Hey, look, I can do this!"

A few moments after that, they heard a thud and an 'ouch'.

"I think he still cannot do it," Txewtì commented as they heard I'awn and Neytiri laugh. He was right. Jakesully was just getting up again as they rounded the last trees.

"Oh no, audience," the uniltìranyu said, "just what I need."

I'awn and Neytiri turned and smiled at the three, who smiled back and said they were coming to have a look at the progress.

"He falls off more gracefully," I'awn commented as she jumped off her horse. "But he is improving."

"A bit," Neytiri added. Puvomun noticed that she looked at Jakesully in a special way for a moment. "But he has to practice a lot before he can become taronyu."

"Yeah, I am not sure how you people do that so easily," said Jakesully. "I mean, I saw you with the children, Puvomun, and they make it look so easy. Oh, and I'm sorry about the bow."

"Tsko," Amhul corrected him.

"Yeah. Tskow." Jakesully watched Amhul grimace. "Not good again, right? Tskoh?"

"He is getting better with riding," Neytiri said, "but he still speaks Na'vi like a tawtute. Worse even." She frowned at the man who was getting on the horse again. "If ever he makes it to flying an ikran, I feel sorry for it."

I'awn rode along with Jakesully, trying to tell him not to go too fast, but again, after a while, the pa'li jumped forward so fast that he could barely stay on its back. Neytiri just shook her head.

"Maybe it helps if we all ride with him. And keep him in the middle, so he can't go faster," Txewì suggested. They talked about the idea for a few moments. Neytiri liked it, so everyone went to get a direhorse and then waited for Jakesully to come walking back, his pa'li following him.

"Hey guys, are you going to give me an escort?" he laughed. "Or are you all going to show me how it's done?"

Puvomun admired the almost indestructable mood of the man.

"Get back on the horse," Neytiri commanded him, stricter than usual. He obeyed. Then she and Txewì arranged the others around him. "Now we are going to ride. Together. Slowly. Follow us. Don't try to go faster. You need to learn control, Jake. Gentle control."

Puvomun looked at Amhul and saw that she too had noticed how Neytiri had called him 'Jake'. They exchanged a glance, but remained silent.

"Now we go," Neytiri took charge. She made her pa'li go forward, the rest followed. Jakesully seemed to understand what was going on, he and his horse also moved along at a gentle pace. After going around the field a few times, Neytiri told everyone to speed up a little. It went well for only a few moments.

Jakesully remained on his pa'li, but together they broke out of the formation, forcing Neytiri and Txewì to the side. He managed to stop and turn, with a grin on his face. He clearly was sorry, but in a strange manner.

"Maybe he has to learn about the twig and the wind," Puvomun said, recalling a children's song.

Amhul giggled, while Txewì frowned.

Neytiri shrugged. "If you think that helps... Talking to him like an adult does not seem to work."

Jakesully glanced at the hunter but held his silence. Then he said: "What twig and what wind?"

Puvomun jumped to the ground, breaking the tsaheylu with his animal. He waited until Jakesully had done that as well. Then he sat down. "The song goes like this:
The wind blows, the storm comes The tree shakes, the leaves fall The branch trembles, pushing back.
And the small twig, it bends, it bends,
Back and forth, back and forth.
And the small twig, it bends, it bends,
Back and forth, back and forth."

Jakesully looked at the singer-teacher, his face a big puzzle. "And what am I supposed to make of that?"

Puvomun had already expected that. This man did not think like a Na'vi. He held up his hand, the palm to Jakesully. "Put your hand against mine." After the man had done that, Puvomun slowly started pushing. Jakesully pushed back. The teacher-singer pushed harder, and the response was equally hard.

"Very good. Now pay attention." Puvomun relaxed his hand quickly. Jakesully pushed too long, making Puvomun's hand almost fly backwards.

"Oh. I'm sorry, man," said the uniltìranyu.

"You reacted too late and too harsh. The wind changes fast. You have to react fast. You react fast when I push harder, but you forget to react fast when I don't push. I even told you to pay attention. It is like that with pa'li. React gently, going faster and going slower."

Jakesully stared at Puvomun. "And that is how you talk to children? This is almost as bad as learning your language."

Na'vi - English.
Ayfo makto nìwin - They ride too fast.
Aysawtute/sawtute - Sky people, the humans
Ayuniltìranyu - plural of uniltìranyu, dreamwalkers
'Eveng - a child
'Ewantu - young one
'Eylan - friend
Eywa - the Goddess, nature, Gaia
Fa'li/ayfa'li - plural of pa'li - horses
Fngapä ta'leng - metal skin, AMP suits
Hetuwong - plural of ketuwong - aliens
Ikran - mountain banshee
Ikran makto - ikran rider
Irayo - thank you
'Ite - daughter
Kaltxì - hello
Karyu - teacher
Kava - alcoholic drink
Kehe - no
Kelutral - Hometree, where the Na'vi clan lives
Ketuwong - alien
Kxetse - tail
Nìprrte - you're welcome
Numeyu - Student
Oe 'efu pa'li - I feel the horse
Olo'eyktan - clan leader
Pa'li - six-legged direhorse
Palulukan - giant six-legged feline predator
Pxasìk - very bad curse-word
Riti - stingbat
Rolyu - singer
Sa'nok - mother
Sempul - father
Sìltsan - good
Skxawng - moron, idiot
Srane - yes
Taronyu - hunter
Tawtute - Sky person, one human
Tsaheylu - a mental bond, made by tendrils in a Na'vi braid to other living organisms on Pandora
Tsahik - spiritual leader, shaman
Tsamsiyu - warrior
Tsko - bow
Tsmukan - brother
Tswin - queue, braid
Uniltìranyu - Dreamwalker, a human in an Avatar body
Vitra - soul
Yerik - six-legged kind of deer