The Flow of Energy ~ Ikran
I couldn't believe it. Ever since I first heard of the Hallelujah Mountains I never stopped thinking about them. But then like usual when I thought my life couldn't be better we got the information that brung everything down. The Samson Thunders over the rainforest, climbing into the mist-shrouded mountains. I couldn't help fiddle with my beanie as I anxiously looked out the window every few minutes.
I sat in the sealed cockpit with Norm in the front next to our personal pilot, Trudy, who was talking him through the flight controls while I sat between Jake and Grace behind them, in the jump-seats. The Hallelujah Mountains weren't the only reason while I was looking out the window but it was just to see the hilarious face of Norm whenever Trudy made physical contact. His face was priceless. Grace and Norm's unconscious avatars ride in the open back, due to suffocation if they were sealed in.
"It only takes tiny inputs. Here, put your hand on the cyclic-" I could hear Trudy instruct Norm before I saw Norm hesitantly reach over to the stick between her knees, placing his hand on hers. This was hilarious.
"Feel how small the moves are? You barely have to think, and the aircraft reacts." Trudy said as Norm reacts nervously and to me, amusingly. Norm glances back at us, I give him a wink earning a sideways glance from Jake and a glare from Norm. I gave Norm a 'what are you gonna do about it' looks and all he did was glare before turning back to Trudy's instructions and information on the Samson aircraft.
"See these magnetic formations-" Grace said breaking the silence in the back as she reached out to point to the magnificent floating mountains "We're getting close."
"Yeah we are. Look at my instruments." Trudy commented I leaned forward slightly to see, on the dash, many of the displays are fritzing out.
"Yup. We're in the flux vortex." Grace said as I look out the window to see something coming up. The Hallelujah Mountains.
"Oh. My. God." Norm and I gasped as we looked up at the Hallelujah Mountains. Jake and I lean forward him leaning over me as I look through the window. Enormous islands of rock are hovering a half mile above the ground. They are overgrown with rainforest, and straggly beards of vines hang down beneath them.
Waterfalls stream down the sides and dissolve into spray at the bottom. It is both awe-inspiring and disturbing. I looked up at Jake slightly to see his face in awe making me smirk. Trudy turns, grinning at Jake.
"You should see your face." I laugh agreeing with Trudy as I looked back out the window. A shiver ran down my neck and down my spin as Jake's warm breath ran over my neck. I tried to focus by biting my lip real hard as I looked out the window.
The Samson is tiny as it approaches the floating islands of rock. An archipelago among the clouds, they cast great shadows over the forested slopes below. After a few moments of looking around the mountains in awe I almost forgot Jake was breathing down my neck, literally.
"Yeah, so what does hold them up? Grace explained it to me - some kind of maglev effect because unobtanium is a superconductor, or something." Jake's voice whispered into my ear, my body shivered and thankfully he hadn't noticed but for some reason the answer had swept my mind and I couldn't remember.
"I don't know. I forgot." I whisper into his ear, he looked down at me. Staring me in the eyes. "At least somebody understands it. Just not me." He smirked, our faces were inches apart and I swear I saw him glance down. It better not be my boobs.
A remote research station shows up ahead - two shacks and a few clusters of instruments perched on a promontory near the Hallelujah Mountains. The shacks are aircraft modules the size of buses. The Samson lands, beating the grass with its rotor-wash. We all jump out, wearing the air masks. I move toward the Shack, taking in the spectacular panorama.
I couldn't wait to get back to my avatar, somehow I already felt like it was missing. But I was missing a lot right now, but everything I miss now left but I'm going to try to keep a hold on this one. I just hope.
Norm and Trudy assist Jake with his chair as they cycle in through the airlock. Grace and myself are already inside, starting the Genny. She turns on the lights and equipment.
There are 5 bunks, a clutter of science gear, and - through a short connecting corridor - four link units in the second module. As Grace powers up the Link equipment, Jake stops to look at stereo still pictures which are taped and tacked up around her workstation. While Grace worked on Jake's link I worked on mine, starting it up. I was finally going back, thank god.
"Jake, take number two, it's the least glitchy. Norm, I need you to operate Jake's link." Norm glares at Jake as he passes. I ignore the unhappy Norm and the confused Jake as I opened my link moving over to the panel. Grace had taught me how to work it before we left.
"Hey. You got a problem?" Jake asked.
"I trained three years for this mission. I speak the language fluently." I looked up to see Norm looking at Grace while pointing at Jake "He falls off the frickin' turnip truck and all of a sudden he's cultural ambassador!?"
"It's not our choice, Norm." Grace turned to Norm with an annoyed look. He glowers at Jake.
"Yeah, well I didn't come out here to wash the dishes while you two are on some interspecies booty call." Norm snapped at Jake and I, my anger simmered "Hey!" I yelled at him as he stalked off. I was about to go after him and give him a lecture when Grace grabbed my arm pulling me back.
"Let it go." She said letting my arm go and moving over to Jake's link "He can't go far."
Jake rolled towards Grace as she got his link ready, she points to Jake's link. "Let's get you in.". I sighed moving over to my link panel pressing a button as I got myself in. Shutting my eyes I let everything run out of my mind.
XXX HOMETREE XXX
Looking down the central shaft of Hometree, 80 meters to the ground. Villagers are ant-like. Jake tries to keep up with Neytiri as she leaps up the core trunk like a lemur. Me close behind her. He climbs the last section, arriving out of breath beside me. She leads us outside, onto a large branch.
Through gaps in the foliage Jake and I can see other great trees scattered across the landscape, like enormous umbrellas above the rainforest. Neytiri strides out across the branch toward some kind of structure, a web made of thick woven fiber. It was attracting...alluring even.
That's when I noticed the dark shapes clinging to it stir when a leathery rustling sound moved around me. Neytiri makes a series of trills and clicks. One of the shapes move towards us, emerging into a shaft of sunlight. Oh my god. I was breathless
A huge mountain banshee. Much larger than the forest banshees, this thing is taller than a Na'vi with a 10 meter wingspan. A leathery fwoop, like the crack of sails, as it alights on the branch right in front of her.
"Holy shit." Jake jumps back in shock, while I stood firmly, as it studied him, I laughed at him as he nearly fell over. That seemed to catch her attention.
"Do not look in her eye." Neytiri feeds it a large scrap of meat, which it snatches and gulps down. She murmurs to it and strokes its neck.
It lets out a signature shriek, and some of the others in the shadows nearby answer. Neytiri flip-catches her queue and gently connects it to the Banshee's antenna. It shivers and stretches its wings as the neural connection is made. I know Neytiri told me not to look in her eyes but I couldn't help myself. As I studied her eye I could see things like swirling pools of tree sap, dripping water touching the earth suddenly a blue neon light blinded my vision, I blinked disconnecting my eyes from hers.
"Ikran is not horse. Once shahaylu is made, ikran will fly with only one Hunter in the whole life." I nodded studying the Ikran's movements how it responded to Neytiri, how it responded to us. She climbs smoothly onto the animal's back.
"To become taronyu, Hunter, you must choose your own ikran. And he must choose you." Neytiri informed.
"When?" Jake asked sounding very enthusiastic, I on the other hand already knew.
"When you are ready." Neytiri said simply. The Banshee shivers with anticipation.
"Heeyaaahh!" Neytiri cried as she pulled her headband down over her face.
Jake ducks as the great wings explode open and the banshee drops off the branch while moving forward, watching. It swoops down across the forest canopy, banks hard, lets out a cry and beats its wings in a power climb. Completing the bank, Neytiri directs the banshee into a close swooping flyby just passed me, Jake instinctively ducks. I watch as Neytiri flies in perfect fusion with her winged mount, the rainforest rolling beneath her.
I watch for a few seconds before turning to look at Jake, yet he's not there. Looking around confused I roll my eyes at the skxawng. How did I end up here anyways. I looked up around me, I could hear a few distant calls from other ikran. If only I was ready. I turned around about to follow the long gone skxawngs footsteps, but my body lingered as I walk back into Hometree off the large branch.
I close my eyes I drew in a calm long breath, my breath hitched as a puff of warm air ran over my neck, a shiver running down my spin. My toes curled as goose bumps jumped onto my skin, my body tensing at the strange aura of the creature. A small bird like chirp came from behind me.
Turning my head, my eyes locked with fluorescent green ones of a Mountain Banshee. A shock ran over my body as I drew in a well needed breath as I jumped back. As I stumbled away from the giant Banshee, all he did was watch me like I was something he's seen everyday but something new. I could understand the look but what got me was his abrutence to not back off.
While I tried to gain back what just happened he just started to move closer to me and closer his green eyes following my body, my every perfection, my every imperfection. The closer he got the more heated my body got, it felt something like being around Shivaka only a very small part of me held a short longing to touch the Banshee in front of me while the rest of me had remorse to even go near him.
He let out another chirp like a curious bird wanting to know if they could be friends with a mouse. I felt unbalanced as I started to reach the end of the branch. He seemed to noticed and stopped moving towards me, I went to take one more step back but couldn't feel anything stable underneath me. A yelp ventured out of my throat as the Banshee lunged forward catching my necklace with his teeth swinging me back onto the branch.
My back collided with the bark of Hometree and my head went dizzy from the rush. It was silent for maybe five minutes as I held my arm over my eyes trying to calm my breath from the shock. Something warm washed over my face as a hot slim rubbed on my arm, in alert I pulled my arm away connecting eyes with the Banshee once again.
This thing did not want to leave me alone. I squealed rushing back and stopped when my back collided with the trunk walls of Hometree. I watched him with curious and cautious eyes as he moved slowly towards me. In panic I raised my hand up to stop him, he jumped back in shock. I kept my hand out as I slowly pushed myself up and away from the wall. He never moved a muscle.
As he sat in the same position I studied his posture and his markings. His black markings were everywhere none the same, he was ranged with mixed colours such as blue, yellow, purple, aqua and slight pink. What I did love most about the Ikran was his wings how bright and fluent they were. He was absolutely beautiful. I hadn't realized that my hand had fallen back to my side, my body slightly relaxed as the Ikran seemed to have calm down from the shock and was slowly moving to me.
I sucked up the courage and reach out my hand in an encouraging way as I walked towards him, we were both hesitant now as we got closer to one another. He shut his eyes when my hand was an inch or two away from his head. My breathing hitched as we touched, he was so slick and smooth like soft skin from a baby. I was just craving his touch. He seemed to feel the same way.
He opened his eyes looking into mine caringly like he had known me for my whole life. He moved closer to me when suddenly I was enclosed in two large wings. It was dark but I could see the luminescence from his skin, his eyes and body markings glowing in the dark. It was like somebody had turned out the lights of Pandora and I was standing in the solar system for the outside universe.
A small rumble came from his chest like a thrumming sound, he was so caring to me in one moment. I was amazed. I reached out to touch the underside of his wings, he shivered from my warm touch, his body shaking slightly in anxiousness. He thrummed again but this time it was deep, strong and loud. As I ran my hands over the soft skin of his leather wings the luminescence seemed to grow brighter and brighter. I was beautiful.
I felt his large head try to rest on my shoulder but I was way smaller than we'd thought as he ended up nuzzling my neck making me giggle. Slowly he moved his wings away letting light in as we stare into each others eyes. How could I be so scared of this beautiful nurturing creature. As he pulled his wings away I noticed both his antennae we down in front of my face like he was asking for the shahaylu. He was pleading with his eyes.
Even though his wings weren't around me they still created a wall from the Hometree basically telling me I couldn't go anywhere. He wasn't my Ikran, he was someone else's Ikran and Banshee's only ever have one rider, so why was he asking me to ride him? He moved his antennae around my face before one nudged at my arm that was closest to my braid. Why did he want me so badly to connect the shahaylu, he had a rider already.
I was about to back away when I saw the sadness in his eyes, the longing, and that started a growing guilt in my stomach as he started to give me the look as if I had already rejected him. I closed my eyes letting out a breath, I was going feel guilty either way so...I might as well I mean if I don't ride him it will make me feel guilty for making him sad but if I do ride him I'll feel guilty because he was never my Ikran he was someone else's.
"You're difficult you know that right." I sighed, I hesitantly moved my hand back to my braid slowly bringing it up. A look of excitement and happiness bursted in his eyes as he started to shake with anticipation, his wings flapping a bit. With a deep breath I grabbed a hold of his antennae before making the connection.
I mentally prepared myself for the rush of heat I had with Shivaka but it was the complete opposite. A refreshing cold rush ran over my body, running through my veins. His pupils dilated while I gasped in shock of the rush. He started to shake violently as many emotions started running through my body pleasure, happiness, guilt, understanding but most of all...love. How could a creature who has never known me suddenly love me. He seemed to feel my confusion but pushed it a side quickly as his excitement over coated it.
He started to bounce slightly his wings shaking with excitement. Why was he so excited?. I was still at a loss at all the feelings rushing through me some I couldn't even name. He started to nudge my stomach slightly as if begging me for a fly. I was very reluctant due to the fact that I had never flown a Ikran before. A sudden rush of pleasure ran through me as the Banshee was begging me to go, I turned but I didn't step forward. The Ikran nudged my ass making me squeal in shock, a happiness going over me as he made me laugh.
I watched as he moved excitedly to the outer branch with me, I leaned over the branch slightly looking down from the high heights. With a quick glance at the Ikran I slid over the smooth skin of the Ikran, it numbing my bare thighs like fur as I ordered through the mind link "Fly." With a loud shriek he jumped dropping off the branch his wings gliding out into the air catching the wind as we changed direction from down to up. A huge smile equivalent on my face as I let out the sound of a free feeling of strength. I felt more alive than ever.
"We soared and gliding through the mountains like a bluebird minding its way into the spring. The trees bellow me didn't seemed to exist in the world I was feeling. The Banshee was so big I could hardly hold on as we gliding through the valleys beneath us. I swear he was by far the most beautiful and amazing creature. It was incredible!" I squealed as I dropped some frozen peas and corn for my dinner plate.
"Grace it was amazing like I can't even describe it! It-" I slid into my chair beside Trudy who sat across from Norm who sat next to Grace, her facing me while Jake sat at the head of the small plastic table beside me, by this point everyone was at the end of their chairs Grace had cut me off "But how! A Banshee has one rider and one rider only, no one else. And he just excepted you to ride him." By now Grace seemed baffled.
Norm looked slightly pissed but his excitement seemed to take over his anger, Trudy looked amazed but every now and then she'd throw in her share saying "The Samson can do that to." or "The Samson is as fast, or can be if I want it to, faster. My babies just as beautiful." I'd laugh and agree then continue. Jake on the other hand was rather upset at the fact I had ridden an Ikran before he can but he was still encouraging even if he did throw in the occasional "Then he bit you or clawed you." and "Then you crashed and you had to drag him all the way back to Hometree." My response was mainly "Were you raised to be negative or stupid?" Grace always got a kick out of it.
"That's the thing Grace, I don't know but what was strange was that a voice came into my head, 'Tsayvewsu te Mrrtai Mavi'itan' but that wasn't his name at all." I said as I scooped some mash potato's into my mouth, it tasted horrible but I was hungry. "Well what was his name then?" Norm interrupted "Heino'kaen (Pronunciation: H-i-e-no-kan)" I answered a large smile on my face. His fluorescent green eyes enter my mind.
Everyone goes silent as I smile at my plate picking at my food before taking a bite of mashed potato's and peas, the taste couldn't affect my mood right now. Nothing could. I could still feel the soft skin of Heino'kaen on my skin made my body relax. I was way to happy to put myself down tonight and for once I actually feel like I know where I belong...