Omg guys! I can't believe I've made it this far! Normally, when I write fanfictions, I get stumped, and give up after the 3rd chapter. All of the amazing feedback is wonderful. I love you guys so much.
By the way, Fruit flies are a constant annoyance every time I write. My arms are sore and red from smacking them when they land on me. I hate summer.
oOAngelwithaBrokenHaloOo: What do you mean, Ninjas? o-o
CarleighAlpha: I'm working on another chapter as soon as I post one. I have no friends and no social life. This has become my life. So don't worry ^-^
mboutwell7: I will NOT ignore your emoji. It's a beautiful smile! Nothing wrong with that!
Guest: I'm glad you're enjoying it! But what did you mean by Doubly-fictional? o-o
Sorry for the wait. Had a long night of work last night, and couldn't complete this until this morning! Then FF wouldn't let me upload the chapter in the doc manager, which is just frustrating! Took me two hours to finally get this up. Anyways, Enjoy this chapter!
After the celebration, and once I could move without hurting, Tsu'tey led me away from the festivities, and towards my garden.
About a month back, Mo'at designated a part of the forest for me, so I can grow everything needed, and study the plants. No one was allowed there without my permission, for fear of ruining or destroying the area.
When we got there, Tsu'tey sat on the ground, gesturing that I should follow suit by patting the soft soil.
"Thank you for getting me out of there. I don't know what I would have done if someone asked me about my spirit animal one more time."
His face stays still, the stone look that I've grown accustomed to. However, it unnerves me that he is not showing any emotion in front of me when we're alone. "Now that you are Omaticaya, you may choose a mate." He states, ignoring my thanks.
I tilt my head slightly, confused as to why he took me out here to tell me this. "Yes, I know, Neytiri told me earlier."
"Do you have anyone in mind?" He asks, his eyes not meeting mine.
"Yes." I say, not wanting to give anymore information away. I knew he liked Neytiri, and that I stood no chance. It was pointless to even try. They would mate soon, once Mo'at or Eytukan decides to retire to the elders position.
"Does he know?"
"No. If I have it my way, he will never know. I do not wish to ruin my friendship with him." I claim after a moment, wording my sentence carefully.
Tsu'tey, still as stoney as ever, doesn't move at all. It's like he was a statue. "Why would you not tell him?"
I take a deep breath, and sigh, knowing that lying to him would only make it worse. "Because he has eyes for another."
Silence fills the area, Tsu'tey not saying another word. His face finally changes to one of anger, or frustration. After a few moments, he stands, pulling me up with him. "Come, let's return." Feeling rejected, I following him silently.
I had thought he would understand that it was him, that I wanted him as my mate. Especially after my last comment. Apparently, he either didn't care, doesn't like me that way, or it flew right over his head. As much as I wanted it to be the last option, I knew somewhere inside that his actions were a rejection. The lack of conversation on the way back to Home Tree confirmed it.
The moment we got back, he wandered off, leaving me alone.
I watch all of the people converse with one another, celebrating the special occasion. I spot Grace and Norm talking to the children, telling them stories. Neytiri and Mo'at are talking rapidly, their faces giving nothing away. Jake and Tsu'tey were in the corner... wait. What?
Jake and Tsu'tey? They only ever got along when they were drunk. Tsu'tey hates the man. There was no way he got drunk in such a short time. So what was he doing talking to Jake?
Suddenly, my view is cut off by someone standing in front of me. "Hi Grace." I greet, my voice lacking emotion.
"Kita. You must tell me what happened down there. Why did you look so freaked out?" She asks me, her mothering mode turning on.
"Thanator." I whisper, knowing that she knew what it meant. Grace wrote the stories after all. She gasps and pulls me into a tight hug.
"Don't worry about it. The problem could be years off." She claims, trying to reassure me.
"Grace, trust me. The people I saw in the vision looked just as they do today."
She pulls away from the hug with a small frown, but shakes her head, a smile back on her face. "Either way, enjoy the night. Find a guy. Have some fun."
I chuckle, then think back to my garden. "Have you gotten anywhere from the scans of the species I planted in the garden?" I ask, curious as to her findings.
"Well, That's the weird thing. The ones that you planted, well, they aren't connected to the natural trees and plants around them. But they are connected to the other plants in your garden. It's very strange. As you know, every tree and plant is connected to one another. The fact that the ones you've grown aren't... well. I just don't know. I don't know how this will affect them, or their fruit. We will just have to wait and see."
"Very well. I'll take some more scans tomorrow, see if there's been any changes." My head begins to hurt badly, a strong migraine coming on. "I'm going to go to bed. I have a headache." I tell her.
She looks at me strangely. "That's not supposed to happen. How long have you been linked?" She asks, concern lacing her voice.
"I was up at 4am, linked in and was here."
"Kita, that's not safe. I'll go back with you to make sure everything is okay."
"No Grace, I'll be fine. Enjoy the night." She looks at my face, calculating.
"Fine. Sleep well Kita." I nod my head and manage to make my way to the spiral stairs, leaving the party unseen.
When I get to the hammocks, I slide in one with ease. My mind filled with so many thoughts. I close my eyes, waiting for the sensation and sounds of waking up in the link capsule.
But, nothing happens. I open my eyes, to find that I'm still at Home Tree, and not blind at all. "Oh no. Oh no... Dammit!" I shout, getting out of the Hammock. I needed Grace.
I run down the stairs, trying to find her in the sea of people. Finally, I spot her with Jake. I dash over there, bumping into people on the way. When I got to her, I'm out of breath. Between running down the stairs, and across the large commons, and my nerves freaking out, I didn't have any breath to spare.
"Grace." I whisper. She looks at me in shock.
"Kita? What's wrong?" Jake helps me stand up straight, to allow my air to get into my lungs.
"I can't leave."
"Kita, you don't have to leave. You can stay and party with us!" Jake claims, smiling.
"No Jake. I can't leave the avatar body. I can't get back. I tried. I-I don't know what's going on!" I shout, tears filling my eyes. While yes, this is what I wanted, I didn't want it to be on the night I wanted to be away from everyone. I wanted to know it was happening. Not like this.
Grace shakes her head. "Don't worry, I'll go unlink you manually. You'll be fine. You've just been in too long." Her facts and soothing voice help me calm down slightly as I nod.
"Okay. Yeah." I breathe out.
"Jake, bring her up to the hammocks and lay her in one. Help her calm down." He nods, pushing me towards the stairs. I faintly hear Mo'at's voice.
"She is one of us, fully. Do not fear Grace. Eywa heard her."
"I hope that's the reason."
Up at the Hammocks, Jake sat, talking with me. "Jake stop. Go be with Neytiri. We both know that's where you really want to be." I claim, smiling at him.
"No Kita. You need me. Besides, Neytiri is talking to Tsu'tey."
"Speaking of him, what did he want from you earlier?" I ask, curious.
"He told me not to hurt you, or he will hurt me. I have no idea what he was talking about."
I let out a loud laugh. "He thought I was talking about you? Wow. He is not as smart as I thought him to be."
"What do you mean?"
"Jake, earlier he told me I could choose my mate. He asked me if I had anyone in mind. I thought I gave him enough hints. But apparently not. He thought I was talking about you. But I was really talking about him." I wish I had a camera. Jake's face was filled with disgust and humor.
"You like Tsu'tey?! But he's so..." He trails off, not wanting to insult him in front of me.
"Stone-faced? Blunt? Stubborn? Yes, he is all of those things Jake. But that's only the side he chooses to show you. He cares about his people, about the forest. He has a wonderful sense of humor. He is very loyal. Something not found amongst most humans. I truly like him. But..." I trail off, not wanting to remind myself why I cannot tell him.
"He's to be mated with Neytiri. Yes, I know." Jake sighs. "I'm in the same boat with her."
"Then go be with her. I'll be fine. I promise." He smiles and hugs me.
"Thanks Kita." He releases me and turns to walk away.
"Don't be stupid Jake!" I call out as he walks down the stairs. I can hear his laugh echoing back towards me.
Suddenly, the urge to sleep overwhelms me, so I hop into a hammock and close my eyes, darkness surrounding me.
When I wake up the next morning, the first thing I notice is the sun. The bright light flitting through the leaves. Shocked, I sit up, the hammock swaying dangerously. "Oh no. If I'm still here, does that mean I can't go back to my old body?" I ask myself.
After a moment, I realize how wonderful it is. Eywa heard my conversation with Tsu'tey, she granted my wish. No longer did I have any connection to my human body. I was finally free.
With a huge smile on my face, I run down the stairs to the commons, hoping to spot Tsu'tey to tell him the news.
I spot him over by the Direhorses with some other hunters. "Tsu'tey!" I call out, ecstatic. He looks up at me, nodding in greeting.
"I see you Kita. You are happy this morning." He claims.
I run up to him and pull him into a hug. "Eywa heard me!" I shout in his ear. I pull away, hoping he would understand what I meant.
After a moment, his eyes light up. "You mean?"
I nod my head yes. He smiles and hugs me once more.
"You are truly one of the people now." My face heats up slightly once I notice the others are staring.
"Tsu'tey, can I come with you? I want to check out the young saplings at the Tree of Voices grove." He nods, and I get up on Txur. It seems as though Tsu'tey no longer cares to ride him, knowing that I can do so just as easily.
The group of us, a total of 4, ride through the forest, wanting to check everything, and hunt if the option came along.
However, our good morning was ruined when we heard the roar of machines. Without a second thought, I force Txur to run faster, only to stop when I see the huge machines chopping down all of the special trees. I cry out in anguish, the others soon joining me. My hard work, gone. Their one connection to their ancestors, gone. My shoulders slump, the fight within me dying at seeing the destruction.
"Tsu'tey, what are we going to do?" I ask him, my voice filled with grief and pain. Out of all the places on Pandora, this was my favorite place to visit at night. The way the trees lit up gave it such a magical look. But now it's gone forever. I had no more seeds for the trees, I had planted them all.
"We will strike them where it hurts. We must gather the warriors." I turn to look at him, hate and anger filling his features. His eyes blazed with an agony I had never seen before in any man. But looking around at the others, their eyes held it too. This was a low blow from the Humans, a very low blow.
"Then what are we waiting for?" I ask, turning Txur to go back to Home Tree, making my voice and face as stone-like as possible.
My people... No. The humans did this. I was no longer one of them. I was Omaticaya now. This was my home. This was my life. No one was going to destroy that without facing me.
The humans just started a war, one I know they would lose.
