Does anybody really care about what I have to say?

…

Figures

Chapter nine: No one and preparations

"RICK! I thought that you died!" Norm exclaimed wiping the tears off his face.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily" Rick said, watching overly happy Norm, but then he noticed something. There was quite a few na'vi here, and as he looked to his right side, he saw that children were behind their mothers and that warriors and hunters were near him, hands on their weapons.

"Uh," Rick said after looking at all these curious or hostile faces, there were at least sixty of those na'vi in sight, and there might be more. After not receiving any answer he turned back to the Jake, who was looking at him with happy and now amused smile, but then he decided to help him "Do not be alarmed." Jake said, drawing all attention to him "This is my friend Rick, and he is here to help us". After saying that, he earned a few confused looks. Most of the na'vi thought that anyone who was human and was not Max or Norm was enemy. And that demon skin he wore only made it worse. "Whatever you've told them, it didn't convince them" Rick said sarcastically through Speaker. Jake had to think hard, Rick was with RDA the whole time, he never defected so he was still RDA, and because he was not seen in the great battle on na'vi side (he wasn't there at all) he must've been enemy.

"He'll help us move to our new home, just as he helped me to defeat palulukan yesterday." Now that earned Rick some respect among the Na'vi, most of them returned to their duties, packing their belongings, but some of the warriors still stayed near him, Rick felt that if he's going to move, he will be immediately killed.

"Jake, I might be useful in moving, but I do not understand a word you've just said, how am I supposed to know what and how to pack up?" Rick asked Putting his hands on hips, and his AMP made the same movement, as he did that, there were knives and arrows in the hands of the remaining warriors.

"Leave him" Jake ordered the rest of the na'vi warriors and they've dispersed, but not before saying something about Rick under their breath.

"You're right" Jake said but then Norm offered, "I could translate for him. I mean I'm too small to do any lifting".

"You're too small to actually be able to sit on my roof." Rick said, extending arm to the Norm. "If you start doing short jokes now, you'll be the one on the receiving end in few days" Norm said sitting on AMP's arm, and Rick remembered that Norm was here for mind transfer

"Fair enough" he said as he lifted Norm to his roof. "Make yourself comfortable there." Rick said looking at Norm who sat on metal framework instead on the glass itself, it couldn't crack under his weight but he wouldn't feel comfortable.

"Off we go" Rick said and was about to turn but then he turned back to Jake "If it is okay Chief" and then he saluted. Jake chuckled and then said with official tone "Dismissed soldier!" and saluted back. After that Rick turned around and looked where he could've help, he saw that most of the work was almost done, and that they've stockpiled things that were "prepared" near the tree which caught Rick attention immediately.

"That's Sacred Tree" Norm explained looking at it. Humans were usually not allowed this close to something sacred, but this was different. "Let's get back to work" Rick said steering his AMP to the pile of weapons, decorations and some other stuff Rick couldn't identify, it was all assembled, but the na'vi who tied those things together didn't look exactly excited that Rick wanted to help him

"Hey Norm, it is time to talk." Rick said and his voice got amplified through the speaker, it was not loud but almost anyone within the camp could hear it.

"Alright" Norm said and started with his not-so-rusty-but-still-rusty na'vi "Can we be of any assistance?" He said, and the na'vi eyed Norm and then Rick. He thought about refusing, but then he would have to tow his belongings across the camp to the rest of them "I'm almost done, I just need to get my belongings to the rest" Na'vi said, after norm translated it in his head, he then translated it to Rick "He needs us to get his belongings to the rest." After Rick heard that, he looked at pile of those things and then looked to the stockpile "Easy enough!" he said and then started "sensitive" mode in his AMP, this mode was to decrease strength and increase precision in AMP, it was used when you needed to handle fragile materials, like something made of hardened glass, or in this case made of wood. He walked toward it and said "Watch your head" he said to Norm as he lifted Na'vi's belongings, it was quite a few things and gauges indicated that it was not light too, Rick couldn't identify much of these things, as he held it in front of him, he then thought about putting it on his shoulder, but then he remembered that Norm occupied his roof. "Norm, end of the ride. I'll pick you up when I return" Rick said, and Norm jumped off the roof. It was harder to get up there than getting out of there, after he got off Rick put the load on his shoulder and started walking toward the rest of na'vi belongings. He felt that he was watched, but he knew that almost everyone in the village watched him, and he was right, after he dropped his load on designated place he went back, but as he walked toward Norm, he saw Jake arguing with someone, it was female who wore quite a few accessories, and who looked at Rick while she spoke to the Jake.

"Am I already getting you into trouble Jake?" Rick thought and then changed course to Jake,

When he got near, Jake turned around to see that Rick already noticed that they've talked about him. "Rick, can you please get over here?" Jake said with resigning look on his face, Rick thought "Why not eh?" and now he stood in front of Jake who then looked back at that female, after they've talked for a few seconds, Jake said "Rick, this is Mo'at, our spiritual leader. Do me a favor and park your AMP over there and then come here" Jake said, and that mysterious person nodded. After that Rick knew that there was something wrong, but he didn't let that feeling get into his head much. After he shut down his AMP, he put on his Exopack and exited the vehicle, leaving the canopy opened. And walked toward Jake and Mo'at "What's the big deal?" he asked. But then Mo'at asked "What is your name Human" and she pierced him with suspicious look. "I'm No one" he started, earning hard look from Jake, so after that he added "Rick No one". "So RickNoone" she continued "Why didn't you leave planet with rest of Humans?" She asked with quite inquisitive look on her face

"Here we go again, that old and lame joke all over again" he thought, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and said "I'm No one, and I've go..." Before he finished that sentence she stabbed him with something pointy he didn't see into his Shoulder, it was quite a stab. "Ouch! Wha." Rick said, and was about to tell that woman that she shouldn't be going around stabbing people! But Jake shushed him with a loud "Shush!" so he stayed quiet, but man that shoulder started bleeding, that stab didn't go deep but it was wide, and it started bleeding vigorously.

"Continue" she said as she licked the blood off the needle but Rick didn't felt like continuing "No way, you'll just stab me again for not liking my story" He said, Jake knew this would happen, Mo'at have done this to him before, but he was in avatar, and the bone she used was meant for Na'vi, she don't have smaller one for humans. "Rick, do me and yourself a favor and stop being disrespectful to our Tsahik" he said looking at Rick with the look that said enough, it was that "Do it or you're going to die" kind of look, and he knew that the second he saw it in Jake's gold eyes. "Alright" he said, taking a deep breath once again, and then turning back to Mo'at who stood there patiently "I'm so sorry for my outburst" He apologized, it seemed like the good thing to get on good terms with her, he tried to forget that his T-shirt was soaked in his blood, and that he kept bleeding, he hoped that he could finish this conversation before he bleed out, but that was very improbable, as the wound slowly stopped bleeding.

"As I said, my name is Rick No one and I've got left behind. It was not my fault, someone must've overlooked my name, or thought that there was no one left on the planet and left without me, I was in the forest when that happened, or that's what they've kept telling me"

He said with one breath, earning himself slightly amused look from Mo'at but she let him continue

"Now I'm here because I want to help my friend Jake here" he said "Who've found me near the Fallen Home tree" he finished, and then Jake took over "He was discovered by scouts, who were looking for a new home for us, and I've decided to investigate." He then proceed to tell her what happened recently, he then told her how Rick tried to run away from them only to be trapped by them, Rick was particularly happy that Jake modified the story, leaving out his "escape plan", after that Jake continued to tell Mo'at how Rick bravely fought thanator that wanted to kill Jake, and how he killed it even though he had Paintball ammo , and then described what paintball ammo was. Mo'at was impressed, but after he finished story and leaving out that they were celebrating Mo'at started "There's something wrong with you, your blood tastes differently "she said, and was about to continue but then Rick interrupted her, catching her by surprise "That would be an alcohol ma'am, it's a potent drink, and we use it to celebrate. And I particularly celebrated my victory over the thanator, it is known for staying in our blood system for a day or two" he explained.

"We'll see" she said and then turned to Jake, telling him something in na'vi and Jake's eyes widened, and after she left, he turned to Rick

"What? You'll have to execute me for being human?" he asked, but Jake still watched Rick still saying nothing

"Hey Chief" Rick said, thinking that using Chief instead of Jake would be more appropriate

To call him like that, before he learns how to say his title in na'vi,

"Rick" Jake finally started, but then Norm appeared yelling at Rick "Where were you? We're supposed to help them, not be idly chatting" he said to Rick but then he noticed Jake's serious face, "What happened?" Norm asked putting on his serious face too

"He met Mo'at" Jake said still looking at Rick "Oh that's bad" Norm said and then examined Rick and then saw the wound she made, but it was already dry, no more blood came through, maybe it was doing of that alcohol which circled in his body.

"And what was the result" Norm asked taking out first aid and applying it on Rick, who stood there being ignored. But he too was curious what was Jake supposed to do with him

"We're supposed to begin his training after we move" Jake finally said earning loud "WHAT?!" from both Rick and Norm simultaneously, but then Norm went from surprised to happy "That mean's he is accepted to the clan, and that he'll stay with us" he said. Rick was glad to hear that but he didn't know the rest, until Jake opened his mouth saying "And because he is soldier, he'll become a hunter that means he'll learn how to ride a horse." Jake said, and then Norm's face went pale. "What? Why do I need to learn that?" Rick asked but then Norm answered "To be a na'vi, One of The People" and Jake finished it with "And you'll have to tame your own ikran"

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?!" Rick asked and Norm answered that question "na'vi use queue to establish mental link with animals, when that is established ikran will be tamed, same with pa'li, it is connection between your brain and theirs"

"Humans can do that too?" Rick asked. But then he got answer he feared he will get

"They can not" Jake said.

Will Rick lose his mind? Can Jake persuade Mo'at that it is impossible for Rick? Can Norm think something out?

You'll see in next chapter!

(P.S. for T.E.D.S. : answer is YES, but only for one of these three questions ;-) )