One Of The People

by Mystic Blade

What would happen if Tsu'tey lived? What would Jake's status be then? What life would Tsu'tey lead among his people? Will he accept the new faces in his clan? What changes would he endure? The story accounts post-film as the remaining humans assimilate into Na'vi culture to live new lives and healing begins as the Omaticaya find their new home. Tsu'teyxOC centered,JakeXNey,NormXOC

10. Cupid's Wayward Arrow

CHAPTER 9:

Cupid's Wayward Arrow

---

I shivered as I slid on the last piece of my clothing, my warm cotton socks, and tightly strapped on my hiking boots as my teeth chattered against the dewy air of dawn. My upper lip curled at the freezing water in the natural pool that I had now called my own personal bath since I hadn't heard or seen any around Hometree yet. Since the day I began to live among the Na'vi, I resorted to using the natural pools or rivers to bathe quickly (mostly because I saw several Na'vi taking a quick dive in them during several outings) and asking for the bathroom had been embarrassing enough. Period. I honestly didn't know how the Na'vi kept their squeaky clean and flawless appearance but I wanted to know if I was on the right track before people took notice.

Now, I walked back to Kelutral with jittery steps as I tied my hair into a chignon- queue and all attached- as I pushed in a black thorn into the side to keep it locked in place. I just needed it to stop dripping and then it would be free to roam in the air to dry naturally. I'd always been a little nervous on brushing my hair since the queue was extremely sensitive to the touch but the women had taught me how to brush my hair free of knots while keeping the queue strands separate. After all, their queues started from the top of their heads so they were the top experts on this. As always, I was grateful for any help and they showed me hair accessories to either clip or tie my hair with, loving every tidbit of information I was given. I took what I learned and applied it to my lessons in jewelry making since little rocks could be applied using natural glue, derived from tree sap or melting collective tissue from an animal into liquid, and sticking it onto a leather strap for tying hair or an arm band; thorns from plants could be decorated with paint to hold thick hair; ribbons could be made from weaved fibers and dyed into favorite colors before tying hair with them, and many more. I didn't care how feminine it sounded but I loved creating accessories with every little item I found whenever I explored the land around me.

My arms remained tightly crossed over my chest, shoulders arched forward to somehow warm myself up by huddling my limbs close to my body and using my hands for friction to build up warmth. The hearth was always lit, day and night, at the base of Hometree and I couldn't wait to taste the warm flames on my icy skin that repelled the numbing cold. My pink bag of hygienic items slapped against my left side as I walked back to Hometree since they were all I had when it came to cleaning myself. I was very shy on asking for help and obviously, it kept biting me in the butt at times like this.

"What happened to you?" I heard my damn teacher's voice off to my right side where it pointed towards Kelutral's entrance and I turned to hiss softly at his blunt tone. I was cold beyond reason and the last thing I wanted was to be insulted before the day even started! There would be enough time for that during normal training hours.

"I took a b-bath in the pools back there, t-that's what" I stuttered out between chattering teeth as I kept rubbing my bare arms for heat and hoped my nose wouldn't start dripping clear mucus. Oh, wouldn't he start laughing then! Most clan members remained inside at this early hour to help prepare breakfast or chatted with friends to begin the day so there were rarely any people walking outside. Tsu'tey tended to wake early and scan the perimeter to make sure there was no danger. Honestly, the man had endless energy because he was up before anybody and asleep after everybody. There was a great difference between us at the moment as I huddled like a shivering kitten and he stood proudly while being clean as a whistle. What pool did he go to that didn't leave him a bundling mess of chattering teeth? This only soured my mood as I pouted at him to question grumpily, "H-how do you people not get s-sick in cold f-freezing water out t-there?"

His brow raised to my question and he began laughing directly at me. Not a simple laugh of amusement that he tried to keep hidden out of politeness but a straight out boisterous 'what an idiot' laugh. I'd never and I mean never heard him sound like that in front of me since he tended to yell at me most of the time. I couldn't help but feel shamefully tiny for my lack of knowledge here on this world and wished he'd at least spare my humiliation. Ever since we began training a few weeks ago, he never hesitated to minimize me whether in public or private- either was inconsequential to him. I despised him for it. There were times I wanted to give him a black eye so badly but disrespecting him would be dishonorable (ironically, he could do it to me without marring his reputation one bit) so I resolved my problem by watching flying ikran from my shared hammock during evenings or walking a nearby river for solitude. Only nature herself could soothe the emotional tears the hunter created within me.

"We do not bathe there during mornings. . .maybe leisure dives during warm afternoons but at dawn? What gave you that idea?" he asked with genuine disbelief written on his face to my actions and shook his head at me in a way that told me I should be ashamed. Tsu'tey gave me a stern stare that caused me to gulp nervously and he turned around swiftly to order, "Follow me."

Well, walking would warm me right up so I followed obediently and kept pace with him. I could now walk without stumbling over every little bump on the ground and my tail no longer batted anyone on its own accord. I was capable of keeping up with my teacher without losing sight of him and had even begun to memorize the bioluminescent dots on his back to pinpoint him easily through dense foliage or Na'vi crowds. Tsu'tey may be a jerk of a skxawng but the man knew teaching and I never hesitated on telling Cheryl and Norm about my day as the three of us shared our tips to help each other out. Cheryl remained undecided on completing Iknimaya but Uniltiron was mandatory of every student. There was no way out of it without remaining a child in the eyes of the People and having no rank didn't look good on anybody. She was simply happy working within Hometree and helping the clan however she could with her gentle nature.

Norm, on the other hand, was going to take the same path as I and practiced every day for long hours to make sure every muscle was honed to respond towards every kind of danger. The lanky Avatar that Norm had been months ago when we met was gone and a leaner but muscular Norm was emerging with each passing day. Neytiri was much nicer to Norm than she was to Jake because she actually admitted it once during a group hike to a nearby mountain that had me exploring every area like a child while Tsu'tey chased after me. All of us had plenty of time to practice before the big day but one of us was ahead by miles and that somebody was Max. When he wasn't training with Peyral, he watched everything the hunters did and actually took notes using a strip of cured leather and a chiseled stick dipped in dark soot from the clan's hearth to write all of his findings down. Tsu'tey and Peyral were similar in attitude in regards to training but the difference was that she complimented her student and boasted to all of the teachers that Max would be the first to complete Iknimaya while Tsu'tey called me a blind tapirus that was doomed to fail. I found the two to be a formidable team, followed along with Neytiri and Norm but Tsu'tey and I seemed more likable to kill each other first than me taking down prey.

Tsu'tey and I arrived in the clearings in the northern sector of Hometree that faced the deeper brush of the forest and headed left past a large root that obscured the clearing. I had never ventured here before since practice dwindled my exploration time and Tsu'tey had to supervise my outings because I knew nothing about the area. He complained half the time we were out in the wilderness and I hated feeling like a child with its cranky babysitter because I never got to be on my own.

He motioned for me to follow with a flick of his wrist and my face deadpanned when I saw about ten Na'vi taking showers in the area. Of course, they used hanging vines of a vibrant green as curtains to shield themselves from onlookers but you could nab a good peek if you looked in the right place up-close. I wasn't a pervert though. The ground was covered by naturally made wooden stairs which aided in drying one's feet while smooth and densely packed dirt encircled the area as children dried themselves while chatting happily about their day.

How the hell had I missed this?

Tsu'tey showed me two large logs that had been carved in the center to hold water in a similar fashion to tubs and dipped his hand into the clear water to explain carefully to me, "We warm up water over the fire pit inside before we empty it here where the sun can continually warm it and you can bring your own pail to grab what you need. You head behind one of the separated stands there to wash yourself and that's it. The water is refilled until sunset and the leftovers are used to wash our serving bowls after last meal."

The Na'vi are the epitome of the old motto 'recycle, reuse', I thought warmly and dipped the ends of my fingers into the warm water that tingled me everywhere. Sweet, warm water. Tomorrow, I would definitely be showering here.

Tsu'tey laughed at me again with that cocky smirk plastered over his angular face and I frowned in displeasure to his teasing of me as he snickered, "I can't believe you were out there bathing like a common talioang. You will come here next time unless you want to risk an illness."

"I wasn't doing it on purpose!" I snapped irately at the idea that he believed that of me and hated to have my intelligence undermined in such a manner by him of all people. He knew I could run circles around him in the field of science and I put up with cocky questions constantly during our astronomy lessons as he tried to find a question I could not answer. Unfortunately for him, I managed quite well and he was left with a defeated scowl which only deepened when I quizzed him on our discussion. By the next morning, I would be paying for his wrong answers by training my ass off but I'd get him back at night with my lessons. Tsu'tey often nagged that I shouldn't question him on his new knowledge of astronomy but I pointed out that it balanced our teacher-student relationship but I knew he was really trying to slide out of being tested. He was a man that enjoyed challenges. . .challenges that he could handle.

His golden gaze scrutinized me from head to toe as I tried to stand up to him to deter his assumptions but being a fair woman, I let his little quirks slide. He didn't have to show me where the showers were but his honor to help others never faltered, even when it came to me- the dreamwalker. His brow lifted in surprise when I nodded respectfully to state, "Thank you for informing me of this place, I appreciate it."

Of course, he dismissed my gratitude with a careless exhaled snort that never failed when he was in my presence and I rolled my eyes with my own flippant attitude. His eyes shot down to the little mesh bag that dangled over my left shoulder and he asked curiously with a cautious gaze, "What is that?"

"A bag to carry my showering items like shampoo, soap, conditioner, body scrub. . .why are you looking at me like that?" I asked warily with a slow drawl and instantly tried to decipher another one of his unreadable expressions. Oh, how I hated separating his cool 'I don't care' face from his nonchalant 'I want that out of my sight but I'm not telling you' look or the ever popular 'I hate that but I'm forcing you to get rid of it with indifferent insults'. I wondered if anybody in the clan had successfully translated every stare he gave because there should be a book on it; it would save me the psychological torture.

He held out his hand in silent demand for me to give him the items and I clutched the bag to my chest, groaning miserably in protest, "No, you already killed my life's work, I'm not giving you this too."

"You are obliged to obey me and I distinctly remember you agreed with me" he pointed out sharply to our deal and easily snatched the bag in one swipe from my grip with his strength. His hands fiddled with the magnetic clasps but once he managed to rip it open, he pulled out my pink body wash. He shook the bottle furiously as he tried to figure out how to open the thing, his bottom lip pouting in thought as his brow furrowed in annoyance and I chuckled evilly to myself. A warrior beaten by a plastic body wash bottle, how humiliating. I almost began to pity the poor guy as he tried bending it in half but halted him with a sharp hiss when he tried to sink his teeth into it. I didn't need for Tsu'tey to accidentally poison himself for being careless and inadvertently blame me.

I yanked it out of his hand with one strong swipe and he glared at me like a baby who'd just had his favorite toy taken away. Ignoring him, I popped the top open with one move from the back of my thumb, smirking proudly over what he couldn't achieve before declaring dramatically with emphasis, "There, oh mighty warrior."

He grabbed it with a heated glare for the hit to his pride and I grinned cheekily for my small jab to his highness. Tsu'tey really needed to learn the meaning of 'loosen up' unlike other hunters who happily joked about in conversations. He brought the open bottle to his nose to sniff it carefully. . .only to hurl it directly onto the ground the next second and stomp on it with his right foot. I pushed him back by the chest as the pink liquid gushed out over the dirt, narrowly missing my recently washed legs, and exclaimed shrilly, "What the hell is wrong with you? All you do is destroy things!"

"That is foul smelling-"

"It's 'strawberries and cream', thank you very much" I shot back snippily in defense to my scented wash because it certainly wasn't disgusting as he claimed. Lots of people loved the scent back at Hell's Gate (it was out of stock by the end of the day it came too) and I had a knack for purchasing sweet scents so boo on him for his awful taste. Then again, he hated everything I owned so it could be exaggerated dramatics on his part to appear dominant over me. Oh, how the prolemuris annoyed me. My eyes glanced at the pink goo decorating the brown dirt and the half empty bottle holding the indent of his foot right in its center, crossing my arms to refute his insults, "There's nothing wrong with it. I'd have you know it's a popular scent among the tawtute-"

"It is artificial, fake scents and chemicals- completely awful" he sneered with a wrinkle of his cat-like nose and added a last stomp on the bottle to finish crushing it under his foot. Honestly, this man was crazier than a prolemuris defending its territory and they only hurled mushy fruit at the most. I hated that he was taking out his anger towards humans against me and chastised myself for ever agreeing to letting him oversee my independence over human made items. Boy, was I regretting it every day that passed. I believed the last items I owned were my shoes and clothing now but I wasn't about to give those up without a fight. I'd beat him over the head with my boots if I had to.

Tsu'tey brought me over to the side of Hometree's trunk where growths on the bark created good shelving for use by the Na'vi. His long fingers hovered over several sealed urns with names burned onto them and prodded at the inscriptions for emphasis to command sharply with a hint of pride in his voice, "You will use these from now on. Handmade soap from natural herbs, oils, and fruits that will clean and protect your skin- nothing like that horrendous soap of yours."

I snorted to his snippy tone since he was obviously throwing out those jabs for dominance and frowned as he lifted his chin proudly to what his culture had to offer. He was correct since naturally derived items were healthier for one's body but the prolemuris didn't need a bigger ego. I let the matter drop and mentally bid adieu to my hygiene products, which were nestled underneath his arm and ready to be dumped, as I mumbled out tiredly, "Fine. What about cleaning my hair? I don't want it knotted, it will drive me crazy to brush all this long hair if it's tangled."

He unsheathed his hunting knife with a single swipe of his hand and motioned the sharp pointy end towards my hair with a haughty smirk, "If it is such a problem, I will simply cut off the front."

My fingers dug into my damp locks in an attempt to block his crazy idea to lop off my hair and I exclaimed guardedly to defend my long locks no matter what the cost, "No, I don't want to be bald! Go cut yours off, you crazy prolemuris!"

Pushing him back with my hands, I slapped his hand away to keep that knife far from me and stated firmly with thinned lips, "I like having long and thick hair, thank you very much. I never had any like this. . .well, maybe as a teenager but. . ."

My fingers traced over large bun of hair at the back of my head that completely put to shame the old head of limp stringy hair I used to have and nowadays, made sure to keep it healthy and vibrant. The protein rich concoctions of their hair soap would help to maintain a shiny coat and briefly wondered if they had anything similar to hair masks or oil treatments. Oh, there was bundle of information within mother nature to help a body keep healthy and I wanted to learn everything. I took notice of his perplexed stare as my fingers kept fiddling with the top of my bun and I shuffled my feet together, shifting my eyesight down to them as I modestly inquired, "What?"

"You are very strange to fawn over hair" he remarked softly and shook his head at my actions. To him, it was probably neurotic behavior but I adored my hair. I didn't care how vain it sounded but after having paper thin straw-like hair for years, voluminous hair was my dream come true. . .aside from being a Na'vi but this was a perk in the package anyway. He motioned to a large clay bowl filled with little green leaves that served as wrappers to an unknown filling inside and he picked one up between his thumb and index finger. My eyes blinked with childish curiosity as to what it was and didn't glance away as he explained slowly, "I'm only saying this once: Open one by twisting the sides open but only before you clean your hair and apply it to saturate all of it with this blend of oils for a fair amount of time. Clean your hair as usual but this will keep it strong and glossy."

I grabbed it from his hand with a wide grin and a happy gleam in my eye as I studied the careful wrapping between my forefingers. My, I couldn't wait to use it tomorrow. Tsu'tey decided to scold my enthusiasm with a reprimanding hiss, "Do not open it until you use it."

"I'm not a skxawng" I shot back since my mind did not lack common sense and stuffed the plant wrapper into my short's pocket before he could cut in with a smartass comment. Sometimes, my anger got the best of me and I walked right into a trap that would have him firing off perfectly scored taunts and insults at me. A visit to the river a few days ago backfired on me when I hurled insults at Tsu'tey, which instantly scared off the fish he'd been trying to catch for the day, and their slimy skin brushing against my legs caused me to lose my balance and splash I went into the water. He laughed at me the whole return trip home since I was completely drenched and felt lousier when a group of prolemuris mimicked his laughter while they foraged for fruits in the trees.

The urns drew my curiosity to the shelves and I carefully opened the top of each urn to see the different kinds of soaps that were held inside. Black. Beige. Berry. Orange. My nose curiously smelled each spicy, sweet, floral, and woodsy aroma that pleased my sense of smell. I couldn't wait to try each variety and heard Tsu'tey grumble inaudibly to himself behind me (it was best to ignore him and deny him the attention) and I looked back to ask excitedly, "Do you have scrubs?"

He took a step back at my question and tilted his head to ask with complete bafflement, "What?"

"Scrubs, you know, soaps that have little rough particles to peel off the outer dead layers of skin and reveal the new?" I explained easily as I closed the urns tightly to prevent the escape of freshness and walked over to him with giddy steps for his aggravation on the subject. Tsu'tey, however, remained lost by my curiosity and gave me a blank stare that pretty much said 'what the hell are you talking about?'. I smiled with lighthearted amusement to his lost appearance and reached forwards to grab my bag from his hand. Visual aids would work best with him.

Tsu'tey gave the mesh bag a protesting yank as he was reluctant to release it and I grit my teeth, shooting him a dark stare as I opened the bag instead. Ugh, didn't he trust anybody? What did he think I would do, beat him to a pulp with a plastic bottle? My fingers dug through the bag as my other hand batted away his meddlesome one and cursed his awful impatient attitude. I finally grabbed the round jar-like container from inside before he started snapping at me and opened it up to let him glimpse into the pasty pink goo littered with tiny fuchsia particles. Grabbing a dab with my index finger, I smoothed the layer over the back of my hand so he could see and explained excitedly with a grin, "See? You have these little particles to scrub your skin smooth of dead cells rather than your every day soap but you use it sparingly. This is all chemical like you said but I had a grandmother who made this stuff naturally but items were always hard to buy due to pricing."

I rambled on about the processed resources of Earth and its hefty pricing before a thought hit me and I grasped his forearm without warning. His whole body tensed to the unexpected touch but I didn't really care at the moment as I pitched my idea enthusiastically, "Why don't we make some? I'm sure the women will love it! It will be all natural-"

"Have you noticed I'm a man?" he replied dryly to my happy giggles to block the idea since I loved projects and pinned him with a heated glare for his interruption but grudgingly correct fact. Otherwise, he'd be a very ugly woman. I'm pretty sure no man wanted to partake in female hobbies unless they consisted of hunting. Tsu'tey was as manly as you would find because every time I encountered him outside of training, he was either grooming his pa'li, Aci- she was both a frightening but gorgeous mare- or crafting arrows or practicing his archery, and my personal favorite in similarity to Earth, drinking with the men.

I, on the other hand, was becoming a handy person in crafting items and my weaving had improved considerably since I'd gotten my new teacher in that field. Kusa was a sweet woman with a bundle of three young ones, all girls, who happily sat next to me to chat endlessly about anything when it was time to make jewelry. I'd be meeting them tomorrow for my sewing lesson but I saw them every day during mealtimes when they clung onto my legs with sneaky Cheshire grins while their mother chased after them. I hoped to Eywa I would not have more than one child, if any, when the time came and that they wouldn't play hide-and-seek with me because of my worrisome nature.

Tsu'tey figuratively knocked my socks off when he chuckled at my frown and suggested casually, "Tell the women later on, I'm sure they will be curious about creating it."

He agreed with me? Him? The man who horrendously abhorred anything and everything from Earth?

My face beamed with a peppy smile at the prospect but he deflated it when he added in firmly, "But leave me out of it. I will not be blamed for any of your blunders."

And like that, he torched the friendship bridge one step back. Honestly, we were taking more steps backwards than forwards in this arrangement. This man was harder to crack than a vault but I decided to attempt a little reverse psychology on him. His short anger streak always failed him when it came to this and I used it to my advantage whenever I saw an achievable goal.

"I'm sure men will find it beneficial, you gather sweat, grime, and who knows what else from your activities" I rebuffed with a passive-aggressive voice, wrinkling my nose in distaste as my eyes wandered over his sharp features and rubbed my index finger down the center of his forehead. His eyes narrowed into slits at my forwardness to touch his person but I was going to make my point, regardless if I actually collected any visible dirt on my finger. For emphasis, I rubbed it together with my thumb as I gave them a false scrutinizing gaze and faked disgust to complain aloud, "Who would want to touch skin like this?"

"Joanna-"

"I certainly wouldn't so you'll do a perfect job at repelling anyone from such bodily filthiness. . ." I chided nonchalantly to see if it riled him and almost broke my stoic façade with a grin when his sharp teeth bared at me. The rest of my words trailed off as I batted my eyelashes to play the innocence card and closed my little jar to deflect any blame because I knew he was glaring at me without needing to confirm it. He was Tsu'tey, there was never a time he wasn't glaring at me and I often wondered if he slept like that too.

"Hot springs, they purify skin too" I piped up purposely to change the subject and mentally gathered all of the mumbo jumbo women spouted about spa time back on Earth. My evasion worked like a charm as he gave me a lazy blink that distinctly warranted clarification and I explained with a friendly smile, "Natural pools of water that are heated underground by Pandora's crust. They bubble and are always warm. . ."

Tsu'tey remained clueless by the blank stare on his face and my own squinted as I tried to get the message across but his little island was floating farther away from me by the second. Hesitantly, I asked unsurely with a slight tilt of the head, "Have you ever seen any? I'm running out of explanations for you."

"No, but maybe others have, I rarely take notice of such since the hunt is my field" he replied simply and motioned with his head in the opposite direction. I already knew his body movements meant business and I straightened my spine to ready myself for my first morning order, quickly dumping the jar back into the mesh bag. Tsu'tey did not disappoint my assumption as he batted the top of my head with a thin branch that popped out of nowhere and stated firmly with the first order, "The morning meal will be served soon and I expect you in the training field afterwards."

"Sir, yes, sir" I piped up with a high pitched voice that never failed to irk him and gave him the mock military salute that he never understood with a peppy smile.

Tsu'tey always made sure I ate at every meal and would walk by to inspect my area to make sure every crumb was gone or he'd sit next to me (intrusively, mind you) until he saw everything gone. You'd think it was an endearingly caring trait on his part but no, he was adamant that I followed his detailed diet to the dot or he'd drop me as a student. It mostly consisted of carbohydrates in the morning and protein later on or some other crap, I wasn't a nutritionist so I simply ate it without complaint since those large eyes of his unsettled me when they didn't blink. All I knew is that I didn't like being verbally manhandled but as long as it kept him from biting my head off in public, cheers!

His face turned stony for a few seconds of silence before turning away, his calculative eyes locking onto mine as he ordered coldly, "Get moving."

---

"I want to ride that one."

"No."

"That one?"

"No."

"What about-"

"No."

. . .

"Take your pick."

I sighed exasperatedly to his pickiness over my decision- it was mine, after all- and placed my hands on my hips in argument mode to remark tartly, "I would but you keep objecting to every one I choose. If you'd listen-"

Tsu'tey proceeded to leave me in the clearing as he walked by all the available pa'li in the stables while I shook my fist behind him but chased after the man. Sometimes, I really wanted to hurl a rock at his head and see if it actually dented him or if his stone-like body would bounce it back. The second I halted in front of him, he aimed a stern glare at me and pointed to a pa'li located at the farthest end. I walked over to the area with a frown on my face and expected a behemoth of a creature as I passed each direhorse that was either dozing or waiting for a rider. Large pa'li, mostly stallions, were the only ones the idiot let me ride but blinked when I saw a young colt that the youngsters played with often. Its bright blue eyes blinked at me with a cheerful glint that were too sweet to ignore and I watched its tail sway happily.

Peke? He wanted me to ride Peke?

I grimaced instantly to the embarrassing choice and my shoulders slumped forward in disappointment, my bow almost slipping from my hands to the action but I quickly recovered. My teacher had a knack for being psychologically brutal and unforgiving; I bet it was because I called him filthy only an hour prior. Tsu'tey seemed wonderfully amused to my sour disposition beside him as I stared at the young steed that pawed the ground with his hooves and I grit out to refute sharply, "This is the training pa'li the children use. I can't-"

"Are you not also in training?" he pointed out simply with a haughty tone in his voice that rubbed me the wrong way and if I had the ability, I would've knocked his front teeth out. He jabbed his index finger in the direction of the colt and I could feel the exhale of his breath on my face as he commanded frigidly, "Go."

I gave him a flabbergasted face for the order, squeezing my bow from irritation to his crazy ideas, and objected sharply, "But-"

"I am your teacher and you will obey me" he stated strictly with narrowed eyes as he leaned over to dominate me with his taller figure and I growled under my breath. Oh, he was one sadistic son of a Prolemuris.

I stomped off towards the small steed that waited for me while mimicking his words but he saw none of it or else I would have more laps added to my daily running routine. My hands caressed the long neck of the pa'li as its two pairs of eyes watched me to assess my threat level and flashed him a friendly smile. I often brought the colt something to eat when I had spare time on my hands but Tsu'tey didn't care about my leisure wanderings (nor did I want him to). The shock on his face was sickeningly gratifying to see as I initiated tsaheylu with the pa'li because I was certain he expected me to go flying across the field.

This wasn't my first time because the first had been terrifying for me since I barely spent ten minutes with the pa'li before Tsu'tey ordered me to make the intimate connection. My fright didn't help any and ordering the stallion for the first time had sent me flying straight onto Tsu'tey when the creature hurled me through the air. I refused to ride a pa'li unless it would be the one I kept because I wanted a better connection without apprehension but Tsu'tey, as always, had other ideas. He had me attempt to ride three different pa'li so far but none would have me because I was either hurled or knocked off, mostly onto him or into a pit of mud. The pa'li could look majestic when ridden by a master but they refused you if you couldn't maintain the bond. Tsaheylu was unlike anything on Earth and your counterparts, whether in the sky or land, became a part of you in a way that would have pet owners dying with envy.

I handed Tsu'tey my bow as I flashed him a peppy smile that only deepened his frown and walked back to Peke. I placed my palms over his back to give him a few friendly pats before hoisting myself up with a smile, tucking my legs close to his sides to keep myself on his back. Every emotion surged through me and natural instinct that ran throughout the pa'li's mind flowed into mine but I eased it with my own calming blend to tell him it was all okay. The little guy became calm instantly with its light demeanor and pawed at the ground with its front hooves as I petted the back of its thick bluish-gray neck to speak mentally, 'It's all right, Peke. I will not hurt you.'

"Better?" I piped up cheerfully about my accomplishment to Tsu'tey, who's face frowned deeply to my success and crossed his arms to remain stoic around me. Whatever. I conquered the little steed so my mounting wasn't as bad as it was weeks ago and I would take pride in that. He could either love it or lump it.

"Order him to trot" he barked suddenly and I shot him a glare for the sharp tone that caused Peke to snort at the air from the unity of our minds. You know, I rather liked this one. He didn't frighten my mind nor did he make me tread carefully unlike the others. With a fond pet to Peke's hide, I asked for him to move forward slowly and smiled triumphantly when he took a few steps in a straight line in the manner in which I asked. I'd learned from Jake's mistakes to never order with simplicity, you had to imagine what you wanted down to the last detail and allow your partner to see as well or else you'd go flying like both of us had.

"Stop."

I followed the instruction and Peke listened with a short call, halting before a wooden log and I rewarded him with another caring stroke to the side of his neck. Peke replied with a series of happy neighs and I laughed softly to his friendly disposition. The little guy grew on you but I knew that within a year, he'd grow to be a gorgeous young stallion for a warrior since he was nearing that stage in life. He was bigger than the other colts already but his gentle temperament made him a favorite among the youngsters. It worked in my favor wonderfully since I saw him every other day in the fields where he grazed and decided to cherish Peke as one of my favorite clan animals.

"Tsu'tey?" I asked softly as a new idea formed in my mind and outstretched my left hand towards him in beckoning. The older man simply grumbled inaudibly under his breath and walked over with a questioning glance to my summoning. Goodness, he even looked bored and half-asleep for being here with me. Regardless of his cranky mood, I proposed politely to be on his good side, "I think- no, you're right. I'd like to practice with Peke until I'm comfortable to ride a stallion or mare. Is that all right with you?"

I expected an insult about being childish but instead, he nodded stiffly. He agreed with me? Again? Was he trying to trick me into something I was unaware of? Tsu'tey ran his hand over Peke's snout and the colt licked the palm of his hand playfully, prompting him to falsely scold him with words I couldn't hear. The steed got a smile from the brusque man that I'd yet to achieve and offered my own when he turned his gaze toward me and stated simply, "Only for a few weeks. I expect you to mount a grown pa'li by the end and to ride it within the month. You must be able to shoot down prey before the dream hunt or you will fail."

My eyes narrowed to his last words because I heard them constantly (they were already fused into my dreams) and pointed out shrewdly, "You know, I think you want me to fail sometimes. You lash out at me with orders when you know I'm a novice and you tell me I'm going to fail at least every ten minutes. How am I not supposed to feel disillusioned? I should make Peke kick you between the legs. . .that is, if I could."

He didn't find my humor amusing but then again, Tsu'tey never found anything funny. I think the world would end before hearing that man utter a laugh. Well, a nice laugh anyway. I concealed a smile as an order went out to Peke to lick Tsu'tey's face and I received a question of 'Why? He's not food' but I insisted anyway. The colt blinked in puzzlement at the air before licking his right cheek as it was closest and I laughed cheerfully when his lips curled in distaste to the warm slobber. His face might've showed repulsion but he certainly didn't push Peke away which reminded me of his caring nature for animals and his clan mates. Would I ever see any of that?

"Good boy" I murmured softly and patted his left haunch with a smile to his obedience. Peke backed away from the hunter before his whole face was covered in translucent saliva while I withheld a chuckle to his wet face, amused to his sour appearance. This pa'li lesson had been the best of all I'd partaken in and even better, I'd get to call Peke my own until the month was over. His blue eyes blinked happily at Tsu'tey, who didn't say anything to the friendly colt but I knew irritation boiled at me behind those golden orbs of his.

A moment later, he snapped out the next command, "To the archery ranges."

That would most definitely not be fun.

---

Did I mention I was awful at archery?

Most of my colleagues had the basics down of nailing a target but I couldn't hit anything dead center yet and most arrows pierced the edges of the target or went clear off into the unknown. As punishment, Tsu'tey had me create new arrows by hand for all that I lost but it backfired on him since he taught me the skill and it was easier than nailing a target. Nowadays, I created my own arrows during my free time and didn't bother asking him for some anymore. I tended to use bright feathers on the fletching so the hue would help me find them in the foliage instead of losing them. So far, it was working 50/50.

My practice for today was anything but easy because Tsu'tey decided to bring me to a public range instead of a private one where I wouldn't feel so vulnerable to criticism. This day was turning out to be different because instead of helping me like a dutiful teacher, he was running off his yap to a bunch of his hunting buddies while I struggled to keep my bow straight enough to fire. My right hand shook on the fletching since my balance took forever to maintain steady with my footing but Tsu'tey would only yell at me and give me useless tips like 'stand up straight'. That was a broad statement without any specific instruction on how I should keep my form or where each limb should be stationed. Whenever we practiced elsewhere, his tone remained cold but he was helpful in straightening my stance until I could shoot my arrow. My gut had a bad feeling that this day wouldn't end well and I wasn't talking about the bland goop he had me eat at breakfast.

The entire lesson had me ready to curl up with the blues when he started snickering in his conversation and knew his glances directed at me were only for humiliation. I wish I had a meat cleaver to chop his tail in two and then we'd see who was left laughing. A subtle intake of breath calmed my nerves somewhat since being stared at unsettled me and I clenched the muscles of my arms to steady myself. The tips of my fingers held onto the nock and simultaneously gripped the string while the left steadied my bow in the direction of the round wooden target. Seconds later, I let the arrow fly and my heart beat quickly in my chest as I hoped it would pierce the center.

Luck wasn't with me.

My tail curled over my right leg in wallowing shame as the arrow clung onto the southern edge of the target and tried not to be affected by the sudden laughter off to the right of me. Is this how he encouraged his students, by ridiculing them in public? I kept my eyes to the floor as I grabbed another arrow off the grass, checking the fletching for any last minute ruffles before pressing it against the string. I needed to remain focused on anything to fight off their snarky laughter. Pulling the string back until it was taut underneath the pressure that was produced, I aimed the tip of the arrow dead on the center of the target. I would take my timing with this one and if I failed, I would learn from my mistake. Hopefully, after all thirteen mistakes, luck would pity me and hand me a free pass.

"You would think that after three weeks of lessons, she'd manage to shoot the target" Tsu'tey laughed aloud to his posse of pals and I grit my teeth as I kept my arrow from prematurely firing off. Why couldn't he shut the hell up or take his entourage elsewhere to laugh at me? Students were training around the entire area so why did he have to make me the laughing stock? I wished Neytiri was training with Norm today since she had perfect senses and always put him in his place when she saw me struggling. There were times I really wished Jake would allow me to switch teachers because I was disliking Tsu'tey with every passing week we spent together.

I tried to tune out his rude comments and refocused my aim on the target but big mouth opens his yap again, "A tapirus makes a better student and they lack opposable thumbs!"

My teeth bit the inside of my bottom lip to contain the string of curses I wished to unleash aloud but it would only bring me a reprimanding lecture. Counting to five in my head, I regained my calm and straightened my posture to what a huntsman's should be. I maintained my concentration despite the incessant rabble behind me and zeroed in on the center before releasing my arrow towards the target. This one had to hit, it just had to. I withheld from blinking to see the result and almost groaned in misery for scoring in the ends yet again. The endless chatter to the right wasn't helping and I grit my teeth in aggravation to their careless noise as it grew louder, calling out sharply to them, "Do you mind?"

"Did I say you could speak? No, you finish the entire set first" Tsu'tey snapped briskly with a scowl aimed right at me like I'd done something bad to him as he stood in front of his little clique. The other warriors actually showed more politeness by hushing down their tones but this man, this insufferable buffoon, simply chastised me for something he was doing.

Being of a lower rank and maintaining my politeness, I tried again with a pleading tone, "But Tsu-"

"No talking" he repeated coldly with a derisive sneer and returned back to his conversation without an ounce of consideration for me. I merely gaped in astonishment to his awful and shrew behavior and turned away from him as I bit into my hand, muffling a furious scream that I wished to make his ears bleed with. Of course, blabbermouth continued on, "As I was saying. . ."

What an insensitive asshole!

One day I would defeat him in one feat, I didn't care what it was (I briefly wondered if he knew the old game Jacks) as long as I won. I'd rub it in his face and gloat. Yes, gloating would do quite nicely. With mental steam rising from my head, I leaned down to grasp the next arrow for practice and sighed under my breath as I shifted my arms into the classic archer's stance. The students located around me were doing far better with their practice and my ears lowered at my awful skills that didn't seem to be improving one bit since I started weeks ago. This was my weakest field and instead of receiving the thorough aid that I needed, Tsu'tey was laughing it up without a single tip to spare. I admitted that I pitied myself at this point for having no improvement and was losing hope that I would become better. My left hand shook slightly at my dip in confidence and in turn, the bow became unbalanced and I lowered my arrow with my right hand to halt its shaky course. This would only cause more humiliation and Tsu'tey would be more than ready to dish it out.

Is it too much to ask for a little help on his part? I know I'm not his favorite person but he should be here next to me instead of being a regular Chatty Cathy, I thought irritably to his rudeness and bit the inside of my cheek since I'd drawn blood from my bottom lip after gnawing on it for too long. My eyes darted between Tsu'tey and the target in the hopes that he'd have a last minute conscience slap but I waited to no avail.

I found it hard to find my voice amidst the depression sinking in and meekly called out, "Tsu'tey?"

He didn't even bother to acknowledge me with a glance and simply put forth curtly, "Finish the set and then we will speak."

You can't even hear the arrows with all your blabbing, I wanted to yell but kept it to myself as my fingertips skimmed the bright pink fletching as I gripped the nock to hold my arrow tautly against the string.

The murmurs next to me only grew in volume again as I prepared to let my current arrow sail and decided to concentrate my anger into firing this one arrow. If I could get this one towards the center, even by a millimeter, I'd die happy. Taking a deep breath of calm, I closed my eyes to preserve the last shreds of my patience and self-confidence but a series of laughs snapped me out of my stupor prematurely. My fingers faltered and I accidentally let the arrow fly with closed eyes. Immediately, I pried them open to see where it headed.

Surprise, surprise, it didn't fall on the ground! I smiled widely when it didn't fall down to the ground right away but in a split second, it faltered completely into horror as I saw the arrow heading to the right with precision. . .directly in my teacher's direction. If only I had a remote that could slow down time.

I couldn't get a warning out to him since he kept yammering on, "So then the pa'li threw- Ahhh!"

Too late.

My eyes became wider than saucers when I saw my arrow piercing him right in the butt cheek and tried not to laugh aloud from amused surprise and comedic horror as he held his backside, yelling frantically towards the sky from the obvious pain it induced, "Oh my Eywa! Oh- JOANNA!"

"G-Get a healer!" I managed to tell the others from my frightened stupor as my eyes remained entranced on his derrière as the arrow remained sturdily upright in his behind. Tsu'tey went down on all fours as he cursed aloud to the high heavens and the trio of hunters nodded nervously, running off to find help (I hoped they brought a healer and not Jake) after sparing a quick glance at their fallen friend. The people around us decided to stare at the spectacle of Tsu'tey lying on the ground with an arrow impaling his butt and I tried to shield it away from sight by standing in front of it.

Just what I needed, to be a main attraction for the Na'vi. I gave all the curious spectators a peppy carefree smile to ward them away while turning around to rub my face with my hands furiously at this catastrophe. Tsu'tey would undeniably run me out of the clan as soon as he could walk well enough to chase me. This was bad. . .no, beyond bad that it didn't have a name. My hands were all over the place in the air before me as my brain tried to get them to do something meaningful in this stressful situation and I kneeled down next to the fallen warrior. His brow was furrowed in apparent pain as a translucent coat began to form on his forehead as perspiration while his back straightened in an attempt to ward off the pain shooting up his spine. My eyes trailed over his sweating face to ask the quickest and possibly most stupidest question in all of creation, "Does it hurt?"

Tsu'tey scowled at me through his pain (and yes, he had a right to) as his hands fiercely clutched the grass under his palms and I just knew he wished it was my throat. He released a sharp hiss from behind thinned lips before snapping crudely, "No, I like keeling over for fun every time an arrow pierces me!. . .Of course I'm in pain, you stupid skxawng!"

"I get it, excuse my lapse in judgment!" I shot back weakly to his waspish tone and tried not to touch the end of the arrow (I would only injure the guy further), placing my hands on his left arm to focus his attention on me. His golden eyes narrowed at me like a furious panther's and I couldn't help but admit sheepishly, "I hope you don't mind me saying but this takes me back to that battle."

His forehead slumped against the grass and I heard a muffled growl that I knew was telling me to hurry the hell up with the point in my story. I just wanted to redirect his attention away from the pain and brought up slowly with curiosity, "You think we're destined to repeat these loops with either you or I injured for the rest of our lives?"

"For your sake, I hope not" he growled bitterly with underlying threat that made me gulp and I tried to make him relax his muscles since clenching them would only heighten the pain but I doubted he'd trust me. After all, I did just shoot him in the buttocks.

Gently, I patted his bicep and coaxed him with nervous suggestion, "If you'd relax, it would help your nervous system release endorphins since clenching your muscles will only keep sending pain to your brain receptors-"

"Don't use your physiacology on me, dreamwalker!" he interrupted loudly and threw a clump of grass at my face in fierce unyielding rebuttal. I spit out whatever blades stuck to my lips and pricked them out of my hair as he snorted derisively at my attempts to help.

Shifting my gaze to the grass below, I drew circles over the soft blades and corrected him in a soft murmur, "It's psychology."

"Whatever!" he shot back indignantly to being corrected at all and I coughed into my hand as I fought a smile tugging at my lips. Only Tsu'tey could remain astutely stubborn in the worst of circumstances. I bet if I was a female Na'vi- 100% purebred, that is- he'd be listening and hanging to my every word instead of repelling it.

I didn't know what to do about the lodged arrow since I lacked decent medical skills and glanced away from the wound on his bare behind to joke lightly with nervous hitches, "Well, at least I hit a target dead on this time. You can be proud of that."

His eyes pinned me with a dead set glare that froze me on the spot as his eyes darkened and he hissed coldly, "If you hit correctly, my spine would be injured and either render my legs useless or leave me dead. Good thing I gave you blunt tipped arrowheads to use."

"Actually, the heart or the base of the skull would- never mind" I began to correct again from what I'd learned in the university and Max's lectures on medicine but shut my mouth as his eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Oh Eywa, he was pissed. I'm certain that if he had the mental power to spontaneously combust people, I would be first.

Matters didn't lighten at all for me when I heard Jake's surprised voice from behind, "Oh my Eywa, she actually shot him."

I moaned pitifully into my hands at getting Jake instead of Mo'at of all people after I specifically requested aid. Turning around, I pinpointed the trio of hunters I sent away behind Jake and scolded aloud, "I said bring medicinal help, not the cavalry!"

"Hey, a military man like me knows first aid" the clan leader defended quickly to my jab as my line of sight was greeted by his muscular thighs and slapped them away since I had no inkling on studying leg muscles. My shoulders slumped completely when I saw he carried no items in his hands to heal Tsu'tey. Did they not tell him he'd been shot?

I sighed into my hand in disappointment for not going myself to do the job right and pointed out stiffly, "Then why aren't you carrying anything? That's the point of first aid! He could be bleeding internally!"

"What she said!" Tsu'tey decided to add in for his own benefit since Jake was now in the picture and trusted him far better than me. I wouldn't be surprised if he shoved me away and crawled over to him for safety.

Our Olo'eyktan flashed us a dazzling grin that would've won over the trust of half the female population in a split second and proudly declared, "I'm here to bring him to the healers, a marine never leaves a man behind-"

"Yet you left ointments and bandages behind-" I murmured flatly as my eyes became fixated on the hunter's wound yet again from worry since only flecks of blood surrounded it instead of cascading down in rivulets. I didn't want the blunt arrowhead to cause infection or damage any tissues but it really was a good thing he refused to give me hunting arrows or he'd be in worse condition due to the thin tip that would pierce through more layers of muscle. My transfixed gaze was cut short when Tsu'tey hissed at me defensively and I rolled my eyes to his baby tantrum. Oh sure, now he noticed his loincloth showed his bare behind for the world to see.

Jake snapped his fingers at us to halt our silent heated glares while he assessed the situation and explained quickly, "I know human first aid, not Na'vi first aid so I'm bringing him to the next best thing. . ."

---

(Third person p.o.v)

"Lay your head down. . .lie still. . ."

Mo'at was almost finished with wrapping the warrior's injured gluteus area but his constant fidgeting was hindering the progress. The matriarch had been surprised to see a hunter of his caliber injured during the training of his student instead of during a hunt and knew the hunters would be gossiping about the incident for many moons to come. Jake had helped to bring him in to the wise healer since the pain was overwhelming and had tried to play off Tsu'tey's limping as a minor muscle strain to any passerby's. The hunter was thankful for Jake's help in the matter but word would spread like wildfire soon enough. Dislodging the arrow wasn't as painful as having to walk up the spiral staircase with it embedded in him and was glad when the bothersome object was freed from his body by Mo'at's experienced hands.

"Tsu'tey!"

The Tsahìk's reprimand rendered the hunter immobile once again and she wrapped the last cloth bandage over the healing herbs and ointment to cure the open wound. She'd already informed him that his hunts would be cancelled for a week at the least and only light walking would be allowed in upcoming days but for the next two, he was completely bedridden. Tsu'tey, being a man that hated being idle, felt entrapped like a wounded animal waiting for death that would never come and wanted to throttle Joanna's neck for being so stupidly careless with her aiming. In all of his years, he'd never had such a clumsy student and wished she'd never existed at the current moment.

I will never live this embarrassment down with my brothers and sisters, he thought with boiling humiliation at the day's event and closed his eyes, inhaling the spicy incense burning inside the wooden cove to soothe the raging anger inside him.

"You need to keep a better eye on your student and from what Neytiri tells me, Joanna seeks it as well" Mo'at brought up lightly as she covered his body with a warm pelt to keep him cozy, tucking in the edges around his body to prevent any air pockets. Out of all her years as a healer and Tsahìk, Tsu'tey was rarely sent to her with critical wounds (apart from the recent battle) and usually bore the pain rather than seeking aid to ward off vulnerability. Mo'at had become accustomed to seeing him grow up from an energetic child to a determined adult so she saw him as a part of her family since he had none to call his own. His unyielding loyalty and insistence to push past his limitations impressed her since his first days of training and she'd wanted to truly make him a part of her family. Unfortunately, her plan to mate him with her daughter backfired but maybe he would find another similar soul among the clan to complete his own.

He would need to sleep away the first hours of pain with Eywa's watch and the rest would heal on its own. The matriarch doubted he'd listen since the young warrior was too stubborn to stay still with his wandering personality and hoped she wouldn't have to assign a healer to keep constant watch on him. She'd already seen the heated debates he'd held with Joanna regarding his injury against the Sky People and always heard rumors that the two were ready to kill each other. Most females scuttled off at enraging the high-ranking hunter but young Joanna shot back the same spitfire attitude that he unleashed on others and Mo'at smiled slightly at that. It would do the grouchy hunter some good to have a taste of his own attitude to allow him insight to his flaws and Eywa would work better at bringing the two to coexistence.

I'm not entirely sure what Eywa is truly seeking between Tsu'tey and Joanna but I will oblige, she pondered in regards to her recent meditations and slapped the back of his hand when her eyes caught him trying to grab a hold of his handy satchel to no doubt occupy his time. When will he take a rest away from his work and clan duties? I am certain Joanna can take care of that after her diligent care for him back at the Tree of Souls.

Tsu'tey recoiled his hand with a submissive lowering of his head as he rested it against his folded arms, a slight frown on his lips for being rendered useless. Mo'at scrutinized his movements until she saw that he wasn't going to repeat the action and scolded sharply, "You are here to heal and will remain as such until my say so. Nobody is allowed admittance here unless they have my permission."

If he didn't feel like a scolded child seconds prior, he absolutely did now. Mo'at was the most respected clan member you never argued against and a haughty smile graced her lips when he slumped in his spot to follow her orders. Tsu'tey knew when to give up a fight and nestled his head over his arms to settled into sleep. She left the young hunter in quiet solitude to return outside and wasn't surprised to find both her daughter and Jake waiting at the entrance with expectant faces for her update. Mo'at also caught a small glimpse of a nervous Joanna as she tried to hide behind a deep groove in the trunk but knew the young woman was eager for answers as well.

"He will be fine, rest is needed along with healing draughts" she assured their worries with a calm voice and her words would spread around Hometree within the hour. A clan remained tightly knit like a family and news, along with the latest gossip, were never absent. Her line of sight shifted between Jake and Neytiri to gently chide their worrywart nature over Tsu'tey, "I am sure our Olo'eyktan has more important duties to complete along with you, daughter, but I will tell Tsu'tey of your visit."

Jake nodded with reluctance at being denied entry but instantly added in, "If anything-"

"I will fetch you" she replied easily to their worry and he backed down to the sagely smile she gave both of them. Tsahìk knew best, after all. She ushered the two away with a shooing motion of her hands and the two relented to the matriarch with a respectful dip of their heads, heading downstairs hand-in-hand to finish their morning chores.

With dainty steps, she walked up silently to the meek Joanna, who wringed her fingers nervously from her hidden spot behind the wooden growths, and placed a hand on her shoulder before she could bolt at being discovered. Joanna was sure the clan would blame her for the accident and closed her eyes instantly since she expected a ruthless scolding from the matriarch herself for hurting the clan's best warrior. . .but it never came.

Mo'at waited for the young woman to realize she wasn't there holding a candle of impending doom and once Joanna's eyes opened, she informed her calmly, "Tsu'tey will be walking again in no time. He simply needs rest."

She nodded shyly as relief flooded her hectic worry, jittery fingers wringing the hem of her lilac blouse as she inhaled deeply. Mo'at was mildly amused at the visible worry etched over her angular face since most of the time, the two fought like two toruks with territoriality issues.

This gave her a splendid idea.

Joanna froze on the spot when the matriarch suggested in a firm voice that almost commanded it, "You may go in now."

"I. . .I, um, no, he wouldn't- I mean, I-" Joanna tried to dissuade the older woman because Tsu'tey was liable to murder her inside and stuff her corpse inside a large basket than see her at the moment. Her words faded into nothing on her lips when an authoritative stare silenced her and its piercing eyes caused her to squeak out, "Yes, ma'am."

Mo'at was satisfied with her control of the situation and watched the wary Joanna head inside the open alcove until only the dark tuft of her tail could be seen. The matriarch saw her work as done on this end and decided to continue her wise judgment on juvenile groups that never faltered to be hardheaded.

Meanwhile, Joanna carefully tiptoed with slow steps to where he rested on his stomach with his arms crossed underneath his chin in support while a warm blanket covered his lower body. The tense situation made her feel like an idiot Hexapede walking into a vicious thanator's den but she couldn't disobey a Tsahìk's order. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel bad for his physical pain despite his harsh treatment of her (pettiness wasn't a trait in her character) and desperately hoped he wouldn't punish her for the accident. The subconscious had its strange ways of bringing itself gratification through subtle means and Joanna bit the inside of her cheek nervously because she didn't want it to be that.

She froze in mid-step when his eyes opened, golden pools staring at her with focused clarity that gave her shivers down the spine as the dimness of the alcove intensified the hue. A meek incline of her head was the greeting Tsu'tey received as he scrutinized her from head to toe in case she'd come back to finish the job. Dreamwalkers were never to be underestimated in his cautious mind. His gluteus muscle stung lightly from the use of herbal painkillers on the open wound (he wished he could've seen the wound) and he'd be sleeping for hours soon enough. That would at least take his mind away from the embarrassing shot to the butt cheek. He was a warrior of high caliber and to be brought down by an injury like that completely lowered his image as a man that could take on a flying vessel full of tawtute and survive the attack.

Perfect, my day to lead the hunt this week was coming up and I'm already incapacitated, he thought bitterly and narrowed his eyes at his student since she was the cause of all of it. Ever since their first meeting, her life was entwined with his in a manner that he was growing extremely exhausted of and wished he could wipe his hands clean of it.

"I. . .I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you" she murmured softly with a guilty downcast glance to the floor and kneeled down next to his side to let him know she meant every word. Her fingers nervously tapped against the wooden ground and Tsu'tey could see she was a bundle of nerves ready to explode as she rambled on with a fast hitch in her voice, "You just have a way with words and it distracted me. I know I'm not supposed to let anything get in the way of training. . .please don't kick me out of the clan-"

"One problem at a time" he interjected tiredly since she seemed ready to break from exhaustion than he did and watched her fingers wring the satchel she carried as it lay in her lap. Why did she constantly carry the thing anyway? He shook the thought away since he wasn't meant to be focusing on silly trivialities and demanded firmly, "Why would you think that I'll exile you?"

She bit her bottom lip apprehensively to gather the right words before replying softly, "You'll think I did it on purpose and use it as an excuse that I'm a traitorous dreamwalker. You always think that of me anyway. I have no permanent status here so there's no reason for me to be protected as part of the clan and-"

"Joanna, please and I mean this with the most sincere criticism- stop over thinking everything" he stated with a tired sigh to her exaggerated rants that came whenever she was uneasy and watched her frown at the floor with a downcast gaze. He became aggravated with her stubborn attitude but the meek rambling one irked him as well. A decent medium of both would do her some good.

"Don't worry, I'm not touching a bow ever again-" she confessed quietly and wanted to wash her hands clean of it before people started rumors that she'd been trying to aim for his lower spine. She'd already gotten a share of wary glances on her way up to the healing alcoves and yearned to crawl into her shared hammock to sleep it all away. The last thing she'd wanted was to inadvertently cause the Omaticaya to think she was being deceptive and confirm lingering suspicions that she was trying to gain their trust for evil purposes.

Tsu'tey, however, was appalled at her way of thinking and instantly rebuffed such a drastic action, "No, you are to lengthen your practice by another hour to further your aim in-"

"I don't want to deal with that right now" she evaded quickly, turning away from him, and engrossed herself with the wooden bowls laying on the floor to grab one into her hands. There was a pot of water boiling over a recently put out fire and she dipped the bowl inside to fill it halfway. She purposely tinkered with raising the noise as she worked so he couldn't get in a word about training but he wasn't letting the matter drop. No student of his would ever succeed without archery being one of their many skills. The Omaticaya prided themselves in being master archers.

Joanna dipped a small cloth into the bowl and squeezed the extra water out before placing the compress over his forehead which caught him entirely by surprise. When had his student become kind? She was the first and only person to yell at him. Her hand gently patted the damp cloth over his temples and the side of his shaved head to keep away any fever that might accompany such an injury. Tsu'tey remained in frozen stupor as he stared straight ahead and wondered who switched this gentle stranger for Joanna. His student was more liable to stuff that cloth into his mouth rather than help him.

The woman, however, proved herself of sound mind as she admitted softly, "My grandmother always warmed me up with a compress or kept me under blankets to make sure my body would fight off any bad germs that tried to group together. I tended to scrape myself a lot when I was young and she was there. . .always there."

Tsu'tey let her ramble on since it would allow him to learn more of her background and deeper insight to her character. . .and he rather liked being fussed over. He was accustomed to care over others but rarely, if ever, did he allow them to return the favor. After being self-reliant for years, he didn't see the need to be cared for (partly because back then, he expected Neytiri to be his mate) but at the moment, he found himself relaxing. She dipped the cloth back in the water to keep it warm while using a dry one in her other hand to pat the moisture left behind since it could cause a cold if it reached a certain temperature (in Joanna's worrying mind). Tsu'tey simply flicked away droplets falling down his right ear but found himself at ease when she patted it dry with the cloth without the need of being asked.

"My grandmother always said 'rest is the best medicine to give a tired spirit'. Whenever I was sick with a cough, she came and put me to bed with a bowl of warm soup. When I had my tonsils removed, she popped in after surgery to give me ice cream. . .okay, that case was a little different but still," Tsu'tey had to wonder what craziness would make humans remove something from their bodies at all as she prattled on, "When I had the chickenpox, I stayed with her and she kept me cozy while patting on calamine lotion. Upset stomachs had her bringing me stews since my mom. . .well, she wasn't the best cook. That's why I like helping the cooks with mealtime, I put to practice what was taught to me."

She stroked his black hair to see if it would settle him into sleep as the aromatic incense would relax his tense nature with the passing time. Deciding to coax him into sleep, she whispered with a small smile, "Would you like to tell me about your own grandmother?"

His right ear perked up and she halted her movements in case she'd said the wrong thing again, dumping the folded cloth in the small bowl to scram if he started snapping at her. His voice alone would bring attention to her and another guilty charge would be pinned on her for seeking the hunter. He opened his right eye to catch a glimpse of her retreating form in the dimly lit alcove and cracked open the other one to pin her with a small glare as he stated aloud, "I didn't say stop."

She blanched in surprise that he wasn't kicking her out and nodded mutely as she grabbed the cloth again, wringing it from excess water to place it behind his right ear. Tsu'tey relaxed again since she obeyed without question and for once, trusted that she wouldn't bring him harm. She lacked anything to strike him with accidentally and put faith in her that she wouldn't trip over the container of hot water to scald him. He'd have to find a way to force a bow back into her hands but for now. . .

The end of his tail gave a happy twitch when she smoothed the warm cloth over the nape of his neck and felt his tense muscles loosen instantly. Oh, how divine it felt. Since she was being kind after the archery accident, he decided to indulge her with a piece of his family background and closed his eyes to say, "My maternal grandmother took me to pick small fruits whenever my mother joined my father in a hunt. I was in charge of holding the basket but for every three round fruits she put inside, I ate two. By the end of our fruit picking, my hands and face were smeared with guilty red evidence-"

He paused when soft laughter reached his ears but paid it no mind, knowing she was most likely laughing at his humorous tale. Even he laughed at it at his current age. Joanna merely continued patting his forehead with a finely tuned set of ears as he finished his small tale, "I was scolded for my behavior by both my grandmother and mother upon returning to Kelutral. . .but she let me help in baking bread with the fruit and always gave me the first piece she sliced. The following week, I repeated the same thing all over again but by early adolescence, it was gone since hunting became more interesting. Grandmother then brought me a leaf plate to take so I would eat after training. She was always very attentive to me but then again, I was her only grandchild."

A smile dimpled her cheeks and Joanna worked her fingers into a muscle knot gathered in the junction between his shoulder and the back of his neck. He became cautious at the pressure she applied along with the heat of the cloth but felt a warm sensation shoot down his spine at what she was doing seconds later. Hmm, maybe the dreamwalker was onto something that would benefit him. The muscles of his upper back released the tension contained back there as she kneaded each muscle and he heard her comment, "You really should relax once in a while or your muscles will cause you pain from overworking them."

He uttered a noncommittal grunt to her advice and exhaled through his nose as tranquility seeped through him, allowing him to forget the woman next to him had shot him earlier this day and replaced the irritancy he felt with serenity. Joanna shook her head to his dismissal and watched his stern features soften as sleep tried to overtake him. Her fingers combed through his dark tresses, the light clacking of his adorned beads causing him to groan sleepily, and she lulled gently, "Go to sleep."

"Hmph," was his stubborn but weakening reply as her nimble touches coaxed him into slumber. He rather liked being tended to in this manner and began to fade off into the land of dreams as her fingers threaded neatly through his hair with caring gentleness.

"Go to sleep."

A few strokes to the head certainly did the trick for the drowsy hunter and Joanna raised the blanket to his shoulders to let him sleep comfortably with a smile on her face.

---

(Joanna's p.o.v)

"And where are you going?"

I turned to find a curious Norm walking casually behind me with his tail swaying to the sides and smiled at his timing. The last meal of the night had finished and the clan was enjoying a singing choir, featuring Neytiri (to Jake's delight), so I decided to slink upstairs to check on Tsu'tey while everyone gathered below. Normally, I'd be the first cheering for his humiliating pain but I was the one that caused it and. . .I felt awful for it. Yes, I know he was a pain in the butt but that didn't mean it gave me pleasure to do it. The man had been in raw excruciating pain and knowing people saw him in a vulnerable aspect wasn't comforting so I decided to play the unofficial nursemaid role yet again. This time, however, I was willing because he hadn't yelled at me and it would only be for a few days.

My fingers grazed the top of my closed satchel since I was carrying a packaged bundle of food and smiled genially to reply, "I'm taking Tsu'tey something to eat for tonight. He gets grouchy around this time and today is tenfold."

"Maybe this is what you two need to get along" he suggested with a sly smile that was too familiar to Jake's and I prayed to Eywa that the ex-marine hadn't gotten the ever friendly Norm onto the 'Joanna & Tsu'tey Forever' happy wagon. Yes, I was bringing food to him but it was due to a guilty conscience, not because I wanted to suck the oxygen out of his lungs with my lips. Goodness, no. I gave my friend a flat stare that distinctly told him I wasn't buying any of it and he tapped the ground with the front of his foot as he mumbled out sheepishly, "I'm just saying, is all."

I couldn't help but chuckle delightfully at his 'boy caught with the cookie jar' disposition and admitted wholeheartedly, "Norm, he's the most stubborn man I've met and that's not a quality I look for in a significant other. We're not even friends yet. When I do meet someone, you'll be one of the firsts to know, okay? Although I'm very certain it won't be Tsu'tey."

He nodded sheepishly to my point on the matter because I didn't want rumors flying around by tomorrow morning and I pointed towards the fire pit burning to the left of us causing him to groan, "Okay, I'm going."

"I'm appreciative that you and Jake look out for me but maybe it's time to tone it down slightly, I don't want to have a shotgun wedding I'm not aware of" I suggested with sincerity because I'd hate to find out Jake was trying to woo Tsu'tey in my favor or convinced the clan to such a union. That would give me embarrassment to last a lifetime. I gave him a friendly wave of the hand and a bright smile to declare, "I will now bid you good night because I'm exhausted after all of today's excitement."

"Shouldn't Tsu'tey be the tired one? He was the one to get shot" he pointed out smartly and I stuck out my tongue at being corrected. My taskmaster now had the pity vote against me and it was all thanks to me. Way to make a lasting impression on the Omaticaya clan, Joanna. Norm waved his hands in the air for my attention and quickly added in, "I'll go before I end up hurt as well."

"It wasn't on purpose, Norm!" I exclaimed to his joke because people shouldn't assume I shot him just for my benefit (although I was sure Eywa laughed at it). Goodness, everyone was going to have a field day with this and I'd never live it down. This whole ruckus better be over with by the end of the week or I'd have to avoid walking in the open to hide from any gossip in relation to it. I shooed him away with my hand and he grinned at me before running off towards the clan's hearth where the singers were setting up for their nightly tunes. The night would be filled with wonderful music tonight, there was no doubt about it.

The walk to the first levels of Kelutral was a piece of cake after Tsu'tey kept training my stamina to lengthen more every day as I adapted to this world but I didn't dare myself to venture to the tallest canopies nor did he ask me to. Sleeping in my shared hammock was less stressful nowadays and I trusted the support ropes to hold but with a little more work effort, I would have my own hammock soon. My sewing skills had improved considerably and part of me wished I could transfer it into my archery because I was plain awful at it. I loved seeing the Na'vi who mastered archery practice in the fields because they were flawless and perfect every time while I couldn't hit a target dead in the center for the life of me. Tsu'tey's constant laughing didn't help me either.

Maybe he does deserve that arrowhead in the rear, I thought mischievously but found myself not as amused as I should've been with the idea. Yes, he tormented me endlessly since the first day we met and a fed up woman like me would cackle at the just desserts. . .but I didn't. It left me with an absentminded 'ha-ha' rather than an all out boisterous and exploiting 'ha!'. I better not be getting soft on him or Jake will add another point to his crazy plan.

I reached his alcove easily since the platforms were empty and nobody was on guard since he wasn't a severe case. I counted myself extremely lucky my arrow hadn't decided to pierce his spine or I would be in scorching hot water at the moment. The room was covered in dim lighting from the shadows of the thick canopies overhead but a bladder lantern stationed outside allowed the blue ethereal glow to reach the middle of the room but left enough dimness to allow the Na'vi to sleep without disturbance. I barely cleared my left foot over a set of wooden bowls near the right side of the entrance when Tsu'tey broke the quietness in the alcove, "You are still very horrible at stealth."

I let a disappointed sigh escape from my lips since I apparently failed before I even began and mumbled insistently, "But I'm trying. Shouldn't that be worth the effort?"

"Not if you keep failing" he chided in return and turned his head to glance at me with that piercing gaze of his. The position gave me a sense of déjà vu from his time at the Tree of Souls except now, his position was reversed and I walked over quietly. The silence filling the night sky reminded me that I was on borrowed time here until my bedtime and huddled over to kneel down next to his makeshift bed. I was constantly on guard in case he decided to kick me out with verbal reprimands since his moods differed throughout the day and heard him muffle a yawn with his hand as he shifted underneath the blanket.

"Has the pain subsided?" I asked quietly and fumbled with my day pack to dig through the items I brought for him. Recently, I tended to clutter everything inside and reminded myself to sort out everything one of these days. Being a packrat meant I nabbed everything interesting in sight like Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid' to later study for my own scientific curiosity.

"For the time being but tomorrow is another day" he replied coolly and frowned to my shuffling, golden eyes narrowing to my little satchel as the troublemaker. Okay, he was a cranky person when he awoke but I kept it to myself, stopping my search to halt the fumbling noise. My bashful face met his own tired glance and he asked bluntly, "Why are you here? Again?"

Gee, nice to see you too, I thought sarcastically but once again, kept my mouth shut.

"I wanted to make sure you were doing all right" I admitted glumly to his direct questioning and slouched forwards since all I wanted to do was check up on him. How ungrateful. I wonder if he'd treat me the same if the shoe was on the other foot. . .I highly doubted it. I tilted my head to the side and asked softly to satisfy my mind, "So. . .are you feeling better?"

He gave a halfhearted grunt that meant maybe and slumped against the bedding, his forehead resting against his crossed arms. I chuckled to his tough guy façade and pulled out a leaf wrapped package I had saved from dinner. My nose sniffed the wonderful aroma before placing the package next to him, delight filling my face when his nose sniffed at the air curiously and he turned to glance at the bundle to confirm what he smelled. I smiled mischievously to casually state, "I know the healing droughts and light meals are probably souring your mood so I grabbed a few items from our last meal that you might like."

His brow lifted in curiosity but he asked suspiciously with a cautious glance, "And how would you know what I like?"

"You already changed my dietary habits to match yours, remember?" I reminded dryly to my new diet which was blander and saltier than what I normally liked but shook my head. Seriously, did he think I was stalking him? Not even in his dreams. I didn't let his doubtful gaze deter my generosity and simply pointed out, "Also, having to actually serve you a few times has given me insight to your picky habits. I pretty much packed in what everyone seemed to like so enjoy your bedridden day."

His gaze didn't leave mine and I sighed aloud to that weird unblinking stare of his. I decided to play negotiator and slowly moved my hand towards the leaf plate to suggest nonchalantly, "Okay, if you don't want it, I certainly will-"

"Did I say that? No, you assumed" he broke in defensively and grasped the package to keep it under his surveillance. Mission accomplished. Leave it to reverse psychology to fix him good. I decided to peek at the open entrance to give him privacy as his fingers removed each of the wrapped leaves carefully until my little variety mix of food peeked out. His lips thinned instantly as he stared at the warm food and asked sourly, "Hexapede? Bladder Polyps? I had to eat porridge while you ate this?"

His expression was a mix of childish pouting and envy causing me to stifle a giggle with my hand as he stared at the bundle with disbelief. Obviously, today was a bad day to be bedridden since the food had been delicious after a recent hunt.

"I brought you some so be thankful" I chided with a scoff to his sour mood and leaned against the wooden alcove wall to relax opposite of him. He was already going to eat good food so he didn't need to complain about it. Or maybe it was in his personality to seek such attention, I didn't know. Grabbing a nearby empty bowl, I filled it with water from the pot and handed him a cloth along with the bowl so he could wash his hands. I received a polite nod on his part in return and fiddled through the other sizes of the bowls until I found one that fit in my palm. I dipped it into the pot again to fill it and set it down next to him so he could drink it with his food.

I stood at attention in case he needed help but he managed it just fine. The man was insistent on never appearing weak and I handed him a dry cloth so he could dry his hands, musing aloud, "If we had bread, I could've cut it into strips along with the polyps and made a quick sandwich."

His large eyes blinked with a puzzled expression to the foreign word and he asked slowly with accented pronunciation, "Sawn-weech?"

"It is a human type of food, two slices of bread with meat in the center along with a few vegetables stuffed in and a liquid marinade" I explained as best as I could on the basics of it and grinned with a giddy laugh, "Want to try one next time? It won't be human food and I'll customize it myself."

"First you hate me and now you are friendly. . .you are a very confusing female" Tsu'tey stated unexpectedly with a slight shake of the head and began to eat the food I brought him.

I chuckled softly to his misconception that I hated him. Hate was a strong word to use but I didn't hold such contempt for anyone. . .well, maybe the RDA for what they'd done to the Na'vi. He was more like the drill sergeant from hell but he was there to make me succeed despite my obvious screw-up's and tried to believe it despite his curt remarks. In my view, the toughest teachers helped you succeed rather than the ones that let you breeze through the learning process. He riled me up easily with a single sentence from his lips but I found his sarcastic banter almost like an everyday thing between frenemies. Yeah, frenemies- that sounded like us.

I smiled with amusement as he ate like a hungry toddler in front of me, forgoing the mannerisms I usually saw when he ate among the clan, and admitted softly, "I don't hate you, Tsu'tey. You make me angry, I make you angry- it's all in good fun. You get on my nerves but it's not bad enough to warrant you on my evilest people in the world list. Don't be so hasty to make assumptions."

He gave me the unreadable silent stare again, pausing in his eating, and simply scoffed to himself the next second, "Keh."

I shrugged off his flippant attitude since he was hardheaded and dared a question that had been biting my mind since the day we met. He was the fiercest person I had met so far among the Na'vi and wondered if it was a dislike for me being an Avatar or me, in general. My fingers wringed together as I shifted my sight to the floor and asked meekly with hesitance, "Do you hate me, Tsu'tey?"

"Only when you cause harm to my person" he stated flatly and my ears lowered slightly at the comment. I guess he did have the right after getting shot in the rear but it's not like I wanted to kill him. That accident might as well have torn the friendship bridge from its support beams as our possible friendship plummeted into nothing. Maybe the Na'vi held grudges a lot longer but then again, I wasn't the sort to let one give me an ulcer-

"Joanna, I was kidding" he restated simply, breaking me away from my thoughts, and I nodded quietly as I tried to put on a brave front that it didn't affect me. I was used to being unwanted anyway; hell, my family disowned me when I entered college. God, I hated memory lane- that I definitely hated. I hated myself worse for actually feeling a twinge of emotion towards them. I was overjoyed when Mo'at allowed me to drop my last name and opted to use my first name alone; I never wanted to hear the name Reynolds ever again.

I shook my head to get rid of such weak thoughts that plagued my mind and told Tsu'tey absentmindedly to excuse myself, "I will see you tomorrow."

His hand latched onto my forearm before I took a single step away from him and my butt hit the wooden floor from the unexpected yank. The impact served to break me away from unpleasant memories and heard him ask softly, "Are you all right?"

"Fine and dandy" I replied chirpily as I plastered a fake smile on my face and saw that his eyes were practically probing my face for deception. A faint sigh passed through my lips because I didn't want to lie to him (that would only raise his alert level on me) and admitted simply, "Look, it's nothing that concerns you directly. My mind briefly wondered about my parents-"

"You miss them?"

"No, I pretty much hate them" I answered bluntly without a second thought for them and almost smiled at his bewildered face. I forgot that the Na'vi were very close to their family per their cultural teachings but my species was less uniformly. After all, that's why social services was created. Norm had a perfect American upbringing in Oregon while mine was a bit wishy washy while Jake's. . .well, I didn't really know. I crossed my arms at the idea of caring about them since they saw me as disposable and stated bitterly, "And the last thing I want to feel is longing for them. Don't ask if you're not ready to hear such answers. . .besides, it's something I don't share with anyone."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably because I wanted to steer clear of the topic and flashed him a zesty smile, motioning with my hand to the unfinished food, "Enjoy. I need to go do. . .uh, stuff."

By Eywa, that sounds lame, I thought miserably at my pitiful excuse and restrained from slapping my forehead. That was a catastrophe of word play that wouldn't impress him in the slightest.

However, Tsu'tey took me by surprise when he stopped chewing on a bladder polyp and requested casually, "Why don't you stay a while? It is very tedious in here with only my mind to keep me company."

"I would think your ego would be large enough to fit the entire Kelutral" I chided gently with a small chuckle as my tail twitched happily for getting the offer. Seriously, I shoot him in the ass and he asks for me to stay? I expected him to order his friends to chase me with torches to the borders of the clan's lands but no. I'm surprised he wasn't wary that I'd knife him accidentally since I was prone to clumsiness in stressful situations. I clasped my hands together over my lap to nod politely and quickly accepted, "Yes, I mean, I'll stay."

With eagerness that rivaled a child's, I lay down on my stomach to face him as he resumed eating the meal I brought him. Well, at least he liked it and wasn't lashing out at me; that was a plus. Silence engulfed us for over a minute after that and my zest to stay here waned as I put forth the obvious with a slow drawl, "Okay, most people have a topic to talk about."

Tsu'tey swallowed a bite of food as he lazily glanced at me and pointed out matter-of-factly, "I am eating, you choose."

I crossed my arms over the wooden floor to shift into a comfort zone and rested my chin on them as my tongue stuck out in thought. Tsu'tey decided to bust into my thinking bubble by uttering a dramatic sigh and mumbling distastefully, "Please don't take away my appetite with that."

"My tongue's cleaner than yours" I shot back defensively and playfully hissed as I snatched a baked banana fruit fritter from his leaf plate to pop it into my mouth. Man, I loved these little guys. They were tough to fetch up in the trees; I'd fallen down the trunk more than once and tumbled off rocky ledges but banana fruit was definitely worth the climb. Even luckier if you found an uneaten one on the ground. He gave me a deadpan stare and my brain lit up with a conversation topic at last. Flashing him a bright smile as the enthusiasm from before returned, I asked curiously, "Will you tell me more about your traditions?"

"That is a broad subject, we have many" he answered easily with a small chuckle and I groaned, scratching my head thoughtfully once more as my tail twitched with the same intensity. His eyes shifted to the wagging appendage and I stopped it instantly since the action was more befitting of a child. He gave an approving nod to my corrected behavior and carried on to explain carefully, "Since I am your teacher, I should tell you all of the passages you must undertake to succeed and what is expected of you afterwards whether you pass or fail."

I grinned giddily to the new knowledge I'd finally get (without causing both of us bodily injury) and piped up cheerfully to blurt the first thing that came to mind, "Great! Teach me everything that will make me into a man-" his eyes widened awkwardly to my choice of words and my words faltered as I backtracked to exclaim in correction, "Er, I mean, make me into a woman!"

"Holy crap" Jake's voice popped up at the mouth of the entrance and his eyes blinked towards us as he stopped dead in his tracks. Okay, my choice of words were an astronomical failure and I slumped my head in shame. My face turned two shades darker as I blushed embarrassingly to how that sounded to any sudden passerby's and he gave us a cheeky grin as he teased joyfully, "Oh, I see what's going on. This is a secret romance under the stars. . .although I don't see why you had to shoot him in the butt for it-" if my face could've burned off from the heat, it would have been a puddle when he added in, "Oh! I get it! You have a nurse-patient role play going on."

"Jake, you may be our friend and leader but right now, we want to kill you" I hissed lowly as I gave him the biggest pissed off glare I could achieve. I'm sure Tsu'tey matched it but I couldn't dare myself to look at him. It was playful banter when Jake brought up his matchmaking plan with me in private but having Tsu'tey in the picture turned the whole thing awkward and mortifying. My fingers dug into the grooves of the wooden floor to release some of the tension and pointed out sharply to the man, "I am helping Tsu'tey not die from boredom and for the last time, I don't have the hots for him! He's my tormentor, not Prince Charming!"

"I will not dignify your absurd assumptions with anything" Tsu'tey stated briskly and finished the bundle of food I'd brought him, purposely ignoring both of us as he cleaned his fingertips with his tongue. I simply gave Jake a flat stare but he remained with a witty grin on his face until the hunter spoke up again shrewdly, "If I wanted a mate, it would not be an inexperienced dreamwalker out of all the capable women our clan has. I have more self-respect than that."

Why did he constantly have to insult me before everyone? A simple 'no' would've sufficed. My words never drip with venom; playful bites, yes, but never anything that will strike for my benefit. I really was at a loss trying to understand him and stood up to grab my satchel, chastising myself for coming up here in the first place. I should've never felt pity for the guy if he was still going to treat me like pond scum. He probably thought pond scum had better intelligence than me. Gritting my teeth as I restrained from beating him with my satchel, I muttered under my breath to excuse myself, "I'm turning in for the night. Goodbye."

I stomped away towards the entrance to head on up to bed as Jake's lecturing voice echoed behind me, "Tsu'tey, you really need to learn how to not piss off their fairer sex."

---

A/N: A little late, yes, I know, but I had family staying over that I haven't seen in years and took them sightseeing over the city. Summer actually felt like summer with the outings and I rarely had time to write since my little cousins were chatty and adorable. We hunted down Mickey Mouse at Disneyland (photo wise, of course) but they had endless energy that had me dying and suffering sunburns. I hope you guys liked the chapter, I tried to keep a peppy but light tone so I hoped I didn't jump all over the place since I took a week off writing. Also, I apologize beforehand for any grammatical/spelling errors since I re-read this twice after my new classes began (I have a tough semester this year) so I might've been fatigued and let something slip.

After all that Eywa teaches the Na'vi, you'd think Tsu'tey would tread carefully to not be plagued with karma but no. We'll see an even meaner Tsu'tey next chapter as the two finally reach their breaking point. On a side note, I finally sketched a decent picture of Joanna in her current body on DeviantArt so you can click on my author profile to find the link!

I'm always so happy to see fav's and alerts on this story, I'm glad you all like it so much! And I love seeing your reviews concerning the story and other ideas which makes it an even better reading experience!

Na'viWolf: Your review made me laugh aloud. I didn't think this story could be that addicting but yay!

Mark: Even standing together in one spot has the two ready to strangle the other. The use of a parachute would be hilarious but he'd probably rip it off and send it plummeting like he did to the laptop in the previous chapters. Next chapter has him burning her clothes to ashes. And thanks for the fanart because you motivated me to draw Joanna at last.

Kudokuchan69: And long chapters are what I will provide. I'm going to have the women breastfeed since babies need nutrition from somewhere. Although I feel bad for Joanna since she'll be juggling hungry twins while Tsu'tey will be cloud watching lazily in their hammock. That scene says enough for itself.

Lilmisspurplesunshinee: Cute, yes, for Joanna but poor Tsu'tey got the bad end of the stick on that one. In this chapter, however, he's as weak as a kitten which makes me laugh.

KThxBai: I hope you liked the arrow in the butt because Tsu'tey sure didn't. It will teach him to never take his eyes off his student next time and stop blabbing.

Na'viBambi: I'm going to go with breastfeeding since they're there for some reason. The only thing is figuring out how the pregnancy term would be since Cameron states they're non-placental mammals and all of those usually bear children early so they develop faster outside in their natural environment. It makes me wonder if that's why the Na'vi have those baby carriers that keeps the baby tucked closely as another way to aid growth.

Soccer11: Yeah, babies need to suckle on something for nourishment.

Emmalime: Thanks for loving the story and I shall keep up the long chapters as best I can until the first saga is done.

Pinkladykittycat: I saw the carriers on the wiki too which pretty much says breastfeeding occurs there and the Na'vi seem to really keep their young ones close which gives me an idea for the delivery after seeing a picture in my psych book on birthing throughout many different cultures.

TopKat90: Wow, evacuations are pretty serious and the only ones I hear about over here is fires in the mountain and valley regions during summertime but Los Angeles is pretty much evacuation-free. The friendship bridge keeps breaking with every argument and you're right, they're both too proud (especially Tsu'tey) to admit wrongdoing. Luckily, that'll change next chapter at the end. I hope everything's all right for you and that your house wasn't ruined since water seeps into just about anything. I appreciate the kind gesture for your review despite what you went through.

Ella-Riella: Thanks for the sincere words and I'm glad you love the story. Don't worry, I'll always have chapters to come.

SGT CJC- Thanks for the sympathy and yes, I know how hectic life can be. It's only natural. I just started a huge amount of units with several of the toughest teachers on campus but good for you on writing a fic, it keeps the juices of the brain flowing to keep it young. Tsu'tey is outrageous when it comes to human stuff, he's ready to kill when he sees a dreamwalker so why not their things? If only Joanna had a can of silly string to attack him with. I'm sure the next chapter will have you miffed since it includes burning her clothes.

TheRationalizationMonster- My thoughts exactly, breasts are there for something and I doubt Cameron put them there just to be ogling material for the men.

DarkInuFan- Yeah, I always try to come up with creative ideas for the Na'vi culture in every day life and cultures from Earth pave the way for some of those. I've been getting a lot of baby ideas from ancient culture and current indigenous tribes while simultaneously studying for class. I absolutely love anthropology but unfortunately, I'm sticking with medicine. I'm glad you like my thought bubbles and I'll keep it up!

Jack Black- Thank you for loving the story and your reviews. I don't exactly have an official name for the second part but I've been juggling either 'Idyll's End' or 'Elysium' while also thinking of the chapter cut off. So far, the first part's around 50 chapters and the second should be around 30. This chapter kind of glimpsed into how the two would be if they cared for each other, mostly since Joanna's the nurturing type. It shouldn't be too long before I start posting their budding romance.

Spexatar- Yeah, I try to make Joanna as Sue-less as possible. The only thing about her is of course, her intelligence due to the Avatar program selection but other than that, she's your every day girl walking the street- er, I mean Pandora. Ha. There will be both the dream hunt and Iknimaya in the story but (here's the spoiler), it won't be done among the Omaticaya. Like I said before, Tsu'tey might be her teacher now but to make the story less 'Tsu'tey, the teacher loves OC and mates her', this will be way different. I know the chapters tend to be huge but since I update every three weeks, I try to stuff as much as I can since I try to have a theme in each chapter.

Amore1993- Joanna's first meeting with Tsu'tey was anything but 'he's hot'. Even now, she doesn't find him like that and laughs at people that do. She'll get hit with a love coconut soon enough though. You can see that Jake's trying to be the driving force in their romance but they'll keep it private since rumors can fly quicker than an ikran on caffeine. Thanks for all of your reviews, I appreciated the feedback and I'm glad you love the humor in it.

Max Night- I know, I was late on this one but I always try to make it worth the read with long chapters!

Deep Blue Dragon- Great, I'm glad you feel part of the story through Joanna's view since that's what I'm aiming for. Thanks for loving the story!

---

Next time on 'Tsu'tey the Barbarian':

Tsu'tey exacted his revenge, somewhat, that night.

He wasn't a man on subtlety, rather going for a direct approach, and I was definitely surprised- more like horrified- when I climbed onto the wooden platform that held my hammock nearby to see him burning my clothes.

That's right, burning. . .my. . .clothes!

Was I still the only one who thought his neurotransmitters were a little off in his brain? This was not normal behavior! I ran forwards with desperation hastening my strides as he fed his little makeshift fire with a few of my khaki shorts and I felt my stomach drop at whatever else he'd already burned. What gave him the right to steal my property without warning to me? Wasn't there an Omaticayan law against such heinous actions? I struck his back with clenched fists to grab his attention and shouted frantically at him without reserve for who overheard me, "What in Eywa's name are you doing? Are you insane, you stupid Prolemuris?"

Tsu'tey spared me the tiniest side-glance which gave away no remorse as I thumped on his back (the man was like a brick wall) and simply stated, "I am destroying the last items that bind you to your tawtute world to bring you into this one. If you want to be one of us, you will dress the part."

"I told you I'm more comfortable in my own clothing, it has nothing to do with the tawtute" I shot back heatedly to his crackpot idea since he knew nothing about me and quickly tried to find any source of liquid to put out the fire. I briefly wondered whether or not I could escape unscathed if I used him as a fire retardant but alas, no. My feet scrambled around the platform like a chicken with its head cut off to find anything. . .but there was nothing. The idiot had apparently come prepared to make his stupid fire of destruction. Didn't Jake see or hear about his erratic behavior towards me? I'm sure if Tsu'tey stole and burned his stuff, he'd be exiled faster than an ikran could take off into the air.

With a furious growl, I settled on punching his left bicep to halt his burning because striking his back did absolutely nothing (the man of granite probably felt pinpricks) and yelled fiercely, "What gives you the right to burn my stuff? This is my property! What am I supposed to wear now, you idiot? I ought to-"

His fingers pinched my right ear painfully with a yank and I bared my teeth in a hiss as I thrashed around like an enraged cobra, striking him in the kneecap with my work boot. Bingo! His grasp only tightened on cutting the circulation away (and probably trying to tear a piece of it) and I refused to give him the pleasure of acknowledging my pain. So he wanted to treat me like a child, eh?

Fine, I'd act like one.

I wasn't about to fight him recklessly like an idiot but taking martial arts classes to fill up my university schedule sure helped to fill the void of my inadequacy. My foot landed a well-rounded kick to his lower abdomen (although secretly, I wanted to aim for the crotch and leave him sterile) and tried to sink my teeth into the forearm holding my ear in place. Unfortunately, he dropped me unceremoniously on my ass to dodge my biting attack and I glared up at him as I crawled on all fours to study his next move. Whatever he threw at me, I'd shoot right back. If I couldn't, there was always that hefty stick I kept in my personal alcove and could use it as an improvised club to strike him with. That is, unless he cleaned out everything in my private space.

Instead of hearing another lecture about incompetence, he threw a green satchel at my face and I caught it before it struck me. Oh, how I despised his careless treatment of me. Sure, he would carry baskets for the purebred Na'vi women of the clan but packed me like a mule whenever we hiked. I bared my teeth to their fullest in irritation at his rudeness but Tsu'tey didn't care (did he ever?), he simply stated coldly, "You will wear this from now on."

Hesitantly, I reached into the cloth bag and pulled out the same exposing clothing the Na'vi females wore around Kelutral and my face contorted into mortified horror. He wanted me to wear this?. . .okay, it was rational for him, I would give him that. This was normal wear for them but for me, it was an entirely different story. I'd grown up using professional clothing that covered me from the neck down to my feet and this would not do for me. Didn't he know that my own upbringing was different from his? Disapprovingly, I shook my head to refute sharply, "No, I'm used to keeping my body covered up and that's how it will stay, naxa head."

My fingers hovered over my covered chest area without modesty since I was trying to spare the show of skin and demanded harshly, "How am I supposed to keep my breasts under this necklace, huh? Dreamwalker females are more. . .endowed. Besides, the ligaments of the breast area will loosen without support and I'm not going to run with these jumping around. I will rip the loincloth off you before I subject myself to that."

Frankly, I thought my direct manner of speaking would've had the hunter returning to a polite or negotiating attitude but no. He just stood there, glaring at me with that dangerous gaze that would've melted the polar ice caps of Mars but I was immune to it at the moment.

I stood up quickly and shoved the bag against his chest to show I meant business and continued my unyielding refusal, "You don't scare me, you have it easy because you're a man. There's no worries for your bare-chested gender but I. Will. Not. Wear. That."

His face relaxed instantly and my spine shivered at the calm face that was void of any rage. Facial features were no longer creased and his lips snapped shut until only his bright eyes and cyan stripes were prominent on his angular face. This wasn't good, was it? He leaned down to my lower eye level and his voice came out cold like steel but as soft as a whisper, "All right. If you do not wear it, you will walk nude. If you do not wear it, I will drop you as my student. If you do not wear it, I will make sure you are wandering the forest alone and without a clan within the next moon."

His nose touched mine as his molten gold eyes bore into my own apprehensive orbs and with a harsh voice I've never heard in my life, demanded fiercely, "Now, I ask again, child. Are you going to wear it?"

. . .Okay, now I was scared of him.

Ten minutes later, I was grumbling all curse words known to man and Na'vi under my breath as I slipped into skintight purple leggings because I refused to wear a loincloth only. There was no way I would be strutting around half-naked like Tsu'tey until I grew into a comfort zone. Uttering another curse from my lips, I added on the loincloth afterwards as a safety measure in case the fabric ripped and indecently exposed me to everyone in the clan. The last thing I wanted was for my leggings to rip open and bear my naked bottom to the world. My eyes traced over the thick necklace I was supposed to wear over my exposed chest, which held no support for the area whatsoever, and began to doubt Tsu'tey knew anything about female attire. Neytiri and the other women had everything right and I told myself to ask her about it because after all, he was a man and bound to make mistakes in that field. I held the pretty necklace of feathers, interlaced fabric, and beads but refused nonetheless, "Tsu'tey, I'm not wearing this."

"It is either that or nothing" he repelled curtly without room for question and I peeked out from my little nook (it was a personal area for me like every Na'vi had within Hometree but I liked my name better) to see where he stood for aiming purposes. As usual, he guarded the area with that straight but domineering pose of his to ward off trouble but I brought it to him when I flung the empty satchel at the back of his head.

"Joanna!"

I took the small victory for the little attack and placed the necklace of beads and feathers over the sleeveless white shirt I wore. Tsu'tey said I had to wear the whole ensemble but not how. Hopefully, I'd be able to swerve around that logic of his with my own crafty one and gave myself a quick over to make sure nothing was out of place. Smugly, I sauntered back outside so he could see my nonverbal protest but sulked internally at the pile of clothes burning with loud crisps in the fire. The lower layers had already begun turning to ropy brown ash and I sighed at losing all of my clothes. Oh, how I hated his domineering attitude and hoped my shoes wouldn't be pried off tomorrow by force. I'd sleep with them if I had to.

Tsu'tey scrutinized my new appearance for approval while I frowned in deep dislike for both the man and his order. His brow furrowed into another heated scowl and I already knew he was going to complain (what else was new?) when he commanded briskly, "No, change correctly."

"And I told you I'm not doing it" I snapped crossly and lifted my chin defiantly to stare at him with challenge. I added the 'mad woman' pose by slanting my hips to the left and crossing my arms before shifting my face to the right, away from him. One of his pet peeves was to be ignored and I decided to use it in this case because politeness would get me nowhere. I'd been nothing but polite since we met and his rudeful disregards to my opinions weren't what I wanted. Closing my eyes, I dropped my voice to a low tone and gave him the ultimatum, "Like it or lump it."

"What? Woman, you're speaking gibberish!" Tsu'tey exclaimed furiously to the Terran saying in loud decibels that were sure to be heard overhead and below by passerby's. This was a sign that his stand was faltering since a clouded mind of anger only brought mistakes. Ironically, he was the one to teach me the saying months ago and wondered why he hadn't taken his own advice since he constantly exploded on me. Or maybe it was just me in particular that caused this reaction? Honestly, I don't think I'll ever figure this man out. I sighed with exasperation to his short fuse, hanging my head for a second before turning around to smack his left bicep for attention.

He shot me his usual 'I can kill you' glare but I had grown immune to it weeks ago so it did nothing to deter me. I was certain that speaking with a peaceful ambiance would reach a compromise because when he was enraged, nothing and I mean nothing got through that thick skull of his. I raised my hands in the surrendering manner and looked him in the eye to propose calmly, "Let's talk about this like civilized adults instead of squabbling children. . .which you do at least three times a day."

The whites of his canines bared at me and I rolled my eyes to the idle threat since he'd never gone as far as to strike me. No, Tsu'tey was too respectful towards women due to his upbringing and religious affiliation so I considered myself lucky that he finally saw me as someone that wasn't androgynous. A rap to the head or a push of the shoulder was all that I received when he was bordering on aggravation and I returned the same because one, I was sure he'd beat the living daylight out of me and two, he deserved the same respect.

---

Again, a thank you to each reader because each hit, review, and alert keeps me writing this story which I've come to adore. With that said, I wish you a happy day or a good night's sleep to all my worldwide readers!