Jake spent as much time as possible with his mate and son over the next few weeks. He knew that things would get busy again soon, since the next semiannual gathering of the clans was fast approaching.
He'd taught unarmed defense techniques to a group consisting of the five best warriors of each of the dozen or so local clans the previous year. They had gone back to their homes to begin teaching their fellow Na'vi; the former corporal knew only too well what the tawtute were capable of, and wanted every single Pandoran to have the best possible chance of surviving the attack they all knew was coming.
Toruk Makto had told those warriors to return for offensive training after the gathering following the Venture Nova's departure. That time was almost upon them now.
Mo'at and Sir'tey had insisted that Jake make the most of this peaceful interlude, taking the bulk of his duties from him for the time being. They allowed him to meet with Norm regularly and attend the daily hunters' meetings, but that was it. "You must take all the rest you can now," his mother in law ordered. "There will be much to do soon enough. The War Council will meet at the gathering, and you must speak to all the Olo'eyktan and Tsahiks about preparing traps. Perrat will return from the Ikran Clan of the Eastern Sea once the new training is well underway, and you will need to make plans with her to get her clan ready for the arrival of the six year ship." They didn't leave him much choice in the matter.
So each morning he and Neytiri rose and walked out to the river in front of Hometree, with a crowd of many other Omatikaya. There were always children gleefully shrieking and splashing water everywhere. Prudent elders made sure to make their morning ablutions a good distance away from the merrymakers. Older children were in a hurry to bathe and run in order to get first choice of all the breakfast dishes that A'tey and her helpers prepared each morning. Young men bathed in groups, showing off for the benefit of the young women nearby. Couples bathed each other, not infrequently disappearing into the foliage on the far side of the river.
Jake and Neytiri waded into the water with their son and had fun playing with the baby while giving him his morning bath. Jak'itan had not been pleased with the cool water at first, like most infants, but his mother had persevered until the ritual became something tolerated, then finally enjoyed. The new father distracted his son by clowning around in the water in every way he could think of (entertaining his mate and quite a few other Omatikaya in the process) until the baby was laughing and crowing at the man's antics. Jake scrubbed Neytiri's back using one of the ubiquitous apprentices' washcloths that were helpfully located along the riverbank and then held the baby so that she could do his and then get finish getting clean herself.
They headed off to breakfast after bathing, and the Olo'eyktan fetched food for the two of them while Neytiri nursed the baby and chatted happily with other mothers.
The daily hunters' meeting took place right after breakfast. A'tey went over the supplies she had on hand and what vegetables were plentiful at the moment, planning meals for the next couple of days. Sir'tey kept track of where the major herds were, and Mo'at offered whatever thoughts or advice came to her through her tsahik-sense. Hunting and gathering decisions were arrived at based on all that information, and assignments for the next day made for specific individuals. The meeting ended at that point, and the master hunter left to go pass out instructions while the chief cook went to prepare for receiving what today's gatherers were going to bring in and to begin fixing the next meal.
The baby was usually well asleep by this time, in either his parents' or grandmother's arms. Neytiri took advantage of the opportunity to wander the area around the base of New Hometree to find certain plants that grew large, soft leaves. Jake harvested a half dozen each day at her direction, which they stored in their sleeping-space. Neytiri showed her mate how to lay one of the leaves flat and place their son on it whenever they put him down. When the inevitable occurred, it was easy to clean the boy with a section of leaf and then package up the mess for disposal.
After the baby's nap they spent the remainder of the mornings visiting the child-tenders and chatting with the other parents there while the infants got used to each other and the older children played or engaged in any number of activities. Alai or one of the other healers showed up daily to check on the health of the children and the new mothers.
Lunch was followed by the daily meeting with Norm. The dreamwalkers were a fixture around New Hometree now, as many as a half dozen working alongside the Omatikaya on any given day. While only Jake and Norm had been formally accepted into the clan, the other avatar drivers were given the same courteous welcome and respect shown to any visiting Na'vi. It was a huge improvement over the situation that Jake had first walked into. The scientists were acutely aware of their good fortune and went to great lengths to be grateful and helpful guests. The humans' morale was significantly improved, for which Norm was fervently thankful. He was constantly aware of the precarious situation they were in on Pandora, as well as sharing the overwhelming need to find some way to help the people back on Earth out of the crisis they were facing. So far he was holding up well, but Jake was concerned about how much stress his friend was under and did whatever he could to help Norm out.
Mo'at was usually finished with her daily rounds by the time Jake's meeting with Norm was over and showed up to claim some time with her grandson. Neytiri often took advantage of the respite to take a nap, letting her mother gleefully whisk the baby away to go show him off, play with him, sing him songs, or tell him stories, as all grandparents had done since the beginning of time. Jake was more than happy to rub Neytiri's back or stroke her hair to help her fall asleep and then curl up with her to keep her warm.
The Olo'eyktan finally got to claim his son after the Tsahik brought the baby back for his afternoon feeding and nap. He and Neytiri happily played with Jak'itan throughout the evening until the baby was ready to go to bed for the night.
On one such evening just a couple of weeks before the next gathering, the marine lovingly watched his mate giving their son his final feeding for the day. Neytiri was happily crooning a teaching-song in a soft voice. Jake could see the baby's ears twitch occasionally as he listened to his mother sing. Contentment radiated from the young woman, filling their sleeping-space with a joyous, peaceful aura.
He watched when she laid the now-sleeping child down and then reached out to run a hand down along her arm. "I'm so glad to see you this happy. It means a lot to me," Jake said to his mate in a low voice. "I want you to be as happy as possible, as happy as I can make you."
Neytiri gave him her brilliant smile and cuddled up next to him. "When I was young, all the girls would wonder who Eywa would give them to be their mates. They all giggled when they talked about the young men, trying to guess who each one would choose." She snuggled into Jake's embrace in satisfaction. "I was sure that Eywa would send me a wonderful man, that we would live in Hometree, have children, and be very happy together for all the rest of our lives." She reached out and gently caressed his face as her eyes went soft and luminous, "I was right."
Touched, Jake leaned in and gave her a long, sweet kiss. Her eyes were shining when it ended. She reached behind her neck for a moment and brought her queue forward over her shoulder; the nerve-fibers at the end waved gently as she offered it to him. He smiled and brought his own queue forward and gladly touched it to hers for the first time in months.
Jak'itan slept peacefully while his parents reaffirmed their love for each other in the phosphorescent Pandoran night.