Hunters of the Night
A/N: Sorry about the confusion for some of you. Omaticaya is indeed a male. "She" I was referring to at the beginning was to Mo'at. It has been corrected (I seriously to sit down and edit these chapters...).
I know this has been an unusually long time in between chapters for some of you guys. But the school semester has begun and I most likely won't be able to keep producing chapters on a daily basis any more. I have also stumbled upon a few reading materials that have been given to me: James Cameron's Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide which is a very interesting reference, the script of Avatar written by James Cameron which may or may not be the official script of the movie.
And I am glad that everyone is enjoying the last chapter. And as always, thanks so much for the reviews and information.
This was probably the fastest I have ever run. I my chest felt heavy. But I had to keep up with the others. I certainly didn't want to stay behind with that creature that had just been decapitated, even if it was dead, the thing still gave me the creeps. I was carrying dead weight but it didn't slow me down much.
Finally we had come to the science lab. It had taken us a lot longer, probably twice as long as it would have if we were still in our human bodies. Norm had been trying to reach Max with his radio but it was no good. Only static answered back.
"Put me down, put me down," I heard Norm say. I looked at him almost laughing at how small he looked in my arms. I lean over and gently placed him on his feet. He quickly ran to the door pulling it open.
"Norm don't," pleaded Jake. "Its too dangerous."
Norm looked over to us. Me in particular. "What about them?" asked Norm. "Their bodies are in there."
Jake looked over at us as well. Someone needed to hit the power switch to our link chambers. If what Norm had said was true then those seeds in side the colony were maturing. And our human bodies were sitting in their beds like candy bars waiting to be opened.
I didn't like the fact that Norm was going in there alone, but none of us could fit inside the airlock. If those seeds inside the colony matured… We'd be in deep six. As if things couldn't get worse an alarm began to blare throughout the base.
I covered my own ears and barely heard Neytiri cursing the loud noise.
"Its the alarm," said Mike over the noise of the blaring warning and screeching Banshees. "Something's breached the outer perimeter."
"We cannot stay here," said Viktor.
We looked up to Jake for some reason. It was as if this was what he was born to do. It wasn't long ago that he was just the jarhead rookie that no one had any real high expectations for, but look at him now. He's the Toruk Makto and we are looking up to him for direction. A screech from a Ikran made him perk up his ears.
"The Samsons," said Jake. "We can fly out of here."
We all followed as he sprinted towards the hanger. We didn't know if these things still worked or not. We haven't had much of a use for them after the RDA left. I was just a chemist I wouldn't know the difference from a monkey's wrench and a prolemuirs ass. We watched as Trisha hoped onto the nearest Samson giving it the quick once over.
"They are still in pretty good shape," she said walking back towards us. "We just nee to wait for-."
My mind would always kind of go into a panic whenever I saw an avatar collapse like that. But I had to keep reminding myself that this was normal. Norm was probably just safely getting the drivers out of the avatar bodies. Viktor, Mike, Bryan and Trisha's bodies were scattered on the tarmac like corpses forgotten and left to rot. I noticed Lisa shuddered as if she and I had just had the same thought.
"We need to get these bodies onto the Sams," barked Jake.
Lisa and I teamed up to carry Mike's body into the nearest Samson.
"What's taking Norm so long?" asked Lisa as she held Mike's legs.
"I'm sure Norm's working as fast as he can," I told her. "If Norm woke us all up at the same time it would take us longer to load these bodies than it would with some of us left behind in our avatars."
"I guess you're right," said Lisa who didn't sound all that convinced.
Lisa was a good kid. I was with her when she first arrived on Pandora. I remembered the first night here and how she cried herself to sleep saying that it was a big mistake for her to be here. After a while she had gotten use to the dangers but when I looked into her eyes now I could still see that same scared girl in the glint of her eyes.
"Don't worry," I tried to comfort her. "See here come the others now."
Trisha and Bryan ran up to us as soon as we strapped in Mike's avatar. We both wanted to just jump onto the Samson with them but what good would that be to us when our real bodies were still stuck inside.
I gave Trisha the thumbs up who tried to smile back but it came off as more of a grimace than anything else. I pulled Lisa back as it began to take off. The others were standing around Jake waiting for further orders.
We joined the others just in time to see them frantically fend off an invisible attacker before collapsing to the ground. Lisa and I knew exactly what had just happened. The creature inside was attacking the link chambers killing the drivers before they could be successfully shutdown.
Lisa fell to the ground on her knees and began to cry hysterically. I looked over my friends and comrades not believing what was happening. One after the other they fell to the ground until it was only Lisa and myself left.
I grabbed my stomach. The pain shot through my body. I was feeling the pain that my real body was feeling. I was dying. I closed my eyes trying to block out the pain. But it was too much for me to focus on manually shutting down myself out. Manual shutdowns were difficult even with a clear mind.
I looked down to see Lisa on the ground as Jake tried to comfort her and get her to focus.
"Lisa you need to do this," I tell her while keeping one arm wrapped around my stomach. I rest my free hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. It doesn't work.
"Rene I can't do it," she tells me as she continues to cry. I look into her eyes. I was taken back inside in the dormitory trying to council this young girl who had just arrived on the most dangerous place known to man. I had to be that strong woman that I was back then. I had to let her know that she wasn't going to die. I had to forgo this pain. Not for me but for her.
"Lisa," I tell her and pull her into my chest. I caress her hair much like how my mother had done to me. "Its okay I'm right here. All you need to do is close your eyes." I repeated the same words that my mother told me when I had nightmares.
Don't worry mother I'll be with you soon. I kiss her forehead softly holding back the tears just a while longer.
"Lisa, I'll be right behind you," I say into her ear. I feel her nod her head and press her ear against my chest as if she were checking that I was still alive. I look up to see Neytiri frowning deeply at me. She must have noticed, she notices everything that girl. I hear Lisa take in a deep breath. We both close our eyes at the same time, though only one of us will awake on the other side.
Everything fades to white.
**
Its storming out when I open my eyes. I see the trees passing by as I dart from tree to tree avoiding the rain as much as possible. This deep in the forrest it is always difficult to tell if it is night or day. I assume that night has fallen because of the cool air. I don't remember my own name but I know that I am a Tipani Kearal.
The other Kearals and I move through the trees silently, letting the rain drops mask my approach. I am not sure if it can hear me but I must be careful. My ears perk up at the sound of a river not far away. Familiar thoughts form in my head. It is a woman who I was some how connected to, but the vision is as unclear like the forrest with the veil of the rain.
I stop for a moment and smelled the air. The rain masked most of the scent but I could still smell it. I did not know what exactly I smelled but its stench was something I had not smelled before. I lower myself and perk up my ears and listen hard. I thought I had heard the snap of a branch but it may have only been nothing. I sniffed the air again the scent was still very faint but I was getting closer.
The sound of the river is getting louder as I maneuver from tree to tree. The vision of the same woman appears again in my head. This time it is a little clearer. I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. I stand almost on the tips of my toes to get a better look at the river. This was very similar to the river from before… When I was an Omaticaya.
The vision I see is of a clear day with rays of light bursting through the trees to give light to the river. I see a girl wading through the water with a fishing spear in her hand. She carefully raises her spear, ready to thrust it into the water. With one quick motion she jabs it into the water and soon after triumphantly holds up a fish on the end and smiles at me. She looks so familiar to me but I can't quite make out her face clearly.
I shake the memory from my head and look up to the trees. That memory had been a long time ago. This was the same river where he had seen that girl. Except the branches of the trees had now blocked out all possible view of the sky.
A definite snap of a branch brings me from my thoughts. I lower myself and reach for my knife. I readied myself and carefully maneuver around the trunk of the tree to get a better look.
I stared out into the forrest. The rain had finally relented and only a few drops fell from the leaves that sheltered the ground. A few creatures could be heard in the distance but nothing that concerned me.
An atokirina floated near by. It lazily drifted to another tree. It meant for me to follow it. Carefully checking my surroundings again to be sure that it was safe to follow. I crept along and took cover in the next tree where the atokirina had drifted to.
I followed it deeper into the forest and away from the river. Eywa was leading me and I had to follow. I moved as quickly as I could from tree to tree but also being as quiet as the shadows.
After looking around the last tree the atokirina had vanished. This was the spot I was suppose to wait. Something was going to happen here. I leaned against the trunk of the tree and kept my senses open. My ears twitched at every sound, at ever drop of water that hit the ground. At every rustle of the leaves.
I can't remember how long I had to wait. I stared at the metal ruins on the ground. It had been worked by Sky People hands. It was one of those metal beasts that tore into the forest killing everything as it crawled along on its belly. Its charred ruins lie like skeletal remains waiting for something maybe as if Eywa had rejected this beast and left it never be fully reclaimed again. Was that thing the scent I smelled? I breath deeply taking in all of the scents around me.
The scent was stronger this time. It was close by, moving. I grabbed hold of my companion and woke it from its slumber. I had to steady him as he was shaking in my hand wanting to taste flesh and blood. My heart began to race. I smelled the air again, picking up the scent again. It was here.
It swung its claw that would have split me in two if I had not ducked. The wood of the tree splintered and flew everywhere. It swung its second arm at me but it would do it no good as I rolled to the side. I lunged forward after the claw had passed a hairs length from my face. My blade pierced its heart ending this foul creature's life. It gurgled its last growl and felt on top of me plunging the knife deeper into its body.
The blood of the txontiera gushed out from its heart and poured out on top of me, coating myself and my blade black. I soon realized that the txontiera was not alone. Growls issued from all around me. My nose was burning with the smell of the txontiera the blood that had poured on top of me would make hiding an impossibility.
I pushed the corpse off of me and prepared myself for my next attackers. A howl issued from up above and was soon followed by the thud of it landing on the ground. I challenged it with a roar which it was stupid enough to accept. When the txontiera lunged forward, claws out stretched aimed at my heart, I had to roll out of the way and severed one of its arms off.
It staggered from the pain and before it could regain its footing I swung my blade around and slit his throat. The body crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. I reverse pivot and held out my knife. A txontiera had thought itself clever for attacking while my back was turned but my companion found its way through its ribs and up into its heart. But I received the full weight of the creature as it landed on me knocking me from my feet.
I curse myself for being so stupid. I had to roll out from under the corpse that lay on top of me, pinning me to the ground. It would take too long for me to retrieve my companion who was lodged in the heart of the last txontiera we had just slain.
It must have been just before dawn as the tree tops began to stir with life. The Ikranay began their early morning calls to each other. I wipe the blood from my face with the back of my hand. It didn't do much but smear the blood. I look up at the red eyes of three txontiera who had surrounded me. They are sizing me up. I look around to find an opening in the blockade. There is none. I had to fight it we the only way.
I don't know the reason why I am thinking about this now but I do. The thoughts of that Na'vi woman. She was from the Omaticaya clan, just like I once was. I see her standing on the ground rubbing her large belly. She is pregnant with a child.
I then see another vision of her running through the forrest. She stumbles as Sky People are chasing her. Their metal sticks that spit fire roar out at her. Metal flies around her like metal insects. A Na'vi hunter runs out to try and save her. He pulls back on his bow ready to attack the Sky People but sprays of blood fly out from him. His body falls to the side his arms let go of the arrow. It falls short and sails into the woman's belly. Tears roll down my eyes. I see the woman crying out. Not because of the pain but for her child. My child. This woman wasn't just any woman. This woman was my mate, my love.
I roar out baring my fangs. I tackle the closest txontiera and begin to pummel it with my fists. One of the others knocks me off but I quickly grab onto his arm with all of my strength I bend its arm the other way until I feel bone shatter beneath my fingers. The third quickly grabs me and puts me in a choke hold. I struggle to pry its arm off my neck. I wrap my leg around its thick leg and spin to break free throwing my opponent the ground.
The first txontiera has gotten back to his feet. It swings its arms at me trying to hit me with his fists. I jump just as he throws his fist. Seeing an opening I kick its knee feeling it extend and then bend the wrong way. The creature toppled over with a sickening crunch.
After all of that, I failed to see the seventh txontiera. I found myself flying forward as something massive hit me directly in the spine. I slid on the forest ground. I couldn't move. My legs didn't respond, even when I told them to get up and run, they gave no answer. My chest was aching and hurt with every breath I took. I coughed up blood from my mouth. I wasn't going to make it till morning. Daggers of pain plunged deep into my head as the txontiera grabbed me by the queue. I was raised into the air before it slammed my face into the ground.
As I turned my head to breath I noticed someone lying nearby. It was her, my mate. She was weeping as blood poured from her wound. She was reaching out to me, stretching her arm as far as she could. I needed to get to her. I reach out with own arm wanting to touch her one last time. Our fingers are nearly there. I can almost touch her.
**
Jake opened his eyes, his heart was racing in his chest. He took several slow breaths before looking around at the others. He noticed one arm held out, as if trying to reach for something. It was her arm, Sefize's. She still had her eyes closed and arm held out as if trying to reach for her father's hand.
"Father. Father." she repeated as tears streamed down her face.
He wanted to go to her and comfort her but something was hold him back. It was Neytiri. She shook her head at him. Before he could ask why Neytiri stood up and made her way through the crowd of Na'vi who had just woken from their dream like trance.
"Jake," said Norm as his eyes flicked open. "Jake."
"What?" asked Jake finally turning towards him and the other avatars.
"Did you see that?" asked Norm.
"Yeah Norm I saw it," said Jake who didn't understand what he was asking. "We all saw it the visions."
"Not that," said Norm shaking his head. "The txontiera."
"What about it?" asked Jake as images of them flashed into his head.
"Was there anything different about those txontiera from the Kearal vision and the ones we saw?" asked Norm.
Jake thought for a moment. He shook his head. He didn't see much of a difference between them. "Maybe in size. Fighting style too."
Norm opened his mouth to say something but closed it and took Jake's answer into consideration.
"They looked different," said Lisa wiping away he tears. "The last ones. They didn't look like the ones we saw."
Jake thought for a moment trying to bring up a picture of what they looked like exactly. They were black with red eyes.
"The first txontiera we saw looked like they could have been large Na'vi," said Viktor. "But the txontiera in the last vision, the Kearal vision, looked Terran."
The other avatar nodded their heads in agreement. He had a point. They did have different body shapes and Jake couldn't recall seeing a tail on the last bunch. Not to mention their fighting style which was something that they didn't probably teach at txontiera school.
He looked over at Mo'at who was still in her trance. She was probably conversing with the other Tsahik who had been watching the visions as well.
"But just because they looked Terran doesn't mean they came from humans," said Mike. "For all we know the size and shape could all just be random. I mean if those things came from humans they wouldn't be ten feet tall, maybe six feet or seven at the most."
"Maybe they are evolving," suggested Trisha. "They could be selecting the best traits out of the two species to see which is the most effective."
"That's a possibility," said Bryan. "But if they were trying to select the best traits wouldn't they show traits from a Great Leonoptrex or Thanator or something."
"Just because a predator is designed to be a killing machine doesn't make it the best traits or the top of the food chain," said Norm. "I mean look at us. We don't have the best predator body but we are at the top of the food chain. On Earth."
"So the Terran body and Na'vi bodies are the most versatile," said Bryan. "That doesn't prove anything."
"What about what Jake said," spoke up Lisa. "Jake said they have a different fighting style."
They all looked to Jake which was kind of shocking because he was usually left out of the scientific discussions and debates.
"Yeah what did you mean by that?" asked Mike.
Jake felt a little nervous as he tried to explain to them what he had noticed. "Well the txontiera that we all saw first had more of a wild aggressive fighting style. They attacked mindlessly. But for the last ones… They acted like a group. Like they all had a particular job that they needed to do. They were more organized, like they had a strategy."
"That could be just because the group had larger numbers," said Viktor shaking his head.
"That maybe part of the strategy," said Jake. "The Kearals are hunters of these night spirits. They are experienced trackers and fighters. When he took out the first one he didn't expect for there to be others with it. And there is also the fact that one of them leapt onto him even though it died it separated Kearal from his weapon. Even though we don't know what the capabilities of these things are they sure as hell aren't sticking with their old routine of one on one." The others stared at him in silence, except for Norm who was grinning at his friend. "Kearal, I mean Omaticaya Kearal, told me of the history of these people. They've fought in great battles before against the night spirits. And everything that's been going on is telling me that there is going to be another one soon."