DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Avatar"
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Only five more reviews until we reach the one hundred mark! I'm so excited; I've never gotten anywhere close to this many reviews on any of my stories before. Tell you what, the person who gives the one hundredth review will have the next chapter dedicated to them. That probably doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but who cares? I would presently like to give a shout out to my constant reviewers; those special few who have reviewed almost every chapter thus far. Ya'll know who you are. :) Please, get those reviews in, I really, really appreciate them. The Lock'tu vs. Atraiu score is presently Atraiu:18, Lock'tu: 13, and Neutral: 2. Team Lock'tu's catching up! Beware, Team Atraiu!
P.S. This will be in third person POV, unless I say otherwise.
CHAPTER 12
The sky was an odd shade of green. Green like a clear, forest pond. Green like the ocean surf. Green like the gems that tutees strum in their hair. Green like the skin of the Kewong Ta Taw. She was staring up at this strange, cloudless sky as it spread over the usual clear blue like a wave. The limbs of the Tree of Souls stretched over her, reaching out for her like a mother's embrace. It was as if Eywa was saying "Stay under me. Stay under me". Sayla heard Eywa's words echo in her ears, but she did not want to stay. She wanted to see. She had to see.
She stepped out from under the safety of the Tree of Souls, and watched the new sky spread over the horizon. Sayla thought that it was actually, kinda pretty. But then, large strips of red began to slash through the green like blood. As far as the eye could see. The red began to fill the sky in violent, quick movements, until the entire sky was red. Now, it looked as if the entire world was covered in a red hue. Sayla looked down at her own body, and saw that the red was flowing over her, as well. She tried her hardest to rub it off, but she found that it only moved to her hands, spreading like wild fire. Sayla looked up, and saw that the red was creeping from the forest, along the grass, over the plants, crawling towards her. Now she was beginning to panic.
She looked back towards the Tree of Souls, begging it to help her, but she was shocked to find it dead. The white vines that served as direct lines from ayfizayu began to shrivel and brown. Some had even fallen to the ground, crunchy and black. The Tree of Souls was dead. Eywa was dead. The read light attacked the large roots of the tree, seeping into the very source. From the Tree of Souls, the red light spread out to all of Pandora, killing every plant and creature it came upon. Everywhere, the screams of the long dead and dying filled the air, and screeched in Sayla's ears. She covered her ears in an attempt to block out the terrible noise, but it stayed with her, in her head. She cried out for Mo'at, her mother, father, sisters, anyone, but no one answered.
Suddenly, she felt this terrible urge to look to her left. When she did, she saw two Na'vi fighting on top of a mountain surrounded by white light. One was a blue skinned female, and one was a green skinned male. They fought vigerously, drawing blood with each cut. Suddenly, the male Na'vi cut the female across the middle, forcing her to her knees. He grabbed her by the queue, and forced her head up to look into his eyes. He put the point of a long, straight knife up to her throat, an evil, demonice grin on his otheriwse handsome features.
And then, the world seemed to be suddenly consumed in darkness. Sayla slowly turned around, afraid of what she might find. Her mouth dropped when she saw a great black wave consume Pandora, rising over the trees, mountains, even over the Thundering Rocks. Sayla wanted to run away from the mighty wave, but she found that she could not move. Suddenly, an atokirina' floated by her; small, glowing, sacred. It was the only remnant of Pandora left untouched. The only thing left of the past. But, just as quickly as it had come to her, it was gone, leaving her to her fate. Tears ran down her cheeks as the cool water washed over her, sweeping her away into oblivion.
-888-
Sayla's mind hurled back into reality, almost knocking her on her back. She was almost hyperventilating as she struggled to catch her breath, but when she looked around and remembered that she was still in her swotu, safe and alive, she calmed down. She buried her head in her hands, struggling to quiet her fluttering mind. That same vision had been haunting her for months on end, and she couldn't take it anymore. She had to find some relief.
Mo'at was weaving hammocks at the ulivi mari'tsey mak'dini'to with other elders of the clan, their song drifting up into the air, becoming as natural as the wind. It was the song, the song that she was rocked to sleep listening to, that lead Sayla to her teacher.
"Mo'at!" she screamed as ran towards the collection of elders. Mo'at immediatly heard the cry of her grand daughter, and turned to face her, worry and confusion spread over her face.
"Mo'at! Mo'at!" Tears were now running from Sayla's eyes. Mo'at allowed Sayla to run right into her chest, and wrapped her long arms around Sayla's small frame.
"What's wrong 'eveng?" Mo'at whispered into her hair. Sayla continued to cry into her shoulder, letting her heavy heart empty. Mo'at simply rubbed small circles over her back, calming her, and waited until her sobbing subsided. When she was sure that Sayla was fit to talk, she repeated her question.
Sayla pulled away from Mo'at, wiping tears from her eyes.
"It's the vision, karyu. I do not know why Eywa continues to haunt me with this same vision. I don't understand what she wants me to do!"
"The same vision, you say? Is it the one with the red sky?" asked Mo'at, even though she already knew the answer. Sayla nodded her head slowly. Mo'at sighed, knowing that this day would come. She had been avoiding it for so long, telling herself that it was just a foolish myth, a prophecy. But she always had to remember that JakeSully was once a prophecy. A foolish, impossible prophecy.
Mo'at stood up to her full height, resting her hand on Sayla's shoulder.
"Sayla, come with me. There is something I think you deserve to know."
-888-
Mo'at had lead Sayla to a long abandoned part of Hometree, deep within the bowels of the structure. No light reached the deep crevice of the great tree, but bright, glowing stones were embedded in the wood, giving off an eerie light of its own. The most sacred icons of the Omaticaya were kept in this place; the skull of Toruk Makto's toruk, the spear of 'Awve Tsamsiyu, the stone of the Sa'nok Ik, the Omati s'ampta, and the Sacred Tapestry. The Sacred Tapestry was said to be weaved by Eywa herself at the dawn of time. Within the colorful cloths and textiles, the answers to all of life's questions was held. Over the centuries, the Tsahiks of the Omaticaya had uncovered certain images that were said to be prophecies. One prophecy in particular was the reason Mo'at had brought Sayla to this sacred place.
"This will be your first time looking upon the Tapestry, so try not to be overwhelmed by it." said Mo'at. Sayla nodded in understanding, but on the inside she wondered why anyone would ever be overwhelmed by a tapestry. She got her answere when the arrived at the most magnificent thing she had ever seen.
The Tapestry stretched up into the very bowels of Hometree, vanishing from sight. It was wide enough to wrap around the base of Hometree three times and still have some left over. The bright colors seemed to twist and move in the light, always changing position, forming a new image.
No wonder it's taken so long to decipher the images. thought Sayla. This thing goes on forever.
"Do you see your vision in the tapestry, Sayla?" asked Mo'at. Sayla looked at the great textile, searching for any image that she knew. It was difficult to distinguish anything since the images kept changing, so whenever Sayla thought she saw something, it would morph into something else. Sayla was about to give up completely, until she saw the mountain from her vision, with the two Na'vi fighting on the peak.
"There, I see it!" she said, pointing to the image. Suddenly, the entire tapestry began to morph; shifting and changing as if it was alive. Soon, Sayla began to distinguish certain images. Images she was familiar with. Finally, an entire stretch of tapestry depicted Sayla's vision from beginning to end. Everything was there; the green and red sky, the dying Tree of Souls, the mountain, the wave-- everything.
"What does this mean, Tsahik?" Sayla asked of her grand mother.
"This means, my dear, that what you are seeing is the prophecy being fulfilled. A day that I had prayed would never come."
Now Sayla was really confused.
"But what is the prophecy? It can't literally be this...can it?" Mo'at sighed, looking up at the images, trying her hardest not to make eye contact with the young protegee.
"The prophecy states that there will come a day when a green sky will cover the blue, and the Na'vi will welcome it. They will befriend it, love it, even worship it. But, a red sky will cut into the green one, spreading over Pandora like a plague. It will kill everything in it's path, and consume all. Even Eywa will be in danger. But, if the green Na'vi falls, Pandora will be saved. But if not, the wave from the east will drown everything."
Mo'at's face expressed no emotion, no feeling at all, even though on the inside she was dying from worry.
"What does it mean?" asked Sayla. Mo'at shrugged, and looked to her student.
"What do you think it means, Sayla?"
Sayla looked back up at the tapestry, studying the images that passed by her. She had a theory, but she feared that stating it out loud would somehow make it true.
"Say what you wish, 'eveng." said Mo'at, who could read Sayla's face like a book. Sayla inhaled, building up all of her courage, than let her opinions flow.
"Atraiu."
The two powerful Na'vi females stood in silence as they meditated on these thoughts. It was scary to think that Atraiu could have anything to do with this prophecy, but there were signs. The green sky followed by red, the green Na'vi fighting the blue, and then Sayla started having her visions just before Atraiu arrived. It was all far too weird to believe.
"It's not true." said Sayla, wrapping her arms around herself. "It can't be. I sensed no evil in Atraiu' soul." Mo'at simply shrugged.
"The future is always subject to change. A prophecy is not a prediction. It is only a guide that helps us find our way. And who knows? Things may not be as they seem. They never are."
AN: There you go! I know some of you were probably wondering what this "prophecy" that was being "fulfilled" was (heck, I even wondered what the prophecy was for a while), but now you know. Do you think Sayla's visions will come true, or are things not what they seem? Review and tell me what you think!
tutees: females
ayfizayu: ancestors
swotu: sacred place
ulvi marti'tsey mak'dini'to: the loom; literal translation-branches of the tree look to each other for strength
'eveng: child
karyu: teacher
'Awve Tsamsiyu: the First Warrior (original legend)
Sa'nok Ik: the Mother Mountain (original legend)
Omati s'ampta: the Blue Flute (non-original, James Cameron legend)
Tsahik: matriarch
