12. Par
As the clan was sharing a meal, Lolet and Rakan disappeared, after eating quickly. Puvomun saw them go, disappearing in the dark. He shrugged, they probably had plans of their own. He noticed then that Jake had seen the two leave also and was whispering to Neytiri who laughed at what she heard.
"They know something," Amhul voiced his thoughts. "But if Jake knows too, it can't be very bad."
Puvomun nodded, but did not feel completely convinced. After all, their new clan leader was Jake, and that man had been quite unpredictable so far.
A strange scraping sound reached the people who were gathered around the fire, making heads turn, and questions were asked. Alas, nobody gave an answer to these questions, although Puvomun was quite certain that Jake could if he wanted to.
"We'll find out later, I am certain," Amhul said as she reached for a piece of meat that looked as if it was waiting for her. "Lolet and Rakan are just the ones to ask if something strange has to be done."
"Oh, you are so right, ma Amhul," Puvomun grinned.
The scraping sound ended. A few heartbeats later a shock ran through the crowd as they all heard a high-pitched scream, which had to come from Lolet.
"Nothing wrong!" her voice sounded a moment after that, and all heard her laugh.
By then nobody was eating anymore. All people just sat and waited for more unexpected sounds. They were not disappointed.
After some more scraping and a loud curse from Rakan, which made many children giggle, there was tapping. While parents warned their offspring not to remember the word they had just heard, the tapping came and went, and came again.
Suddenly there was silence. This was perhaps even more worrying than the strange sounds that had been coming from the dark.
Amhul put her hand on Puvomun's arm and when he looked at her she said: "Taw." Her eyes were shining as she said the word.
Unvoluntarily he looked up at the dark sky. "What? Why do you say 'sky'?" he asked as he looked back at his mate.
"Taw. I will call my ikran Taw. Because she takes me to the sky." Amhul smiled, looked very happy and very beautiful to Puvomun as the light from the fire softened her features.
"That is a very beautiful name, ma yawne," he smiled back at her, feeling lucky to be with her.
"You need to find a name for your ikran also," Amhul said. Her last words were almost drowned in the noise that Rakan made as he and Lolet came back to the fire.
Puvomun just nodded, not wanting to make the effort of screaming at his mate. They stood, as all the others, trying to make sense of the weirdness that possessed Rakan. He was doing some kind of crazy dance around the fire, Lolet just as mad. They yelled "Par, par, par, par, par!" continuously.
Puvomun searched for Mo'at and Nusumea Tirea. Perhaps they could do something about these two. Before he could signal either of the two, however, Rakan stopped his insane behaviour and exclaimed that the 'par' was ready and that everyone should follow them. Uttering something that could be a war cry, the two ran off again, a stream of children right behind them who had taken up the "par, par" cry.
Jake was laughing loudly.
"See, I knew he had something to do with this," Puvomun nodded.
Amhul laughed. "Come. We will go and see what they did."
Hand in hand they followed the crowd that had already started to move into the direction.
It was not hard to find. A large new fire burnt scaringly close to one of the trunk-parts of Kelutral that went into the soil. Two torches were hanging from vines, which looked even more worrying. The light of the torches divulged a strange wooden board that also hung from a few vines. On the board someone had inscribed three indecipherable marks.
On the ground there were several large gourd jugs. The smell that came from them was undeniably kava.
"Welcome to our par!" Lolet shouted to everyone as she waved a cup. "We have kava, so the most important for the par is here!"
From somewhere behind them, the teachers heard Jake's laughter. The man roared so loud that Puvomun wondered how long the man could sustain that. Luckily it did not last very long.
Jake caught up with the group and, his arm around Neytiri's shoulders, he looked up at the sign. He laughed again and then said: "Not perfect, but I love it. Damn, we have the first Omatikaya bar on Pandora. This calls for a celebration!"
For a while the troubles around the Dreamwalkers were forgotten. Kava and other beverages flowed freely, songs started here and there, and then Eyamsiyu and two musicians arrived. Nobody had seen them slip away, but upon their return they carried a large flute and a drum.
Puvomun noticed that they had prepared this well, as they carried the large flute to a few smaller treetrunks from where slings hung. The flute was positioned in them, while the drummer took his instrument and sat down, starting a slow and steady rhythm.
The teacher caught Eyamsiyu's eye; the man's face was one proud smile as the second musician stood with the flute and evoked the first sounds from it.
Eyamsiyu had done a marvellous job, Puvomun thought. The sound of this flute was amazing. He then saw Korun and Ekirä standing close by.
Korun was pointing at the large flute and talking to Ekirä. Puvomun recalled how the young man had helped Eyamsiyu find the right wood for the flute. Apparently he had done more than just find and carry it, he thought with appreciation. That was good. Making flutes was a special and almost a sacred trade among the Omatikaya. It should not be forgotten or lost.
As the song of the flute grew stronger, the sound of the people's voices faded away while everyone was becoming enchanted with the music that danced with the beats of the drum.
Slowly the song from the flute changed, and Puvomun discovered the start to one of the First Songs. He took Amhul's hand and walked her to where the drummer sat. From the eyes of the flute player he saw that this was exactly what the woman had intended.
When Puvomun started to sing, Amhul joined in after the first words, and Ninat joined them almost instantly.
"Taw, the sky, where animals fly,
Klltxe, the ground, to which most are bound,
Kilvan, the river, the water, life-giver,
Txep, the fire, with flames growing higher,
Warming the people and bringing the light.
Nantang si 'angtsik, rìtì si pa'li,
All children of Eywa inhabit the world.
Ayutral, the trees, the homes for the People,
Pay, the water, the quencher of thirst,
Ayseze, the flowers, where beauty abounds,
Utu mauti, the fruit that we eat,
Yerik, the hexapede, giver of meat.
Nantang sì 'angtsik, ikran sì Na'vi,
All children of Eywa inhabit the world."
Everyone sang along with the changing chorus, leaving the verses to the clear voices of the singers. Even Jake, who had been so loud and boisterous just moments ago, was calm and sang the chorus without mistakes. Lolet and Rakan stood side by side, tails around each other, singing too.
The song came to an end and a silence spread over the people.
"Wou," Eyamsiyu said then. "I hope this did not kill the party spirit."
It took a while before people started grinning and talking again, as the impact of the song slowly ebbed away. Voices broke the quiet, conversations started back up, and kava and fruit juice were handed round to all. Txetse got his hands on a cup of kava by accident, but thanks to his mother that did not end in a drunk child, although the child was angry at the missed opportunity.
Puvomun and Amhul talked to Eyamsiyu, complimenting him on the wonderful flute he had made.
"Korun helped," the man said, shuffling his feet a bit as he was not one to take praise very well. "He did a lot of work."
"He had a good teacher then, I would say," Amhul said. "It is very very good. And the drum has a good sound also. Where did you find what you needed?"
"Oh, here and there, in the forest. Eywa provides, also for instruments," Eyamsiyu grinned.
"You worked very hard on those," Ninat overruled his modesty, "and very long too. You wanted the instruments to be ready and you did it. We are all proud of you. Now come, you have to drink something." The woman smiled at the teachers and dragged her mate away to one of the rapidly emptying kava jugs.
"She knows him well." Amhul's hand found Puvomun's, and he felt how her tail touched his.
"And you know me well."
"Srane. I do. I know you just want something to drink and then find some silence."
Puvomun just looked at her. She really knew him well.
"Wait," she said, and walked away. When she came back, she had two cups with her, handed one to him and then took his hand. They walked to the side of the river, leaving most of the bustle of the party behind them. It proved hard to get away from Rakan's outbursts, but those were only few.
In silence they sat there for some time. Then Amhul started telling about the things that had been worrying her for a long time. Many were just small things, and she knew that, but still, Puvomun understood that she had to talk about them, and he listened.
Each time Amhul talked about something that occupied her mind, he took a bit of grass, and in the end, when she had said all that she wanted, he held his hand up.
"What is that?" she wondered.
"Those are all your worries, ma yawne. I picked a strand of grass for each one, and those are all of them. Now you have to find a flat bit of bark."
Amhul frowned. Puvomun could tell by the way her bioluminescent spots moved. Then she looked around and picked something up. "Would this be good?"
"Txantsan, excellent." Puvomun dropped the grass onto the bark, and holding her hand, he said "Come."
He stepped into the flowing water of the river. "Put the bark in the water."
Without asking why, she did so. The water took over the small patch of wood and took it away. Soon it was out of sight of the two people who then climbed back on the river side.
"Why was that?" Amhul finally asked.
Before Puvomun could answer, there was a gentle rustling of grass behind them. It was Nusumea Tirea.
"That is a little float that takes your worries away," the man said. "And, you know, ma Puvomun, there is something here you can learn too." Then he was gone.
"Where did he go?" Amhul asked.
"I don't know. But what did he mean?" Puvomun wondered about that more.
"Was he right?" Amhul asked, taking Puvomun's hand again.
"Huh? Oh. About the float, yes. That was what I intended it to be. Something to take your worries away."
"That is a nice thought, ma yawne... but you are my float. You take my worries away."
Puvomun smiled, appreciating her words. "But I am the kind that adds new ones."
"Then we will come here again and sit at the river, kilvan, and float together."
Then Puvomun understood what Nusumea Tirea meant that he could learn. At that moment he knew the name for his ikran. Kilvan. River.
Na'vi - English.
'Angtsìk - hammerhead
Atokirina - seeds of the Sacred Tree
Ayewan - young ones
Ayfo lu tstunwi - They are kind
Ayfo makto nìwin - They ride too fast
Ayikran - plural of ikran
Aynivi - plural of nivi
Ayoeyä atxkxe - our land
Aysa'nok - mothers
Aysaronyu - plural of taronyu (also 'saronyu')
Aysawtute/sawtute - Sky people, the humans
Aysko / sko - bows
Ayuniltìranyu - plural of uniltìranyu, dreamwalkers
'Eveng - a child
Eveng - children
'Ewantu - young one
'Ewll - plant
'Eylan - friend
Eylan - plural of 'eylan
Eywa - the Goddess, nature, Gaia
Eywa ayoehu - Eywa be with us
Eywa ngahu - Eywa be with you
Fa'li/ayfa'li - plural of pa'li - horses
Fngap - metal
Fngapä ta'leng - metal skin, AMP suits
Hetuwong - plural of ketuwong - aliens
Heyn - to sit
Hì'i - small
Ikran - mountain banshee
Ikran makto - ikran rider
Irayo - thank you
'Ite - daughter
Kaltxì - hello
Karyu - teacher
Kava - alcoholic drink
Ke nìltsan - not well
Kefyak? - right?
Kehe - no
Kelutral - Hometree, where the Na'vi clan lives
Kelku lefngap - house of metal
Ketuwong - alien
Kilvan - river
Kìyevame - May we see each other again
Kxam - middle
Kxawm - maybe, perhaps
Kxetse - tail
Lu - is, to be
Ma yawne - (my) love
Makto zong - travel safely
Mawey - calm down
Mesawtute - two Sky people
Meveng - two children
Mllte - to agree
Nantang - six-legged direwolf
Nga - you
Nga yawne lu oer - You are my beloved
Nìltsan - well
Nìprrte - you're welcome
Ngeyä - your (ngeyä sa'nok - your mother)
Nivi - hammock
Numeyu - Student
Oe 'efu pa'li - I feel the horse
Oe irayo si Eywaru - My thanks to Eywa
Oe ke lu - I am not
Oel omum - I know
Oeyä koaka 'eylan - my old friend
Olo'eyktan - clan leader
Pa'li - six-legged direhorse
Palulukan - giant six-legged feline predator
Po lu - he is
Pxasìk - very bad curse-word
Rewon lefpom - good morning (lit. morning good)
Riti - stingbat
Rolyu - singer
Rolun - Na'vi equivalent of "Eureka", I got it!
'Rrta - Earth
Sa'nok - mother
Saronyu - hunters
Sempul - father
Set - now
Sì - and (used in listing things)
Sìltsan - good
Skxawng - moron, idiot
Sran, srane - yes
Srung - help (n)
Srung si - to help
Swizaw - arrow
Tam - Good, okay
Taronyu - hunter
Taw - sky
Tawtute - Sky person, one human
Tokx - body
Tsa'u lu sìltsan - that is good
Tsaheylu - a mental bond, made by tendrils in a Na'vi braid to other living organisms on Pandora
Tsahik - spiritual leader, shaman
Tsamsiyu - warrior
Tsko - bow
Tsmuk - sibling
Tsmukan - brother
Tsmuke - sister
Tswin - queue, braid
Tokx - body
Txon lefpom - good night (lit. night good)
Ulte - and (used to combine sentences)
Uniltìrantokx - Avatar (dreamwalker) body
Uniltìranyu - Dreamwalker, a human in an Avatar body
Utral Aymokriyä - the Tree of Voices
Vitra - soul
Vitrautral - the Tree of Souls
Yerik - six-legged kind of deer
