Fast update. I'm on a roll again but I do have school tomorrow...so enjoy.

There's actually some plot development in this one.

--Phanny

Jake had never really gotten to choose how to punish a member of his clan before -- that was all Neytiri. She was the "tough but fair" type, and he never argued with her (especially not when she had something in her hand. Just because they were mated didn't mean he had escaped a few smacks on the head for occasional instances of ignorance). Honestly, he'd always been the subordinate in his life, the one who received punishments. Now, however, Neytiri had decided that how he punished Ou'tan and Udrau for their nasty trick three days before was up to him, and he still hadn't decided. He couldn't toss the responsibility back to Neytiri; he needed to show that he could be responsible for the members of his clan on his own, but it was hard to come up with something that was as tough as they deserved without being considered cruel. Of course, it was when his thoughts wandered to Norm and Max back at Hell's Gate that he thought of it.

"Ou'tan and Udrau will go with me to Hell's Gate," he told some of his senior warriors, "and do whatever Norm and the others want them to do. Maybe they'll actually learn something."

"This sounds reasonable to me," Txur nodded, and Neytiri agreed. Ou'tan's father, Taw, agreed as well. He and Udrau's mother had apologized profusely after learning of their sons' lies, very ashamed that their children behaved so poorly. Jake understood they're frustration, as hard as they all tried, sometimes a parent just couldn't control their children all the time.

"I apologize again for my son's foolishness," Taw told Jake, "this is a fair punishment, Jakesully."

"Tomorrow at dawn then," Jake said, and then he glanced toward the right of him, where the racks that held the fresh skins of the prey brought back that day stood, and sighed. "Mosyk, Endyna, I believe that there are some chores you should be doing."

Both children groaned, coming out from their hiding place, looking guilty.

"Can we tell them?" Mosyk said, "I wanna see their faces! Please?"

Neytiri sighed in both frustration and amusement, "I'm not sure about that. Now we have to come up with a suitable punishment for eavesdropping."

Mosyk and Endyna paled.

"It was his idea!"

"It was not, you liar!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was n--"

"I think your Tsahik was teasing you, yes?" Endyna's father Txep was also at the small meeting.

"Yes," Neytiri chuckled at both of them.

"Go on, tell them," Jake conceded, "but don't rub it in too deep, and no more spying."

"Okay," both kids said at once, running off to find they too boys, planning on rubbing it in as deeply as they pleased.

When Mosyk and Endyna had promised not to spy, they had no idea how hard a promise it would be to keep. The next day at dawn, they both followed Jake, Ou'tan, and Udrau out into the forest towards Hell's Gate, keeping as far back as they could without getting lost.

"Have you ever been to this Hell's Gate?" Endyna asked Mosyk in a whisper.

"Once, I think," he replied, "when I was little, to meet some of my father's old friends. I don't remember too much -- they were weird-looking. And tiny. The adults were only a little bigger than I am now."

"Huh," Endyna mused, "interesting. Hurry up, we're losing them."

When Hell's Gate was in sight, it really did look like Hell. What had once been a mass of concrete and steel had now been taken over by the forest, covered in vines and moss and cracking under many years worth of other green infestations. The look on Ou'tan and Udrau's faces at the ugly, slightly unnerving sight was absolutely priceless.

To all four children's surprises, when Jake ducked low to get through the small doorway, he came out with another Na'vi, and they began talking animatedly, Jake occasionally pointing at the two boys who were awaiting their assignments. Mosyk and Endyna quickly climbed up on a high branch of a nearby tree, hiding behind the leaves as they watched.

"Jake, I'm glad you're here," Norm said, looking slightly concerned about something. He had permanently transferred to his avatar with the help of the Omaticaya, but had yet to leave Hell's Gate, having been unable to ignore the fact that, though he loved the Na'vi, he was a scientist, not a warrior, and he was instead helping the other avatar drivers who had stayed on Pandora prepare to do the same, hopefully with more confidence in becoming one of the Omaticaya. "Maybe Lauren and Alex can find something for those two to do, but Max and I have something to show you."

This was one part that Mosyk and Endyna heard and when Jake went back into the building, they followed quietly, somehow managing to avoid being seen. The followed Norm and Jake into a room full of…Mosyk could barely remember what they were called -- computers? Yeah, that was it. They stopped when they heard Norm speaking again.

"Sorry about…the mess," the computer room was full of dust and dirt, and only two of the twelve or so computers were turned on, Mosyk noticed, "it's been years, only two of these things even work now."

"Norm, just tell me what it is," Jake said, slightly impatient.

"Well fine, pushy," Norm grumbled, brining up a window full of symbols neither Mosyk or Endyna could identify, "this is a monitor of Pandora under the surface. What do you notice?"

"What's that huge mass in the center?" Jake pointed at the screen.

"That's the problem, I don't know," Norm told him, "what I do know is that yesterday it was here," Norm pointed to a lower point on the monitor, "so whatever it is, Jake, it's huge, and it's moving."

"How fast?"

"Not very, but the way this is looking, it could be heading for the Hometree."

"I'll ask some of the elders if they remember anything like this. You sure you don't know what it is?"

"It's not in any of the books, I can't find anything about it anywhere. I don't know if it's dangerous or not, but if I've learned anything from Pandora, you have to treat everything as if it's deadly until you're sure it's not."

Jake nodded, "keep me posted. I won't ask anyone right away -- I don't want anyone to panic."

"Then you'd better tell your kid and his friend to keep quiet."

Mosyk and Endyna froze -- how did they keep getting caught so easily? They were terrible spies! Oh, they were going to get it…

"Get over here," Jake said, looking at the two with burning eyes, "now."

Both kids walked slowly over to Norm and Jake, looking at the ground guiltily.

"How much of that did you hear?" Norm asked.

"Enough to know that some big monster under the ground is coming to get us!" Mosyk said suddenly. Endyna shoved her elbow in his ribs and he grunted, "maybe."

"Nothing is going to get you," Jake said, trying to keep his voice level, "but I can't guarantee you aren't in danger right now. What did I tell you this morning about eavesdropping?"

"To not to," Mosyk murmured. Jake sighed.

"Can you two keep this to yourselves for now? We're not sure this is a threat, we don't need people scared for no reason."

Both of them nodded quickly.

"All right, I'll deal with you when we get home," Jake told them, "Norm, come to Hometree if you find out anything new."

"I will," Norm nodded, "tell Neytiri I said hi."

"Can do," Jake smirked a little before frowning again, "come on, let's go you two."

As they exited the building, they saw two female avatars smirking as Ou'tan and Udrau cleaned out a foul smelling facility nearby.

"Thanks, Jake," one of them said as they passed, "we needed that latrine cleaned out sooner or later."

Jake smirked, "be sure to keep them busy, ladies. Send them back before it gets dark, though. I don't want anything to eat them."

Mosyk frowned. Would that really be such a bad thing? The look on Endyna's face clearly said that she was asking herself the same question.

Mosyk and Endyna did wind up getting scolded, but their punishment was much tamer than that of Ou'tan and Udrau, thankfully. The both were not allowed to leave Hometree for two days, and had to do most of the boring chores while the others were out hunting or training. If there was anything Mosyk hated, it was cleaning the talioang skins and hanging them out to dry -- it was a very delicate process, and one wrong move could ruin the whole thing.

As it got dark Ou'tan and Udrau had returned, looking pretty annoyed and angry when Neytiri told them to go back into the forest to the river and bathe -- cleaning out the latrine had made them reek worse than a dead nantang that had been sitting out in the sun all day. Mosyk could hide a snicker, and Neytiri told him to get back to work.

Suddenly Jake called to the whole clan -- he had an announcement (Mosyk hoped it wasn't the one about the monster underground).

"Txur has brought me good news to share with the clan. Tell them, Txur."

Txur rose from where he was seated when Jake called him, smiling warmly.

"The ikran that hatched last season are all old enough to make Tsahaylu with a Na'vi. Tomorrow seven of our young warriors in training will journey to the Thundering Rocks to perform Iknimaya. Tonight all mentors and trainers will decide who will make the journey. I wish only success to our young warriors."

There was a joyful murmur among the clan -- the birth of new ikran was always a pleasant thing to hear about and know.

Though Mosyk had always been a little afraid of ikran, he couldn't suppress the feeling of longing that churned in his stomach. He clung to the hope that maybe he would be one of the ones to go, the excitement causing his blood to rush through his veins with amazing speed.

I don't write Norm very well. :|

I have NO idea how to write the Iknimaya deal...I'm afraid I won't do it right. I reeeeally need to go see the movie again...

I have to think of a name for Mosyk's ikran. If he manages to get one without serious injury.