One Of The People

by Mystic Blade

What would happen if Tsu'tey lived? What would Jake's status be then? What life would Tsu'tey lead among his people? Will he accept the new faces in his clan? What changes would he endure? The story accounts post-film as the remaining humans assimilate into Na'vi culture to live new lives and healing begins as the Omaticaya find their new home. Tsu'teyxOC centered,JakeXNey,NormXOC

14. Command The Sky

CHAPTER 12:

Command The Sky

---

"Rawr."

I chuckled to myself in self-entertainment as I played with my personally whittled ikran toy which I had decided to paint a royal purple since I liked the color. Yes, I was too old to be playing with toys but I could see why the kids liked it and I enjoyed occupying my time with anything. Why not create one? It was fun to imagine yourself flying with the creature in the endless freedom of the sky and it would be your lifelong aerial partner. I mimicked flight patterns with my creation since I had absolutely nothing to do for the afternoon and it was better than being bored to death. Parents had decided to let me have some 'me' time to heal so the little posse of children were absent today but I missed them already.

I'd grown used to their company since arriving here and missed the lack of hyper chatter that accompanied their small forms. The past months had shown me that I found children endearing, regardless if they were my own, and often wondered if I could ever be a decent parent. That whole nature-nurture controversy always picked at my mind since the nurture didn't end well for me and who knew about my genetics since I was a mix of both human and alien DNA.

"Something troubles you?"

My eyes shifted away from the ground to meet Tsu'tey's amber hue as he stood in front of me with crossed arms (impassive as always) and I offered a halfhearted smile in greeting. As the days passed, I often looked forward to his company since I was the talker of the two and could let everything roll off my shoulders while he was the quiet one that spoke up whenever he felt the need to. I liked that about him because guys that jabbered on about themselves just annoyed the crap out of me and it was a good thing he stopped it before I had to stuff a bread roll in his mouth. I showed him my ikran toy with slight shake of my fingers, sighing morosely in admission, "I miss the children's company."

"Single females don't spend time with children, they seek similar age groups" he pointed out gently and I scooted over on the boulder I sat on so he could take a seat. He obliged to my gesture with a nod (I wasn't about to let the poor guy stand) while I blew a raspberry between my lips to his statement. So what if I played with children? They were carefree and exuberant; a total opposite in comparison to adults.

I brought the toy before his face and mimicked with a grin, "Rawr."

He chuckled to the motion and placed my hand back down on my lap in which I tried to gently peck the top of his hand with the snout of the ikran toy in friendly payback. The social order didn't deter my involvement with the youngsters and I stated fondly, "I don't care about what's normal and what isn't. Look at me, I have five fingers and was born a tawtute, I shouldn't be one to talk. I enjoy their company, I don't care if it makes me look childish- I've never been one to care about what others think."

"It gives you a caretaker quality, you protect them and they trust you like a second parent" he justified in agreement which practically knocked my socks off since he usually chided me about it and I smiled at not being labeled immature by him. True, I wasn't an official 'woman' but my body wasn't a child's in any manner. For some reason, I minded more and would've taken it to heart if Tsu'tey was the one to think of me that way instead of another Na'vi.

"Thank you for encouraging me" I said softly with sincere gratitude after what he'd been helping me achieve because on my own, I'd probably be bed-ridden and riddled with chronic depression at this point. He changed our dynamics and kept the cycle ongoing as we spent our time together in this forested land that I dearly called home.

A polite smile was my reply since his quiet nature usually took over in leisure conversations, especially when in public, but I laughed when he teased smugly, "No more 'rawr'?"

"I'm pretty sure an ikran doesn't rawr but bear with me" I answered sheepishly with a small smile but nudged his right shoulder with my left, stuffing the toy into my satchel for safekeeping. I didn't want him to think I'd rather play with a little toy than seek normal adult conversation because then, he'd really think I regressed to my childhood.

His line of sight stared straight ahead at nothing so I knew he was in concentration mode when he didn't speak and kept my mouth shut to respect his thought process. He tended to become grumpy if disrupted so I twiddled my thumbs and glanced at a nearby duo of tapiri that nibbled on a few blades of yummy grass. I found them cute but Tsu'tey had a tendency to shoo them away into the bushes. I blamed his usual crankiness for that. After a moment, my head was turned back to its old position by his hand as he stared at me and spoke up, "Maxpatel is attempting Iknimaya very soon."

I blinked with confusion since it had nothing to do with me although everyone in the Avatar group was cheering for him since he would be the first to go at it. All of us had been giving him any extra tips he may have missed to make sure he wouldn't fail but Peyral usually scattered us away with a frightening glare and a sharp 'hum!'. Tsu'tey extended his right hand out to me and smiled mischievously with that perfect pair of white teeth to beckon, "Come with me."

"I'm not good with unknown explorations" I hesitated meekly since his adventurous level was tracking down dangerous prey while I was content with seeing a mountain. Before I could ask about his intended destination, he firmly grabbed my hand into his to pull me onto my feet. Worriedly, I began to decline, "Tsu'tey-"

An enthusiastic grin brightened his face and he assured wholeheartedly, "Trust me, you will like this."

I allowed him to lead me away and part of me expected a long forest walk but I blinked confusingly when we headed inside Hometree. My first thought was maybe he forgot something to take on our trip but when he led me up the spiral stairway and past all of the residential areas, I froze like ice in his hand. There was no way I was climbing those branches ever again and practically pulled him backward towards the trunk of the tree. My mind was telling- yelling- at me to escape the danger that loomed there and I refused to move in his direction when he tugged my hand, objecting firmly, "I'm not going. No, no, those branches and-"

"There is another safer way" he mumbled sheepishly and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously to this new revelation. Say what now? His golden eyes gazed at the floor with shameful embarrassment that was written all over his face as he admitted slowly, "There is a small incline towards the top where the ikran sleep. How do you think we get there so quickly? We only use the branches for fun or emergencies. I. . .when I forced you to climb, I purposely led you to the branches away from the walkway instead of. . ."

I knew we put the past behind us but it still stung to know he'd done such things to me just to appear superior. My fingers wringed each other as I tried to focus away from feeling inferior and stupid to everything I failed to see back then. Instincts were number one and I didn't listen, opting to place my trust in a man that intentionally set out to see me fail.

"Joanna. . ."

My eyes blurred involuntarily in reminder to those awful days I spent riddled with self-guilt and felt the need to escape the situation instead of letting him see me going to shambles or even talking about it. I hadn't faced this level of Kelutral since the accident and didn't want to stay here any longer. The second his fingers touched the right side of my neck, I froze in place as the gesture knocked me off-guard completely for the breach in personal space. Part of me expected to be afraid or defensive for the sudden physical contact but it was the complete opposite as his fingertips warmed my skin. The physical touch relaxed my bundled nerves as I traced my eyes down his arm and up towards his face, wondering why he reacted with such a gesture.

"I simply wanted to take you somewhere with Swizav" he explained softly and I released a breath of air I'd been holding. I didn't mind his bossiness when it was at minimum and would've asked for it in this case because he could've just told me straight-out about. . .oh right, the surprise. His eyes bore into mine as I tried to bat away the blurriness in my eyes with my lashes and he spoke carefully, "I'd never do anything to hurt you. I would never make you climb any high altitudes unless you were ready and you're not. . .which is why I brought up the walkway."

His voice raised into a hopeful pitch as he suggested, "If you'd like to meet Swizav and I, you can head to the second clearing that borders the southern forest and I will meet you there."

A rational person would've agreed on the clearing for its safety but I wasn't that everyday person anymore. The fall left a psychological impact that froze me on the spot whenever I couldn't see the ground directly and hoped I could overcome it eventually. Flying would only increase that fear and there was no way I was putting myself through that again. I broke away from him, guilt ridden when I pulled his hand away from my neck, and began heading down the stairs toward safety as I stammered regretfully, "I can't. Heights are. . .they're torture for me right now, I'm sorry. I just. . .please understand, I can't."

I was so ashamed of myself for having this irrational fear and letting him down at his pure hearted attempt to fix it made it worse for me but I simply couldn't. Yes, there were statistics that would say '80% without fall' on a supervised ikran but I didn't care. Airborne was airborne. This feeling that gnawed at the pit of my stomach was a paralyzing emotion that threw logic into the wind as that terror took control of every system to render it useless.

There was only one thing I could do though and that was to use my trained leg muscles to get me the heck out of here. I'm not sure what Tsu'tey would think of me now for leaving him alone back there but all I could think of was touching dirt under my feet as a security blanket.

During last meal, he sat next to me and the heavy silence between us was excruciating despite the growing chatter between clan members around us. Every day, Tsu'tey and I would sit together as we are now and talk for a brief period before he departed to be at Jake's side as his advisor. At first, I worriedly assumed that our close company would in turn cause both of us to become dreadfully bored with the other but that wasn't the case. We always had something to talk about, no matter how stupid or controversial, and I considered myself lucky for the friendship (although I did get my share of questioning looks from his admirers but I told them directly that it was nothing). Today, however, Norm was chatting away with Jake and Max about who knows what while Cheryl. . .well, it's safe for me to state now that the woman's head over heels for her trainer and its plainly obvious to everyone that the feeling is mutual. Of course, neither admits it. Norm says it has something to do with Cheryl not being an official 'woman', therefore, disqualifies as a female to be courted until her rank is made definite. I'm sure Noren won't have to wait long since Cheryl decided to complete Uniltaron only and had gotten Mo'at's approval after seeking several sessions of counsel with her.

"You helped with the teylu preparation" I remarked softly as I bit into one of the large shrimp-like grubs, my taste buds becoming excited with saliva at the spicy condiments he liked to use. I had an affinity for spiciness so I enjoyed eating those that he prepared; he used an orange colored condiment to make them stand out so it was easy to choose. He offered his help to the cooks one day out of the week to relieve some of the older individuals and never hesitated to impress with his skills. I admitted the man was good with everything his fingertips touched but I'd like to see him go head-to-head with my stews.

I nibbled on the fat end of one, letting the rich spiciness of the herbs burn my lips, and heard him speak softly, "I never meant to frighten you up there. I wanted to show you that there is nothing to fear about heights. I've fallen plenty of times, which I don't like to admit," I managed a small smile at this as he went on, "But practice is what you need. Now, before I anger you, I only wanted to take you flying. Nothing more, nothing less."

"It sounds easy when you say it but taking the initiative to do so is another thing" I mumbled under my breath and listlessly grabbed at my food as I felt the conversation numb my taste buds. I didn't like being afraid but overcoming it put me on edge because I would confront it head on. My palms instantly became sweaty at the mere image of being in high altitude and I lowered my hand to admit weakly, "I'm afraid, Tsu'tey, there's no way around that. My hands twitch involuntarily and I shiver whenever I'm in contact to those heights. I can't control it-"

"Yes, you can" he insisted firmly with assurance that would've won over a crowd but I shot him a skeptical glimpse. Did he really think I wouldn't scream my head off at tall heights? The hearth's orange glow flickered over his face as he leaned forward to advise gently, "Fear is just another obstacle that you must overcome. Trust me when I say that if you allow me to take you on one flight, you won't fear the endless freedom of the sky. It is liberating, Joanna, I assure you."

"That endless freedom can also be one's downfall, namely in blood splatter" I pointed out wryly because he had the agility of a cheetah on both land and air while I was a gopher, not built for fast speed.

He angled his head to stare directly at me and I tried to ignore the peering glance by chewing on my teylu since I tended to burst like a dam with direct eye-to-eye contact. Ignoring him worked flawlessly when we were at each other's throats but now, it was more like avoidance and I was the guilty party. There was something about him that caused me to be truthfully honest with an open mind and often found refuge with his advise. He was right this time also, I knew it, but I had such a hard time admitting it because of the fear behind it. His soft voice was barely audible over the growing chatter around us as he leaned in to inquire faintly, "Do you trust me, Joanna?"

This time, I returned the questioning glance because he should know that I did. This warrior had earned a spot in my heart already for the way he treated me with supportive kindness (grumpiness aside) so of course, I trusted him. He wasn't the problem and I pointed it out clearly with a friendly smile, "Of course I trust you. It's me I don't trust. You might be able to hold me down in the sky but who's going to control my body when it wants to protect itself sky high by screaming at an innocent ikran?"

"I will watch after you, I'm not going to fly with you as a risk" he pointed out matter-of-factly and my eyes glanced down at the teylu piece I kept nibbling on. My stress was subtly hacking it to bits and I noticed his amber hue didn't stray from my face for a second. If I wasn't his friend, I'd be backing away slowly with 'crazy' floating in my head. My gaze lingered on his, allowing him to perceive the doubt and hesitance that dwelled there, and his fingertips touched my shoulder briefly while he suggested, "We could start on the ground and work our way up-"

"Tsu'tey, I admire your persistence to try but it's not something that can easily be overcome" I stated shamefully as my shoulders slumped forward, wishing every bothersome emotion could just roll off of them like water on rocks. It was ironic that I wanted banish my fears but at the same time, remained afraid to take those first steps. My ears flattened as my gaze flickered back between my leaf plate and his face, nervously admitting, "It paralyzes me and it's not a logical fright. I wish I could explain it better but. . ."

"Then let me help you, not all burdens need to be carried when there is ample support" he tried again with a firm expression and I sighed softly as he picked at my tightly clenched defenses to pry them open. For a man that didn't like conversation much, he sure picked the perfect words to say within each sentence.

I gnawed on my bottom lip as I was torn between decisions. One wanted to break free of the fear and conquer it like no tomorrow while the other wanted to stay with it because it meant safety. His hand patted the top of my head once before grasping it gently, turning it so I could stare at him directly. His eyes bore into mine and I witnessed that sparkle of tenacity in them as he requested simply, "One day. Give me that and if you feel comfortable, we will continue. If not, we will not."

"You never take no for an answer, do you?" I whispered softly, a small smile hitching at my lips to his determination to obtain what he wanted. In this case, however, it wasn't for his benefit but for mine.

"I've never learned otherwise" he returned cockily with his trademark smirk and I passed him a piece of freshly baked bread from my plate to agree to his proposal. I just hoped I wouldn't regret it and end up with an impaired nervous system or worse, a splattered gory mess on the ground. As always, he offered me a polite nod before taking the offering and a smile lit my face when a banana fritter was exchanged. Hmm, it seemed he was learning more of my eating habits as the days passed while I already knew most of his since our training began. Of course, the free banana fritter didn't come without a price (he was a mastermind, I tell you) as I tugged to release it from his iron grip and he proposed, "All I need is for you to say when and I will be there. . .but within three days."

I shot him a flabbergasted stare, my fiddling with the fritter coming to a stop, and he supplied quickly, "There is something I want to show you and it is time dependent."

"Argh, only because you make me feel bad when you do that face" I groaned miserably to his never failing puppy eye look when he flattened his ears. Darn those elf-like ears. Of course, his face relaxed into a boyish glance the next second after nabbing my agreement. Damn him, I told you he was a man of a thousand faces! I finally snatched my 'free' banana fritter from his fingers and muttered in defeat, "You look almost as bad as Peke."

He frowned distastefully to the comparison since Peke was as peppy as a toddler sometimes and I chuckled to myself. Like I said, he could change moods within a blink and I decided to return to my meal before it turned cold. The last thing I wanted to do was reheat it by the fire and picked up another piece of teylu to let the spiciness sink into my taste buds. Mmm, spicy goodness with a party in my mouth. My mood lifted to the good taste of the food since sulking over my weaknesses wouldn't help and complimented cheerfully, "You really are good at preparing food, you know."

That cocky smirk of his appeared on his face almost instantaneously and he suggested proudly, "I could teach you."

"Are you saying my skills aren't up to par with his highness?" I joked slyly with a sidelong glance aimed at him as we settled into the regular musings of our conversations and chuckled softly. I was certain that I'd never grow tired of his company and hoped times like this wouldn't change.

"You dare tease an unofficial but highly talented cook?" he tried to sound threatening but failed horribly when the corners of his mouth twisted upwards in a smile. Oh yeah, with a cocky humorist like him, days would not be dull in the slightest. He may scare away half of the population and animals with a single cold stare but to me, he was an onion. Hard on the outside but soft on the inside. . .of course, I'd never say it aloud or he'd chase me down like a thanator. I'd learned to keep my mouth shut after the jewelry making session that he tried to keep secret.

Our laughter joined the rabble of soft chuckles around us and I glanced at him to speak what was on my mind, "Tsu'tey?"

"Yes?"

"Don't change," was my simple but meek request.

. . ."I won't."

---

The next day, I reluctantly wandered into an open field that took about a ten minute walk from Kelutral and wringed my hands together since I no longer wore loose clothing to do it on. Close-fitting violet leggings and a loincloth covered my lower body while a tight halter-type shirt I created out of maroon cloth covered my torso since there was no way I was showing my midriff or chest just yet. Bras were practically useless for me since the elastic wore out too darn fast on all of them so I now opted on tying everything down with a cloth like people did in the old days. True, it made me appear more flat chested than I was but it was very secure. My handy satchel never left my side (I had to wash the poor thing soon) and the colorful bangles the children helped me decorate clicked against my wrists as I walked up to the coordinates Tsu'tey had given me.

I spent the night in mental conflict on whether or not to meet him within those three days and despite my fear of heights, my logical side knew it had to be overcome. If I remained afraid, I could not attempt climbing the Thundering Rocks and thus, never claim an ikran. There was only one true choice. In the morning, the first thing I had done was tell Tsu'tey that I would meet him in the afternoon and after he managed to swallow the bite of food I disrupted him from eating, he gladly agreed.

As the grass tickled the soles of my feet on my path up the clearing, I expected to be the first one there but found myself surprised when I wasn't alone. Tsu'tey stroked the snout of the large ikran that was his and I gazed at the gorgeous colors of azure and brown lines on its back while its wings and upper body held azure, purple, and subtle pastel yellows in a beautiful arrangement that easily made this ikran my favorite. Jake's was an ikran of blue hues, mossy green, and lilac while Neytiri had yet to claim an ikran (she finally would on the upcoming Iknimaya test for the first class) so Tsu'tey's had no competition. Part of me did wonder if he fed the creature a special diet to make its coat so healthy and sheen. Knowing the clever man, he probably did.

His ikran took notice of me first with its acute senses and I darted my eyesight to the ground like I'd been told many times. There was no way I was about to let myself get mauled by a grounded ikran and spoke aloud to catch my friend's attention, "Hello, Tsu'tey."

His footsteps didn't make a sound over the grass but I knew he was standing before me when his outline shadowed the crispy green grass. That still didn't prompt me to stare at him and he reprimanded playfully, "It is 'I See you', Joanna."

"But I'm not, your ikran will probably eat me as soon as I look at you" I pointed out nervously and cleared my throat at the discomfort of being so close to a dangerous creature that could kill me with a single bat of its wing. For all I knew, I was invading its territory and was monitoring me for the final break in respect.

Tsu'tey patted the top of my head while I tried not to feel to much like a child at it (he was trying his best, after all) and persuaded me gently, "No, look at me and say it. I promise Swizav will not touch you."

And what's to stop a something hundred pound animal from flinging you aside and eating me?, I thought sarcastically but held my tongue since my knowledge of ikran-rider bonds and behaviors wasn't too good.

I struggled for a few seconds with darting my line of sight upward and mustered up the courage when he released a small sigh of irritancy. My eyes got a full view of his angular face as he stood a few feet away and of his ikran from behind as it preened something interesting in its wing. I took this lapse of vigilance to greet him correctly with a nervous little smile, "I See you, my friend."

"Much better" he complimented with a pleased smile and motioned me forward as he declared proudly, "Now you will meet my Swizav correctly."

Wait, what?

I froze on the spot immediately because I did not want to be ikran chow since my nerves always got the best of me (pretty much rendering me clumsy) and my feet were way ahead of my brain by backing away slowly. Tsu'tey turned around instantly before I could run away in a crazy panic, already accustomed to my skittish behavior. His eyes pinned me down on the spot without the need of physical grabbing as he ordered firmly, "Come here, Joanna."

Damn, he was serious.

His tone eerily reminded me of his crueler nature and I flinched in my spot, remaining there without movement. Part of me instantly thought he was about to return to that harsh attitude as I eyed him with timidity that kept growing within me as the weeks passed but he grasped my left shoulder to halt it. My gaze lowered to the floor in submission because this was his domain and his ikran would swallow me in one bite if I questioned its master. His eyes softened as he requested faintly, "Please."

"No, I don't wanna" I mumbled sheepishly in English to slide out of it but he wasn't having it. He tried both the nice and mean guy bit against me so he wasn't having any more of my 'no' as his verbal ammunition hit zero.

"I assure you nothing will happen" he stated with self-assured certainty but I highly doubted it since he was the expert, not me. Swizav wouldn't dare to eat his own master but I was free picking on the menu. My fingers reached up to lightly squeeze the hand on my shoulder for support as I reluctantly agreed to his orders once again and he ushered me forward.

"You better keep the 'Joanna's not food' promise because I like living" I stated grimly to somehow sound threatening but horribly failed with my cracking voice. My feet proceeded to take small baby steps until I was behind Tsu'tey, my fingertips gingerly touching his upper back as I shamelessly used him as my shield. There was no way I was going to stand in front of the ikran because if it wanted to eat me, it would have to go through its rider first. My fingertips lightly pressed against his bare back to let him know I was there in a huddled bundled of nerves.

His low tone calmed me somewhat when he explained, "Ikran can be intimidating and Swizav doesn't like many people but he can spot a pure heart. Give me your hand and you will see."

"I want to keep my hand, thank you" I murmured back uneasily but Tsu'tey gave me a flat stare that practically demanded my compliance and offered his hand to me. My teeth nibbled on my bottom lip and he took initiative by grabbing the ends of my fingers to get things started. Since entering my Na'vi body, I had never touched another's hand (the quick pat of a minute ago didn't count for me) because of the social construct of personal space and plainly because the Na'vi weren't a touchy type species like humankind. The moment his fingers grasped mine securely, I felt. . .I'm not sure, really, but safety and trust electrified my skin as his firm grip enveloped my smaller digits. Most women would've been blushing or demanding as to why he took such a daring action but my mind was focused on the fearsome creature that could easily bite my head off.

I saw him place his other hand on Swizav's head and spoke to him firmly as a parent would, "This is Joanna, I'm sure you remember seeing her. She is a good friend of mine- don't stare at me like that, I've told you many times we resolved our differences. I want you to show her why being an ikran and soaring the sky is wonderful. Show her what the land cannot offer."

He pulled me forward with a gentle tug and I shut my eyes as the animal stood no more than a foot away. Tsu'tey lifted my hand unwillingly and my palm felt warm leathery skin under the shaky digits as Tsu'tey's hand wedged mine between his and the ikran's. . .well, whatever spot I was touching. I could feel the muscles shift underneath the pebbly flesh and felt a forceful exhale of air strike my chest as the closeness gave me more anxiety. Seconds later, I heard it sniffing and almost yelped when I felt a rigid and hard snout poking my left shoulder and the side of my neck. It was sniffing me? Ikran sniffed people? Well, this was new. Actually, I didn't know a thing about Pandora's animals; I was an anthropologist, not a zoologist.

Hesitantly, I beckoned with a shaky voice, "Tsu'tey?"

"He is doing that to recognize you and assess your threat level" he explained carefully in a dreadfully calm tone and I opened my eyes to glance at him worriedly as the animal continued sniffing me like breakfast but he only gave my hand a light squeeze. I breathed deeply and held it a second later when the animal reared back on its legs to relax. However, in my watching its actions, my frightened golden orbs met his and I felt time shift into a slow standstill as I counted my demise by those sharp serrated teeth.

It never came.

Instead, I remained staring at it with raw terror while its piercing gaze returned a lazy stare. What the-? Wasn't he going to rip my arm off? Hmm, maybe he didn't find me worth the time and effort. Nervously, I whispered to my friend without moving an inch, "Tsu'tey, why is he staring at me?"

"He doesn't think you're a threat. . .relax, Joanna" he answered smoothly with a small serene smile and leaned forward to stroke his ikran's head. Swizav returned the sentiment by nuzzling his neck as if it were as innocent as a baby tapirus. Had I missed a lesson where ikran were nice? Most footage I saw showed them tearing things and smaller creatures to bits like a shredder.

"But. . .but Jake told me ikran become hostile-" I stammered nervously as I remembered what the ex-marine had told me about his first encounter. Jake was the only one I trusted on the matter since he was human like me to begin with and remained the only Avatar with real-life experience. I began to count off every fact he'd told me about ikran to show Tsu'tey I'd been learning on my own and took advantage of every handy resource. Unfortunately, Jake's information was outdated and I was left with nothing useful.

Tsu'tey chuckled softly, the sound fading easily under the ikran's rougher purring, and he spoke knowingly, "Ikran must first smell newcomers. They approach you, never the other way around. You must give them that respect because they are our counterparts in the sky, our equals. We do not command them and we are privileged to ride with them. Jakesully probably approached it before Neytiri allowed Seze to smell him since he was a hopelessly curious man on arrival."

His eyes locked onto mine as he kept stroking Swizav's head, the ikran fully content with the lavishing attention, and explained calmly, "I know you are curious by nature as well, even more so than Jakesully. My Swizav will immediately let you know whether he likes you and it seems you passed. Otherwise, you would be cowering in fear at the moment," I managed to shoot him a small glare because I was already in shambles but he merely finished confidently, "I'm certain the challenge of showing you why the sky is his domain has caught his own curiosity."

"So if I get near him, will he. . .you know, eat me?" I asked discreetly as if saying it aloud would get the animal infuriated at me. I soon remembered that their hearing was acute and mentally slapped myself for the verbal slip but the ikran did nothing. It seemed blissfully unaware of me as Tsu'tey kept stroking his head with undivided attention. If it wasn't so fearsome, I would've found it adorable but no.

He beckoned me forward again with his free hand and I reluctantly obeyed with a mental groan of 'why me?' until I stood beside him with itchy feet that were ready to leave. I hoped to Eywa his arms would stay around the ikran's head in case it decided to nibble on my leg at any given second. Its golden eyes scrutinized me again with uncanny intelligence that straightened my posture instantly and I piped up meekly, "Hello there. I think you're the handsomest ikran around and if there's another one like you out there, I sure would like to challenge it at Iknimaya."

My nervous rambles caused him to tilt his head to the side and I took it as a sign of interest. Of course, I was judging him in comparison to what Peke's physical responses were so I may have been wrong too. Tsu'tey began to stroke the back of its neck, moving downwards with an amused smile and I winced mentally because every step he took was leaving me with the ikran instead of him. This is not what I had in mind when he said conquering fear. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and blabbed anxiously, "You see, I fell from Kelutral recently and am extremely scared to be high in the sky. I've always been nervous about it and Tsu'tey thought that you could help me get my own little wings back. Being the ikran of the Omaticaya's top hunter must mean you're the best ikran around-"

At this, Swizav gave a small trill and flapped his long wings, puffing his own chest out, which caused Tsu'tey to laugh aloud. I was surprised since he rarely laughed at that level and assumed he felt comfortable enough with me and the ikran to do so. He turned to me as he tried to calm down the proudly pleased ikran with a hearty pat to its neck and informed me delightfully, "Did I forget to mention that he likes compliments?"

I grinned to the idea of an ikran having such a quality in personality and hesitantly reached out to touch its snout. An ikran was both fearsome and gorgeous, and to have one inches away from me had my heart pumping like crazy but my eyes stayed glued to it. Swizav gave my hand a cautious sniff before lowering his head for a stroke. He accepted! I breathed in disbelief at being permitted and my hand touched his rough textured skin in gentle circles that had him rumbling his throat in content. My fingers remained in that center spot on his head and I murmured slowly to Swizav's docile manner, "Wow."

A moment later, Tsu'tey stepped in to separate our little bonding moment and patted his ikran's head to order good-naturedly, "That's enough attention for you today."

Swizav gave a small hiss of defiance but obeyed his rider with a gentle nudge to Tsu'tey's left shoulder. Their interaction wasn't the kind I expected since the warrior was all order and stability with other adults but he kept surprising me. I leaned forward to stroke the same spot on the ikran's head, watching its wings flap weakly in enjoyment, and joked aloud to ease my nerves, "He's just jealous you're handsomer."

I witnessed the equivalent for ikran laughter was a small flap of the wings as Swizav showed off and Tsu'tey pulled me away to lead me towards the back, muttering inaudibly to himself. I'd almost forgotten how humorously cranky he became when his pride was insulted. My body tensed instantly when I saw the moving ripples in the beast's back muscles and jumped back with a hesitant ramble, "Oh no, I can't get on him. A pa'li is one thing but an ikran-"

"Will help you overcome the fear" he insisted confidently and effortlessly attached his queue with the ikran's while I twiddled my thumbs nervously, forcing back any whimpers that tried to surface. Did he really expect me to ride this creature? Without any worries for both our safeties? I watched Swizav shake his head lazily as the connection initiated and Tsu'tey glanced at me to smugly inform, "He's telling me for you to get on before you wet yourself."

"Tsu'tey" I reprimanded for the ikran's insult (Seriously? They could insult you?) and rubbed my hands together in a feeble attempt to calm my nerves. I had never been this close to an ikran, nor did I expect to so soon, but I suppose I should count myself lucky that I wasn't about to tame it. My feet moved slowly towards the ikran, who was now staring intently at both of us with an expression I could only describe as 'hurry the hell up'. This brought on the question whether ikran sought riders with similar mindsets because I'd often seen the similar gaze in Tsu'tey. I crossed my arms shyly as I cleared my throat to admit sheepishly, "Um, I can't climb very well."

The hunter simply feigned a look of exasperation that matched Swizav's and gracefully climbed onto the back of his ikran in one movement as the creature merely let out a small grunt before flicking his wings upwards. How was I supposed to learn to do that? The man owned flawlessness I couldn't compete or even achieve at this point. Tsu'tey glanced at me with an awaiting expression on his firm features and patted the empty spot in front of him to call out, "Your turn. Jump and I will help you on."

"Jumping I can definitely do" I stated confidently since my leg muscles were in perfect working condition and jumped upwards to where he pointed while hoping my arm muscles wouldn't have to grip anything that required force. My aim was better than I thought and I landed square in the middle of the spot on my stomach but my legs, as always, dangled helplessly in the air. Why did this remind me of the old tree incident where I yanked his tail as a support beam? My tail struck something I'm sure was Tsu'tey's face and while I flopped around like a fish on land, he picked me up by the arms to settle me in an upright sitting position. Despite I just felt like a child being buckled into a car seat, I kept my remaining dignity by stating politely, "Thank you."

My legs were on either side of the ikran as the banshee harness pressed against my stomach and the queue antennae was off to my left where Tsu'tey connected his own to maintain the bond. I didn't have time to admire their special connection because I was wondering what the hell was supposed to keep me securely attached on this lizard bird! Even roller coasters had safety rails or harnesses and I had squat to hold on to.

I fidgeted uneasily in my seat instantly because I didn't want to become road kill this early in the afternoon but my attempt to make a daring last minute escape was thwarted by Tsu'tey. His right arm wrapped around my shoulders securely to keep me pinned in place, my clothed shoulder blades digging into his bare chest in protest, and heard him order firmly against my ear, "Breathe deeply. Relax. We are on the ground and I will not let you fall when we go in the air. Now, I want you to place your hands on Swizav."

My shaking fingers found a patch of skin between the harness and my body to rest them on. I could feel Swizav's intake of air as every muscle expanded under my fingertips until he exhaled everything to let his diaphragm relax and could hear the faintest of rumbles from within his body. This creature was truly amazing with every movement and my fingertips pressed firmly against its flesh to maintain that feeling of awe and establish a sense of personal safety. As if reading my mind, Tsu'tey spoke up confidently, "He will not let you fall. Ikran are strong and call the sky their home. We are privileged to share their domain so don't underestimate him."

"I doubt he can catch me if I fall, he doesn't exactly have talons to grab me" I pointed out sarcastically since ikran were entirely different to birds of Earth and muffled a whimper because I didn't want to go splat today. If I didn't conquer something today, I would surely be tying Tsu'tey's tail into a pretzel.

"All you need to do is hang onto the harness while I will support you along with Swizav which means there is absolutely no way you can fall" he assured with an amused snicker that caused me to nudge him in the ribs for his arrogance. Maybe he believed wholeheartedly that I wouldn't fall but I didn't. Of course, he had to call me out on it as he mocked sarcastically, "If you can nudge me from being irritated and not fall like this, you'll be fine."

Before I could complain, he whistled off something I'd no idea on since the Na'vi were all sounds with their animals and Swizav began flapping his wings to take to the sky. I let out a small frightened shriek as he began to lurch forward for takeoff but Tsu'tey kept me in place with one arm while the other took hold of the antennae for his own security. My first survival instinct was to throw myself off onto land but at the same time, that would probably bring Tsu'tey down with me and his ikran would crash somewhere else in the forest. Not a very nice thought or ending for all three of us as we kept gaining altitude.

I'm sure I broke the skin on my bottom lip as Swizav took flight into the sky without a single problem despite the flat land underneath us. He made it seem so easy and flawless but then again, ikran were genetically equipped for this. The cool air stroked my face as we flew higher and higher into the powder blue sky that was scarce of puffy clouds today. His wings flapped for about a minute longer as he accustomed himself to a low flight trip, I'm guessing because Tsu'tey told him to, and the fluttering sound faded when he grabbed onto a nice wind current to help him move freely. My feet dangled over nothing but tree lines below us that obscured the ground and my eyes widened at the height we were truly at because the trees themselves were always incredibly tall on this moon.

"You're only going to make yourself dizzy, now look at the sky" Tsu'tey ordered with a sharp reprimand to burst my fear bubble and I found myself obeying his firm tone since being gentle was going to go nowhere with me. He really was taking all of the necessary precautions and making sure he stayed one step ahead of me. My line of sight shifted to the feathery clouds above in the clear blue sky as Polyphemus shared it with the glowing brightness of Alpha Centauri. Honestly, every inch of this moon was spectacular whether at dawn or night. I couldn't get enough of it and was glad to have someone by my side that sought similar exploration as well. Otherwise, I'd be kicking a rock back and forth with my toes back home for adventure if Tsu'tey had been the slothful kind.

"Better?"

"Yes" I reluctantly admitted with a nervous breath as the wind whipped back strands of stray hair I hadn't braided down today and hoped no random bugs would end up in my teeth. I'd have to ask how the Na'vi dealt with that particular problem later. Swizav gave a small dip in altitude and my fingers laced through the harness openings that were there in the leather ties and hung on tightly in case the ride got bumpy. Tsu'tey simply laughed at my nervousness and I aimed a flat stare at the sky since I couldn't glance back but used my tail to bat him on his lower back for the jab. I let out a small hiss because I envied every skill he'd mastered, wishing I could do the same instead of huddle with fear, and curtly grumbled, "Don't get cocky just because you can somersault through the sky without a problem."

"Are you afraid?" he asked carefully as the ikran swerved toward the left where tree cover became more sparse and faded into open clearings. Now, I could truly perceive our altitude and turned my gaze back up to the feathery clouds. My fingers tightened over the leather strapping that tied Swizav's antennae into its strangely fashionable ponytail but felt secure when my back pressed against Tsu'tey's chest. His grip on my shoulders tightened slightly and I relaxed to calm my breathing because he would keep me safe. I trusted him to do so and I'd yet to be wrong. . .in case I was, may Eywa turn him into ash with a lightning strike.

I didn't dare myself to peek at the ground below us and directed my attention to the viewpoint of what Swizav saw. The cool wind dried whatever thin layer of perspiration that threatened to appear on my skin in response to my anxiety and let the soothing strokes take away my nervousness as I managed to answer, "Climbing is very different than flying, Tsu'tey."

"Then you shouldn't fear the altitudes of flight" he rationalized easily with a cocky tone and felt him press against my back as he leaned forward to say, "I am letting you get accustomed to this height but what I must show you is at least three times this altitude. Do you think you can handle that?"

"What? No! I'm about ready to die from fear already" I shot back instantly to argue his crazy idea and pushed my hands down on the harness in a desperate hope that it would descend. Of course, I knew that Tsu'tey controlled Swizav's movements entirely but my brain was on crazy haywire mode at the moment.

"You're not climbing, you are merely. . .soaring into the heavens!" he justified with a hearty laugh and I gave a surprised shriek when the ikran inclined sharply into the sky without warning. Tsu'tey, the jerk, simply kept laughing jovially into the sky as Swizav let out a small screech of his own that matched his rider's content. My heart, on the other hand, was a turbulent jackhammer in my chest and wished I had one so I could hit the hunter with it for his boldness. That particular trait was one I both enjoyed and feared at the same time because I never knew what he was going to do.

"Tsu'tey, this isn't funny!" I yelled frantically as the overconfident man allowed the creature to twirl vertically in the air and I screamed involuntarily at the sudden shift of equilibrium in my body. I'd never been upside down in my life and I was going to beat Tsu'tey with whatever I had on hand when we landed. I could only latch onto the harness and squeeze my legs against Swizav's sides in order to save myself. Yes, Tsu'tey kept a grip on me but he could always decide to let me experience everything firsthand and that would be the end of poor me. Oh no, I was going for self-preservation on this ride.

Swizav screeched loudly one last time before straightening out into the original horizontal route while Tsu'tey kept laughing throughout the whole thing. If I wasn't so afraid to move, I would've pulled out several of his braids when he remarked wittily, "On the contrary, I find this to be worthwhile."

I'm sure my expression at the moment looked like a wet cat's ready to claw out somebody's eyes and glanced down miserably to grab a peek in between Swizav's wing beats to notice that we were definitely higher than before. True, Pandora's gravity was lighter than Earth's but the idea of being this high caused tingly prickles to break over my skin at the horrible thought of falling down. I let my head fall back before I became dizzy from my prolonged staring and accidentally caused my untimely death by slipping off. This was not what I had in mind when the man said to conquer my fear. This wasn't a small toe dip in the fear pool, this was a huge headfirst splash into it.

"Why won't you trust me, Joanna?" his voice asked from behind which startled me since I'd been completely wrapped up in my own thoughts. The back of my head bobbed against his shoulder as I knocked myself back into reality, raising my head back up to its original position before I became drowsy.

I glanced back with the safest angle I could manage as my fingers gripped the harness every time Swizav received turbulence in the air current and answered honestly, "Of course I trust you, it's just. . .I was a scientist on Earth and Pandora, not an aircraft pilot nor a mountain climber," my gaze returned back to the front as I sighed despondently, "This is out of my comfort zone and it's natural for me to be afraid, regardless of who's with me."

"I will be training you all the way to Iknimaya, I will know your fears and you must allow me to breach them so you can move forward" he pointed out knowingly against my ear, his warm breath sending a shiver down my spine which I purposely blamed on the growing wind around us. I was reluctant to admit it was anything more than that (preposterous, really) and shoved the matter aside as he persuaded firmly, "I will be behind you, figuratively and literally, but you have to keep going, Joanna."

I knew he was serious and wasn't being funny about it because one, he rarely attempted to joke with serious topics and second, he was the direct 'in your face' kind of guy. Turning away to glance at the horizon below me, I realized how a tiny speck like me was lucky to see a sight this beautiful and it wasn't by my own making. Not even the body I inhabited was mine from birth, apart from my half of the DNA, so everything I received on Pandora was truly a gift. The Na'vi were firm believers in achieving goals with your bare hands to reap the benefits and traveling the sky with another being that trusted you enough with its own life. . .it was an overwhelming honor.

My own insecurities held me back from pursuing my goal that would allow me to have my own ikran, to call it my aerial partner in life and my closest friend. I felt tears sting my eyes but the fast air speed vacuumed them out of my tear ducts as I murmured weakly, "I don't want to be afraid."

"Say it in a possessive tense, demand it" he ordered sharply and my spine straightened as he startled me with his voice but regained my composure. His fingers tightened securely around the curve of my shoulder as he leaned forward, his chest pressing against my back as he commanded, "Say it."

I took a deep breath to gather a small coherent ball of thoughts and stated aloud with uncertainty, "I am not afraid-"

"Louder" he cut in with an unimpressed tone.

"I am not-"

"Louder!"

"I AM NOT AFRAID!"

"Again."

My lungs gathered all of their air and this time, there was no hesitance in my loud exclamation, "I AM NOT AFRAID!"

"Now, tell me what you want Swizav to do" he demanded as his voice flooded me with that adrenaline rush I needed to make me feel invincible and it took hold of that little flame of courage that sought to grow.

I wasted no time in answering this time and grinned wildly to pour out every thought verbally, "To soar higher, to fly until every tree is nothing but a speck, to. . .to. . ."

"Let me dictate what you should do?"

"Yeah- wait, no!" I exclaimed to his crafty add-on and used my right shoulder to nudge his in complaint since I couldn't rap him on the head. Honestly, the things he slipped into conversation to keep people on their toes and in his grasp. His soft laughter echoed through the air and reverberated against my back gently, gaining a smile from me. I let my fear fade away as the ikran soared higher into the clouds and decided to finally enjoy the beautiful trip Swizav was taking us (primarily me since Tsu'tey was in the driver's seat) on.

I relaxed in my seat, leaning against Tsu'tey as he guided his ikran flawlessly with one hand while keeping the other around my shoulders. It was here that I began to realize that I had absolutely nothing to worry about on this trip (unless a toruk decided to invade our party) and all of my jittery behavior only placed me in more danger. Ugh, for a woman of science and logic, I could be really stupid sometimes. We flew in comfortable silence as I innocently used him as my pillow, remarking aloud with a soft chuckle, "You really don't give up. This might not be climbing but flying can be marked off my fear list for now. It's the hanging on part that gets to me."

"I told you I was simply taking you on a flight, the teachings on guiding an ikran haven't even started since your muscles aren't thoroughly healed yet" he chuckled smugly with a carefree tone and I gaped like a fish since I'd interpreted this as 'learn to conquer heights' day. Instead of retorting like I usually did, I resorted to sulking in my seat as he advised wisely, "Listen to what I say, young Joanna. I am showing you how flight will feel but the basics of flying haven't even been attempted."

"Tsu'tey?"

"Yes?"

The mischief was plainly visible on my face as I muttered flatly, "You're a skxawng."

"It's not my fault your hearing's faulty" he shot back playfully with a triumphant laugh and held me to his chest when a strong current caused his ikran to swerve sideways. Instead of screaming, I laughed aloud as my peripheral vision caught a peek of the green grass below before my eyesight shifted back to its full view of the blue sky. His hold on me loosened slightly but the warmth of his skin didn't leave mine as he suggested carefully, "Would you like to return to Hometree now?"

I tensed instinctively as my first thought regarded those high branches and my voice cracked with the meek question, "You mean the high canopies?"

"We will walk down the back stairway until we reach the main spiral walkway of Kelutral, no climbing will be necessary" he explained slowly but I shivered anytime I saw those high thick branches, no matter the distance. My logic was strange, it didn't frighten me when I climbed into my hammock which literally dangled in midair but one look at those branches and I broke down like a cat near water. There was no use in asking my brain, it wasn't going to answer back. Besides, I knew zip about psychology and most of this stuff was taken care of by medication and therapy back on Earth. Either way, I was thankful Tsu'tey was dealing his own therapy by exposing me to it. The physical contact between us also comforted me in a nonsexual manner due to the many years I was void of it and felt incredibly fortunate for such camaraderie. His serene tone eased my nervousness as he assured, "I will guide you and if you are frightened, I will return you to the field immediately."

I was beginning to think he knew what was better for me than I did and reluctantly sighed, "Fine. Why couldn't you be one of the lazy type of teachers that's satisfied with a simple 'no'?"

I could already imagine the smirk on his face when he spoke proudly with a haughty tone, "Well, I wouldn't be the Omaticaya's best, now would I?"

---

I had finished scribbling down the day's events with a whittled sharpened stick dipped in black paint (proudly handmade by yours truly) when my ears picked up a familiar pair of careful but hasty pair of feet. My acute hearing had allowed me to learn his steps first out of everyone's and a small smile hitched at my lips for his visit. Tsu'tey always knew where to find me since I stuck to my favorite spots that were either at the base, at the roots, or the empty alcoves. I expected him to sit next to me like he usually did when we partook in afternoon personal chores since we required solitude to concentrate better. However, that wasn't the case today.

Instead, he forgoes his polite greeting to simply order, "Come with me."

My left brow raised to his hasty tone and I closed my journal to place it into my satchel, purposely slowing my movements to let him know I didn't find his mannerism polite. I didn't meet his gaze as I fixed my things but reprimanded gently, "Add in a please and we'll see."

"Joanna, time is of the essence here" he stated swiftly and motioned with his hand for me to go to him. I groaned aloud as I stood up lazily and hoped this would be worth it; I really liked that sitting spot and so did my butt. He walked forward in the direction he came in without waiting for me and I followed along as always, practically sprinting after his longer strides, as he reminded simply, "It is the third day."

Is that why I was running like hell's flames were licking my feet?

"What's so important about today? Did I miss a Na'vi holiday or something? It's not your birthday, is it?" I asked with confusion as I tried to irk him with my words for a hint but he said nothing. Great, I was talking to a brick wall again.

And that's as far as conversation went as we walked the spiral stairway toward the rookery of the ikran in the high canopies. It turned out that he hadn't been lying about an easier back path and 'monster' Tsu'tey (yeah, my brain was sluggish today) had been hiding it from me completely back then in his attempts to thwart me. If I wasn't so unsure of my current strength, I would've chucked him into one of the pools we walked by when we returned home last time as payback. I wasn't afraid of walking the upward path since it was centered within Kelutral's trunk where the thick branches spread out to twist around the sides so no climbing was involved. With his help, I managed to descend to the base without a problem and free of panic attacks. Back then, Tsu'tey-stein had actually taken me to where the branches diverted from the residential areas so I never got to see any hints of the rookery or the stairway. Yeah, the man was absolutely crazy when it came down to retribution and I felt pity for any future kids of his if they decided to lie to him (and trust me, they would; they're kids). Those poor souls would get the longest lecture in history with having such a rule abiding father.

So while I prayed for his nonexistent children, he called out to Swizav as we approached the thickest branch of the canopies and I held back a snicker when the ikran merely snorted from somewhere up above. Did I mention his ikran had the same stubborn spirit? Another sharp call finally summoned the gorgeous azure ikran to the branch and he landed in front of Tsu'tey with a defiant hiss but the hunter simply smiled. The interaction between Tsu'tey and Swizav was completely different as to how I saw him around other Na'vi. To them, he would remain stoic and serious as a top warrior was expected to be but with his ikran, the mask broke away and he appeared like a young boy meeting his best friend for the first time. Raw joy and mutual respect. I saw that every time he interacted with Aci and Swizav and could only find the answer lying within his past. He was an only child with no living family and here were two beings, one who was given to him by his parents and another who his father trained him to catch, who were the last reminders of them. In the end, those two were his family.

He caught my curious staring as his hands stroked the thick neck of the ikran as Swizav purred contently (he was such an attention hog) and attentively asked with his own curiosity, "What is it?"

"Nothing, there's just many layers to you that I've yet to figure out" I replied honestly with a small blush tinting my cheeks because I didn't want to appear nosy. He was a private person that allowed me to see what he wanted so I wouldn't press for anything more. My gaze met the rumbling ikran's and I gave it a polite nod, keeping my eyes downcast in respect, to greet, "I See you, Swizav."

His throat gave a small rumble of contentment as he sniffed the air around me and Tsu'tey connected his queue to the ikran, hopping on to seal the bond. My left hand stroked the center of Swizav's head since he was calmest during this moment of synchronization and heard Tsu'tey click his tongue in beckoning. At this point, I just wanted to know what he had planned since he was so touchy about it.

"Can't you tell me anything?" I asked exasperatedly, tapping my left foot irritably as I shot him a small glare. It's not that I didn't trust him but I wanted to know if I was heading into possible danger. Maybe if he had the interests of a singer I'd be in the safe zone but my friend here sought excitement in the wilderness.

"No, it's forbidden" he replied coolly as if that settled matters completely and my brow furrowed to the reply. That was it? Seriously?

I gave Swizav one last stroke to the forehead before planting my palms on my hips, tilting my head to the left as I questioned wryly with disbelief, "And you expect me to just come along? Aren't forbidden things usually bad? That's the whole point of them being forbidden."

He released a small hiss from between his lips when he saw I wasn't hopping on with the same enthusiasm as last time and rephrased his previous statement, "It's not forbidden. I am simply not telling you of the location because I chose to."

"And that's how planned events go horribly wrong" I muttered sarcastically under my breath at the common statistics and with Tsu'tey added into the equation, it was an avalanche waiting to happen. Weighing my options, I called out warily, "Is it far?"

"I'm forbidden to tell you," was his neutral response.

I balked to the answer and blurted out matter-of-factly, "You can't forbid yourself! You're the one taking me somewhere! If at all, I should be doing the forbidding!"

Swizav seemed to agree with his own little growl but Tsu'tey stroked his back gently to reprimand playfully, "Nobody asked you. I don't join your rookery issues. . .No, it's not my fault that Jakesully's ikran took your post. Well, he's the Olo'eyktan's- yes, I know you had the spot first. . ."

And I thought Peke and I had the strangest conversations. Apparently, these two were more alike than I thought and territoriality was a trait they both shared. I had to stop myself from laughing aloud when Swizav tried to swat his rider with his long tail as the hunter continued arguing about assigned sleeping spots. Okay, now I knew that even ikran had their own hierarchy. . .the cognition Pandora's creatures was purely astounding when compared to Earth's. Maybe if humans would've had queues, they wouldn't have annihilated most wild animals into extinction.

"Could we please get back on topic?" I interrupted aloud to break their little spat session and flinched visibly when their golden eyes stared me down. All righty then, never come between an arguing rider and his ikran. Gulping nervously, I mumbled sheepishly as I backed away, "Never mind. You two keep talking while I-"

"Get on, eve" Tsu'tey commanded instantly as he saw through my scapegoat attempt and I stomped my foot in defeat. The man was too sharp to fall into any of my verbal tricks anymore which told me I was either unknowingly giving him tips or I was lowering the mental challenges between us.

A second later, my mind interpreted his last word and I halted to protest defiantly, "Hey! I'm not a girl!"

His smartass response practically knocked me on my rear end when he questioned arrogantly, "Really? So I'm wrong in assuming you gained breasts by mistake and you're actually male?"

My fingers jabbed in multiple directions as I tried to think of a decent comeback but my mind had reached critical in its nuclear reactor. Instead, all I could manage to retort with was a steadfast but bold remark, "No, but who gave you permission to look at them?"

. . .

I'm not even going to say how awkward that made our trip but it got me on the ikran in the end and he shut up instantly.

---

An hour and a numb butt later, I was in awe at the scenery but with the unfortunate add-on of pain in my rear. Seriously, I needed to find a way to let the blood flow down there when I rode an ikran and would have to practice longer on Peke to get used to it. I wasn't used to long trips so this was something my lower half had to get accustomed to. But let's not stay on the topic of my butt because what I was staring at was ten times better.

"You brought me to the Thundering Rocks" I breathed in complete disbelief as the ethereal sight shocked me to the core and felt the mist of the nearby waterfall bathe my right side as Swizav swerved to the left. I was no longer afraid of flying on the ikran because I trusted Tsu'tey to keep me steady, plus my own balance was more confident than skirmish and this was without having to practice on the ground with a fake replica.

I could hear the groaning of the humongous rocks as the gravitational pull moved them along at a tediously slow but safe pace. I had seen the Hallelujah mountains from the RDA's Samson's' whenever I'd gone on an expedition with Grace to the sites on top of these majestic wandering islands but that view was nothing compared to this. I could taste the fresher but more humid air as we flew and everything else appeared so much sharper. I wanted to reach out and touch the moving rocks but Tsu'tey's chuckling snapped me from my reverie as he stated aloud, "Not exactly. Our destination is. . .here!"

With that, Swizav dove underneath one of the boulders and I cried out because my brain was still under the belief that the large thing could fall and crush us at any moment. My stomach dropped instantly as we were shrouded in shadow but Tsu'tey merely laughed alongside the happily screeching ikran. The two were definitely infectious and soon, I found myself laughing with them from astonishment at the neck breaking speed and the sudden rush of adrenaline. Swizav zoomed past it all without a break in velocity and we surfaced from underneath the shadows and into the light to greet another gorgeous sight.

The ikran nest.

Iknimaya.

My mouth couldn't form any words as flocks of ikran flew around the area protectively and waterfalls enclosed the nest on adjacent rocks as a safe haven for the ikran of the Omaticaya. An array of colors greeted my eyes from the ikran and Swizav screeched happily to any passerby's, their yellow eyes acknowledging him before a cry in greeting echoed. These creatures were honestly amazing but dangerous as I watched them interact with a peppy grin.

"I can't believe you brought me here. . ." I whispered breathlessly because this had been the last thing on my mind today. I'd expected to simply journal, take a ride with him over the forest, and head back home. . .but definitely not this. This man was finding ways to catch me unaware and I wasn't about to complain.

"I thought it would be a nice reward for your first flight" he admitted with that proud tone in his voice and I chuckled softly to his ingenious ways. My fingers reached up to squeeze his wrist as his right forearm was wrapped around my waist like a secure seat belt. There was nothing I could say that would do my emotions justice at this moment and heard him ask optimistically, "I hope you like it?"

I swallowed to keep my mouth from growing dry as the entire scene spell bounded me and smiled widely to answer, "Do I like it? Of course! More than you can possibly imagine."

I couldn't hold back the laughter erupting from my throat as the sight I thought I'd never see covered every inch of my vision and my eyes zeroed in on a certain rock that held multiple blotches of color. Of course, the blotches were really ikran that huddled in close masses since the main nest was the site of Iknimaya and I caught sight of blue figures at the left corner.

"It's Max and the others!" I called out to alert Tsu'tey happily but a second later, he let me know that everything was planned. Planned to such a perfection that I wondered if he would've brought me kicking and screaming if I'd refused.

"Of course, Maxpatel told you he was coming today and I decided for this to be a little incentive in your training" he chuckled innocently from behind and I leaned back when an ikran of yellow and purple whizzed by in front of us like a bullet. It didn't deter Tsu'tey in the slightest in his flying and he guided Swizav closer to the event taking place. His tone changed into his lecturing mode when he instructed carefully, "I want you to take notice of the region. See how much area you will have to fight your ikran and how you should go about it. What methods will work best? Remember to give yourself room for mistake or failure will be imminent."

"Only you could make a worthwhile trip into work" I mused with a soft chuckle as I took his words into consideration, scanning the area to see the distance between the entrance of the waterfall and the rocky alcove where the ikran gathered. I didn't get to finish the inspection, my fingers tightening on the harness when Swizav flew in a crescent direction. . .right into a nearby waterfall that drenched us! It wasn't one of those light mists that sprayed you but fat droplets that saturated my hair completely and rolled down my back and chest. I could hear the muffled laughter from Tsu'tey as I felt droplets falling on my back from his wet face and accused shrilly, "You did that on purpose!"

"Joanna, you must stop accusing me of so" he said, feigning a voice of hurt disappointment as Swizav shook his head to clear away beads of water rolling into his eyes. The waterfall was left behind us and with a quick swoop, I saw the entire field close up as ikran hung onto the rock walls, the nearby rocks, and pretty much any area that offered gripping. Some even stared back at us curiously as we flew by and I took notice of the hunters-to-be approaching from behind the waterfall, smiling as I caught a glimpse of Max with Peyral as they entered the field. He looked nervous beyond anything (I didn't blame him one bit) in comparison to the proud Peyral but I knew if anyone could do it out of all of the dream walkers, it had to be Max. If he didn't, then there was something seriously wrong with my perception of reality.

"He better have an ikran by the end of tonight or. . .well, I don't know yet but it won't be pretty" I threatened nobody in particular and felt his arm tighten around my waist as Swizav let out a screech that made my ears ring as always.

"It is time to head back now" he informed me and swerved his ikran to the right to fly away from the nesting grounds. I groaned aloud in disappointment because I wanted to see what would happen but I guess that was to remain a mystery for me because seeing the entire process would be like a cheat sheet. I shouted in alarm when a swarm of ikran passed before us but Tsu'tey only laughed amusingly to my unease. Did anything frighten this man at all? My sudden rise in anxiety didn't stop me from squeezing his forearm tighter to me for a sense of security and heard him explain easily, "Ikran do not attack others of the same nest. They are merely flying away as the test begins."

"Good to know" I answered back halfheartedly and enclosed my left fingers tighter on the harness, trying to hold back my apprehension. He might feel safe but I still expected an ikran to crash into us and send us plummeting down to earth. Who's to say they weren't like distracted highway drivers? Tsu'tey broke away from the flocks flying about but didn't head in the direction we'd come in from. This caught my attention instantly.

We weren't returning to Kelutral, were we? My fingers tightened yet again, enough to cut off circulation, and I asked worriedly, "W-where are we going now?"

He gave a light chuckle that didn't sit well with me and spoke slyly, "Oh, you will see. This is merely the first stop of our trip."

If that wasn't bad enough, he had to cackle loudly like those old cartoon villains to unsettle my stomach. What did I tell you, this man could be a suave pain in the ass.

---

(Third Person POV)

Of course, what Tsu'tey had in mind was anything but fearsome.

It was quite the contrary as Swizav landed neatly on a rocky ledge that acted as a natural circular barrier to conceal and protect their destination:

The Tree of Souls.

Joanna's fingers squeezed the edges of the harness as Swizav leaned forward with the momentum of gravity in his stop. Only when the ikran's wings folded back to announce their safe arrival, did she release the harness. Tsu'tey disconnected the bond in order to get off but Joanna's left hand clung onto his wrist with a vice-grip. He'd been having that particular issue since they departed from Hometree and reminded idly, "May I have my hand back?"

She flashed him a sheepish grin, which he'd grown used to after the last two midway stops, and let go of his wrist to quickly jump off the ikran. Her feet stumbled on the rocky ground and Joanna stopped herself before her toes touched the edge of the ridge or else she'd be rolling down the rocky stairway towards the bottom. She was never particularly fond of climbing the rocky walls that encased the area and opted to talk to the Na'vi at the ground floor rather than heading upwards. High altitude always got her queasy and she began the careful descent by leaning the left side of her body against the wall while her feet found little nooks to grab hold of. She balked in self-pity and slight jealousy when Tsu'tey practically sauntered down with perfect steps and latched onto his back like a frightened toddler.

He exclaimed at the sudden weight gain on his back, arms lashing out to stabilize his sudden balance shift, and heard her blurt out frantically, "Carry me with you!"

"Joanna, it's a simple hike down" he tried to compromise to the effortless hike down but she only tightened her arms around his neck, clinging closer to him. He managed to safeguard his windpipe from being crushed as he wedged his fingers between her arms and his skin. Otherwise, he'd be turning purple from asphyxiation.

"Of doom!" she added in helplessly and jumped up to clamp her legs around his waist to make herself into a Na'vi backpack, practically irremovable at this point. Tsu'tey could only sigh in dismay since such behaviors were for toddlers scared of cold water and thanked the All-Mother that his clansmen weren't watching this or he'd be a laughing stock all over again. Her left cheek pressed against the tip of his ear as she negotiated with a hopeful tone, "I'll be ever so grateful."

"Don't sound so childish" he scolded with an exasperated voice and proceeded to hike down the rocky slope with the added weight of his uneasy friend. He almost laughed every time he felt the flinching of her muscles when he purposely slid down to make the trek faster. Tsu'tey couldn't find better entertainment than this. If she were any other person, he'd have kicked them away the second they asked. . .so why didn't he?

I blame it on her character, he thought flatly as he found himself in another situation that turned in her favor rather than his. Not that he'd want to be carried around like a child or anything but having the offer open was nice. He would never do the things he did with Joanna for others so why did she have such a sway with his decisions? Was it because of their friendship? Yes. Then again, if it were Jakesully asking the same question, he'd most likely punch the man and lecture him about maintaining dignity. Was it respect? Well, she didn't have a rank but yes, there were admirable qualities about her. He admired Neytiri as well but she'd sooner slap him than let herself be carried around. So, what was it? That was the answer he wanted to get to the bottom of. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be today. In the end, Tsu'tey carried along with a grumpy expression on his sharp features while a peppy Joanna rode piggyback and enjoyed the view of the Tree of Souls.

"You're almost as good as Peke" she chirped in compliment with a Cheshire grin as she gave him a friendly squeeze in thanks and hopped off. She wasn't about to push her luck since her first time nabbing one had almost ended with him dropping her on the floor of the new Kelutral but his nature wasn't so hostile now. That wasn't to say he wouldn't get cranky. A cranky Tsu'tey was a natural occurrence.

He was about to pull the end of her tail but she unknowingly dodged his aim as she walked off and his fingers grasped air only. A frustrated growl formed in his throat as he grudgingly followed along, simmering in his defeat of not nabbing her swaying tail, and watched her line of sight turn toward the pathway that led to the old Hometree miles away. Softly, she reminded him with a small smile, "It's funny that I met you only a short distance from here. Time truly changes how people can shift from enemies to friends and vice versa in the blink of an eye."

"I'm certain that a blink was not in our timeframe" he stated simply to their turbulent beginning and remembered how they constantly fought at the bed of the tree to reign dominant in their debates. However, he wanted to undermine her place in his society while she'd only been trying to help. In hindsight, it really was ridiculous of them to have such a lack of communication that could've wiped away all those misconceptions within days. He had to blame his stubbornness on that one and looked to her to point out, "Jakesully and I became friends much faster than we did."

"Threatened by a girl, eh?" she egged on impishly but laughed as her fingertips touched the hanging vines. The warm energy tickled her skin as she walked through the beautiful curtain, turning around to ask curiously about the surprise, "So what did you bring me here for?"

At this, he smiled sneakily and dashed towards the trunk of the tree where the bed fused with the base. Thick roots littered the area as the smaller ones created safe stairs to climb and he sat on a thick one for added height. He always liked the high perches, they allowed him the perfect vantage point to survey areas. During his youth, he received many bumps and bruises when trying to climb the high roots but as an adult, it was as simple as breathing. His fingers grazed the vines gently in welcome as Joanna followed suit, mimicking every one of his movements until she sat next to him with an accomplished smile. At least now, she didn't fall over and topple him down by yanking on his leg or tail. Her actions amused him to no end and he found himself enjoying her company all over again.

He grabbed a vine into his right hand gently, moving it slowly between them as her eyes trailed the bioluminescent tendril. She'd forgotten how delicate and pretty the vines of these trees were, feeling as if her first time here was ages ago rather than months. The silence felt eerie after all of the chatter produced during her first weeks there and for a moment, missed Nitari's company. While she was occupied with watching the pinkish vine, he reached back to pull his queue braid over his shoulder. Gently grabbing the end of it, her gaze shifted to his braid and he explained to her, "I want you to experience tsaheylu with our past, with our Mother, with our world."

Joanna's stomach became unsettled and didn't want the tree rejecting her if she did something wrong. The pa'li already frightened her when their dominant spirit overcame hers in tsaheylu and she nervously reached for her queue. His fingertips touched the inside of her wrist to calm her soft shaking, knowing her uncertainty with the bond, and Tsu'tey assured firmly, "Nothing will happen. All you feel is everlasting tranquility, no malice taints the thoughts, memories, or prayers there."

The sensitive pinkish tendrils of his queue became invisible as they threaded around the vine and Joanna saw a brighter pulsing glow that remained steady for a few seconds until it faded away. Tsu'tey's eyes opened slowly and he insisted with a small encouraging smile, "Try it, Joanna."

"Only because you say so" she mumbled worriedly since her trust in him would have her doing crazy things just on his say so. Joanna was sure he'd have her jumping off a mountain one day. However, he never steered her wrong and she connected her queue a few spaces down to be on the safe side. The last thing she'd want is for the tendrils to have a mind of their own and literally link her to Tsu'tey, instantly creating a union for life. Boy, the drama and taboo that would cause in the clan. They would probably last in the gossip section of the clan for years to come.

'I can hear you', a familiar voice spoke up and Joanna yelped aloud since she didn't hear any vocal words from his end.

"Oh my Eywa, don't tell me it actually happened?" she exclaimed fearfully at the possibility of being saddled as Mrs. Tsu'tey unwillingly all because of her unexplored nervous system but was calmed down with a firm shake of the shoulders.

She stared at Tsu'tey with wide eyes, expecting him to berate her about unknowingly making him a part of her somehow. It's not like she wanted to! He could file for Na'vi divorce if he wanted- she'd agree wholeheartedly- but he brushed away her fearful thoughts by explaining calmly, "Using a vine together can sometimes allow you to intercept thoughts, especially for those who've known tsaheylu from a young age. I will be able to read your thoughts since you've been taught to express them without restraint after exposure to animal partners but your inexperience will not allow you to breach mine. This tsaheylu connection is similar to one with an ikran but it dwells deeper into a world we cannot experience here with our senses. This is why humans cannot understand how we See and call the destruction of our Mother as simple as 'moving a stick'. You will experience this and understand, Joanna."

He nodded for her to take a meditative position and she sighed deeply, asking unsurely with a frown, "And you won't laugh or grimace at the crazy things I might think?"

"If it's the same as what comes out of your mouth on a daily basis, I won't be caught unaware" he answered slyly with his trademark smirk and she grumbled under her breath at the jab. Well, that was one way to put her at ease.

Nudging his toes with her own, she closed her eyes and concentrated on tsaheylu for the deep connection. She expected to dwell within a foggy kind of area since this was the vast 'network' Grace often spoke about back at Hell's Gate but her mind remained perfectly clear as if the connection was with Peke. Instead of hearing one lone voice, however, she heard a chorus of many that grew nearer. Women. Men. Children. Young and old. No longer was she bound to the physical realm and could see the faintest of outlines wandering the vast limitless realm that was shrouded in white light as their movements shifted between erratic to slow coordinated gaits.

She could See passing scenes of history of years, decades, centuries prior as each setting changed with varying speeds. There was no sense of self for Joanna as her mind delved deeper into this real of memories and wished she had the ability to run or see her hands in the similar fashion as she'd done before Eywa in their meeting. Here, only the mind existed. She was beginning to feel lost as time shifted around her and wondered if the memories locked within the Tree of Souls noticed her existence.

"Tsu'tey'evi!," a female voice beckoned cheerfully and Joanna noticed the fluctuating shifts of scenes slowing down as the voice became much clearer through the realm over the echoes in the sea of memories. The scene became incredibly defined as all the others faded away and with quick strokes similar to a painter's easel, the piece of history was crystal clear.

"Sa'nu!," a chirpy voice called back and she watched a small figure, no taller than her waist (if she could see it), dash by as he ran happily with a small basket clutched in his right hand. Joanna couldn't help but chuckle fondly at the little kick in his steps as the basket dangled from his hands

There was no denying that the smaller form was Tsu'tey as she watched the youngster swing his little basket and smiled at the similar haircut he sported back then. His angular face wasn't as defined as it currently was (his round face making him plain adorable) but his expression was definitely more jubilant. It was rare to find grumpy children among the Omaticaya (excluding tantrum sessions) and Joanna wished she could smother the little boy in her arms since his smile was practically beaming with endless affection for his mother.

The first thing that caught Joanna's eye about her were the tiny round pastel beads that were intertwined in her long hair. Their sheen gave them the appearance of crystalline beads cascading down her long tresses in ripples and knew the woman must have had an elegance about her during her time among the living. Her features were soft and delicate along with her movements as she squeezed her son's cheek with a similar smile that Tsu'tey rarely showed nowadays. Joanna felt like smacking the older version because it really did brighten his face instead of his regular cranky 'touch me and I'll rip off your arm' stare he gave people.

"I picked iri! A tapirus tried to eat some but I scared it off!" he boasted proudly with a confident nod and brought the basket to his chest to display it.

His mother merely chuckled softly to his enthusiasm and praised, "Very good, my child. We can make juice and it'll be ready when sempu returns."

Tsu'tey grabbed his mother's hand, laughing jovially at his new task, and let her lead him away into the distance where they faded away into white light. Joanna was about to try following them (however that was achieved in there) to see if that allowed her to see more but felt an invisible grip holding her back. Seconds later, she found herself back in the physical realm as light from overhead filtered into her eyes as they opened. She gazed at Tsu'tey, who's eyes were already open, and he merely explained, "That is how you See. You've yet to learn how to delve into memories of old so I want you to follow whichever you choose. The one I picked for you to see was a memory of my mother's. Being an only child, many of her memories relate to my father and I. Have no worries, numeyu, I will be monitoring you and won't hold you back from exploring."

Oh, so he's the one that stopped me from tagging along, she realized sheepishly and hoped she hadn't come off as nosy for wanting to know more. Their pasts were still their own and neither was breaching that touchy boundary for the sake of their trust. I need to maintain my distance.

Her cheeks darkened slightly as she glanced away from him, inquiring politely, "So, do I get a different vine. . .follow after any random person?"

Disconnecting her queue from the vine, she rambled on hesitantly, "Will they notice me? Run away?. . .Can I talk to them? They don't know me but. . ."

He could see the nervousness creasing her flawless face and reached out to gently grip the tied end of her braid with his fingertips. Joanna thought he was about to give her a soft yank (which was a lightly stinging but gentle reprimand) but he simply led it back to the bioluminescent vine, his golden eyes watching the pink tendrils as they latched on again. His empty hand fell lightly on her shoulder as he became open with her and admitted, "I will not abandon you in any way, I promised you that many times already. The memories stored here are very special to me and I've never shared them with another person with this type of tsaheylu."

"Are you afraid I'll judge your past? I'm not going to turn into a thanator and thrash them to bits, Tsu'tey" she pointed out gently and reached upwards to place her palm over his hand. He was the most secretive about his past and emotions, she respected that immensely but he also needed to open up just a tad to let the healing process begin. Tsu'tey often avoided children. . .correction, always avoided happy children and Joanna wondered if it was due to his past. He told her his father trained him for his hunter status but as she listened to multiple Iknimaya stories around the hearth after last meal, parents of the students were always the first to see their new ikran but Tsu'tey never mentioned his. This gave her the assumption that he'd lost them before that stage in his life and maybe seeing the peppy youngsters brought back memories he didn't want to unlock publicly.

'I can hear you' he replied dryly through the mental link on the vine and she yelped aloud at being caught off guard. Oh dear, this was definitely embarrassing for both parties. She could only stare at the root underneath them to hide her darkening face as he added in, 'Stop using physiocology on me.'

"Don't do that! You're going to give me a heart attack. . .and it's psychology for the thirteenth time!" she exclaimed to save her dignity as her face darkened into a lilac shade for being caught. He found the shade intriguing since he'd witnessed about three shades for far and watched her fingers draw circles on the root, amber eyes shifting back up between him and the bark as she spoke faintly, "I just. . .I want to know more about you."

His face relaxed at her honesty and felt a warmness in his chest for receiving her endless sincerity, even when they drove each other insane. She never treated him wrongly or rudely but there was something he needed to fix with her personality. Ever since the fall, her attitude had dwindled into a meekness that sometimes rivaled Cheryl's and blamed himself for it since the accident was initially instigated by him. True, the old Joanna tended to grind his nerves with her smart-alecky responses but he saw that her real self dwelled under those bright curious eyes that stared at him and had to break that ice to make her resurface. Fear was crippling and he understood the logic in her psyche safeguarding her behavior but a nervous and shy Joanna just wasn't the Joanna he knew.

"I need you to break free of this fear, Joanna" he negotiated gently and she darted her line of sight to the space between them on the tree root yet again. She was evading the topic as always but it had to be done. His free hand tilted her chin upward to have her face him directly to address the problem and he advised kindly, "Allow me to help you. I managed to win in helping you overcome your fear of flight on an ikran and we were much higher than on branches. You are not meant to be wary or ashamed of failure. If you fall, I will fall with you. You are not alone in this world."

Lowering his hand to squeeze her shoulders in assurance that flooded her with that emotional safety netting he provided, Tsu'tey proposed, "I will open up if you do the same. Don't you want to be the old Joanna that pulled my tail and threw me in water pools?"

"Somehow, I doubt you'll like me afterwards" she replied flatly since he usually thrashed all over the place in a crazy rampage. True, she sorely missed her own spitfire in arguments and her independence, knowing that she wasn't as fearful then as she was now. However, she didn't want her headstrong personality to clash with his after all the progress they've made. For all she knew, their personalities could repel each other and ruin everything in their friendship.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he assured amicably, "I've grown to trust you, Joanna, and that is very hard for me. I can handle anything you throw in my direction and you've literally shot me already. The question is, do you trust me?"

"Of course, I don't soar through the sky at neck breaking with just anyone" she blurted out sarcastically but knew trust was something he held very sacred. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep asking her but she would remain the same with her answer. He might be daring, arrogant, and downright crazy sometimes in his methods but he was her protector. She shook a warning finger to give him a last minute out and reminded, "All right, but remember, you agreed to any embarrassing torture I hand out. . .that includes faulty arrows that might pierce your rear end again."

Satisfied with Joanna's answer, he let go of her shoulders with that little smirk of his, "Good. Now, I will let you see the memories of mother starting with my first year. After a specific altitude is achieved back at Kelutral, we will return and you will glimpse further into my history. Understood?"

With that said, he returned to the bond and she followed after him to enter the realm of joyful voices. He really wasn't kidding when he said nothing negative entered this spirit world. This time, it was different and she found herself being guided along as each flowing scene sped past her and knew Tsu'tey was guiding the connection. It was a shame he wasn't human or he'd be a computer systems expert by now. She didn't feel left out or lost as happy voices surrounded her and wondered if she could talk to them.

'You cannot, these are memories, fragments of our loved ones as their souls reside with Eywa in a deeper realm than this one' Tsu'tey's impartial voice flowed into her mind but what bothered her was that she couldn't 'feel' him as she usually did with Peke. She always knew Peke was with her within the bond, feeling his thoughts and emotions, but she had no sense of her friend at the moment. Of course, the hunter easily answered this conundrum as well, 'That's because your connection to Peke is a bidirectional and private, our connection here is unidirectional and it is not to each other. We are part of a larger picture where we send our prayers and seek enlightenment by learning past events. If this were tsaheylu with another Na'vi, you would feel and hear their every thought as if it were your own as the union binds two souls to one another. One day, you will understand it with your mate.'

A blurry scene stopped before Joanna and it began to clear up instantaneously as the event took place in a corner at the base of the old Hometree. Joanna could see several women weaving on the large loom of the clan where Tsu'tey's mother sat on a mat made of dry river reeds as she folded several large cloths of rich colors of burgundy, sapphire, emerald, and many other hues. A small boy sat next to her who couldn't be older than four and was wrapping dyed twine of red around a piece of wood to organize the recently dried thread before weaving it on the loom. He hummed to himself cheerfully, truly enthralled by his small helpful task, before singing aloud, "Tompayä kato, tsawkeyä kato, trrä sì txonä, Sì trr kato-"

His mother chuckled softly before correcting him gently, "Sì ayzìsìtä kato, Tsu'tey'evi."

His large golden eyes blinked with naïve doubt but mother knew best as she insisted, "I've sung the Weaving Song for many years before your birth, young one."

"Yes, sa'nok" he replied obediently, glad for the correction, and continued singing his song with the correct lyrics this time. His mother and the women around her chuckled fondly to the small boy as he kept fixing the twine.

'Hmm, I think I picked a bad memory, you might use this against me-' Tsu'tey spoke up thoughtfully and Joanna felt the lightest tug on her mind. Instantly, she objected to being carried away, trying to push him in whatever way she could mentally.

'No, I find it cute' Joanna protested, trying not to laugh, but he took away the scene and she could do nothing about it.

For the next half hour, Joanna would watch memories from his first three years of life and felt as if she was watching those old family vids people made for others to watch but she actually found this interesting. She'd expected to find a temperamental Tsu'tey with a similar frown from birth to age. . .well, whatever age he was, but found the complete opposite. The stoic warrior had once been a cheerful little boy that even back then, enjoyed helping people out and always found an activity to join. His mother had been a great friend of Mo'at's and Joanna could see why the matriarch took him under her wing to mold him into a warrior that would inherit her clan but destiny is a fickle mistress.

Tsu'tey might not have shown great emotion nowadays but as a child, he went into distress whenever his mother wasn't nearby and was usually calmed down with a piece of sliced fruit or a story by the hearth as he clung to her. She couldn't feel the emotions that cursed through Tsu'tey's mind as they watched this since his mental abilities at tsaheylu greatly exceeded hers. The pools of memories filled her with sufficient sentiments that made her long for such parent-child interaction that failed in her own childhood as she was saddled with endless babysitters and after-school activities that failed to provide a decent secure bond. It was eerily familiar how being ripped away from home changed both of them but the big difference was that he loved his parents endlessly and they returned that love. They were his shield and sword from outside dangers while hers kicked her out of the fortress to fend for herself and he was left alone with broken remnants of a once happy family because of her kind.

She was reluctant to leave the realm of souls when he said it was time to return home but obeyed since he was giving her a better deal than she was. She counted herself lucky at delving deeper as to who Tsu'tey really was and knew she'd have to open up about her own past to return what he was giving. Joanna expected that ending the connection would drain her mental energy due to the neurological connection to the brain but found herself more rejuvenated than before. Almost like a healthy caffeine shot. There was no hard evidence to support the claim but she qualified her experience as enough and delicately, let the tendril fall from her fingers back into his.

"I felt so many emotions" she whispered with astonishment to the array of voices that had just filled her head on the chronological trip. His face showed understanding to her observation and tears of relief filled her eyes as she stated with awe, "Eywa didn't reject me from Her realm-"

"You are one of us" he justified gently and disconnected his queue from the shared tendril, letting it rejoin the other strands. Connecting with the past always brought a combination of emotions but he didn't expect her to cry in the least. She didn't seem the type, despite being female, and thought she would only do so under painful circumstances. Crying was a subject Tsu'tey didn't like to deal with and usually tried to get rid of it in the most efficient way. His ways weren't typically the best but he'd try his hardest. His hand smoothed the back of her head as he'd seen mothers do to sniffling children and soothed softly, "Don't cry."

She sniffled softly into her hands, not ashamed as she normally would be at such an emotional act. Everything she'd experienced put into perspective what Grace wanted to learn and understand about the Na'vi and tsaheylu. If this was a mental connection to the past, how would a present connection to another living Na'vi be like? Imagining the depth Tsu'tey told her was no easy feat and doubted she could answer such a question. Trying to keep her voice steady, she stammered hopefully, "W-Where they t-there? All the others that you lost with the Tree of Voices?"

"Yes, a Tree of Souls harbors every heart that once beat to keep it as one with Eywa's" he assured softly and the answer seemed to calm her somewhat. Her questions humbled him since her concerns were never selfish and always for the good of the clan. With time, he would turn her into a good huntress.

"If the tawtute knew what they were doing. . .I know revenge isn't nice but I bet they wouldn't like it if we blew up their cemeteries and houses of worship" she hissed scornfully in remembrance to the RDA's atrocity and wiped away the last tears. She couldn't let him think she had no regulation of her emotions and patted her cheeks dry as she stared at him straight in the eye to whisper, "Thank you for sharing your past with me."

"We should go home now, Joanna" he suggested gently, not wanting the past to upset her and she nodded silently in agreement. Hopping off the root effortlessly, he gripped her smaller hands into his to help her down and she allowed him to with a modest smile in gratitude. His ears perked at this response, he didn't know why, but pushed it aside as he led her down the rocky walkway by the shoulders.

She huddled close to him as their strides matched and her meek voice spoke up against the silence, "Tsu'tey, will you and I have our memories here one day?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" he replied with a small smile to the path all people would walk in life and he and Joanna were no different. Her body leaned closer to his at the thought that they would one day cease to exist and wished to preserve this quirky friendship of theirs for generations to come. After all, who had an alien friend? Their antagonistic history and renewal into camaraderie could very well entertain masses of children and adults alike. Throwing a hunter into pools, getting your clothes burned, shooting that same hunter in the ass, playing the conga on his shaved head, being fed mountains of bland porridge until you vomited, all of that could amuse Na'vi of all ages.

She smiled bashfully at the sky as they approached Swizav and admitted longingly, "I want people to remember you and I. That we existed in this world. Joanna, the perky dreamwalker, and Tsu'tey, the stubborn hunter-"

"Why am I the stubborn one?" Tsu'tey scoffed dismissively because he knew for a fact that she was the same when she wasn't overly polite. Her brow furrowed at being interrupted in the middle of her profound moment and nudged him in the ribs.

He grunted with light annoyance to her action and she rephrased her words with a witty grin, "Fine, Joanna, the clumsy Hexapede and Tsu'tey, the crazy Prolemuris-"

"How about Joanna and Tsu'tey from the Omaticaya? Plain and simple?" he sighed aloud to her crazy nicknames, mostly because she'd stopped calling him Prolemuris and didn't want the fad to return. Still, her eccentric ramblings really brightened up his day whenever they were together. If she was blander, he might have had to hide from her but she kept life interesting.

Her tail swayed to the sides, batting the back of his right leg, and she muttered defiantly, "Fine, but I would've come up with the names sooner or later."

Tsu'tey simply muffled a snicker and led her along for the return ride home, not minding in the slightest when her arm draped around his waist. All in all, it had been an enjoyable day.

---

(Joanna's POV)

"You did it, I knew you would!" I cheered happily as I finished hugging my friend as our group rambled a load of congratulations onto Max for accomplishing Iknimaya. He'd come back a while ago with his ikran, a handsome ikran of camouflaging taupe and emerald green to contrast against the forest perfectly. It was gone now after Max had told him to head up to the canopies where the clan's ikran slept to find his new spot to live in (the ikran looked happy to do so) and tried to relax now that everything was over. He'd suffered a few bruises on his arms and cuts on his lower legs during the scuffle but he was safe and sound.

I patted his right shoulder with both of my hands with a giddy smile to cheer, "I'm so proud of you, Max."

"Yeah, I'm proud of me too" he perked up with complete honesty that gave our group instant laughter. Giving him my congratulations once more, I moved aside to allow Cheryl to get her share in as she rambled on in an excited pitch that had me stifling my laughter. Only Cheryl could be both happy and worried for you.

Spotting Norm next to me, I gave him a silly grin and suggested slyly, "You heading up there next, Norm?"

His body instantly stiffened to my idea and he laughed nervously in avoidance, piping up with a cracked voice, "Me? No, I need more practice, definitely more-"

"You're just nervous, Neytiri says you're doing fine" I pointed out assuredly to boost his confidence since Norm was doing far better than I was. And I mean far. The man was one step away from knocking on the ikran door while I was still on the freeway trying to find the street exit. I noticed his eyes shift to the left and I stole a quick peek to see another female in training named Tarazi passing by behind us. I found it hilarious that her features were similar to Neytiri (who knows, they might've been family) but her attitude was similar to Peyral, firm and proud.

A small smirk played on my lips and thought mischievously, Oh, that's the one I hear Norm's making puppy eyes over.

Unfortunately, it was a shame that Tarazi wasn't the least bit interested in poor Norm despite his friendly attempts to interact with her. Usually, she either called him a skxawng because of his modest disposition around her in public and because he lost whatever he wanted to say in private by the time she actually listened. Poor Norm needed help with the ladies which is why I felt like bashing Jake over the head at times since he continuously tried to push me into Tsu'tey's vicinity and should be playing matchmaker with them instead. Well, either them or tidying up the Cheryl-Noren affair all the way to the altar. . .or whatever the Na'vi did for their union ceremonies. I found it strange that I wasn't seeking such romantic companionship like Cheryl or Norm (of course, their modest souls would deny it) but then again, I was used to the 'all work and no play' rule. Was it normal for them that they should? After all, humans were emotional beings that sought such bonds. Or was I the abnormal exception? Who knows.

"Have you tried speaking to her today?" I drawled slowly with a sly expression and he directed his gaze to a nearby rock to pay it attention, looking more flushed than a boy who stole candy.

"I, um. . .no!" he declared awkwardly with a visible slump of his shoulders and hung his head in disappointment. Hopefully, I'd never encounter such woe of the heart. . .that and maybe my catch would give me the light of day instead of the brush off. Poor Norm, he really was an endearing sweetheart but the Na'vi ways were much different than humankind's. If you did not show skill in your profession, no matter what it was, then how could you provide that same dedication to your mate?

"Well, if that doesn't work out, there's always the singers and they like hunters so that's a win" I added in helpfully before his self-esteem plummeted into nothing. The dating scene had been nonexistent back in Hell's Gate for us 'eggheads' since we were nose deep in our scientific research. However, now that we were normal civilians with a new life, I suppose the other Avatars wanted the extra perks in the package. Me, I was okay being single and independent.

"Is it too much to ask Eywa for an ikran and a girlfriend- hey!" Norm pleaded with dramatic despair to the sky overhead but didn't get to finish as he was shoved aside by Tsu'tey. The other hunter took his regular spot next to me without a word, forcing Norm out of his place and wedging himself between us to supervise. What, did he have a designated spot next to me now? I shook my head at the warrior for his territorial action (not to mention his butting in) and my friend wagged a playful warning finger to tease, "If you wanted time alone, you could've just asked."

"Norm!" we both hissed in unison and he gave us an innocent sheepish smile before jogging off from harm's way. It was a good thing too because the hunter carried his handy knife at all times and he never hesitated to use it. Honestly, Norm and Jake were two peas in a pod; it was a shame they couldn't work on Norm's love problem only. I gave Tsu'tey a sheepish smile since today's outing had actually brought us closer in the mental sense and trust is what the Na'vi valued most.

"I assume you are happy about Maxpatel's success?" he inquired casually and I nodded with a happy smile because I truly was. Another one of the dreamwalkers was officially in (well, until the arachnoid part) and it meant another cemented brick on the bridge to acceptance here. I was certain everybody else would surpass me and despite it hurt to be left behind-

"You will pass one day" he assured me gently and my ears dipped sullenly as he read my mind as easily as an index card. On the other hand, he was one of the people I trusted most here in the clan and I didn't feel so nervous about opening up to him like I'd been months ago when we first started on a shaky friendship path. In fact, I trusted him wholeheartedly as I did Cheryl and that wasn't an easy feat for anyone due to my suspicious nature. On certain nights, he and I would talk about any problems that were solvable to let our stresses fade away and it worked most of the time. Whenever we couldn't solve something, we simply flicked tiny sticks at each other's hair to see who scored the most. Needless to say, he won all of them.

I wringed my hands together, shifting my eyes to the floor, and murmured faintly, "I'm happy about the new hunters and I should be because this is what we want. Acceptance. Then why. . .why do I still feel left out?"

I gave a short glimpse to the huddled jovial group at the center of the entrance and sighed despondently, "They're all stronger and faster than me, I'm like one of those little foals that lags behind. What ikran will want to be my partner? I'm weaker-"

He pulled me behind a curtain of green vines by the strap of my satchel and grasped my shoulders with both hands to stare at me intensely, "You are not weak. Every person is different and you had a setback because of me. You blame my arrogance on this, not yourself-"

"But I was awful before you scared me off the tree" I sighed weakly and gazed at the floor in self-pity because I wanted to be with the group to join in their chatter about who was going next. I wanted to go with them on that journey but my body wasn't ready in the slightest. I could see why Mo'at told me that my spirit couldn't compete with my physical form and hated such an imbalance. I didn't want to feel weak anymore, I wanted to conquer something and prove my worth to both the clan and myself.

I expected him to give me another pep talk but was taken aback when his arms enveloped me in a weak hug as he tried to figure its mechanics. Only Tsu'tey could go out of his comfort zone to please others, especially for a little dreamwalker like me. I wrapped my arms around his sides, pressing my cheek against his sternum to be comforted by the physical warmth. True, I wasn't human but certain traits didn't fade and there was something about skin contact that just put you at ease. For the moment, I would milk the friendly hug for as long as I could. I actually don't remember how long we stood there but I figured long enough when his body slumped against mine and hoped I hadn't put him to sleep. Tsu'tey was a man permanently on the move and even when he was sitting, his hands were occupied. Heck, probably when he slept, his mind was doing its own workout!

"Better?" he inquired faintly as he brushed back my hair in gentle strokes that gained him an instant smile from me. For a man that wasn't emotionally expressive, he definitely knew how to behave to achieve a desired result from others. The close distance between caused me to become self-conscious with my appearance and tucked any loose strands behind my ears before anyone saw what he was doing. I'd never felt bashful in his presence before and was thankful when he suggested casually, "Let us walk elsewhere and you will tell me about your day. . .apart from the afternoon. I was there, after all."

I also appreciated his habit of seeking the least populated places in Hometree because I liked my solitude at certain times, mostly the evenings. We walked alongside each other towards the east of the base's entrance where the clearings were empty by this time since the main focus was putting away the pa'li in the western clearings and fixing the training fields.

"I prepared some arrows, how about you?" he began the conversation with that politeness of his that tickled me funny and my lips broke into a smile. He made conversation very easy for me like Cheryl did and I wasted no time feeling comfortable again. There was an air about him that told you when he was being strictly business and when he was openly carefree (but with his impartial mask in place, of course).

"I was helping paint ikran toys with the boys and all that talk about ikran gave me an idea" I told him excitedly and grabbed my handy satchel to dig through it, his eyes lazily lowering down to watch my search. I let my fingers scan the contents as I thought aloud, "Hmm, necklace, twine, herb, stones- ew, something squishy."

He snorted at that, lightly amused at my peppy demeanor as he stood perfectly still with straight posture that shamed mine. Normally, I'd care but my attention was distracted when I nabbed the coveted prize and exclaimed successfully, "Oh, here we go!"

"This should be enlightening" he murmured sarcastically with a low pitch and I smacked his stomach with the back of my hand to show him I meant business. Of course, he shot me that annoyed frown of his but it did nothing to deter me.

Proudly, I pulled out a painted wooden miniature that bore every similarity to his ikran and grinned from ear-to-ear to declare, "It's Swizav. Kids paint their toy whatever color but since you never knew what you were going to get, I decided to make this little guy for you. I have an unpainted one at home so when I complete my test, I can paint the respective colors on it," cradling the little toy in my hands, I admitted sheepishly, "After everything you've done for me, I wanted to show a little bit of my gratitude. It's not much but. . .I hope you like it."

I gave him the toy with a giddy smile since this was my first gift to him (apart from all those lectures and free snacks he stole from my plate) and awaited his response, unconsciously swaying my tail for positive feedback. My demeanor changed from hopeful to slightly irritated when he didn't offer anything in reply, standing there like an expressionless statue, and pried, "Well?"

His brow went up as he studied the toy between his hands (it's not like I poisoned it!) and I crossed my arms, fighting back a dismayed sigh when he turned it at every angle for observation. Forget systems analyst, this guy could have been a criminal investigator on Earth! Finally, his suspicious eyes met my frustrated orbs and with a slow tone, asked warily, "Aren't you a little old to be playing with toys?"

"Tsu'tey!"

He chuckled to his own joke and I began to wonder whether my mad face tickled his funny bone since all he did was laugh when I was annoyed at him. I actually liked his little wisecracks since he no longer insulted me for his benefit and brushed it off my shoulders. He placed the toy inside his own satchel (conveniently made out of leather compared to my own of flimsy cloth) and I watched his movements curiously until he stared at me to state politely, "Even though I have no need for toys at this stage in my life, I thank you. To be honest, my childhood ikran toy resembled nothing of what Swizav actually looks like."

"I'm glad you like it" I replied cheerfully and grabbed his left forearm to tug him forward to a spot on the far left that led toward the back of Hometree. Spending large amounts of time with the children of the Omaticaya had gained me all knowledge of their hangout spots and secret hideouts despite my being much older. Eagerly, I pulled him by the wrist and piped up to propose eagerly, "Let's go show the children. I'm sure they'd love to hear Iknimaya tales since you take a lot of the young warriors for the test."

He frowned deeply at the idea since children were like the plague for him and didn't hesitate to voice his complaint, "I don't do well with children, Joanna. If at all, they tend to pester and annoy me within seconds with their high pitched chatter. It's like ikran talk, better to look at from far away and avoid at all times."

"What? I find them curiously endearing" I remarked justly for his view on them, raising my chin defiantly with a stubborn 'hmph' but he simply shook his head. There was no argument I could voice that would change his view on interacting with them and pitied his future children. I had half a mind to kick him in the rear but that would just raise his argument against the topic for acting in such an immature way. Still. . .a girl could dream.

"In other words, aggravating" he laughed aloud haughtily to my choice of words as he twisted them around with his own logic and I crossed my arms, trying not to fall for that infectious sound. Why was he always beating me in recent arguments? Months ago, I'd rile him into a standstill but nowadays, I just gave up and let him be. Hmm, maybe I had changed more than I thought.

"You're just too grouchy to understand the zest of youth" I teased lightly to get in one last word and pulled him along with me despite he dug his heels into the soft dirt to stop me. Great, now he was a life-size boulder I had to tug uphill. I grit my teeth to the immature but damn cunning action, using all the strength I had in my arms to pull him forward as I growled out to persuade him once more, "Unlike you, I'm tons of fun. . .and. . .children. . .love. . .me."

He cleared his throat as he muffled a laugh behind those pearly white teeth and I shot him a glare for it through my tugging, prompting him snicker out, "Maybe you should stop becoming one."

I was about to object to his rude claim but he pointed out nonchalantly with that arrogant air of his, "You do spend most of your time with them when you're not training with me. You must admit that, Joanna."

"I have Cheryl and Norm" I pointed out shrewdly to defend my pride and raised my chin defiantly. Okay, so he had a decent argument there but this was my way of finding entertainment and I wouldn't let him poison it. His eyes roamed over my body and I was about to scold him for such lecherous actions but quickly noticed his glances weren't toward my physique but to the jewelry I wore from head-to-toe. Jewelry I had created with the children.

Damn.

My shoulders slumped to the fact I played with children I could practically mother myself and felt two hands on my shoulders leading me away from Kelutral. Even if I tried his statue attempt, he'd simply pick me up with his strength so I reluctantly followed along. Knowing my teacher, he probably had something crazy in store for me after today's excitement and I asked warily, "Where are we going? You're not going to frighten children for amusement, are you? You scared them last time with that fake campfire story about shape shifting tapiri that sucked blood."

"Fan lizards. . .and I only enjoy frightening you" he replied firmly and I angled my head upwards to catch the briefest glimpse of a smile. He was taking me somewhere and smiling? What was the catch? I simply allowed myself to be pushed along since he was adamant on this new trip of ours as he explained enticingly, "Both entertaining and relaxing. . .without the pestering of children. You need time away for yourself, to reflect on daily life and future prospects."

I chuckled to his interesting plan because I loved the little creatures and my heart warmed to his proposition because he was thinking of me. He was a man of many hobbies so I would have to find a way to repay him with what I had but I'm certain that my little ikran toy was one step in that direction. Our previous conversation also made me ponder aloud as he led me away from the bioluminescent lanterns that beckoned visitors to our home, "Not that I'm complaining to your idea but at this rate, your views about children being annoying will not nab you the mate everyone expects you to take. If at all, that will repel them away from you for leagues. I should know, I'm a woman-"

"Do you want to see the lizards-"

"Yes!"

"Then be quiet" he lightly shushed me as we entered the bioluminescent foliage of the forest and he released my shoulders from his soft grip. His footsteps quickened as he sped past me into the glowing forest and his skin tone merged with the foliage as I tried to find him. Ugh, I hated when he did this to me (in the dark, no less!) and he tended to scare me witless by dropping down from an overhead branch most of the time to see my frightened reaction.

I ran down the narrow path, his footprints still indented on the patches of grass, and found myself alone in the crowded area. Great, just perfectly peachy! It was annoying when he did this to me in the daylight but I wasn't comfortable in the shadow of night just yet. I rubbed my creased forehead with the back of my hand and cursed aloud, "I really should stop agreeing to his ideas."

My fingers tapped the protruding flowers along the path to pass the time (and hopefully lure him out from hiding) as I walked further into the brush. My peripheral vision instantly caught a hint of cyan off to my left and instinct told me to run after it, yelling his name like an idiot to only be left behind again. Oh, he was so frustrating! I growled irritably under my breath since I hated diverting off a path (I sucked at navigation) and called out, "If I don't see you by the count of five, I'm leaving. One, two. . ."

I walked deeper into the thick brush of the forest as plants became denser here, their leaves brushing against my skin with ticklish prickles as I pushed them back, and I continued to call aloud, "Three prolemuris, four atokirina, five-"

Footsteps bounded up to me from behind and I turned around swiftly to find myself facing the man that kept leaving me in his dust. My breath caught for being given this awful runaround and wanted nothing more than roll him through a mud pit. I slapped his arm for the prank, mostly because I realized how vulnerable I was without him, and snapped sternly, "Where were you? I had to run off after you like an idiot."

He gave me puzzled expression as I failed to mask my worry and shook his head to point out sharply, "No, I kept going down the path and you veered away to the left. I had to chase you down. Why do you think I'm behind you? What was so interesting that was worth chasing?"

"No, but you were-" I insisted and pointed to where I'd seen the hint of blue fade off into the forest and suddenly, I didn't really want to see the fan lizards. Frankly, I wanted to go back home and curl up next to the warm hearth as a shiver ran down my spine. Nervously, my voice left my lips with a meek tone, "You never ran in this direction?"

His eyes scanned the foliage behind me suspiciously as my hands wringed together and Tsu'tey answered simply, "No, I was in front of you. . .over there."

I wanted to find mischief in that face of his but he was pretty much staring at me like I'd gone crazy. So he was right. If he hadn't been the one running, who was it? Shaking my head, I grabbed his forearm to dismiss the unsettling matter and suggested hastily, "Can we just go back and throw pebbles at the pools? Please?"

The tables turned and this time, I tugged him back to Hometree and we walked the marked path together as I held onto him but he said nothing of the physical contact. I wanted to get far away from this area to shake away that eeriness because all clan members were gathered inside the base as night approached. Last meal would be soon so nobody should be out this far with the exception of Tsu'tey and I since we dashed off for personal excitement. My friend graciously let me be and I huddled next to him like a nervous child, clutching his arm close to me for soothing comfort. Gently, he brought up the whole incident, "Did you see something?"

"I don't know, I thought I was following you. . ." I murmured confusingly and glanced up at him. I didn't find the idea of chasing down a complete stranger I thought was Tsu'tey comforting and wanted the thought banished. My protective friend, on the other hand, wouldn't be satisfied without a decent answer and I let a small sigh escape my lips. Hesitantly, I tried to assess any other possibilities for the occurrence, "Do hallucinations happen on Pandora?"

"Not unless they're induced" he answered slowly as he surveyed the area carefully for anything suspicious but everything was peaceful. I doubted anything would happen due to our closing proximity to Hometree but remained close to the hunter nonetheless. Just because there weren't unknown Na'vi about didn't mean predators weren't. His fingers grasped my wrist (it's not like I was going to run off anyway)and he ordered firmly, "Stay next to me from now on when we travel the forest."

"The only reason I got lost is because you left" I retorted with a frown but didn't feel like fighting with him on this. It really was hard not to feel like a helpless baby in this world, especially with my 'no training' ban, and reason told me to find safety. So much for having a wonderful evening. Sullenly, I inquired my suggestion, "Can we find fan lizards during the day?"

"Yes. . .but they're a better sight at night" he explained with a small smile relaxing his features and I took his word on it since I'd spotted none during my daily excursions. His tone lowered as his voice took on a casual but enticing quality, "I know of another area on the opposite side of Hometree if you'd like to see it. I won't leave you behind this time."

"As long as you don't leave me" I agreed softly to the suggestion and peered up at him as all of his long past lectures came to mind. Without weapons, my feet were my only weapons in the face of danger and I could only run for a limited amount of time. There was no offense with my body and the lack of weapons bitterly reminded me of how helpless I'd be in a serious situation. My voice wavered as I admitted softly, "You're right, you know. About me being a lost child in this world. I can't tell my north to my south-"

"You will learn" he promised warmly and my spirit lifted at that. Just hearing it gave me hope that I'd be a good huntress and tried not to let my scientific brain stack the statistics against me. The pulse on my wrist rose as his fingers squeezed lightly and he assured quietly with determination, "I will make sure of it."

His words brightened up my day- er, evening- and I kept close to him as I preened playfully, "I like 'friendly' Tsu'tey, can I keep him?"

A low chuckle of amusement was my reward as he tilted his head to the left to glance at me. A small smile reached his lips to compromise with his own humor, "Only for tonight. Tomorrow, I will force-feed you if you don't eat the breakfast I bring."

"But I'm not training and it's bland, it tastes like something a titanothere threw up and a tapirus stepped on" I pouted in protest to his 'trainer' food which was absolutely ghastly with no taste. My idle condition pretty much took away my sweets in fruits and fats in tasty dips which left me with no option but to hoard leftovers in my private nook to munch on. Luckily, he hadn't caught me yet or I'd be shaken by my feet upside down to let all of my hidden snacks fall onto the floor.

"Can I trade 'grumpy' Joanna for the 'friendly' one tomorrow morning?" he asked nonchalantly with that sly tone and I batted his backside with my tail. Cocky man.

"No trade-ins, you live with what you get" I rebuffed with a pleasant chuckle to our innocent banter as we treaded the new path to fan lizard haven. Our jokes easily settled the worry that had filled my stomach minutes ago and could happily say that my stomach acid drowned any bothersome butterfly quivers into mush. Squeezing his arm as I struck up our next conversation, I grinned at him to ask brightly with enthusiasm, "Say, did I ever tell you my pet hamster, Herbert?"

"Why no, I don't believe you have" he replied with an amused smirk and I decided to take it as a sign to indulge him with the information. He'd already shown me a bit of his past so maybe it was time for me to finally open up to him with pieces of my own. The bridge of coexistence that I'd sought since we met finally had us nearing its end as the weeks passed and hoped our friendship would last into old age. I could already imagine a cranky Tsu'tey complaining about the days of old and knowing me, I'd nag him about such complaining and to get with the times.

"Well, he was small, brown, furry-"

He gave me an awkward stare that floored me at the perplexity and blurted doubtfully, "Your animals have fur?"

This gave me a laugh for a full ten minutes because Pandora's fruits were the only things that had any since I'd yet to see anything with fur around here. In time, I would come to find this snarky, grumpy, stubborn, yet honorable, intelligent, and courageous man as the most important in my life.

It's funny how the hands of time turn your life around.

---

A/N: And so, we glimpse into Tsu'tey's airtight past and poor Joanna seems more timid by the passing days. It's kind of weird to see her insecure nature compared to her usual headstrong self but accidents can do that to you. Luckily, hers wasn't the type that could dramatically alter her cognition or personality permanently or Tsu'tey would be in deep trouble. The funny part is seeing Tsu'tey overprotective when they're at the friend stage and I'm already laughing at his future behavior when she's pregnant with his child. If I put this chapter out a little late- I already forgot the last update- it's because of my brutal semester. I might write like a demon online but talking aloud is nerve wrecking for me and I have four group presentations due and I just hate, absolutely hate, when team members scatter and leave you to do the work until the last minute to nab credit. Okay, now that I ranted out my long held emotions, I can't wait till the middle of December because then I can write to my heart's content until February.

Thank you for all of your alerts/fav's and for your loyal reviews, I appreciate them when they pop up in my inbox.

Na'viBambi: I haven't seen the special edition, I had to dish out $300+ for my semester in textbooks alone. I'll probably buy it later on when prices go down but I just imagined the whole school thing on my own. I might not update quickly like others, whom miraculously pop out a chapter a week (I give kudos to that, that was me before my joints acted up), but I do promise the chapter will be large in quantity. I'm glad you're still digging the story!

Crye 4 Me: Tsu'tey is the onion of all onions. . .hmm, that sounded better in my head. I see him as a private person since he's usually grouchy and proud around others so Joanna has to innocently prod him to open up. Onions make you cry at the start but once cooked, they're sweet as can be.

Soccer11: Yes, Joanna will be leaving for the Atykwe in later chapters. We'll just have to see how our Tsu'tey takes the departure of his buddy.

Death magic doom: I'm sure this chapter beats out the other one in length. I've always loved the environment and 'live green' motto (my parents are adamant on the healthy organic diet of it) so I use a lot of stuff in the story about it. My semester is tough in the aspect that we have group presentations due and mine are just awful, only one person is helping me out in two of my classes so we created the entire presentation ourselves and the rest simply want credit for doing nothing. As for your English, it's not bad and perfectly understandable. I like using Babel Fish and Google for language translations. Danke für den Bericht!. . .Hope I spelled it right.

Kudokuchan69: Yes, the anger that reigned in the first chapters is completely gone but that's not to say Joanna and Tsu'tey will be all happy giggles from now on. Even a giggling Tsu'tey is hilarious. The two are seriously growing on one another and of course, Jake will be playing chess to move them into the relationship zone.AvatarTingal: Thank you for the comments. Usually, you think the woman is the matchmaker but in this case, Jake will be playing cupid while Neytiri tries to keep a leash on him. Since Tsu'tey is the main character, I have to make him realistic since unfortunately, my writing can't be turned into a movie everyone could watch. If so, we'd be laughing at Tsu'tey being shot and Joanna throwing a fit.

Caleb's babe: Thanks for the 'I love it', I appreciate every word! I hope this chapter was long enough to show a bit of the innocent JoannaxTsu'tey fluff.

JackBlack: Ha, you got me with the first words but thank you. I'm glad that it made you smile at least once, that's what I strive for.

Taurean102: I'm glad you like the long chapters, this one is an entire meal's worth of brain food. Joanna loves to eat just about anything, I'm guessing since Earth food is all processed and she loves the raw food on Pandora. And no, Tsu'tey will not be joining our dear Joanna on her journey; I already feel sad for him.

1Timberwolf: Glad you're loving the interaction, I try not to make it too boring or tediously slow. Friends or lovers, these two fit together like a puzzle piece.

DarkInuFan: True, pa'li aren't specific on riders but Peke loves Joanna so she's claiming his as her steed. She'll keep him in the long run so we'll be seeing Peke grow from a timid colt into a strong stallion, which is ironically similar to Joanna's current development. And there will be more Jo-tey to come!

GhibliGirl91: Thank you for the kind words on Joanna. She's had a bad past ages ago but it doesn't hinder her entire life as some OC's might use that history for. I used a fusion of biographies I read and my father's childhood to create the background of Joanna to make her independent but kind. I always have issues with tenses and finding decent adjectives to make the story realistic has me scratching my head at times. I'm glad you noticed a bit of the sexual tension but there will be plenty of that in the next chapter as Joanna realizes her relationship with Tsu'tey isn't as platonic as she once thought. Thank you again for the review!

TheStabilityProject: Peke's just plain adorable so he has to defend his rider and try to make Tsu'tey soften up. I hadn't thought of using an ikran viewpoint but I'll definitely try it once Joanna gets Xeki. Hmm, Peke and Xeki sound the same in pronunciation: Peck-e, Sek-ee. Anyway, Tsu'tey's definitely softening up like Neytiri did but remains snarky as ever because that's him and I wouldn't love him any other way. And yes, this story will test me with the action plots in Iknimaya or as the Atykwe call it, Uteho'awkx. Well, there's a reason Nitari spoke to Joanna directly on her first day there and maybe all that tough love on Tsu'tey will mold him into something Nitari might approve of. There's a lot of information I'm using to create more depth into Tsu'tey's character as the chapters flow so we'll see.

xlostinmyownworldx: Thank you for loving the story. I try to make it as detailed as possible but not too much that a reader goes to sleep. The chapters are long so I always suggest a good stretching and grabbing a drink before diving into the length of the story to make sure your body doesn't give up halfway. I keep a cup of coffee to help me edit. lol.

Andie: I'm glad the fates worked to get you to click on my little title. I tend to forget things too, especially during school time, so I always bookmark my pages to remember (I have over a hundred at this point). Now if only I had the talent to create this into a film, I'd be happy. Cameron can keep the money as long as I see more of Tsu'tey and Joanna squabbling.

New Fan: A-ha! So you did notice the changes in her personality in the last chapter. Joanna's meek around everyone due to her self-confidence now and Tsu'tey's treating her like a piece of glass which is very unlike him. Don't worry, next chapter, we'll see her returning to her old ways since she promised to do so and snarky Tsu'tey' will be following along. I understand how hectic life can be and I'm glad the two part chapter 10 gave you such relief.

1stp Klosr: Thank you for thinking this story as one of the best, I heartily appreciate it. Your question actually got me thinking when it comes to the ikran of the sea. I created the camouflaging colors due to evolution depending on their environment but I hadn't thought of physical differences. I remember the purple Tetrapteron on Jake's first flight over Pandora so there is diversity among them and I'm currently looking at the different bird types that can swim or dive underwater. The Atykwe are efficient in sea hunting just like the Omaticaya in forest hunting so who's to say that the sea ikran can't dive underwater for prey. Thanks for the question, I love picking my brain over them.

Deep Blue Dragon: I'm glad I can showcase a decent Tsu'tey for the fanfic fans and thank you for the review. I hope your binder isn't too full with these long chapters! My physiology professor gave us hoards of information packets on human body systems (apart from our standard materials) and I've run out of room in two binders and I got to thinking 'how does Deep Blue Dragon do it?'.

Compa16: Ooh, a masterpiece! I'm enjoying the reviews I get for this story, truly. I hope I can keep the same quality as the chapters keep going. Thank you!

---

Next time:

"No, you chose fishing, you stick with fishing" I pointed out smartly in rebuttal and wringed the wet fabric in my hands to let the excess water fall on the grass to be absorbed. Shaking the cloth free of any remain, I place it over a flat boulder to dry in the sun as I stated haughtily, "I'll be doing my washing."

That cocky smirk widened into amusement as he joked cockily, "Did I forget to give you my share of clothes? You must remind me next time, Joanna."

Instead of retorting, I used the old locker room technique from Earth and smacked his rear end with the end of another wet fabric I'd soaked in the river. The resounding yelp of surprise and the wet slap was pleasure to my ears causing me to laughed aloud in victory. I truly missed these days of long ago and promised myself I'd never be meek because this was worthwhile.

"Wiya!"

"Don't mock a lady" I preened with wry amusement to knock him down a peg from that monumental pedestal of his and stood erect with a proud posture. Sometimes, my brain amazed even myself at my handiness.

Unfortunately, I was entrapped by a light but intricately weaved net the next second and chastised myself with a growl for being caught off guard. Tsu'tey's laughter carried over the gentle river current and I wriggled in my trap as my hands fought whether to break free or choke him. The latter seemed to be winning.

"This isn't funny! You better free me or I'll. . .I'll. . .I'll do something, you can be sure of that!" I threatened wildly but he only laughed harder, his voice echoing over the spacious area. Nets were always iffy for me and I never touched them since fishing wasn't my thing so I was at a loss on where to start. The openings were very small so I had to be careful of not entrapping my hair or accessories which only added fuel to my aggravation. Couldn't he have just dumped me in the river? That would've been a better punishment than this maze of a net.

Things didn't get better when he grabbed me from behind by the shoulders and I really did feel like the catch of the day. Curse my brilliant ideas! I could hear the cattish grin on his face as he spoke the words, "Should I skin my prey now that I have it?"

"No but I'm going to skin you when you let me out of here" I hissed angrily and wiggled in his grip for freedom but felt a tug on the top of my head from the net. Great, my hair just got caught. I stilled in my movements as my face twitched in boiling irritation and growled in exclamation, "If you ruin my queue, I'll chop off yours!"

"Joanna, that's not very nice" he stated seriously to my false threat (I really should've remembered our first meeting because of it) but I didn't care at the moment.

"Well, you're not the one who's losing hair follicles to a net!" I retorted defensively to add points in my corner as my fingers tried to free a few caught braids from the thin holes in the net. This day was turning out to be irritating and hoped it wouldn't get any worse. I fidgeted one last time to push him away and muttered under my breath, "Argh, I'm never coming to a river with you again."

"I was merely being playful-"

"I'd rather have you throw a fish at me than a net" I snapped sourly and carried the net like a long veil toward my washing rock. Oh, the sight I must be as I sit down to untangle it from my head. These are the kinds of stories you hear around the campfires to laugh at or blow out of proportion and soon enough I'd either be named 'the mistaken guppy of a Na'vi' or 'the net monster that lures men to the river as dinner'. My fingers worked on the untying the net off one of my lower beads and mumbled, "You need to think of better ways to be joke, I'd like to keep my hair intact."

He scoffed distastefully from his end and pointed out, "You are high maintenance sometimes, Joanna."

"Says the man with a nice set of hair" I argued snippily and hissed when he neared my area. I knew I shouldn't be biting his head off but I loved my hair. True, it sounded a bit vain but after enduring thin straw-like hair for years in result to protein deficiency and malnutrition due to my harsh college life, I wanted to keep my new mane safe. Tsu'tey didn't know the origins of my overprotection and I forced myself to calm down. He wasn't to blame, my little ego was and she was aiming a pitchfork at logical Joanna to agree.

Tsu'tey returned the same hostility in his hiss and stated bluntly with authority, "I'm trying to help you, skxawng."

My ego wanted to keep fighting the humiliation with its poisonous sword but humility allowed me to grit out tightly, "Fine."

So there I sat like a girl with gum in her hair while Tsu'tey untangled the netting away carefully with his skilled hands. I stared grumpily at the rocky shore with a frown that would've scared all the fish away for leagues. As if reading my mind, he muttered flatly to justify his actions, "I was only trying to amuse you."

"You don't need to do so, I enjoy my time with you. . .regardless of your crazy pranks" I replied gently with a small smile as his boyish grumpiness lightened the mood. There were days when I'd let him simmer in his own corner until he was calm and collected since I wasn't particularly fond of being angry. A piece of fruit candy generally did the work for him and he'd be mellow until he found something to nag me about. As a friend, I listened to any serious problems but most of the time, he was simply venting about his day. My fingertips tapped against my knees as I informed modestly, "I like the way you joke, it's cocky but subtle. You don't go out of your way to gain attention which is why we now find ourselves in this little bind because you chose to do so."