21. Trees of Stone
The Trees of Stone were very close when Neytiri said what Puvomun had already noticed: "The sounds of the jungle are gone."
There was indeed an eerie kind of silence over the area where they flew. Everyone sensed a chilly dampness in the air, and there appeared to be a kind of fog around ayutral atskxe that was just too thin to really see.
The group circled the set of three trees twice. The centre tree was so enormous that it easily dwarfed their home tree, and the other two were at least as tall as their home. But grey. The bark, the branches and the leaves all appeared grey.
Jake told everyone to look for animals and people, but that was hardly rewarding. No one could see through the leaves of the trees surrounding these giants, and it would be strange to find one of the Dreamwalkers high up in one of these three trees.
They listened more than looked.
"This is not bringing us much," Jake then decided. "We have to find a way down and have a look there."
Rakan and Neytiri dropped their altitude like rocks, scanning the forest roof. Then Neytiri's special cry reached them, and they all followed to where the two were circling.
Puvomun thought the two had lost their mind when he saw the opening among the branches. A nantang would fit through that, but not an ikran with its rider!
"There is a lot of space behind it," Neytiri said, "just go in one by one and wait for a while. Rakan goes first."
The singer watched how Rakan turned his ikran, which then simply seemed to fall through the hole.
"Puvomun, you are next. Just let Kilvan go, tell her what to do, not how!"
He did as Neytiri said, and as the tiny opening rushed up to him he closed his eyes. There was a loud noise for a moment, as the leaves flew by, and moments later there was silence and a lack of movement. When he dared to look, Kilvan calmly sat on a branch, as if nothing special had happened.
Puvomun felt tremendous admiration for his ikran as he slipped off her back. He pushed back the sheath of the knife that sat uncomfortably against his chest and saw Jake fall through the hole. Neytiri was the last one to come through it.
"So how do we get down from here?" he asked as he peeked over the side of the branch they were on.
"We jump," said Rakan.
"Jump." Puvomun knew that hunters did that. Hunters, and warriors.
"If you don't jump, I will throw you," Rakan informed the singer teacher.
Puvomun knew that Rakan was serious.
"Wait, Rakan," said Jake. "Look, Puvomun, it's easy." He jumped.
Puvomun saw the man's descent, falling onto large leaves, crashing into small branches, until he was out of sight.
"I'm down!" Jake called up. "It's not even that far!"
Neytiri secured her bow and jumped, going down the same way.
"You're next," Rakan decided, "and I am not very patient today."
Puvomun now really worried. He made sure his bow was not in the way, pushed the sheath again and looked down.
"Look," Rakan whispered as if there was someone else who could hear him, "first aim for that enormous leaf over there. That's a good one."
Puvomon saw the leaf and prepared to jump when he felt two hands - and then he was falling. Rakan HAD thrown him, and he landed hard on the first big leaf.
"Spread your arms!" he heard someone yell, probably Rakan.
With trouble he spread his arms, felt how he got tangled in twigs and vines, fell onto another leaf, tumbled over, hit a few more things and then landed on the forest floor, which proved to be much softer than most things he had encountered on his journey down.
"Are you well, ma Puvomun?" Neytiri asked as she helped him to his feet.
He was, and even his bow had survived.
"He's fine, you can come!" she yelled up, and the sound of someone falling onto things followed. Neytiri pulled the teacher to the side, to give Rakan ample space to fall.
Rakan landed almost on his feet. "There, wasn't too bad, was it?" he grinned.
At that moment Puvomun needed his self control not to do something about that grin.
"Hey, if it weren't for me you would still be up there."
Puvomun knew that was true. "Yes. You are right. I should thank you. But I won't."
"See if I care," Rakan shrugged.
Jake then took charge and led the way to the nearest of the three giant grey trees, while Puvomun wondered if he would be thrown up as well. Rakan would try that, the teacher had no doubts about that.
"They were here alright," said Jake.
On the ground there were marks of aysawtute footwear and crushed plants. Neytiri found a scrap of fabric hanging from a thornbush. One of the Dreamwalkers had gone past that too closely, obviously.
Puvomun watched as the other three looked for tracks and traces. That was not his expertise. As he waited, he slowly recited one of the older songs about the Trees of Stone.
"To come in here, you rise up high,
to enter low means you will die.
There's danger in my feet my friend.
Don't reach for me, it is your end."
He had at times wondered about these lines, and now he was here. He walked around part of the enormous base of the first tree and looked at it carefully. Except for what looked like mostly dried grass and some strange plants, he did not discover anything special.
"Puvomun!" Neytiri's voice.
"I am here. Going around the tree!"
"Be careful!"
The teacher kneeled down and looked more closely at the plants. It reminded him of something, but what... txumts 'wll! The poison squirting plant! This little plant had the same small tentacles on its leaves as a txumts 'wll had, which would trigger the poison to come out.
He jumped up and ran back, yelling.
"What is the matter?" Jake asked.
Puvomun pointed at the small plants. "These are the danger in the feet!"
"Uh - what?"
The teacher recited a part of the song and pointed at the small plant again. "Danger in my feet, my friend, it says. These plants are the danger."
"Did anyone touch those?" Jake immediately asked. It was crucial suddenly, as they all had no protection on their legs.
Nobody had, apparently.
"Good. Let's be careful."
They looked around a bit longer, but apart from more tawtute footprints there was nothing.
"Wasted trip," Jake muttered. "We just know now that they were here. Which we already knew."
Rakan, Puvomun noticed, was looking at the ground and slowly walked off. Not sure if he did the right thing, he went after the young man.
Rakan went further into the forest, then turned left. There was a large bush in their path. "That is not right," Rakan said.
"Why not?" Puvomun asked.
"This bush doesn't grow here. It grows there," Rakan pointed. He grabbed some twigs and pulled the bush aside.
"Pxasik..."
Normally Puvomun would have scolded Rakan for that, but not now.
They stood in front of a hole in the ground, many weeds and thornplants growing in and over it. And in the plants lay an unilt rantokx, a Dreamwalker body. At least, most of it.
Jake stared at the remains. "That's... horrible." He looked at his companions. "Anyone a clue what did this?"
The body's head was severed and lay upside down next to the neck. The fingers and toes were gone, and there was a large gaping hole in the lower abdomen.
"I think I know," said Puvomun as he bent down and picked up a long stick. "We may have to jump back, so be prepared." He pointed one end of the stick at the hole in the body and prodded the skin just over it. Nothing happened.
"Do you do that with all your-" Jake started to say.
Puvomun had prodded the body again, and this time something did happen. With a loud clicking sound, a black head came out of the body, followed by a long flexible body. It moved rapidly on dozens of black legs, the entire animal seemed to click and rattle with every movement.
The thing bit in the stick and tried to yank it from the teacher's hands. Several yellow-brown fangs sprung from the creature's jaws and drilled themselves effortlessly into the wood.
"Teylu akerusey. The larvae of death," Puvomun said.
"That is not a larvae, my friend," Jake commented as he pointed at the angry, arm-long thing that still wrestled the stick.
"It is, ma Jake. This is a small one. Do you see the yellow teeth? They contain a poison that makes a person unable to move their muscles in a second. And then the poison attacks the brain. It makes a person very very crazy for a short time, like a wildfire in the head."
Neytiri and Rakan stared at the animal in horror.
The stick broke and Puvomun pulled it back. "Look. There is something in the poison that also weakens the wood. Or the bone, or the flesh, that it touches."
"Something like an acid, I guess," Jake nodded.
"Maybe. If you are bitten by one, you can not survive. These animals mean death." Puvomun threw the stick away. "Even for 'angtsik, the large hammerhead."
"Maybe we should better head out then," Jake suggested.
Everyone agreed. Ayutral atskxe was not a good place to be.
Extra careful, they returned to where the ikrans were waiting, high up. Neytiri and Rakan surprised Puvomun again by going directly to a tree that was quite easy to climb. It took them hardly any time to get to the level where they had to be, and from there the ikrans were just a few jumps away.
Puvomun was very relieved to be high up again and climbed on Kilvan's back.
Neytiri was the first to fly up with Seze, Puvomun followed her, and then Rakan and Jake came through the small opening.
"Let's take the shortest route to the river," Jake said, "we'll head home from there."
Na'vi - English.
'Angts k - hammerhead
Atokirina - seeds of the Sacred Tree
At'sha - "Archer" (name of the man, chapter 14)
Ayewan - young ones
Ayfkio - many tetrapteron, four-winged flying animals
Ayfo lu tstunwi - They are kind
Ayfo makto n win - They ride too fast
Ayikran - plural of ikran
Aynivi - plural of nivi
Ayoey atxkxe - our land
Aysa'nok - mothers
Aysaronyu - plural of taronyu (also 'saronyu')
Aysawtute/sawtute - Sky people, the humans
Aysko / sko - bows
Ayunilt ranyu - plural of unilt ranyu, dreamwalkers
'Eveng - a child
Eveng - children
'Ewantu - young one
'Ewll - plant
'Eylan - friend
Eylan - plural of 'eylan
Eywa - the Goddess, nature, Gaia
Eywa ayoehu - Eywa be with us
Eywa ngahu - Eywa be with you
Fa'li/ayfa'li - plural of pa'li - horses
Fngap - metal
Fngap ta'leng - metal skin, AMP suits
Hayalovay - See you!
Hetuwong - plural of ketuwong - aliens
Heyn - to sit
H 'i - small
H 'pa'li - small horses
Ikran - mountain banshee
Ikran makto - ikran rider
Ikranay - forest banshee
Irayo - thank you
'Ite - daughter
Kaltx - hello
Karyu - teacher
Kava - alcoholic drink
K makto - go ride
Ke n ltsan - not well
Kefyak? - right?
Kehe - no
Kelutral - Hometree, where the Na'vi clan lives
Kelku lefngap - house of metal
Ketuwong - alien
K yevame - May we see each other again
Koaka karyu - old teacher
Kxam - middle
Kxawm - maybe, perhaps
Kxetse - tail
Lu - is, to be
Ma yawne - (my) love
Makto zong - travel safely
Mawey - calm down
Mesawtute - two Sky people
Meveng - two children
Mllte - to agree
Nantang - six-legged direwolf
Nga - you
Nga yawne lu oer - You are my beloved
Ngey - your (ngey sa'nok - your mother)
N ltsan - well
N prrte - you're welcome
Nivi - hammock
Numeyu - Student
Oe 'efu pa'li - I feel the horse
Oe irayo si Eywaru - My thanks to Eywa
Oe ke lu - I am not
Oel omum - I know
Oe tsleram - I understand
Oey koaka 'eylan - my old friend
Olo'eyktan - clan leader
Pa'li - six-legged direhorse
Palulukan - giant six-legged feline predator
Po lu - he is
Pxas k - very bad curse-word
Pxora'pam - explosion
Rewon lefpom - good morning (lit. morning good)
Riti - stingbat
Rolyu - singer
Rolun - Na'vi equivalent of "Eureka", I got it!
'Rrta - Earth
Sa'nok - mother
Saronyu - hunters
Sempul - father
Set - now
S - and (used in listing things)
S ltsan - good
Skxawng - moron, idiot
Sran, srane - yes
Srung - help (n)
Srung si - to help
Swizaw - arrow
Tam - Good, okay
Taronyu - hunter
Taw - sky
Taws p - Airship, flying machine
Tawtute - Sky person, one human
Teylu akerusey - larvae of death
Tokx - body
Tsa'u lu s ltsan - that is good
Tsaheylu - a mental bond, made by tendrils in a Na'vi braid to other living organisms on Pandora
Tsahik - spiritual leader, shaman
Tsamsiyu - warrior
Tsko - bow
Tsmuk - sibling
Tsmukan - brother
Tsmuke - sister
Tswin - queue, braid
Tokx - body
Txon lefpom - good night (lit. night good)
Txonam - last evening
Txumts 'wll - poison squirting plant
Ulte - and (used to combine sentences)
Unilt rantokx - Avatar (dreamwalker) body
Unilt ranyu - Dreamwalker, a human in an Avatar body
Utral Aymokriy - the Tree of Voices
Vitra - soul
Vitrautral - the Tree of Souls
Yawne - loved one
Yerik - six-legged kind of deer