28. Foot patrol

Two groups of three started their round. Puvomun, Korun and a young woman called Neykal would follow a trail that moved with the sun, while Amhul, Ekirä and Ateyo would go the other way around.

They carefully picked their way, making as little sound as they could. Korun was in the lead, as he was very good at reading tracks. Puvomun had the feeling that this man could follow where a wasp had flown.

After walking for a while, they heard a few people whisper. Puvomun's first reaction was to hide, but Korun told them that they were close to Ekirä and the others. Soon they met the three who did the opposite round. They reported having found a small camp.

"It is abandoned now, but it was a camp for two people," Ekirä said. "Not even very far from Kelutral. I don't understand that."

The others were surprised as well, as the two men had been so angry when they left.

"Do you think they want to do something against the village?" Amhul asked. She looked around her nervously.

"I doubt that," said Ekirä, "they would have done that then."

"Still they shot at us at the aysawtute base," Puvomun reminded them. "I don't understand that."

"Maybe they were aiming at the sawtute who were there."

"That was only Norm Spellman," said Puvomun, "he was the only one. Why would they shoot at him while he has helped us?"

Nobody had an answer to that, so after some more moments they decided to continue on their round. When they did, they all were far more tensed as the first part of the round. They had solid proof now that Miktan and Tsu'wey were around.

Puvomun let out a relieved sigh when they had finished the round and entered the village again. The last half round had been terrible. He was certainly not the hunter or the warrior. Instead he had worried about one of the two men dropping onto him from a tree, or shooting arrows at him from an ambush, and he had beaten himself up that he had let Ekirä and Korun talk Amhul and himself into doing this. This in turn flared up his fear again, because Amhul and the others had not returned yet.

Neykal touched Puvomun's arm. "What is wrong, ma rolyu, dear singer?" she asked, and he told her about his thoughts of Amhul.

"Do not worry, ma Puvomun, she is with Ekirä and Ateyo. She is safe." Neykal smiled a reassuring smile and then walked off.

The smile was meant well, but Puvomun did not feel very reassured still. And Jake and Neytiri had left as well, so there was not much for him to do than put away his bow and arrows, hang his knife from his rack of belongings, and look for the children.

They were well taken care of by their mothers, he found, a whole bunch of them swimming and having fun in the river.

Seeing that he had nothing to do there either, Puvomun returned to his corner under Kelutral where he kept his materials, put some in a carrying basket and took those to a silent spot outside, from where he had a good overview of the clearing and the village in and under the big tree.

There were some toy ikrans to make, a few bows to repair and as always there were arrows to make, so he sat down and started working on those. He started on the toys, as those were easy and the best way to get into the mood for working on these things. The first ikran he made looked like a reasonable ikran, like he had always made. But there were some things not right, he thought as he held it up and looked at it from all sides.

Soon he was fully focussed on the toy and changed things here and there. All of them were small alterations, but in the end he was satisfied. He grinned to himself. Never before had he managed to put so much detail in a toy. But now he was ikran maktoyu, a rider of ikran, and that made all the difference.

After making a few arrows, he turned his attention to the bow. The string had snapped. Almost out of habit he looked at the bow better, but it was not that of Jake. He grinned as he recalled how often he had to repair that man's bow when Neytiri had been teaching him.

"Ma Puvomun!"

The voice made him drop everything and jump up. It was Amhul, who had finally returned with the others. Forgetting about the things he was doing, he quickly went over to her.

"What took you so long?" he asked as he took her hands. He noticed that she was surprisingly dirty, as if she had been rolling through grass and sand.

Amhul shook her head. "There is nothing wrong, and there is a good reason, but I can't tell you. Ekirä will tell when Jake is here. Is he?"

"No. The Olo'eyktan has left with Neytiri and they are still gone. That is what I know."

"Ah, good. I will put away my things. What were you doing?"

He told her about his repairs and she said he should go back to those, she would join him later. Puvomun watched her walk off. Then he tried to locate Ekirä or Ateyo, but they were not to be found, so he wondered what all this was about as he went back to the broken bow.

He had not even picked up the bow, when Lolet, Rakan and Nusumea Tirea appeared. From where Puvomun sat he could see they looked tired but happy. Their first priority clearly was to find some food, and Mo'at walked over to the three to talk to them. Puvomun decided to let them have their peace, they probably needed it.

The bow was repaired before Amhul had returned, so he collected all the things he had repaired so far and took them back to his corner, where he put the arrows in a basket for who needed them, and the bow was placed against the side, so the owner would see it was in order again.

When he walked back, to where Lolet and the others were still sitting and talking, Amhul appeared. She was all cleaned up again and took his hand as they walked along.

From the small group who had flown to the hill clan, they learnt that no more accidents and cave-ins had happened. They had spent the day there though, taking care of the wounded people and looking, with the hill clan, for more and safe caves to inhabit.

"I am happy that I don't live there," Lolet said. "These caves are dark and cold and they don't make me feel good."

That was understandable. The Omatikaya lived under the sky and the treetops were their roof. They were not used to living in caves. As they were talking, Jake and Neytiri returned. The group grew with many people suddenly, as Ekirä and Ateyo also sat with them now.

Jake and Neytiri had been out looking. Unfortunately they had not found a trace of the four people who were still out there.

"So what else is new?" Jake asked.

Ekirä looked a bit uncertain. "We saw Miktan and Tsu'wey."

"What?" Jake voiced the reaction of everyone. "Where?"

"They asked us not to tell." Ekirä looked even more insecure now.

Amhul then said: "We went round the village and the tree, to see if there were dangers, Jake. And suddenly Miktan stepped in front of us, and he said he needed to talk with us."

Ekirä took over. "They are sorry that they reacted so badly and left the village and they want to return."

"Of course they can return. We all have a bad day once in a while." He scowled. "Even when shooting at us later isn't exactly a bad -day-."

"They wanted you to know they were there," Amhul explained that.

"Strange way to do that," Jake muttered, "they could've killed someone."

"They did not want that. They missed you on purpose." Ekirä looked at Jake. "They are very good hunters. They don't miss if they do not want to."

"Uhm. Right. Was that all they had to say?"

"No. They have been searching for the Dreamwalkers also, and found traces that they've been close to Kelutral. But the hunters believe that these men are further south now."

"Yes, that's what I think as well. Is there a way we can talk to Miktan and Tsu'wey? I'm willing to let them come back, provided they can control their tongues from now on," Jake asked Ekirä.

"They said they will know if they can come back."

"How?"

"They did not tell."

"Convenient," Jake said. "Right, if anyone here sees them, tell them they're welcome to return."

Everyone nodded.

The day was coming to an end when a very unexpected visitor arrived. It was a man who had ridden his small horse all the way from the forest clan. The man was dead tired, he had probably not stopped more than absolutely necessary to not kill himself or his hì'pa'li.

Puvomun and Amhul saw several people run towards the exhausted man and his animal. They helped him down and half carried him, while others went to take care of the small pa'li.

"Come," Puvomun said. He and Ateyo had been with these people, maybe the man would be someone he had seen before.

It was an unfamiliar face, though, that looked at him. "Are you the Olo'eyktan?"

"Kehe. I will find him-"

"I'm here, Puvomun," Jake said. And to the newcomer he said: "Welcome, my friend. I am Jake. The Olo'eyktan of this clan. What brought you here?"

Puvomun translated for the man until Neytiri arrived, as Jake's words were not yet always understandable. Or Na'vi at all.

The forest clan man clearly fought between wanting to eat and drink, and answer Jake.

"We think we have found the boat of the men you are looking for," he said then.


Na'vi - English.

'Angtsìk - 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 nìwin - They ride too fast

Ayikran - plural of ikran

Aynivi - plural of nivi

Ayoeyä atxkxe - our land

Aysa'nok - mothers

Aysaronyu - plural of taronyu (also 'saronyu')

Aysawtute/sawtute - Sky people, the humans

Aysko / sko - bows

Ayuniltìranyu - plural of uniltìranyu, dreamwalkers

'Eveng - a child

Eveng - children

'Ewantu - young one

'Ewll - plant

'Eylan - friend

Eylan - plural of 'eylan

Eywa - the Goddess, nature, Gaia

Eywa ayoehu - Eywa be with us

Eywa ngahu - Eywa be with you

Fa'li/ayfa'li - plural of pa'li - horses

Fngap - metal

Fngapä ta'leng - metal skin, AMP suits

Hayalovay - See you!

Hetuwong - plural of ketuwong - aliens

Heyn - to sit

Hì'i - small

Hì'pa'li - small horses

Ikran - mountain banshee

Ikran makto - ikran rider

Ikranay - forest banshee

Irayo - thank you

'Ite - daughter

Kaltxì - hello

Karyu - teacher

Kava - alcoholic drink

Kämakto - go ride

Ke nìltsan - not well

Kefyak? - right?

Kehe - no

Kelutral - Hometree, where the Na'vi clan lives

Kelku lefngap - house of metal

Ketuwong - alien

Kìyevame - May we see each other again

Koaka karyu - old teacher

Kxam - middle

Kxawm - maybe, perhaps

Kxetse - tail

Kxi'txah - Na'vi phonetics for guitar

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

Ngeyä - your (ngeyä sa'nok - your mother)

Nìltsan - well

Nìprrte - 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

Oeyä koaka 'eylan - my old friend

Olo'eyktan - clan leader

Pa'li - six-legged direhorse

Palulukan - giant six-legged feline predator

Po lu - he is

Pxasìk - very bad curse-word

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

Sì - and (used in listing things)

Sìltsan - good

Skxawng - moron, idiot

Sran, srane - yes

Srung - help (n)

Srung si - to help

Swizaw - arrow

Syaksyuk - Prolemuris

Tam - Good, okay

Taronyu - hunter

Taw - sky

Tawsìp - Airship, flying machine

Tawtute - Sky person, one human

Teylu akerusey - larvae of death

Tokx - body

Tsa'u lu sìltsan - that is good

Tsaheylu - a mental bond, made by tendrils in a Na'vi braid to other living organisms on Pandora

Tsahik - spiritual leader, shaman

Tsamsiyu - warrior

Tsko - bow

Tsmuk - sibling

Tsmukan - brother

Tsmuke - sister

Tswin - queue, braid

Tokx - body

Txon lefpom - good night (lit. night good)

Txonam - last evening

Txumtsä'wll - poison squirting plant

Ulte - and (used to combine sentences)

Uniltìrantokx - Avatar (dreamwalker) body

Uniltìranyu - Dreamwalker, a human in an Avatar body

Utral Aymokriyä - the Tree of Voices

Vitra - soul

Vitrautral - the Tree of Souls

Yawne - loved one

Yerik - six-legged kind of deer