Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. This chapter was supposed to come out right after the last one (to make up for the evilness of the last ending), but the plague (flu/allergies) struck and I've only been writing in short spurts lately.
The clearing held its silence as Mo'at moved to lean over Jake's Dreamwalker body as well, and the Atokirina that had appeared to be floating aimlessly sank down to land on his chest and head. There were more of them than Tsu'tey had realized, and their movement now had to be a good sign, but he still wasn't moving.
He heard a gasp, and then Neytiri cried out. Happily, fortunately, and he felt a grin stretching across his face as the Atokirina scattered again. It—he felt his smile fall as Toruk Makto pushed himself into a sitting position. But, of course it was Toruk Makto that moved, Toruk Makto was Jake was in his Dreamwalker body. Moving him there had been the whole point of the ceremony…if the transfer had not worked, then there would be difficulty.
Tsu'tey's fingers curled into his palm as his eyes moved back to the other form, though, just as a few more strands from the roots of the Tree of Souls grew up over it. Continuing to cover the still, pale Sky Person form that he'd become accustomed to calling friend.
It was a foolish thought. He knew that it was foolish thought. But as the strands continued to climb, he couldn't help the unsettling feeling that Toruk Makto had just killed Jake.
Toruk Makto tried to get to his feet, only to waver alarmingly, and Tsu'tey took an automatic step forward even as Neytiri slipped under one arm.
"You, sit," Tsu'tey's mother directed, appearing beside the two. /The muscles in this body are weak from sitting unused. You must sit for a time. Eat something./
For a moment Tsu'tey thought he was going to object, but then Neytiri pressed down on his shoulder, and with a muttered, "Yes, ma'am," he sank back to the ground. And then tilted his head back, his eye roll clearly directed at Tsu'tey. Tsu'tey couldn't even bring himself to smile in response, though. Not with Jake just lying there. Toruk Makto obviously noticed, as his grin faded to a look of puzzlement, but then the rest of the clan began making their way up to him and he turned his attention to them.
Tsu'tey slipped back further into the shadows as Toruk Makto's attention focused fully on the rest of the clan. He didn't want to be here right now, and none of the sentries would object to being relieved early. They would wish to see the results of the transfer as well.
Time passed, but the night remained quiet…although his mother would have objected if she'd known, he remained at the post he'd commandeered for himself until the sentry for the second third of the night came to relieve him. Again, he was being foolish. And also again, he knew that he was being foolish. But he could not stop the feeling. He found himself walking back towards the clearing, skirting the edges of the now-sleeping clan, to stare again at the familiar form now more than half-covered with roots.
"It's freaking creepy."
Tsu'tey started at that, one hand falling to the hilt of his knife before he recognized the voice. He hadn't seen Toruk Makto there, seated on the ground between two high roots, although he certainly should have. It was good that nothing had approached while he had been on watch; if his concentration was so fragmented, he would not have noticed a threat until it was upon him.
"You do not sleep?" he asked after a few moments of silence. Mostly because Toruk Makto was obviously not going to elaborate, and it would have been ruder than even he could justify to stand there and say nothing.
"Nah, it feels like I've been sleeping way too much lately. Besides, it was hard enough getting myself over here. If I try walking back over there without resting for a few minutes, I'll probably fall on my ass and wake everyone up. I'm lucky I made it this far; my legs feel like spaghetti."
"What is spag-getti?" Was there ever an end to bizarre Sky Person words?
"Well, spaghetti is pasta, technically, but all I meant was that my legs feel very weak. Well, they are very weak, I guess, and it's not that I'm complaining since at least I have functional legs again, but it's still a little annoying." There was a rustling sound as he shifted around but did not stand. "So what are you still doing up?"
"I was on watch." No point in bringing up the fact that he had assigned himself the watch, it had been on the other side of the clearing, and he had deliberately detoured past here on his way to the rest of clan. "What do you mean 'freaking creepy'?" It was easier to speak to Toruk Makto if he didn't look at him, he noticed…his voice still sounded like Jake's, at least. And with him sitting on the ground, his voice was coming from approximately the correct location as well. Tsu'tey didn't dare crouch down as well; he wasn't sure that the muscles in his leg would allow him to stand again.
Silence held for several moments, long enough that Tsu'tey wasn't sure if he was going to answer at all, and then, "I look like Tommy."
Tsu'tey wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to that—if there was a response to that—so he said nothing.
"I watched him burn," he continued after a minute. "The real him, I mean. I couldn't look away, not even when those jackasses in suits were trying to convince me to take his place so they wouldn't lose their precious investment. Bastards couldn't even wait until it was over. It's not as if watching changed anything, but…. I don't know. I wasn't there to stop it when it happened, but I could at least give him that much." A half-bark that was probably supposed to be laughter. "This, however, is just dumb because I'm right here and I know that's me and not him. Hell, if nothing else, the tats make that pretty damn clear; you would not believe the lecture I got on improper needle sanitation and the lack of regulation for tattoo inks after I got the first one. But for some reason I can't look away now either."
"Burn?" Tsu'tey asked after a minute. "I thought your brother was shot." Possibly—probably—an inappropriate question at this point in time, but he did not know what to say to the rest of the things Toruk Makto had just said To what Jake had just said. He must make himself think that way now. As wrong as it felt.
"He was. I mean, that's how he died. But humans…there's no place left on Earth to bury the dead. At least not in the place that we were from. So when we die, we're—well, they're, now, I guess—cremated. Uh, cremated…it means that our—their—bodies are burned to nothing. A cheap cardboard box and a red button and then all you see are the flames." This time the bark was definitely not laughter. "At least it's fast. I guess that's something. Maybe."
That was at least as horrible as anything else that Tsu'tey had learned about Sky People, but he still could think of nothing useful to say. "You are not on that planet anymore, and his body—your body—will not go to Eywa any faster if you sit here staring than if you rest," he finally managed.
"I can't. Like I said, I know that it's stupid, but…I just have to stay." More silence, and then, "Oh. Right."
Tsu'tey frowned and glanced down at the complete non-sequiter, wished that he hadn't when it was not the person—the form—that he expected there, and then snarled as his tail was yanked. Not nearly as hard as it could have been, especially given that the one doing the yanking was no longer a half-sized Sky Person, but it was the principle of the thing. "Do not do that again. I have told you this before; I will not do so again." If Toruk Makto had not been sitting down, Tsu'tey would have dealt with it then.
"Yeah, well, you dropped me, so it serves you right."
"Would you have preferred that I carry you? The ikran do not land in this part of the clearing."
There was silence for a minute, and then, "Okay, I guess I see your point. But you could have warned me, you know."
"I would not have had as much fun with that."
"Thanks. So much. You know, your mother is going to yell at you if you don't get some sleep."
"My mother is going to yell at you if you don't get some sleep as well. And you are far more frightened of her than I am." That didn't get any response aside from a scoff, so he counted himself the victor in the exchange.
"Hey, are you okay?" Toruk Makto asked after a moment. "Things were a little fuzzy at first, but that was a weird look you were giving me after the transfer."
Tsu'tey shrugged and then lied. "It is not usual for the Atokirina to cluster like that."
"Ah. I don't know why, but the little bloodsuckers just like me for some reason."
"Atokirina," Tsu'tey corrected sharply. "Not…bloodsuckers. They are sacred."
"Right. Sorry."
"Although I don't know why they like you either."
That got a quiet laugh—a real laugh—and then there was silence again.
After some more time had passed, Tsu'tey shook his head and dragged his eyes away from the Sky Person on the ground. "I must sleep now. You should too."
"Soon. When it's done."
Despite the fact that he fell asleep almost as soon as he laid down, morning still came too quickly, and Tsu'tey had a strong suspicion that his mother knew that he hadn't slept a great deal. But since she said nothing directly, instead spending her time checking Toruk Makto and those who had taken minor injuries on their journey, neither did he. He was more worried about the stiffness in his legs and how well he would be able to balance on Denan, anyway…the clan would begin the trip back to Hometree today, and while he was flying with the ikran makto he would not have the same opportunity to stop for rests as he had been able to yesterday. Of course, he would not have to hold a Sky Person on Denan's neck today either—he never would again—but it would still not be an easy flight. He was having trouble convincing himself that it would even be a possible flight.
He accepted a bowl of breakfast with an absent nod of thanks, eyes skimming over the clan members seated around him as he ate. All of them were obviously ready to be leaving, although none seemed particularly worried or rushed. The trip had been a success after all. And the body that had lay between the roots of the Tree of Souls was covered, now. Toruk Makto was sitting with Neytiri, the two of them speaking quietly, and in the light of day, Tsu'tey had no interest in asking if he had sat and watched until the body disappeared entirely or not.
/You will be able to fly today?/ his mother asked, appearing beside him, and he nodded.
/I will be fine./ He would manage somehow.
She shook her head and that, and he grinned slightly. He had never considered it before, but using 'I'm fine' to mean 'I'm not dead' was actually a useful application.
"Tsu'tey."
Tsu'tey twisted to scowl up at the person who had slapped his arm.
Toruk Makto completely ignored his expression. "Do you want a ride?"
Toruk Makto was Jake. Tsu'tey knew this. "What?"
He gestured back towards where Toruk sat, his deep red frame looming over the ikran around him. "I know we're supposed to be heading out soon, and I wanted to know if you wanted to ride with me. Neytiri's going to ride along on pa'li with Mo'at—I think she's way more freaked about what happened yesterday than she wants to admit—but he's fine with two. And it's a little easier than riding an ikran, at least if we're not going into battle. No offense, but you're kind of limping. More than I am, and I'm the one in the body with no muscle mass left to speak of."
"No." He was not a child to be given rides.
"Are you sure?" Toruk Makto shrugged. "Figure I owe you given how many times you've gotten stuck hauling me around lately."
Tsu'tey paused, mid-snarl. He was not a child, however an exchange…that was perfectly acceptable. And he could not say that he did not wish to ride Toruk. "Denan will not be pleased."
"Yeah, well, she already hates my guts. We've pretty well proven that. But I'm pretty sure that she won't try anything while we're on his back either."
Tsu'tey's tail twitched slightly. He had carried Jake many times. Including yesterday, which was why his good leg was so stiff in the first place. It was a true exchange.
Toruk Makto grinned, apparently reading his decision in his face. It probably hadn't been difficult. "Cool."
