The Yautja ship sent off missiles into the air across the forest. In mid-air they let loose smaller devices that rained down on the forest including the Na'vi's home. The small devices would be able to pick up sounds around them giving the Yautja an advantage as to where the Na'vi were. The devices were also useful in picking up conversations between the Na'vi.
"Activate the system. I want to know what is happening inside the main tree," the Prince ordered.
The sounds came back, were filtered, and then translated into Yautja. The conversation came in clear; it was Lex and the Na'vi leaders. The Prince listened closely along with his veteran associate. Lex was giving them information on Yautja technology, and how to defeat them in various ways. Once the conversation was over the veteran associate turned to the Prince.
"This is treason!" he said.
The Prince was not overly surprised by this revelation. "That may be a premature judgment," the Prince said.
"It seems clear to me," the veteran said. "The punishment for this crime is death. Your wife has caused the deaths of several warriors."
"They all joined this hunt voluntarily," the Prince said.
"They were not told that they would be strategizing against a Prince's wife," he replied.
"She is harmless. Remember that she was once a primitive human," the Prince reminded him.
"That conversation I heard was not harmless," the veteran argued.
The Prince stood up from his throne. "You're right. She must be captured and brought up on charges. As a Prince I am not above the law."
The veteran huffed in agreement and turned towards the door. The Prince went out of his room towards the bridge. "Take us down," he ordered.
The ship then hovered above the ground, extended its legs, and settled in a valley. The Prince and the veteran exited the ship with their hunting gear on. Using a whistle, the Prince called for his hounds. The monstrous creatures came out of the ship and started sniffing around. "Lead the way my Prince," the veteran said.
The Prince readied his spear and then suddenly sliced through the veteran's chest with it. The veteran was stunned to see the spear point through his chest. He then fell to the ground dead. The hounds immediately went for the body tearing it to pieces so nothing was left. The Prince then went back into his ship, and concocted a drink for himself.
After drinking it he went to sleep. The drink would erase his memory of having killed the veteran, so he could not be prosecuted for it later.
The hounds went with the Yautja warriors for the purpose of activating the traps. Many of the Na'vi traps were killing the hounds instead of the Yautja warriors themselves. The Yautja were also adapting to Lex's strategies and as a result some of the Na'vi warriors were killed. Na'vi skinned bodies were becoming common in the forest, and Lex had to restrain the Na'vi from immediately taking them down for burial. The Yautja also used their own traps to net or maim Na'vi warriors. The Yautja were also compelled to use different visual scanners to detect Na'vi covered in mud or slime.
"At this rate we cannot win," Lex told the leaders.
"We must bring forth a Toruk Makto," the Clansman Leader said. "Only then will we be able to unite all the tribes."
"What is that?" Lex asked.
"When a warrior is able to bond with a toruk he shall bring forth victory from great sorrow," the Shaman said.
"A toruk is a larger version of the ikran right? I think we need more than that," Lex said doubtfully.
"It has great significance to us. Whoever can bond with a toruk is the undisputed leader of the Na'vi," the Shaman said.
Lex saw that as ridiculous, but it could be useful. "Then we must find one."
Lex gathered some warriors together for the quest to find a toruk. "Who is the strongest of you?" Lex asked.
They discussed amongst each other and chose a male warrior. "You will ride an ikran and wear this," Lex said giving him the wrist band. She placed the wrist band around his wrist. "Push this and you will be invisible," Lex told him.
He tried it out and became invisible. The freaked out warrior then bumped into the other warriors. "Push the same button to deactivate it," Lex said.
The warrior eventually did so deactivating the cloak. "The toruk will harm you if it sees you riding an ikran, but maybe not if he cannot see you," Lex said.
"I shall be the Toruk Makto," the warrior said confidently.
Lex sighed believing it more likely that her wrist band would be inside the toruk's stomach. As the warrior was about to take flight Lex gave him one last bit of advice. "Attack from above. It won't expect that," she said.
"Attack from above," the warrior repeated as if the concept had never occurred to him.
Lex watched as the male warrior activated his cloak, and then flew into the air.
The Prince took his ship into the air and considered what he had been listening to. "We're going hunting for a toruk," the Prince told his pilots.
The pilots looked at a hologram of the creature. "How many shall we kill?" they asked.
"All of them," the Prince ordered.
The Yautja ship then shot across the sky looking for its prey.
Meanwhile, the warrior flew among a flock of ikran as he searched for a toruk. Occasionally they would fly near a flock of ikran looking for any weak prey. The warrior then spotted a toruk high in the sky nearby. The warrior directed his ikran to go higher in elevation. Sailing above the toruk, the warrior prepared for his fateful approach. Then suddenly the Yautja emerged from the clouds.
"Toruk sighted," the pilots informed the Prince.
"Commence firing," the Prince ordered.
The Yautja ship fired on the toruk but managed to miss. "Magnetic disturbances are interfering with our targeting computers. Switching to manual," the pilot said.
"Do not miss again," the Prince said annoyed.
The warrior saw his only chance and leaped off his ikran onto the back of the toruk. The toruk noticed the extra weight but none of its four eyes could see the rider. The warrior immediately connected himself to the toruk, which made it fly erratically as it resisted. The Yautja pilot found it difficult to target as the toruk flew around flying pieces of rock. The warrior finally took control of the toruk, and flew it towards the trees to avoid detection. The Yautja ship fired on the toruk, but it was able to avoid the slow moving plasma blasts. The Prince waited impatiently as the ship's pilots continued to fire on the toruk without success.
The Prince then stood up from his throne on the bridge and stared at the toruk as it flew a number of patterns to avoid being fired upon. "There's intelligence there," the Prince said to himself.
The toruk entered the trees, and flew through the branches and vegetation. The Yautja ship switched to infrared, and fired on the forest. The trees and vegetation were fried by the Yautja ship as it continued its assault. The toruk navigated expertly through the trees and giant leaves even as plasma blasts rained down upon him.
"Scan the creature and give me its mass," the Prince ordered.
The ship scanned the creature even as it continued to fire and gave a figure. "Match that measurement with the database on the species," the Prince ordered.
The two numbers were then placed on the screen. "The mass of the object appears to be slightly out of range for this species," the pilot reported.
"It's too heavy," the Prince realized.
"Break off the pursuit and enter high elevation," the Prince ordered.
The Yautja ship stopped firing on the toruk, and went higher into the sky.
The warrior flew the toruk to the tree village and was immediately celebrated by the Na'vi people. The Shaman immediately gave him the honored title of Fifth Toruk Makto. The warrior then handed the cloaking device back to Lex. "You have given me this honor," he said gratefully.
Lex felt warm and happy with these people. She couldn't help but enjoy their celebrations. Messengers were sent out to the other clans telling them that a new Toruk Makto had manifested. As the Na'vi celebrated, Lex stayed by herself faceless under her mask. The Shaman walked over to her to greet her. "I thank you," she said.
"My…people have brought this misery on you. I am a part of that misery," she said.
"You are not like them. You are different," the Shaman said.
"The truth is that I was changed into one of them. I was once a human," she said.
"A human?" the Shaman wondered.
"They look just like you except they are shorter and not blue. They have smaller ears and a different nose," she said.
"How did you become like this?" the Shaman asked.
"I was captured and poisoned," Lex said.
"You are no longer a prisoner now," the Shaman told her.
"Just trapped in this body," Lex said bitterly.
"We have a ritual where the mind of one being can be transferred to another being. Your mind could be transferred from your body into a recently deceased Na'vi body. You could become one of us," the Shaman said.
Lex stared at the Shaman and considered the idea seriously. "I would live with you?" she asked.
"Yes, and become a hunter of the forest. You would learn our ways and then become mated to any of the male warriors. You could have children and live a long peaceful life," the Shaman said.
Lex looked at Shaman and then at the other Na'vi. They were not monsters like she was. Their faces looked almost human without ugly mandibles and small eyes. Their hair was similar to her own human hair instead of a large bald cranium with dreadlocks. Lex looked at her clawed fingers and then at the Shaman's human looking finger tips.
"How can this be done?" Lex asked.
"Come with me," the Shaman led.
The two of them ventured through the forest until they came to an unusual rock formation. It appeared like protective ribs over a piece of land. In the center was a tree. The Shaman ventured over the tree, and touched the glowing strands. "This is the Vitraya Ramunong. It is here that we form our connection with Eywa. This is very sacred ground," the Shaman told her.
Lex scanned the tree with her mask. She definitely picked up heat and energy signatures coming from the tree. "Eywa is all life, it connects all life, and it binds all life together. Through this tree we can transfer your mind to another if it be the will of Eywa," the Shaman said.
"How long does it take?" Lex asked.
"It has never been done in my lifetime. I do not know how long," the Shaman admitted.
"What does it entail besides me and the body?" Lex asked.
"It will require all of us to come together for the ritual. You must pass through the eye of Eywa and make it to the other side. There is a risk your mind could become lost in Eywa," the Shaman said.
"I'll take that chance. I am ready when you are."