39. These guys are nuts
"Listen," Jake said, "we had no hand in this attack. You and we are trying to work this out in some civil way, right? Why would we then do something stupid like this while we know there are children here? I mean, you blew up a hangar on the base. We know about that. You have more bombs stashed away. Come on, guys, we're not crazy and nobody at the base has a death wish."
Puvomun had managed to calm down Siltere. He looked at Tey'ran whose body had been abused as well. The teacher suspected that boots had been used to inflict most of the injuries and had to bite away a surge of rage. Instead he looked back and asked if Siltere could have some water. She was clearly very thirsty.
"No way," Mankx barked.
Baker looked uncertain.
"Hey, catch!" Louis called to Puvomun, and threw a bottle of water.
"Irayo. Thank you."
As he let Siltere drink, Mankx started ranting at Louis for giving the water. Louis did not seem very impressed.
"If these kids die, there is one more clan that comes out to chew our asses, Mankx," he replied after the outburst. "We need them alive, remember? I told you a few times already but something's affected your brain I think."
Puvomun asked Siltere if she knew where the other man was, without mentioning his name.
"They tied him and put him behind the bushes on the other side of the camp," the girl whispered as she looked at the bottle, for some more water. "He was talking too much with us, they said."
Puvomun used some water to wake up Tey'ran, who moaned terribly when he tried to move.
"Calm, Tey'ran, tam tam, I have water for you to drink."
Mankx had finished cursing Louis and turned to Jake again. "Okay, you had your say, Sully. Now pack up your teacher and head out. We'll call you when we have our demands worked out."
"Worked out? I thought you had told Norm-" Jake started when Baker interrupted him.
"Yeah, we talked to him. But we may want some more, so don't think we're done yet. And call off your savages, we don't want to waste our ammo on them. All the noise frightens the kids, you know."
Barker and Mankx laughed, the sound raw and almost animal.
"Oh, and one more thing, Sully. Before you or Spellman get any funny plans about getting to us in the link-room... it's good if you all know that we all have a deadman's switch with us. Disturb one of us and the other will go back to his body and hit the detonator."
Jake remained silent. Puvomun heard the words and understood that there was another threat in them.
"Will they kill us?" Siltere asked.
"Kehe, they won't. We won't let them," Puvomun tried to reassure her.
"But you have to leave again," Siltere said, as tears started to form in her eyes. "How can you stop them when you are not here?"
"Hey! Enough blabbing there!" Louis, to Puvomun's surprise, came closer and pointed a gun at him. "Move back. Further. Further!"
As Puvomun stood far from the children, Louis made sure the two were tied to the tree securely. Tey'ran had passed out again. Pain tore through the teacher as he saw what happened, and he realised how helpless he was at that moment. The tree was near the middle of the camp, and there were fire pits around, so it would be impossible to cut the children free in the night without being seen.
"Puvomun? Come. We're leaving," Jake shook him back to reality. "We've said what we wanted to say."
"Sìltsan, ma Jake," Puvomun nodded. With difficulty he looked one more time at Siltere and felt a new wave of anger and rage rush through him. He clenched his fists and walked away, the girl's crying in his ears.
Walking back, Jake caught up with the teacher. "Man, I want to rip their throats out," the Olo'eyktan confessed. "I can't believe what they're doing. And irayo, for coming along and taking care of these children, Puvomun."
"I wish I could have done more, ma Jake."
Upon their return to the waiting people, Jake reported what they had seen, said and heard. "So who's going to stay and keep watch?" he then asked.
Ateyo and Miktan said they'd stay, so the others went to their ikrans and started the journey home, hoping that Lolet and the others would be there, with hopefully some good news.
They heard Rakan's loud voice as they came walking to the centre area of the village.
"They're here alright," Jake said.
The hill clan people had admitted to Lolet and the others that indeed they had taken up the weapons against the Dreamwalkers. They needed a revenge for the deaths these men had caused and they had gotten it.
"We asked if more dead Na'vi had made it better for them," Lolet said, "and if they knew there were two forest clan children in the aysawtute didn't."
"I think they were still proud of what they had done," Rakan said. "Their ideas towards Eywa are strange, ma Jake."
"I think this had nothing to do with Eywa, Rakan. This was senseless blood lust. I think it is time to talk with Norm again..."
Jake fetched the radio and waited for someone to get Norm.
"Jake. Norm here. What's new?"
After telling Norm what had happened, Jake asked how things were progressing at Norm's side. That sounded all promising: the building was closed and airtight, the air-systems were in place and the first test runs had looked good.
"I think we are making faster progress than we had thought, Jake," Norm said. "Do you think you can stall them for much longer?"
"I don't know, Norm. They said something about more things they want. Seems that their idea of getting part of the base for their own plans isn't enough."
"Jesus, these guys are nuts. Perhaps it is a plan that you come over here, Jake. If you have time. There are a few things some of us want to discuss with you."
Jake looked around, to the people who were his council, and the others that were there. "Someone here need me?" he asked. There were only shaking heads and the occasional "kehe". "Looks like I can take the rest of the day off, Norm. I'm coming over. And Neytiri will come along too, if she wants, is that okay?"
"I have no time," Neytiri snapped at him. "You go alone. You are good at going alone." She had not yet forgiven him that she had to stay and wait in the tree.
"Sure, Jake. I'll see you when you get here."
"See you, Norm." Jake put away the radio. "Right. I'm going there. If something comes up here, you know where to find me. Send someone fast in that case." He looked at Neytiri who still stared at the sand at her feet. "I'm going."
"I know. Go." Neytiri's dragon lady was showing again.
"Go with him, Neytiri," Amhul said, who was with the group as well. "Keep him out of trouble."
A shimmer of a grin played over Neytiri's features for a very short time. "Srane. I will have to." She veered up and looked at Jake. "Come, we go. And don't you tell me what to do. I know better than you."
As they walked off, grins spread through the group as Neytiri's comments became louder and Jake's responses more feeble.
Puvomun decided that he had the rest of the day off again, unless there was some sign that he had to go out again. Together with Amhul he spent some time singing songs with the children and then they went into the forest and sat together. There Puvomun talked with her about what he had seen at the camp of the Dreamwalkers.
He felt helpless and inadequate. Each time a memory of the two children came up it screamed at him, and it tore the man apart. Amhul held him and talked to him. He heard her voice, and that was the only thing that seemed to help him through the horror that he was facing.
When he finally had lived through the terrors, Puvomun felt exhausted. He lay on the ground, with Amhuls hands on his shoulder and arm as she sat with him, watching him, keeping him safe.
"You did many good things, ma yawne," she whispered to him. "Please, ma oeyä Puvomun, remember you are not a warrior who does this. You are a teacher and a singer who cares."
They were in the forest for a long time. When Puvomun finally sat up, he felt empty and in a strange kind of pain, but somehow the horror had been replaced by a form of peace, or acceptance.
Amhul and Puvomun walked back to Kelutral, hand in hand, silently. Before they left the trees, Puvomun pulled his mate into a tender hug.
"Thank you for being there for me, ma Amhul, when I need you."
"You need not say that, my love, ma yawne," she replied, "you do that for me as well."
"I may not need to say it, but it is good to say it. It leaves no doubt." Puvomun bent his head until their foreheads touched.
They emerged from the woods and walked to the fire that burnt. The sun was far gone already, and a crowd had gathered around the fire, while food was being prepared. Puvomun and Amhul found place to sit with Nusumea and Amaya.
"Some people wanted to go looking for you two," Amaya said. "We told them that you would be fine."
Nusumea Tirea nodded. "It was clear that this is very difficult for you both. You need time to deal with it."
"You know," Amaya said, "last night I had a very strange dream." She peeked over at Muzer, who sat on the other side of the fire, occupying himself with a piece of Yerik meat. Raising her voice just enough for him to hear, Amaya continued: "It was a very strange dream that happened at the waterfalls near our old home. I saw Muzer hanging from a cliff. Can you believe that?"
Muzer glared at her and pretended to throw something at her. "I don't go near these things. You know that."
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
Fkio - tetrapteron, 4-winged animal
Fngap - metal
Fngapä ta'leng - metal skin, AMP suits
Hayalovay - See you!
Henten - fan lizards
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
Kenten - fan lizard
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
Lonataya - Medusa, large floating animal with deadly tentacles
Lu - is, to be
Ma yawne - (my) love
Makto zong - travel safely
Mawey - calm down
Mesawtute - two Sky people
Meharyu - two teachers
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
Syuve - food
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