CHAPTER SIX – NETEYAM

"What?", Neytiri mumbled in a low voice, her eyes intensifying while never leaving Jake's eyes. He forced himself not to look away from her eyes, knowing the explanation he would have to give her was going to sound like another betrayal from his side. He could see in her eyes that a part of her didn't want to know more, while the other part demanded his answer.

"More of them will come someday. I don't know when, but they will arrive someday."

"How do you know that?", Neytiri asked, getting more worried, her breath turning heavier.

"On Hell's Gate where the Sky People are located, I saw avatar bodies… false bodies, you know? They have been growing avatar bodies, many of them. I think that somehow, those na'vi that were here know about it."

"Why?"

"I don't know how they know-"

"Why did you not tell me?", she asked in a low tone, almost whispering. Her eyes were still intensely focused on Jake. She rarely blinked but kept looking at him. Jake found himself speechless for a moment, unable to form words. At first, he tried thinking of how to explain everything to her, but then he suddenly froze instead. He realized that she was the one he trusted more than anyone else. That they knew each other. He hadn't been used to that kind of involvement. He looked down for a minute and saw his hand that was still placed on Neytiri's leg. She hadn't removed it, which was the opposite of when she had pushed him away back when he admitted his knowledge of the RDA's plan. He closed his eyes for a brief moment whereafter he looked back up at Neytiri.

"I've kept enough knowledge from you in the past."

For a long time, they just looked at each other, neither of them moving at all. Jake patiently waited for a response from her. She would not even react at first. She only sat still, looking into his eyes. Her eyes were always filled with such emotion. This time they felt the same but different. To Jake, they seemed the same in a way that was unusual to him. Her eyes told so much that they did not tell anything. She had told him once: when you see nothing, you will see everything, but this time he saw her so clearly that he saw nothing in the way she looked at him. He could not figure her out. She briefly breathed out and breathed in again through her elegant nose. For the first time, she broke the eye contact, leaving Jake with no clue why. Was it out of anger? Or disappointment? He had no idea at this point. After looking distantly at the ground, she looked back at him and seemed to be gathering words that she was about to resurrect their conversation with.

"I was raised by a father and a mother… and I want my son to be raised by his father and his mother."

"Is that forgiveness… or is it blame?"

Neytiri did not answer but placed her hands on her stomach for a moment. Her emotions were forming the entire atmosphere around them, yet Jake found it difficult to understand them.

"You didn't tell me you'd seen the strangers, either", he heard himself tell her and had already begun regretting it as he said it. She gave him another intense look before she slowly got herself up, intending to walk away. She struggled to get up but was determined to do so.

"Neytiri…", he said in a low voice, trying to get her to stay but knowing she had already decided to go. She walked away, not looking back at him. He didn't go after her but remained in the same place, facing the ground. He was unsure of it all. He sat still, kept thinking. He remained silent, kept completely still, not moving a single muscle. He continued to think, kept silent. He still didn't move a muscle, he kept thinking while remaining silent. He knew he had been caught in between the real time that went by him but did not notice how long he was staying in the same position as if he were frozen in the moment. Not until Atan sought him, walking as normally towards him as he would while dragging his hurt leg with him, did he manage to force himself out of his circulating thoughts.

"What brings you here, Atan?"

"The tsahík wanted to tell you of the resurrection process but chose to talk to her daughter instead. You have clearly done something wrong."

Jake looked at him for a couple of seconds, once again surprised by the directness of Atan, which he was still in the process of getting used to.

"How do you know? You spoke to her?", he asked, hoping Atan could give him more insight. Unfortunately, the limping na'vi in front of him had a different answer for him:

"I did not have to. It was written all over her face as I walked by. Remember that when you are facing a Palulukan, you do not try to talk it down or calm it, you get out of sight and leave it alone."

"What did Mo'at send you to tell me?", Jake asked almost hopelessly, not expecting anything uplifting at the moment.

"The false body will remain lifeless. It was not possible to revive it."

Jake's eyes widened as he breathed out. This failure meant he had disappointed yet another person who was close to him. He looked down at his fists and let go of his own grip. The feeling of powerlessness was overwhelming and made him feel misplaced. It made him feel like a man with no place. He knew it wouldn't go away until he made things right, but how was he supposed to do so? He held in a breath for a while, gathering words. Without really noticing, he put his fingers onto his throat microphone.

"I, uh… I should contact Norm and tell him…", he paused for a moment and slowly shook his head in disappointment of himself, "I fear it might break him… he's been having a hard time lately."

"Ma Olo'eyktan", Atan then said and grabbed Jake by the shoulder, looking into his eyes. "I do not think you understand how well we understand. We all understand how many people you are in charge of. You both take care of your people and the Sky People. The only one who expects you to do better is you."

"Atan-"

"Hush! Tíng mikyun, Jakesully. What I believe you need is to leave everyone else to their thoughts. You try thinking their thoughts for them and you end up imagining those thoughts are hostile towards you. Also, you want to be her family more than anything, yes? You became her dearest one the moment your tsaheylu was made, that is our way. You spend too much time thinking about wanting to be her family but if you stay still for a moment, you will see that you already are. Your dream has come true. Now it is time to quit the dreaming and start living that dream. Make her realize that you have realized it, so that the two of you can welcome your child into a prosperous family of mutuality. Thinking will not make your feet take you anywhere – feeling will."

In that moment, Jake looked at Atan like a son would look at his father, who knew every bit of him; at times knew him better than he knew himself. He understood that Atan directness was exactly what he needed to hear. Atan kept looking at him, concentratedly observing his facial expressions when the motivation started to hit him.

"Irayo, Atan. Your directness can be really helpful when it's bearable."

"I know. Can you believe some of the youngsters find me strict?", Atan jokingly asked with a clever smile on his face. Jake smiled back at him, motivated. He then glanced at the village, noticing how the darkness was on its way. He saw how some of the plants growing on land already became bioluminescent.

All of a sudden, a horrified cry spread across the valley, echoing in waves making it impossible not to hear it. Jake and Atan immediately got up, scared, and wondering what was going on. They stood still, wanting to move but unable to. Another cry echoed through the valley and they ran towards the chaotic sounds that came flooding in over the village, unease quickly building up among the na'vi. Some of the sounds were fearful while others were aggressive. As the two got closer to the rest of the clan, Jake concentratedly searched the na'vi, trying to find Neytiri. Without even noticing, he and Atan got separated in the crowd of na'vi people. The group of strangers had returned and made many of the Omatikaya na'vi grab their weapons in defense. The strangers had attacked the village with fearless aggressivity and were searching for those they called traitors of the machinery. Jake tried to spot Neytiri but hadn't found her when one of the intruders roaringly tackled him and threw himself with him onto the ground. They ended up fighting on the ground, but Jake's main focus was still to find Neytiri. He struggled to get the attacker away from him but found it difficult due to his highly aggressive approach. Several Omatikaya na'vi quickly came to his rescue and got the hissing attacker off of him. He didn't stop for a single second to get a hold on the situation but pushed himself up and sprinted towards the two tall trees where he could finally recognize Neytiri along with some of the other na'vi that were unable to fight. He didn't get far before another attacker purposedly threw himself into his side to outbalance him. This attacker was armed with a knife making it easier to cause injuries on Jake, who tried to punch him away. With his right fist, Jake managed to punch the attacker's chin hard enough to make him cry out furiously. They fought for what seemed to be a split second before the attacker got a suffocating grip around Jake, making it impossible for him to get free. For the first time, Jake got a view of the whole place. The Omatikaya had outnumbered the group of attackers and had managed to gather them up by pointing spears towards them, but they didn't dare oppose the only attacker left who had their leader right where he wanted him. All turned silent. Everyone had their eyes on the two.

"You want to protect this traitor of The Sleeping Machinery?! Even his blood lacks the taste of iron", the male na'vi roared before turning silent for a moment. He had paused himself to think, while he was breathing heavily as a result of the fight and the excitement, he felt about holding a traitor's life in his hands. He looked up, facing the crowd of na'vi:

"After many years of growing up hearing about him, who would have thought that the great Toruk Makto was such a disappointment… and I can put an end to his life. It lost its value when he left the machinery."

"Rutxe!", Neytiri cried out, her begging voice stretching into a long-lasting echo. She stood by the two tall trees holding her stomach, in a pain that kept getting worse. Jake struggled to look in her direction. He caught her eyes and saw the pain in them as well as the worry. He saw how she was getting physically exhausted but at the same time how her physicality was readying itself. It made him afraid. He was unable to get to her, to help her. The na'vi that was minutes away from suffocating Jake looked in her direction, and his eyes immediately locked themselves on her as he realized the situation. The look in his eyes intensified, and Neytiri saw how a flame of adrenalized anger and excitement about the anger boiled in them.

"I have seen you before…", the attacker exclaimed as his eyes turned to focus on her stomach. He kept staring at her stomach for some time until he looked down at Jake, who fought to catch his breath. The realization made him look furiously back at Neytiri.

"You are with him?! And your unborn creation is also his! A child whose parents are the traitors of The Sleeping Machinery. Your child is the result of your fraud… wasted energy."

As if further realization hit the aggressive na'vi male, he paused for a minute while never easing his inescapable grip around Jake's throat with his left arm.

"It is not yet too late to not waste that energy…", he insanely mumbled to himself as his pupils increased and his eyes turned wider open. He turned to look at one of his fellow na'vi, who was standing with the others that had been gathered up. Jake knew what he was planning to do, which made him struggle to find Neytiri with his eyes. He managed to capture her eyes and didn't hesitate before desperately shouting:

"Go!"

Still holding a hand on her stomach, Neytiri did as she was told, knowing that their son's life was at risk, and took off in her search for safety somewhere away from the strangers.

"Go after her", he na'vi who was only minutes away from choking the Olo'eyktan of the Omatikaya clan ordered his partner, who smiled unpleasantly in return. He got a few steps away when some members of the Omatikaya clan tried stopping him, to which the male na'vi in the most powerful position pulled out his knife to remind the clan members of whose life he held in his hands. Torn between who to obey, limited by the ultimatum, the na'vi people stepped back, making it easy for the stranger to follow the pregnant Neytiri. Further worry for their leaders spread among the people as the male na'vi raised his knife high up in the air, making it visible to every na'vi present.

"I thought it was only your leaders who had betrayed the machinery… but now I see that you all have by letting yourself be led by them", he told the whole clan before looking down to focus on Jake.

"And you, Toruk Makto, can be freed from this betrayal and give your energy back. If you do not need it to make way for The Sleeping Machinery, it is a waste."

Jake listened carefully to his words, thinking about them. The pressure was getting too much for him to overcome. He felt his veins pulsing against his skull as if they were seconds away from exploding. All he could think about was to get to Neytiri before they did. He tried not to let the strangulating blur distract him from thinking strategically. He had a chance to talk to him. With his last bit of resistance, he took in a breath, meaning to speak:

"You are about to waste the very energy that killed the Hometree", he forced himself to say while he fought to keep breathing.

"I thank you for what you did… but you also attempted to kill the machinery", the na'vi said in a low voice, readied his knife, and took aim.

"Stop!", an echoing voice shouted in the distance from somewhere behind the people. Everyone looked back to find the embodiment of the voice. The people created an open path that revealed the figure. A group of Sky People lead by Norm were approaching. He had heard Jake through his microphone earlier when he was already on his way. The group of outsiders froze at the sight of real Sky People walking towards them. The na'vi who had been extremely close at ending Jake's life was stunned and shocked to see them.

"Ftang nga!", Norm repeated in na'vi to make his point clear, resulting in the na'vi almost dropping his knife. Instead of dropping it, he held the knife even tightly in his hand, refusing to let it slip away from him. Yet, he kept it visibly away from Jake in obedience.

"Release him and leave this place", Norm strictly ordered the invasive group of na'vi people to do. The na'vi looked at Jake for what seemed to be a long lasting second before letting him breathe again. The leader of the Omatikaya clan dropped onto the ground, coughing, and gasping for the Pandoran air to fill his lungs. Some of the Omatikaya na'vi rushed over to him and gathered around him, forcing the attacker to step aside. For the first time the male na'vi felt unsure of himself. He felt speechless and powerless in the presence of the aliens.

"Wait!", he impulsively exclaimed as his fellow na'vi were leaving the village. Everyone turned to look at him. His eyes were wide open and remained so as he took a few steps towards the aliens before him. He kneeled down in awe, wondering why they had been sent out to rescue Toruk Makto.

"This must be what it feels like to be a misplaced creature in the well-deserved presence of the deity of its salvation. I have never felt small until this day… and now I see that the Creators of The Machinery are no bigger than us."

"We didn't create machines; our grandparents' grandparents did. They made both a huge mistake and a tool that got us here", Norm told him, using a serious tone of voice.

"Your ancestors were the only great Fathers and Mothers of life and you question if their creation of machinery was a mistake?"

"Those of us you see right now came here to live with your Great Mother. She is life, she is energy, and we want to be a part of her energy."

Norm's words made the na'vi think deeply for a minute, still on his knees. After unpleasant silence for some time, he looked back up at the Sky People and began to stand up again.

"There are also traitors among even you. The Machinery… its creators have unfaithful children. You are not my answer."

"Leave the village. Along with your followers", Norm said once again, pointing in the direction that would lead them away from there. Before leaving, the male na'vi turned his attention towards Jake one last time.

"You know that nothing in your life is deceased. It is either alive, invisible to the eye, or asleep. The Sleeping Machinery will awake one day and order us to return. I know you know it all and even know more than I do, ma Toruk Makto."

The group of attackers wandered back into the deep forest in retreat, except for one. As soon as they were gone, Jake glanced at the two tall trees in the distance, knowing there was one attacker left, who had gone after Neytiri. Even though his breath was still uneasy and hoarse, he ran towards the trees, realizing that Neytiri had begun climbing one of them in order to escape the attacker that mercilessly stalked her like a furious predator. Mo'at saw him as he hurried over to the trees but wasn't quick enough to hold him back. She observed the situation for a second, whereafter she ran after him. Some of the other clan members followed him as well to help him.

Neytiri was eagerly pulling herself higher and higher up, branch by branch with one arm, while keeping the other around her stomach. Not only was she exhausted from the physical pressure, but she was also in great pain and in deep worry for Jake. Having taken off to protect their unborn son, she had no idea what might have happened to him after she left. The pain in her body and in her heart threatening to overwhelm her massively so that she couldn't hold herself up for much longer. She could hear the stalking na'vi behind her. She had heard him the whole time but tried not to let him distract her from focusing. She grabbed onto another branch above her. As she pulled herself up, a sudden pain struck her entire body like lightning and made her cry out in excruciating pain. She knew what it was. She knew their child would soon be brought to this life, yet she had to stay strong because the life of their child was not guaranteed as she was being chased by the stranger. Jake reached the two trees and immediately started climbing the one Neytiri and the pursuer were climbing. He had emptied his mind for everything but getting to her before the chaser did and was angrily climbing the tree faster than he had ever done before. He breathed heavily and still found it challenging to breathe normally, but nothing except for Neytiri and their son mattered to him. It didn't take him long to catch up with them, and shortly after he had jumped onto the first branch in the tree, he was almost close enough to stop the na'vi that chased his mate. He pulled himself onto the upper branch above him and his eyes caught Neytiri, who was nearly defeated by the painful exhaustion. The last remaining stranger that had not left the village with the others was getting more aggressive and pulled out his knife, aiming it at Neytiri. She had slowed down out of tiredness and was breathing heavily. She managed to pull herself up on yet another branch, but as soon as she was there, she lay down in pain and had to let herself catch her breath. She lay on her back and clenched her teeth together, trying not to scream from the pain that hurt her everywhere.

The na'vi that chased her lifted his knife, aiming at her when Jake attacked him in a roaring scream of rage. The two rolled off the thick branch and landed on another one a few meters down. Jake was the fastest one of them to get up again and didn't hesitate to punch the other one back down as he was trying to get up. He had told himself he would be as understanding towards the na'vi as possible, but this particular na'vi did not deserve his understanding at this point, having tried to kill Neytiri. He looked back up to see Neytiri bravely continuing, fighting for their son. He then looked down and saw a number of Omatikaya na'vi climbing the tree to help and knew what he had to do. The intruding na'vi swung his hand aggressively at him in an attempt to cut him with his blade. Jake managed to take the knife from him, used his other hand to hold him down and hammered the knife into the branch, having caught the na'vi's necklace at the same time so that the knife had captured the necklace, making it almost impossible for the na'vi to move away from there. He rose to his feet and turned to focus on Neytiri, knowing that the clan members would take care of the stranger once they got there. Neytiri had almost reached the top of the tall tree and was in great pain that had only gotten worse with every step and every struggle.

The Omatikaya na'vi reached the stranger. One of them held a spear in her hand and kept it in her right hand as she used her left hand to take away the knife that belonged to the stranger. The stranger na'vi quickly got up and with surprising strength claimed the spear. Jake was about to get to Neytiri when the spear hit him out of nowhere, causing pressure on his unprepared balance. He could feel his feet failing him, his body falling over but stayed focus. As he fell, his arms grabbed a liana, which he held onto some of the way down until the burning feeling in his hands forced him to let go. One of the enormous leaves caught him and lowered him further down, only for him to fall the rest of the way until he hit a smaller hill covered in grass. He rolled down the grassy hill and was finally back on the ground. He fought for a moment to get up, feeling unsteady. The spear had hit his cheekbone and made it feel like it was burning. He noticed that he was bleeding as he glanced up at the tree to get a hold on the situation. The clan members had overpowered the attacker and were bringing him down from the tree to escort him out of the village.

"Jakesully!", the voice of Mo'at called. Jake looked around his shoulder and saw her coming towards him, worried. She put a hand on his shoulder as her eyes searched the area for her daughter. Jake found her with his eyes and locked them on her.

"She's up there!", he shouted and began to run incredibly fast towards the edge of the tree where she was. Mo'at followed him but were not as fast as him. Jake didn't slow down because he had to reach her. After what they had been through and after how their last conversation ended, she did not deserve to go through this alone. He would not let it happen.

The pain Neytiri felt threatened to outpower her completely. She wasn't able to hold back her scream of pain anymore, and the sound of her painful scream made Jake hurry even more. She barely noticed herself falling over as it happened. Suddenly, it was as if Eywa and her nature itself came more to life than they already were to lend her a helping hand. She was gently caught by one of the giant leaves whereafter she was lowered down steadily and carefully, one leaf after another worked together to bring her safely back on the ground. She was lying on her back, not fully noticing what was happening but was able to sense the deep care of the Mother and of the Pandoran forest that embodied all energy breathtakingly. The care that embraced her even made the pain bearable. Jake had witnessed all of it while running towards her and finally got to her. She was lying on the soft grass that was glowing underneath her. He kneeled down by her side and placed his hand on her cheek.

"Neytiri", he mildly said while easing his breath. She quickly noticed his presence and opened her eyes to see him.

"Jake", she weakly said while trying to handle the pain.

"Breathe, okay?"

Slowly, she raised her arm and reached out for his other hand. He took her hand in his.

"I am afraid", she then whispered while a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Yeah… I'm afraid, too."

"Jake, I don't know if I am strong enough to do this", she said as her breath turned heavier, her doubt rising inside her for a moment until Jake calmed her down.

"Look at me. I've never met anyone stronger than you. You have the strength to bring our son into this world. I know you and I know you are afraid… but you've been looking forward to this for so long. I know you're ready. We are."

He smiled at her and she smiled back at him, encouraged to proceed. In that moment, their earlier arguments did not matter anymore. All that mattered was their bond. All that mattered was that they were about to become a family. Mo'at arrived and sat down on the other side of Neytiri. Jake and Mo'at exchanged looks of relief for Neytiri, whereafter Mo'at looked at her daughter with an encouraging smile that let Neytiri know that her mother was proud of her. Proud of both of them. Neytiri gave her mother a smile before she looked back at Jake with her big, extraordinarily expressive eyes.

"I am glad you are here, ma Jake."

"I'm right by your side, ma muntxate", he assured her.

Later that night when everything had settled down and a peaceful quietness had fallen over the valley of the Omatikaya clan with the nature providing care and glow all around the beautiful place, Neytiri lay relaxedly in Jake's arms and in her arms their newborn son rested. They did not talk but instead listened to the sound of their son's breath. It was beyond their understanding that they had created a son together that was now right there with them. A creation that was much more incredible than anything they had ever seen. Jake held his family in his arms and never wanted to let go again. He made eye contact with Neytiri, who held their son. They smiled at each other and Jake gently touched their son's little hand.

"He is perfect", he whispered to Neytiri who smiled at him in return. The newborn boy made an unconscious sound while sleeping, making both of them share soundless laughs of astonishment. Neytiri mildly stroke the boy's back with her hand.

"We have a son", she said. Their hearts were truly blown away by the wonderful truth that they were parents of their first child. It was almost unbelievable.

"He's so beautiful… and he looks like you", she added, almost starting to cry tears of joy.

"Well, if you think he looks like me… I want you to name him. I fell in love with this world through you and he'll grow up in this world I find beautiful because of you. I think you should make him a part of it by naming him. I know that he will always be both of us and more. Name our son, Neytiri."

She looked into his eyes with an impressed glow in them, understanding him, loving him, thanking him. Seeing him with all of her heart.

"Neteyam", she said as her lips uncontrollably widened into a beautiful smile. Jake smiled in a way he hadn't smiled before, endlessly happy with the name. It was right.

"Wow…", he began, stunned, "you've found him. He is Neteyam."

With big smiles on their faces, Jake and Neytiri put their foreheads and noses together while Neteyam was sleeping in the middle of them, comfort embracing him. The sound of his parents' heartbeats made him sleep knowing he was safe, and the sound of a third heart beating with theirs made Jake and Neytiri share a kiss. They were right where they wanted to be, surrounded by a world unlike anything else, among their people who were unlike anyone else, with each other as a family for the first time. Shortly after, they began to rest their eyes, experiencing their first night together as parents. As a family. They were not two anymore; Jake, Neytiri and Neteyam were three now.