The silence that fell between Jacen and his sister harbored an unrelenting pressure on his consciousness. The accomplishments that his sister had obtained dwarfed anything that Jacen had done up to this point. Glancing over to her, he could feel the air of confidence in her abilities that perpetuated his mixed feelings. He could not figure out if her attempts to beat him were out of malice, or did she even recognize what her accomplishments were doing to him and how they impacted their parent's views on him?

The distant creaking of the door across the room arose Jacen's attention as his parents enthusiastically burst through the door. His parents quickly swept across the floor, embracing Jade; showering her with praises and compliments. Reciprocating the effection Jade wrapped her arms around her parents, pulling them close to her.

"We are so proud of you, sweetheart!" Jacen's mom chimed out.

"You have come so far in such a short time," Jacen's dad added.

Jacen stood off to the side, observing the interaction while keeping his distance. The love his parents had for his sister made him feel more left out than ever before, as a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach formed. Jacen's dad looked up, noticing Jacen was not with them.

"Hey, are you not going to come and congratulate your sister?" He questioned in a rather stern tone.

"Already did Dad, I was here before you were," feeling a little bit flustered from his parent's praises of his sister.

"At least look excited for her and not wallow in your self-pity," waving Jacen over sternly to them.

"I am excited for her, can't you tell! It's not like she saved the whole damn planet," Jacen put his hands up in a dismissive wave.

Jade and his mom looked at one another before looking at his dad to see his reaction. His dad grew ridged before released the two, turned to stare Jacen down, repressing the torrent of rage that he wanted to unleash on his son. Marching over to Jacen and stopping inches from his face mustering all of the restraint he could gather.

"Don't blame your sister for your failures in life. Those are your choices, not hers," his hot breath washed over Jacen's face.

"No shit, Dad. I understand, and I accept those choices!" Spitting back in his face.

"We have you everything and paid for it all just for you to piss it all away," waving his hands in a grandiose manner.

"I don't want your help," Jacen ground out.

"What did you say?" Irritated at Jacen's mumbling.

"I don't want your damn help; let me do this on my own!" Jacen shouted back, balling his fists, and embedding his nails into his skin.

With that remark, Jacen spun on his heel and left the room in a blind fury. Just as he was about to throw open the heavy door to the exit, he heard something from behind him. Holding the door handle firmly in his hand, he lingered there, affording them the opportunity to repeat themselves, daring not to give them the gratification of him looking back at them.

"Who are you, because you are no son of mine?" His dad questioned with hurt and betrayal in his tone.

With that, Jacen flung the door open, letting the handle slam into the wall with a satisfying crash, and departed the room. As the door closed behind him, the words of his father rang in his ears, cutting him deep to his core. His body became ravaged with fatigue as his muscles failed to support his posture causing him to crumple to the ground. The chamber adjacent to the meeting room evolved into a black void as his mind's projections left him with the words of his father repeating over and over again.

His dad's voice continued to echo that vile statement as he tried to repress the welling emotions. Crying out for it to cease his father's torment, he felt a burning pain engulfing his chest. With his attention now focusing on this, more parts of his body began to writhe with pain consuming him. With each passing moment, the pain amplified with intensity, as did his cries for help as tears poured out of his eyes.

Forcing his mind to wake up, he returned to consciousness, as his eyes shot wide open with his body drenched in a panic-ridden sweat. A deep inhalation of air was swiftly met with unbearable pain consuming his chest. Jacen's hand reflexively clung to his chest, revealing soiled bandages that clung to him.

As he buried his fingers into the intact flesh that remained to alleviate the pain, tucking his chin in, he noticed his blue hands through his tear stricken eyes. Jacen's mind was barely able to process that he was still in his avatar body before panic took hold of his body. Trying to draw a full breath to calm himself only made his panic worse as the oppressive weight enveloping his chest did not allow him to take full breaths. Gasping sounds soon flooded out of his mouth as he forced his body to draw air despite the unbearable pain.

"Mawey, mawey," a distant voice called out to him.

Jacen heard the movement of feet swiftly coming towards his direction. Unable to lift his head, he slammed his eyes shut and waited for his final moments in this body. A moment passed as all the motion around him cessed, causing his mind to torment him with the fears of the unknown events going on around him. A soft touch of skin fell upon his cheeks as they tenderly slid their hands across his face before cradling his head in their hands. Lifting his head, they turn Jacen's face in their grasp as they soothingly ran their fingers across his cheeks.

Flighting back the pain that was overwhelming his body, he forced his eyes open to see who it was. His mind could not prepare for who held him as their golden eyes brought life back into his spirit. The kindness that shown through their eyes evaporated all of the pain that tormented his body. Taking a relaxed breath, he could feel his lungs fill with air as they cradled him.

"Mawey, mawey, nìayoeng," the softness of her voice encompassing the words.

Jacen couldn't deviate his eyes from hers for that small instant before the unrelenting pain returned to him. Wincing before letting out a cry of anguish, he rolled out of her grasp and collapsed back onto the bed, her fleeting hands attempting to slow his descent. His body began to retract into itself as more of the lacerations that coated his body became know. Jacen could hear a flurry of activity around him as the sounds of feet shot across the dirt and labored breathing grew closer to him. Refusing to open his eyes, he could feel hands grip his arms as they began to pull them away from his body. Fighting with every ounce of strength he could muster, he slowly felt his arms begin to separate from his body as his body screamed to give in. Giving in to their demands, Jacen let his arms go limp, allowing her to place them by his side and rolling him onto his back.

"Ngari tsaw layu frawzo," she spoke again, running her fingers through his sweat-soaked hair.

Feeling her fingers pass through his hair Jacen noticed that he had a hold of her arm and a moment later, her arm rotated in his grip allow her to grab his. Through his tear soak eyes, he could see her face hovering over his, her eyes darting all around, assessing him. Her slender face came into frame, followed by her vibrant blue skin that exuded beauty.

"A Na'vi!?" Jacen uttered out, barely audible.

Immidetaly, his mind began to race as the safety briefing on base flashed to life in his mind. Not knowing what to do, he twitched and squirmed in her grip, attempting to free himself. He could feel her grip tighten around him as he fought for as long as his body would allow him to before succumbing to fatigue. He cried for help through his panicked breathing, which only yielded more fear and confusion to Jacen's caretaker. Seeing the fear in her eyes, Jacen reluctantly stopped his cries and tried to steady his breathing.

"I need help," his raspy voice, unable to hind his terror.

Her smile evolved into a quizzical expression as she failed to register the words that he was speaking. Jacen repeated the words enunciating each syllable to the best of his ability hoping that it would produce any clarity. Her quizzical expression remained as she searched his face to understand what he is trying to say. Before Jacen could repeat himself, her head whipped to her left side, lingering for a moment there. In an instant, she slid out from the position next to him and rose to her feet. Her lingering glaze caused Jacen to worry as she turned and left him on the bedding.

"Wait, don't go!" Jacen cried out, unable to move from his bed.

As her form disappeared behind what looked like an exposed tree root, he was left all alone again. Fear of what the Na'vi had planned for him began to seep into his mind. As his eyes darted around the room, all he could see were various jars and bottles made out of wood and plants suspended in vine-like structures. Upon further inspection of his enclosure, his mind began to formulate a stupid idea that he was inside a massive tree. Not wanting to dwell on this idea, Jacen decided it was the best time for him to leave while no one watched him.

"Damn it!" he cried in frustration.

With a muffled cry, Jacen rolled onto what felt like his left side, invoked another bout of pain through his body. Tears began to stream down his face as he took a moment to catch his breath before the next episode of pain. With his face in the dirt, he placed his dominant hand on the compacted dirt and prepared to push up. Before he could attempt, he heard the padding of multiple footsteps heading in his direction. The idea of them killing him ripped through his mind motivating him to push through the pain.

Screaming through clenched teeth and dirt, he lifted his broken body off of the floor as he fought to pull his legs underneath him. His body screamed in agony as his legs protested every inch. His skin felt like it was being torn apart as he moved his legs until they were underneath him. Just as he was about to press up, he felt the delicate hands of his caretaker on his back urging him to stay down.

"Kehe, ke fäkä," his caretaker's voice pleading with him.

Jacen, not knowing what she was saying, pushed his body up till he was standing on wobbly legs. His equilibrium was lost almost instantaneously as his legs buckled under his weight. Trying to catch himself, he felt her position her body underneath his as she placed her hands on his back and chest, attempting to bear his weight. A shock of pain shot through his chest from her hand catching him, causing his lungs to quickly expelled their air.

Seeing that she was causing him further pain, she calmly guided Jacen to the floor as his labored breaths continued. She could not figure out a way for him to stay on the floor because all he was doing hurt himself further with each attempt. Assessing his wounds, she could see new streams of blood emerging from the bandages. Fighting back the tears in her eyes, she looked back at Jacen to see desperation and fear in his eyes. It was killing her on the inside that she could not help this stranger better.

"Please, I need to leave," pleading through labored breaths.

"Kehe, ke fäkivä!" frim in her response.

Still not understanding her, Jacen continued to repeat the words hoping that something would click so she would let him go. He continued to try to rise off the floor, despite her protests. He looked up at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand, but her eyes held firm, and she did not lessen her grip on him.

Jacen's head fell back from exhaustion ending his attempts to get back up. Falling to the right, Jacen spotted another being appearing from behind a tree root. The new individual was much older than his caretaker as wrinkled skin exemplified her age. She wore a bright red beaded garment that started at her shoulders and extended down to her waist, encompassing her upper torso. She also sported a necklace that supported a sizeable white fang.

She made her way over to his side with calculated steps, creating an uneasy sensation in Jacen. Kneeling beside him, she leaned over his body, causing the massive fang to swing in front of Jacen's face. New beads of sweat began to form on Jacen's brow as her eyes met his. The intensity that she studied him made Jacen feel like she was staring into his soul. Retracting back, she started to examine Jacen's full-frame, palpated his chest, arms, and hands. The probing assessment continues as she drifted over his open wounds, examining the contents that seeped out. Returning to Jacen's field of view in front of him, she drew a smaller dagger-like object from her necklace. With a swift motion, she stabbed him in the shoulder, drawing blood. Taking the dagger, she slid it across her tongue, tasting his blood. Jacen's heart began to race as he noticed her eyes dilating as his blood pooled on her tongue before sheathing it.

"Ngal vivewn poanit vaykrr ayoe tsayun pive'un a kem si hu po'an," the old Na'vi spoke with an ominous tone.

"Pesu lu poan?" Jacen's caretaker replied with a questioning tone.

"Kawkrr ayoengìl tsole'a fnelit pxel poanä fnel, oe zayene livawk hu ngeyä sempul." With that, the old Na'vi rose to her feet and left the pair alone.

Taking pain tinged breathes Jacen tried to stead his racing heartbeat before his mind started to formulate horrors of what would happen. His caretaker returned her gaze to him and gently removed the sweat from his brow with her fingers. He realized that there was a slim chance that he would make it out of here alive. His mind deciding that if he was going to die on this godforsaken world alone and forgotten, he wanted some to mention his name before the end. Doing his best to calm his tortured body, he moistened his mouth, preparing to utter his potential last words.

"Jacen, my name is Jacen," he uttered through a dry, hoarse voice.

Her expression of confusion transformed her face as she listened to him. Jacen suppressing his frustration, wanted so badly for someone to remember him. He could not understand why he wanted his caretaker to know who he was, but for whatever reason, it offered a semblance of comfort at the thought of her knowing his name.

"Jacen, I am Jacen," he attempted again, slowing down the words and over extenuating the tapping of his chest.

"Jacen," she spoke softly, forcing the unfamiliar words out of her mouth as she placed her hand on his chest.

"Yes! Yes! Jacen!" Jacen cried out as fresh tears began to pool in the corners of his eyes.

His hand shot over to grab her hand that rested on his shoulder. The rush of relief washed over him as his wish came true. He didn't care about the potential that she could forget his name in a matter of weeks but hearing her say it flooded him with warmth and joy.

"Jacen," her smile blossomed brighter as she repeated his name, responding to the smile that Jacen was giving her in between his episodes of pain.

She could feel the change in his demeanor as she repeated the unfamiliar word of 'Jacen.' The best interpretation that she could muster was that it was his name, judging by how he was reacting to it. A warm feeling deep inside of her began to kindle from the idea that she knew his name.

Jacen saw the innocent smile that she had tempered the pain he was enduring. He wanted to know who she was, how she found him, and why she helped him. As his mind raced with questions, he came to a conclusion that, at best, he could hope to learn her name. Pulling his hand off from on top of her, he gently placed it on her shoulder, tapping it.

"What is your name?" He questioned, hoping that she could understand what he wanted.

Jacen could see that she was trying to process what he wanted, pulled his hand back to his chest, and repeated his name before returning his hand to her shoulder, asking her what her name was. After multiple attempts, Jacen could see her face light up as she realized what he wanted. Nodding in excitement, Jacen fought back the pain as he repeated the movement.

"Sylwanin," uttering the words softly, her hand finding a place on top of his.

"Silwan," the butchered words fell out of Jacen's mouth.

She let out a soft laugh at his attempt, and she could see how happy it was making him that he knew her name. She could not understand how this stranger could elicit such feelings from her, only bringing more confusion. She wanted to know everything about him, why he look liked her people but at the same time not, and why he dressed so different from the others that she has met. Jacen's repeated attempts at her name brought her back as his worried expression became more prominent.

"Sylwanin," forcing each syllable of her name, hoping that he was pronouncing it right or even if that was even her name.

Her face ignited with excitement as her bright smile reappeared. Jacen was amazed at how this woman, who was not even human, could take away his pain even if he did not understand her. He gazed at her in admiration as she continued her work, oblivious to his longing gaze.

Sitting up, Sylwanin leaned over him and began to remove the soiled bandages from his chest, exposing the gaping flesh as the air washed over the exposed flesh reinvigorating the burning pain. Writhing on the floor, Jacen did his best to mute his cries of distress as more bandages were removed. Jacen took the opportunity and looked down at his chest for a brief second to see three deep lacerations that ran across his chest. Some of the areas in his wound beds were deep enough to see the whiteness of bone. Drawing his legs up to dull the pain, he noticed what little of his clothes remained as well as bandages wrapped around his thighs, causing his heart rate to elevate. Sweat began to accumulate on his brow as his mind processed the full picture of his injuries.

"Mawey, Jacen," her voice soothing as she returned her gaze to his.

Quickly she retrieved a jar and started to smear this dark green paste over his chest. Taking the paste into her hand, she generously packed the wound beds with it, eliciting protests from Jacen. Placing her hand on his forehead, she continued to coat his wounds until they no longer showed. Pulling out leaves, she laid them delicately on the injuries adhering to the gel-forming a secure seal. Taking bands of vines, she wrapped them around his chest to hold them in place.

"Are we almost done?" Jace blurted out through labored breaths as tears and sweat ran down the sides of his face.

Just as she was about to respond to the lady in red reappeared and said something while motioning to Sylwanin. Not catching what she said, Jacen noticed Sylwanin's demeanor change as she looked back at him expressionless. He could only assume that he was no longer welcome here as she began to rise to her feet.

"What's going on?" He questioned, panic returning to his voice, knowing that she didn't understand him.

Not indicating that she understood or even heard him, she slid her arms under his gaining a position underneath him. In one fluid motion, she lifted him to his feet and tucked herself under his right arm. He continued to plead to her in between, catching his breath as she forced him to follow her direction. Not making any eye contact with him, she continued to lead Jacen out of the area into a large more cavernous portion of the enclosure. Barely able to wrap his mind around how massive this complex was with what he could describe as tree roots twisted and turn, creating an intricate network of pathways up through the tree.

Basking in the complexity of the natural structure was short-lived as Na'vi began to appear out of nowhere. Trepidation filled his mind as more Na'vi appeared on the causeways above them. With each agonizing step, more and more Na'vi gathered behind them. Facing forward to block the ideas of public execution, they approached a clearing in front of an enormous skull of a beast Jacen had never seen.

A handful of Na'vi stood at the base of this skull, and at the center of the loss formation stood a Na'vi adorned with bright feathers fixed to his breastplate. A flat ornament hung from a headpiece covering his weathered skin. His stature and the garments that he wore made Jacen assume that this was their leader. The fire that raged next to him painted his features in an ominous glow. His unsettling eyes and expressionless face fixating on them as they approached caused Jacen's body to tremble.

Sylwanin stopped them in the middle of the clearing a few feet away from the Na'vi leader. Appearing to his right was the woman in the red garment that stabbed him earlier, her face mirroring the leaders. Jacen glanced down at her to see her eyes fixed to the floor in front of them.

'Shit, this is not good,' he thought, seeing how Sylwanin was acting.

"Oel ngati kameie, ma sempul," taking her hand away from Jacen's waist to tap her forehead as she spoke.

The Na'vi leader approached the pair and repeated the motion back to Sylwanin. The Na'vi leader began to pace around them like a hunter circling its prey right before a kill. Jacen did his best to maintain eye contact with the Na'vi leader as he continued his circling. Each pass that the leader did plague Jacen's psyche as he continued not to say anything.

"Pesu lu fìNa'vi astxong a nga zamunge ne ayoeng?" The Na'vi leader spoke with a resonating tone.

"Oe ke omum. Oel tsole'a poanit krra poan ramikx few na'rìng ulte palulukanìl tamaron poanit." As Sylwanin spoke, audible gasps and panicked murmurs emanated through the crowd.

"Krra palulukan hamum, oel zolong poanit ulte zamolunge poanit ne'ìm ne fìtsenge," Sylwanin spoke, her weight shifting beneath Jacen.

"Poan ke lu pxel Na'vi a oel tsame'a pumit. Pelun palulukan holum? Ngaru lamu hrrap fte ngal zimvong poanit?" The Na'vi leader responded as Jacen hung there, unable to discern anything the two were saying.

"Kehe, oe fpolìl futa poan lamu kerusey vaykrr oe zola'u asim nì'ul ulte tsole'a futa pesu rey mi. Le'awa 'u a oe nolume lu poanä tskxo alu Jacen," she replied in a soft tone.

Hearing his name Jacen jumped at the opportunity and repeated his name while tapping on his chest. The crowd's murmurs grew as Jacen felt the seriousness of the situation, causing him to stop. The Na'vi leader took note of Jacen's reaction, approached him coming within inches of Jacen's face.

"Jacen," Forcing the abnormal formation of words out of his mouth.

"Yes," Jacen uttered while nodding in agreement, not knowing how to respond to him appropriately.

"Fìtute alu Jacen pehem si?" The Na'vi leader resuming his circling of them.

"Poanìl fngamo' help krra oe lamu hu poan," Sylwanin replied to him.

"Yes! I need help," Jacen reacting to another familiar word. Jacen could not fathom that out of all the words, she could have remembered that help was the one that she recalled.

"Help, help, help me, please," pleading with the feathered Na'vi pacing around them.

"Pe'u lu tsalì'u a poan plltxe?" The Na'vi leader ignoring Jacen's comments, focused on Sylwanin.

"Oe ke omum?" She replied.

Moments passed as silence descended upon them as the Na'vi leader scrutinized Jacen. Jacen could hear the restlessness of the crowd all around them as they whispered between each other and shuffled in their spots. He held onto Sylwanin for dear life as he felt she was his only protection out here. The muscles in his legs began to give out as he leaned heavily onto Sylwanin. Unable to aid her anymore, he let the full weight of his body rest upon her.

Grunting under pressure, Sylwanin attempted to hold him upright until Jacen's balance shifted, taking him and Sylwanin to the ground. She could hear Jacen cry out in anguish as he collapsed onto the floor, clutching his chest after the impact. Rebounding off the ground, she positioned herself over him to see if any of the wounds had reopened. Relief washed over her as all the bandages held their contents.

Through the slits of his eyes, he could see Sylwanin examining him as she cupped his head in her hands. Fighting back the temptation to lose consciousness, Jacen fought to keep his eyes open. His raspy breaths provoking the crowd around them to come closer.

"Poan kin srung sivi," Sylwanin spoke in a gentle tone, still examining Jacen.

"Srung si?" The Na'vi leader barked out.

"Srung si," Jacen echoed the words through fleeting consciousness.

The silence broke through the assembly as they listened to Jacen repeated the Na'vi words for help. Jacen fixed his eyes on Sylwanin repeating the words that provoked her stunned silence. Looking past her, Jacen spotted the Na'vi in red reappear next to the leader and whispered something into his ears, evoking a subtle surprise before returning to his stoic expression.

"Ma Sylwanin, nga srung sayi fìtute akewong srak?" the Na'vi in red spoke, kneeling next to Sylwanin.

After hearing two words that he was familiar with, Jacen succumbed to his pleading mind, his body becoming limp in Sylwanin's arms. Reacting to his rapid change, she bent over, placing her ear over his chest to hear a faint heartbeat. Relief washed over her as two more Na'vi appeared to help return him to his bed.

The cloudiness of his mind cleared as Jacen started coming too. Trying to stop the pounding of his head, he rolled onto his side to bring his head closer to his hands. Jacen could hear the rushing of feet over to him as hands grabbed his shoulders and rolled him back onto his back. Opening his eyes, he could see the brilliant golden eyes of his caretaker hovering over him.

"Oe 'efu nitram fwa nga lu txen slä nga zene tsivurokx," she spoke with unfamiliar words holding a serious undertone.

Jacen knew that he needed to find some way to be able to communicate with her. Running multiple ideas through his mind, he looked around for something to aid him. Above his right shoulder within reach was a broken piece of a branch, lunging out for it cause Sylwanin to reach for his hand, uttering more foreign words.

"Please!" He cried out, fighting to maintain his hold on the stick.

After many attempts, his pleading clicked with Sylwanin as she released her hold on his hand, allowing him to grab the stick. Rolling onto his side, he pushed up with his dominant arm until he achieved the ability to support his upper body with his arm. Jacen looked at the dirt as a blank canvas that presented the best opportunity for him to communicate with Sylwanin. Ideas flooded his head as he thought of ways to illustrate where he came from and where he needed to go.

"Srung si," he repeated the only Na'vi words that he knew as he attempted to draw objects that the RDA used around Pandora to see if she recognized anything.

As he dragged his stick through the dirt, soon realizing that his artistic skills were severely lacking as he attempted to draw people, helicopters, guns, or anything that came to mind. Frustration welled up inside him as he erased failed drawing after failed drawing. Unable to achieve recognizable pictures that he imagined, he threw the stick away and pressed his hands into his face in defeat.

Sylwanin feeling the frustration Jacen was enuring, ran her hand across his back to comfort him. His labored breathes, and devastated appearance tore at her heart. Not knowing what to do, she felt her head gravitating towards his until she could feel his sweat tinged skin on hers. Her free hand ventured across to his far shoulder, brushing the necklace he still wore.

Jacen could feel Sylwanin coming next to allowing him to lean on her for support. Still dwelling on his inability to communicate with her unexpectedly met with her head leaning onto his. The solace that she provided him was unbelievable compared to anything that he experienced back home. As her hand shifted to his far shoulder, Jacen felt the movement of a foreign object around his neck. Hope sprung to life in his mind as he soon realized that he was still in possession of his communication collar.

"Grace! Grace!" Squeezing the device, praying that Grace was on the other side of his hail.

Static emanated from his collar as hope that someone would come to rescue him burned in his soul. A flurry of response engulfed his mind as he thought of the best way to describe where he was so they could recover him quickly.

"Grace! Grace!" Jacen repeated as fear began to seep into his voice.

Moments passed as static noise evaporated the hope that Jacen held for his rescue. Hope quickly turned to desperation as he leaned forward, pleading with the device to communicate with someone; Hell, anyone. New streams of tears etched his face as the feeling of being alone and forgotten enveloped him.

His desperation made Sylwanin feel uneasy as Jacen continued to talk to himself while holding his neck. She could hear weird noises coming from his neck as he released his hold on his throat. As he leaned forward, Sylwanin could not figure out if the thing around his neck was causing him pain as tears began to stream down his face. Worry soon took hold of her as she reached for the necklace. When the tips of her fingers touched the material, Jacen violently jerked as his hand connected with her face.

"Stop," he ordered before turning Sylwanin's direction.

No longer feeling her presence near him, Jacen turned to see her holding her face in a confused, defeated look. Realizing that he had struck her overwhelmed him as he instantly drowned in guilt for hitting her. Dropping his head, he slowly reached behind his neck and undid the collar hoping that he would not appear threatening to her. Taking the device in his hand, he placed it on the ground in front of her before turning away.

"I'm sorry," he spoke with shame in his voice.

"I understand if you don't want to help me," his shoulders slumping forward as he tucked his head into his hands.

At that moment, Jacen felt that his death would be warranted because of what had just happened. The only person that he was taking care of him he had just struck out of fear. The feeling of guilt buried him with the newfound sense of truly being alone. He sobbed in his hands, not caring who was watching or listening.

Sylwanin didn't budge as she nursed her struck cheek; granted, it wasn't a painful blow, just a shock. She tried to understand why he hit her even though she did everything she could to help him. Her ears twitched to the sound of muffled cries pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked up; noticing Jacen in his defeated position crying into his hands made a feeling of sorrow well up in her. Picking up the necklace laid before, she examined it and was surprised how soft and pliable the material was. Slipping next to him, she dropped the necklace into his view.

"Oe srung sayi jancen-ur," her tone reassuring, trying to let Jacen know that she was not going to abandon him.

Feeling the presence of someone returning to his side, he forced his eyes open to peer through the slits in his fingers to see the necklace lying in front of him. Fighting the urge to wrap his arms around her out of desperation for comfort, he slowly lifted his head, ceasing his tears.

"Please, Sylwanin, I need your help," turning his head to look at her.

Sylwanin stroked the back of his head, smiling at the childlike innocents that showed through his tears; even though she did not remotely understand him, she had a feeling that he needed her. A smile formed across her lips at the thought of this, despite the battle that raged inside her. As Jacen echoed her smile, she felt the desire never to leave his side, ceasing all of her turmoil. Coming out of this revaluation, she could see that he need to rest as fatigue weighed heavy on him.

"Ziva'u, nga zene tsivurokx," her stern tone signaling to him that she wanted him to do something.

Grabbing his shoulders, Sylwanin guided him back down onto the bed. She continued to utter words that Jacen did not know as she prepped the bed around him. Her eyes caught the worried expression on his face perpetuated by his inability to understand her. She did her best to smile as warmly as she could to convey to him that she meant no harm. Still sensing the worry and confusion, she gently placed her hand on his brow and slid it down, closing his eyes.

"Rutxe hivahaw," she whispered to him.

Pulling her hand away, Jacen opened his eyes immediately, followed by a confused look. Sylwanin shook her head and repeated the motion covering his eyes.

"Hahaw," she repeated.

After a few seconds, she pulled out, and he opened his eyes to a smile forming on her face before she covered them up. A minute later, she pulled away, and Jacen waited a moment before opening his eyes to her playful expression as laughter soon followed.

"Hahaw," repeating the phrase slowly for Jacen with a playful undertone.

"Hahaw," Jacen repeated, echoing her laughter.

"Hahaw," answering his echo as she placed her hand over his eyes.

Receiving the message, Jacen let his eyes remain closed as she pulled her hand away. Even though he wanted so badly to continue this game with her, it became increasingly difficult for him to stay awake. Quieting his mind, his body began to relax despite his injuries, quickly drifting off to sleep, wondering if he would awake in this body or his human form.

As Sylwanin pulled her hand from his eyes, she could visibly see his muscles relaxing as he drifted off to sleep. Running her fingers through his hair, she felt captivated by this stranger and how different he was from anyone she had ever met. She wanted to care for him like a mother does her child, but at the same time, she wanted more. However, dark thoughts still lingered with her as she wondered why he was so different from her. With that, Sylwanin left his side and returned to the rest of her people.

Authors note:

Thank you for sticking with me through my absence as I finish nursing school. I wanted to send a huge shoutout to my friend Toliman for the with the Na'vi. Irayo ma Toliman, nga lu txantsana 'eylan sì txantsana karyu. Fì'uri oe ke tsolun hasey sivi luke nga. Please let me know how you like the story so far, irayo ma frapo!