Author's Note: If you haven't read the previous chapter or read it before I updated it, I just wanted to give y'all a heads up. These chapters will have a lot of Na'vi in them, allowing you to understand what Jacen is going through better as he cannot understand them. (Unless you speak Na'vi!) Again, a massive shout out to my friend Toliman for helping me translate these sentences.
It was a rare occasion in which Jacen's mind did not torment him with the failures of his life, granting him a blissful state of mind. Void of thoughts, Jacen laid there, savoring the silence and basking in the emptiness, but something caught his attention. A muffled sound could be heard off in the distance, disturbing the silence. Rising to his feet, he searched for the source of the disturbance.
"Jacen, Jacen!" A feminine voice called out to him.
Jacen stumbling backward at the clarity of the voice sent him reeling as he tried to comprehend how someone was calling for him inside of his dreams. He knew that he was sleeping inside of the tree surrounded by people that did not speak his language, or did they? Were they just messing with him this whole time?
"Jacen, can you hear me?" The voice sounded like they were right next to him, causing him to recall the voices of people he has to meet.
"Jacen!" With that loud hail, his mind clicked, matching the voice to the person.
"Grace!" Jacen called out, but no sound followed.
The feeling of relief and hope surged through him as the image of Grace appeared following the voice. He hoped that she was near and was taking him home, or at least returning him to his human form. He attempted to call out his mouth again, forming the correct pattern for her name, and still sound failed to emit, and panic began to submerge him.
"Shit, we are losing him. Jacen!" Grace cried out.
Jacen called out to her but failed to make a noise, letting out a wail after crying, followed by silent words as he tried to find her in the blackness. Reaching out with his hands grasping at the darkness, begging to tell her that he was here, that he needs help, but it faded just as quickly as it came.
"Grace!" Jacen finally cried out, his voice returning to him.
Jacen shot up from his supine position, searching for Grace as cold sweats streaked down his brow. His frantic searching revealed what he already knew, the hollow tree that he woke up in the day before. His situation's loneliness crept to his consciousness as the notion of no one looking for him consumed him.
He yearned for someone to be with him; hell even understands him. His mind wandered to Cara, thinking about what she would do in this situation and how his heart wished she was next to him. Just as quickly as the image of Cara appeared, the picture of Sylwanin emerged. A warm feeling soon spread throughout his body. Before he could put any more thought into it, his body began to cry out for something to drink.
Jacen surrendered to his body's demands making his broken body climb its feet; a stout protest quickly followed as his healing wounds strained at its bandages. Ignoring the protests, he rose to the upright position, supported by fatigued muscles. He was lingering for a moment letting his body collect itself from the evolution before it reminded him of what is required.
"There has to be something in there I can drink," surveying the room.
Jacen carefully walked over to the various jugs laid in clusters around the space, looking for something to drink. Picking up the containers, he popped them open, hoping he would find something that would not kill him. He brought each jug to his nose, getting a whiff of the contents stored inside, unable to determine if it was safe or hazardous.
"Damn, this sucks!" Being unable to determine what was safe to drink and what wasn't.
Some of them held powered like substances, while others had unknown liquids that he sloshed around, hoping to spot something that would indicate that it was safe. He could not recall anything about what avatars could and couldn't eat as thoughts of Grace scolding him appeared. Laughing softly at the idea, he continued his search.
"Jacen!" Sylwanin shouted his name as she jumped out from behind a tree root.
The sudden sound of his voice caused Jacen's body to become spastic as the containers he was next to were knocked over, spilling their contents. The initial shock caused his muscles to contract violently as his heart raced beyond what it could handle. Jacen collapsed to the ground, constricted with pain clutching his chest.
Sylwanin's playful laughter swiftly turned to silent panic as she witnessed Jacen collapsing to the ground. Rushing over to his side, she collected his rigid body in her arms. She could feel his heart racing as she tried to soothe him with her words. Panic began to set in as her words failed to calm him, still clutching his chest.
"Srung si! Srung si!" Sylwanin cried out for any to hear.
Immediately Na'vi began to flood the space, half answering the cries and the other half interested to see what was happening. A circle began to form around them; none attempted to aid Sylwanin as she whipped away sweat from Jacen's brow, her eyes pleading with his.
"ärìp, ärìp!" A voice shot out from a distance.
The red-clothed Na'vi broke through the crowd removing onlookers from her direct path until she reached the middle of the circle where Sylwanin held Jacen. As she came closer, she could see the fear that Sylwanin harbored for him, unable to deviate her gaze from his. Sliding next to the pair, she positioned herself, allowing Sylwanin to notice her out of the corner of her eye, letting her know that she was with her.
"Tsari frawzo layu, ma 'ite," the red-clothed Na'vi soothed as she placed her hand on Sylwanin's back.
"Oel ke omum kemit a leren?" Her voice was breaking with each word fighting back the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Guilt pained her as Jacen continued to emit these short, quick breathes. His eyes held a distant gaze as she pleaded with him to look at her. She could feel his body twitching as he continued to cling to his chest.
"Klltxeykivay poanit, oe kin tìkangkem sivi pxiswaway," The red-clothed Na'vi ordered.
Sylwanin reluctantly released Jacen from her grip, placing him on the ground close to her. Without haste, the red-clothed Na'vi produced a small vial from beneath her garment and popped open the lid. She placed her hand on Jacen's chin forcing his mouth open, motioning for Sylwanin to put her hands on his jaw; they popped his mouth open and poured the contents into his mouth.
Jacen immediately choked on the vial contents as his body was unaware of the liquid entering his mouth. His eyes shot back and forth, followed by a raspy cough as his body expelled the contents from his mouth. He reflexively rolled onto his side as the remaining liquid ran out of his mouth, pooling next to him. Bracing himself before he completely turned over, his labored breaths resonated through space as the crowd watched in anticipation.
"Jacen!" Sylwanin cried out.
Reflexively reaching to him, she grabbed his shoulders and rolled him back onto her lap as Jacen's coughs and labored breathes diminished. Whipping the residual liquid from the corner of his mouth, Sylwanin placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heart rate slow. A single tear streaked down her cheek as a guilt tainted smile appeared suddenly.
The haze that clouded Jacen's view soon absolved as he could feel his heart rate slowing. The horrible taste of the liquid still lingered in his mouth as he tried to wash it out with his tongue, his eyes darting every which way. In his peripherals, he noticed the large crowd that had formed around him, followed by the Na'vi women in the red on his side. In the center of his view was Sylwanin having a pained expression.
"Hey, Sylwanin," Jacen breathed out, noticing her tear-streaked face.
"Jacen," Her voice was breaking as her terror and relief mixed.
"What's wrong?" Questioning her as he reached up and began to wipe away tears.
Sylwanin shook her head in response, elated to see he was better and not knowing what he said. She could feel new tears beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes as a torrent of emotions welled up inside her. Taking Jacen's hand, she held it in her hand as they mirrored each other's smile.
"Txìng oengit," the red-clothed Na'vi directing the crowd with a swift motion of her arm.
The crowd around them began to dissipate with murmurs of annoyance and questioning tones. The red-clothed Na'vi lingered for a few moments until the majority of the crowd had left. Reaching over, she pulled Sylwanin towards her and tapped her forehead to hers, whispered something to Sylwanin before she departed. After the red-clothed Na'vi was out of sight, another Na'vi appeared, wrapping their arms around Sylwanin.
"Ngari frawzo ma tsmuke, kefyak?" The new figure spoke with a questioning tone.
"Oeri frawzo, ma Neytiri" Sylwanin responded, releasing Jacen's hand and grabbing the arm of the new person.
Jacen felt Sylwanin's hand, leaving him looking up to see another Na'vi with their arms wrapped around Sylwanin. Upon closer inspection, Jacen could see the subtle similarities between the two Na'vi, especially in their faint smiles. Jacen cleared his throat loudly, hopefully alerting the two that he was still present.
"Oe," Sylwanin uttered a noise as she realized that Jacen was still lying there in front of her.
"Ma Neytiri, fìtute lu Jacen," Sylwanin tapping the other woman on her arm before placing a hand on Jacen's chest.
Jacen could easily feel the uneasiness of the new Na'vi as her eyes stared at him with profound suspicion. She felt like a stark contrast to everything that Sylwanin as her face remained neutral. Jacen quickly attempted to decipher ways to break this uneasiness, but they all required her to, at the minimum, understand him.
"Hi," Jacen awkwardly spoke with a sense of trepidation.
The other Na'vi women hesitantly looked at Sylwanin before return her attention to Jacen, holding steadfast behind Sylwanin. Jacen could feel the tension in the air as silence fell upon them. He continued to lay there frozen in fear from not knowing if his actions invoked an adverse reaction. Jacen's eyes darted back and forth between the two Na'vi, unable to yield any answers.
A few stressful moments passed as the new Na'vi studied him before emerging from the safety of Sylwanin. Sliding next to Sylwanin, the Na'vi situated herself on her knees before looking over to Sylwanin. Sylwanin made a short comment gesturing in the direction of Jacen. The new Na'vi let out a frustrated sigh followed sharply with an eye roll before looking back at Jacen with judgemental eyes.
"Jaycen." The other Na'vi women spoke, mangling his name.
Shock flooded Jacen's senses at the sound of his butcher name. He tried to piece together why she would even say his name even though it was so apparent that she harbored reservations towards him. The best he could come up with is that there was some form of a relationship between them.
"Srane, Jacen," Sylwanin responded, nodding her head in approval.
Sylwanin was happy that her sister was next to her; however, she could sense that she had severe reservations about this strange Na'vi. It was understandable to her because she echoed some of those same feelings. In the back of her mind, the thought of telling Neytiri what had happened gnawed at her. She shared everything with her sister, but she wanted to tell her at a better time. Turning her attention back to Jacen, she thought it best to keep things superficial right now.
"Fìtute lu Neytiri," Sylwanin spoke as she placed her hand on Neytiri.
Neytiri, understanding what her sister wanted, looked down at Jacen and repeated her name with uneasiness resonating through her tone.
"Naterari." Jacen fought to place the correct sounds together.
Jacen's response produced a faint smile on Neytiri's lips before being quickly whipped away. Sylwanin giggled like a small child at the butchering of her sister's name. Neytiri scoffing at her sister, repeated her name slower, lingering on individual syllables. The pair laughed as Jacen tried again, his mouth falling over the sounds. Neytiri's laughter ceased as something caught her eye. Her hand flashed to life as it grabbed Jacen's hand. Palpating each finger as if she were counting them ended with her eyes widened as if death approached her.
"Za'u!" Neytiri's tone was forceful as she ripped Sylwanin to her feet.
Neytiri ripped Sylwanin off of her knees, removing her from underneath Jacen. Sylwanin reluctantly followed Neytiri as she held her arm firmly. Stopping in an outcropping still within the eyesight of Jacen, Neytiri spun Sylwanin around bring her face close to hers. Sylwanin could sense the panic in her sister as she eyed Jacen behind them.
Insurmountable terror ran ramped through Jacen's thoughts at the sudden events that just took place. Jacen's heart stood still as Neytiri's piercing eyes as the cold feeling of death crept up behind him.
"Srake nga omum pesu a po lu, ma tsmuke?" Neytiri whispered, attempting to make it barely audible to Jacen.
"Kehe?" Sylwanin replied a little louder before looking back at Jacen.
"Oe ke fpìl futa poan lu Na'vi," Jacen could hear Neytiri hissing through her teeth as she spoke.
"Peuti ngal fpìl?" Turning back to Neytiri with confusion.
"Tsive'a ne peyä mesyokx, poanur lu mrra zelwä tup tsìnga zekwä pxel ayoeru lu, ulte peyä venuri tsaw lu teng." Jacen could hear the malice in Neytiri's words.
Jacen watched as Sylwanin studied her hands before looking back at him. Jacen saw her face immediately fall as whatever Neytiri was saying to her made its impact. Sadness filled her eyes as Neytiri pulled Sylwanin close, embracing her; the scene unfolding before him made his blood run cold.
"What's wrong?" Jacen cried out to them, knowing that they did not understand.
His mind postulating what they were talking about could evoke such a strong reaction. After running through countless scenarios, he concluded that they must know that he is human, which would not end well for him. Images of his betrayal to Sylwanin formed as they drug him outside to kill him.
"Tsakrr pesu poan lu txo poan ke lu Na'vi?" Turning to face, Neytiri pressed her to meet her eyes.
"Oe ke omum ulte tafral ngari oe txopu si ma tsmuke?" Neytiri spoke with hesitation in her voice.
"Slä sawtuteru lu fìzekwä ateng," Neytiri spoke again, gaining Sylwanins attention.
"Pefya ngal omum fì'uti?" Sylwanin questioned as her mind refused to make the connections her sister was alluding to.
"Oe tswayon asim ne fo fte oel nivìn foti," Guilt and shame were welling up in her words.
"Polpxaya krr nga kä?" Sylwanin's tone grew firm.
"Letam fpì nume," Neytiri's voice barely audible to Sylwanin, let alone Jacen still laying nearby.
Sylwanin tone growing firm did not alleviate Jacen's thoughts as the palms of his hands began to sweat. Cautiously placing his hands on the ground, pushing against it, he slid his body away from them. The dirt mixing with his sweat and blood caked his skin as he clawed his way towards the exit.
"Tse, ayoeng pehem sayi ma tsmuke?" Sylwanins tone harboring slight animosity but fearing the worst.
"Peuti ngal fpìl?" Neytiri looked up to meet Sylwanin's gaze.
"Poanìl kin ayoengä srungit mi," Sylwanins tone softened.
"Pelun nga new srung sivi foru?" Neytiri was spitting out the words with disdain; however, she could see the sorrow painted on her sister's face as her eyes fell from hers.
"Poanur lu laroa txe'lan," replying to Neytiri as she avoided her sister gazing, fearing her reaction.
"Tsa'uri fyape nga omum?" Neytiri shot back, unable to understand why she cared so much for this stranger.
"Krra oe kämolakto ne na'rìng sre a'awa txon, oel tsole'a palulukanit a 'eko poanit. Poanä skxir lamu akawng ulte oe fpolìl futa palulukanìl tspolang poanit slä poan fäkolä ulte kolä. Oe tamul ne poan ulte tsole'a futa po'an rey mi ha oel zamolunge poanit ne'ìm ne fìtsenge. Oe ke omum mi pelun tsapalulukan holum ulte txolìng kra poru lamu syuve aftue." Sylwanin was staring off into the distance as she spoke.
Jacen taking advantage of their discussion, continued to claw his way across the ground. He was relieved to see that the darkness laid just beyond the tree structure grew in size as he inched closer. Feeling the brisk night air calling to him, he prayed that they would hold their conversation a little bit longer so he could disappear. Even though he hated the thought of leaving her, he would rather risk getting killed out in the forest rather than getting killed here.
"Jacen!" A cry emanated from behind him as he doubled his efforts to put distance between himself and the women.
"No! I won't die here!" Jacen uttered as he doubled his efforts to evade them.
Jacen scrapped and clawed through desperation as he dragged his body broken body. The bandages that clung to his body began to bundle and slid off with each pull of his arm, exposing more of his wounds. Adrenaline suppressed his pain as the feeling of death taunted him from behind, reaching out; he held onto a root that protruded from the ground pulling his body over it.
"Rutxe ftang, Jacen," A soft panicked voice called out to him.
Not knowing who called out to him, he turned his head, knowing it was a fatal mistake to see who it was as well as see how close his pursuers were. At a glance, he noticed Neytiri lowering herself to her knees at the base of a trail of blood. Fear clouded his mind as he followed the bloody path to where he stopped, reluctantly exposing the anterior side of his body. Fear clouded his mind as he witnessed the full extent of damages he received. Dark blood mix with mud seeped from his wound as the remaining bandages barely clung to life on his skin.
"Well damn," Jacen uttered as he collapsed onto his back.
Jacen threw his hands up with open palms, hopefully conveying that he had given up. He felt the wetness of his skin as the blood streamed across his trunk and legs, followed shortly by oppressive breaths. Adrenaline began to fade from his system, and his senses became fully aware of the pain his body was enduring, instantly consuming him. Jacen suppressed his cries despite his tears fighting for freedom, trying to convey his strength as he stared down Neytiri, who was still on her knees.
"I give up, do whatever you want to me," he spat out his raspy words, not hiding his discomfort.
Confused looks mirrored the two as they watched Jacen fighting to keep his hands up in the air. Neytiri glances back at her sister, hoping she understood anything that he said. Sylwanin shook her head in response as her eyes followed the trail of blood.
"Help, Jacen," Sylwanin said, pointing at herself and Neytiri keeping her distance from him.
Jacen was surprised that she used his words to lower his hands, not because of what she said but from the energy he was consuming keeping them up. His hands falling to his sides, he eyed Neytiri as Sylwanin cautiously approached him. When Sylwanin had passed, Neytiri returned to her feet and followed her close by, making Jacen's heart race as they approached him.
"Mawey, Jacen," Sylwanin spoke, trying to soothe him.
Jacen watched as Sylwanin came close to him and knelt beside him, assessing his body. Neytiri, following Sylwanin's lead, knelt beside her, causing Jacen to shift away from her. Sylwanin seized Jacen's shoulders, urging him not to move her pleading eyes locking with his. Tentatively she slid her hand down, brushing against his exposed skin, causing him to jerk.
"Easy," Jacen mustered through clenched teeth.
Sylwanin vaguely understood what he said and reached for a jug behind her; popping it open, she poured its contents onto his skin. Jacen hissed as the cold water assaulted his open wounds as the water began to mix with the blood and dirt. Sylwanin retrieved a rag and started cleaning his skin, taking care not to aggravate his open injuries.
"Poan fe'erul," Neytiri spoke as she watched Sylwanin work.
"Oe omum," Sylwanin replied with a small voice trying to maintain a stoic face.
Jacen studied the two as Sylwanin continued to clean him, taking care not to cause any more pain than what she couldn't avoid. Despite her caution, a sudden jolt of pain caused Jacen to lunge out, seizing Sylwanin's arm. Sylwanin gave him a faint smile that Jacen didn't care for as she resumed her cleaning. Jacen could not suppress the feeling that whatever they were talking about wasn't right.
"Ayoe zene zamunge poanit," Sylwanin said as she poured water into his wounds to flush them out.
"Fyape nga fpìl futa tsa'uri ayoeng kem si?" Neytiri replied, looking at her.
"Ayoengìl zayene srungit ta lahea sute," Sylwanin spoke, not looking back at Neytiri.
"Pesu srung sayi poanur, peuti ngal fpìl," Neytiri motioned to Jacen.
"Tse, Oel fpolìl Tsu'teyt," Sylwanin looked back at Neytiri.
"Kehe! Poanìl ve'kì sawtuteti," Neytiri boked at the comment.
"Ayoeng zene fmivi," Sylwanin pressing Neytiri.
Jacen, unable to follow along, gauged their facial cues guessing what they were talking about; seeing Neytiri's face turn from surprise to thinking made Jacen feel even more uncomfortable. Sylwanin noticing out of the corner of her eye Jacen's concerned expression smiled brightly at him as she brought a jug to his mouth so he could drink.
"Help, Jacen," Sylwanin spoke in her soothing tone.
After they finished cleaning his injuries, they covered his wounds with fresh bandages. Exhausted from the ordeal, he could feel his body succumbing to the call of sleep. Fighting his best to ward off sleep, he felt his head grow heavy as his vision became blurred, seeing the faint blue silhouettes still looming over him before he passed out.
What felt like a long blink, Jacen felt his body rising into the air. His clouded thoughts of past events ran through his mind with flashes of the different Na'vi that he saw. The unnatural feeling of his body moving without his command stirred his consciousness. The presence of someone or something underneath his arms jolted him out of his slumber.
"What the hell," his foggy words barely audible to the people carrying him.
His mind was coming to reality; he opened his eyes to see Sylwanin under one arm and an unknown Na'vi male under his other. The new Na'vi sported a very disgruntled look as he bore most of Jacen's weight. He wore what looked like a neck brace covered with beads and a band of hiding around his midsection and waist. His piercing eyes burned straight ahead, never diverging from the course that Neytiri was laying.
"What's happening?" Jacen's question looked over at Sylwanin.
"Fnivu, ngal sleykayu tìterkupit ayoengä!" The male Na'vi spoke with malice in his tone.
Jacen felt a cold feeling wash over him, ceasing any desire to voice any questions or concerns that he had. With each step that the pair of Na'vi took, Jacen could feel his skin pulling against the bandages creating severe discomfort with every passing moment. Through his hazy mind, he commanded his legs to move in sync with the pair of Na'vi. He felt almost useless as his feet stumbled and tripped over one another, generating annoyance between the Na'vi supporting him as his body jerk every which way. After a minute of his feeble attempts, he let his legs go limp, allowing them to drag across the dirt path.
"Pelun ayoeng ke tsun txivìng poanit fte poan tiverkup? Eywa ke vayewng!" The male Na'vi spat out.
"Kehe, Tsu'tey." Sylwanin shot back, giving the male Na'vi a dirty look.
Taking in his surroundings, Jacen noticed that night was upon them and started worrying about how much he had slept in the past couple of days. His foggy mind was only allowing him to make out some outlines in the forest mixed with vibrant colors mimicking a kaleidoscope.
"Where are we?" Jacen muttered, hoping that he wasn't hallucinating.
Jacen felt a stiff elbow jab into his stomach, expelling all the air from his lungs. Fighting to regain his breath as tears pooled in his eyes, causing him to collapse. Jacen could hear the dark uttering from the male Na'vi as he was probably cursing as he felt a hand on his chest forcing him upright.
"Are you going to kill me?" Jacen asked, fearing the worst.
The thoughts of them leaving him in the middle of nowhere for dead began to play out in his mind. He knew that the wildlife on Pandora was extremely dangerous, and the thoughts of what they would do to him in his current state plagued his mind. Looking over to Sylwanin, the only semblance of hope through these events, return his gaze with a shallow smile before returning her eyes forward.
Jacen's heavy feet slowed the party to a crawl as his bare feet scraped the ground with every step. Jacen could feel the male Na'vi growing more frustrated as he hissed and groaned every time Jacen's foot caught an exposed root causing Jacen's weight to jerk back. The pace that the male Na'vi forced on them made it almost impossible for Jacen to get his shaky legs underneath him.
"Thank you," Jacen spoke, breaking the silence.
Jacen's words were met with a unanimous hiss sharply informing him that he needed to remain quiet. Trepidation burned in his mind as he focused on his heavy legs as they continued to stumble through the forest floor. He remarked at how torn his clothing was gone, his shirt was gone entirely, his shorts barely clung to him as shredded fabric revealing bandaged thighs with every step, and his blueish hue hardly shown through the dirt and mud.
'What the...' Jacen thought to himself.
As his visual acuity became sharper, he continued to study his feet and noticed that mixed in with the blackened mud was bright hues of blues, greens, and purple that shown through in streaks. The colors glowed like the signs and billboards back on earth, but here it was all in the dirt. Looking away from his feet, he felt his breath escape his lungs as a vibrant forest saturated with unparalleled beauty revealed itself. Jacen could barely conceive what he was witnessing as magnificent colors coated plants and trees around him. A deep feeling within his soul emerged as he felt a connection to the forest around them. His heart soared to unparalleled heights as he basked in the serenity that was all around them.
"Wow," Jacen breathed out, beholding the heavenly sights.
Sylwanin, hearing a noise from Jacen, looked up to see his mouth agape with a look of child-like wonder. She could not help but smile at his innocents as he looked all around him. She let out a playful laugh as Jacen enveloped in his amazement, as she wondered what he was thinking.
Hearing a feminine giggle, Jacen looked down to see Sylwanin looking up at him with a radiant smile. Her face shown brilliantly amongst the picturesque backdrop of the forest. A luminous pattern of bioluminescent light accented her gorgeous features absolving Jacen of his pain as her beauty captivated him beyond measure. Her smile amongst it all created a high that Jacen never fathomed being possible.
"Ayoengìl tok fìtsengeti," The male Na'vi spoke.
The male Na'vi flung Jacen's arm off of him, forcing Jacen's body to contract to bear his weight, muffled cries shortly followed as his form began to collapse. Sylwanin made a valiant attempt to hold him upright from the unexpected release for the Tsu'tey. The pair staggered around for a moment before Neytiri rushed over to help her.
"Irayo tsmuke," Sylwanin breathed out as Neytiri slid under Jacen's free arm.
They lowered Jacen down in front of a tree with mutual support, allowing the trunk to support Jacen's upright posture. Once he settled, Sylwanin brought a jug from behind her, bringing it to Jacen's lips so that he could drink. Jacen was relieved that they had some water for him as he downed the whole container and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," Jacen whispered, placing his hand on Sylwanin.
She smiled at him and placed her hand on top of his as Neytiri placed her hand on Sylwanin's back. Tsu'tey posted next to a tree wanting nothing to do with them as he looked into the vastness of the forest. For a moment, he would break away and look back to see what they were doing and would scoff at how Neytiri and Sylwanin were tending to this stranger.
"Peu set?" The male Na'vi spoke with a questioning tone as his stance reflected his boredom with the situation.
"Jacen syaw ne poanä sute," Sylwanin answered as she looked back over her shoulder at Tsu'tey.
"Tsa'uri fyape nga srefey fwa nga kem si?" The male Na'vi replied.
"Poanä pewnhu," Sylwanin pointed to Jacen's neck.
Sylwanin returned her attention to Jacen and drew her hand to her throat, mimicking what Jacen had done earlier when he attempted to contact Grace. Jacen, not really understanding, watched as Sylwanin squeezed the sides of her throat with her finger and thumb. After a moment of confusion, it finally clicked with Jacen what she wanted him to do.
"Grace!" Hailing Grace as he pinched the collar around his throat.
"Grace!" Jacen repeated after hearing nothing but static.
What felt like an eternity, the white noise broke away to a garbled voice. Jacen hailed Grace again, feeling his spirit skyrocket at the potential that someone was listening for him. With every passing attempt, the voice on the other side became clearer. The three Na'vi looked at each other in confusion and shock as the weird noises continued to come from Jacen's neck.
"Jacen!" Grace answered as static distorted the connection.
"Holy shit, Grace, I'm alive!" Jacen replied, bursting at the seams.
"Jacen, are you okay? Where are you? How's the avatar?" Grace rambled off question after question.
"Yeah, I'm okay; Holy shit, I'm so glad to hear your voice." Jacen choking on the words as the past day's events weld up.
"I need help, though," Jacen replied, not masking his body's status.
"What do you need?" Grace answered with apprehension in her voice.
"I need you to lock onto my signal and bring medical supplies," Jacen spoke clearly but still trying to convey urgency.
"That is going to be a lot harder than you think," Grace trailed off.
"Grace, I need you to do this for me," Jacen interjected, trying to portray the gravity of the situation.
"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in a wad. I will be there when I get a chance." Grace spoke.
"Grace, I also need you to come alone," Jacen stressed.
"What! Why?" Grace shot back her words, overwhelmed with suspicions.
"Please, Grace trusts me," Jacen pleaded with her.
"Okay fine, be there in a minute," Grace spoke, cutting off the connection.
Jacen let out a long sigh as all the stress of the situation was exhaled from his body. Sylwanin noticing the change in his demeanor, felt happy for him as she took up her place next to him. Neytiri followed her lead and sat next to Jacen on his other side while the group waited for Grace to arrive, hopefully alone.
"Peu lu tsaw?" The male Na'vi barked out, drawing his blade and pointing the tip at Jacen.
Jacen saw his life flash before his eyes as the large Na'vi drew his knife and pointed at him inches from his throat. Jacen slowly put his hands next to his head, hopefully portraying that he was no threat. The blade continued to hover over his throat as the large Na'vi loomed over him.
"Tam Tam Tsu'tey," Sylwanin replied slowly, placing her hand on top of the male Na'vi's hand.
"Poanìri oe ke 'efu nìltsan!" The male Na'vi shot back before retracting his blade and turning his back to them.
"I just need help; after they find me, I will be gone," Jacen spoke, attempting to deescalate the situation as he pushed off the back of the tree.
Sylwanin noticing what Jacen was doing, urged him to remain where he was. Out the corner of his eye, the male Na'vi saw Jacen moving upright towards him. Taking the opportunity, the male Na'vi spun on his heel and lunged at Jacen driving his knee into his face. Jacen could barely register what was happening as a flash of blue moved towards him, followed by an unbearable pain as something smashed into his face knocking him unconscious.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear from y'all! Iaryo!
