The Ancients

I gratefully acknowledge one of the foremost creative geniuses of our times, James Cameron, for conceiving the lush moon Pandora and the "noble savages," the Na'vi, that inhabit it. This story uses the characters and setting he created for his movie, Avatar. I have not received any money for my work based on Avatar. If I could get paid by the hour for these stories, I would retire and spend all my time dancing and writing in comfort.

Chapter 4: Preparations

The arrival of the Ancient turned into an impromptu festival, with the musicians singing and playing long into the night until the clan could no longer dance. Practically the entire clan attended, with only a few hunters so far away that they missed the recall signal. The visitors stayed just two nights to rest their pa'li and themselves. Once they had departed, the rhythms of the clan returned, and most awaken long before dawn, as is their custom.

Zozasko, The Ancient, makes a point of joining Jake and Neytiri for the early morning meeting of the leaders of the cooks, gatherers, hunters, and other groups to plan the activities of the clan. Looking around this morning, he thinks, "Everything is normal, except one couple that hasn't attended before." This meeting is fairly typical and goes quickly. "The clan leader values everyone's time, he keeps his meetings fast and focused, making sure everyone is heard. He looks very young, and is wise beyond his years."

As the meeting breaks up, the couple comes forward to Jake, the husband carrying a long, rolled-up bundle made of leather. The couple looks to Jake, and as the woman speaks, "Leader, we need your help," the man crouches down and unrolls the bundle on the ground. Inside are parts of arrows, shafts, heads, feathers, and a couple of completed arrows that are bent and scorched. Jake and Zozasko crouch down around the leather sheet, and Neytiri steps close beside the woman.

Zozasko looks to the couple and says, "I recognize you as musicians from the night of my arrival."

Jake nods, points to the man and says, "Zozasko, this is Moza. He does good work for the clan as a skinner and tanner, but I think his real passion is drumming and singing." The man smiles and adds, "I take the skins from the carcasses and work them into what is needed, removing fat and fur and then tanning, and let others do the finishing work." Jake points to the woman and says, "His mate Laysawl keeps the weavers going by making yarns and threads, and she also enjoys singing. Their son Vuvek is the same age as my son Tomi. We have an archery ceremony coming up where our boys get their first real bows and arrows."

Zozasko says, "Hello. It is good to meet you, Mosa and Laysawl. I enjoyed your music." Turning to Jake, he asks, "If the Omatikaya are like most clans, the clan provides the bows, and the parents provide the arrows."

Jake nods, "Yes, that's how we do it."

Neytiri adds, "It has been a struggle. When Hometree was destroyed, we lost our supply of bows sized for children. Since we moved into New Hometree, we have had some parents make new bows as their children grow out of them. The old bows are kept for use by other children, but we have a constant need to make new bows, as we do not have all the sizes required."

Zozasko asks, "Do you have a clan bowyer?"

Neytiri replies, "Not yet. After the battle for the Well of Souls, we were short-handed in many specialties. We have several hunters and warriors who would make good bowyers, but our need for hunters and warriors is greater."

"Please introduce me to these candidates someday, I'd like to discuss bow making with them, and learn the local materials." Turning back to the couple seeking help, he asks, "So you haven't needed to make new arrows for some time?"

Moza answers, "Laysawl and I do our work outside New Hometree, in the secure area. She gets warrior escorts when she gathers plants beyond this area. We have carried the same bows and arrows for years. Now we must make smaller arrows for Vuvek, but the more we try, the worse the result, as you can see. I don't want to give our boy bad arrows."

Zozasko picks up the bent arrow with the most charring and looks down its length. He looks to Laysawl and says, "In most clans, the hunters and warriors make the best arrows because they use them every day and their lives depend on them. And they get the most practice making them." He puts the arrow down and picks up a loose arrowhead. "The rest of the clan doesn't get much practice. Don't feel bad, my guess is that there are other couples struggling to make arrows for their children going into the archery ceremony."

Moza and Laysawl nod their heads, and Laysawl says, "The man who taught us arrow making years ago was a hunter, and he was killed when Hometree fell down. We asked some other parents, and they also are looking for help. We are asking Jake to get us someone who is good at making arrows and can put up with helping a group of adults that are not skilled at making such fine things."

Zozasko turns to Jake and says, "I would be happy to help them. I would like to organize an arrow party for them, if there is enough time before the archery ceremony."

Jake looks at him and asks, "An arrow party?"

"It is a gathering of those wishing to learn more about making arrows with an instructor who provides the raw materials and tools. With your permission, I will organize one."

With a relieved look, Jake replies, "By all means. There are many fine arrow makers in the clan, but few would want to take on this challenge. I do it more by feel than anything else. Don't know if I could explain how to do it very well."

"When is the ceremony?"

Neytiri answers, "I must talk to some parents before we set a date. I'd say eight to sixteen days, but not much later. Tomi, Vuvek, and several other children are ready to start now. There are other children that could join them or maybe should wait until the next group. Those are the parents I need to see."

Zozasko holds the arrowhead up with his fingers. "Moza, this is a good field tip. Did you make it?"

"No. When a hunter brings in a kill, often there are one or more arrowheads stuck beneath the skin. The hunter always wants the intact arrowheads back. The damaged ones go to the weapon makers for rework. When I asked about arrowheads for my boy, they gave me these that were made from the reworked arrowheads. They have plenty of these, and say the children use them up quickly."

Jake grins and says, "I remember the first day Neytiri let me shoot her arrows. I can still see one arrow with a nice hunting tip miss the target and hit the ground, shattering the arrowhead. She was not happy, and I felt so bad ruining it."

Zozasko nods, and says with a smile, "Yes, it cannot be avoided. Arrowheads will break, even an excellent shot by a hunter can hit bone and break the arrowhead. That is why new archers are taught how to make bows and arrows early on, so they appreciate the hard work that goes into them, and use them purposefully." Looking back to Mosa, Zozasko asks, "Are there plenty of feathers for fletchings?"

"Since we moved into New Hometree, finding feathers is easy. This area around The Sisters is full of birds of all sizes. The girls collect the feathers and wear the ones they like. There is a large basket on the ground level where they put the feathers they don't keep."

"How about arrow trees? Any nearby?"

Jake answers, "You don't need to find any arrow trees. Thanks to Peyral, we have plenty of branches drying here in New Hometree, and you are welcome to them."

Zozasko looks to Jake and says, "That's unusual. I feel there is a good story here."

"There is. I should let her tell you, I just saw her go by." Jake jumps to his feet and yells over the crowd. "Peyral. Sister, come join us."

Peyral trots through the crowd and stops in front of Jake and the Ancient, who rises and gives her the greeting gesture, saying, "I See you, Peyral."

She gestures in kind and replies, I See you, Ancient. Welcome to our clan."

"Call me Zozasko, please. Our clan leader says you have provided many arrow tree branches, and have a good story about them."

She nods. "It's a long story, we should get comfortable first." She sits down the Na'vi way.

Neytiri says, "I know this story, it is a good one, but I must go to talk to some parents before they start their work."

Laysawl says, "I must leave now, too. There is a group of us going out to cut thread plants, they're probably waiting for me now."

Moza stands, and hugs and kisses his mate. "Stay safe. See you later."

Laysawl says, "I will. Check on the kids if you have time." The two women walk off together.

Moza sits down and says, "I know this story. I'll stay unless a hunter brings in a kill and needs me." He rolls up the bundle and ties it up with a leather strip.

Once everyone is settled, Peyral begins. "I flew out to the south ridge trail. It is a good place to check the valleys on either side for game. It has thick cover and the wind usually blows up from the valleys. We landed on the trail, and I sent my ikran into some nearby trees. Soon I heard the roars of a creature in pain by the river. The sound was coming from a brush pile on the far bank, and I worked my way down through a heavily wooded ravine across the river from it. I climbed down until I could see it through the vegetation. It was a female palulukan, an older one, I think. One side of its head was bloody and torn up, its eye sockets looked empty. Didn't think it would survive much longer. I knew it might attack me if it sensed me, so I nocked an arrow and waited until it swung the good side of its face away from me. I popped up and shot it in its larger eye socket. It died almost immediately. In the quiet that followed, I heard the labored breathing of another creature, below me and back from the river. I crawled down to it, and found a male yerik, a young adult, lying on the ground surrounded by bushes. Both of its hind legs were bitten off, with blood streaming from the stumps, and it was near death. I just walked up to it, and it didn't budge, it just looked up at me in a most sorrowful way. Its spirit had given up. I petted its head, and it seemed to relax. I took out my knife and put it out of its misery. Other than the hind legs, it was in good shape, so I decided to bring it home. I hung it up in a tree with some vines, and blooded it. Figured the palulukan was dead, so I crossed river and retrieved my arrow. I was about to cut its claws out when I heard the yipping of nantang coming my way. I jumped in the river and crossed it again. I looked up at the trees, and realized the whole ravine was lined with a stand of arrow trees. Thought no other hunter had found them, as they were full of branches ready for cutting. I didn't want to stay around for the nantang to arrive, so I whistled for my ikran and cut down my kill. I quickly tied the carcass to my back, and we took off just as the nantang pack tore into the palulukan."

"The next day, we flew back there. Knew it would be safe because nantang packs eat quickly and leave little for other scavengers. I found some claws, I'm wearing them now." She pulls her necklace off over her head and hands it to Zozasco, who runs his fingers over the claws and pushes on the points. "Swam the river again, and cut branches that would make good arrows. Tied them into bundles of 32 with vines. When I had eight bundles, decided that was enough for my ikran to carry. I called him down, tied the bundles between his wings, and then flew home. We've made four trips so far. There are many trees that haven't been cut yet."

Zozasko asks, "You brought 1024 branches here to make into arrows?"

"Well, maybe I miscounted. They are for anyone in the clan who needs them, and in case we have another battle. I'm not making that many arrows by myself. I like making my own arrows, but that many in one batch is too much for me."

"Thank you for bringing in so many branches. The parents will thank you for them. You saved me and them much time in trying to find branches. Since we're making arrows for children, we'll use the shorter branches, and the longer branches will remain for adults to use."

"I don't cut short branches, I let them grow for when I return to cut more. These branches are for adult-sized arrows. Child-sized arrows are shorter and thinner. I can fly out there today and cut smaller branches, if you want."

"Let's go and look at the branches here, and then decide."

Jake says, "I've looked through the branches, you will probably have to get smaller ones. If you go, it would be good to fly Zozasko out there so he can get the sizes he needs. Peyral, get a couple of ikran makto to go with you to stand guard, including somebody whose ikran can take Zozasko out there. He's not very big. And this trip will introduce him to our clan territories and the plants and animals in it."

"Yes, leader."

"Ask Wrrtll if you need help getting fliers, he'll know who is available today."

Peyral stands and says, "I'll show you where the branches are stored. They are out of sight in a secluded alcove." Turning to Jake, she says, "If we do go, I'll let you know once we get a party organized."

Jake nods, "That is outstanding. I should know if you are flying out there. Be careful, and good luck." Turning to Zozasko, he says, "It will be very helpful to get more adults trained in making arrows. When the tawtute return, we'll need as many arrows as we can make."

Zozasko replies, "I'll help the parents whose children are going into this ceremony first. Later, I will organize more parties to train more adults for your preparations."

"I appreciate you doing this for me."

"When we get back, we can talk about the ceremony. You and your mate are doing double duty this time, and I can take over the leader part if you want. Your mate will have to do both mother and Tsahìk parts. She must handle the spiritual part, I cannot presume to do that."

"I have to think about that, and ask my boss, I mean my mate." Jake and Zozasko both laugh. "Thanks for the offer."

"I understand. I will do whatever I can to help you and the clan." Looking to the young hunter, he says, "Peyral, show me these bundles you collected." They walk off together towards the alcove.