"Do you think he's gonna do it?" Awa whispered to her mate as the two sat together on a branch above where Neytiri and Jake was currently stalking a stray yerik. Their tails were wrapped around each other and shoulders brushing together every time they moved.
"I do not know. The sky-demon may get lucky." Tsu'tey smirked at her and brushed a finger down her arm. "Stranger things have happened", his smirk turned into a smile with just a hint of smugness and pride to it, his eyes twinkling and voice lowering into a husky whisper.
She snorted and pushed his knee. "Yeah, no thanks to you." Awa teased him with a smirk on her face and a slight dance of her eyebrows. "If I remember correctly I was the one who made all of this happen", she lifted her hand from the branch and pointed at him before her. "If you had your way I would have been dead a long long time ago."
His ears flattened in shame and his tail tightened around hers. A small whine grew in his throat that only she could hear, his pride too strong to ever let anyone other than her see him weak. Tsu'tey's eyes were staring down at Jake and Neytiri, not wanting to look at her as he thought back at all he had done.
Awa snickered but sighed when she thought back too at their shared past, all the screaming, yelling, pain but then all the happiness, the laughter, the love and the joy. "For being such a proud and confident man you sure beat yourself up a lot about the past. Stop looking back, we're not going that way." She placed a hand on his shoulder before leaning down and pressing a short, soft kiss on his shoulder blade. "We made it didn't we? Despite all the things we went through, and Atxa is about to be a father again."
Silence fell over them for a few seconds before her mate muttered: "I hope it will be a boy."
"Why?" Awa asked with a tilt of her head and a curious look in her eyes. "Sawari turned out great, cute and smart!"
"Great hunter, strong, but a boy would be easier. They already have a girl, why have another one?" Tsu'tey asked Awa, confused, the whole scene they were observing melted away.
"I don't know." Awa shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip. "They could always have more than two children, more opportunities to have boys and all of that."
"Maybe they do not want more children." His eyes stared into hers. "I do not think Atxa is in need of more children to make his hair go gray, you were the last straw." Tsu'tey grinned a toothy grin at her and bowed his head slightly. "I know I would have pulled mine off if I had you as a student. Rock brain." Her mate brought up a hand and gently knocked her on her forehead.
"Stop that!" She giggled and pushed his head away. "We need to see how they're doing. So, stay away!" Awa threw him a faux glare and scooted a bit away from him but their tails remained entwined. He raised his hands and let his eyes flash down to where Jake and Neytiri was crouching under a few green plants.
The yerik was grazing a short distance away and had yet to discover that it was being stalked before being killed. Awa felt a pang of pity for the gentle animal but she reminded herself that they only took what they needed and the yerik's soul and energy would be returned to Eywa, and protect Pandora. A Na'vi wasn't allowed to kill an animal until they were ready and the forest had given permission, so far Jake hadn't been allowed to do it.
Rain was falling all around them thought the mated pair was shielded from it by the thick and large leaves on the tree they were sitting in. Awa's eyes stared right at the still unaware Jake, much like he was staring at the yerik. He was preparing to kill it, Awa could see it, just like she had once done. This would be the final part of his training before Iknimaya and Uniltaron, a rite she knew Grace would protest heatedly against, but if Jake wanted to be one of the people he would have to find a way- just like she did.
The dreamwalker got into a crouched but strong position and lifted the training bow before nocking the arrow he had placed loosely on the string. Awa straightened and leaned forward eagerly, her eyes widened and hands drumming on her thighs. It takes but a few seconds after aiming at the animal that the yerik discovered the lurking pair and snarled at them. His arrow soared through the air and hit the yerik in the heart, making it fall to the ground. Awa's breath hitched and the urge to whoop at his success came but she forced it down and instead gripped Tsu'tey's hand in hers, seeking comfort from him.
Jake and Neytiri sprung forward to the dying animal that was whining softly with the well-placed arrow sticking out of its blue body. He pulls out the arrow and inserts his knife in its heart, speaking the words. "I see you brother, and thank you. Your spirit goes with Eywa, your body stays behind to become part of the people" The animal died without much pain and Awa felt her lips curl into a proud smile.
"A clean kill." Awa heard Neytiri tell Jake with approval clear in her voice. "You are ready."
Awa cheered as she jumped down from the tall tree, making sure to let Tsu'tey's tail go before she left him, knowing that he wouldn't want his presence to be known to Jake. Awa may not be his biggest fan but she was still impressed and she gave credit where credit was due. It was no small feat to learn all he had in such a short amount of time and make a kill that clean, plus saying the words without the tiniest bit of stutter or hesitation.
"Good job, Jake!" She clicked her tongue and clapped him roughly on the back as she would any of the others, making him wheeze and glare at her for interrupting his masculine pride moment with his teacher. "Look at you, so skinny, so small and yet you've passed onto the next stage."
Neytiri chuckled and shook her head as she still sat next to the dead yerik. "It is true."
"Little Jake is going to go through Iknimaya. I can't believe it!" Awa chuckled and pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. She was in a good mood and she was proud of the man for making it this far, even if he had privileges she didn't.
"Stop it." He mumbled and pushed her away, making her eyes dance up to where she knew Tsu'tey was hiding before throwing him a cautious look. Neytiri met her eyes and then frowned, knowing exactly what could happen if Jake was going to do it again.
"Rude." She dragged out the word, determined to keep the mood from falling. "You best be careful or y'know, I might have to call a certain someone if you know what I mean?" Awa winked before striding away from the pair and disappearing through the bushes towards her mate.
The trio of Na'vi stood at the edge of the cliff, looking at the pastel pinks and blues that had mottled together in the sky that cast colorful light on the clear blue water of the lake. Atxa had an arm over Ngeha's shoulder and Awa sat on the soft, grassy ground with her arms placed in her lap and a straw of grass in between her lips. They watched as the sun slowly began to set in the horizon and as the forest, wildlife and plants slowly came to life in all their bright, neon glory. Their ikran were perched in the trees behind them, watching over their riders and making sure none of the other banshees comes too close.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Awa broke the comforting silence with a loving sigh. "I've always loved watching the sun go down."
"We know. You and Tsu'tey sneak off to watch them every night." Ngeha and Atxa responded in unison, their heads tilting to her exactly at the same time and sporting the same expression of amusement.
Awa glared at the pair and snorted before turning back to the watch the sky. "Doesn't make it any less beautiful, and Tsu'tey Isn't here so we don't watch it every night." She pointed out to them and lifted her nose into the air.
"Almost all nights, isn't that right, Atxa?" Ngeha corrected and turned towards her mate with an expectant look on her face as if daring him to not agree with her. "Everyone knows."
Atxa cleared his throat and stroked Ngeha's arm. "Yes, almost all nights, exactly." He smiled mischievously and winked at her but made sure that Ngeha didn't see him doing so. "The whole clan gossips about you two, has since you became my student and has only increased after you took him as your mate, isn't that right Ngeha?"
"Quite so." She agreed and gave him a pat on the head, smiling down at him while rubbing her still flat stomach. "You'll have a small break, I'm sure, when news come out that their previously best teacher is going to have another child."
"Hmm, imagine the gossip if I got pregnant." She cackled at the thought and had to wrap her arms around her stomach to not fall over as sobs of laughter made her body shake. "The elders would for sure faint!"
Ngeha and Atxa joined her laughing until Ngeha broke it by saying: "Do you not wish to be pregnant?"
Awa abruptly stopped laughing as her jaw dropped at the tone in her friend's voice. "What do you mean?"
"Do you want children?"
The former dreamwalker stared mutely at the pair as they stared at her with curiosity and a bit of judgement in their eyes. "Of course I want children!" She could see them exhaling in relief and their eyes softening. "But not now. We've decided to wait until we're ready to have a baby."
"And when is that? You've said it yourself: something big is coming." Atxa was the one who spoke this time, surprising Awa that he was the one hounding her about children when he threatened Tsu'tey at their mating ceremony to take care of her.
"Which just gives me more reason to wait. If a war breaks out between the RDA and us it's not going to be safe to be pregnant." Awa shot back until she realised what she said. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that-"
"Yes you did." Ngeha smiled at her, almost in a motherly way. "And it's okay to feel that way. We didn't plan for this to happen but we thank Eywa everyday that she blessed us with another child, just like she will bless you one day."
Awa looked down on her stomach and ghosted her fingers over the toned surface. "Yes. One day, when the time is right." She smiled up in the sky and stood up.
Awa winked at Ngeha before pulling Atxa away from his mate. The former teacher protested and glared at her but eventually stopped struggling against her hold. Awa didn't let him go, instead she shifted her hold from his arms to placing them on his back before pushing him to stand in front of her and at the edge of the cliff.
"What are you doing?" He anxiously asked her, throwing looks back over his shoulder to his grinning mate, who didn't lift a finger to help him.
"I'm going to help you cool off." Awa chuckled before pushing the heavy Na'vi man down the tall cliff and towards the pure, blue and warm water just waiting for him at the bottom.
"And I will help you." Awa distantly heard Ngeha say behind her before she felt herself falling off the cliff too.
"Ngeha!" She screamed out the name as she fell towards the water, her hands making fists at the smirking woman before Awa felt the warm water embrace her.
The woman swam towards the surface, or what she thought was the surface, and inhaled greedily once she broke the soft surface of the body of water. Awa coughed slightly and had to swipe her hair away from her face where it had stuck with the help of water, before she turned around to see where the probably vengeful Atxa was hiding. She chuckled when she saw him a fair bit of distance away from her, glaring at her and pumping his feet underwater to keep himself afloat. Awa wiped some more water off her face and then laughed when she heard the tell-tale splash of Ngeha hitting the water behind her.
"I will take my revenge!" She heard Atxa say and she laughed harder at his empty words.
"No you won't!" Awa called back and started swimming away from him.
AN: So, the first book of the HP series is roughly 79k words, meaning that I've soon written a book that's longer than that. I'm still in denial...