Destiny (Jake and Neytiri and Norm)
Norm and Tanhí watched the festivities from a distance. They decided
that Norm had been too weak to take part in any activity besides
sitting and walking. He saw Jake and Neytiri go off into the bush away
from the Well of Souls.
" Wonder where they are going?" Norm said. " As if I didn't know."
" I believe I know also," Tanhí added. "If you were feeling better I
would ask you to do the same."
Norm smiled up at his mate and motioned for her to come closer. Once
she was at eyelevel with him, he reached up and stroked her cheek. She
leaned in further and he kissed her.
" I know you would, my love." he said. "Give me another couple of
weeks and I'll be feeling better. Then and only then. I would ask you
for Tsahaylu but my pain would transfer over into you. I do not want
to put you through that. It would be harsh and cruel of me."
" But not if I do it willingly," she said grabbing his queue and
connecting it with hers.
Norm shuddered at the contact and instantaneously felt his pain in his
shoulder and chest lessen. He realized she was dampening the pain with
her mind. He reached up and felt the two spots where the 30
millimeter GAU Cannons had ripped through his shoulder and chest. Max
had stitched him up and told him to take it easy. But he could not
take it easy with a mate like Tanhí. The first night he had linked
back, he ripped all the stitches out. Take a guess how.
Anyway that's beside the point. Norm looked at his mate and almost,
almost wished he was a strong warrior of the Omaticaya. But no. He had
thought long and hard about that. He would have never met Tanhí if he
would have been a warrior. She probably never would have found him and
cared for him.
After a while he looked over at his mate. She was sleeping on him, her
head propped up against his chest. He reached over and disconnected
their queues. He did not want to take a chance on what could happen if
they stayed connected when he went back to Hell's Gate. He did not
have the luxury of staying in his Avatar, like Jake did. But that
would be changing soon. Once Norm was trained in the ways of the
Omaticaya, he would be given the same choice as Jake was given. Only
for Norm, it wouldn't be a choice. He had already decided to embrace
Eywa and the Omaticaya. How could he not? He had Tanhí and she was all
he needed.

Jake turned in his sleep under the Tree of Voices only to find Neytiri
gone. He awoke with a start to find that it was already mid-day.
Looking around Jake suddenly realized he was not alone. A figure leap
from the tree and landed right on top of him. He rolled over trying to
pin his captor. Once he had pinned his would be killer, only then did
he realize it was Neytiri. She was smiling up at him as he straddled
her.
" You learn quickly," she said.
He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. She stayed in the kiss for
three minutes. When they finally pulled away from each other, they
were sweating and their hearts were beating fast from lack of oxygen.
" We should probably go back," Jake said. " They will be looking for
us."
" Yes," Neytiri said. "Besides sa'nok will want to speak to you, now
that you are one of us."
He removed himself from on top of her and slowly stood up. She
extended her hand and he helped her up. They walked hand in hand and
tail in tail back to the Well of Souls.
As they neared the camp of the Omaticaya, they started to see many
people. They acknowledged his presence simply by saying, "Toruk Makto."
" I need to go find Norm." Jake said. "I told him I would find him
last night after my transfer but I kind of forgot. He'll probably be mad
at me."
Jake found Norm lounging with Tanhí near the outer ring of the Well of
Souls. Norm was sitting propped up against a rock. He looked, to Jake,
pale and weak. Jake was worried that the prior nights festivities were
too much for his friend.
As Jake approached Norm made to get up.
" Don't my friend," Jake said. "You aren't looking so hot. Just stay
seated. We can talk like this."
" Yeah. I'm hurting more than usual. I had Tanhí check the stitches. A
couple had torn out. She replaced them and put some kind of pain
killer on them. It's taking most of the pain away but some of it still
remains."
" I thought I told you to take it easy," Jake said. "Max said you
have to take it easy. He said those stitches won't hold out under any
additional stress other than walking. But knowing you," he looked at
Tanhí," you couldn't resist could you?"
" No. I couldn't," Norm said with a smile. " So what's it like being
Mr. Permanent Avatar?"
" It's wild. I mean I can see, feel, hear, and taste so many more
things now that it is permanent. I, I, can't even begin to explain it.
And, before you ask any other questions, have I something to tell you.
Norm, I saw Grace."
" What? How? When?"
" When I was transferred. She said we would see her again. Don't ask me
how but she said we would have to find her to see her again. I saw her
under a massive glowing tree. Much like the tree at the center here.
But it was different. It was bigger and had an overwhelming
consciousness. I believe if we find this tree, we find the focal point
of Eywa on Pandora."
" That would be amazing. I mean to have Grace back. I still miss her.
Hey, what happened to her Avatar? Remember it was gone after you gave
your speech."
" Yeah. It was gone, wasn't it? I don't know what happened to it."
" O well. If it is still alive, I could probably track it. All the
Avatars have trackers in so if they were injured we could go get them."
" Check on it when you go back tonight if you're not too tired. I
would like to find this tree and Grace."
" I know so would I? I'll look into it. Keep that radio open to
channel 4 tonight. If I find anything I'll radio you. Then I'll send
all the info to my back-up computer. I keep it here so I can monitor
all the autonomous systems in Hell's Gate that pertain to the areas
of living for all the remaining people there. Do you remember how to
use it?"
" Yeah. I do. At least I think I remember."
" I will have a video link up on that radio so I can talk you through
it if you need help."
" Thanks. That's a big help. Well, I got to go. I wanted to tell you
that and to see how you were doing. I have a meeting with the mother-
in-law."
" Ah. Have fun. I'll be in touch."
Jake stood and walked away from Norm and Tanhí. He leapt down ring by
ring until he was on the floor of the Well of Souls. From there he
made his way towards the tree that grew there. Mo'at and Neytiri were
standing there waiting for him.
" I see you," Jake said in Na'vi to Mo'at.
" I see you, JakeSully," she replied. "I can tell something troubles
you. Speak your mind."
' Dang, she's good,' he thought.
" Well, when I was transferred to this body during the transition I was
by a lake with a huge tree on the opposite shore. But that didn't
alarm me. I felt like someone was watching me so I turned around and
there was Grace."
" You mean Dr. Augustine?" Neytiri asked.
" Yes, it was her. Alive as if she was standing here. Anyway she told
me I would meet her again. She said she hadn't really died. And, to be
honest, she didn't truly die. She was absorbed by Eywa. Also, if you
remember, Grace's Avatar went missing after my speech. I believe Eywa
took it to this place and Grace is there alive. It's just a matter of
finding the place. Norm said that all of our Avatars have trackers in.
He said he can possibly track it. After that we may find her. And this
tree. It was unlike any tree I had ever seen. I believe it to be the
focal point of Eywa's power on the planet as a whole."
" There is an old legend that speaks of this," Mo'at began, "This has
been handed down generation to generation since our beginning.
" When Eywa created Pandora, she made it for her own enjoyment. She
made it lush, green, rocky, and resource rich. But she never intended
for the skypeople to live here. That was why so many saw this place as
death. Eywa realized that after she created such a beautiful world
that others should also enjoy this world. Then she made all kinds of
animal you see today. It was a perfect world. But yet she was not
happy. It felt like something was missing. She had wanted children
that could talk to her. That is why we stand here today. She made the
Na'vi to commune with her and to enjoy the world she had created.
" This tree you spoke of was the first place where the Na'vi lived.
Eywa made that place rich in food and have an abundance of water. The
first clan to emerge from this place was the Omaticaya. We came out
and ventured into the forest, where we eventually found our old
Hometree."
" Do you know then where it is located?" Jake asked.
" Yes. I do. Every olo'eyktan since the beginning of time has been
entrusted with this secret. And now seeing as you are the new olo'eyktan
I will tell you the location. But first you must prove that you are
ready for this great responsibility."
" How? How must I prove myself?"
At this point Jake's mind was a blur of thoughts. He wanted to know
where this place was. The prospect of seeing Grace again made him want
to cry. He had seen her human body die. But he had somehow known that
she lived on. Even though she was ethereal. Somehow, deep down, he
knew Grace was alive in her Avatar. Things had played out against her
one to many times. And even though Eywa had denied her passage then,
he knew somehow that she gained passage later on.
" You," Mo'at said," must rule over our people for one year. And in
that time you must go out on every hunt. Also you must be present for
anything that concerns Eywa. For it seems that you are a chosen one."
Jake felt a pulling deep down inside his heart and spirit. He was
meant to go to this place. Eywa wanted him to bring the Omaticaya back
to their home. It was his destiny.