Prayers and War
That night, I got linked in and went up to the Tree of Souls.
My idea was somewhat desperate, but I needed to do something. The Na'vi had a strong belief in Eywa, Grace was with her now, so maybe she could help. I attached my queue to one of the glowing branches.
"I don't know if you're listening to me, but I hope you are. You need to know what's happening. If Grace is with you, look into her memories, see the world we come from. There's no green there. They killed their Mother and they're going to do the same here. More Sky People are going to come. They're going to come like a rain that never ends unless we stopped them. You chose me for something. You know I'll fight for them until my last breath, but I've need a little help here. Please, if you're there, help us."
I closed my eyes and then I heard a soft voice whispering to me. It Na'vi tongue, but it was gentle and soft, like a mother trying to soothe her child.
"Your faith is great Dawn Light. Do not be afraid. If I can help, then I shall. But you must know that I have already given you a gift to help the Omaticaya and allowed you to teach it to Tsu'Tey. Your power comes from me and always will. Rest easy, Dawn Light, and do not be afraid. Grace and I will always be with you."
"Thank-you," I whispered, both stunned and grateful.
I let go and felt my mate's hand on my shoulder.
"Our Great Mother does not take sides, Dawn," said Tsu'Tey, gently. "She protects only the balance of life."
"I had to ask," I murmured, as we rested our foreheads against each other's. "Tsu'Tey, I-I heard her speak to me."
"And what did she tell you?" he asked.
I was amazed she'd spoken to me at all, and he wasn't. Why was that? "She said if she could help, she would. She also said Grace was with her, and she said my musical gift comes from her and that I shouldn't be afraid."
"Are you?"
"The only thing I'm afraid of is not being with you," I admitted. "Even if the battle does not claim me, then my sickness will."
"Shh, shh, shh," said Tsu'Tey, as he held me close. "That will never happen. I vowed that I would never let you go and I will keep my vow."
I sighed. "Tsu'Tey, if I had never come here…"
"We would all be lost to the Sky People," he interrupted. "We would have no hope. And my life would be meaningless. You are the reason I keep fighting. You are the reason my life has any purpose. I would rather die in the battle tomorrow than continue to live without you."
"I feel the same way," I murmured.
I rested my head against his chest as he held me and stroked my hair. Then, to my surprise, he began to sing.
"If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be
And if I never held you
I would never have a clue
How at last I'd find in you
The missing part of me
In this world so full of fear
Full of rage and lies
I can see the truth so clear
In your eyes
So dry your eyes
And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
Somehow, the words came easily to me and soon I was singing as well.
-Dawn-
I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we made the whole world bright
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
All they'd leave us were these whispers in the night
But still my heart is saying
We were right
-Dawn- (Tsu'Tey)
For if I never knew you (There's no moment I regret)
If I never knew this love (Since the moment that we met)
I would have no inkling of (If our time has gone too fast)
How precious life can be (I've lived at last...)
-Tsu'Tey-
And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Empty as the sky
-Dawn-
Never knowing why
-Both-
Lost forever
If I never knew you
Whatever happened, our lives were full of purpose and meant something greater now because we'd been together. We shared a few more kisses and held each other close throughout the rest of the night.
"Tsu'Tey, promise me one thing," I whispered, as we fell asleep.
"Anything, MyDawn."
"Promise me that if I don't make it, you'll live on for me. Promise me."
He sighed and nodded. "I promise."
The next morning, the Na'vi flew on their ikrans and I was on Toruk, awaiting the Sky People and the war that would shape our future. I led the battle with Tsu'Tey behind me. We were all armed and painted and prepared for what lay ahead.
We had poisonous arrows, powerful animals were at our command, Tsu'Tey and I were prepared to summon more with our flutes if need be, and dozens of us were clinging to a cliff awaiting the enemy.
Down below on the ground, hundreds of Na'vi on Direhorses began the attack. Up in the skies, we began attacking the flyers. Toruk and I grabbed several of the flyers and flung them into the cliffs or into the other flyers causing them to explode. Other flyers were taken down by the ikran and were destroyed.
The Na'vi on Direhorses were shooting the Sky People with poisoned arrows and trampling any who got underfoot. The Sky People began to break formation and fire upon us, but we wouldn't give up. We kept fighting.
"Dawn, Dawn, do you copy?" said Norm, on the mike. "We're falling back! We're getting hammered!"
"Copy, get out of there!"
Quaritch's ship aimed its guns at me and kept trying to hit me, but Toruk was too fast for it, and even better, Trudy's ship came into view and began firing at it. I could hear her yelling over the mike.
"Yeah, Trudy!" I screamed. "Keep at it, big sis!"
"You know I will," she said, cackling.
Toruk and I kept attacking the other ships, but then I saw that the war we were fighting was starting to end badly for us. Bombs began to be dropped and more of the Na'vi were dying.
"MyDawn!" cried Tsu'Tey, on the mike. He was down on the ground helping some of the others. I felt relieved that he was still alive.
"I read you," I said.
"Jak'Tor is dead," he said, referring to his ikran. "They are closing in. They are many. If I use my flute, they'll know I'm here."
"Tsu'Tey, do not attack!" I ordered. "Do you read me? Do not attack! Get out of there, that's an order! Tsu'Tey!"
But he did not reply. Out of desperation, I played my flute. Go to Tsu'Tey, please. Help him! I silently begged. The next thing I heard on the mike was the sounds of retreat and storming Hammerheads.
"Dawn, Eywa has heard you!" shouted Tsu'Tey.
I turned my head to see that he was right. Hundreds of ikran who had not been close enough to hear my call were coming and attacking or eating the Sky People.
"Eywa has heard you!" Tsu'Tey shouted.
I was so happy, I thought I was going to cry. I continued to get reports from Tsu'Tey. Viperwolves, Ikrans, Thantaors, all of them came to help us. One Thanator even allowed Tsu'Tey to ride it, which he did. Soon, the Sky People were either down or falling back. We were winning! We were winning!
Toruk and I flew to the bomb ship and began attacking it before it could harm the Tree of Souls. I leapt off its back and attacked whatever Sky People I came across. I dropped a bomb into the ship and got back on Toruk's back. We flew away as the ship crashed far away from the Tree of Souls.
I got off Toruk's back again when we came to Quartich's ship. I dropped several bombs, but before they could go off, the ship banked and I began to slide off and the bombs followed. Thankfully, one of them managed to cause a breach in the hull. Just as I managed to yank off one of the missiles, Quaritch came out with an Exomask on and fired at me. I fell, but the missile hit one of the propellers, causing part of the ship to explode and crash.
With no time to call for help, I continued to fall until I hit the ground below. I ran when I heard Tsu'Tey screaming. I found Quaritch and his Transformer-thing attacking Tsu'Tey. The Thanator Tsu'Tey had been riding was dead and Tsu'Tey was pinned between it and a rock and Quaritch was about to kill Tsu'Tey with a huge blade.
"Give it up, Quaritch!" I yelled, making him turn to face me. "It's all over!"
"Nothing's over while I'm still breathing," he snarled.
"I kind of hoped you'd say that," I said, smirking.
I grabbed a weapon and began fighting Quaritch. He managed to block or dodge every one of my blows. I kept dancing around him, trying to lead him away from Tsu'Tey and the Link. I let out a yell and stuck my weapon through the glass, it missed him by a few inches. Then he got rid of the glass and put an Exomask on. I grabbed my knife and let out a growl.
"Hey, Light, how does it feel to betray your own race?" Quaritch asked.
I let out an angry hiss. "I am not one of you!" I shouted.
Quaritch shook his head at me. "You think you're one of them? Think they can spare you from dying? Time to wake up!"
To my horror, he began to attack the shack. He broke through the glass window and then I leapt onto his back, trying to stop him. I stuck him with my knife, but it didn't do much good. He still came after me and I could feel the Link beginning to sever. I was starting to asphyxiate, but I ignored it as Quaritch suddenly grabbed my queue, causing me intense pain and to scream.
Quaritch held me like I was a bug to be squished. He grabbed the knife I'd stuck in him and held it against my throat. I kept glaring at him as I prepared to die, but then Tsu'Tey fired two arrows that hit Quaritch's chest. Tsu'Tey then covered me protectively with his body and hissed at Quaritch. I saw Quaritch die before I passed out.