Author Note: This begins the second arc of the story, picking up right where Chapter 9 left off. Jake continues with his immersion into the Na'vi. More secondary characters are added, but no OCs.
Nobody panic. This chapter doesn't have much Neytiri. But she and Jake are still the main characters, and the plot will involve her just as much as the other 9 chapters did. And I hope no one is rubbed the wrong way by how I build everyone's personalities – I'm still learning about them, too.
This chapter is very similar to how it was the last time I posted it, before taking it down. I've decided it fits in well enough as it is - it's more of a character-building chapter than a plot-advancing one anyway. I hope you all enjoy. I'll try to keep updating!
He'd been with them for so short a time, but already Jake was being surprised by the Na'vi. Much of what he'd presumed to know about them had been proved incorrect.
From what little he'd seen of the Na'vi, Jake had assumed they were a hard, quiet people – he'd thought the dangerous moon of Pandora wouldn't allow them to be anything else and survive. But in watching how they dealt with the wounded Neytiri, he saw that instead of being driven to coldness and isolation, they had banded together to form a community that was so unified, so together that it seemed to be practically an organism in itself. It seemed to Jake that nearly every tribe member had come to see Neytiri and thank Eywa (and sometimes Jake) for her return, and to see if there was anything they could do for her. Only when everyone was satisfied that Neytiri was safe and comfortable did the rush of visitors die down.
It was late morning – the day was beginning to warm. Jake had brought Neytiri some food from the cook fires, and they ate in silence in their respective hammocks. True to his word, Tsu'tey had already come by and told him that they would be shooting arrows this afternoon, so Jake wanted to spend what time he could with Neytiri. He was a little nervous, going out with Tsu'tey without her to translate and moderate. But Tsu'tey spoke English just as well as she, and even if he was still cold and standoffish, hadn't he tacitly accepted Jake as more than just another 'demon'?
"So how long you off your feet for?" Jake said, swallowing his last mouthful.
Neytiri was only picking at her food moodily. "Until the bones in my back are healed."
"Yeah, spinal injuries," Jake said, shrugging. "Better safe than sorry, right?"
"No," Neytiri said flatly.
Jake laughed inwardly. The fiery huntress really didn't deal well with having her activities restricted. You wouldn't last two days in my body, he thought. He flexed the muscles in his thighs. These legs work pretty good, though.
"You will use my bow," Neytiri said. She glanced over her shoulder at the walkway behind them, gesturing with her chin. "It is with my belongings. When you are ready, Mo'at will show you where."
"Tsu'tey wanted me to meet him after eating," Jake said.
"Then you should go now." Neytiri set aside her food, mostly uneaten, and drew her long legs up under her chin, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Shoot well, Jake." She looked away, face inscrutable.
To Jake, who was coming to see how Na'vi and human body language was very similar, that look raised a lot of questions. With a pleasant flutter, Jake considered that maybe Neytiri had been looking forward to teaching him in her own time. But really, he reasoned, she was probably just embarrassed that someone should be shouldered with her responsibilities while she healed.
Neytiri rolled over and gave him her back, so Jake simply bayed her goodbye and went to find Mo'at.
The Tsahik was seated on the bottom level of Hometree, entertaining a small group of young Na'vi. Jake watched her from the stairs for a few minutes.
As with the Na'vi, Jake found his first impression of her had been mistaken. Here he saw not the dragonlady, the intimidating Na'vi matriarch and spirit guide – here was just another Na'vi woman, laughing and toeing the line of making a fool of herself. Jake found himself smiling as he watched the laughing group. These people were nothing like what he'd been told to expect. Unbidden, his mind flashed to Quaritch. He had a report due. Already, he was subconsciously filtering out scenes like this – Quaritch wouldn't care. And it seemed to him that it would be something of an insult to the Na'vi, to even attempt to bring Quaritch across.
Jake shook his head. Those were thoughts he would leave for his human body. Today, now, he would learn to shoot a bow. Later he would have dinner with Neytiri, and she would teach him the Na'vi language, or maybe explain about different plants or animals. The body lying in the link unit wasn't his until he went back to it.
Mo'at looked up, and she actually smiled when she saw him – it really was amazing, the difference saving a tribal princess could do for your reputation.
When Jake explained what he needed, Mo'at took him back up the winding path, circling the massive bole of the tree. They stopped beneath the hammocks, and here the trunk was dotted with recesses and shallow alcoves – Na'vi garments and weapons were hanging everywhere. Mo'at drew him over to one ornate rack hanging from the trunk. It was a simple construction, with a supple piece of wood shallowly bent in a smile, tied together at the ends, with a colorfully died hide stretched above them. Pegs were tied to the wood, and from them hung various belongings. Neytiri's bow was hanging from the center peg, with two arrows bound to it.
Jake examined the other items, mindful of Mo'at's presence. Beaded jewelry and wooden charms hung next to poison tipped arrowheads and a knife with a bright white shell embdeded in the pommel. It was an interesting mix – soft and hard, pretty and violent. Like Pandora itself. Like Neytiri.
When he lifted it, the bow was surprisingly heavy, smooth on his skin. It was warm in his hands from hanging in the sun.
Jake found Tsu'tey waiting just outside of Hometree's sheltering trunk. There was a woman standing with him, shorter than both of the men, thin like all Na'vi women, but muscular like a marble statue. Without a word, Tsu'tey waved his hand for Jake to follow, and the three Na'vi set off in an easy lope for the forest.
It was easy for Jake, easy for his Na'vi body. He didn't think he'd ever tire of it. Running, more than anything, made him feel like he was in a dream. After he'd lost the use of his legs, running was what he'd remembered the most, the loss that pained him most. And that had evolved into dreams of flying, from which he'd wake in a sweat, heart-pounding and exhilarated.
They ran out into the forest, ducking under arching roots and dodging between hanging tendrils and plants, until they came to one of the many small clearings the forest offered.
The two Na'vi turned to Jake. Tsu'tey spoke. "This is Beyral," he said, gesturing at the lithe woman.
"Hello," Beyral said, and actually waved. Clearly, another of Grace's students.
"Um, nice to meet you," Jake said awkwardly. He forced himself to hold her eyes – he'd always found the athletic type irresistible, and Beyral was built like a triathlete.
The two Na'vi were watching him. "So now what?" Jake finally asked. He raised Neytiri's bow. "Are we gonna shoot?"
"Yes," Tsu'tey said. "We will shoot. After." He put his own bow down and gestured Jake should do the same.
He carefully leaned Neytiri's bow against a tree, watching as Beyral approached, coming to stand very close. She reached out and squeezed his bicep, poked his chest. She ran a hand down Jake's flat stomach, making his groin flutter. She spoke to Tsu'tey over her shoulder as she watched Jake. Tsu'tey scowled and gave a terse reply.
"What's that?" Jake said, raising his eyebrows.
Beyral grinned at him. "I told him that you are bigger than most Na'vi men." She captured his hand and lifted it, splaying his fingers. "And your hands are different. But this should not hurt you with shooting." She let go and stepped back.
"Thanks, I guess," Jake said. "So what are we shooting at?"
But Beyral was shaking her head. "After." She gestured at Tsu'tey, who was slowly pacing back and forth, watching them.
"Sky People fight with weapons," the warrior said. He tossed his head dismissively. "They do not fight with their bodies. Dreamwalkers like Grace Augustine have strong bodies, but do not fight at all." He squared up to Jake, raising his chin slightly. "You said you are a warrior. We will fight. No weapons."
"Fight?" Jake raised his hands, half-laughing. "Whoa, hold on. Why?"
Beyral answered. "Tsu'tey wishes to test himself against a Sky Person." She grinned as Tsu'tey glared at her for interrupting. "And if we are to teach you, we must see what you know already."
Right, Jake thought. He heard what she said, but the real reason was expressed in something below language, across species. Before yesterday, Jake would have dismissed it as simply a dominance matter, a chance at cowing the outsider. But the small gestures of respect Tsu'tey had given him made Jake think this was more about... some kind of test, a test to see if he was worthy of the warrior's respect. And this wouldn't be some sort of tag-point system, he knew.
Been a long time since combat training, he thought. And no one said anything about fighting in an alien's body!
"We will fight until one of us says stop," Tsu'tey said, breaking Jake from his thoughts. "Until then – "
"I've got it," Jake said, baring his fangs in an unconscious snarl. He shifted his stance a little, made ready to move. "Fight til someone calls 'uncle'."
Beyral looked back and forth at them, and then stepped away. It began immediately.
Tsu'tey flashed forward, low and quick, lashing out with his fist – he was much quicker than Jake had thought.
Jake dodged to the side, his hands working automatically through half-remembered drills. He batted Tsu'tey's fist aside and stepped away, putting some distance between them.
In the second it took Tsu'tey to recover, Jake could already see that Tsu'tey fought like an animal, on instinct. That could help Jake, with his more regimented training. On the other hand, it could also put him at a huge disadvantage against the warrior's unpredictable responses. He waited, up on the balls of his feet.
Tsu'tey closed the distance again, this time grabbing Jake's arms when he tried to dodge backwards. They stepped close, each struggling to force down the other's arms. Beyral had been right – Jake was stronger than Tsu'tey. If he could force the Na'vi's arms down, it would open him up for a nice headbutt, and that might end the contest quickly.
He didn't have a chance to test his theory, though, as Tsu'tey hooked a leg behind his and surged forward, sending Jake sprawling over. He landed heavily on his back, while Tsu'tey fell into a graceful roll and was back on his feet in an instant. He didn't press his advantage, though, and backed away while Jake got up.
He ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the loose strands. Now the old rhythm of combat was pulsing with his heart, and this time Jake took the offensive, jumping at Tsu'tey without warning. When Tsu'tey swung, Jake grabbed his fist, yanking the warrior down as he brought his knee up into his midsection. Tsu'tey's breath exploded out of him, and Jake followed it up with a sharp punch to the ribs. He knew a quick strike with a sharp impact would easily pop a human's rib, but he wondered if it would work on a Na'vi's reinforced bones.
It didn't. Tsu'tey grunted but shrugged off the blow, and now he was inside Jake's reach. In a move that was so fast Jake would have to later get details from Beyral, Tsu'tey spun a tight circle, and on the roundabout he smashed Jake across the face with the back of his fist.
It felt like being backhanded by an iron gauntlet. Everything flashed white as he reeled off balance, face hot and numb, ears ringing. He tripped over his own feet and fell heavily to the ground, already tasting blood. I've been knocked out more times since coming here, he thought vaguely, blinking hard.
A shadow fell over him, and he groped at the ground, trying to get his balance to get to his feet. But strong hands grabbed him under the arms and roughly hauled him back to his feet. Jake raised his head, saw Tsu'tey stepping back, breathing heavily, holding the spot where Jake had punched him. Beyral was approaching them again, grinning.
"It is done," the Tsu'tey said. "No more." He eyed Jake critically. "You are too slow," he said. "But you are strong. You fight well for a Sky Person." With that he went to retrieve his bow, saying over his shoulder, "now we will shoot."
Beyral leaned in close as Jake rubbed his head.
"Tsu'tey leads the hunters, but I shoot best among the Omaticaya," she said, very close to his ear. "Make sure you listen to me, and you will be shoot better than Tsu'tey some day."
Tsu'tey came back holding Jake's bow as well, which he tossed to him.
"There is much to do," Tsu'tey said, glancing at Beyral. "We will show you simple things today. Neytiri will show you more, when she is well." He tossed his head for the others to follow and set off back for the forest. Massaging his swelling jaw, Jake had a feeling that tonight, for once he would look forward to returning to his human body.
Later, Beyral found Jake as the clan ate dinner, and she and a number of other hunters came to sit with him. They ate in silence, but it was nice to not have to eat alone.
When Jake later joined Neytiri at her hammock, her eyes opened wide at the sight of his face. He'd washed the blood away, but he retained a swollen, slightly puffy look, and a dark bruise stretched over his cheek.
"Jake!" she said, dropping an arrow she'd been working on. "What has happened now?"
"Male bonding," Jake grunted, swinging into his hammock. His arms, shoulders, back – everything – ached. He gave Neytiri a quick rundown of the day. She dismissed the fight with Tsu'tey with little emotion, as though it were to be expected.
"Beyral is teaching you," Neytiri repeated, raising her eyebrows. "That is very good. Beyral is best with a bow."
"Yeah, she said I was a natural," Jake groaned, stretching out on his back. "She's really the best?"
"Yes," Neytiri said. "Since we were young."
Jake rolled over onto his side to face her. "So you two are the same age, you grew up together?"
Neytiri half smiled, shrugged and looked away. "I am daughter of the Tsahik. I was often not with the others. Mother had many things to teach me. But we are the same age."
"Oh," Jake said, rolling onto his back. "What about Tsu'tey?"
"They have been friends since we were all young. Beyral helps him lead our hunters."
Jake put his hands behind his head. The Na'vi social web was obviously just as tangled as any human village's. But he wondered which threads led back to Neytiri, who, sitting alone in the falling dusk, cut a lonely figure. Yet another question to ask Grace.
Wood clacked together as the Tsahik's daughter tied a tight bundle of arrows. Warm stars glowed through Hometree's branches. The last sounds of the night were Neytiri's.