Legal: All movie characters, locations, and names are the intellectual property of James Cameron and/or Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. I claim no ownership over anything but my original characters and original plot line.

Any lines spoken in Na'vi will be italicized in the quotes since I am terrible with translating it.

Sorry it took so long to update with this chapter. Some things going on at work that took my time. I hope you are all enjoying and I am sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger with the ending of this one. Chapter 5 should be very interesting. Please enjoy and don't forget to review!

IV. Tragedy

Jake watched as Neytiri's fingers dipped lightly into the red paint. Moving slowly she lightly touched her finger tips to Jake's skin, leaving behind a trail of the red war paint in the decoration customary for the Olo'eyktan trials. He smiled as he felt her apply gentle pressure to his chest, shoulders, and finally to his cheeks and forehead. His eyes caught hers and Jake immediately felt as though she was looking straight through him to the very depths of his soul.

"You must fight like you mean to kill him Jake, for he will be fighting like he means to kill you." Neytiri whispered to him in English. "Eywa and I choose you because of your strong heart, and your willingness to give your heart to the people."

"Thank you Neytiri, without you I would have been lost so many times before. I will return to you as Olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya, I promise." Jake replied his voice strong and proud.

"I see you my Jake." Neytiri stated lovingly as she hugged him to her, kissing him one last time. "Go now; embrace your destiny as leader of our people"

Jake gave Neytiri one last kiss and walked quickly away towards a large group of Omaticaya gathered in a large circle. Jake stood next to Mo'at in the circle, with the elder warrior standing on the opposite side of the Tsahik. Jake had learned from Mo'at that this warrior's name was Aranti and he was one of the strongest of the elder Omaticaya warriors. Two hunters approached them, carrying large spears with tips sharp enough to slice through even the thickest animal hides. Jake and Aranti each took a spear and turned to face each other.

"It is time to decide which warrior shall lead the people." Mo'at spoke quickly in Na'vi to the gathered crowd. "The winner will be decided when one of these warriors surrenders or dies."

Jake cringed slightly knowing he was the cause of many Na'vi deaths already during the destruction of Hometree. He did not wish to be the cause for any more deaths of the people. Looking into the elder warriors eyes Jake realized that there would be no surrendering; this was a fight to the death.

"Good luck brother may Eywa smile upon our combat today." Aranti spoke to Jake so that the gathered Na'vi could not hear his words. "Do not fear killing me, dying at the hands of Toruk Makto would be an honorable death."

Jake looked at Aranti intently waiting to see if he had more to say, but the warrior remained silent. "Good luck, brother." Jake spoke as he gripped the wooden spear tightly. His senses were alive with anticipation; every feeling seemed to be magnified. Jake could feel the grain of the wood in the spear he held, he could hear the wind gently whistling past him, and he could hear his heart beating strongly just like a ceremonial drum.

Aranti surged forward quickly making a stab with the spear right at Jake's upper torso. Jake reacted a mere half a second slowly, parrying the strike with his own spear. Pain erupted in his left shoulder as the spear tip sliced him. Jake cursed his unpreparedness and immediately turned and crouched back into a fighting pose as Aranti set himself for another strike. Jake took advantage of his opponent's temporary distraction and lunged; aiming his spear directly at the warrior's heart but Aranti was a step ahead ducking quickly. Aranti swung his spear hard and slammed the blunt end into Jake's chest. Jake staggered backwards as the wind was knocked out of him, struggling to catch his breath.

Jake looked up in time to see Aranti making another quick dash at him, the deadly spear tip glistening in the sunlight. Jake parried the spear then swept Aranti's legs with his own spear causing the elder warrior to fall hard on his back. Immediately Jake jumped up and pinned Aranti putting the sharp spear tip at the warrior's throat. As he looked down into Aranti's eyes Jake saw a look of contentment on the older warrior's face.

"I submit JakeSully." Aranti whispered to Jake. "You are fit to be Olo'eyktan and to lead the people."

Jake relaxed his hold on Aranti and stood up as Mo'at approached them. She looked at Jake and gave him a knowing smile that seemed to tell Jake she never had any doubt what the outcome of the trial would be. Jake extended a hand to Aranti and helped the warrior to his feet. He could hear Mo'at speaking and the gathered Na'vi cheering for him. Jake could feel the aches in his muscles and the dull pain of the cut on his shoulder. He really needed to get some rest and was looking for Neytiri hoping to talk to her about the second trial while he rested.

"Now the second trial begins." Mo'at said to the gathering, placing a hand on Jake's shoulder. "JakeSully will speak with Eywa and should she bless him with a good vision he will become the true Olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya."

It seemed that Jake would not be getting any rest today. Mo'at pointed towards the tree of souls and nodded to Jake with a smile. As Jake walked away from the gathered Na'vi he wondered whether Eywa would choose him as the true leader of the people.

**

John had watched the duel between Aranti and Jake with a feeling of apprehension. He could tell that Aranti was fighting with the intent to kill Jake and he hoped that Jake would not back down from this challenge. It seemed as though his fears were not justified as Jake was the warrior who had won the fight in the end. John felt happy for his friend, hoping that the second trial would find Jake victorious as well.

As the excitement of the fight died down John decided it was time to replenish his supply of the plant roots and leaves he would need to prepare more medicines. Walking through the jungles of Pandora alone was not always the best idea but it gave John time to think and reflect on the lives of the Na'vi and on his own life. He also loved exploring the forest since he knew there was so much you could not see just by flying over it in a Samson.

John had some advantages over the other avatar drivers since he was the only one other than Jake who had any combat training. He was able to move through the foliage very quietly and John knew with as many predators as Pandora had he needed to keep as low a profile as possible when out on his own. John brushed aside a large hanging fern and stepped onto a small overhang and was immediately struck by how amazing the view was. A small river flowed to his left that ended in a waterfall which cascaded over the overhang and into a lake below. The lake was surrounded by tall trees and from this vantage point John could see all the many forms of life that stopped to drink.

"Wow, would never see anything this beautiful on earth." John said quietly not really meaning to speak out loud but unable to stop himself.

As John stood looking out at the serene landscape of the waterfall he felt a strange burning sensation in his left foot. He looked down thinking perhaps he had been bitten by some sort of insect, but his foot was untouched in the boots he wore. John started to panic as the sensation spread, moving up his left leg and starting up his right foot and leg. The sensation became more intense as it spread higher covering more than half his body now. John frantically looked over his avatar body for something that could be causing this but could find nothing out of the ordinary. Somewhere, something was definitely wrong.

**

Jake sat down in front of the tree of souls and grabbed several of the glowing strands that hung down like the leaves of a willow tree. He held his queue up to them and let the fibers join together, immediately feeling the rush of connecting to the consciousness as it flowed through him. Jake was not quite sure how he should start this particular trial. He guessed that perhaps Eywa would guide him and he was not left guessing for very long.

Jake's vision started to blur and it seemed to him as though a thin layer of mist was covering everything including his own body. It reminded Jake somewhat of his old dreams of flying through the skies over the forests. He was flying again but this time he could tell there was a purpose to this flight, a destination. Below him the forests of Pandora were passing by quickly as he soared far overhead. His flight stopped as suddenly as it began and the mist started to clear before Jake. In the distance he saw a great tree that extended far into the sky.

This tree was surrounded by a large lake on one side and forests on the other. Among the branches of the tree Jake could clearly see blue forms moving up and down. He could see Ikran residing amongst the upper most branches and Pa'li roaming on the ground drinking from the lake. Jake could also see the forest and lake surrounding the tree was alive with life. Fish swam in the lake and through the river that fed it. Herds of hexapedes grazed in the forests surrounding the great tree.

As he watched the scene before him started to move almost as if it were in fast forward. The blue forms became clearer to Jake. They were people of the Omaticaya living in the great tree. He saw them live, saw them age, and saw them die only to see new babies born again. The cycle of life continued onward for the people living in the tree. Suddenly the vision slowed to a stop and focused in on one particular Na'vi, a beautiful female Na'vi holding a young girl in her arms. Jake recognized Neytiri immediately despite the great space between them.

Looking at her beautiful face Jake realized that she was smiling. It was the smile she always gave him in moments when she was experiencing pure joy. It dawned on him then that she and all the people were truly happy here. The great cycle of energy continued on as it always had on Pandora.

"Eywa will provide." Jake spoke aloud in English, a true sense of wonder in his voice. "Does this mean you are giving me your blessing?"

No response was given and Jake was sure none was actually needed as the mists cleared and he found himself again sitting beneath the tree of souls. He looked up and smiled as he stood up and walked away from the tree. He felt the wind against his back as if Eywa was pushing him back towards the people, towards his people, with her blessing. Mo'at gazed at him and smiled as she put a hand to his chest.

"What has Eywa shown you JakeSully?" Mo'at asked.

"I saw a great tree surrounded by life and filled with the Omaticaya people." Jake replied.

Mo'at thought for a moment then turned and addressed the Na'vi who had gathered as they saw Jake return from the tree of souls. "Eywa has given JakeSully her blessing. Our new Olo'eyktan is decided!"

Cheers erupted from the Na'vi as they all congratulated their new leader. Jake felt relieved that everything was finally settled and the clan could move on with life. Jake knew that a great feast would be prepared to celebrate the naming of a new Olo'eyktan, but for now he only wished to see the smiling face of Neytiri. He silently thanked Eywa for her blessing and walked off into the camp.

**

John stumbled and fell to his knees as the strange burning sensation covered his whole body. Every nerve center was alive as waves of pain crashed over him repeatedly. He had never felt as much pain as he did now. His avatar body was rolling across the ground trying to put out the unseen fire. Nothing was lessening the pain that coursed through him. John had never found himself wishing for death, but at this moment he truly wished that it would just end so he might be freed from the pain.

John could feel his heart beating so quickly he thought it might explode within his chest. As he looked up at the sky his vision blurred and a strange white light started to appear. John blinked trying to fight back the pain that was coursing through his body but there was nowhere to hide from it. The pain invaded every part of his being and took over every aspect of his senses. The white light he saw before him grew until it covered everything and surrounded John. John felt the pain grow to an unbearable level and knew that the end was finally coming.

Suddenly the pain stopped. John could not see or hear anything; it was as if the world had just stopped completely. The light and mist covered John and wrapped around him like a thick blanket. He thought he heard a soft voice saying 'Welcome Home' as he slipped away and let the light take him.