Tsu'tey was colder towards me now but not crueller, in fact he had never been intentionally unkind. Sure, he was rough with his tongue and when he gripped my arm, he often gripped very tightly but whenever I murmured a soft notice that he was holding too tight, he would instantly loosen his grip and utter an apology.
He simply did not know his own strength and forgot that my body was a little more tender than a normal Na'vi, seeing as my people were not born to be warriors but hunters. We were out training in combat one day, when it was raining heavily, when he suddenly stopped and simply looked at me.
I was facing him, preparing to run at him but I stopped when he abandoned his crouch and stood up straight, his eyes fixed on me intensely. I remained in my half crouch, lips parted as rain soaked my skin and dripped from their plump folds.
With this intense stare I began to feel uncomfortable, a strong knot twisting with a burning heat in my stomach as my eyes locked on his and did not look away. Finally I spoke. "Teacher?"
"Where is your bow, female?" For some unknown reason, he never used my name. I think it was to keep him unattached to his students since he has so many, he saw them grow into adulthood and then they were gone.
"With yours, teacher, where you told me to leave it." I pointed to the little hollow in the tree where he had stored his bow to keep it dry from the rain.
"Go and get it." Abandoning my stance I slowly walked over to the tree, watching him cautiously in case he decided to leap at me when I was not looking. I picked up my bow, drawing it from the tree and flexed my fingers around it, instantly checking to make sure the string had not come loose.
"Pick up your arrows." With a soft sigh I picked up an arrow and took up the routine that had been drilled into my body. He watched me closely as I pretended to focus on a target, imagining my arrow flying through the air to hit it perfectly. "Stop." I paused, looking to him as my bow lowered.
Tsu'tey went over to a tree and climbed up easily, swinging through the branches before snagging a fruit from a bunch held up by the arms of the tree. Suddenly he tossed it into the air and I caught my breath. "Shoot it, female." He called down and without hesitation, I lifted my arrow and exhaled upon the release, watching it fly through the rain, cutting droplets in half as it whistled easily.
The arrowhead pierced the fruit, dead centre, with a dull thud. A smile spread wide across my face as I jogged forwards and caught the fruit in one hand, turning towards Tsu'tey who had leaped from the tree and slowly walked towards me. "Teacher." I presented it to him and he took it, glancing it over before flicking his eyes up to me.
"We are done for today." He nodded then drew the arrow out, tossed the fruit aside then stalked over to his bow.
"Wait! Teacher wait! Does that mean I can shoot arrows now?"
"Yes." He snapped over his shoulder. "Now go find Neytiri for your lesson." Blinking I watched as he disappeared into the bushes. Over the loud thrum of rain hitting plants and soil I heard his soft footsteps swiftly disappear. When I could hear him no longer I felt slightly disappointed and hollow. Hanging my head I trudged back to Hometree where Neytiri was waiting to give me a lesson in the culture and traditions of the people.
She was patient and soft spoken as she described the history to me but I was only half paying attention. My mind wandered elsewhere, my eyes fixated on the grey delude that hammered down at the mouth of Hometree like pearly teeth.
"Anahera? What is troubling you?" Neytiri asked and I looked to her in surprise. She spoke to me in the language of the Sky People, as I had learned to call them, since she has been teaching me the language as Jake struggled sometimes to keep up with our fast tongues.
"Nothing is wrong, Neytiri, I am sorry I have not been paying full attention." I apologised and shifted, lifting up my crossed legs to then face her. "I am listening now." She waved her hand, brushing aside the thought.
"Tell me sister." With a soft sigh I nodded.
"Does…Tsu'tey dislike me so much? It seems no matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to earn his approval. I try very hard as a student but I am quickly growing tired with his child play." Her soft laughter filled my ears and I smiled softly, looking down as I weaved my hands together.
"Tsu'tey is stone cold on the outside because he hides everything on the inside. He will never let you see what he feels so he hides it behind that ridiculous scowl." My smile twitched wider as I looked up at her. "But he is proud of you. I do not have to be Tsahik to be able to see that." I tilted my head at her before nodding, believing her words. "You can tell by the way he walks when you are beside him." She added with a flash of a grin. "And when he escorts you to back to Hometree after training, no matter how much you glare at him and he scowls at you as you leave, he will watch you walk away until he is certain you are safely inside before leaving."
"Oh. Alright then." I smiled at her. "Perhaps I should try to understand him a little more." Neytiri chuckled as she crushed some herbs.
"Tsu'tey is a very difficult male to understand. If you succeed, I will be delighted to hear it as you will be the first." Chuckling in agreement I shifted closer. She gave me her lesson then when the sun began to set she stopped and nodded. "That will be all for today."
"Thank you Neytiri." I said but did not move, rather I turned and looked out to the mouth of Hometree. Neytiri did not complain, I knew she enjoyed company as she crushed herbs and prepared medicines for the sick and injured.
"I believe you will be taking your tests soon. Within the next moon." Neytiri said to me and I perked up a little. "Are you enjoying life here?" I nodded my head.
"I did not realise how much I miss simple conversation when I was alone. I used to talk to Palu but he could never reply." I shrugged.
"Oh yes, Palu, you're palulukan." Neytiri sighed softly. Apart from me, she was the only other person who I knew who had ridden a palulukan, sadly it had died at the hand of the enemy Sky People leader. I knew she was sad as she had lost her ikran also. Touching her shoulder I smiled in a gesture of comfort which she returned. "He must have been very special."
"He was. Eywa gave me a great gift and blessing when she sent him to me. I pray to give her my thanks every day." Neytiri smirked.
"You're not just saying that because I am Tsahik?" I grinned then shook my head.
"I do not know what purpose Eywa had to choose to save me over all of my people but I am not one to argue. I only wish I could have saved someone. Anyone." Tears sprung to me eyes and I shuddered, pushing the memories of fire and pain from my body. "I was a coward then, hiding where my mother had placed me."
"You were only a child, your people were not even warriors, they could not defend themselves as well as they could have if we had helped them to prepare." Neytiri said, gripping my neck softly and rubbed it gently. "If we had reached out to our sister clans earlier, more of us would have survived."
I reached out and touched her back with my hand, reassuring her it was alright. "They are with Eywa now. I only wish I could see them again. I cannot even picture my father's face anymore." Softly I reached up and rubbed my face. "We used to dance every night around a warm fire, singing until the morning sun rose. On great celebrations, we would hunt and gather for a week before celebrating for another without ever stopping." A small tear slid down my cheek.
"Did you have music?"
"Oh yes, flutes and drums and whistles, there was never silence in our clan, someone was always playing music for someone to dance to whenever they felt the need." Neytiri leaned back, arching her back to expose her stomach. They slid odd shape of her form caught my eye and I looked at her sharply. "Neytiri? Are you…?" I trailed off as she flashed me a grin, clicking her fangs together.
"I have not yet told Jake. I plan on taking him to the Tree of Souls tonight to give him the news." Grinning from ear to ear I squealed then hugged her tightly.
"Congratulations! Jakesully will be struck dumb." Neytiri's eyes flashed with mischief.
"It will make little difference to normality then." Giggling I gripped her hand and smiled at her. She was so kind to me, warm and inviting, I could not imagine a better friend. "Come, will you help me carry these? There is a lot to do today." Jumping up I took the basket of medicines, reaching out to help her to her feet. "Oh hush, I'm not incapable of moving yet." She chuckled.
"You know I will worry for you, sister, no matter how much you complain." I answered then proceeded to follow her into the healing tree in the western quarter where I helped her to apply salves, deliver medicines, wrap bandages and stitch cuts and wounds until I was breathing heavily from all the climbing. Neytiri seemed almost unaffected.
"Well, we are done for today. Tsu'tey is searching for you, he stopped by earlier but I told him you were needed. He said to meet him at the top of the centre core once you were done." She informed me as she gathered up her empty basket and smiled at me. "I will see you later."
"Thank you for your lessons, sister." I smiled at her and she nodded.
"It was my pleasure. Go on now before Tsu'tey begins to scowl more than usual."
"Eywa forbid!" Laughing I began to race up the centre spiral, climbing until I was flushed in the face and panting for breath. It did me good to stretch my back and use my muscles, I had been bending and crouching beside those who needed aid for the last two hours and my back felt stiff like a branch.
I found Tsu'tey standing alone, watching the dark sky as stars bloomed into life. I sighed softly, admiring their beauty and he heard my sigh, turning to face me but I ignored him for a moment, watching as the forest began to glow radiantly, the stars twinkling like droplets of frozen rain as the sun shone through their little eyes.
A warm hand gripped my shoulder and I turned, smiling quickly at Tsu'tey as my skin burned and tingled strongly under his touch. "Forgive me, I was distracted." He nodded simply then turned away, leading me to the hand of Hometree where the tallest branch stretched out and reached for the stars, yearning to touch them.
"You seem to be spending a lot of time with the young warrior Kakeo, female." He said suddenly and I began to narrow my eyes at him. Where was this going? "I want you to be careful."
"We have not broken any traditions or rules. I am firm with him." I told him sharply and I saw Tsu'tey tense ever so slightly in the shoulders as he glowered at me, a sudden ribbon of aura borealis streaking across the midnight blue sky like misty clouds of colour as the large moon shone brightly behind him. I stood in awe of him as he stepped closer to me.
"It is not you I was referring to female." He growled but I detected a hint of concern in his voice and he sighed, releasing his tense muscles to relax. Or at least as relaxed as Tsu'tey ever gets. "He is a young hunter and warrior, only recently passing his final tests. His eyes are full of greed and his appetite will not stay sated with only you."
"You do not know him!" Bristling I bared my fangs at him as I defended Kakeon. Tsu'tey did not know what he was talking about. How could he? He does not know I feel or how Kakeon feels about me. "He will make a perfect mate for me once I am one of the people. Kakeon has only ever treated me with kindness, love and respect. What have you done? Seem to loathe my very existence." He growled sharply, warning that I was stepping the line but I did not care. Part of me wanted to shove him from this branch right here and now.
"He does not seem to respect you when he forces his lips on yours, female." My blood ran cold as I heard his low hiss in my ears, my mouth dropping open as I struggled to come up with a smart reply. "You fight back whenever he does, you obviously do not like it." With a sharp snarl I stepped back from him and turned, flicking my tail in anger as I strode away.
Pausing I dragged in an angered breath then whipped around to face him again, my beads chiming as my chest heaved as I tried to control my temper. "Only because I know he has no control."
"Any male who truly respected you would be able to keep their hands to themselves." With a sharp and loud hiss I bared my fangs at him then strode away.