You cannot smell change before it is upon you, not even I am that good, however change was right around the corner, I just did not see. You could say it was my fault though no one ever blamed me except myself. I will always blame myself. As this change is a change for the worse.
My people rested in the trees with us, gaining back their strength before my father decided it was time to move on. He ordered me to go with him. So there I stood, looking forwards and back between my two clans. Neytiri was tense, gripping Jake tightly as they both watched me.
Even Palu whined for she knew that if I went with my father, she could not follow as an ikran will never fly away from its nesting grounds forever. I would lose her as well as the family I had found for myself, all beginning with that grumpy butt over there, who watched me emotionlessly.
Before me my father stood without an expression, merely held out his hand to me. The other hunters of mixed age nodded their heads, wanting me to return to them. However one face pushed me away, the dark gleam of Reno'pali, it was terrible and I instantly discerned that something was wrong.
Stepping to my father I heard Norm gasp in confusion as Neytiri turned into Jake and sobbed. Reaching out I took my father's hand…then closed his fingers around something. He frowned, feeling it. I had cut one of my plaits from my head with jade beads on it and a small feather. He ran his thumb over the lock, sighing before nodding his head. "This is your wish?"
"It is." I whispered to him. "I cannot follow you, father, not when I have already made my home here." He hummed softly, blinking in the sunlight as he looked up.
"Well then. Farewell my daughter, I am sure we will be passing through again soon." Standing there I watched as he led his people into the bushes, leaving me behind.
"Anahera?" Neytiri said as she came up behind and hugged me. "Are you alright." I lowered my head, shoulders sagging.
"No." I admitted softly and she held me tighter.
"Everything will be alright. You will see them again." Nodding my head I allowed her to lead me back to the others. Jake touched my shoulder comfortingly and Norm gave me an awkward embrace. He was a sweet thing, the only male that I had a soft spot for, seeing as he was so clumsy and I would often have to race to keep him from falling over. Especially when I raced him through Pandora woods.
"They are always welcome back, Anahera, you are not cut off from them." With a small nod I relaxed. Something inside me told me that this was the right decision to make, I felt at home here, I could not manage another lifetime of wandering the wild, never belonging anywhere.
Once I had broken away I raced up to the top of Hometree, mounted Palu then flew into the sky, allowing the wind to whip away all my troubles as everything spiralled away the higher I rose from the ground.
I was glad for the quiet and calm, the gentle company of Palu and the amazing scenery of Pandora stretching out before my eyes. With a sudden frown I realised something. I was the first Ranuri clan member to ever fly. The thought made me smile. At least up here Reno'pali could not touch me.
Later in the evening I flew home, murmured goodnight to Palu then went to find Norm, Jake and Neytiri. I found them in the healing tree. They were crowded around the suddenly full pods as Neytiri struggled to keep the flow of Na'vi organised as they limped inside with the help of others.
"What is happening?" I asked as Norm helped to try and ascertain what was the cause of this sudden widespread sickness.
"They are coming down with something hard and harsh. We can't get them to stop vomiting." Norm squeaked, leaping out the way as a young male hunter puked over the side of the pod. "Then they get feverish and it looks like they're in pain but we can't actually get any sense out of them."
"It's spreading quickly." Jake said to me as I looked around. "Neytiri says she has not seen anything like this before."
"I wish mother were here." She whispered as she tried to feed a young child something to help with the pain. Rubbing her head she sighed, sweat pouring from her brow as she wavered on her feet, putting down the cup of water she had just drank from. "Neytiri?" I murmured, coming to her side. "Are you alright?"
"Yes I'm fine." She assured me but then collapsed into my arms, opening her mouth to vomit everywhere.
"Normspellman!" I yelled as Jake raced over and lifted up his mate, nuzzling her with a soft whimper as he carried her weak body to the nearest available pod. Norm was frantic, racing around and babbling long words that neither Jake nor I understood until I managed to calm him down.
I helped the healers that night, staying up as gradually the flow began to stop. Mostly we had elderly, females, children and only sparse few warriors or hunters. We tried to encourage them to drink but it seemed to only make them worse.
Norm ran some tests, using the magic he called…science? Yes I think that is the word, he used science to try and help the People get better. Tired and weary I left the healing tree to get some sleep. When I awoke, however, something deep inside me told me something was wrong.
I leaped up from my hammock, making it sway dangerously but I scrambled down to the healing tree, looking around to see Jake laying a limp Tsu'tey down. "Teacher!" I yelped and ran to his side, resting a hand on my brow as he shuddered. He was pale, even paler than I was and his skin glistened with a slick sweat as he murmured jibberish.
"I don't understand, it's not viral, maybe it's bacteria based?" Norm squeaked as he continued to help clean up the vomit. "Something in the environment?"
"It was those Ranuri clan people!" An elderly healer growled, shooting me a look. "They brought their foreign diseases to us and now we are all going to die!" But my intelligence and stubborn head would not permit that to be the truth.
"No, think about it. We're here, surrounded by this sickness and not one of us except Neytiri has fallen ill." I said as I went to her side and made her a little more comfortable, cleaning her body as Jake wiped Tsu'tey's brow. "I do not think it is sickness. Eywa is trying to tell me something."
"Then go and speak with her, perhaps she will tell you something we do not know." Jake said, watching over his wife with pain and worry. He feared for both her and the baby. With a nod and a lingering look on Tsu'tey, I fled.
Flying to the Tree of Souls was faster so I took Palu then the moment we touched ground, I picked up my queue and connected to a vine. "Please Great Mother, speak to me. Help me. Guide me. A great sickness is upon our clan, one as powerful as the wings of Toruk. Tell me what to do Great Mother and I shall obey."
Nothing. All I could hear was the distant voices of my ancestors. With a worried growl I continued to pray. I sat there all day, praying until finally, night came. When the sun had finally set below the horizon and my mind was weary, I felt a presence.
Looking up my mind's eye opened and I saw a strange woman. She smiled at me but she was not Na'vi. She had a bridged nose, rounded ears and five fingers, similar to Jake but she was a lot more different than he had been.
"Hey kid, you took your time."
"Time? I have been here for hours." I snapped with a growl and she laughed.
"Yeah, Jake mentioned you get annoyed easily. Tell the Jarhead that he's doing great from me, will you?" Blinking at her she grinned further. She wore strange clothes too, ones that covered her torso and lower half, not like a loincloth. "I'm Grace by the way." Suddenly it clicked.
"You are Grace Augustine? Jake's friend." Memories flickered across my mind, her memories. I even saw Jake when he was small and pink. He looked funny.
"Yes that's me. You've been asking about the sickness right?" I nodded my head enthusiastically. "Well, you're asking the wrong question. When you find the right question, we can give you the right answer but only come once its dark, that's when Eywa is truly alive and awake."
"But…I need to know how to cure my people! Neytiri is sick and she's with child, they will die!" Pain flashed across Grace's pretty features as she sighed.
"I cannot reveal the entire path to you, I can only give you a little light to guide you. Find the right question, then ask." With that she was gone. With an angry yell I pulled away from the tree and cursed to the sky, startling Palu as my temper flared into oblivion.
No closer to finding the answers, I flew home. I spoke to Jake, telling him what Grace had told me and he smiled. "She always did make things harder than easier." He said before sighing. "We'll keep working at this, don't worry."
"Yes Jake. We will." I looked down at Tsu'tey who growled in his sleep, wincing in pain so I took his hand and gently laced my fingers through his. He sighed and relaxed slightly as I began to sing, my voice soothing the sick patients into sleep.