"You!" I bellowed in rage and urged Era forwards, ducking as arrows flew at us but bounced harmlessly off of Era's side. She snarled with my rage as Reno'pali's eyes flew wide open and she screamed, falling to the ground as her son cried out in fear and backed away.
I pulled Era back as she loomed over Reno'pali, hissing as her quills quivered in anger. My anger. Reno'pali stared at me, blood dripping from her fingers as she dropped the sacrificial knife in her hand. Neytiri lay on the alter, barely breathing as she slowly opened her eyes and looked at me before falling limp. She was thankfully unhurt.
"This sickness requires a…a great sacrifice to lift." Reno'pali whispered to me as she scrambled backwards, Era slowly following her movements menacingly with slow, meaningful steps. "Only then will Eywa be appeased."
"Silence!" I bellowed then looked around. Most of the Na'vi had fled but many were tied up, the strongest of our warriors. My old clan, the Ranuri, guarded them but they now watched me in fear as I turned and looked around. Reno'pali had taken control of the clan, in the absence of a Tshaik and Olo'eyktan my people had opened their arms in welcome, falling to their knees to beg for the only Tsahik's help. Hers.
"Step away from my sister, filth." I snarled and Era accented my words by snapping her jaws at Reno'pali who screamed. "It was you who poisoned the water!" Seeing her purple beads my mind looked back to the bed I had found on the ground, the crack in the side meaning it had fallen from her neckpiece. Seeing the gap in her necklace my eyes narrowed further.
"Daughter be calm. This is the best for our clan." My father said to me as he hobbled forwards. "We need a clan to survive, we need land and prey to hunt."
"You could have stayed, you did not need to do this!" Yelling at him brought me no comfort, it simply made the knife in my heart dig deeper and deeper.
"My daughter…"
"I am not your daughter! You are no relation of mine!" Era roared in agreement as my father stood there blindly, gripping his staff with weak fingers.
"Without a clan we are nothing. I refused to step aside as Olo'eyktan and Reno'pali is the greatest Tsahik she has ever seen. She told me of a prophecy. She saw a warrior riding on the back of a great palulukan where she delivered her clan from a great suffering. It is you, my daughter, to deliver us from suffering without food, land or clan mates. Your children will be great warriors and you will have many who will lead us into the greatest dawn yet to come. Fulfil your destiny and save us!" Banging his staff against the ground I paused.
I barely had to think before I narrowed my eyes further and snarled. "I shall deliver my clan from suffering but it shall not be the Ranuri I deliver. Omaticaya!" Bellowing I lifted my bow and saluted. "This! This is OUR LAND!"
They rose up at the call, remembering the words Jakesully had used to give them the strength to fight. The peaceful women rose up with knives, cutting down their hunters and warriors so that they leaped into battle.
Era snarled as with a furious roar, she swung her head and bit into Reno'pali's flesh. Fury engulfed me like a raging fire as Era whipped her head from side to side, her strong jaws breaking Reno'pali's body as she screamed.
"Mother!" Juxsta shouted and tried to run at Era with a spear but I pulled back an arrow and shot him through the heart. My father stood there silently, hearing the screams as the Omaticaya killed the last of his clan save the children and those who surrendered.
Era threw the Tsahik from her mouth and she crumbled into a messy, bloody heap away from us. I turned to my father, snarling as I felt almost unbearable pain engulf me. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to rip him limb from limb for almost causing the death of the Omaticaya.
But he was still my father.
Sensing my hesitation he dropped his staff and knelt down, lowering his head as Era approached him. "I surrender." I watched as Era turned away from him, walking past. I did not look back as the warriors slowly gathered around me.
Norm was bleeding but he seemed alright so I tossed him my bag with the leaves inside, gripping the roots in my hand tightly. "Save them." My words were dull and heartless as I guided Era towards the tree.
Getting down I disconnected our bond and she hissed, bristling as warriors cautiously held arrows and spears at her. She turned, preparing to strike out at them but I spoke softly. "Era, you and I are one now. Warriors of great strength and hunters of unteachable quality. Be calm, my companion and friend, they shall not harm you." Singing softly and loudly to her she calmed, turning back to follow the sound of my voice.
Stopping as I stood before the largest root of Hometree I heard Neytiri softly begin to speak. "Norm…you have a cure?"
"Yes but there is not enough for everyone. There are only five leaves left." Hearing her get up and lean against Norm, I still refused to turn.
"What happened? Ana? Anahera!"
"I am here sister." I informed her and she whirled around, staring as she saw Era pressing her nose into my back. "I am here."
"Ana…is that…?" Nodding my head I finally looked towards Norm.
"Do you know why sunleaf grew so well in our homeland?" Slowly he shook his head. I knelt on the ground and dug my hand into the earth, gently separating the soil until I had smoothed it back over the roots. "Sunleaf grows only when it is sung to. Once the roots have blossomed, it will continue to grow and grow until finally, it no longer needs a voice to guide it. It is very much like a child. It needs a parent to guide the way." Sighing I rested my hands on my knees and began to sing.
I sang with every ounce of heartache, pain, love, loss, joy and every other emotion I could. The Omaticaya watched in awe as my voice filled the forest, its power radiating as the plants answered, uncurling and lifted their ears to hear me sing.
The bioluminescence began to stir despite it only being late afternoon, the sun still setting with a pink and gold hue in the sky. The brilliant gleam of blue, green, white and purple filled the air as the animals turned their heads to listen also. Even the wind silenced so that it would not miss a single word of my song.
The small spot of earth before me trembled before tiny yellow shoots began to reach up, spiralling as they wrapped around the root of the tree and began to glide upwards, snaking their way swiftly up the wood of Hometree.
In the distance I heard the great wings of Toruk and on the air I could smell Jake. Gloriously he stepped down from Toruk who had flown him through the night to bring him home. Neytiri had run to him then they had both watched me as leaves began to sprout from tiny shoots, the golden vines beginning to reach the top of Hometree as the bloomed brilliantly.
As the last ray of light fell below the horizon I opened my eyes, continuing to sing as the vines beamed with a soft golden hue, smiling down at me as their pace began to slow as my song began to end. Their roots buried deep beneath me I carried the last note, rising to my feet before falling silent.
No one spoke, not a whisper was uttered as I turned to face Jake and Neytiri, Era stepping around me to turn and face them also. Touching my fingers to my brow, I gave them a nod of deep respect. Never again will I use the salute of my people.
They were all bound and kept under careful guard in the imprisoning roots of the trees as Norm, Neytiri and everyone hurried to pick all the leaves they would need. Several women took baskets full of the leaves to drop into the lake and connecting water sources to purge them of the poison.
I merely stood there and watched as Era nuzzled me. "You may go now, my friend. I shall call you should I ever need you." She growled softly, roughly pushed into me with affection then bounded into the trees to search for a new home and adventure.
Picking up a single leaf I strode to the healing pods, biting my lip as I neared Tsu'tey's side. He was so pale, almost white and his lips were dark purple as he breathed shallow breaths. I chewed the sweet leaf in my mouth then spat it back out, pressing it to his lips so that the nectar could seep into his mouth to heal him.
His heartbeat was so weak my eyes began to widen as Jake, Neytiri, Norm and a few other warriors stood around me. "Tsu'tey?" I whispered, twitching my ear towards him then gasped as his heart stopped beating. "No. No!" I sobbed, tears flowing freely as Jake sighed with grief. "No Tsu'tey! Tsu'tey wake up!" I wept over his body for a moment, grief shattering my already broken heart. With a roar of anger I pounded my fist against his chest. "Wake up!"
"Ana, he's gone." Neytiri tried to soothe me but I shrugged her off, hissing down at this stupid, moron of a male who seemed to only live and die to give me grief! I clasped my hands together and began to pound on his chest, sobbing as I prayed to Eywa to let him return to me. "You jackass of a male! Wake up!" Jake maybe accidentally taught me a few words.
Back home people had often fallen in the river, especially young ones and even I did once, I remember. The adults or someone who knew what to do would do this to them, pushing the water for their lungs and my mother once told me that it helped to encourage the heart to start beating again.
With a final scream and a pound of my fist against Tsu'tey's chest, his eyes flew open and he gasped, sucking in all the air he could as he lashed out with his legs, kicking someone in the gut. His arms whipped out to attack me but I caught them easily and held them down, relief flooding through me like a wave that swallowed my entire being.
"You idiot! You absolute ass! You died! Tsu'tey you died!" I cried as he calmed down and looked up at me with bleary, half open eyes.
"Anahera? Ana is that you?" He whispered with a throat that sounded as if it were the driest desert in all the world. Nodding my head I bared my fangs and snapped them at him.
"I will never forgive you for this you selfish male!" But he knew I was lying. He smirked at me as his head fell back and his chest continued to heave.
"I see you. Good to have you back brother." Jake said quietly to him and Tsu'tey nodded.
"I see you brother." He murmured then turned his head, exhaustion following him as he fell into a deep slumber. I growled, standing up to glare at him as I crossed my arms.
"Stupid thickhead." Muttering under my breath I moved on to help rescue the other fragile lives from the gaze of Eywa before they could pass through.