Disclaimer: The reviews I have been getting are very kind and I thank you all! Once again "Avatar" is not mine and I am only borrowing the world for my story. I will warn you now this is a rather sad chapter but the story is not over with this one, so don't worry! :) -Fallon.
In the sky, her troubles vanished. She held on to Normspellman but looked around her, eagerly taking in the new perspective of her forested home. This was the beauty Eywa had given her children. Below her she saw a herd of pa'li running through a clearing and smiled. A noise above her caught her attention and she quickly glanced up to see numerous ikran soaring closely above them. Ma'tirea wondered if what was to be her ikran was among them. Since she was a child she had dreams about what her ikran would look like and in every dream the ikran's appearance changed.
Alas, the dreams of a child were long behind her. The ikran landed on a clearing that was near the drop off to a waterfall and Ma'tirea quickly swung herself off of the creature. She breathed in the fresh air, smiling at the rhythmic sound of the raging waterfall behind them.
"Will you be alright sister?" Rina'rey asked, snapping Ma'tirea out of her blissful state. She turned to face her friend, unsure of what to say. Despite his lack of kindness she had considered him a friend, certain that their was good in him. After all, he did agreed to train her and she was grateful, trying to prove to him every day that she was worth the effort. But everyday she was greated by his glares and disappointment in almost everything she had done. Even now, after he had screamed to Normspellman about how he did not care about her, she wanted to believe their was good in him.
"I do not know, I feel so confused now..."
Normspellman approached them and smiled sadly. "Perhaps Tsu'tey is confused too?" He spoke softly, not wanting to anger either female. "Only his way of dealing with it is with anger." He touched Ma'tirea's shoulder. Ma'tirea sighed and was about to speak when Normspellman clasped his hand over her mouth. She was taken back but one look at Rina'rey told her there was something wrong. The female crouched and was glaring into the trees while moving silently towards her ikran. Ma'tirea turned in the direction Rina'rey was looking and was instantly grateful that Normspellman's hand was still over her mouth.
Through a few feet of trees she spotted a huge palulukan. Ma'tirea shuttered, her eyes open wide in shock. The creature hadn't attacked, which meant he hadn't seen them yet but he had certainly smelled them and was searching the area for those who had intruded his territory. The palulukan (Thanator) could terrify even the most experienced hunter and no song celebrated the furious creature.
The palulukan's head shot up in the air and it turned it's sights on them. Having been discovered, Rina'rey jumped on her ikran and urged the creature into the sky. Her new bond was difficult to control but she managed to get into the skies. Norm could see her hovering about, waiting hopefully for her friends to join her. Rina'rey grabbed for her bow and took aim but cried out in anger when she couldn't get a clear shot. Norm grabbed Ma'tirea and dove out of the path of the dark creature, who had rocketed towards them. Rina'rey hissed from above, trying to distract the thanator long enough for them to get to the ikran. Norm grabbed Ma'tirea's hand and made a dash for the ikran.
The palulukan was much faster and lept to block their path. Ma'tirea hissed, the creature was toying with them. In a burst of courage or frustration, Ma'tirea pushed Norm out of the way and leapt towards the creature, her dagger poised. Acting purely on instinct; she grabbed the beast's sensory quills as she leapt over it's shoulders. The palulukan's head tilted as she ducked under it's massive body. It's sensitive quills caught, the beast was unable to run forward.
Ma'tirea prayed to Eywa to give her the strength to hold on, grunting as the palulukan suddenly broke free and swung her high in the air. As she fell towards the open jaws below her, she heard Rina'rey scream. Rina'rey's arrow struck the armored head of the palulukan, distracting it enough for Ma'tirea to land away from the creature's deadly teeth. Norm had mounted his ikran and was hovering by the cliff's edge, Rina'rey above him. Ma'tirea took her chance and ran as fast as she could for the safety of the ikran.
She could hear the palulukan chasing her but refused to turn to see how close it was. As she jumped from the cliff towards Norm's ikran, the palulukan tackled her with a force that tore the air from her lungs, sending her off course and plummeting towards the water and rocks below.
Everything happened very slowly. Ma'tirea could feel water and air flowing over her as she looked up at the sky, air forcing itself into her lungs. Ma'tirea could hear Normspellman and Rina'rey screaming, could see them both forcing their ikran down in an attempt to catch her. The palulukan was falling with her, flailing as it rushed towards the raging waters below. She saw the ikran pull up and she knew this was the end. With a sickening smack, she hit the water and was followed shortly after by the huge palulukan. Then there was darkness.
Rina'rey screamed so loud she could not hear herself. With a heavy heart she urged her ikran up and looked to Normspellman who was screaming at the water below. Her ikran stired under her, having felt her pain at the sight of her friend plunging into a watery death. Rina'rey wailed and her ikran wept in it's own way too, connected on a deep level to his rider's emotions. They circled the waters, hoping to see her burst through the surface. There was five long minutes of painful silence.
Her pain echoing through the trees, Rina'rey flew towards hometree followed closely by a weeping Norm. She was not sure how they made it home, but soon enough hometree was in her sights. She landed her ikran, followed by Norm. A group of clan members crowded them, drawn by their wails and Mo'at pushed her way through to see them. Neytiri and Jake soon followed, their eyes wide in panic when they saw Norm and Rina'rey so distraught. Neytiri caught Rina'rey as she fell to the ground in tears.
Norm paced and ran his fingers through his hair as Jake grabbed his shoulders and asked where Ma'tirea was.
"Where is the female?" Tsu'tey demanded as he burst through the crowd, grabbing Rina'rey firmly. The female calmed down enough to look at who had grabbed her so roughly.
"You!" She pushed him away, everyone around her grew silent. She calmed her weeping and turned to Norm, who had fresh tears trailing down his face but said nothing, as Jake supported most of his weight.
Rina'rey turned back to Tsu'tey, her lip trembling. "What happened?" Jake pleaded as his friend regained his composure enough to hold himself upright.
"We..." Norm began.
"We took her for a ride on our ikran, she rode with Normspellman." Rina'rey took over for her silent companion. Tsu'tey stood in front of her, resisting the urge to shake the loud female. "When we landed near the waterfall, a palulukan attacked us..." Gasps spread through the group as all knew how deadly the creature was. Sobs shook her body and Tsu'tey quickly grabbed her again.
"Where is she!" He screamed at the wailing female.
"My sister is dead!" She screamed with a force that hurt her throat. Her closest and dearest friend gone, she glared at Tsu'tey through her teary eyes.
Tsu'tey let go of her, eyes wide and hands shaking. He tried to speak but his throat and chest were tight.
"She tried to distract the creature so we could flee, she was so close...then the creature forced her from the cliff, Ma'tirea hit the water first and the palulukan fell on top of her." Rina'rey chocked on her tears as she told her clan.
Neytiri grabbed Rina'rey and held her tightly, tears falling from her own eyes. Jake approached Tsu'tey and tentatively touched his shoulder. Tsu'tey looked at his friend and leader, his lips pressed firmly together as he fought to keep a grasp on his emotions. "She can't be..."
"Don't you dare!" Rina'rey stood and glared at Tsu'tey. Neytiri hugged the young females' shoulders as she faced down the warrior. "She called you friend...and you couldn't even say her name!"
To every ones surprise, Tsu'tey did not lash out. He looked at the female with a deep sadness in his eyes and swallowed hard. He turned quickly towards his ikran, pushing through the teary-eyed crowd who mourned for their lost sister. Jake followed, urging his brother to stop. Strapping on his bow and extra arrows he approached his ikran and turned to face Jake. Rina'rey and Neytiri had forced their way through the crowd and now stood watching him.
"Dead or not, I am not leaving her out there." He angrily strapped his dagger to his chest. "But I do not think..."
"Tsu'tey..." Jake whispered, pleading his brother to stop. Neytiri stood beside him, still holding up an exhausted Rina'rey. Rina'rey watched Tsu'tey curiously, her eyes swollen from her tears. He was not a fool, Tsu'tey knew that the chances of Ma'tirea being alive were not good. If she truly was...dead, then she deserved to be buried near her people...if she was alive, then she needed help. Regardless of her being dead or alive, he was going to bring her home.