Note: "Avatar" is not mine. First I would like to say that I am very happy with how this story is going! To - Nope I'm not going easy on them! But I didn't want to write a simple mushy love story, I wanted to be true to Tsu'tey's personality and make things interesting so in the end, it is all worth while for the characters; so I hope you're enjoying! Also I know the cliff hanger at the end of the last chapter was a harsh thing to do to you guys (sorry about that lol) but I could not resist, remember; I'm not making this easy for them! I hope you will all enjoy this newest instalment, Merci!

The screaming stopped, as her world was abruptly forced into silence. Raging water engulfed her before the huge palulukan joined her in the silence. The force of the creature hitting the water forced her further under the water, ripping what little air she had left from her lungs. Her body was exhausted but her instincts took over and she clawed for the surface. The tide forced her effortlessly down the river and she fought harder, despite the strength being sapped from her body. Adrenaline forced through her body and blocked out the pain that her body was suffering.

Fight...

Her eyes opened under the water and she saw the faint outline of the palulukan nearby. She had heard a voice but wasn't sure if it was the approach of death or a chance to breath the sweet air she desperately needed. Her body screamed for air and she decided to listen to the voice, making one last clawing effort for the surface. The palulukan struggled under the water with her, making clawing movements that mirrored her own as it made it's own dash for the surface.

It is not your time.

Ma'tirea burst to the surface and breathed in deeply as she forced her sore eyes to look around her. She was far from the waterfall where she had fallen and a look at the sky told her Rina'rey and Normspellman were gone. The current was calmer this far from the waterfall and she was able to weakly swim to the bank. Exhaustion overcoming her, she dug her fingers into the dark mud of the bank and heaved herself onto the land. Mud covered her, obscuring her blue skin and coating the wounds the rocks had inflicted. She forced her sore head to turn back to the water and saw the palulukan struggling to find it's footing. Her heart sank as the creature growled weakly before it's head went under the water, despite everything she whispered a prayer to Eywa for the fallen creature. Half on the bank and half in the water, she weakly touched her face and saw blood on her hand before she collapsed on the bank...

When she opened her eyes she was standing in the trees, it was night and the trees were glowing around her. She looked at her hands and saw the cuts were gone. Looking up from her hands she saw atokirina descending from the trees and floating around her. Ma'tirea exhaled and closed her eyes. The pain that she had felt over her body was gone and she smiled as an atokirina landed on her head. Opening her eyes, she scooped up the seed and held it gently in her cupped hands. The seed floated away in the breeze as a figure appeared in the clearing.

She could not see who it was at first and took a step back. Ma'tirea's ears flicked nervously and for a moment she wondered if she was dead. The figure came closer and she shifted in her place. "Who are you?" She said, her voice echoing in the illuminated grove. "Am I dead?" The figure stepped closer and she was able to catch a glimpse. She took a few steps forward, "Tsu'tey?"

Ma'tirea ran towards him, wanting to apologize for hitting him the last time she saw him. She grabbed his arm gently and looked into his sad eyes. She knew she was just dreaming, that she was still far from her home and hurting on the bank of the river but she didn't care right now. He continued to look at her sadly and she shook him slightly. "I am sorry, please Tsu'tey..." Her hands still gripping his arms, she cried, wanting nothing more than to see the stubborn male again.

"Wake up..." He whispered to her. She shook her head, "No, please! I don't know what to do...I'm scared." She weakly punched his chest, wanting him to speak to her and tell her what she needed to do. He smiled and grabbed her hands, stopping her weak movements. "Please find me, Tsu'tey..."

"Wake up..."

Ma'tirea was startled awake and moaned as the pain returned to her body. The sun was setting and she knew she had slept too long. She had seen Tsu'tey but it was just a dream, no matter how real she wished it was, she was still on the river bank and her entire body was in agony. Tears fell down her face, leaving clean streaks in the dirt that covered her. Groaning, she pulled her legs from the water as she tried to decide how she was going to make it to hometree. She sighed heavily and pulled herself under a tree. This was it, every time she tried to stand the gash down her thigh flared and halted her movements. Touching her forehead tenderly she winced as she found a cut that started at her hairline above her eye and fell down the left side of her face. She whimpered and pulled her legs in as close to her body as her wounds permitted, ready to accept whatever Eywa brought her.

Tsu'tey approached the waterfall that Rina'rey had directed him to and saw the cliff nearby. He turned his ikran and landed swiftly on the landing, giving the ikran a friendly pat on the neck before he looked around. Kneeling, he saw tracks that led to the edge and knew he was watching what could have been her last few minutes alive...

Cursing, he pushed that thought from his mind and followed the tracks. The tracks ended at the edge of the cliff and his heart sank. He mounted his ikran again and soared down to the river below. Leaving the creature near the waterfall, he walked the banks of the river hoping for a sign of her. The river was wider than usual and he knew that if the fall didn't hurt her then the rocky riverbed would have.

Tsu'tey grabbed his dagger just in case the palulukan had survived the fall and was still nearby. He peered into the trees around the river in the hope that Ma'tirea may have pulled herself from the river. The tight feeling in his chest returned...what if she was dead? His grip tightened on the hilt of the dagger as the feeling in his chest refused to go away. He peered to the other side of the river but saw nothing. Crouching he looked under the trees that lined the muddy riverbank, trying to move slowly to keep his balance despite wanting to run and find her quickly.

The mud was beginning to dry the further he went from the waterfall and walking became easier. Tracks appeared in front of him in the semi-dry mud and he took a closer look, unsure what could have made them. He touched the outlines in the mud and realized they were finger marks and from the tracks whatever had made them had four fingers. Ma'tirea, it had to be her. The tight feeling in his chest remained but he knew now she had survived the fall and pulled herself from the water.

Standing with the tracks before him leading into the trees, he took one last look at the waterfall before heading in.

The tracks in the mud lead to a narrow line of flattened grass. He inhaled sharply as he crouched to follow the tracks and remain hidden from potential predators. The thought of creatures making her their prey made him uneasy and he twisted the blade in his hand, trying to force himself not to think the worst. He was coming, she just had to hold on a little longer...

This time she wasn't sure if it was a dream or if this was death. She had returned to the same grove she had dreamt about before and once again her pain was gone. The atokirina floated around her and she sighed happily, accidentally blowing one of the seeds away. She laughed and cupped the seed, bringing it to her face so it was level with her eyes. Ma'tirea smiled as the seed blew away with the soft breeze. She turned to where she had seen him before and ran over to the spot, pouting when she saw Tsu'tey was not in the shadows.

She looked around the grove, trying to find him in another shadow. "Tsu'tey? Please where are you?" Her voice echoed in the darkness but she was not answered. She whimpered and sat in the grass. Atokirina floated around her, some landing nearby as if to comfort her. She looked up at the sky but saw that the grove's "sky" was the branches of trees weaved together. Despite her sadness she grinned, it was beautiful and comforting, almost like she was in womb of trees. "Please find me..." She whispered to the trees.

The sound of footsteps made her pull her gaze from the woven sky above. She saw a silhouette of a na'vi running towards her. She stood and took a step towards the approaching figure.

"W-Who are you?" She demanded, not sure if she should be afraid or not. One thing she knew for sure though was that she was tired of being afraid. She stood her ground and closed her eyes as the shadowy figure came closer. Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her from the womb of trees...

Opening her eyes slowly, she realized she was being eased up from the ground. Ma'tirea felt a hand tentatively touch her face, fingertips tracing her jawline as if they were afraid of breaking her. The hand left her jaw and began to clean the mud away from her legs. She moaned as a warm salve was applied to her thigh and let her heavy eye lids drop. She tired to relax against the tree; almost certain whoever was with her was not going to hurt her...even if they did, right now she was too exhausted to care.

She exhaled heavily and tried to touch her wounded thigh only to be stopped by a four-fingered hand. Ma'tirea could felt something being pressed to her thigh and tied tightly in place. A moan forced it's way from deep in her throat and she tried to swat the hand away, hissing at the stabbing pain. The stranger was touching the gash on her face now and she winced as the pain in her head throbbed. She held her breath as the stranger tended to the wound, exhaling only when the salve was applied.

Eyes still closed, she felt an arm carefully slide under her knees and another behind her back, lifting her battered body up slowly so as not to hurt her. She pulled her tail up with her legs and rested her head on the strangers' shoulder. The stranger moved gracefully making Ma'tirea feel like she was floating just like the atokirina in the grove. Resting a hand on the strangers' free shoulder; she didn't even care where she was being taken so long as she didn't have to hide anymore. The pain tied a knot in her body and she tensed in the strangers' arms. Moaning she pressed her lips against the soft flesh of his shoulder, trying to quiet herself. Before she passed out, she managed to open her eyes enough to see the strangers' neck, which was wrapped in a familiar large beaded collar. "Tsu'tey..." She moaned, breathing heavily against his skin. A great inner pain washing over him, he looked down at her tired eyes and watched them flutter closed, unconsciousness allowing her a break from the pain.