Lonely Jungle

Chapter 9

Jakes POV

Jakes awoke the next morning to faint chatter outside his room. Once again he struggled to get up, but he eventually succeeded. As a result of his attempt the day before, he had been able to accomplish this task. He began walking out. Exiting with a visible limp, upon exiting the room he could see that he was housed in a hollowed alcove at the base of a tree similar to the one he resided in. The difference between them was that his tree did not have so many Na'vi. There were other differences such as the hammock which resided on higher branches and the spiral staircase-like structure in the middle of the home tree. A variety of tools, materials, and decorative ornaments were also scattered about.

The place was bursting with life. From the children playing in groups to the adults working and chatting away. A few of the Na'vi closest to him noticed him, then began to look at him and whisper. More of the Na'vi began to take notice of his appearance and started to stare. Jake felt his hairs stand on end, the amount of eyes on him had caused him to stiffen anticipating an attack. His eyes were darting around searching for an exit, his breathing became rapid. His fists were clenched and he subconsciously began to show his teeth. Before Jake could do anything a young man approached him.

He began to say " Olo'eyktan want speak to you." His english was accented.

Jake calmed down slightly ,this Olo'eyktan had shown him no hostility so far he should return the favor in kind. The man began to walk away from him, gesturing for him to follow with a wave. The man kept to a slower pace to ensure that Jake could keep up with his limp. Every step of the way he could feel eyes on him. It made him uncomfortable like the gaze of a predator to wounded prey. Jake chuckled internally that was exactly the situation he was in, he was heavily wounded surrounded by people whose intentions he could not predict. The worst was the bite to his leg although it was not the worst of his injuries; the limp would hurt his chances out in the jungle. He would find hunting difficult, if any predator were to happen upon him he would be as good as dead. Until he was healed enough to move unrestricted Jake realized that he should do his best not to disrespect or anger the people around him, he would need to play this next conversation by ear to ensure the most beneficial outcome.

He was led to one of the higher branches and the room he was led into was almost like a bird's nest. It was made of small logs and branches woven together with a few leaves thrown in for good measure. He was amazed at how intricately the nest had been crafted; its roof was adorned with trinkets and ornaments. The craftsmanship would make any bird green with envy.

Olo'eyktan stood before him dressed in the same apparel as before, a woman by his side similarly ordained in extra clothing. The Na'vi were not too big on clothes, at least not the ones in the jungle; Jake heard about Na'vi who lived in the tundra who would cover more due to necessity. The rest of the clan seemed to wear only the bare minimum, the only two who Jake had seen break this trend was Olo'eyktan who was the leader of the clan and the woman who stood before him. From this the logical conclusion would be to assume that this person was of great importance to the clan and held significance. It was best he did not anger her and tread lightly.

The young man who brought him here had spoken a few brief words to both the people in the room while doing some sort of gesture with hand , putting it close to his head before slightly bowing as he spoke. He quickly left, spearing him a glance on his way out. Jake wanted to speak and to ask about why he was here, but he quickly held his tongue. From what little he had read the Na'vi had customs and ways of talking and greeting. He did not want to disrespect the leader of the clan after they had tended to his injuries. He silently waited for Olo'eyktan to speak.

The three of them stood in silence for what seemed like hours but was in reality just a few moments. Jake noticed the woman eyeing him up and down, sizing him up while Olo'eyktan looked deep in thought before his eyes fixed on him with confidence. Even while silent the man had such a heavy presence about him, one Jake had rarely seen, only some of his superiors in the marines had ever caused such a similar feeling. Even then when compared to Olo'eyktan their presence seemed muted.

The woman walked up to him, and she began to circle him. Jake stiffened; he didn't dare move. She grabbed his braided hair inspecting it as he circled him before quickly releasing it. Jake noticed that she had two braids which joined into one going down her chest. Just above where the two braids met there was what looked like a bone dagger which was sheathed around her neck like a sort of necklace. Well amulet would seem more appropriate Jake thought to himself. When she had completed a full circle she took out the bone knife from the sheath and quicker than most could follow she pricked Jake on the chest drawing blood. The wound was only deep enough to draw blood; it was not meant to mortally wound. She brought the knife close to mouth before licking his blood. During this she never broke eye contact, not even to blink. Jake had been slightly unnerved by this, but his face didn't show it. He had crafted a perfect mask of indifference.

The woman seemed lost in thought like she was deliberating something; before she turned to Olo'eyktan and spoke something Jake couldn't understand.

"I have an offer for you" Olo'eyktan spoke, breaking the long drawn out silence.

"The Omaticaya Owe you a debt, for helping one of our own. I wish to offer you a place in the clan. We will teach you our ways and you will find safety in the clan" He said.

Jake was shocked by the offer, he had done in a matter of weeks what Dr Grace and the other scientist couldn't do in years. He thought about the offer and what had happened since he had arrived at the home of the Omaticaya Clan. Although they had healed him the people had seemed weary of him and others seemed to hold some sort of hatred toward him. They didn't outwardly express it but Jake could see it in their eyes. He did not think he could ever fully integrate into the Clan even if some accept him with time; the others will not ever truly accept him. There was too much bad blood between the Omaticaya and the humans.

"Thank you for this gracious offer, but there is too much bad blood between your Clan and the humans. I would alway be an outsider. I do not wish to be somewhere I am unwanted. I will leave as soon as possible to not be more of a burden upon your people." Jake said.

Olo'eyktan gave a slightly weary look, before it returned to a more neutral one which Jake was more familiar with. "I understand your decision. You may stay along as you like. Know that you are welcome to return and the offer will alway be open to you."

Jake nodded, "Thank you." he said.

"You may go now and rest, the healers would be happy if we kept you for too long."

Jake gave a small smile before leaving no matter what planet he was on, doctors were still the same at least.

Time skip

Neytiri's POV

Neytiri watched from one of the branches of a nearby tree as the dreamwalker left Hometree. The fool didn't even know the way back; he had asked the hunter who brought him to return him to where he was found. He had left with his Bow and a few arrows given to him by one of the hunters along with the hide of the Palulukan. Most of the Clan were cautious of him; they had been tricked by the sky people before. Others outright detested him and the fact that he was here being healed. The latter group was quickly silenced by her father. They would not try anything because of that. The one thing not even she could deny was his skill. The dreamwalker had taken down a palulukan on his own. This was something that even their hunter found difficult to do in small groups. None would even dare try alone, not due to lack of ability more so because of the chance of death it was possible however very uncommon. Even those of the Tipani Clan seldom did such a thing. It was an impressive feat doubly so considering he had no training at all from a young age they would teach their hunters how to use a bow and other weapons. Yet this dreamwalker managed it. From what her father had told her he had only been out in the jungle 2 weeks before the incident.

This had earned him her respect, even if she hated him and his kind. As the dreamwalker and the hunter who had brought him here disappeared into the tree line Neytiri and the others who were watching him leave had returned to their duties. There was a sizable group who were curious about the strange dreamwalker who laid low a palulukan. Amongst this group were a handful of children who watched from a distance. When the dreamwalker first came, the parents of the children who were still too young to begin learning a craft told their children not to approach him. These children spent their whole day playing amongst each other.

Once they were a bit older they would pick a craft and learn. Often they would follow in the footsteps of their parents, however they were free to choose whatever path they would like to take. Most would learn a few different things. Constantly performing the same task day after day would drive anyone mad. They would take up one main craft often doing that for most of the month and help in other areas which they had knowledge in for a few days. All of the hunters were required to learn a second craft due to the fact that they didn't constantly hunt. They only did so when the stock of materials and food were low. Neytiri was aspet as weaving. This is what she did when she wasn't hunting or sharpening her skills.

Neytiri left the area to perform her duties for the day. She was to take the young hunter on a hunt to hone their skills and to help them in preparation for Iknimaya. This would normally be Tsu'teys job, however her father had asked him to perform a task so she was shafted with this responsibility. Neytiri made her way to the clearing where she was to meet the younger hunters. She took her bow, the one she had carved from the wood of home tree after completing Uniltaron.

{Iknimaya is the taming of a banshee done by hunters once they make a clean kill and are deemed ready. Uniltaron is the dream hunt and a rite of passage into adulthood. The Tipani Clan are another Na'vi Clan on Pandora who are like the Na'vi equivalent of spartans, they are warriors they train to become warriors from a young age they train like no other.}

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(Right this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, sorry for the long wait. Was very busy with college work and regular work and universities and stuff like that. I'm probably going to write a couple of extra chapters and keep 'em on hand. So that if I ever find myself busy again I will have something to upload while I sort myself out. One thing I will never do is put this story on hiatus or leave it incomplete. Thanks for reading. Leaving a review of any criticism or other such suggestions to help me improve my writing would be great. Even a couple of sentences would be appreciated. Thanks.)