oOo
"Raise your arm higher!" Tsu'tey shouted at me for the hundredth time this morning. Every morning for the past week Tsu'tey would train me to use a bow before we moved to tracking. Along with Tsu'tey's training, I've been practicing my power and running laps for Master Sara'bas. The other day he made me stand in the middle of the clearing and just listen. I closed my eyes and listened to everything around me. It felt like everything stood still for a moment as I listened.
"Direhorses listen to everything around them. That's how we survive. We listen and use our speed for our advantage. Listen to the forest Celene. Let it call to you." Sara'bas said to me one day during practice. And it did. I must've stood there for hours listening to the forest. Every breath I took felt like a heart beat the forest had.
"Suck in your stomach more. Breathe deep and extend!" he shouted another command. I snapped out of my thoughts once again. For the past six to eight hours we've been practicing my archery. Order after order Tsu'tey has been ordering me to do this and ordering me to do that. I already know that I suck at archery so why does he have to rub it in my face?
"You'll never get it if you don't listen!" Tsu'tey yelled at me. I growled in annoyance and tried firing the arrow again. The arrow went soaring right for the center with a thunk. I looked up with Tsu'tey with a smirk but he just whacked me in the back of the head and said again. I narrowed my eyes at him then knocked another arrow. When I held up my arms Tsu'tey stopped me to check my stance.
He made me spread my legs wider apart into the correct stance. He slapped my arm up so that I kept it steady upwards. Then he made sure my sight was set on the mark in front of me. I grumbled in annoyance again when he kept correcting me. And that's when I rolled my eyes did I catch his chest in my sight.
His chest was broad, slim, and very muscular. It was smooth and you could make out the crevices of his muscles on his stomach. His arm extended out and I watched as those muscles flexed too. I swear he was doing this on purpose! I couldn't help but look and just imagine what those arms could do against….'THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!' I screamed at myself in my head. Why did I even think that?
"Fire." Tsu'tey said to me and I released the arrow without even looking at the target. The arrow headed straight for the center again. I smiled to myself that I was getting better but I was far away from Tsu'tey's level.
"Can we start tracking? I know I'm not that good at archery but my tracking has improved don't cha' think?" I asked him. Tsu'tey thought for a moment before slipping his bow over his shoulder. That was Tsu'tey's saying he agrees without even saying anything to me. I swear he hates me.
"Hold tsmukan!" called a voice from within the trees. I looked up to see one of Tsu'tey's hunters, Sar'tan, walked towards Tsu'tey.
"Sar'tan what are you doing here?" Tsu'tey asked as the hunter stood in front of him.
"Mo'at asked me to get you. She needs to talk to you." Sar'tan told Tsu'tey then looked over at me giving me a charming smile. I've only talked with Sar'tan a few times to know that he is nice but at the same time, there is nothing up there in his head most of the time we talk.
"Thank you. We'll go….."
"AHHHH!" Tsu'tey was interrupted by a scream. That scream was familiar. My eyes widened before I took off towards it.
That scream belongs to Mala…..
"MALA!" I shouted as I ran through the forest towards the Home Tree. My feet and legs carried me as fast as I could but here was the strange part. Every time my feet hit the ground, it pulsed. The sounds around me became clear that I could tell where everything was.
Once I came to the Home Tree the first thing I saw was a Thanator growling at Mala who was on the ground. Dus'key was near Jake and Neytiri who hissed in a protective stance. Warriors came from under the giant tree and held up their bows. Mala crawled backwards from the stalking Thanator in front of her. Without thinking I charged in front of the Thanator and hissed at it.
"If it isn't my old prey come to defend one of her own." The Thanator in front of me chuckled. This was the same Thanator who attacked me and Jake when we first went out with my mom.
"What are you doing here?" I asked the Thanator making sure to block Mala's view from him.
"I heard there was a free meal near the forest edge here so I decided to check it out. Turns out I was right, she does look mouthwatering." the Thanators' eyes glanced down at Mala who continued to cry. I hissed again, my way of telling him to back off.
"I'm not going to let you touch her!" I hissed at him but he chuckled in amusement. I grabbed Mala by the arm and pulled her up so that she stood behind me. "Mala, when I say run, run towards Neytiri. Understand?" I asked Mala.
"What about you? What are you going to do?" Mala asked me with tears streaming down her face.
"I'm going to draw him away from the Home Tree. That way, he'll come after me and not everyone else. Stay strong for me will you?" I asked her giving her a fake smile.
"No! Please don't go!" Mala pleaded.
"Mala, stay strong and make sure you take care of that doll I made you. I'll be back. Ready?" I asked her crouching low.
"Ready." I opened my hand and began to twirl the plants around the Thanators' leg.
"How about this, I take girl's place and you come after me? Sound fair? You get the prey that escaped you and I save the girl's life. Do we have a deal?" I asked, giving a smirk as I made my deal.
"Agreed." I swear the Thanator actually smiled when he said that, which is really creepy. I got into a running position and gently made Mala back up.
"RUN!" I threw the Thanator over near the tree line then quickly ran into the forest. I could hear the Thanator roar in anger as he began to run after me. I ran as fast as I could with the Thanator on my heels. My heart was pounding in my chest and my breath became short and rough. I moved my hand out to move the plants but nothing happened.
"What? How can this be, why can't I move the plants?" I asked myself.
"This is your test for me. Listen to the forest and allow that to guide you away from danger. Like a direhorse, you are faster than your enemy. Be a direhorse!" Sara'bas shouted in my mind. I nodded to the wind as I ran. Faster and faster I ran.
I am a direhorse. I am…..I am…
My body began to burn and it felt like my legs were next to me instead of below me. My breathing became slower and my vision blurred, threw me forwards then back. My bones began to crack as I staggered in my running. Then there's a bright flash and next thing I knew I hear hoof beats. I feel strange but when I began running next to a river I catch a reflection in the water.
I am a direhorse!
"Congratulations. You pass." Sara'bas said. I smiled on the inside but I wasn't out of the clear yet. I had to ditch this annoying Thanator before I could celebrate. I waved between the trees, making sharp turns, trying to get him off my tail but all that came to end when I ended up on a cliff.
"Nowhere to go, Eywa's daughter." The Thanator hissed. What did he call me?
Before I could say anything the Thanator lunged at me. Everything went into slow motion. The Thanator slowly flew through the air as I slowly jumped out of the way. The Thanator roared as it slowly fell to the ground below. I trotted over to the edge and looked over to see nothing but the forest at the bottom.
I pulled away from the edge and looked myself over. I was actually a direhorse. I was white like the masters but had a light blue swirl to it. Somehow I felt lighter and stronger than I was in my Na'vi form. My hearing made everything clearer and stronger than before. My eye sight felt like I was in a giant bubble, everything swirled with bright colors that glowed.
Then suddenly I felt my legs give out and I could no longer feel any part of my body. I started to panic and my breathing became short, quick burst of air. Nothing was around me but I could hear something coming.
"Calm down. It is only I. Sleep now, I'll watch over you." The voice belongs to Vergi. I watched as a pure white Thanator came and stood in front of me. His voice began to calm me. I felt safe with him. I slowly felt my eyes begin to close and off in the distance I could hear humming. A child humming a lullaby that I know from somewhere.
But where?
oOo