Thank you for all the reviews on Ch.1 of this story! =) I'm glad to know that people are reading and enjoying my writing. Here is the next installment of the fic.

"Are you sure, sister? But… So soon? The body of Great Eytucan is barely cold!"

Ma'hi looked at me with something akin to sadness, but she could not hide her joy. "I am sorry, Yishat. It is my time. He is my mate." She twisted her hand away from mine and ran to her future mate, who welcomed her with opened arms. A'mari'k could not stop smiling. I, on the other hand, could not stop frowning.

Just as I had suspected, A'mari'k proposed to my sister that very day. He handed her the bright yellow and purple songbird, and placed a flower in her hair. Ma'hi chose not to remove it, sealing the deal. In one night's time they will leave for the Tree of Souls to mate before Eywa. Deep hurt pulsed through me, carving ridges in my heart and tearing my mouth into a perpetual frown. I could not bring myself to smile. Ma'hi and I were not extremely close, but I loved her nonetheless. It was sad for me to see her leave, especially with A'mari'k. He'd never said anything particularly harmful to anyone, but at the same time he never helped anyone either. I just believed Ma'hi could do much better.

"Do not fret, Yishat. Your time will come soon." Mother put a hand on my shoulder. She was slightly taller than I. "Do not let your sister's success put you in the shade. Eywa will provide for you as-"

"But I do not want to mate, mother." I twirled around to face her, hissing, showing all of my teeth. "Ma'hi can go mate with that scum! I don't care. I don't want any children!" Why should I have children when I could not even find happiness in my solitude? I began to doubt Eywa's will- surely no one should suffer so! Sometimes I longed to hold a bow like Neytiri, or wield a hunting knife like Jakesully. Jakesully was a dreamwalker, for Eywa's sake! Yet still he received her blessing. Why did Eywa reject me?

Mother shook her head slowly, long braids brushing against her naked back. Her blue skin was a tone lighter than mine. I scowled. The lighter one's skin was, the more beautiful they are considered to be. Neytiri and Tsu'tey had very light skin. It was believed that only warriors had light skin, for they were kissed by the moon and blessed by Eywa before every mission. Therefore, their skin color becomes brighter, bringing them closer in appearance to Eywa herself.

Our conversation died there. We looked onto Ma'hi and A'mari'k as they held hands and danced in the moonlight. Tomorrow would be a very busy day indeed.

-x-

Neytiri was a very beautiful Na'vi. In fact, that is almost an understatement. She looked like Eywa herself, with that kind smile and bright eyes. It was no wonder that Jakesully fell so hard for her. My people had a saying for Na'vi like him. There was such a thing as we called 'moonstruck'. The saying originated from the old folktale of a Na'vi boy who saw the moon for the first time and fell in love with the sight. It was as if the moon itself had shot an arrow of love onto the boy's heart. He looked at it for such a long time that eventually he became blind. However, even then, he refused to tear his unseeing eyes away from the moon. It was said he was made a part of Eywa there.

Neytiri fitted into her role of Spiritual Leader seamlessly. It was like she'd always belonged there. Many girls my age looked up to her. I did, too. Lady Mo'at now lives in a small corner of Home Tree on her own, having renounced her position as Spiritual Leader after her mate's death. Not many try to speak to her, for she had grown very distant after Eytukan's passing. His mourning was a massive event. It was also very recent, and many were still in the throes of misery over the loss. Surely Ma'hi could not have picked a worse time to mate. I was lost in ways I could not understand, so I decided to seek out Neytiri for advice.

As I made my way up innumerable branches and vines to Neytiri's personal alcove, I caught sight of our current Tribe Leader, Jakesully. He looked rather lost, but tried to compose his confidence whilst speaking to none other than Mo'at herself. I smiled fondly at the sight. Lady Mo'at loved to pick at Jakesully. She always meant well, but her constant jabbing and nagging often made Jakesully uncomfortable. Most of the tribe found much amusement in the way Jakesully would stutter when speaking to Mo'at.

"I see you, Yishat. Come to me." The melodious voice snapped me back to reality, and I entered Neytiri's personal alcove. I had been here many times before. This was one of the places where I felt most comfortable, for I knew Neytiri would never judge. As soon as I'd entered the cramped space, the overpowering smell of medicinal herbs assailed my senses. Neytiri herself was poised over a bowl of sparkling water, and her face was distant as she looked into it. She was interpreting Eywa's will, and she looked very upset by what she saw. I wondered if I should leave, since this looked like a bad time. However, Neytiri must have sensed my predicament, for she tore those big moon kissed eyes away from what she was doing and bade me to sit. I made me flush with embarrassment and gratitude. She was such a kind soul.

"I see you, Great Tsahik."

"As I you, Yishat, but please call me Neytiri. What ails you?"

"My sister has chosen her mate." I said bluntly, and an awkward pause ensued as Neytiri waited for me to continue. I did not. I had not come prepared, and now I was mentally cursing myself for being so careless. This would go back to my father, I thought with terror.

Neytiri thought for a long time before she said, "that is great news. Who is her mate?"

"A'mari'k."

"Is that what is troubling you?"

"No… Yes… I'm not sure, Tsahik." I looked down in embarrassment. I could feel Neytiri's energy pulsating off her form and could not bear to call her by her name. I was surely wasting her time by being here, but she did not ask me to leave. Instead, she pondered over my situation with the utmost care. Then, in one swift motion she grasped my hand.

"You are worried that you will not mate, Yishat?"

"That is not it, Tsahik. In fact, I do not want to mate. This is what ails me." I looked into her eyes, and she mine. She smiled, and I heard the sound of her lips sliding over those teeth. It was very pleasant.

"You are sour, Yishat. Sour like a Goongi mushroom after Eywa takes away the light." I cringed. Goongi mushrooms were infamous for their horrible taste at night. Many times as a child I had been tricked into eating them. Neytiri pressed her fingers over the palm of my hand. The flesh at the tips of her fingers was scored and rough. "Do not fret, then. I know why you long not for a mate. Your hand aches for the touch of the bow, I know it. Perhaps it is time to try again. Do you feel a drawing in your heart?"

I nodded frantically, feeling my body pulse in tune to her energy.

"Then Eywa has willed it. Perhaps you should seek out Tsu'tey and ask him-"

"No, Neytiri!" I gasped, pulling my hand away from hers with more force than I'd intended. I immediately babbled apologies, ashamed of my actions. Neytiri simply smiled once more and shook her head.

"Tsu'tey is not as sour as you, Yishat. You should not look upon him with loathing. He has suffered much more than you have."

Her words stung me in their truth. I had no right to harbor negative thoughts for Tsu'tey. He was a distressed man, much like my father. Having lost both his future and his potential mate in quick succession to someone else, this Na'vi had reason to become distrustful and cold. He'd lost his way and had to find it again, and even though he stumbled onto the wrong path at first, eventually he will find the right one. "Thank you, Tsahik."

"May Eywa keep you, Yishat, for you are every bit as lovely as your sister." Neytiri laughed as my mouth opened in shock. "I will remember to bring a gift for Ma'hi. Thank you for coming, Yishat. I will see you again."

-x-

When I returned to the alcove Ma'hi and I shared, Eywa was drinking up the light once more.

"Where were you, Yishat?" Ma'hi groaned, her back facing me. Mother was massaging oils into her hair, making it shine thickly. The oils smelled of Wepa, one of the rarer species of scent flora. The plant got its name from the first Na'vi who'd discovered them. They smelled so delightful that the Na'vi could find no words to describe them but a flabbergasted 'Wepa wepa'. I swallowed thickly.

"I was looking for stones to decorate your chest plate with, Ma'hi." I lied. It would not do to let my parents know I had gone to Neytiri. They did not like me disturbing her.

"Did you find any?" Father called from his place in the corner of the hollow, where he was brewing his best ale. Ale brewing was one of my father's great passions. It was also one of the only things he was able to do after the accident. Eywa had looked down on him and smiled. No one looked at me. It was a sobering feeling to have all the attention focused on Ma'hi's mating ceremony. I was not so important after all.

"No."

"Useless girl," father murmured distantly, though I knew he did not mean it. "Did you at least bring some flowers for your sister?"

"…No."

"Father, don't be so hard on Yishat. She is my sister and her presence at my ceremony is enough to light the whole Hometree! She is Eywa's kiss to me!" Ma'hi twisted her head to grin at me. I smiled back, aware this was an attention scheme of hers.

Mother and Father, however, were instantly won over. "What a sweet mouth you have, daughter," mother cooed. "You will make a great mother yourself."

Droplets of the precious oil were dripping onto the ground. I bent over to touch some with my finger and brought it to my lips. It was Wepa all right. The flower smelled like the most delicate of flora, like the leaves of the Tree of Souls. It was known to be backbreaking work to obtain, yet now my sister was having it slathered into her hair. Mother was using up the whole cup. There would be no more for me. The oils made Ma'hi's hair shine in a most unnatural manner. It reminded me of the rippling waters tumbling from the floating mountains, each stream shimmering.

"Yishat, get me the powdered Opay, will you?" Mother motioned towards one of the jars that lined our wall. I nodded and hurried towards the one she directed me to. I unsealed the clay jar and the chunks of Opay were there, shimmering in all its splendid glory. Opay was a type of fungus that sometimes grew on the Tree of Souls. When scraped off, it turned light blue in color, and had a dazzling shine. It was said that the first Na'vi were made from this substance.

"It is not powdered, though." I picked up a few pieces of the hard material.

Mother seemed very displeased, and spared me an impatient glance. "Then powder it, Yishat."

My chest clenched and my mouth turned sour. Neytiri had been right. I was sickly jealous of my sister and was as sour as the Goongi mushroom at night. "No." I dropped the Opay back into its jar. "I have arrangements. I cannot be late."

Father looked up from his brew; mother stopped massaging oil into Ma'hi's hair. Ma'hi herself looked at me cautiously from her place reclining on Mother's lap. I rubbed my hands together to clean it of the Opay shimmer.

"Where are you going then, Yishat?" Mother asked.

"I am going to see Tsu'tey. I will learn the ways of the warrior. Eywa has given me a sign." I held my head high and put my hands behind my back so they would not see my fingers shaking. Ma'hi's expression darkened. Father left his seat and walked towards me, a stern expression on his face. "Yishat, what sign did Eywa possibly give you to turn your mind so completely? All those years of basket weaving are all for naught, then?"

I swallowed back a heavy wave of emotion at his kind voice, for I did not hear it often. He was disappointed, I could tell. "You can't honestly tell me I was ever any good at them, father."

For the first time in a long while, he laughed and bade me go.

-x-

Stumbling out of Hometree, I was both exhilarated and completely horrified. I was free now, but at the same time I had just promised to my family a visit to Tsu'tey. By Eywa, what was I thinking? Father would no doubt seek him out at some later date and ask how it all went, and there would be disaster. Yet the only reason I'd chosen to tell him I would go to Tsu'tey was because both father and mother both held the warrior in high respect. Now what should I do? I was becoming lost in a web of my own making.

Many Na'vi approached to congratulate me on the fortune of my sister. I nodded to most of them, thanked others. It had all become monotone. I paced around Hometree, wondering what to do.

"Yishat! Yishat!" Several of my berry picking companions came to greet me. "I hear your sister is going to be mated to A'mari'k! Oh, what a pain!"

I smiled, glad that at least someone thought differently on the manner. Me and my friends jostled and laughed at A'mari'k's tail for much time until our stomachs grew painful from laughter. "What will you do now, Yishat?" Someone asked.

I sat up and searched out the voice. It was Ka'iil, a young male Na'vi not much older than I was. He chose to be a home tender on his own, and he was quite good at what he did. I'd always admired his weaving. He was currently spinning delicate vines into the rims of a well made basket. My few friends looked up at me expectantly. Paiiyi in particular seemed to take special interest in my reaction, for she straightened up completely to look at me.

"I am not sure. What am I expected to do?"

"An older sister's wedding is usually followed by her younger sister's, if the two of them are not far in age." Paiiyi said, plucking a small flower from the ground and admiring it for a few moments. Then she put it into her mouth and chewed, blue lips working the stem. We'd always made jokes that Paiiyi must be a pleasure to kiss, since her mouth would surely taste like every flower known to us. Paiiyi was famous for her obsession with plants, and tasted practically every one she came across.

"I suppose."

Ka'iil petted his braid fondly. "Have you found such a Na'vi yet, Yishat?"

"I suppose not." I did not tell them of my supposed 'appointment' with Tsu'tey, but they seemed to have recognized something different in my demeanor. Ka'iil inched closer to me and put his basket in my lap.

"To impress him," he said.

I did not know what to say. I took the basket and felt its smooth weaving between my fingers. "Thank you, Ka'iil. I see you."

"As I do you, Yishat. I think you'd better be going."

"Hm? But how do you know…"

Paiiyi cut Ka'iil off before he even began and said, "Silly Yishat! If you are out here at a time like this, surely you had planned to go somewhere."

I thought for a long time. "No, Paiiyi. Perhaps I just wanted some air by myself?"

Paiiyi smirked. She knew I was lying. "Well then," she turned to Ka'iil and the others, "how rude of us! We will leave you now, Yishat. Take many breaths, for tomorrow will come like an ocean pouring from the sky!" And with that, they disappeared.

-x-

It had long been said that if Eywa had a companion, he would surely look like Tsu'tey. The reasoning behind this was that to accomplish a balance, Eywa and her companion would need to be polar opposites of each other. While Eywa loved all, was generous and kind, her companion would need to be cold hearted, brutal and cruel. Such words were also many times associated with the powerful warrior Tsu'tey. Our people were glad Eywa had no companion.

Tsu'tey could easily be mistaken for a god. His skin shone with health and his hair was long, the muscles on his back moved as if they were individual beings. He was one of Eywa's most successful creations. Walking, running, riding or flying, Tsu'tey seemed to hold an air of grace around him. It was quite mesmerizing to look at. Even in the night, I could make out the shape of his chest. I was leaning against the fence of a training area, where warriors often took their Pa'li (or Direhorses, as Jakesully called them) to ride. I'd never had my own Pa'li before, and I could not deny I'd always wanted one.

The basket Ka'iil had given me was filled with freshly picked fruit. I'd made sure to go for the tiniest Kuuep, the sweetest fruit for far around. I'd figured if I must speak to Tsu'tey, I should at least make some effort so as to not rub him the wrong way. I did not want to do this, but if I didn't and father found out I'd lied to him, there would be dire consequences. I waited for the unexpected.

Tsu'tey looked completely immersed in his riding. His Pa'li galloped and trotted gracefully across the clearing, of which the ground became barren with the constant stampeding of hooves. A'mari'k tried to match his speed but seemed to be failing. In a few moon cycles the warriors would move to another part of the forest so that Eywa might heal this deadened earth. I did not like to think about the current state of our old Hometree. Never before had a Hometree fallen. Would Eywa accept it back into her body? No one knew for sure.

It was A'mari'k who first noticed me. It seemed as if he considered briefly whether to ignore me or speak to me, but then acted for the better. He approached me with his Pa'li in a slow trot, sweat glistening on his skin. It was as if Eywa had rubbed powdered Opay all over him. Perhaps he did not look so bad after all. Then his tail came into sight… Nope. Still ugly.

"I see you, Yishat." He nodded politely to me. Whether he liked it or not, he had to pay me respect now, since I would soon be his family.

"I see you, brother." I ground out, trying to contain my disgust at having to call him such a precious title. He, being as dim as he was, lit up the sky with a smile so wide I thought his face might crack in half. This man was catastrophically dumb! Why would anyone ever want to mate with him?

A'mari'k's eyes darted towards the basket I was holding. Tsu'tey seemed not yet aware of my presence and continued to batter the field with each gallop of his Pa'li. A'mari'k's thick tongue darted out from between his lips. "Is that Kuuep I see? By Eywa, those things must be horrendously hard to find at this time of day! May I have one?" Here I saw Tsu'tey halted, his chest heaving up and down. He looked left and right for his partner, and eventually his eyes fell on us. He trotted slowly before us. I took a deep breath. "You may have as many as you want, brother." This wasn't how I'd planned it to be, but nonetheless it was interesting. It got my heart pounding and my legs shaky, and frankly, I liked the feeling.

Just as A'mari'k reached for the basket of fruit, an arrow pierced through the weaving and narrowly missed my skin as I dropped it with a startled yelp. A'mari'k and I looked at Tsu'tey, who was just lowering his bow. His lips were curled up in a sneer. "Don't eat her fruit, A'mari'k!" He spat, "it is sour and poisoned!"

I smirked, feeling my breath quicken. "I assure you it is not, great warrior. Or perhaps to you, all the fruit under the eye of Eywa that you cannot have is sour?"

Tsu'tey's eyes narrowed dangerously, and his Pa'li stirred. At first I thought he might charge me, but instead he held his ground. "What are you doing here? This is no place for a home tender." He spoke with venom still, but his entire frame seemed to relax. Interesting… A'mari'k looked longingly at the spilled fruit on the dusty ground, thin skin broken and juices splattering everywhere. The vibrant luminescent color of the pulp lit up the ground. I wondered for an instant if A'mari'k might lick the juices right off the ground, but alas I was not granted that pleasure.

"I came to ask you for a bow and arrows," I said. There. It was done. Now no matter what happened, father would know I did not lie. Tsu'tey knew of my predicament, of how I had been unable to wield the bow and arrow when I was small. I had fully expected a hurtful remark, but instead Tsu'tey took his own bow and flung it at me. Startled, I not only failed to catch the flying projectile, but nearly fell over my own feet in the process. The warrior men laughed, faces opening like light emerging from behind a mountaintop.

I touched the bow. It was made out of wood from the previous Hometree. It was warm. Colorful feathers and vines wrapped around the bow were gathered from many moons' worth of hunting expeditions- this was Tsu'tey's battle bow! The touch did not burn me, and I slowly brought both my hands to hold the bow. I was quivering. Neytiri was right! Perhaps Eywa had finally decided to smile upon me, and I would be born again as a warrior. A'mari'k and Tsu'tey halted in their laughter and both looked at me expectantly.

Just as it seemed to be ultimate proof of my new ability, just as a new life seemed to blossom in front of my eyes, I dropped the bow. To be more accurate, it practically flew out of my hands. Clattering upon the dusty ground, it finally rolled to a stop quite a distance away. The air closed in upon us, darkness fell on us like a heavy blanket. My hands shook in the moonlight. A tear dropped onto the ground.

Finally, Tsu'tey spoke. "It is quite obvious that you are still a reject to Eywa, Yishat. This should be enough to deter you from further… Embarrassments from now on, hm?"

And then they both left. Not even A'mari'k stayed behind to consolidate me. Tsu'tey did not even bother to pick up his bow.

What happens now? ;)

In the next chapter the plot will be expanded, and I hope by now the situation with Jake has been adequately explained. Yes, the Omaticayan tribe calls him 'Jakesully'. 'Jake' just doesn't sound like the name of a mighty leader. I hope Yishat's character has shined in this chapter, for we will be spending much time with her in the future. Please review if you can. I am by no means a review-oriented author but nevertheless it still means much to me to read a good review... Or even a piece of constructive criticism.

A question that have been PMed to me that I would like to clarify on:

Q: Will there be a lot of OCs in this fic?

A: Yes. This fic will revolve around Yishat, even though Tsu'tey is a main character. Try to get to like Yishat, because as I said, the story will revolve around her. If you alerted/faved simply because Tsu'tey is in this fic, then I apologize. Character development and believable plot is important to me, though sometimes I don't get it perfectly right.

Thanks again!

-Jasmine