Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks again for all the lovely reviews as well as the alerts+faves. It makes me so happy :) This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I figured I had to stop it before we got to the main part of the plot.

Story Notes: Ugh, first time writing sentences in Na'vi. I messed up everywhere! But it's good to make mistakes xD. If you have any corrections to it I'd be glad to hear it! The main plot starts in here btw. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!
+Basically everything before the final war has happened (i.e the Hometree destruction, Jake is part of the clan) Obviously Tsu'tey still dislikes Jake because the Toruk Makto scene was when they agreed to help each other and that never happens in my fic...
+I named Tsu'tey's ikran myself after looking all over the internet and not finding a name for damn thing

italics for Na'vi, thoughts, and emphasis. Translations at the bottom.

X*X

It's moments like these, Tsu'tey wishes he wasn't olo'eyktan; having to tell the clan bad news and come up with sprawling speeches isn't really his idea of fun. Having so many people depend on him makes him uncomfortable; he's been a loner most of his life and is used to only taking care of himself.

Having to make tough decisions is probably the worst thing.

They cannot fight. Their numbers are low, the babies being born few and far between due to 'i'a'eveng and the warriors that were murdered during the attack on Hometree by the Sky People.

Somewhere in his mind, Tsu'tey knows this. But there's nothing more he wants do other than rally his clan and clans all over the planet together and fend off the Sky People once and for all, to go back to the way life way before they had ruined it, not just for the people, but for him.

He knows he's getting close when he starts hearing the cheerful singing of the clan celebrating Ometia'Alog, the smell of food cooking, drums beating, and the thumps of dancing feet. And he is the one to interrupt it all, the one to end it all. But he has to tell them.

Tsu'tey arrives at the new Hometree out of breath, his legs and lungs burning. All at once, the singing and dancing stops as hundreds of expectant faces turn towards him in respect, mothers shushing their exuberant children and fathers standing up straighter. He doesn't speak for a moment, watching their eyes search his, their brows furrowing.

They know it is not good news.

He takes a deep breath and moves his queue over his shoulder. It must be done. "Ma smukan sì ma tsmuke... sawtute, ayfo lu nì'eyng! Ayfo, nekx sì ska'a na'rìng...kelku!"

Distressed murmurs spring up all over, some baring their teeth in anger while others begin to get tears in their eyes. Tsu'tey stares at them all, unable to shake the feeling of guilt in heart. He continues none-the-less, "Ayoeng zene hum! Nìhawng txan...rä'ä slu tstew...frapo, tul! Win säpi! Aynga tslam?"

"Ayoeng tslolam!" The clan screams, banging spears and drums in acknowledgment and as one, everybody starts to grab their things and children. Tsu'tey gets on his pa'li after grabbing a long spear and more arrows and takes off to go get Jake, telling the others to follow Yol'zisit. He kicks the direhorse rather roughly in the side. "Kä!"

Jake is enjoying a nice nap; chin between his breastbone and body slack, Tsu'tey's ikran breathing out nice relaxing warm air. And so he is unable to hear the approaching footsteps and the metallic tinkle of dogtags before it's too late.

A hand wraps around his clan necklace and pulls hard, bringing his torso upwards and effectively waking him. Gasping, his sleepy brain automatically tries to beat the hands and arms away.

"Damn it Tsu'tey, lemme alone..." He murmurs groggily and tries to pull away, wanting a few minutes to wake up fully and rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Well I'll be damned...Jake Sully? Thought you were dead."

Cold dread suffuses through him at not hearing Tsu'tey's accented tone. His eyes open wide at the human in front of him, dressed in armor and smirking, the hand that's not holding him up is holding a gun to the part of the exo-pack that covers Jake's forehead.

Jake's arm reaches around and slaps the ikran-who has fallen asleep as well-repeatedly in the side. Wake up, wake up, wake up!

"Hahaha, I think this big guy is asleep..." The gun points away from him and at the beast's snout, his finger pressing on the trigger. "Yeah, he's not waking up any time soon -"

"No!" Jake screams, cursing his legs as he pulls back his fist and sends it into the man's solar plexus; no way in hell is he going to let Tsu'tey's ikran die. The other man groans and falls to his knees, the gun falling from his fingers and as soon as his necklace is released Jake wastes no time. He plops down on his stomach and stretches out his arms as far as they can go, willing the tips of his fingers further on the ground. His index and middle finger are touching the cold black metal when the gun is suddenly grabbed by another set of hands.

The soldier pistol-whips the back of his head, the hard metal unforgivingly smacking against his skull. The hot pain spreads down into his eyes and quiet groan escapes his lips as he reaches underneath himself and grabs his dagger from its sheath, and in quick move slices it across the soldier's thigh, his other hand movie to hold his head. With a cry, the other man kicks him in his ribs, causing Jake to fall back, panting hard.

Instinctively, Jake raises his head and hisses at the man above him, baring his teeth. The gun is directed back between his eyes, the sky person biting out, "You'll pay for that, you fucking freak-"

"Jake!"

The soldier turns around just as a ten foot blue body barrels into him, the whirr of color crashing to the ground. Tsu'tey grabs the gun and pulls back his arm, throwing it over the cliff but the movement leaves an opening on his stomach. He gasps as the human's fist collides into his stomach, then growls, gold eyes turning darker in rage.

Tsu'tey pulls back the spear he holds and puts it neatly through one of the human's hands, pinning it to the ground. The other male screams and kicks him in groin, causing Tsu'tey to blanch as a loud hiss escapes his lips. The soldier grabs a pistol from his tactical belt and pulls the trigger on impulse, the shot echoing as it misses the olo'eyktan's arm by a few inches.

Jake watches the two quarrel on the ground for a few seconds, feeling utterly helpless, before he feels the ikran stirring against his back. "Tsu'tey's in trouble, hurry up!" He hits the beast several times and with a roar it comes awake, its dual set of reptilian eyes darting towards the fighting bodies. It rears up and lunges at the pair, its tail accidentally clipping Jake in the back. "Yeah sure, another spinal injury." Just what I needed.

He turns away as the banshee's teeth chomp down on the human, specks of blood flying in all directions and droplets hitting his exopack and hair. "Ugh..." Some sickening crunches follow, then out of the corner of his eye he sees the soldier thrown over the cliff, screaming. He wipes his exopack off as Tsu'tey gets up and pats his ikran, smiling and laughing in pride as it nudges its snout against his face. "Tswayon alim, ma Duri'sen, Eywa ngahu!"

So that's his name, Jake realizes as he watches Duri'sen ascend into the sky, taking off west, his purple and green wings flapping strongly. Tsu'tey watches him go before closing his eyes briefly, his lips moving soundlessly as he sends a prayer to Eywa for Duri'sen's safety.

Jake watches the bowed head until the other male turns to walk over and kneel next to him. "Are you well?" His blue hand reaches out and wipes the remaining drops of blood off the top of his head. "Wiya, Jake, wiya..." Tsu'tey mutters. "Leave for short time and you already in trouble."

"Shit, I'm sorry okay. The guy came out of nowhere. At least Duri'sen saved our asses," Jake says, mispronouncing the name, unsure how feels about the other male's fingers in his hair.

Thankfully, they don't stay there too long. "Dur-eye-sen," Tsu'tey corrects and stands. "He is great ikran..." He trails off then, his eyes reminiscent of Neytiri when she was with Seze.

Careful Tsu'tey, your soft side is showing, Jake is thinking to himself when he feels the olo'eyktan's hands beneath his armpits and the ground disappears from underneath.

The human rolls his eyes at being carried again, as the Na'vi lugs him over to the horse-thingy that's he's forgotten the name of. He's placed on the back of the saddle and Tsu'tey climbs on in front, grabbing the reins and making tsahaylu with the beast. Not to be caught off his guard this time, Jake obligingly wraps his arms around Tsu'tey as the animal's hooves start pounding against the ground, his eyes watching Tsu'tey's thick braid, tracing the seams of plaited hair.

Tsu'tey catches up with the Omaticaya quickly, and pretty soon Jake hears the hoots, hollers, and running feet of both the Na'vi and their horses, but it's enough time for Jake to notice his nervous habit to press the exo-pack into his face. He does it four times during the ride and then realizes how stupid he probably looks. So his hands stay resolutely around Tsu'tey after, the clan leader's decorative clothes and bow etching intricate red lines into his skin.

He's confused as they catch up and they're riding with the clan. Surely Tsu'tey has a war-party and they're headed in the sky people's direction. But that's south of here...

"Why we running away?" Jake asks, confused; aren't they going to fight them off?

"Is hard choice. But I must not make mistake of sending many Omaticaya to Eywa. The demons...are more powerful than us," he admits, sounding like he's just realizing it himself. "It would be foolish to fight when our numbers are so few. We must rebuild."

"There's got to be some other way-"

"No! There is not. We run, and hide. Pandora big. We hide in place Sky People not dare go."

"It doesn't matter where you hide. My people will burn everything. They'll want to mine everywhere. They'll destroy this place just like they destroyed Earth," Jake snorts.

"Then tell me what I should do, ketuwong'prrnen," Tsu'tey says back harshly. "We are alone. Every Na'vi here, would not be enough up against the demons. I try to understand their ways. We try before to make peace with them, but they kill us and burn down forest. For what? Rock. They kill us for the rock beneath our feet. If the demons wish to kill this place, they will succeed; there is nothing we can do to stop them. The rock will be gone, eventually."

"Then they'll move on," Jake says, his eyebrows knitted together. "To another planet, and the cycle will start again. We have to stop it, Tsu'tey! We got to fight!"

Tsu'tey snarls lightly. "False hope. We all die anyway."

"Oh man, what happened to the arrogant and prideful tsamsiyu I used to know?"

"The demons killed him."

Glossary:

Ma smukan sì ma tsmuke... sawtute, ayfo lu nì'eyng! Ayfo, nekx sì ska'a na'rìng...kelku - Brothers and sisters...Sky People, they are back! They will burn and destory forest...home!

Ayoeng zene hum! Nìhawng txan...rä'ä slu tstew...frapo, tul! Win säpi! Aynga tslam? - We must leave! Too many...do not become brave...everyone, run! Hurry! You all understand?

Ayoeng tslolam - We understand

Kä - Go

Tswayon alim, ma Duri'sen, Eywa ngahu! - Fly far away, Duri'sen, Eywa be with you!

Wiya, Jake, wiya - damn it, Jake, damn it

'i'a'eveng - literally, "end child". What the Na'vi call their population problem

ketuwong'prrnen - "alien baby"

tsamsiyu - warrior