Author's Note: just lemme tally up these statistics...well! So far "The Morning Sun" has 49 reviews, 80 story alerts, 49 faves, and 6,231 hits!
on another note, Avatar: Special Edition hits the theaters August 27! I'm torn on whether to be so happy and yet so sad because they're putting Tsu'tey's death scene in...which I don't want them to do because I SO want him back in Avatar 2...*sigh* If they don't put it in, it wouldn't be considered canon so he could still be alive but if they do then yeah...he's pretty much dead.
But then I'm happy again because I have more vid fodder to use on "Poker Face" which is a Tsu'tey/Jake vid I'm working on. Will be up sometime between November and December, depending on when I get the footage. So take note Zemmi3214! 3
AND just uploaded "Liar", a Tsu'tey/Jake vid on youtube! Just go to YT and type in "Tsu'tey/Jake Liar" and it should come up. If not, check my channel 'SammyE89'. Can't find it for some reason, pm me. Otherwise, enjoy and comment!
Story Note: hope you enjoy this chapter! it reveals how Neytiri died ;; ( which someone questioned about...
italics for Na'vi, and all the usual stuff. Translations at the bottom.
X*X
Tsu'tey gives Jake another fruit as a kind of dessert and then it's time for bed. The clan leader has some of his people go out and get more of the flowery-mat type things Jake saw earlier. "How do they make those anyway?"
"They do not "make them". The plant is called lew'ewll. The flowers are attached to the whole plant in a sheet. When you pull on it, it comes out in one big piece. They are used for sleeping on."
"That's so cool," Jake says, taking one that is offered to him. "Irayo."
The lew'ewll is soft under his hands, the white flowers mixed with the organic material underneath them. He stretches it out on the ground and then scoots over onto it, bringing his legs with him. He lies back and is pleased at how soft it feels, "Ahh, this is nice. It almost makes me forget that I'm really sleeping on a cold, hard, rocky ground."
"That is good," Tsu'tey says, raising a brow before he sets out his own about a foot from him and lays down as well, crossing his hands over his waist guard.
Eventually the continuous chatter of the clan dies out as each lays down to sleep, an occasional giggle from one of the children the only thing to be heard.
The fire has long gone out, only a couple of coals still smoldering, but the warmth continues to permeate the air, stopping Jake from feeling cold. He sighs and stretches out, his hands behind his head, turning to look at Tsu'tey. The olo'eyktan is in the process of yawning, the spots along his legs and arms shining a meager amount of light in the darkness.
"Hey Tsu'tey?"
The Na'vi opens an eye in irritation, the green of it bright in the dark. "Yes, Jake?" He says through his teeth, tired and wanting to join the rest of his clan in sleep.
"Do you think there's...I mean, would it be at all possible to get my avatar body back?"
Tsu'tey shifts to look at him, his face nothing but a sharp tint of blue and softening shadows. "I do not know, Jake," is all he says after awhile, his normally harsh voice subdued in the darkness.
Jake's about to ask something else, but the clan leader rolls over onto his other side, obviously not wanting to talk anymore.
The human sighs and looks away from him to the high ceiling, counting in his head the amount of stalactites he sees.
Eventually, his eyes drift shut and the world fades away.
She's pinned under a tree.
"Jake," Neytiri says softly, caressing his name, bringing a hand up to his face, her eyes pooling with tears. "It will not be long now."
"Don't talk," he whispers, his arms linking around the thickness of it and struggling to lift it off her, pushing the muscles in his back and arms to their limit.
It doesn't budge. Jake closes his eyes a moment and then tries again, digging his feet into the ground, his tail slicing through the air.
With a slow trickle, a stream of hopelessness flows through his mind.
It is too heavy.
Leaves are falling, covering Jake's hair and whispering against his back as they slide down the smooth skin. There's fires roaring in the distance, branches snapping.
The stillness presses on his heart.
He's about to try again, but Neytiri's hand grabs one of his. "Stop this," she says. "It is pointless."
Wordlessly, Jake shakes his head and falls to his knees by her, his fingers wrapping around her palm.
Her other hand cups his cheek and wipes the tears away, her eyes full of pain, the usual brightness fading. "I love you Jake. I see you. Always."
"Neytiri please," he says, his voice breaking and he feels as if he can speak no more, his last words a mere whisper. "Please don't leave me. Please."
She smiles at him softly, her hand falling from his face, her amber eyes drifting shut. She inhales, "I will never leave you, I promise."
Her exhale is quiet.
Jake clutches her hand and screams just as quietly.
Jake gasps as he opens his eyes and sits upright, sweat dripping down his back. Neytiri's death is a recurring nightmare and it gets worse everytime. He reaches a hand under his exopack and rubs at his eyes with his palms, willing the urge to sob to go away.
Neytiri why do you haunt me like this...?
The burning sensation eventually abides and the lump in his throat recedes. He sighs and rubs a hand over his eyes, angry at the wetness that he feels around them.
"You were dreaming?"
The voice makes him jump and he turns his head to look at Tsu'tey's shadowed face; the familiar arch of cheekbones and the uniquely shaped eyes. Jake finds himself vaguely admiring the other male's face and quickly stomps down that action.
Get a grip Jake.
"Yeah," he murmurs, leaning back on the heels of his hands. "Neytiri." He sighs deeply, trying to stop remembering all the great times he had with her; it just makes him miss her all the more. Her voice seeps into his thoughts that he tries to push away.
"You should let her go," Tsu'tey says, as if giving him advice. Heh, Tsu'tey giving advice. Yeah.
"I have." He absently picks at a piece of the lew'ewll, the flower petals breaking under his fingernails. "That's not the problem. She's just...hard to forget. I don't know."
"Well, she is not really gone. She is with Eywa. She watches over you still."
"Yeah, you're right. I keep forgetting that. On Earth...there is no Eywa, you know? Nothing really tangible. When you're dead, you are dead. The end. Plus, you can't really talk to a deity like you can here. Makes Earth seem obsolete, kind of."
"What is it like?"
"What, Earth?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Well, not like here, obviously. There isn't really any trees; used to be, but my people cut them down of course," Jake scoffs. "I remember when I used to not care about shit like that. Now it's like I can't imagine living without them, you know?"
He continues, "We live in these things called houses, we drive these things called cars to get places...most people have jobs they go to everyday...we have computers, cell phones, T.V. Too much complicated shit to explain."
"You have clan leader?"
"Well, that's what the president is for I guess. And there's "nations", which are large pieces of land each clan owns, and most clans have a leader. A lot of the clans fight all the time."
"What do they fight over?"
"Fuck if I know. Different crap. Most of the time it's just small things," Jake sighs and lays down again. "I never want to go back there."
"You do not miss it?" Tsu'tey asks, his ears pricking up in surprise.
"Huh, how could I? My own clan didn't even want me anymore. I came here, and had the most fun I've ever had; this is my home."
Jake leaves it at that and rolls over, going back to sleep.
The sharp chirp of the first Pandoran bird wakes Jake up, the shrill but not unpleasant sound cutting through his dreams. He groans and stretches before opening his eyes, catching sight of the clan stretching as well as a small amount of light from the early sun shines through the vines at the mouth of the cave.
Some of the early birds of the clan are walking around with fruits and some of the energetic children are playing games, their laughter warming Jake's heart slightly as kids have always done.
He looks over to find Tsu'tey yawning himself, his elongated canines ferociously cutting the air. The other male has been awake longer as he's standing up eating a blue fruit with his back resting against the cave wall.
Tsu'tey notices he's awake because he smiles uncharacteristically. Hope his face doesn't crack.
"Have a surprise for you, Jake."
Jake rubs the sleep from his eyes and says in a high voice, "Oh no, I hate surprises in the morning. Can't it wait?" He asks sarcastically.
Tsu'tey raises a brow; clearly unable to recognize human sarcasm. Nonetheless he points towards the vines and Jake watches them part to reveal a Na'vi carrying...finally!
"Well it's about damn time."
"I figured you would like to move around," Tsu'tey smirks and then picks a groggy Jake up to place him in his wheelchair.
"Sure you want to do this Tsu'tey? I mean, now you can't carry me around anymore," Jake jokes and the male in question rolls his eyes. "That lew'ewll was pretty comfortable..."
"Very funny, Jakesully," he tries to scowl but can't stop his lips twitching into smile.
A few days pass with relative ease; Tsu'tey stops his inherent scowling for the most part and -to Jake at least- seems to be grudgingly becoming his...friend? No. Perhaps a mutual respect for the other and like for conversation has brought them somewhat closer, but it's far from what Jake would consider a friend.
Eywa's words ring in his ears whenever he looks at the other male, despite his attempts the get Her out of his head. He could go crazy trying to wrap his mind around Tsu'tey as a mate.
Mate. What a word. Something absolute; so different from husband or boyfriend where the terms could easily be discarded with "ex" in front of them. But to be someone's mate, well that's forever.
And a damn day.
Ugh, just stop thinking about it Jake! Stop thinking about him! He thinks to himself one night, pressing his hand hard into his eyes and groaning. "I'm insane," he mutters under his breath. "Crazy. Screwed up, loopy motherfucking dickhead." He hits his fist hard into the lew'ewll. "Goddamn it!"
He takes a few deep calming breaths, willing the anger out of his mind. "Heh, now I'm talking to myself. Yeah. Yep," he rolls over onto his other side, turning his back to Tsu'tey.
"Could teach you how to hunt," Tsu'tey says the next day, crouching down next to him as the other man throws rocks into the fire which is cooking the Omaticaya's breakfast, his ikran teeth necklace glinting in the firelight and the muscles under his tattooed arm twitching from exertion.
Oddly, Jake doesn't reply. Tsu'tey raises a brow, usually all Jake does is talk so this is very unusual for him to remain silent.
"Jake," he reaches out a hand to touch his arm, to stop him from the increasingly violent motion of throwing the rocks but is halted by Jake's glare and the words that follow, "Can't you just leave me alone!" that spring from his lips like fire.
Tsu'tey hisses involuntarily, his tail whipping through the air, the scowl back on his face as he glares at the marine. "Fine," he says, his voice little more than a growl of anger, and stalks out of the cave.
Some clan members look at him and then back at Jake, Asuy'ri in particular has a very concerned look on her face. Jake looks at their faces and then feels a guilt press on his heart along with a hefty amount of regret on his conscience.
Grumbling, he throws his last rock into the fire before he wheels himself out of the cave as well, the braided vines flowing over his shoulders as they part to reveal the morning sunlight that stretches over the sky and onto Pandora.
The olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya is standing with his back resting against the outside wall of the cave, his arms crossed rigidly and his ears lying low against his head.
If Tsu'tey hears him, he does not acknowledge it.
Jake exhales slowly, "Tsu'tey, listen. I'm really sorry, all right? I just...there's been some stuff going on with me lately, I don't know. Some stuff that I need to figure out. I'm sorry I snapped at you. And...it'd be nice to go hunting again," Jake wheels himself closer to look at Tsu'tey's face, seeing the frown gradually dissipate.
The other male sighs and uncrosses his arms. "You are forgiven, Jakesully," he says and then shakes his head, chuckling. "Why is it so easy to forgive you...?" He looks up at the sky as if Eywa will give him an answer.
Then he walks over to Jake. "Neytiri already taught you, but not in this body," he gestures a hand over Jake's head. "Need smaller bow; hunt smaller animals, yes?"
Of course, Jake already knows he's not going to be taking down a Thanator anytime soon. "Yeah, sure. How about those...blue monkey things?"
"Ugh," Tsu'tey curls his lip. "Meat tastes bad. I will have to show you better...Neytiri let you kill those?"
"One time when I was first starting..." Pull string back harder, Jake. Put your arm up, Jake. Do not drop it, Jake, Neytiri had scolded, hitting him various times and shaking her head in exasperation. "She wasn't the best teacher, but she got the job done, I suppose."
Tsu'tey scoffs as they head back into the cave to look for a child's bow. "I have taught young aytsamsiyu for years. I think...you will not find better teacher," he brags, smirking.
Jake rolls his eyes.
Glossary:
lew'ewll - literally "cover plant" but meant to mean something like "blanket plant"
Irayo - thanks
aytsamsiyu - warriors.