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"Fara, why are we here again?" I asked, uncertainly as we reached a clearing in the woods the was set up a bit like a camp with a few tents. There were a dozen or so Na'vi here. A few lounged about as they sharpened weapons or arrows but the majority were practicing using their weapons. Off to the side a few Na'vi stood in a row as they practiced shooting at targets.
"We're here for you Jessy!" She replied as she slid off her direhorse and I did the same. "You're always complaining about how you're a terrible hunter. The reason why your such a terrible hunter is because you are meant to be a tsamsiyu!" A warrior.
I couldn't exactly agree with her logic. I flinched as an axe landed in the bark of a tree not far from me with a sharp thunk. "That's not necessarily true," I argued as trailed behind Fara. "What exactly did you have planned?" I asked warily.
She came to a stop infront of a large, squarish, dirt patch on the ground.
"What's this?" I asked.
A hint of a smile played on Fara's lips. "A skirmish ring."
Skirmish ring? Like a place where people spar? As in a fight! Oh no. She didn't really plan for me to fight right? I was soo NOT a fighter.
"Diyeteh." Fara called to male Na'vi who was sharpening an axe. His head snapped up to the sound of Fara's voice and his rather largish ears perked up. "Ready to spar?"
"What?" I squeaked. "Fara! I don't want to fight! I'm terrible at it! I think I might even be a pacifist!"
"How would know if you've never even tried?" Fara countered.
My gut dropped as the male Na'vi approached with an axe in his hand. My eyes zoomed in on the axe. Were we using weapons? I prayed we weren't.
"But I'm not an aggressive person! I've never been in a fight! Ever! I don't think I even know how to punch. Or kick. In fact-" I continued to protest as she dragged me into the skirmish ring.
"Jessy!" She cut me off. "Stop being a baby and just give it a try." She walked to the side lines as Diyeteh joined me in the ring and threw his axe on the ground just outside the ring.
"Jessy is sparring! Oh I've got to see this!" A voice boomed from all the way on the other side of the clearing. I suppressed a groan as I recognized that the voice belonged to Ja'ki. I watched him gallop over to Fara's side to enjoy the show.
"I don't wanna-" I started pitifully but was cut off.
"POSITIONS." What position? I watched with wide eyes as Diyeteh settled into fighting stance. "Three, two, one. FIGHT!" No!
I almost didn't see Diyeteh's foot coming but out of sheer luck and not at all skill I managed to stumble out of the way before he could land a kick to my gut.
"Hey!" I exclaimed. He'd almost kicked me!
My objection was ignored as he attempted to deliver a round blow to my head. I gasped and jumped frantically out of reach and managed to end up just behind him. He could have really hurt me!
In that instance I decided that I realy didn't like this guy.
Instead of taking my chance to deliver a blow I nervously awaited his next hit. If I hit him it would make him angry. Then he'd retaliate. I was perfectly comfortable with just dodging hits.
Before I had a chance to react he began to swing punches left and right. I shockingly managed to escape, blow after blow. Taking a risk, I rolled on the ground (I'm sure it looked ridiculous) in order to dodge his next blow.
Eww. Dirt in my hair.
He dangerously swung out a kick in an attempt to trip me up but I jumped over it and somehow (I have no idea how this happened because I'm just that uncoordinated) I ended up tripping him instead. I SWEAR it was by accident.
My eyes widened as he landed on his back with a thud.
"I'm sorry!" I yelped as I watched his eyes suddenly flash with a glint of competitiveness.
"Käì Jessy!" Fara cheered from the sidelines. No! Don't do that. It will only make him angrier!
Diyeteh acrobatically leaped to his feet in one sweeping motion.
I didn't see his next punch coming.
I gasped as his fist connected with my noise and I swear I could feel a jolt of pain lace all the way up to my brain.
He hit me!
This was the part where I supposed to get really angry and finally strike out in vengeance. Perhaps deliver a sharp kick to his kidney or throw a few deadly punches. I should have.
But like I said before. I'm not an aggresive person.
My lower lip trembled and my eyes stung as my hands flew up to my nose. "You hit me." I whimpered pathetically, my voice muffled behind my hands.
Diyeteh froze and glanced at Fara uncertainly.
"Okay, okay. Fight over." Fara broke in waving her arms. To her side, Ja'ki was hunched over in laughter.
"Well, what are you laughing at!" I snapped, resisting the urge to stomp my foot.
Ja'ki attempted to calm his laughter as he explained. "It's just you looked like you were about to cry then you said 'he hit me'"! He mimicked me in a high pitch voice. He broke off in laughter again. "It was so cute!" CUTE?
I gasped as my hands fell from my face and curled into fist at my sides. "CUTE? I just got my ass handed to me and you think it's cute! You're sick!"
"Jessy you weren't that bad." Fara said as she lead me out of the ring. "Ignore Ja'ki. With a little practice I'm sure you could do great."
I smiled, Ja'ki forgotten. "You really think so?"
"Of course. And if fighting isn't your talent, I'm sure we will find out what is!" She encouraged.
Just then I noticed Ray standing in a row of Na'vi practicing with a bow and arrow. I don't know how I didn't notice him before. He stood out like a sore thumb since he was still wearing his human clothes. I watched in envy as the arrow landed exactly on target. Of course.
At that moment Ray glanced back and noticed me. "Jessy!" he greeted and approached me as he swung his bow over his shoulder. Fara went off probably to join Ja'ki. Ray squinted at me as he came closer. "What happened to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your nose, it's bleeding," he said.
"Oh," I mumbled reaching up to my nose. My hand came back bloody. Oh gross! "That ass-face over there is what happened to me." I said accusingly, pointing to Diyeteh who had resumed sharpening his stupid axe. My hand fluttered in the air, unsure where to wipe the blood off.
Ray's eyes flashed with anger. "He hit you?"
I sighed. "Yeah but we were sparring so I guess I shouldn't be mad." Without thinking, I wiped my hand on my leg forgetting I was wearing a loin cloth instead of pants. Great, now I had blood on my face, my hands, and now my thigh.
"Shouldn't be mad? Of course you should be mad. Want me to go kick his ass for you?" Ray asked throwing his arm around my shoulder playfully.
I stiffened under his arm, "No," I said as I shrugged his arm off me.
"Your not still mad at me are you?" He asked, raising and eyebrow at my slightly cold demeanor.
I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I'm going to go clean up."And with that I leaped onto my direhorse and headed for Home Hill.
As Helen trotted beneath me my mind wandered back to the discussion that Ray and I had only a week ago.
Flashback: One week ago
"What do you mean the choice is mine?"
"I mean that you get to chose whether or not you go back." Ray explained.
My eyes widened. So what was my choice? I knew that I needed to go back. I needed to find answers. But I wouldn't stay. I would return to Tali and the Horse Clan with those solved questions.
"Well, what are you going to do?" He asked patiently. Suddenly I was very aware of Gar'han's eyes on me.
I glanced up at Ray. Now would have been a good time to tell him about my trip to the Tree of Souls. But not here. Not in this crowded hall.
"Ray, there is still more that I need to tell you... because of it, I have to go back," I said quietly.
Ray grinned, his dimples more prominent then ever. "Helen will be happy," he said at the same time Gar'han rose to leave. I sighed watching his retreating form disappear into the crowd.
"Well what is it you have to tell me?" He asked.
My eyes refocused on Ray's.
"Let's go somewhere quiet where we can talk."
Both Ray and I rose and slipped away from the loud hall of Na'vi and trailed into a quiet, vacant tunnel. As we walked my mind played over the possible way's I could explain my situation to Ray. I bit my lip nervously, unable to think a smooth way of saying what I needed to tell him.
"Jess, what is it?" Ray asked, picking up my nervousness.
I sighed and stopped in a place that I thought was private enough. "It's about..." I struggled for right words. "..my ,er, parentage."
Ray blinked blankly back at me for a moment. "Parentage? Jess you don't have parents. What do you mean?"
I took a deep breath and started over. "Okay, so you know how we found you way out by the the Halleujah Mountains?" I didn't wait for his response. "Well Gar'han and I were there because the night before we had visited the Tree of Voices."
Ray again gave me another blank look. Shoot, I'd started off wrong again.
"Do you remember the woman that you said looked just like me?"
He nodded.
The rest came out in a jumbled rush. "Well when I first came here she told me she was my mother. And I was like, no you aren't, and she was like, oh yes you are. SO I was like whatever and decided to stay so I could convince her I wasn't her daughter and while I did that I could learn all the skills I needed to survive in the forests and make it back to base in one piece. But then I started to feel all guilty because I felt like I was using Tali. But then Gar'han took me to the Tree of Voices! And it showed things from the past and all my ancestors and then it showed me a woman giving birth and the woman was Tali and the baby was me!" I finished out of breath.
Ray stared at me for a moment then opened his mouth then shut it again. Finaly he asked, "What exactly are you saying."
I grabbed his arms and looked at him levelly. "Ray, Tali is my mother."
Ray squinted at me. "Your mother?"
"My mother."
"Your mother?"
"Yes! My biological mother!"
"Because...the tree told you?"
"Yes! No. I mean, when you put it like that it sounds stupid but technically yes. The tree showed me visions of my ancestors and my past."
Ray looked at me incredoulously and I dropped my hands away from his arms as I noticed the look in his eyes.
He didn't believe me. "Jess, do you know how that sounds."
I felt a spike of anger. "Yes! Eywa showed me that Tali was my mother."
"Since when did you believe in Eywa?"
"Is that bad?"
"No!"
"So what's the problem?"
Ray took a deep breath and locked eyes with me. "Jessy I support or beliefs and all but just because you believe in Eywa doesn't mean I have to."
"I don't care if you believe in Eywa or not, I just want you to believe in me." I said.
"You have to understand Jess, this is hard for me to believe. Why would the RDA tell you that you were something that you not?"
"I don't know and that's why I need to go back. To find out why."
"Have you ever considered that this woman could have been your DNA donor or related to that person?"
I glared at Ray. "Tali is my mother."
"Jess you can't be mad at me because I don't believe in Eywa."
But that wasn't it. That wasn't the reason I was angry. I was more hurt that he wasn't taking my side and didn't believe what I was telling him.
I sighed. "I'm going to bed."
Flashback ended.
I made my way through the tunnel headed for the hot springs.
Ray and I almost never argued and when we did, it was never really over something serious. I didn't like being cross with Ray but I couldn't understand why he didn't believe me. Maybe I was over reacting. He would eventually come around. I was sure of it.
I was so deep into my thoughts that I didn't see Gar'han until he caught my arm.
"What happened to you?" He asked as he took in the blood on my face, hands and thigh. I realised there was some on my stomach. How did that get there?
"I was sparring. I think my nose is broken." I slightly pouted.
I held back a gasp as he reached up to gently probe my nose. "It's fine. You must be prone to nose bleeds."
I blushed because this was in fact true. I felt him take my hand. "Come on, lets get you cleaned up," he said with a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
I couldn't stop the catish grin that spread ear to ear. As I trailed after him I noticed his hair looked damp. Had he just bathed? I leaned a took a deep breath. Man! He smelled good. Fresh.
We reached the hot springs, which were thankfully empty, and I walked over to the edge and sat down, letting my feet dip in the warm water. Gar'han joined me at the edge, not putting his feet in but instead to dip something in the water. As he wrung it out I noticed it was a cloth.
He brought the cloth to my face and softly wiped away all traces of the blood. My eyes locked on his as he worked, while his eyes trailed down from my nose to my lips. He dipped the cloth back in the water then rung it out. My heart rate picked up when he gently brushed the cloth against my lips and chin. I couldn't stop my tongue from flicking out to quickly to lick my lips.
Gar'han hadn't kissed me since the day we had harvested vines together and I couldn't help but desperately hope he would do it again.
My eyes flickered down to his full lips. He leaned in towards me and I closed my eyes. But instead his lips on mine I felt the cloth trail down my chin and over my throat. My heart was beating so loud I was sure he could feel it through the cloth.
Kiss me!
A small smile played over his lips. He could definitely here it. The cloth went further and trailed between the valley between my breasts. I let out a sharp breath and the cloth traveled further to wipe at me stomach. And to my disbelief Gar'han boldly brought the cloth to my inner thigh then wipe away the blood that was there. I gasped and caught his hand and pulled him in for a heated kiss.
As I crushed my lips against his he slipped into the water and I muffled a giggle. The giggle was cut short as he nestled his way between my legs and his hand traveled to waist to pull me closer to him. I dragged my hand up into his thick black hair as I enjoyed the feeling of being so close to him. He groaned as I undid his braid and ran my fingers through his hair. It was so soft!
He lips trailed to my throat to deliver hot open mouthed kisses. I opened my eyes in shock as he roughly undid the clasp to my chest garmet behind my back. Just as he was about to undo the tie at the back of my neck I froze as I felt a familiar clench below my abdomen.
And I don't mean the good kind.
I suppressed a groan. My body had such great timing.
"What is it?" Gar'han asked, his voice rough, as he continued to trail kisses against my neck.
"Nothing," I muttered as I pulled and watched his hair fall over his shoulder. I'd never seen his hair down before. It reached just past his shoulder. My mind was taken off his hair and back to my current situation as I was assaulted with another cramp. I wondered what Na'vi women did when it was that time of the month. I doubted they had tampons. I needed to find Fara. "I just remembered I need to ask Fara something."
He groaned pulled me back towards him, "Can't it wait?"
Another cramp. "Nope. Sorry, I'll see you at supper."I said standing up.
"Wait," he said, climbing out of the water. I watched in awe as the water cascaded down his sculpted body. He pulled me in for another heated kiss before saying huskily, "We'll finish this later."
Oh, I liked the sound of that.
I left the hot springs with red cheeks in search of Fara.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Thanks Fara." I said again as we left the alcove we had been talking in. She hadn't given me tampons but what she did give something else that would do and some type of herb that got rid of cramps.
"No problem!" she said with a smile but then the smile slightly faltered. "Just be careful around the men you know."
"What do you mean?" I asked confused by her statement.
She caught my confused look then slowed down to a stop. "Since your in heat." She prompted.
In heat? Eww. That made me sound like a dog. "In heat?"
"Yes in heat. Men can't help but...respond when women are in heat." She said as if this was common information.
My eyes widened as blood rushed to my cheeks. Na'vi men could...smell that? "No way!" I gasped.
Her eye brows raised. "You didn't know that?"
I shook my head vigorously.
A giggle escaped her lips. "Jessy! How can you be almost eighteen and NOT know this."
I rolled my eyes. "I was raised by humans remember."
When we reached the hall of Na'vi, Fara and I got our bowl of super and joined many other Na'vi around a firepit as and elder man told a story about our ancestors.
As I sat down I noticed that punk Diyeteh a few feet away from me, happily munching on his dinner.
I hoped he choked. But not in a bad kind of way. Just in away that would embarass him. I felt the presense of someone sit next to me and noticed it was Ray.
"Still mad at me?" Ray whispered after he took a sip from his bowl.
I shook my head and tried to listen to the story the elder man was telling. But honestly it was too boring.
"Yes you are." Ray whispered. "Since when did you hold grudges."
"I don't!" I whispered back. "I'm not mad at you!"
"Yes you are, look at that frown." Ray grinned poking at my lips with his finger. "What will it take for you to forgive me?"
I slapped away at his hand. Then I got an idea as my head snapped to Diyeteh. "I know what you can do. See that butt-munch over there?" I asked as quietly as I could as I motioned towards Diyeteh. "That's Diareah, OOPS, I mean Diyeteh."
Ray giggled like a little girl and nodded, knowing I had something mischievious in mind. "He's the one that broke my nose," Okay, he didn't actually break my nose, and I'm prone to nose bleeds but whatever, "I'd like you to rough him up a bit. Nothing too bad or violent. I trust you can handle it?" I asked in a whisper.
"I can handle it," he said as he rubbed his hands together. As he made a move to stand up I caught his arm.
"Wait not yet, stupid! It's too obvious!" I hissed.
"How is it obvious?"
I blinked. He was right. "Oh, right. Go! Don't make eye contact."
"With who?"
"Me! Go!"
Ray slowly stood up into a crouch as his eyes darted around. I had to muffle a laugh into my shoulder. A few Na'vi glanced at Ray curious as to why he was crouched like an idiot ninja but mostly their focus was on the old man's boring story. I glanced across the fire pit and saw Gar'han who watching Ray. My cheeks tinted remembering our previous encounter. I noticed his hair was back in one neat long braid.
Suddenly Fara's words flitted through my mind. Men can't help but...respond when women are in heat. Was that the reason why he had been so...passionate?
I was quickly distracted from my thoughts at the sound of a loud howl.
My head whipped around and I leaned back to see Diyeteh's tail being crushed beneath Ray's foot. Ray slapped the bowl out of Diyeteh's hand and it clattered to the ground as my hands flew to my mouth as I muffled my laugh.
"You're not supposed to hit girls ass-hole," I heard Ray say as he grounded Diyeteh's tail beneath his heal. He had said it in English so I doubt any one understood him.
All the other Na'vi regarded Ray with wide eyes.
Ray lifted his head as he realised everyone's attention was on him, "Please continue." He said in Na'vi to the elder who's story he'd interupted.
To my amazement after a few awkward moments of silence, the old man cleared his throat and continued on with his story. With a grin Ray slinked back to my side, receiving a few uneasy glances from the other Na'vi on his way.
"That was so obvious!" I hissed slapping his arm as he sat next to me.
"But you forgive me now right?"
I giggle. "I guess."
"And I do believe you Jessy," he added more seriously now, "If you believe she's your mother then so do I. Whatever you plan on doing, just know that I've got your back."
I smiled, touched by his show of care. "Thanks Ray." I glanced over in Diyeteh's direction to see him nursing a bruised tail and sending us dirty looks. I suppressed another smile.
I looked back at Ray to see he had a funny look in his eye. "What?"
He grinned flashing those dimples of his. "You smell really good."
A/N: Thanks for reading so far and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me a review. I read em all!