AN: Another update! Enjoy and review! I love every one of your lovely reviews! Thanks!

Four

"Grace said my avatar will be ready in one week." I said to my feet as I swung them over the thick branch I was sitting on. The tall Na'vi opposite me didn't reply and went on with his work. I watched him bind another piece of slim wood together and quickly tie the arrow together.

"Ah, what are you doing?" I asked in a pathetic attempt to make a conversation. Tsu'tey looked up with a flat stare before turning back to the knot he was tying. "Ok…awkward silence…" I muttered and ducked my head, running my hands over my longer spikes of blond hair. I hadn't had time to cut it when I got back to the base.

It had been happening so fast. Nobody knew me before that strange day in Pandora when I slid down the slime tunnel, which I later learned was coated in some sort of acid-based stomach fluids. So it had been a lucky guess to fall into the waterfall. Lucky me, huh? Then after I arrived back at the base and met the corporate administrator for the RDA mining operation, Selfridge. He had been ecstatic to hear that the natives had allowed both Jake and I into their Hometree. And now the scientists were throwing all other operations aside to work on my avatar. Unfortunately I haven't been able to lay my eyes on it yet.

"Need some help with that knot you're trying to tie?" I asked when Tsu'tey made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat.

"No, River. I don't need your help."

"Ok, I'll take that as a yes then." I said, ignoring his burning glare as I made my way over. My body was sore and it was very painful to move. Tsu'tey, like the other natives, moved with unnatural grace and speed. I was about the height of a small mushroom and the trees were slippery under my army boots so I have had my fair share of bruises and bumps.

But I have achieved one thing in my hell training on Pandora for the two weeks I've been here. I made Tsu'tey laugh. Well, once at least. Why, you ask? Well, I suppose it's funny when you land on your crotch when you're falling down from a height of over twenty feet. Well I can tell you from my point of view. No it isn't funny at all. It fucking hurt like hell. Ever had your tonsils removed with an ice-cream scoop? Well it was a thousand times worse and I couldn't walk for two days after that incident.

"See, your fingers are too big for the strings." I murmured as I slid my fingers over the thin willow-like strands and pulled back after making a complicated knot. "There, that wasn't too bad, now was it?" I grinned at him and he raised an eyebrow at my expression before going back for the next arrow. I kept my eyes on him as I sat back with a pleased feeling. The piece of wood behind me shifted and slithered off before I could stop myself.

His hand shot out before I had the chance to grab onto something. My arm was almost yanked out of its socket as he dragged me back onto the thick branch without a word.

"Thanks…" I muttered and let out a shaky breath as I rotated my arm. His fingers were cool on my skin and I frowned when I saw the red smudge on my shirt. "Hey, Tsu'tey, is your hand bleeding?" I demanded and moved closer. He shook his head without looking up and went on. I glared stubbornly and reached out to grab his hand. They didn't call me a stubborn mule for nothing.

"Ow…" my hand came back red and flaring in pain. He glared as he looked up, his hair rattling as the beads shifted. I reached out my hand again and grabbed his hand. "You could get it infected and it would swell and pus will come out and you'll have to cut it off so let me see it before I do something we'll both regret."

I felt very pleased when he sat back and gave me his hand. I went over to a plant and washed my hands in the fluids gathering in the leaves before I came back. After a while, I fumbled out the pack of Band-Aids in my left pocket and taped a few onto the thin angry mark gently.

"There, that wasn't so hard. See, we can get along if you stop acting so…oww." My hand still hurt from his slap. No wait, it wasn't from the slap. I watched as they swelled slowly, the redness starting to show more prominently.

"If you're lucky, they only have to cut it off." Tsu'tey said in a dry voice.

I looked up and gulped thickly. "Tell me you're kidding…"

Note to self (No. I can't remember): Don't wash your hands in suspicious liquids on Pandora.

"What happened to your hands?" Grace asked as we stepped into the plane. My hands were wrapped in the strange bandages Tsu'tey gave me and truth to say; I still can't feel any of my fingers.

Well, hopefully, that's not going to stop your line of work. How do you feel, are the oxygen masks working fine?" Grace asked with a smile. I nodded and followed her to the seat. The ride back was almost half an hour and I almost fell asleep on the way. Jake was oddly silent the whole way, looking out the window with a spaced-out look.

"They have your avatar ready a bit earlier than we planned. It's a bit different from what we expected but they checked twice and the procedures were the same so there shouldn't be a major problem with it." Grace said as she punched in the code for the labs. I frowned. What did she mean by different?

"So, when will I actually get to test it out?" I asked as I helped Jake past the step. He gave me a smile of thanks and wheeled himself in. I followed slowly.

"Well, the thing is that most people can hardly move coordinately in their avatar for the first time so we have to help you get used to it before you can actually take it to Pandora. You have to get used to the limbs and tail and so on. Come on in and take a look…" she pushed open the thick glass door and gave me a smile.

I stepped in and my eyes fell onto the tall figure in the tank of fluids. My mouth dropped open. "I think they didn't get it right when they said a small difference, Grace."

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