AN: An update! Review please! I love everyone's comments! special thanks to ReflectiveMuse for the very nice reviews! XD

Chapter Six

Day one

The bushes to my left rustled slightly in the moist breeze and I blinked away the wet drops of rain that had dribbled down from the heavy plantation overhead. I was currently crouched in a thick bush and knee-deep in slime. It was so not the perfect day.

The large deer I had been trailing wandered father into the trees and I groaned mentally as I let the bow loosen in my fingers. Why couldn't I just make the shot? It was my first time hunting without Tsu'tey's guidance. He had said it was part of the training. For five days, I was to hunt like the rest of the warriors and feed the clan. It was a heavy task and because I was a newbie, it was best to steer clear of the heavily populated areas. God knows even a baby Na'vi could shoot an arrow faster than me.

"Bring a kill back or don't come back at all…" I grimaced and repeated Tsu'tey's words under my breath sarcastically. "I'll show you, you stupid blue skinned idiot!"

I shot out of the thicket and slung the arrow into the slot in the bow, aimed at the startled deer and pulled. A perfect shot! I grinned to myself and waited for the deer to fall.

The thing just bent back down and started munching on the grass again. I blinked in shock and squinted through the light rain. To my utter amazement, I had slung arrow backwards in my haste to prove myself. My shoulders slumped. Wow, Tsu'tey's words were right. I was one of a kind. The stupid kind.

Damn, even the stupid deer was no longer afraid of me. I grimaced and let myself fall back onto the ground. This part of the forest was far from the Hometree and I was certain none of the mighty hunters bothered to wander this far from the clan. I sighed and threw a rock into the wet mud. It made a small wet plop as it sank slowly.

Why couldn't I be like Jake? He acted like he had been born a true Na'vi and me…well; I was like a fish out of water. No, I was always like a fish out of water, whether I was on earth or on Pandora. It had been exactly four days since I had gotten my avatar and still, I wasn't what I had imagined myself to be.

"No matter where you go, you'll always be trash, a useless pile of trash with no background or money!"

So maybe they were right, no matter where I went, I always managed to mess something up. I sighed again and stood up, not bothering to hide myself. The shrubs rustled as I walked toward the fallen arrow. The deep had long gone and I looked around, hoping that another one could pop out like a daisy.

Nothing happened. Just as I expected.

I trudged through the forest slowly, wandering father and father away from the Hometree. There was a slight difference in the plantation. Here, they were much taller and had thick sharp thorns poking out from their thick trunks. I frowned as something white caught my eye. I walked over to take a closer look.

Bones. Long pieces of bones glittered in the rain, scattered around randomly. They glowed with an eerie light and I gulped. Not far from where I stood, the deer I had been tracking for so long was lying there unmoving. Its neck was twisted in an odd angle and there were claw marks on its hide. I glanced around slowly, the sun was setting and I still hadn't gotten a prey. My eyes flickered back to the dead deer and I took several steps forward slowly, the bow raised. There was no movement and I forced the heavy feeling of fear down as I moved closer to the deer. There was no open wound on the body and I reached down, gripping the fur firmly before hoisting it onto my shoulder, offering a silent thanks to whoever had killed the deer for me.

At least I wouldn't be scolded by Tsu'tey for coming back empty-handed. Besides, there was still four days left. It wouldn't be that hard to catch something, right?

Day two

I tried to keep the feeling of discomfort down as I wandered closer to the fire. The whole clan was gathered about, celebrating the union between two Na'vi. I sat back and watched the natives dance around the bonfire. The newlyweds had wreaths of flowers braided into their long hair and had weird symbols painted on their faces. I smiled slightly when a playful Neytiri dragged a startled Jake into the throng of writhing bodies.

I still didn't manage to catch prey today and somehow my feet carried me to that part of the forest again. Just as I had hoped, there was anther freshly killed deer lying in the clearing full of bones. And so today's task was completed earlier than I expected.

"So, tell us, how did you manage to hunt down a deer without even using an arrow?" a sharp elbow jabbed my side and I blinked as a female Na'vi blinked at me from under thick black lashes. Her narrow face was smiling with a hint of interest. I blinked and gave her a faintly confused look.

"Yes, pray tell us. I'm dreadfully curious as well." Tsu'tey's voice cut in and I turned to face him. The tall Na'vi settled himself down next to me gracefully and shot me a dark look. "I'm curious as to know how you managed to improve so suddenly. One day you couldn't separate the sharp tip of an arrow from the blunt end even if your life depended on it and the next; you're bringing back prey as if you're a seasoned professional."

I scowled as the female Na'vi gave a tittering laugh. My brain fought to think up something as Tsu'tey watched me unblinkingly.

"Umm…well, I was hunting by the outcrop, you know, the one with the large ledge and uh, well, I chased it down the cliff and when I got there, the deer was dead." I tried to smile but couldn't exactly meet Tsu'tey's eyes. He snorted and muttered something under his breath before turning back to the bonfire. I watched him closely and saw a flicker of sadness appear on his face as he watched Neytiri and Jake. The atmosphere became kind of awkward and I turned to entertain the small female Na'vi next to me.

Neytiri's bell-like laughter floated over to us and I heard Tsu'tey give a frustrated growl before standing up and pushing his way out of the crowd. I frowned.

"What's the matter with him?" I turned and asked the small Na'vi next to me. She sighed and shot me a knowing look.

"Neytiri and Tsu'tey were bonded together at birth. They are to become mates." She explained and I gave an 'oh' of surprise. No wonder he was mad all the time. I stood up and followed Tsu'tey into the trees. When I finally caught up to him, he was sitting atop a thick branch staring at the large white emerald like moon. I paused slightly.

"Come to make fun of me, River?" he asked with his back to me. His voice was oddly husky as if he had been shouting. I let out an exasperated huff and joined him on the branch. The wood gave a moan of protest as I sat down and swung my legs a bit.

"Comfort you, silly. I'm not that evil, you know." I rolled my eyes and yanked on one of his braids. He hissed in agitation. I sighed as he turned his head away from me.

"You know, life isn't always fair…" I said slowly, my eyes focused on the bright moon. "I mean, look at me for example. Ever since I was young, I've been shunned by my own kind. There's not much to like in a kid that lost his parents and had to live in the streets."

Tsu'tey remained silent, so I went on.

"Well, my parents weren't all noble and such. My mom died because of drugs and my dad, well, he drank too much one day and never came back. My childhood was…well it was shit. But I still didn't give up because I had a dream. The first time I saw Pandora, I was only ten but it's always been my dream to come here and look at me now. My dream came true." I grinned at him and he snorted but relaxed slightly.

"You might be wondering why I'm telling you this but it's true. If you love Neytiri, you should try your best to win her affection instead of sulking here all alone… you're better at this than Jake." I paused and swallowed slightly. "But don't tell Jake I said that, ok?"

He snorted and I smiled slightly, swinging my legs happily on the branch. "The moon is so round and bright, don't you think? Ahh! Tsutey!-"

There was a loud crack and the branch broke cleanly under my weight. Since I was sitting on the thinner part, I was the only one affected. My hands shot out frantically and Tsu'tey's eyes widened as he reached for me without thinking. I yanked him off the tree as well and we both fell down into the thick foliage with loud cracks. The thick leaves and vegetation cushioned our fall and somehow I ended up in Tsu'tey's arms so he was the one that met the ground.

"Umm…should I apologize for dragging you down as well?" I squirmed on top of him, my legs straddling his legs. Long bits of blond tresses stuck to my face and there was something slimy trailing down my cheek. I watched as Tsu'tey picked the slimy glowing slug off my face. he laughed for the first time in front of me, his warm calloused fingers trailing down my cheek. I stared at him in disbelief.

"Thank you…" he finally whispered and squeezed my arm slightly. I was still in shock when he gently set me down and stood up. He turned with a rare smile and offered me his hand.

"You know, luminescent slug trails can't wash off if they dry…" his eyes flickered to my face and I touched the goo with a shriek of horror.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

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