The night got worse when she argued with Ronal for talking about mating so opening in front of her sisters. It was a topic of conversation she walked in on as they were teasing Aonoung who is nowready, like Neteyam to find a woman.

Ronal was joking to her son about kissing a woman, something that the Olo'eyktan looked uncomfortable talking about. Everyone was laughing.

"It is natural my son, for a male to want to kiss his woman, whoever he decided to choose."

This embarrassed him more and she hoped that she would stop. But she did not for Ronal loved to tease her son, especially as he was in trouble for fighting over a girl from a respectable clan that fight with them, who she suspected was someone her son wished to mate with.

Her attention was turned to the sisters, and she was reminded of their thieving. Young and naïve children.

"Anat-Tiye. Did your mother even teach you and your sisters the Navi ways of love?" she asked without Mercy.

Panya and Talibah sat further away from Anat, and she could sense them grow tense. Their ears perked up instantly and everyone waited for her answer. She wanted to reply with something smart, but she could not. She was overcome with emotion as she saw the face of Panya.

She saw Panya when she took her first steps and when she killed her first fish. Her little Payna.

"You see, it is the Navi way to choose one mate for life. I must hope that your mother taught you all such things. Once the bond is made it cannot be broken. Only by death."

This was all Anat-Tiye needed to hear before she was screaming at cannot remember what she said but she remembers mentioning words like 'Who are you to teach my sister's such things' and 'You know nothing about our ways you Skwqng'.

Ronal looked over at her in horror and it was evident that this was not the response she was expecting from her.

Her sisters followed her and grew angry.

"You are not our mother Anat-Tiye. You do not speak for us!"

"Get away from me" she hissed at them as they tried to reproach her for acting in a way that was familiar to them, in a way that upset them for she was not their mother, and she never will be.

She was not mad at their lack of understanding. They were too young to fully grasp what happened. They do not truly understand. Not like she does.

The sisters spent the night at the Scullys once again and this upset her beyond her imagination. She picked up the armpiece she was working on for Ronal and broke it into many pieces that lay on the floor. Her hands shook and once she calmed down she knew that she must apologize.

She looked at herself in the reflection of the water and played with the creatures that float at her feet.

She was regretful for she was foolish to think that the conversation would not have come up eventually, especially the closer Ronal became to her sisters. It was natural.

She often speaks like that to her daughter Tsireya and she remembers a time her mother spoke to her like that also. It was here she sat as she contemplated how to speak to Ronal and apologize.

It was late and most Navi were sleeping but she could still not find the strength to get up.

It was not until Lo'ak, Kiri and Neytiri came running into view with pained looks on their faces that she moves.

"What is it?"

"Panya is not waking up. She is screaming and crying but she cannot wake! Your sister is terrified. She woke us all with a fright."

Anat-Tiye ran with them to where her sister was suffering. Neteyam was holding her still and Talibah was praying to Eywa with tears in her eyes.

Tahisk entered the room with Tsireya with purpose and they worked together to chant prayers and heal Panya with the ways of the Metekaynia.

"I told you," Anat-Tiye said with watering eyes looking at Tahisk for forgiveness, "I told you not to speak of such things."

She moved Neteyam gently out of the way and grabbed her knife. Talibah was looking at her sister with teary eyes.

"I'm sorry Anat-Tiye. I forgot." Her hands were shaking "I forgot of our sufferings for it is so peaceful here and did think such tales would affect her. I thought she was better. It is my fault. I—I don't know what to do."

"None of this is your fault, my little sister." She replied and she cut Panya's finger and drew blood. Tsireya, as if somehow instantly overcame her, handed Anat-Tiye dried Tyieb.

Her sister's screaming got worse and Talibah was not able to assist, for she was overcome with emotion at her sister's condition and the weight of her guilt. Kiri held her tightly and everyone looked uncertain, confused, and scared.

"Wake up my little sister. You will not join our mother yet for it is not your destiny. Do not let painful memories destroy you for you are a Warrior at heart. You will fight this. My little sister. You will fight, just like you did once before."

This time she had to make the cut deeper and although it pained her, her sister's screaming was getting worse. The blood came out quickly and Talibah placed her hand on Panya's forehead, finally getting a hold of herself.

Panya's eyes opened suddenly, and she looked at her sister and she knew that it was filled with painful memories.

"Anata. Make it go away." She begged.

Silence filled the room after Panya began to regain her energy.

"What is going on?" Tahisk demanded with venom. But Anat-Tiye realized now that her venom was not from anger, but it was filled with concern. She had been foolish about many things and trust was her first thing to be foolish about.

"Tsireya, Kiri and Tuk, can you please take Panya to our pod so she can rest?" Anat asked of them. They looked as if they did not want to leave but Anat-Tiye's tone was so unusual that they did not disobey.

"You can tell them," whispered Panya as she left, giving her sister a kiss on the cheek. "I know you have to, sister. I understand."

She nodded at motioned for Talibah to stay. Kiri hesitated.

"Talibah will be with you shortly. You both will seek hometree after we talk with your parents, and she will tell you of what you missed out on."

"Come, Kiri" whispers Tsireya holding Tuk and Panya's hands tightly as they leave.

"Talk child." Demanded Neytiri, who also looked murderous with an unknown fear.

Neteyam and Lo'ak sat down with their mother. Tahisk stayed standing and she paced impatiently. They looked confused, as did JakeScully, who Anat-Tiye decided to address when she told her story.

His smile encouraged her to talk, and she knew that he would not expect what she was about to tell them.

" I…I …I was asked to mate with the son of the Ot' of the Ashlands." She started nervously. "Sky people had infested their clan and they worked together to capture and kill ancient creatures that provide them with strength and longer life. My mother did not think this possible, for she believed that their bloodlust had died at the battles of our people. But she was foolish. Sky people are not like us, JakeScully. They do not think women are sacred. They think women are toys. That we were created for them and them alone. And this is what poisoned the minds of the Ashpeople who already their minds had once been poisoned by greed. The son of the Ot' is much older than me, maybe your age, JakeScully. He chooses me from the moment we entered the Ashlands and they did not allow us to leave when my mother grew panicked at the change in their ways and sudden interest in her young daughter as a mate. But I did not choose him back for he was cruel, and my mother made me promise to never agree to such an arrangement. She begged him to allow us to leave, for they had turned their backs on Eywa, and our healing would not work with their wounded. It was not allowed, and she made a deal with the clan leader to wait until I was a woman to decide if I truly wanted to be with Ritnal as a mate before forcing anything upon me. It was granted for I was, but a young girl and I was not ready for a mate. He murdered many creatures to please me and when I was not pleased, he would grow furious. But tradition in the Navi was still strong with the Ot' and a woman must agree that she wanted him back. And I was not yet a woman. I did not even understand what it was to mate at that time."

She did not know when she started crying, but she found she could not stop. "The Sky people. Your people, JakeScully, have different ways of mating than us. Strange and heartless. My mother worked callously to escape, and she did not sleep while she worked tirelessly on that raft that sent us across the sea and into the hearts of the Meteyania."

JakeScully looked horrified and Neytiri bent down to hold her sisters' hands, for she was sobbing loudly and uncontrollably.

"Sky people came as Navi and together they murdered and pillaged our sacred lands, and they grew stronger and greedier. We worked tirelessly to heal many children who they forced to fight creatures that they were not ready to fight. And then we met Pppeter. He was a human Warrior, and he was nice. He told my mother he would help her escape and that we were like his children. He said that he hated Ritnal and that if I agreed to be his mate that he would hate me forever. We trusted him. But he was not to be trusted."

Talibah was sick, and Neytiri wept, for it was now she understood. Ronal looked at her in confusion for what she was about to say was not in the ways of their people. The Navi are not like such beasts.

"You see, Ppeter loved Panya. He would always want to be with her, and I did not think bad of it for Ppeter protected us many times from the Ashpeoples cruel ways. Eywa began to fight back, and she sent many creatures to punish the Navi for their betrayal. It was chaos and my mother believed it was our signal from Eywa to escape. But Ritnal was always nearby, always watching me and no amount of chaos would stop his watchful eyes. He claimed my mother's treachery on hearing her words and cut her head off in front of us and the entire clan. I shall never forget how he forced me to watch my sisters scream and her body lay in front of us. He laughed so happily."

She took a few breaths before continuing. "But that was not the worst. I was to be punished for I still did not agree to mate with Ritnal. But his father still believed in the traditions of his people, and he wanted me to agree to have him back." Anat took off her silk cloth, knowing her hair would cover her breast, just like the Metekaynia allow, revealing her back full of scars from his whip.

Neteyam hissed and Talibah sobbed hard. The others had come back, except for Tuk, who promised to stay with Panya who was now fast asleep.

"I was beaten badly for I did not wish to mate with a man who had killed my mother in front of my eyes and I returned to our camp, a small tent on the grasslands, and i laid on the forest floor with my sisters crying by my side. But one night while i was recovering, something was wrong. Ppeter and my sister disappeared, and I knew in my heart that something was wrong as the sky turned orange from the fires. Talibah and I searched and searched but we could not find them, and I was not strong. I began to grow panicked and sense her distress and her suffering. When I found her….he…..he…. he was with her. She was on the floor crying and their braids bonded."

Ronal hissed so loudly that it drowned out the sounds of her sobs. Neteyam and Lo'ak stood up and held their weapons close to their chest as they heaved with anger.

Neytiri hugged Talibah closely and listened with patience for she knew that there was more that must be heard for the story was not yet over.

"He did not…mate… but he bonded… and he …he touched her. But nothing else mattered to me for they were bonded for life. He left quickly for the call of Ritnal was heard through the clan as they were under attack by Ikran's. I was overcome with rage and with fear. The Sky people did not like us, and we had nobody to turn to for the Ashpeople did not defy such a cruel Ritnal, future Ot'. I told my sisters to get to our mother's raft as I would find our friend, who was just a child, one that i was supposed to protect at Eywas request. We were escaping like we should have done many moons before. I found him and told him where to go. But I had a choice to make. Flames burst around us as the famous Ikran burnt fire as Toruk Makto's angry spirit filled the air.

I had to make a choice in those few moments as the fire burnt angrily around me. Do I let my sister feel the despair of being parted from her mate? Or do I let her feel the despair of the death of him?"

"What did you choice?" asked the JakeScully very seriously.

" I cut out his heart and I threw it in the mouth of an Ikran. I found him grabbing his weapons in one of those rectangular things with machines and scientists inside it. I killed his Navi body as I snuck up on him while he grabbed his guns with shaking hands. The blood on his throat was warm but it did not satisfy me. I opened all the beds of the humans until I found his face blinking up at me with hear. He was so small as a human. A true coward in his normal form."

Everyone was silent, waiting for her to continue but somehow, now she had said all the hurtful things, she found she could not go on.

Talibah removed herself from Neytriri's embrace and held her sisters' hands.

"My old friend, a young boy who loved me found us but so did Ritnal. He stood in front of many of his Arrows for us. It was almost our turn but the Ikran's did not care for us. They grabbed Ritnal and soon his battle was taken to the air. Ikrans battled Ikrans and many died that night. Our sister joined us as she ran, and we pushed off and headed out to sea. Eywa blessed us for a storm was brewing, making our escape quick as the rapid waves pushed us far away from all the death and out to the beauty of the seas. Anat-Tiye was not well and close to death. Her scars were infected, and she had opened them after killing Ppeter. And Panya… our Panya was devastated. She did not speak you know, until we ended up on these shores. Her first words for a long time were to your people. That is when I knew we had been saved. I…" she hesitated but her sister nodded through her tears. "I am blessed by Eywa. She has given me a gift. The gift of water. We learnt this at sea, when Eywa tested us by storm after storm. But I was able to guide us through as the woodland spirits showed me the way I must take. My sister did not allow you to get close to us for she fears you want to use it for your war. She fears that you would be like the Ashlands, and hurt us, stop us from our destiny to reach Eywas Caves and heal her broken heart caused by Sky people."

"JakeScully" Anat-Tiye demanded, finding her strength, and realizing that JakeScully must be desperate for this intel for he was alert. "I trust you with this important intel you seek for Ritnal is still alive and is now Ot' of the Ashpeople and tradition is no longer his priority. He wants Tulkun blood. He wants to be Ot' of all Eywa'eveng. They have killed all that is left of their sacred creatures and joined forces with the Sky people to accomplish their goals. They are not communicating with you for they are planning on helping the Sky people win their victory. They are hiding from you, for they fear Toruk Makto, for his Ikran as his spirit sent a big warning the night my heart was stolen from me as a human hurt my sister beyond repair."

"What do you need from me, Baby girl?" he asked.

"I need you to teach me and my sisters how to ride and Ikran, so we can follow the signs of Eywa and find the hidden Caves of her resting place. That way we can ask her to help the Navi win this war and keep Eywa'eveng pure."

"Then you better get over your fear of heights for I have watched you panic when the Skimwings fly too high." He replied with a smile trying to hide his tears, his fear, and his concerns from the young child that stares at him so bravely after suffering so greatly.