I neither own nor claim any rights to Avatar...

Greetings, dear reader. I apologize for taking so long on this one. Due to other priorities, I've only been able to work on it once a couple of weeks ago and so sat down to try to finish it and got pretty far. And then the power went out, and I stupidly hadn't saved my work, so all the progress I had made was lost. After that, I had no time to devote to it. In spite of the setback and other delays, here I am with the latest installment.

This is the Tuk scene I mentioned in my note at the end of Part 3. It is short, but I think you'll enjoy it.

With that out of the way, Let's get it done...

AVATAR:
LIFE GOES ON
(Part Four)

Tuk was disappointed when she was finally allowed to go back home after recovering from reefblight. Five days she had to stay confined inside and deal with the fever and the itching. But when that was over and she could go outside and home, she was told that she had to wait another week before she could go out to sea with her ilu. She had to get her strength back, otherwise it would be dangerous to go alone. But she had to go alone, otherwise it wouldn't mean the same.

She was able to take over care of her Ilu from Tsireya, who was handling it while Tuk was sick. And the Ilu was excited and happy to see her. She had climbed into the water with the creature and had to hold back tears of happiness as the Ilu rested its snout against her shoulder and made cute-sounding noises. She leaned her cheek over and rested it on the side of the ilu's snout, returning the obvious affection. This was not just a mount, or a pet. This was a friend.

She climbed on the ilu, and connected her queue to make the bond. The simple emotions from the creature were powerful, conveying a sense of relief and concern mixed with joy. "It's okay, girl," said Tuk. "I was sick, but I'm better now."

Ilu could not communicate the way tulkun could. But through the bond, primal feelings conveyed messages as strongly as words, if one was sensitive enough to recognize their meaning. Tuk learned quickly, and it was amazing. And she had learned to speak back with feelings as well, and while "conversation" wasn't an accurate word, there was common understanding.

That had been a week ago. Today, as she approached the pier, carrying her shoulder pack and tether strap, she saw her family standing there waiting. Today was finally the day. She was full of energy, and she felt better than she had even before she had gotten sick, so that extra time had truly helped. The day was beautiful and seemed perfect. This is going to be so fun, she thought, unable to hold back a smile. Today was going to be her first day as a gatherer. Among the Metkayina, this was an important rite of passage for children, which is why it had to be done alone. There wasn't a specific quantity of resources she had to gather, but she had to spend at least two hours down deep and bring back something useful to the village. It was a symbolic activity, meant to celebrate the completion of learning all the steps involved. It would be the gatherings she would perform going forward where she will be expected to deliver increased quantities.

Tuk shared a trait with her father that, after the battle, she only discovered to have grown stronger: An inescapable need and desire to prove herself. She had grown tired of being the youngest child, and therefore, not considered ready to actually be a part of the adult world. She was smaller, yes. But she had faced the same challenges as her brothers had. She had lost Neteyam just like the others had. As far as she was concerned, she had crawled and walked for long enough. Now she was determined to run and to fly. Today was the day to put thought into action. She'd do the two hours down deep, but she would return with a sack full of usable resources.

She looked to her parents, who nodded in approval to her. Then she turned to the pier, called to her ilu, and then climbed into the water. She and the ilu greeted each other, and she wasted no time climbing onto the creature's back and made the bond. "Let's go, girl," she said, and the creature quickly and gracefully carried her out away from the village. to where the shallows gave way to the depths, where the food was to be found. She took several slow, deep breaths and then held the last one. Take us down, she instructed the ilu, and then she disappeared below the surface of the water.

Nobody could hold their breath for two hours. So, there was something she needed to obtain. Having learned to hold her breath for a full seven minutes would make this first step possible. She began scanning the surrounding area as she and the ilu swam deeper. After almost four minutes, she found what she was looking for. Just ahead, a Txampaysye swam peacefully near the coral. She made a calling sound with her throat which attracted the animal's attention, and it turned to swim towards her. Okay, girl, she said to her Ilu through the bond. Go have yourself a snack but stay close.

She disconnected her queue from the ilu and turned towards the approaching Txampaysye. She slowly reached out her hand and brushed her fingertips along its underbelly, and it paused, clearly asking for more. She repeated the action with one hand as she brought her queue up with the other. With the Txampaysye pacified, she easily took hold of its own Queue and made the bond with it, feeling its sudden surprise and a desire to flee. she quickly sent a calming thought along with a single word. Friend. The Txampaysye's panic vanished and was replaced with wonder. Attach yourself to my back, please, she requested, and the creature swam around and did as it was asked. Through the bond with the Txampaysye, she received air to her own lungs. Now she was ready to get started.

Tuk swam to the coral and took out her gathering bag. There were many seafruits growing today, and she began plucking them free. There was also a variety of other edible resources, and it didn't take long to gather them into the pouch, which was beginning to grow heavy.

She had been down there for over an hour, so she was more than half-way done. She made an ilu-call with her throat, and a moment later her friend was swimming alongside her. She secured the sack of food resources to the Ilu, and climbed on its back, but she did not yet make the bond. She may not be connected to it, but it would obey vocal commands. She gave three moans and a grunt with her throat, which she had taught the ilu through the bond to recognize as "Let's just swim for a while." She kept the Txampaysye in place for the rest of the second hour, as they glided peacefully through the deep water, She took in the beautiful sights of the bioluminescent sea life all around. The were now out in the lagoon area where the tulkun had come when they first returned, and Tuk looked up as a shadow passed over them. She saw Payakan and Tsireya's spirit sister swiming side by side, fins almost touching. It was a beautiful sight. The connection of life was so strong and so close here that Tuk truly had begun to feel like she belonged here. This was the other part of the ceremony of first gathering. It was meant to seal a personal connection with the sea and its creatures without distraction from anyone else.

It was getting close to time to return with her harvest. She guided the ilu back to the coral, where she had found the Txampaysye, and when they arrived, she asked the small animal to detach. When it did, she turned and stroked its belly again and broke the bond. It gently swam away, going back to whatever it had been doing before the encounter. She then made the bond again with her ilu and sensed a feeling of gladness. Let's go home now, girl, she said, and the Ilu turned upwards and began swimming to the surface.

They returned to the pier, and before breaking the bond, she sent feelings of happiness and gratitude through it, to which the Ilu responded with happy feelings of its own for her. Her family was still there, and she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them. She truly hoped that they had gone and done something else for the two hours she had been under the water. She couldn't imagine anything more boring than just waiting for someone to gather resources and come back. But she was glad they had seen her off and had been there when she returned. The rite was not over, so she could not go speak with them, yet. It was time for her to carry her harvest to the village center so that it could be tallied and stockpiled. She hoisted the sack of goods, adjusting it so it would not be awkward to carry, then faced forward solemnly, and began walking. Her family fell into step behind her, speaking only to each other.

When they reached the village center, Tuk stepped up to the official who would now count the contribution. He would be the only one to speak with her.

"I see you, young one," he said. "What are you called, and what do you bring today?"

"I see you," Tuk responded respectfully, speaking with a formal tone. "I am Tuktirey te Suli Neytiri'ite. I bring my first gathering to serve the People. Blessings of the All-Mother be upon it."

"Blessings of the All-mother be upon you for bringing it," the official responded in an equally formal tone. This exchange would not be necessary after today, but it served to recognize a new gatherer and to acknowledge Eywa's providence. When Tuk would come with her harvest tomorrow, only simple pleasantries would be exchanged. "Let us see what we have." He took the sack from Tuk and poured its contents out on the table. He looked it over, quickly counting each specimen. He looked back and forth between her and the larger than usual harvest for a new gatherer, seeing if she displayed any sign that she might have had help, but the only thing he saw on her young face was an expression of confident determination. This one will probably be after my job one day, he thought, approvingly. He was long past his prime and his gathering days were long behind him. But he had a way with numbers and so he was given this duty when its previous holder became one with Eywa. This child before him was eager to serve the People, and if she proved to also be good at counting and portioning, he would be only too happy to take her on as an apprentice. But that was for later. Now he had to conclude the rite. "I say to all within the sound of my voice, and before Eywa, that this new gatherer, Tuktirey te Suli Neytiri'ite, has brought to the People a bountiful harvest. May the People serve her needs as she has served the needs of the People."

All the people in the marketplace had stopped to listen to the proclamation, and when the words had been spoken, they called Tuk's name and then spoke as one, saying "We thank Eywa for your service."

And that was it. She was now officially a gatherer of the Metkayina. She walked towards her family, who were all smiling at her with pride as she approached. They took turns praising her for completing the rite. Her mother asked her how she felt.

"I'm hungry," she answered to the laughter of the others. After that, the family headed back to their hut to see about sating their own appetite, as well as Tuk's.

The next scene to come will be a lot more involved and deal with the rest of the kids.. That's the part I lost with the power outage. I didn't want to leave the story hanging any longer, so I figured I would go ahead and get this fun little scene out there, and will follow it with Part Five as soon as possible.