Author's Note: I would apologize for this, if I was sorry, which I'm not. XD

His name is Tsyeyk.

He would sometimes mumble it to himself at night so that he would remember it. Mostly when he was really little, and he realized that mommy was never coming back. It had been three days since she came back, he was five years old, and somehow, in his little mind, he knew that she wasn't going to. Eventually, he had to leave the little cave that was all he ever knew. He had to go and find food since mommy wasn't going to bring it back to him anymore.

He found the small stream of running water that she had shown him, not far from their small cave. He looked across the rocks that he could use to get across it without stepping into the water. His mommy used to do it. Her legs long and elegant. When Tsyeyk had tried, he was too small. When he had tried to hold her hand, she had yanked it back, glared down at him and shook her head.

"You have to learn," she had said. She said that a lot so that Tsyeyk wouldn't forget it. Tsyeyk knew he had to. He had to know how to do things so that he could be helpful to mommy. So that he would be good enough one day to go back with her when she leaves. He always wanted to know where it was that she goes when she leaves him. Once he proved that he was good enough - smart enough, skilled enough, just enough - then he too would be able to leave this small cave and go to the place that she goes whenever she isn't with him.

Where it was that she went to get the beautiful things that she brought back to him. The blanket with the loose threads he liked to play with that helped to warm him at night while she was away. The colorful cloth that in her hands turned into such beautiful things. Little loincloths for him as he grew older. A single little wooden bowl with a frayed side, worn and old, but beautiful. And lots of other little things that he loved, placing around his little cave - his home. But only until it was time for him to leave and be with her. He liked his little home, but he loved her more. When it was time, he would leave to be with her.

He misses her when she's away. He'll sit alone at night and listen to the sounds of the beasts beyond. The floating lights come to see him at night, knowing that he missed mommy terribly, so they would comfort him. Even though he's scared and softly crying for mommy, they swim down from the sky and lay with him to keep him company. He wasn't so scared at night when they came to him. At first it was every once and a while, while mommy was gone, but then it grew to every night. Soon, he got used to being alone without her, even when he was scared. He missed when mommy would spend the mornings with him. She would be there when he would wake up. She would either be staring down at him or out of the mouth of the cave in silence.

But the time in which she would be with him; to bring him food and teach him how to sow and carve, or which berries and roots were good to eat, or how to catch fish with his hands, was growing less and less over time. She taught him everything, though. She was the center of his universe. And then she was gone. One day, she left just as quickly as she arrives, her time there getting shorter still, even though the sun isn't nearly to the peak in the sky, before she goes. She looks down at him, her expression as smooth as always, telling him not to cry, like he did every time she left, their own little song and dance. He reached for her hand, always wanting to hold it, but she brings it up to her stomach, too high for him to reach.

"Go, Tsyeyk," she says, nodding back to the cave. His name strange on her lips. She was the only one to call him that, but it was still rare to hear it. Then, like always, she turned to go, only to stop.

"Mommy?" he calls, her body flinching, like it does every time he calls her that. He had heard another boy call his mom that, the first time he recalled his own mommy ever holding him. With his back tight to her chest, her heart strong and fast against him, and a hand over his mouth and nose. Her body had been tensed and she remained completely still, watching through the foliage as the mommy and son passed by. Tsyeyk wasn't sure why they had to be quiet, like when he tried to catch fish, but he held his breath for as long as he could until his lungs burned, and his vision blackened around the edges.

She let him go, jerking back as he clawed at her hand to try and catch a breath. She stood stock still, staring down at him with big, golden eyes, before twisting around and heading back toward the cave, tail lashing behind her. She didn't wait to see if he would follow, no doubt already knowing that he would. He would always follow after her.

He called her that ever since, and while she didn't smile at him the way the other mommy did to her son, it was nice to have something to call her. She never told him what her name was, but mommy seemed right, and she never corrected him.

Although, she didn't say a whole lot to him after that, she never came back not long after the next full moon.

"Mommy?" He calls again, still wondering why she had stopped.

Finally, she turns, walking back over to him and kneeling down to get close to eye-level with him. His tail twirled in joy; she almost never did this. She was so pretty. Her face that used to so ingrained in his memory, the only face he's ever seen so close, has since blurred away with time. But he remembered that she was the most beautiful person in the entire world. And of course she would be, she was his mommy!

Before she left him that last time, she gave him one final gift. It had been her knife. She kept it in a pouch on her side, but she didn't wear it, which Tsyeyk had thought was strange. It was just wrapped up by its holster in a pouch on her side. There was a strange thing about the holster that came with it, made of a hard black material that looped around his tiny waist, dipping more to one side despite her pulling the hard, strange fabric as taut as possible. She knotted it with the additional length of the fabric to keep it from just falling off of his tiny hips. The part that his leg was to fit into was left loose because it was just so big. The blade was also too big for him, running all the way down his thigh and past his knee.

"You'll grow into it," she says softly. Then, she stood up, gave him one last look, before leaving. Tsyeyk watched her go, wishing it was already morning and she would be back, before turning and going into his cave, wiping the tears and snot from his face with the back of his hand.

He messed around with the pouch holding the knife, trying to figure out how to get to it, when he finally pulled a piece loose and it popped open, moving the flap that prevented him from pulling out the knife. He later learned that if he pressed the two pieces back together, it would secure the knife in place. This gift had, by far, been the best one yet! The knife was different from the one hanging off her tewng. This one was made of a very sleek silver material that caught the light and reflected it, like water. The sharp edge was a lot thinner too, with strange bumps on it, and the handle was smooth, black, polished and warm. There were strange symbols etched into the blade, near to the handle, small and swirly and nothing like Tsyeyk had seen before. He'll ask mommy about it when he sees her tomorrow.

He loved it. Even as he cut the tips of his fingers on it, he only cried a little bit because he knew that it was a gift from mommy, so he needed to be strong - be good - and he'll prove to her that he'll learn how to use it and he'll be that little bit closer to being able to go with her when she leaves. To the place that she goes when she leaves him. Wherever it is, it must be great, because she prefers to spend her time there. Surely it must be something more amazing than Tsyeyk can imagine.

The day, aside from the gift, was normal enough. She had come early, as usual, made sure he collected some berries and dug up some roots, before leaving. Nothing seemed strange or out of place - aside from the gift. But that day had been different, even if Tsyeyk hadn't realized it.

Because after that day, she never came back.

Tsyeyk woke that first day to her not being there. He waited for her all day, watching the mouth of the cave as it went from dim to bright to dim to dark. His body ached and his stomach growled, but he waited. He didn't want to risk leaving and her coming only for him to not be there. He wouldn't want her to be worried. So, he just closed his eyes, clutching the knife to his chest as the material rubbed against his leg while he slept so he pulled it off but kept it close, and drifted to sleep.

The next day, he sat at the mouth of his cave, staring out, watching the forest beyond, waiting for her as the natural lights of the forest faded and the sky brightened once more. He kept a look out for mommy, scanning back and forth for any sign of movement and while he saw plenty of things, he didn't see mommy. But he didn't want to risk her coming and worrying about him not being there, so he waited. And waited. And waited.

He fell asleep to the sinking sun and rumbling stomach, cramping painfully.

That third day was the worst. He could barely pull himself up into a sitting position. His arms felt too heavy, his mouth too dry. But still, he waited. He looked around the outside of his cave. He even dared to softly call out to her, "Mommy? Mommy?" But she didn't appear. It was starting to get dark once more when he risked going to the stream - just for a second. A sip of water, then he would go back. His throat hurt so bad. He raced as fast as his weak legs could carry him down to the little stream and scooped a mouthful of water at his face - most ending up on his face and in his hair - before racing back to the cave, eyes frantically searching about to see any sign of her, not caring how many times he falls and scrapes up his arms and legs while he does.

Nothing looks different. He's not sure if he's happy about that or not. But he takes back his spot and keeps watch, only feeling slightly better. Thankfully his stomach doesn't hurt all that much anymore. And every few minutes, he would call out into the forest for her, "Mommy? Mommy?" but she didn't come.

He misses mommy. When is she going to come back?

On the fourth day, he knew that she wasn't coming back. And even if she did, he needed to get food or he was going to be too weak to wait up for her. So he went, carefully, back to the stream, feeling too weak and lethargic to be able to be as alert as he knows that he should be.

But thankfully, nothing but the bright white lights came to him. And they never left him. Always resting along the length of his body as he slept or floating in his peripheral as he wandered the forest or even playing with him as he went about his days. Even as he curled up and cried, overwhelmed by his desire to see his mommy yet unable to find her, or so hungry he can barely move because he ate all the nearby berries and couldn't catch any fish. Or as he learned what he could and couldn't eat - mostly what he couldn't - and he would cry in agony, throwing up nonstop and yet no matter how much he cried and begged, mommy didn't come.

But despite the hard days, he just... figured it out. Every day. He foraged and hunted. He learned what worked for him. And, well, he had mommy's knife. And when the days came that he had to travel further from home to get what he needed, he learned how to survive. Survive the strange foods that he tried and wished he hadn't. The beasts that he hunted, that hunted him back. Mommy's knife really helped with him stumbling through that one. And how to take care of his wounds - and the numerous numbers of them that came.

Mommy never came back so he just had to figure it out.

He had to figure out how to dress himself when his tewng got too small and the ones that mommy made him wouldn't fit either. When the temperature got to be too cold for his small blanket and he couldn't go without a tewng, he just... figured it out. He knew how to sow; mommy had taught him. So, he got to work on his other skills. He made new tewng for himself. New blankets, from what he had. He didn't know how to make more cloth, so all he could do was pray that he figured it out before the supplies his mommy got for him ran out.

He came to learn how big he got when he realized that his little cave, really was little. Why his mommy always bent over when she was in it. Mommy's knife now fit better against the length of his thigh. The band around his waist wasn't as big as before, he could actually hook it in place, but it always dragged off his narrow hips, and never quite closed enough around his thigh, which was fine.

Tsyeyk did his best - for a long time. But he couldn't ever escape that feeling of loneliness. He saw others, like mommy, but just like when he was with her, he made sure to stay hidden. To stay where they couldn't see him. It wasn't often that he saw them, but when he did, he watched them, fascinated. They were so different from him. So bright and beautiful, and... connected. They moved together as one. Whether it was in large groups of five to ten, or small groups of two or three. They looked so wonderful, so breath-taking.

And Tsyeyk felt so... incredibly alone.

He wanted so badly for mommy to come back and see that he'd done so well for himself, and he was ready to go with her to wherever it was she went. Whatever it was that is preventing her from coming back to him. He often wondered if she was okay, if something had happened to her that made it hard for her come back. Or maybe he could travel far enough that one day he would find her. And they would be together again.

And watching the other people made the pit of loneliness grow deeper and deeper in his stomach. He wished that someone would look at him. He wished that someone would love him. Would take care of him when he was too tired to do it himself. He wished that someone other than mommy loved him. Someone who would come back enough for him to be able to prove to them that he was worthy of going with them to the places they go when they aren't with him. Because those were beautiful and happy places. He knows, because mommy was always excited to go back to them, even though Tsyeyk tried so hard to make her happy, he knew he wasn't good enough yet. He tried, but it wasn't enough.

She still left, but this time, she never came back. One more chance, he would tell himself. If she saw him one more time, she will know that he has proven himself. That he's finally good enough to go with her to where she goes to be happy. Then they both can be. But maybe, to prove himself, he had to find her. It was his duty to locate her and that would be all the proof she needed.

But he never found her. He always looked, always hoped, and never stayed away from home, being sure to be back before sunrise, praying that today would be the day that he would wake up and she would be there, staring mutely down at him, or admiring the view from the mouth of his little cave, but she's never there. She'll come back one day though - or he'll find her out in the vast forest - but they will be together again, soon enough.

Tsyeyk followed the sounds of voices one morning. He had waited for mommy, as he usually did, until his rumbling stomach demanded he not skip another meal and sent him in search of food. He had made it a descent way from his cave when something distinctly voices caught his attention. They weren't coming toward him or away from him, but traveling slowly at an angel, so it took him some time to actually track them down, interested in watching and listening, like he always did. Maybe on the off chance, he would see mommy amongst them, coming back for him.

He has been listening to the others for years, picking up the language as best he can based on what he knew but this didn't sound familiar at all. And when he found them, there was something strange about the way they were dressed and the sticks they carried appeared awkward in their hands. There was a large group of them, higher than Tsyeyk knew how to count, but they were so loud, making their way through the forest, he's surprised that there isn't more people watching them.

They only traveled a few feet further once he found them, before settling in to rest. They must have been traveling for a while. One of them grabs out something from a pouch on his side and unfolds it. Tsyeyk's ears twitch at the strange crinkling sound as he stares at it, contemplatively.

"Dam," he says, golden eyes looking at the thing he unfolded. "Ie theenk wir lawst."

One of the men lowers to a rock, letting his hands dangle between his knees as he squints up at the beam of sunlight hitting him straight in the face. "Down't sey tat. Thes playse alredee givs mee tha kreeps. Ie keyp thenking sumtheng iz going to sneek up ohn us."

Tsyeyk shifts, lowering to press his chest into the dirt to peer under the foliage at them, curiously. He doesn't understand them, their language different from what he's used to hearing, but they aren't dressed like the people that Tsyeyk has seen before either, so maybe they don't come from the same place as mommy. They look like her, though. Long black hair, golden eyes, blue skin. Just like her. But everything else is different. They don't carry the same things that mommy did, and their clothes are different. Very different.

A woman pops open something with a distinct thunk! Tsyeyk's eyes flicker over to see her drinking from something he's never seen before. Mommy had something like that, but she didn't leave one for Tsyeyk so he wasn't sure what it was, but he did know she had used it to hold water. The woman takes a few swallows of the water, then surprises Tsyeyk by offering it to the man next to her. Mommy never did that before. Tsyeyk would just go down to the stream! Maybe he didn't know how to ask properly. But the man didn't ask, and he seemed surprised by the offer, even though he accepted it and took a drink himself.

"Thaynkx, Zee," the man says, handing it back.

The woman nods, her golden eyes scanning around them as she puts the water into the pouch on her back. She looks over at the man on the rock and says, "Down't ginx us, Brown."

One of the men, a few steps away from the edge of the group leans into the man next to him, whispering something into his ear that makes the other man's golden eyes carefully scan the forest as he nods, a fang poking out of the corner of his mouth with a half grin. The man loiters for a moment before turning a disappearing into the forest heading away. Tsyeyk watches him until he vanishes into the foliage beyond before looking around at the rest in the group.

"Ie thenk we reeport tu Dokter Augustine aynd tel hur tat thes airea iz ah buhst," another says, scratching at the back of his head.

"Tha Dok wanted sumwhair beetween tha Ohmetihkaiya Hometree and Hellz Gayte," the only other woman in the group says. "Sumwhair flayt aynd ohpen eenuf fur the kihdos."

Tsyeyk pulls his legs up, twisting onto his side to half curl up. He had no idea what they were saying, but he did like the sound of their voices. They were different from the voices of the other people he'd listen to. All their voices were rougher, raspier. But these people, their voices are smoother. It's strange to hear. He pulls his knees up close and curls his tail around them, laying his head on his arm.

"Tu slantted. Tu fahr," the man called Brown says. He makes a motion with his hand and then gestures around them before resting his head on his fist. Tsyeyk's tail curls a bit, watching them.

One of the men glances around for a moment before asking, "Whair dihd Maynsk go?"

There is a moment of silence, where the grinning man from off to the side, turns in Tsyeyk's direction, golden eyes sparkling. Tsyeyk tilts his head slightly when he feels something wrap around his ribs, pulling him up and out of the foliage. He claws at the dirt searching for some sort of perchance in his surprise. He lets out a little noise as he's lifted up into the air and maneuvered into the encircling strangers, all of which are now standing and watching them.

His legs are pulled up, tail curled, and his hands are balled up by his face, feeling strange as his body is being held up by the hands under his arms. Tsyeyk's ears fold back as he peers through the knot of long black hair in front of his face at all of the sets of golden eyes staring back at him.

The hands lower him to the ground, his legs not holding him up, so he's gently lowered onto his hip. He looks up through his long black hair to see the man that walked out of the group earlier standing over him. Tsyeyk shrinks a bit more into the dirt. He places his hands onto his thighs, looking around worriedly. Mommy never got caught by the others, and Tsyeyk hadn't until now. So, what happens to him? Will they take him to Mommy? Will they go and tell her that he's not good enough yet to go where she is so that they can be together?

The grinning man drops down in front of him, tilting his head slightly.

"Whel, whel, whel, wut doo we hav heir?" he says, grinning at him. Tsyeyk peers at him through tangled strands, not knowing what he's saying. Their language is so strange to him. But he's smiling. Tsyeyk has only seen people smile at each other, but never at him. Tsyeyk stares at him, at his smile, and tries to mimic it, but it feels different on his lips. He reaches up his hand to touch his lips, then reaches out to touch the man's only to realize that he's not allowed to touch. Mommy never let him touch her. He keeps forgetting.

"Wat, prinsses?" the man asks, tilting his head. His golden eyes scan him. "Wat ar yu dooing owt heir?" He looks down at the hovering hand, then back to the face hidden by knotted hair.

"He'z so durty," one of the men says, stepping closer and looking down at him. "Ahnd so littl. Haow old do yu thenk he iz?"

There is hair over the man's eyes in front of him, and Tsyeyk has never seen that before. He doesn't remember it on Mommy, and he never really got close enough to see it on any of the others. His hovering hand moves up toward the man's eyes but stops again.

"Na'vi," the woman that handed off the water says, nodding towards him. He doesn't know what that means. He looks back over at the man in front of him, blinking a bit as he sees something reflected in those big golden eyes. He's not sure what it is... but something about it makes his heart leap in his chest. But he can't quite see it. He's never been this close to anyone outside of Mommy. And even then... well, she didn't look at Tsyeyk a lot. She spent a lot of her time just looking out over the world around them. Probably to keep him safe, but still. He wishes that she would have looked at him more.

There's time, when he finds her. Or she comes back for him.

But for now... now he wants to see the man's eyes better.

He pulls his hand back and with both of them, he pushes the knot of hair out of his face to look closer at him. The others behind the man peer down at him, all of their faces twisting in shock and awe. The man's lips part and his eyes widen as he looks into Tsyeyk's eyes.

"Wow," the man breathes. "Ain't thows sum pretee bluw iis."

"Ie hav nevr seen Na'vi with iis that bluw," one of the men says, nudging one of the other men beside him.

Tsyeyk smiles because he's been so worried about what happens when those that mommy hid from see them, but this wasn't bad. He liked this. He's never spoken to anyone outside of mommy and while he so badly wants to talk to them, to this man, he didn't know how. He didn't know the words. They were talking, but not in a language that he knows.

The man smiles crookedly and Tsyeyk's tail sways across the dirt because no one has ever smiled at him before. He scoots himself closer to the man, close enough that he has to crane his neck back to be able to look up into the man's eyes. He's so close now, he can smell the man, and there is something decidedly pleasant about his scent. It's nothing like he's ever smelled before.

Carefully, he reaches up to point at the hair above the man's eyes, after touching the spots over his own when he noticed that he had never seen it before, and he didn't apparently share in the trait. Softly, he rasps out, throat raw as he says, "There?"

A few of the others flinch at the sound of his voice, even the crooked smile on the man's face before him twitches. His eyes flicker over him for a long moment, taking in his appearance, before he simply lifts his hand and one of the men grabs out a hard pouch and places it in his palm. He brings it forward and removes the top of it. He holds it towards Tsyeyk, but the boy just glances at it before looking back over at the hair above his eyes and points at it again. "There?"

"Tayk a dreenk, kihdo," the man says, but Tsyeyk doesn't understand what he's saying.

"There..?" he rasps, voice crackling and throat hurting both from dehydration and from lack of use, widening his eyes slightly at the man.

The man reaches for Tsyeyk's face, making the boy jerk back a bit in fear, tail curling around him in an attempt to protect and comfort himself. He pulls himself together, ears pressing back before glancing at the man, worriedly. What was he going to do to him? Was he going to... touch him? No one has ever touched him before. Well, mommy would have had to, when he was a baby. But he has no memories of that. Any memories that he does have of mommy - although even those are fading more and more with time - she hasn't ever reached out towards him. Not even when he would fall over while trying to keep up with her. Sometimes she wouldn't even wait for him to catch up. But she must have always known that he would, because she didn't usually look back either.

She just knew that he would be able to make it back to her. It... doesn't mean that he didn't wish that she would help him. At least once or twice.

He wished that she would have touched him at all.

Carefully, Tsyeyk tilts his head so that his cheek can rest on the man's palm. His palm was so... large... so warm. This look crosses over the man's face, but Tsyeyk doesn't really see it as he closes his eyes and presses his cheek more into his hand. There is a moment, but then Tsyeyk feels a soft rumble in his chest, happiness searing through him - burning hotter than he's ever felt.

This is what he wished for. He knows that he hasn't done anything to earn this yet, but it's... so nice. And the man hasn't pulled his hand back yet, and Tsyeyk is selfish enough to take it while it's offered.

Tsyeyk opens his eyes when the man softly says, "Yur brayking mii hart, kihdo."

Tsyeyk carefully touches the back of the man's hand to hold it there, chest rumbling beyond his control as he closes his eyes again, turning his little nose into his palm. Then the man doesn't pull from him, he scoots a bit closer and presses his hand firmer against the back of the man's hand. His tail sways hard behind him as his heart pounds in his chest. He's not pulling away. He's not hurting Tsyeyk. He's not scary. He's not pulling away!

"Gawd, haow tuch starvd du yu hav too be for dis?" one of the male's asks quietly.

"Whair iz hiz pairants?" another asks.

"Hez filthee, he prawbably dusent hav anee." A pause, then. "Hez skin ahnd bonz."

The man starts to pull his hand back and Tsyeyk flinches, scooting away whimpering in rejection, ears flattening. He bumps into the male behind him, who seemed to have moved closer to box him in as he wasn't able to move back all that far. The man in front of him is staring with a strange look on his face as he brings the hard pouch closer to Tsyeyk.

The boy flinches, disheartened. He shouldn't have touched. He knows that he's not supposed to, but the man didn't pull back right away like mommy did. Tsyeyk got too selfish. What if the man leaves? What if all of them do and Tsyeyk is just... all alone again? He's not sure he understands why mommy was so worried about any of them, but he just... he doesn't know. He doesn't know what he expects. He's not good enough yet, not for this stranger. He hasn't proven himself yet to his mommy, how was he going to start to prove himself to these strangers? He was foolish.

No wonder mommy left him.

Tears well up in his eyes and he points at the hair above the man's eyes. "I just... there!" he sobs while coughing, trying to explain that he was just trying to ask about that and didn't mean to be a burden or anything like that. He had just wanted to feel what it was like to have someone... touch him. Someone to just look at him. It was nice, for how brief it lasted. It was wrong of him to want it. But he can still feel the warmth from the heat coming off the man's body. The callouses on his fingers. It was so nice... so different. He just... wanted it for a moment longer.

"Hay, hay!" The man says, reaching out a hand to wrap around the back of his neck so that he doesn't wiggle away. The feeling immediately immobilizes him, not wanting to shake off the man's touch. "Naow, thair iz no resen tu crii. Hear, dreenk uhp." His voice is soft as he brings the hard pouch closer again, tilting it a bit to Tsyeyk's lips. Tsyeyk blinks in confusion before he feels something cold splash against them. He jerks back a bit, water splashing down onto his lap. He looks down at it, eyes wide, before eagerly leaning forward and opening his mouth to hold under it.

His tail is slapping against the legs of the man behind him in his excitement. The man was sharing with him! He's not sure what he did, but he's so thankful! Mommy never shared before, so he must already be on the right track. He swiped the back of one of his hands over his eyes to try and wipe away some of his tears. He holds open his mouth, waiting, excited and sniffling.

The man presses the hard opening next to his mouth and water falls in. He pulls it back as Tsyeyk swallows, the cool water soothing his throat and sending a shiver down his spine. It was so cold! How was that?

He shifts closer, tipping his head back for more, sniffling as the last of his tears are blinked away. He points to the hard pouch. "There!"

The man's smile is soft, but there is a look in his eyes that Tsyeyk's not seen before. "Yu wahnt mor?"

Tsyeyk doesn't know the words, but it sounds like a question, so he nods, pointing to his mouth, waiting excitedly. His mouth fills with more nice, cold water, and he hums, pleased, little hands pressing against his lips as some leaks down his chin and chest.

One of the females, the shorter of the two, lowers to her hunches next to Tsyeyk and the man, asking the younger softly, "Whair did yu com frum, baybee? Whair iz yur mahm and dahd?"

Tsyeyk looks at her, taking in her features, wondering how much she looked like mommy. Her voice was different, but it's gotten now to the point where Tsyeyk's not sure he remembers what she looks like anymore. Certainly, he'd know her when he saw her, but he had to wonder how similar they were.

"Kernel," one of the men says slowly, "wut ar we gunna do? Trii tu find da kihd's mahm and dahd?"

"Kan't emagin thay ar anything wurth seing basd on haow thair kihd luks," another grumbles.

"Baybee?" the woman next to his calls out softly, reaching out to touch his arm. He blinks, eyes wide, before reaching out to her and almost starts crying when she let him take her hand. He brings it to his chest and holds it here, wrapping his arms around it as his chest vibrates. Her smile almost seems too sad for Tsyeyk to handle, as she asks, "Whair iz yur mahm and dahd?"

Tsyeyk stares at her, knowing that she has to be asking something, but he has no idea what. He doesn't know what they want from him. What he can do to convince them not to leave him. Maybe they know where mommy is. Maybe they know how to help him prove to her that he's ready. That he's good enough. But he doesn't understand what they are saying and try as he might to come up with when someone else used these words to try and make the connection, he can't. They sound so different. He doesn't understand.

Terror builds up in his chest. What if they decide that he's not good enough and leave? What's he supposed to do then?

"He dozent understahnd yu, Wahlker," one of the men says.

"Sun ofva bitch, mii Na'vi is fuking garbagge." The woman sighs, creases forming between her eyes. She brings the hand not being held by Tsyeyk to her forehead and rubs at him, eyes flickering about as she mumbles something under her breath before glancing over at Tsyeyk and carefully saying, "Mother?"

A word he knows!

Tsyeyk bounces up onto his knees, eyes round. His tail sways behind him as he responds, "Mommy?"

The woman's shoulders slump a little, staring at Tsyeyk before carefully asking, "Where... are... Mommy?"

Tsyeyk blinks a few times, trying to decipher her way of saying these words. She's putting strange inflections on them that makes it harder for him to understand right away, but he thinks he gets it - and it makes him sad. They don't know where Mommy is either?

Tsyeyk's own shoulders slump as he pulls away from her, dejected. He lowers back to sit on his legs, not able to even be excited about being touched as once again, mommy just seemed so far away. Heartbroken and upset, Tsyeyk just pushes to his feet and turns to head back to his cave, tears sliding like heavy globs down his cheeks. He didn't know what he expected. He should have known that he wasn't ready yet. That he couldn't just find mommy. He had to know without a shadow of a doubt that he was ready and that he was good enough.

Maybe that small kernel of doubt in his heart meant that he wasn't ready.

"Wut dihd yu say, Wahlker?"

"Whair iz he going?"

"Ar we gunna juhst let him goh?"

"Stohp. Ie tink hez crying agaihn."

"Sheet."

"Wut doh we doh, Kernel? Just let him goh?"

"Wayt, luk. Iz dat... wun ov owr nieves? Ohn hiz left lehg?"

Their voices grow softer until he can't hear them anymore. He's too distracted by his own heartbreak to pay attention to them following, even though he can clearly hear them. They aren't stalking quietly, like Tsyeyk was always taught to, as all the others that he watched up until now did. They weren't super loud or anything, but if he could hear them over his own sobbing, they were loud enough.

He crossed over his little stream, hitting the wet rock at the wrong angle and slid down half into the water. His ribs, shoulder, hand and wrist on that side hurt, as well as splashing water onto his face, souring his mood even more. But it didn't really matter, he was already upset enough. He just kept crying as he trudged out of the water and limped his way back to his little cave.

Heartbroken and foolish, he just wants to curl up in his too small blanket, close his eyes and sleep, praying as he did every night since she left, that when morning came, his mommy would return to him and the deep ache in his chest would finally cease. And together, they could go to the place where they could both be happy. Together.