As the sun hung high in the sky, the Omatikaya children rode their Ikran towards the forest. The graceful creatures landed swiftly, and the kids wasted no time heading to their favorite clearing—an unofficial playground they claimed as their own.

Lo'ak, ever the troublemaker, darted between the towering trees, dodging in and out of the trunks with a mischievous grin. Neteyam, his older brother, was right on his heels, his long limbs effortlessly carrying him through the underbrush. The two brothers were locked in a playful game of tag, each trying to outdo the other.

"Whoever loses is the biggest skxawng Pandora's ever seen!" Lo'ak shouted, his voice echoing through the trees.

"Well, that's obviously going to be you, brother," Neteyam laughed, sprinting away from Lo'ak with a teasing grin.

Tuk, the youngest, squealed with delight as she darted between her older siblings. Her small size made her hard to catch, and she giggled uncontrollably as she evaded Lo'ak's playful attempts to tag her.

Kiri, meanwhile, sat on a nearby rock, pretending not to be related to those raging lunatics.

She preferred to run her fingers through the soft moss and bask in the sunlight filtering through the canopy, enjoying the peace of the moment.

Spider, the human boy who had become an honorary Na'vi, tried his best to keep up with the others. Despite his enthusiasm, his movements were clumsy, earning him the title of "stupidest skxawng on Pandora" more than once.

His retaliation? He'd tug at the Na'vi kids' tails, making them yelp, chase after him and throw death threats at his head.

The clearing was filled with laughter, teasing and competitive banter.

But as the game went on, Lo'ak's attention drifted. Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Amidst the shadows of the forest, he spotted a figure trying to hide behind a tree. Well, trying, but not doing a very good job, hiding was a generous word for what was happening.

"Another Na'vi?" Lo'ak wondered. But no, something was off. The figure had blue skin, but it was a duller shade, and his markings were different. His eyes and nose were small, more human-like, and his clothes... were definitely human. Plus, that face was simply something only a human mother could love.

Curiosity mixed with a bit of unease as Lo'ak watched the boy. Usually, anything connected to humans meant they should retreat immediately, but this kid didn't seem dangerous. He was small, even smaller than Lo'ak. Whatever—or whoever—he was, he looked young. Lo'ak decided to keep an eye on him, continuing the game while sneaking glances at the boy in the shadows.

--

Kit, after observing the Na'vi children for a while, decided against approaching them. The risk of exposure was too high, and the uncertainty of how they'd react made him uneasy. Reluctantly, he turned to head back to the small camp he shared with Ava, frustration bubbling up inside him.

As dusk settled in, Kit's journey back was cut short by a pack of nantang—the small, predatory creatures known as viperwolves. Kinda like Pandora's version of extremely grumpy puppies.

Their glowing eyes and low growls filled the air as they circled him. Kit, used to dealing with such threats, sprang into action.

He sprinted through the forest, using his knowledge of the terrain to stay ahead of the pack. It was a mistake that they even caught his presence but his mind was too occupied to calculate every step he had to take, the only way to truly keep unwanted creatures off your back. But even though he had been less careful this time, he knew how to handle himself.

He tossed rocks at them, keeping the creatures at bay until they finally gave up the chase, probably too embarrassed to keep watching that ridiculous rock-throwing. Whatever, it worked.

What Kit failed to realize was that he was being followed by something else as well.

--

Lo'ak had slipped away from his siblings just as they were about to head back to High Camp, claiming he wanted to take his Ikran, Tawtì, out for a night ride.

He made sure Neteyam didn't get suspicious. If his older brother knew what he was up to, he'd probably call their dad and Lo'ak would get an earful about how reckless he was.

So, he pretended to take Tawtì for a quick spin, then landed quietly and followed Kit's trail through the forest.

"This kid doesn't know how to hide his tracks," Lo'ak thought to himself as he quickly caught up. Just as Kit came into view, Lo'ak noticed the Nantang closing in on him.

For a moment, Lo'ak thought about stepping in, but he stopped, amazed at how the kid handled the situation. He'd never seen someone throwing rocks with such little aim.

Sure, the boy had been detected in the first place, which showed he wasn't that great at moving through the forest, but his survival instincts were actually kind of impressive.

Lo'ak continued to trail him, staying hidden in the shadows. When he reached a certain tree, he watched the kid climb up, dissapearing into the thick branches. Lo'ak crouched down, staying out of sight, listening intently as Kit rustled through the leaves.

--

Ava was chewing on her nails, her mind racing. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, worry making her stomach churn. Countless scenarios were pacing through her mind, none of them with a pretty outcome.

It was long past nightfall, and Kit still hadn't returned.

She debated whether she should go out and look for him, despite the dangers of Pandora at night, when she finally heard someone climbing up to their hideout.

She sensed it was Kit and she rushed to meet him, her relief evident.

"Kit, you damn fool! Where have you been?" she demanded, her voice a mix of anger and worry. She was mad but also incredibly relieved to see him standing there in one piece. Ava was ready to throttle and hug him at the same time which, knowing her, was likely to happen simultaneously.

"I was worried sick!"

She slapped his shoulder hard, half in annoyance, half in relief. The last thing she needed was Kit turning into a midnight snack for some hungry predator.

Kit, still catching his breath, tried to sound casual. "Ran into a pack of Nantang. Took longer than I thought to shake them off. Had to take a detour to make sure they didn't follow me back."

Ava's concern didn't completely fade, but she was just glad to see him safe. "You need to be more careful, Kit! This isn't our first day out here. Next time, remember what they taught us in survival training. Be swift and light like an Ikran—fly through the trees."

--

As Ava and Kit settled down for the night, Lo'ak quietly made his way back to Tawtì.

His mind was buzzing with confusion. The whole situation didn't make sense.

He hadn't seen who Kit was talking to, but the voice was definitely female.

Seriously, what were they doing out here, just the two of them?

Lo'ak thought back to how Kit looked. He wore human clothes, though they were patched up and mixed with natural materials. Honestly he looked like he raided Norm Spellman's closet, and in Lo'aks books that was as human as you could get.

Maybe they were outcast Na'vi, but Kit didn't look fully Na'vi, and the human clothes were strange. Besides, no clan would cast out a kid.

Also, they conversed in English. Yet another thing that made the more foreign.

Luckily, his dad and the scientists at the camp taught him and his siblings enough to at least understand 90% of what was being said.

Could they be Avatars? But that didn't add up either. Avatars were nearly identical to Na'vi and wouldn't hide out in the forest like this. Besides, a child Avatar was unheard of.

And that conversation about nantang and survival training? It made no sense.

Lo'ak furrowed his brows, deep in thought as he guided Tawtì back to the camp. He needed to figure out what was going on, but for now, he'd keep it to himself. Maybe there was more to this Kit kid than met the eye.