When Jake found himself in charge of the Omatikaya, he didn't think he was leader material, but the role of Toruk Makto was not something he could abdicate from. As a living legend, especially one who was changed by their ways, he represented so much to the Omatikaya; naturally, they wanted him as their leader. Though it was seldom easy, the Marine stepped up to the challenge and organically developed a deep respect for the role as well as the duties expected of him, and these duties are as follows: provide game for the clan, train young new warriors, oversee ceremonies, care for the injured, hear complaints and settle conflicts.
Jake woke up, rolled over, and remembered his wife was still out. It wasn't his normal, but Jake carried on to begin his day as an olo'eyktan should. His first order of business was the morning washing routine, so he made for the trickling waterfalls where men cleaned themselves and bid his brothers good morning. He washed his cornrows and redid the braid of his queue exactly like his mate first taught him. Properly maintaining the tswin was of serious importance to the Na'vi, for it was the sheath that protected their neural whips from damage.
Äi'ut limped into the washing hollow; the warrior was still in convalescence but making good progress. The Omatikaya believe strongly in showing sympathy towards the sick and weak, and it was expected of the olo'eyktan to lead by example, so Jake assisted him to a seat and offered to braid his tswin. However, after several unintentional head pulls, Äi'ut had to politely tell his leader it was okay to stop. Swallowing his embarrassment, Jake respected his wishes and finished his toilette.
Once properly dressed in his regalia, Zayksuli of the Omatikaya strutted down High Camp, ready to take on the day. High on his agenda was to visit Sawnee and check in on her recovery. Outside the tent of the shield maiden, he greeted her mate.
|"Rider of Last Shadow, I see you."|
|"I see you, Kilvan. How is your mate?"|
Kilvan smiled. |"She passed through the worst of it. Her breathing is strong, and she speaks steadily. Her womb has not given up on the baby as was feared."|
|"That is very good news. I won't disturb her then."|
|"Thank you. And my thanks to your daughter for helping her. My mate improved significantly since she last visited."|
|"She is away for a few days, but I will tell her when she returns."|
After voicing more gratitude, Kilvan returned to his tent, and Jake continued on his way. He was stopped by several stern Na'vi elders who were eager to speak with him; one named Lezarana spoke on behalf of the others.
|"Olo'eyktan, we are deeply troubled by Äi'ut's testimony."|
|"As am I," | Jake replied. |"Talk of it upsets me greatly."|
|"Your ward was very familiar with our camp. His defecting to the enemy means our location is compromised. Many of us feel, myself included, that we need to leave."|
|"Spider did not defect to the enemy. We know from Äi'ut's testimony he was taken against his will."|
|"But he helped the Chief of Demons."|
|"What Äi'ut witnessed was through burning eyes. He has a right to be angry, but nobody, including himself, could know Spider's true motives for doing what he did."|
|"Olo'eyktan, I feel you are not treating this with the seriousness it deserves. We risk our whole clan's safety if we assume the Skychild does not speak. With time, he may come to talk. What then?"|
|"No spot is safer for our numbers than here. To leave is to expose ourselves. It is wiser to hold our ground and rely on the strength of our walls. Do not forget—it's not easy for the Skypeople to fly their machines around here."|
|"What of a rekom who flies the ikran?"|
|"These rekoms are new fliers, and it requires skill to reach High Camp, and even then, there is more of us than there is of them."|
Lezarana sighed in frustration. |"Olo'eyktan, what we're saying is we would like to leave. We are not rock people. Our home is in the forest. We feel it. Many of the women are marrying into other clans to escape this place. Our numbers are depleting."|
|"I hear you, Lezarana, but it's not easy for the Skypeople of our clan to travel. Their camp requires more effort to move."|
"Oìsss!" hissed an elder. |"Always we bend to accommodate these aliens."|
|"They should not even be in our village,"| another added.
Jake raised his hand as a gesture for them to calm down. |"Lezarana, you know, I cannot make a decision this important until Mo'at's return."|
Lezarana scrunched her lips, suspecting he would say as much. |"Then we will await her return and hold council then."|
The elders moved on, and Jake exhaled in relief. Seeing now was a good time to make himself scarce, the olo'eyktan moved on to his next task, and for that, he wanted the company of his son.
Asking around, he learned Neteyam would be found at the Mother Loom. The mas'kit nivi sa'nok was highly sacred to the Omatikaya for its practical and spiritual importance—a representation of Eywa, the Great Weaver, She who takes all things, whether dangerous or docile, insightful or blind, and brings them together into one harmonious tapestry. Jake appreciated the loom's importance when—in a ceremony all new fathers undergo—he helped interplait his family's tent. It taught him that, through Her womb, the cycle of village life would forever continue.
Previously, the Mother Loom was built under Hometree, fastened directly to its great roots using long ropes that young Na'vi would swing from; this action that seemed like play, was actually to prepare warriors for their Iknimaya, which is why Jake found Neteyam swinging about the loom with an adolescent audience.
Upon seeing his father, Neteyam twirled like an acrobat and landed before him in a perfect backwards flip. The children clapped.
"Oel ngati kameie, ma sempul."
"Oel ngati kameie ma Neteyam." He smiled. |"How are the next recruits?"|
|"Great, see how well they do?"| Neteyam directed his father to a young Na'vi about to perform the same flip. The boy leaped, lost his grip, rolled down the loom and ruined a tent in progress. Neteyam grimaced. |"You didn't see that."|
The weavers, who were not at all pleased, got up to encircle them; Jake stepped in to mediate matters. |"Hey, at least this young warrior fumbled here and not out there."| He bent to Neteyam's ear. "Go untangle the kid."
|"These children are disrupting our use of the Mother Loom."|
|"The Mother Loom is meant for building both tents and skill. I will remind you that you also trained on one."|
|"Hmpf. When we trained, we had more room,"| they complained before turning on their heels to salvage their work.
"You wanted to see me, Father? I am sorry about that," he signed close to his chest.
"Forget it," he returned. "I need to go hunt game for the clan and want to know if you're interested. What do you say? It'll be a bonding day for us."
Neteyam thought about it, then called over his friend. |"Hey, Lew!"|
Lew looked down from the rope he balanced on.
|"Can you take over? Father wants to go hunting."|
|"Sure thing."|
Lew waved and told the adolescents to watch him as he prepared to do a spin in the air; however, when he grabbed one of the supports, it slipped from the smooth rock, causing part of the loom to collapse. He stumbled from the wreckage, and the weavers chased everyone out.
White Flower and Bob descended into the forest towards Jake's favourite fishing spot. It was a walk away from the old site where the Omatikaya first settled after Hometree's loss before migrating to High Camp. It was favoured for its dense collection of txatils—similar in appearance to the sequoias of Earth. Their rough bark made it easy for the clan to quickly establish a village on their reliable branches. Here in the sunshine and gentle breeze, the Omatikaya healed; it was for a short ten years, but also their happiest. Then, a new star appeared in the night sky.
Jake had feared this day and wasted no time in convincing his people to migrate. It was an unthinkable decision at first until they witnessed the devastating wrath of the Skypeople's return. Landing in giant rockets, their enemy decimated land with a firestorm of unimaginable scale, clearing the way for a new jungle of concrete. Over twelve thousand acres burned, and the smoke drifted across Pandora, causing long periods of rainstorms in the southern hemisphere, affecting clans that had never even heard of humans. Under yellow, hazy skies and wheezing from the polluted air, the Omatikaya sought shelter in the mountains.
Neteyam roosted White Flower on the very branch that once held up his family's tent and dismounted to walk down the bough as his father landed on another nearby.
"I remember swinging from that branch to do my first flip."
"You were five and almost gave me a heart attack."
"Spider was showing me up. I had to rise to the challenge," he joked, but after mentioning his clan brother, the prince grew sad.
"You okay, Neteyam?"
"It's just so strange to me. Now that he's gone, so many things are changing."
"It is The Way." Jake's fingers drifted over the bark where he used to record his children's height and could easily tell which ones were Spider's. With a hard swallow, the father pulled away and descended the tree.
"The air here is so nice," Neteyam breathed. "I forgot how much sweeter it is compared to the cave."
"Yeah, it gets musty, doesn't it?"
"And drink that sunlight. I do not like those fluorescent lamps, but humans need to see too."
"They don't like it either. We all make sacrifices living there. It's how we keep one another safe."
Father and son treaded down an overgrown trail to their old fishing spot. Dizzy liltee flies darted about the pleasant nook. On the shore, the rocks were coated in moss that glittered like the limpid waters. The fish were sluggish but speedy when alerted, so the two were very quiet as they approached. They brought with them small fishing bows as the arrows fired from their regular ones would skewer their catches to a pulp.
"Go for that one," Neteyam signed.
"That is a yakwak!"
"Rise to the challenge, Father."
Jake looked back at his son with a strained smirk. He was familiar with how difficult it was to catch due to its bony armour. For this reason, the species could grow unhindered into one of the plumpest delicacies.
"Only if you think you can do it," Neteyam taunted.
Naturally, Jake nocked his arrow.
His stance was completely still, but Neteyam saw his left arm was too low and lightly pressed it up. Insulted, Jake shook him off and resumed his original stance. He released the arrow, and it sailed straight through the upper fin. Having missed his mark, the fish made its escape, and the pond was clear of game.
"I almost had that."
"Don't blame me. You slouch too much."
"No one likes a backseat fisherman. Let's see you fish a yakwak."
"We'll have to move upstream. You have scared off the ones here."
They trotted over to the other side of the lagoon, where the fish retreated from the first scare. Neteyam skipped from rock to rock without making a sound and, when he thought himself near enough, took out his bow. He slowly crouched on his toes, sinking his whole weight into the front of his feet without losing balance. His arrowhead was a hair's-breadth away from disturbing the surface. With both eyes open and fast on the target, he released the shaft, landing an instant kill. Victoriously, he skipped through the water to take up his prize. "Here." He tossed the flapping fish to Jake. "You can give it to Mother when she gets back. She likes the taste."
Jake caught it and rolled his eyes. "Showoff."
The marksman shrugged innocently. "Shall we try another?"
"I've had my pride wounded enough for one day. Get your grandfather's bow. We hunt for bigger game."
The hunters continued through the dangerous jungle, respecting they were not the only predators who lurked in the wood. They avoided the poison tips of the unidelta tree and the slapping leaves of the easily offended twisted lily. A thistle bud recently chewed on told them a fwampop was nearby, and they followed the scent of its droppings. The two crawled under a cluster of ticklish helicordian and were careful not to brush the spiral fronds or risk triggering all of them to retract, leaving the hunters exposed.
Jake spotted the kill ahead, and he and Neteyam belly-crawled towards it like soldiers in the trenches. The fwampop grunted and blissfully nosed the ground with its feelers. Jake signalled to Neteyam to ready his bow. With skillful manoeuvring, he removed it from his back while keeping his body flat on the ground and prepared his shot.
The arrowhead was directly over the spiracle when a dark blur suddenly tackled the animal to the ground—It was a lennox. Though smaller than its cousin, the thanator, it was a deadly predator nonetheless. The Na'vi hunters remained completely still as the lennox spun around in circles, clinging to the bucking prey using all six of its powerful limbs. When the squealing finally ceased, the hunters relaxed, relieved that the tussling had not disturbed their cover.
Then the lennox's dancing tail brushed a helicordian.
Father and son were immediately seen, and the animal's nasty teeth glistened with blood as it snarled at the rival predators.
"Don't shoot," Jake whispered. "He's protecting his kill."
Neteyam breathed heavily as he and his father slowly backed away from the threatened carnivore. Cautious not to turn his back on the beast, Jake slightly turned his head to learn an escape route.
"When I give the word, we turn and jump for that branch."
Neteyam bobbed his head stiffly as he eyeballed the lennox that was closing in. Once they were close enough, Jake shouted, "Now!" and they bolted for a tree. The animal reacted by leaping high. Jake scrambled to lift his body over the branch, with Neteyam helping him up in time before the jaws could clamp down on his father's tail. The skin of the txatils' was scarred by the lennox's enraged claws, but that was the extent of the damage, for the predator, yowling in disappointment, was bound to terra firma.
Jake breathed in relief and gave the bark many pats. "I've really come to rely on you guys," he mused to himself.
"Too bad we lost the fwampop."
"Well, we still have the fish." Jake looked down and realized his fish pouch was no longer fastened but on the ground with the lennox sniffing it. "Hey-hey-hey! You already have the other kill!"
The lennox hissed at him and ran off with the easy opportunity.
"On second thought, keep it! It's on the house, you lazy bludger!"
"Easy come, easy go." Neteyam laughed.
They trekked through the forest for hours without sighting any more prey. The tribal lifestyle was a hard one, but the Marine could never be brought to regret his decision; Jake found the freedom he enjoyed with the Na'vi far outweighed the safety he had with the humans. No matter how many days he went hungry from lack of game or suffered from some jungle disease that gave him either rashes or diarrhea, they were all worth it for one day out with his son in that beautiful paradise Jake had come to love.
They were sliding down a slope, trying to keep a wide berth from a flaska reclinata—a cannon-sized plant that sporadically fired off deadly rounds of toxic gas—when Neteyam detected movement near its base. Something was squirming chaotically in the bush, so the two hunters cautiously approached. Pulling back foliage unveiled a large reddish body, spinning in place from its own convulsions.
Neteyam gasped. "What is that?"
Jake could hardly believe what he was seeing. Even the Na'vi rarely encountered them. "A lanay'ka, and it's missing its head."
"How can you tell?" Neteyam wondered, having never seen one before to know what counted for a head on that sinewy mass of flesh.
"We call it a 'slinger' because it hunts by slinging off its own head. The body then bumbles towards it, and they reconnect. I'm told the lanay'ka is actually two organisms in a symbiotic parent-child relationship."
"So it lost connection with its other half?"
"Looks so. The head must've went off to mate. It'll grow into a new body while this one will just die."
"Because it doesn't have a mouth anymore..." Neteyam looked upon the dying animal with newfound pity. His fingers coiled around his blade, and his eyes beseeched his father's.
Jake gave his approval.
The Na'vi hunter stepped towards the panicked creature and gently spoke his prayer. "Oeru txoa livu, ma oeyä tsmukan. Hu nawma sa'nok tivul ngeyä tirea."
The words drifted above the jungle canopy as the other hunter stood by in silence.
It was early evening when father and son finally made it back to High Camp. Neteyam took off to borrow a book from his uncle, whereas the tired olo'eyktan revisited the waterfalls to clean himself of mud and sap.
Having seen to all his duties, Jake walked about High Camp. The man found himself in a strange position, for this was the first time he was away from both his ward and womenfolk, and it showed in the aimless way he strolled through his territory. To pass the time, Jake checked on Äi'ut and Sawnee, but they were still well. He checked on the Mother Loom, and the weavers were still peeved. He checked on Neteyam, who was still reading and avoided the elders, who were still discontent. His boredom eventually brought him to the avatar clinic to bug Max.
The unsuspecting Indian man, at his desk and wrapped up in work, made the wrong move of his head to discover he had company. "Ah! Uh… Hey…Jake?"
"Hey. What are you doing?"
"Doing a system check on link bed twenty-three and measuring its response time for possible damage in its mainframe."
"Cool."
"Yeah."
The giant kept standing around, and Max wasn't sure how to continue his work. "Do you, uh, need anything?"
"No, no. I was just, uh...looking for Norman."
"He's in his field cabin. He chased Neteyam away, so I wouldn't disturb him right now."
"Ah, having one of those moments again?"
"Yeah."
"So, uh, can I help you with anything?" the olo'eyktan offered.
"No, I'm-I'm good."
"You good?"
"Yeah, I am." Max scratched behind his ear.
Jake finger-pointed. "Okay. I'll, uh, leave you, then."
"Later, Jake."
After an hour of doing nothing, the man moped to his teepee and begged Eywa that his wife would return soon. Within moments, the answer to his prayers flew in through the entrance. When he heard her ikran, the husband leapt from his bed and rushed past the tent flaps.
"Ma Jake. Kal—hng!" Jake plucked her up for a twirl.
|"I'm so glad you are back,"| he wheezed.
|"I was only gone for one extra day,"| she finished between kisses.
|"I know. I hated it. So, how was the trip?"| He then took her by the shoulder and walked her back to their domicile.
|"It went very well. Kiri is so happy there. Her mood changed like that."|
|"Really?"|
|"Yes. Flowers everywhere—so much sunlight—trees and grass."|
|"You sound like you hated to leave."|
Neytiri nodded wistfully. |"I did. I envy Kiri now. Jake, you would not believe how well the people received her. They were elated and very much wanted to be near her. Like a zize' to nectar."|
|"They did? Well, she is a princess."| The father grinned and moved to relax on their bed while Neytiri prepared tea.
|"Even for a princess, Mother said our reception was unusual. There was also a sign. Their tsom flowers bloomed early, and they associated it with Kiri's coming. It was so strange, Jake. Our arrival was described as an end to a long, grey period."|
Jake was astonished. |"What did Mother have to say on it?"|
Neytiri was ready to deposit the heated stones into the water but hesitated after the question, dwelling on what her mother revealed about Kiri being Grace reborn; she still could not wrap her head around it. As for when to tell her mate, Neytiri decided to leave the matter for the time being.
|"Mother was as surprised as I. Perhaps her stay will reveal more."|
|"Eywa sounds pleased with our daughter."|
|"She is not the only one."| Neytiri hummed in delight.
Jake's ears flicked.
|"Kiri has taken a liking to their olo'eyktan."|
|"Has she?"|
|"He is very kind to her, and he is without a mate, and the Tawkami currently have no tsahìk."|
"Oh."
With a wink, she replied, |"I think we should let this one take its course."|
Jake wasn't sure how to feel as he pondered the prospect. |"I know she'll be seventeen soon, but—"|
|"That is near my age when I mated with you."|
The man sputtered. "Wait. Hold on. What?"
|"Kiri is old enough now, my love. Remember, she passed her Dream Hunt."|
|"I know that, but she's too young for marriage…right?"|
The mother shook her head with a smile. |"Our daughter is not a child anymore."|
|"This is all a little quick. What about her sign language? She needs someone who can understand her too."|
|"They speak it there. Olo'eyktan Syotxa' also has a cousin who is without hearing and uses finger-talk."|
Jake rubbed his chin in contemplation. |"When you put it like that—I guess this is a good prospect for her."|
|"She is so much happier there, ma Jake,"| Neytiri mentioned again to reconcile him to the idea.
He bobbed his foot as he thought about it more. |"I don't doubt it. It's just… I guess I… I don't know. The idea of her falling in love is—I thought it would be a long way off. What is this Syotxa' like?"|
|"Big, strong and handsome."|
The husband eyed his wife. |"Are you sure it's Kiri who has taken a liking to this olo'eyktan?"|
She flicked water droplets at him.
|"Ah!—Hey!"| Jake playfully wiped his face before falling back into his comfortable thinking position. |"Kiri going away to live with the Tawkami would be a huge change. I would have to get used to that. She brightens up this dreary cave—next to you, of course."|
|"You are forgiven."|
|"You know I went to our old tree village with Neteyam today? I realized how depressing living in a cave has been. I guess Kiri would take to the botanist clan."|
|"Why did you and Neteyam go there?"|
|"We went to our old fishing spot."|
|"Did you catch anything?"|
Jake snorted. |"No. But Neteyam did and gave it to me outta pity. I should just retire my feathers and give him the role. He'd do a better job at all these olo'eyktan things than me."|
|"That's not all true. There are many things you can do and much better."|
|"Well, unless it's picking toes, don't know what those are."|
Neytiri didn't respond right away, but when her brew finished, her mischievous eyes ran over to him. |"Well, I have something only Olo'eyktan Zayksuli can do."|
|"You do? Let's hear it. I'm your man."|
She came over and whispered in his ear.
His eyes lit up before he enthusiastically stated, "Now that I can do!"