chapter 12, enjoy.

(Sophia's POV) *this continues from last chapter talk*

To my surprise, it's Parker that holds my shoulder comfortingly, that gentle yet firm squeeze soothing something in my heart "Are we sure there's no way to shut this down?"

"Selfridge, this isn't a deal made over beers. This is a vow." Mom sighs "It became locked when Norm woke up."

"Okay, and how am I supposed to do this? Tsu'tey hates my guts."

"Well can you blame him? Your dad's goons gunned down the love of his life when they were children," Mom rolls her eyes "He held her body as she died, he's not going to just trust you off the bat."

Dad's death glare wasn't missed by anyone, a glare mom happily sends back.

"So she's gonna have to warm him up huh?" Trudy removes her shoes to rub her feet, more than happy to break the tension.

"Looks like it," Lyle adds, his grin just as large.

Dad had been examining his gun, the barrel pointed at the ground before it snaps up to Lyle, gun now resting on his leg

"If that two bitten savage lays so much as a finger on Sophia, I'm putting a bullet in his head."

"Dad," I sigh.

Yet he turns to me, sliding the magazine back into his gun with a click "One, finger, kid."

"Um, are we forgetting that I've never even kissed a boy... or girl." I add with a blush, not missing Jake's look of amusement.

"Oh please." Trudy snorts "Boys are easy slugger." her long legs land in Norm's lap, the taller male yelps in surprise as she buried her toes in his crotch, a deep blush running along his face "Give me two weeks and I can change-"

Dad pulls the slide on his gun loudly, causing every eye to glance his way, a death glare on his face

"One more word Captain Chacon, and I'll put one in your head first."

"Okay that is not happening!" I step between them "Tsu'tey and I happening would take a miracle! We're like oil and water okay! It's not happening!" I hold my forehead

"Yeah, we'd have better luck marrying you two." Jake smirks, fingers point to my parents.

Grace and Quaritch step away from each other with an awkward look and despite the tension I can't help but laugh.

"Now that would be a miracle!"

Grace's hand lands on my shoulder tenderly "Why don't you aim for surviving the first week, okay?"

I run down the hill, moving along the steps and spin around a few people. Despite the craziness of yesterdays revelations I couldn't help the thought that was running through my head.

I was going to be the next Tsihik.

Me.

An outsider.

An alien.

A demon.

Not Neytiri, who had spent the better part of twelve years studying.

Me.

The thought was like a knife to the heart.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I wave a hand and run up to the royal family "Neytiri!" she spins to me. I grab her hand, dropping down to one knee and bow my head "Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I whisper, a few tears roll down my face.

"Sophia, what…?" she tries

I look up at Mo'at "Why didn't you tell me the truth? I stole your daughters birthright." I look at Neytiri "How do you not hate me?"

Neytiri surprises me by kneeling, her other hand holding mine "Sophia, the energy of the universe is only borrowed, and one day we have to give it back. Sylwanin was the next Tsahik, she was connected to Eywa in a way I couldn't. -I see her in you Sophia." her hand wipes away a few of my tears "take pride in that." she places a kiss on my forehead as a few more tears fall "No more tears okay?" she smiles in English, wiping my cheeks.

I chuckle sadly, wiping away a few more tears "Okay."

Mo'at smiles, extending a hand to both of us "Come now Sophia, it is time for you to learn."

..

..

"Being Tsahik isn't like other jobs. Its not something you do, its more like a feeling. In here." her hand rests over my heart "You must feel the way of the world. Listen to what our great mother tells us."

"I think I have before." She holds my gaze "I… I can sometimes hear the seeds of the sacred tree."

Her eyes widen "You can hear this already?"

"I…" I clear my throat "Is that a bad thing?"

"You are that connected to Eywa?"

"I don't know how I do it, it just happens. I get this feeling, like I'm floating and the world goes silent."

"Silent?"

I hiss in pain as she stabs me with her wooden pick, licking the blood off slowly "Oww."

Her eyes find mine, a clear sign to shut up and wait.

"You are still on the outside."

"What?"

"You are still on the outside. You have not opened your mind to Eywa."

"I can talk to seeds."

She pushes me down, motioning to a patch of softer moss. "Sit, think. Open your mind."

"What?"

"Sit." she hands me a small rock "Connect, feel."

"Connect?"

"Make the bond."

I glance at my palm "With a rock?"

I flinch a she smacks me upside the head "Yes, with a rock." I wince. rubbing my tender scalp "Everything is connected with Eywa, it is your job to feel it."

She disappears into a hollowed out part of tree, moving through a few bowls as I sigh, carefully grabbing my que link up with the rock. I can't help but shiver, the cooler stone chilling my spine as my tendrils wrap around it. It was cold, and slimey, this sensation moving through my body.

"Ohh, this feels weird..."

"Stay with it." Mo'at says from afar "Fall into the sensation, feel what its trying to show you."

I tilt my head, trying to move past this slimey feeling but every direction I went it was there.

"Mo'at,"

"Sit with it, it will be uncomfortable at first."

I let out a steadying breath, trying to feel anything. That cold, wet slime was burrowing into my head. Like worms crawling up through my nose and forcing there way into my skull. I swallow as my stomach spins, trying to push past it again and feel the worms moving down my throat. When the worms turn to slime, oozing there way to my stomach I retch and drop the rock.

"Sophia?"

I shutter again, standing up and shake out my body, still feeling it oozing down my throat. I spin, hand to my throat and gag, the sensation of slime was slowly shifting back to worms, the feeling of them crawling under my skin was burning itself into my mind. I couldn't stop the way I gagged, leaning over the side of the tree, thankful for the bowl that appears below me. Mo'at pats my back affectionately as I puke. Over and over and over until I'm dry heaving into the bowl.

"This is an unusual reaction."

I sigh, leaning against the wall and lower myself to the ground "It's a rock..."

"Clearly it is more than that" she musses "though, it wouldn't do us much good if our Tsahik-in-training is taken down by a rock."

I turn, sending her a sideways glare and gratefully accept a cup of water.

"I've connected with things before and they haven't felt like that. Like slime trying to merge with my spine." I shutter, holding the bowl close.

"Hmm…" she holds her chin "Perhaps your bond with Manova has opened your connection more than I realized... Come with me."

We make our way downstairs, walking to the edge of home tree and stop. I see a few hunters in training moving toward us.

"My Tsahik," they bow in greeting.

She smiles "Kawaya, Natayam, I would like you to accompany Sophia into the forest."

"The forest?" we all say together.

"Yes," she sighs, holding my shoulders "You need to find your beacon."

"My what?"

"Your rock." she holds up her wooden pick bound in leather "It is a talisman that grounds you in your journey."

"And how do I find it?"

"By looking in here." she holds my chest again "It will call to you. Listen for it."

..

..

We had been wandering for over an hour, Manova leading the group. The other hunters had to keep a bit of a distance, the horses weren't very comfortable around her. I didn't miss the snort of amusement through the bond.

"You could at least pretend to be humble." I snort

"Why do I need to be humble when I'm that awesome."

"Awesome huh? Look who's browsing through my language now."

She chuckles, my whole body bouncing "The feeling was always there, the word was just missing."

"Are you saying the Navi aren't as egotistical as us?"

"More or less." she grins

I go to respond when this shiver runs down my spine. Manova shivers, turning her head to the east.

"Woah…."

I dismount, stepping over a few tree roots and followed that pull. I stop under a larger tree, glancing up the bark.

It took a little maneuvering but I managed to get Manova to lean against the tree and stand on her shoulders. I shoved my blade into the bark, prying back the thicker wood.

"Sophia, what are you doing?" Kawaya asks

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But I feel like there's something in here." I carved further into the burl, hollowing out the bark and see a hint of something grey. I angle the knife, digging further and expose more.

"What is it?" Natayem asks

"I don't know, it looks like stone." I reach my finger in, trying to clear away more bark and hiss when it cuts into my finger "Fuck! It's sharp though." I stick my finger in my mouth, sucking on the wound gently.

"Do you need help?" Kawaya musses

"I got it." I spent a few minutes digging and finally manage to dislodge the item. It falls into my palm, and I use my knife to clean off the small pieces of bark and carefully leap to the ground "Thank you Manova," I smile, petting her face gently.

"What did you find?" Natayem asks

I open my palm, staring at the arrow-head in my hand "I don't know… but it feels right."

..

..

"You're back."

"Yes," I smile "I found it."

I place it in her palm, Mo'at smiles, looking at the arrow head "Interesting."

My face shifts "is it not okay?"

"No, its fine. Each talisman is keyed to a specific person. There is no right or wrong one."

"It's just a feeling."

She smiles "Precisely."

We wander up to the small room, my eyes taking in the massive amount of fabrics, stones, and blades.

"Come, Choose."

"Choose?"

"Find what feels right."

I stand there, rolling the arrow-head in my palm, not all the edges were sharp but my finger still burned, the cut pulsing like a heartbeat. I shake my head, setting the arrow-head on the table and start feeling the fabrics, trying to find that spark. I move a pile of strings to my left, the end getting caught of a knife and it tips. I move to the left quickly, dodging the knife and watch the arrowhead fly across the room, sliding across the smaller platform and fall out of sight.

"Shit." I groan, making my way to the edge and look over. I could see it, sitting on top of the dragon skeletons eye.

I make my way downstairs, swerving around a few people and move over to the face. Damn, even dead this thing was terrifying.

"I am glad I don't have to fight you." I chuckle, stepping up on the ledge and lift a hand, my fingers trying to locate the arrow in the deep socket.

"What are you doing?" a familiar voice says behind me and I wince. God, he's quiet when he wants to be…

I turn, facing Tsu'tey and casually lean against the skeleton head "Uhh… I'm just admiring the features." Tsu'tey simply raises a eyebrow and I fold like a cheap suit "I found my talisman today and kind of dropped it…"

"Dropped it?" A hint of a smirk was forming on his lips "Where?" When I hide my face, childishly pointing at the eye socket that smirk isn't hidden "Perhaps Mo'at should have you working on eye-hand coordination instead." he muses.

His nine foot three frame easily towered over my seven foot nine. Tsu'tey simply stood there, long arms reaching into the socket and after a few moments removes his hand.

His fingers play with the arrowhead, easily keeping it out of my reach as I try to swipe it.

"This little thing is supposed to help you find your way?" He grins, hand lifting over my head as he examines it "Perhaps you should have chose something bigger. It's-" His eyes taking in the faded mark on the back, near the bottom and all the joy fades from his lips "Where did you get this?"

"What?"

I jolt as his hand grips my wrist hard "Where did you get this?!" He growls again.

"I-I found it! In the forest."

"You found it?" He pulls me off the step, my body crashing into his and now I'm glaring.

"Yes, I found it in a tree, now get off!" I slam my foot into his shin and watch him stumble back.

His eyes snap between the arrowhead and me, anger brimming in them once more "You can not have this."

"What?!" He grips the arrow head, storming towards the door "TSU'TEY STOP!" I run after him, grabbing his arm and he shoves me back

"No! You can not have it!"

"Tsu'tey!"

I grab his tail, giving it a hard yank and the male spins, hissing at me. When he takes a step towards me Eytukan's voice echoed through the hall.

"TSU'TEY! HOLD YOURSELF!" Eytukan and Mo'at were moving towards us.

"Give it back." I shove my open palm towards him

"No." he growls, smacking my hand away

"What is going on here?" Mo'at was clearly annoyed by our actions "Every time I turn around you two are bickering like children."

"Tsu'tey, this is not how a Ometakiya warrior acts to his intended." Eytukan states, bow rolling angerly in his hand.

"This demon is not my intended." he shoots me a glare.

Mo'at's gaze turns to me "What is going on here Sophia?"

"Tsu'tey took my talisman and he wont give it back."

Her head turns to him "Is this true?"

Tsu'tey looks to the left, his voice soft "It is not hers Mo'at, she can not have it."

"Tsu'tey, you know better than anyone not to interfere with Eywa's will. It is her destiny."

"There are plenty of arrowheads in the forest, why is this one so special to you?" Eytukan asks.

Tsu'tey looks down at the arrowhead in his hand "Because it was mine. This is the first arrow I ever shot on the hunt."

I hold Mo'at's shocked gaze and look back at him. His face looked so soft, softer than I'd ever seen it. Eytukan carefully picks up the arrowhead "Everything in life is only borrowed Tsu'tey, eventually we must move on." he places the arrowhead on my palm.

"No!"

Eytukan stops his advance "Tsu'tey that's enough! You are the leader of the hunt and the future Olo'eyktan, I expect you to act like it." he pulls him a few steps away from me "Go." he shoves him back once more when his glare wont leave me "Go!"

I put a hand over my eyes, trying to fight back the tears. Every time we got one step in the right direction something like this happened…

"Sophia?"

When Mo'at pulls my hand back the tears roll down my cheeks "How are we supposed to make this work Mo'at? I can't be the only one trying here."

She pulls me into a hug, long arms wrapping around me tightly and I bury my head in her softer shawl.

"He needs time Sophia… he will come around eventually."

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