Chapter 5

Tom hurried after Grace, and after an hour, he finally arrived at the Tree of Souls. Grace sat between the roots, marvelling at the glowing ropes that hung meters down from the thick branches. He stopped to stare at the impressive tree as well. It was so alien to him, but honestly too fascinating to not salivate at the sight of it. When it came to expectations, this tree trumped them all.

"So, how are we going to do this?" He asked his fellow scientist as he stepped closer, his eyes still focused on the tree.

"We will form Tsaheylu, but I guess we should do it one at a time. I'm not sure how deep such a connection runs, and we should always be aware of our surroundings," Grace replied. Tom nodded.

"Well, then should I go first?" Grace agreed and let him step closer to some of these strange leaves.

"I'd like to get a detailed report on your experience. I've never made Tsaheylu before," she said, and Tom let out a nervous chuckle.

"Me neither. Well, I'll see you on the other side," he said as he reached behind his back to retrieve his long braid and then held it to one of the pink leaves. As the connection was made, his eyes blew wide open, and his senses honed in on the bright and plentiful voices he experienced with more than just his ears. There was a sudden light before his eyes, and he felt like his mind was sucked out of his body for a short time.

Memories of a great battle, of victory and of peaceful times flooded into his brain. He saw his brother Jake like he was in a movie, but he also felt his emotions. He felt the joy of becoming a father, the pressure of being a leader, and the sadness of mourning his loved ones. Tom really took the time to see Jake as he lived over 17 years without his brother on a different planet.

He met Neytiri, a fierce warrior and loving mother, Moat the Tsahik and spiritual guide of the clan. There was Eytukan, a mighty and wise leader, Tsu'tey, who became a brother and had fought alongside Jake and was missed dearly after his death. Other companions in his brother's life, like Norm, Trudy, Max, and Grace. He saw them all and many more.

Then he got to meet his first nephew Neteyam, the pride of the clan and a seemingly perfect son. Tom surprisingly found that he loved him already. The feeling replicated itself when he met Kiri, daughter of Grace and a miracle in and of herself. Lo'ak he loved with a fierce protective instinct when he saw him toddle around and getting into trouble wherever he went. In that aspect he was really a mini-Jake. Next there was little Tuk who was the spitting image of her mother. She'd grow up to be as beautiful and fierce as Neytiri, a true force to be reckoned with. Even the human boy, Spider, that kid came to the clan like it was his home. Apparently Jake thought so too.

At last, he saw himself. Jake must have thought of him, and he felt the longing and deep sorrow of his little brother. He felt the need to find his brother give him a good old and most likely embarrassing squeeze to rid him of all his regrets towards him.

He felt a fundamental change in his worldly perception during the entirety that felt like a LSD trip. The vast truly dark part of his heart being cleansed slowly. Nothing would be the same from now on, but Tom couldn't bring himself to mourn his former way of living.

All those years, Jake had fought and had heard accusations. Tom wanted nothing more than to hold his brother like he used to, completely supporting his weight and feeling the depths of his trust. There had been no other person who had opened his heart more to him than Jake, who deserved to be happy. No person ever fascinated him as much as his brother had.

Tom wanted to be part of his brother's happiness again. Alien happy tears ran down his face as he spent time with the family he did not know he had. Eywa had been kind to him, so he relished in her loving presence and continued to dream on.

He shared his favourite memories of Jake with the deity, and he could feel her compassion. If praying was like this, he could go on all day, praying for his brother and enjoying the presence of Eywa.

It felt like weeks had passed in the time he was connected to the tree, but Grace assured him it had only been a little over an hour.

She really did ask him to do a report and he really tried his best, but his head was still spinning from all the excitement. She let him of the hook when she became annoyed with his useless stuttering.

Now it was Grace's turn to form the bond. She stood still for a long time before her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. Tom hurried to her side to see how he could help, but Grace seemed to be sound asleep.

Grace lay comfortably among the roots of the Tree of Souls as Tom reflected on the changes that Eywa had brought about in him. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he noticed several pairs of eyes on him.

He instantly became alert, but soon realised that they were surrounded by members of the Omatikaya Clan. When they emerged from the shadows of the trees, he respectfully greeted them with the traditional "I see you". Mo'at herself had arrived and stared at him with confusion. When she saw Grace lying between the roots, her confusion deepened.

"You are not Jakesully. Who are you, and why is Kireysi with you?" she asked in a commanding tone, pointing her head at the sleeping woman. Tom bowed respectfully as she approached him.

"My name is Thomas Sully. I'm Jake's twin brother. Dr. Augustine and I came here looking for answers within Eywa's wisdom," he said, looking directly at Mo'at and allowing her to circle him. Grace had mentioned something about trespassing holy ground and pissing off the Omatikaya by coming to the Tree of Souls.

"To'masuly, I have heard your story from my son. He told me you were dead. So was she. I witnessed her passing to Eywa myself," Moat said, sounding a little angry.

"It's true. Grace and I both died many years ago. The Sky People found a way to implant our memories into dreamwalker bodies, and they did so with me and her," Tom explained, pointing to Grace.

"My memories were incomplete until I met Eywa. She showed me my brother's life and the lives of many others," he continued. Mo'at appeared to be considering his words. As if to further appease the irritated Tsahik, some Woodsprites floated down and around Tom and Grace. For a couple seconds he was entranced by the gentle dance of the seeds before Mo'at spoke again.

"The abilities of the Sky People become more and more frightening. Now they even revive the dead," Mo'at said, but her face did not betray any fear.

"Rest assured that the process is lengthy, and not just anyone can be revived. We were chosen as hostages by my brother, but we managed to escape from the Sky People," Tom said, feeling a spike of fear when the Tsahik's face turned sour.

"The Sky People know no honour. How they would revive a brother to kill the other brother," she paused for a moment. "You come too late. My daughter and son have left the clan to protect the people. No one will bend to the Sky People's will on behalf of your life, To'masuly. Rather, you bring danger to our people by being here," Tom bowed again feeling a spike of nervousness.

"It is never my will to harm my family or the people. Grace as well loves the Omatikaya. We will leave as soon as she is up." His sincerity seemed to reach the wise woman, for she moved a hand to two warriors who picked up Grace and their backpacks with ease.

"Stay for the time, To'masuly. If you speak the truth, you are my family and so is Kireysi." With that, she turned and left for the woods. Tom hurried to follow after her.

Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I admit to being very nervous while writing this, and I actually started writing to enhance my English writing skills. My hope is that I'll get better with time and smooth out my language in the first couple of chapters when I become more confident. Most of the story is actually finished, but I check the text multiple times before uploading, and still, there are mistakes left.

Anyway, I hope you continue to read "Checking up on Family" because, as a sibling myself, I know how deep the bond can go. Tom really only got killed off for the story in Avatar 1 to happen, but I imagine that he would have a bigger impact on Jake than the movies show. In the second movie, the bond between siblings became more important, so I feel that Tom (and actually Sylvanin as well) deserves to get more screentime.