Recombinant Bridgehead

Epilogue

Under an oppression of fog and a dreary sun, a woman in a shroud of pale wash silently approached the Tree of Souls. She had locked herself away in a prison within her mind—a bastion where nothing could enter or escape. In her grief, she was her own consoler, choosing to shut out everyone who could not possibly fathom the extent of the rupture in her soul.

The whole day prior saw the mourning of many. The death of Toruk Makto was felt strongly by all—their champion, their symbol of victory, the embodiment of the Na'vi spirit, slain so easily and without a body to return to Eywa. He would be a single bead on a songcord that a finger would drift over, walking life for all its course, good and bad.

Neytiri joined her queue and let herself stand before the image of her mate, every aspect captured just as she remembered—strong, dependable, mighty and above all, loving. He looked at her stoic face and the tears rushing down it.

|"What's with the crying?"| he whispered.

|"You did not come back from the battle... They tell me you are dead."|

|"And what do you say?"|

Long did her eyes linger on him. |"That you and our daughter still live..."|

Jake stood and patted her shaved head, smirking in the lovable way she dearly remembered. |"Well, there you go."|

She began to break down and mewled, |"Tell me you are not gone."|

"Crazy, Sheila." He hummed. |"I'll always be with you."|

Outside in the mortal world, Neytiri's head tilted for a phantom kiss, only to return to reality with no warmth on her lips, just the memory of what it felt like.

By the people's will, Neteyam te Tskaha Zayksuli'itan was selected to lead, and through palpable sombreness, the feather mantle was placed upon his shoulders. Mo'at sensed he was troubled in ways beyond grief, but he would not confide in her. Neteyam told no one of what took place, not even Lew. He ran off to a corner of his soul and buried the dark secret where no one could find it, thinking that if he left it there, ignored, perhaps one day the burden would go away.

Kiri's loss, on top of Jake's, destroyed all desire to unite. With the home of the Tawkami burned, the Anurai longing for their savannah, and the Omatikaya fearing Bridgehead's reprisal, the leaders came together to discuss what to do for their clans.

|"We cannot remain here,"| Neteyam spoke, readjusting the mantle that felt very heavy on him. |"The Skypeople are sure to come after us for revenge. Food is too scarce for us to all remain together. We must split up."|

Syotxa' was reserved as he nodded to Neteyam's reasoning. |"My people need to rebuild. We will travel south. The lands there are rich."|

|"We will travel west,"| Häku stated. |"Return to our plains and intermarry with our smaller brother clans."|

|"We will go north,"| said Neteyam. |"And seek sanctuary among the Yayak."|

Syotxa' was perplexed. |"The Yayak? I have not heard of such a clan."|

|"I am not surprised. I learned of them through the Skypeople. Explorers stumbled upon this clan many years ago, but because of their remote location, the aliens did not bother with them."|

|"Is it wise to relocate your people to such a region?"|

|"The Yayak are of the wind, rain and raging sea. We are also of the air, so we should find kinship."|

|"It sounds like a risk."|

|"It is, Olo'eykte Häku. But my Omatikaya will be targeted if I don't move them far away. I feel in my spirit this is the right path to take."|