Tsu'tey leads three direhorses up the trail. Two teenage hunters alongside Jake and I. The horses hooves clop right next to a sheer drop into the misty canyon. Which is making me feel a little bit... exhilarated. But nervous, yeah... exhilarated and nervous. 'Hahahhaa I'm dead'
Ikinmaya roughly translate to as a stairway to heaven. It is a test that every younger hunter must pass.
Suddenly Tsu'tey signals to stop. Up ahead in an astonishment formation causing my mouth to hand open. Thick vine like trees have trapped large floating borders of unobtanium in their gnarled grips. A hundred meters above the are more borders woven into the twisted vine trunk.
Jake must of seen my face because he chuckles before living his hand up and holds chin before closing it which caused me to flush in embarrassment before looking away. Unbeknown to bothe Jake and Nova, Tsu'tey saw their interaction and was boiling with rage. He had already figured out why he was so overprotective of Nova as the jolt of electricity that corsed throughout his body when their eyes connected notified him. And he wasn't going to let some sky person get in his way.
There is a thundering roar, like an artillary barrage, that shakes the ground causing me to break out of my trance of embarrassment and look around. One of the floating mountains is grinding against the flank of a nearby mesa. The mountain is drifting towards us, filling half the sky.
The hunters dismount as Jake and I follow in pursuit. Jake turns to me with and unsure look to which I return with an excited look.
"We doin' this?"
"Hell yeah!"
Jake and I leap up to catch it as Tsu'tey and the other hunters swarm the base of the beanstalk. 200 meters up the beanstalk the hunters, as well as Jake and I, nimbly climb along side the vine trunks. We chamber over one of the unobtanium borders which is lifting up this incredible tree.
I look down seeing the once massive trunk dwindle to the size of a licorice stick. A chunck breaks off the bolder as me and Jake climb over it as we reach the upper rand of the beanstalk.
Above us I'd the craggly underbelly of the Mons Veritatis looming. Sprays from one of the waterfall hits us and it honestly feels so refreshing. And very calming... although that sounds weird and very bizarre... anyways...
Some of the hanging vines brush over the upper branches of the beanstalk with a crackling hiss. One by one the hunters grab onto the vines as they pass, leaving only me and Jake. Looking at eachother before shrugging we leap to a passing vine as our feet dangle over nothing whilst we climb towards the floating islands above.
Our tiny figures cross a causeway of vines connecting a small island of unobtanium to the main mass of Mons Veritatis. Banshees circle next to the cliffs, flashing in the shafts of sunlight as waterfalls dissolve into nothingless below.
A waterfall thunders down intot he void like a faucet of the gods. Jake and I look down the sheer cliff at the world far bellow. A view from Olympus.
With a shriek and the sound of wings flapping Neytiri's banshee swoops down in a perch at the edge of the grotto. He dismounts it, like a falconer, covers its eyes with a woven hood. It waits docile as Neytiri joins up with our group, facing everyone before letting his eyes linger on me for a while longer before turning away, with worry.
Tsu'tey once again leads us through a cave until we emerge onto a cliff face. The first thing Jake and I noticed are the banshee rookery. Hundreds huddled on a rock out cropping as far as the eye can see. They cling to the walls with their fore claws on their wings or perched on ledges.
"Jakesully and Nova will go first." Tsu'tey said with a smirk, trying to cover up his worry for Nova, with challenge in his eyes. I can tell the two young hunters were scared but tried to put on a tough facard with I could easily see through. Wishing to end their fear I turn to them with a reassuring smile and put my hand on their shoulder whilst whispering words of encouragement before heading off. Missing the loving looks from Jake, Neytiri and Tsu'tey. 'She would be a great mother' they all thought
Tsu'tey smirk soon turned into a scowl alongside Jake as they watched Neytiri take my small hands into his slightly, OK much, bigger ones as he leads me and Jake to the ledge. His touch instantly calmed my nerves. Neytiri leans to us in a small voice, "Now you will choose your ikran. This must feel... right inside. If he also chooses you move quick like I showed you both. You will have one chance."
"How will I know if they chooses me" "He will kill you" putting on a sarcastic smile I say "fun... well, let's go" saying the last part with a chipper voice. Neytiri gives my hand a squeeze with causes another jolt of electricity to go through my body, the same that happened with Tsu'tey, but he brakes away like it didn't happen, leaving Jake and I alone one the ledge.
I put my hand on Jakes shoulder for reassurance as I could tell he was nervous. But not for himself. No... it was for the wellbeing of Nova. His childhood love. The banshees eye us curiously as we approach. There are several shriek before those who made the sound tale flight. Others flap their wings and yawn, showing their fangs in a threat display.
Jake and I turn to eachother before looking into eachothers eyes as another corse of electricity moves throughout my body. Although given our current situation, I didn't have time to thinks about it. Giving eachother a mental signal we split up so we do not interfer with one another and focus on our own task I front of us.
I unroll a weighted leather strap, like a one ended bolo. A large male spreadsheet enormous wings and ares straight at me. But what caught my eye was the colouring of this one. I mean it kind of like a galaxy, and ombre affect of blue, white, black and purple. Absolutely stunning.
"Alright, let's do this. And don't kill me... please?" The challenged banshee leaps and hisses at me. However I time the lunge, swinging the bolo, then feinting and then slipping aside as the banshees jaws miss me before snapping shut.
I wrap the bolo across its snout, because of its weight it whips twice around their large jaws. They release a muffled screech before it slashes at my stomach with razor talons but I am already leaping their talons and tackling the banshee around its neck as it thrashes around.
Ready to finish this I hastily grab its whip like antenna and jams it into the end of my queue. As they fuse together the banshee stops struggling and lies their panting. We are locked together... literally, from eye to eye.
"Welcome to the family buddy... You really put up a fight huh?" I say out of breath. Suddenly I hear Tsu'tey laugh and yell mockingly. Following his vision I see Jake leaning of the edge. "Jake!" My yell seemingly woke him up as he tackle his banshee and slammed his queue into their antenna. Kinda like how I did it.
Telling my banshee to walk towards them I meet up with Jake. "How are you feeling cause I feel excited." "Exhausted" Jake nonchalantly replied. Neytiri runs over to us seeing we're done. "Fist fly seals the bond. You cannot wait." Jake and I sit astride the creature, feeling its power. We grip the hand of the beasts main and- "What we waitin' for, you heard the wonderfull gentelman next to us... let's go."
Hearing that Jake and I give the signal of "heeeeyyyaaahhh" and the banshees shot of the cliff. Jake screams while I laugh as we plumet of the cliff. "See ya Jakey." My banshee levels out and flying upwards, passing Tsu'tey, Neytiri and the two young hunters. Soon enough Jake starts gets the hang of it and now is flying with me.
Neytiri's banshee falls into formation with us and signals us to follow him before diving. Jake and I guide our banshees, quite clumsily, after him. 'What, sure I riden horses and stuff but I've never flown on a animal'
Neytiri's banshee moves with precise movements of the wingtip, while Jake and I wobble and dip, almost falling put of the sky. He leads a arcing dive around the flanks of Mon Veritatis, which has a stunning scenery. We pass a waterfall and swoop between the hanging vines.
Neytiri leads us into a sharp bank, skimming close to the cliffs. We punch through streamers of clouds and emerge into sunlight. Me and Jake start to get the hang of flying. We jink left, then right and then dive, tucking ourselves tight against the animals back. This might be reckless and fearless because we're in half control, but this feelings feels so liberating. It feels as if I am free from the troubles our world has come with.
Neytir dives next to us as I let out a Whooohooo of joy.
Cue flight montage...
Neytiri squats with Jake and I, using his hands to explain flight principles, like one flight pilot to another. Neytiri is taking over this area of training for both me and Jake.
Looking down a sheer cliff all of us dive our mounts straight down, pulling out and soaring into a series of acrobatic turns.
We fly in close formation with Tsu'tey and the young hunters, 6 banshees flying through scarves of mist.
Another day Jake and I dive, playing a game of hide and seek with Neytiri and Tsu'tey amongst the clouds. We are wild and playing free in a wild world. Tsu'tey and Neytiri grin before saying catch me if you can as they bank hard diving as we both dive after them.
In the grotto, by the firelight Jake and I's banshee snaps at a peice of meat to which we both playfully pull back. We're teaching it to take the foof more slowly. I stroke it on its long head. "This is fun, ain't it Jake." Jake turns to me with a smile that could rival a Cheshire cat before nodding.
Tsu'tey is nearby with the young hunters, I can feel his eyes looming on us with a mixture of emotions. Anger yet... adoration.
Another day Jake Neytiri and I fly abreast, soaring easily. He points to something as Jake and I follow his vision to see a bizarre geological formation. Arches of magnetic rocks form rainbows of stones above a deep cauldera.
In the center of caldera is a single enormous willow tree, gnarled and ancient. This is the well of souls.
Ridge
Jake and I fly with Neytiri alongside a forested ridge. He is teaching us to hunt from our banshee. We carry our bows at the ready, scanning bellow them for prey. Two huge shadow covers us as Neytiri shouts a warning.
Jake and I look up to see two leonopteryx, in delta dive whistling right towards us. "Uh oh" like a banshee but several times larger, it is the king predator of the air. Both the great leonopteryx are different. One is striped scarlet, yellow and black with with a midnight blue crest head. The other is stripped with blue, white, black and scarlet with a gorgeous purple crest head. It is both beautiful yet terrifying. The hunter has become the prey.
Jake and I snap rolls and dive towards the forst canopy were me and Jake split up so we only have one leonopteryx on our tails. I plummet into the gloom as I yank into a hair pin bank, right through a gap between two huge branches. Forcing the leonopteryx to brake with a loud whoosh of wings. It banks away with a frustrated shriek and whit two flaps of its mighty wings ut already gone back above the canopy.
Close on the leonopteryx as its ganged mouth opens and let's out a blood curling screech which echos among the mountain. The Lord of its domain.
Flying up I spot Jake with a shaken up expression as Neytiri joins us with a na'vi expression equivalent to 'oh my god'. A beat goes by and we all crack up in laughter.