one. flying amongst the clouds
JUNIPER WOULD NEVER FORGET THE RAW BLISS SHE WAS IN BEING ACCEPTED INTO THE OMATICAYA CLAN. The girl worked so hard for the moment to happen, and when it did, she felt her life was complete—a feeling that Juniper couldn't put into words. She was proud to call herself a part of the Omaticaya, "you are now a daughter of the Omaticaya. You are a part of the people."
Those words inevitably brought content to the little girl's heart. Since being locked up and treated as a science experiment, Juniper was grateful to have the feeling of a family. A clan that she would stand by and fight. No matter the risk.
Juniper was a warrior, and the Na'vi were quick to see it. Her past didn't make the Vespera girl who she was, and Juniper made sure of it. She proved to herself, time and time again, that she was worth more than what the sky people gave her. Juniper barely remembered her old life before becoming Na'vi—and if she was honest, she didn't want to.
The only thing she cherished from the memories she obtained was a man: Mateo Vespera. Juniper was a fast learner so realising that he was her father didn't take long. Through the mere memories, she felt how much he loved her, despite her condition as a human. The sickness that plagued her health, deteriorating her life away.
Mateo lived in her head when she was alone. Her mind only travelled to the father she once had. No matter how much the girl wanted to meet him, Juniper couldn't. For two reasons. The first being that he was shot in front of her when she had first opened her eyes in a new body that she was unfamiliar with in the past, and two: if Mateo were alive, he'd be on Earth.
Earth—the planet that had no more green. Juniper heard the stories about how much it was a beautiful planet before—full of life. Animals and plants decorated the world. But when Juniper was born, Earth was dying. No resources to inhabit itself or the life that lived among it. Maybe that was the reason Juniper got sick in the first place—due to the lack of life that the planet possessed.
But in a morbid, twisted way, Juniper was happy with the outcome. If she hadn't gotten sick and lost her life, she wouldn't have come back as Na'vi or been brought into Pandora through cryosleep, which she now knew as her home. Or the people that she considered her family. And she thanked her father for it, nevertheless the pain that came with it.
Being injected with syringes filled with substances Juniper had no idea of, her body and brain tired down on her due to the constant experiments performed on her. Since then, sky people were sought to be the enemy in her books. Juniper was convinced there was no 'good' human out there. They were selfish beasts that only cared for themselves and what they wanted.
And they wanted the energy that Pandora contained.
But Juniper wouldn't allow it. Pandora was her home, and she would stand for what was right till the day she died. Juniper wasn't scared at the thought of death—she had already experienced it once. From what she could remember, she didn't feel a thing as her life slipped out of her grasp.
Maybe she couldn't feel a thing in the face of death itself, but flying amidst the sky was a completely different story. The breeze blowing against her face, the freedom she felt—Juniper had never felt so alive. Her Ikran, Zuzip, was the best friend the Vespera girl never knew she longed for until she was ready to bond with the said creature. Despite the act of trying to kill each other in the beginning, Juniper considered the magnificent animal as her spirit sister.
Juniper would always be on the Ikran's back before the eclipse fell against Pandora. She loved soaring through the sky, taking in the view that the young girl adored. It was Juniper's escape, and everyone from the Omaticaya clan knew this. Neytiri especially.
She and Neytiri were the first to get along. Neither of them knew why but didn't care. They were happy that they had each other. Was it the fact that they saw themselves in each other? They didn't know. It was a bond unexplainable.
Juniper hollered, her voice echoing through the emptiness of the sky. A smile was plastered on the girl's face as she flipped through the sky, manoeuvring through the trees and obstacles. The Vespera girl pulled herself up from her crouched position on Zuzip, standing on the girl's back.
Zuzip shrieked, already knowing what Juniper was trying to attempt. Juniper playfully chuckled, patting the neck of Zuzip, "Mawey, Zuzip. Calm. It'll be fine," She reassured. Zuzip squawked in annoyance and steadied her flying. As Juniper saw one of the floating islands approaching, she disconnected her bond from Zuzip and took a leap, using the muscle of her legs.
She firmly landed on the island, heavily breathing from excitement as she ran through, making it to the other side's edge. Without worry, she hurdled herself off the platform and freely fell through the sky. Zuzip—coming from beneath the island—appeared, catching Juniper on her back.
The girl cheered, connecting the bond once more and hollered from the victory, "yes, Zuzip, we did it!" As she laughed and her mind was elsewhere, she hadn't realised the Ikran that joined her on her flight with the passenger grinning.
Neytiri couldn't help the smile on her face raised from seeing the young girl in pure joy at the success. She called out, diverting the girl's attention from Zuzip to her, "that was impressive," She admitted in Na'vi. Juniper bowed with a smug smirk on her face. Neytiri rolled her eyes, "though you should be training."
Juniper knew Neytiri would bring up her lack of attendance at training. Even though she was a part of the Omaticaya and knew everything Na'vi, she was still advised to train her skills. It was like school in a way for the Na'vi children. Juniper shook her head, "you know I'm one of the best. I don't need to be training."
Before Neytiri could get a retort in, Juniper sped off. The woman groaned, murmuring beneath her breath, "skxawng," And quickly trailed after the girl. Juniper glanced back, one hand gripping the saddle strapped against Zuzip's back, her lips raising to a smirk from seeing Neytiri chasing after her.
Juniper lightly tapped Zuzip on the back, sending the creature a knowing look. Behind her eyes was a look of mischief. Being a warrior didn't mean that Juniper couldn't be playful—she was known for her immature acts at times. Juniper glanced back a couple times when they sped off, flying into the closest forest for coverage. However, a frown littered her face when Neytiri wasn't behind her anymore.
Zuzip halted, being told telepathically through her and Juniper's bond. Juniper's eyes searched around, her tail swaying side to side in the direction she glanced in with her ears perched down. Juniper's brows were furrowed, thoughts pondering, did Neytiri actually leave? Juniper was just having some kind of fun.
Before Juniper was about to turn around and leave with a sigh of defeat, from above, Neytiri swooped down. Juniper hadn't had time to react before she was gripped by Seze—Neytiri's Ikran—Juniper yelled out from the action, startling the teenager as she held on frantically to the creature's leg.
Juniper controlled her breathing, trying to regulate her quickened heartbeat. She yelled to Neytiri, seeing her head poke to the side with a snigger, "Neytiri, let me go!" A chuckle escaped her throat when she spoke, kicking herself around in Seze's grip. Neytiri obeyed Juniper's orders, telling Seze to let the girl go.
As she fell through the air, she straightened her frame to be steady whilst in the air, calling out for Zuzip, who followed close behind. Before impact from the floor, Zuzip slipped from under Juniper, catching her fall. Juniper patted her Ikran, glancing up at Neytiri and met her side, "your flying has improved. Yet, you must not hesitate."
Juniper scoffed, rolling her eyes slightly, "I know this already, Neytiri. This isn't some kind of war. It's a game–we're having fun. You don't have to make everything a training session. You know that, right?"
Neytiri didn't respond, her Ikran flying down. Juniper trailed after her, landing in the forest. She glanced at the woman, watching as she let her Ikran fly away. As Juniper stroked Zuzip, she did the same—allowing Zuzip to go. Although her attention was diverted from the Ikran soaring away and to the swarm of trees as she heard rustling.
Her guard went up, ears perching up as her tail swayed. She gazed at Neytiri, who had her bow gripped in one hand, giving Juniper a sign that she heard it too. For all they knew, it could've been an animal, but the two Na'vi wasn't going to take the risk. Juniper stepped forward but stopped, a frown plastering on her face.
Neytiri puckered her brows from the reaction that Juniper expressed. The Na'vi woman came directly to Juniper's side, grasping her shoulder, but the young girl didn't tear her gaze away from where she saw a figure—almost too familiar with Juniper—running by. Without handing any explanation, Juniper ran after them, keeping her steps as light and quiet as possible—her knife being strapped against her chest.
Neytiri called for the girl when she disappeared into the trees. The woman groaned to herself, chasing after Juniper.