four. don't trust nobody
COLONEL QUARITCH—THE MAN THAT ASSIGNED JAKE'S MISSION—LAUGHED. He questioned the Sully man, repeating his report, "'Jarhead clan?' And it worked?" A hint of disbelief laced in his voice as he gazed at Jake.
Jake replicated the grin on Colonel's face, wavering his hands out and slightly shrugging, "hey, I'm practically family. They're gonna study me. I have to learn to be one of them," The Colonel patted the man on the back, stating how he was taking the initiative and wanted more men like Jake.
Selfridge called out, "look, Sully, Sully. Just find out what these blue monkeys want," The man said, referring to the Na'vi, "you know, I mean, w—we try to give them medicine, education, uh—roads. But, no, no, no, they like mud. And—and that wouldn't bother me, it's just that they're, uh," Selfridge paused, trying to conjure an image of hometree on the digital table they sat around, "hey, can you ... can somebody just–sector twelve."
As the digital hologram skimmed through the forest of Pandora, Selfridge told the man to stop, and Jake observed the picture in front of him of Hometree. The place he was taken in by the Na'vi so they could study the dream walker—the first warrior sky person they'd met.
"Their damn village happens to be resting on the richest unobtanium deposit within 200 klicks in any direction. I mean, look at all that cheddar," Selfridge laughed at his joke, his eyes wandering to Jake.
The Sully man tilted his head and asked, "well, who gets them to move?" Jake knew the answer, hearing the Colonel's voice beside him telling him to guess. He chuckled, "what if they don't go?"
Quaritch stood from where he leaned against one of the tables near and walked closer to Jake, a smirk presented on his face, "oh, I bet they will."
Selfridge held his hand up at the Colonel, going to stand next to Jake's side, "Okay, okay, okay, okay, hey. Look. Look, killing the indigenous looks bad, but there's one thing that shareholders hate more than bad press, and that's a bad quarterly statement. I didn't make up the rules. So just find me a carrot that'll get them to move. Otherwise, it's going to have to be all stick. Okay?"
"You got three months. That's when the 'dozers get there."
From the Colonel's statement, Jake glanced up at Selfridge, "well, we're wasting time," He said, determined to fulfil this mission. But then a particular teenager made her way into Jake's head, causing him to sharply sigh, "but there is this one girl," Colonel furrowed his brow, and the Sully man explained, "she doesn't trust me at all. Her name's Juniper. She knew Tom—asked me questions about him."
Jake didn't realise Quaritch's face dropped nor how he cursed silently under his breath. Colonel grasped Jake's shoulder, causing his gaze to divert from the holograms in front of him to the man, "you better get her line—doesn't matter how you do it ... or this whole plan goes to shit."
Despite not knowing where Neytiri was taking him, Jake followed along to the top of Hometree. He didn't know how any of this partook in his training but didn't say anything. As the duo made it to the top of the tree and came into an opening, Jake puckered his brows when he noticed Juniper standing there.
She had a smile at the sight of Neytiri, speaking in Na'vi, "I see you, Neytiri," The only word that Jake understood was the woman's name he's been training with, hearing the girl's accent roll off her tongue. Neytiri returned the statement, and Juniper finally met her eyes with Jake. Her smile dropped, and a heavy gaze settled.
The Vespera girl didn't say anything to Jake as she did with Neytiri but, instead, turned her back on him. Jake mused at the bird calls Juniper imitated out in the distance whilst passing a look of uncertainty to Neytiri. The Na'vi woman shrugged him off, continuing to watch the teenager.
The leaves of the trees above rustled, and the wind was heavier. Juniper's bird calls were returned by the creatures nestled within the branches. Taking Jake by surprise, one of the said animals flew down. It squawked, landing in front of Juniper with a soft hint in its eyes. Jake switched his gaze from the Ikran to Neytiri, exclaiming, "holy shit!" He marvelled.
Unbeknownst to Jake, Juniper had a toothy grin plastered on her face and reached her hand out to the banshee. Zuzip bowed her head, meeting with her rider's touch. She glanced back to Jake and Neytiri, a mischievous grin planting on her face as she teased, "if you don't want to be eaten, then I suggest you don't look in her eyes."
Immediately, Jake bowed his head down and avoided the Ikran's gaze. Neytiri shook her head at Juniper's playful action's knowingly—Zuzip was one of the calmest Ikran out there. Yet, when it came down to it, Zuzip would fight till the very end. Neytiri got back to the lesson, "Ikran is not horse. Once shahaylu is made, ikran will ride with only one hunter in the whole life."
Jake was quick to catch the easiness it was between Juniper and Zuzip. When the Vespera girl made the connection with the creature, its eyes dilated, and her wings flapped. Juniper mounted Zuzip as the two other Na'vi watched.
"To become taronyu—hunter—you must choose your own ikran, and he must choose you," Jake nodded, taking in Neytiri's information. He couldn't tear his eyes off Juniper and Zuzip and the way they looked like a perfect match. Jake asked, "when?"
Juniper scoffed lightly at the man, a snicker escaping from the back of her throat, "when you are ready. Though, you are far from it. You can't even ride a direhorse," Neytiri scolded Juniper as Jake grumbled from the comment. The teenage girl held her hands in surrender towards the woman, "it's not my fault this dream walker can not learn nor be trusted."
Though Neytiri hated the lack of trust Juniper had towards Jake, she acknowledged why it was that way. Before being brought into the Omaticaya clan, the Vespera girl didn't have it easy. It wasn't unknown to the people that she was a sky person before she died, but they saw the pureness the girl radiated—so full of light.
When she and Neytiri got close, Neytiri would never forget the stories that Juniper shared with her. Neytiri knew this girl was different from others she came in contact with because of the trust and openness they shared in their relationship. It reminded the woman a lot of her and her sister, that was killed by the sky people.
Neytiri, too, had pain and trauma poured on her because of the people from the sky.
Before Jake knew it, Zuzip leaned off the edge, and the man's eyes widened. He looked over the edge, watching the pair fall through the sky and the ikran's wings tucked in its sides before they expanded. They soared gracefully through the sky.
Neytiri and Jake viewed in amazement as they flipped through the sky, up with the clouds and becoming one with the sky. Even from where they stood, they could see the peace that was expressed on Juniper's face, placing a smile on their own faces.
The woman next to Jake took his attention off of the two, "Juniper is one of the best flyers. She and Zuzip work together like one. It is a connection made to be."