seven. the story of toruk makto
JAKE, NEYTIRI AND JUNIPER SOARED GRACEFULLY THROUGH THE SKY. Since Jake had bonded with ikran, the three would go out flying a lot of the time. Usually, the pair would join Juniper in her daily flights with Zuzip, and the Vespera girl would complain most of the time about not flying alone as it was her time to get away—but she never had a problem when it came to Jake and Neytiri.
Speaking of which, Jake and Juniper's relationship was gradually growing. As the teenager spent more time with Jake, a hole that the girl didn't know she had was beginning to fill ... a hole in which Mateo Vespera once stood. A place where only a father could thrive. Juniper and Neytiri were now training Jake as a duo, teaching him how to become a hunter on the ikran.
As Jake readied his bow, his shadow painting the mountain rocks next to him, he furrowed his brows at the incoming swift silhouette. He glanced up and gasped. An ikran—much bigger than the ones the three were riding, came catapulting down at them. Jake realised that Juniper flew next to him, not noticing the creature from above. He yelled out in a hurry, "Dive! Juniper!"
At the sound of her voice being called, she glanced at Jake and looked into his line of sight. Dread filled her veins as she saw the ikran fastly coming down on them, and replicated Jake as they dove into the sky. The three moved quickly into the canary of trees below them, using the size of the creature to their advantage.
Juniper took note of how close the beast was to Jake's tail, and her breathing became heavy. Thinking of an idea, Zuzip soared back by extending her wings, and as the Sully man glanced back at the ikran right behind him, he watched and shouted out in warning when Zuzip's talons met the side of the larger ikran. The creature roared at the pain of Zuzip's claws ripping into its skin, but due to how big it was in comparison, it flapped its wing against the ikran and its rider, causing them to tumble down at the loss of control.
Jake and Neytiri yelled for the younger girl as she fell off Zuzip, tumbling down to the ground. From the trees and large leaves, Juniper was able to control her fall but took a hard hit as her side met the forest's ground below her. As her head throbbed with pain and her side pulsed, she hesitantly got up onto her fours with a grunt skimming past her lips. She glanced around, her eyes observing above and sighed in relief from not seeing the ikran.
The realisation hit Juniper like a tidal wave from not seeing Zuzip anywhere. Her actions became frantic as she did her calling for her ikran. As the Vespera girl began to panic, a shriek returned her calls, and Juniper sighed in solace at the sight of Zuzip coming towards her. Juniper reached her hand out for the ikran, sitting on her knees, "are you okay, girl? I'm sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn't have done that—I shouldn't have put you at risk like that."
Zuzip squawked, and Juniper knew that the ikran was telling her it was okay, but the Vespera girl was in disbelief at her actions, internally cursing herself. How could she be so careless? Juniper hadn't thought about her decision of throwing herself in danger to save Jake. Though, at the irony of it all, she'd do it again.
Now that her mind was fixated on Jake, she eagerly gazed around the forest in hopes that she'd catch sight of Neytiri and Jake. Juniper sharply inhaled, holding her breath when there was no sight of the pair. Juniper got herself up from her sitting position with a groan at the pain coursing through her side. Zuzip leaned her head out, and Juniper used it as support to bring her to her feet.
Before the girl could mount the ikran, a voice called out for her. Juniper heard the worry in Jake and Neytiri's voices as they continued to shout for the Vespera girl. Juniper returned the callings with a firm voice, trying to hide the pain in her tone. Jake and Neytiri were fast to locate where the voice was coming from and landed a few mere inches away from the girl. Neytiri disconnected her bond from Seze, being the first to run up to the girl.
She was enveloped in a hug. As quick as the sudden action happened, she was pulled away, and Neytiri's eyes inspected her figure. When Neytiri didn't see any injuries, she slapped the girl's shoulder. Juniper grasped where the woman Na'vi slapped, looking at Neytiri with a frown, "what was that for?"
"Stupid," She hissed, clawing at the girl's face close enough that Juniper had to gesture away so Neytiri wouldn't make contact with her. Juniper glanced down with a knowing look. It was stupid and reckless, but as she picked up her head and gazed behind Neytiri, she met eyes with Jake Sully. The man that she endangered her life for against the massive ikran.
Jake leisurely stepped towards the girl, his eyes darting around her physique as Neytiri had previously done. Juniper exhaled as she tore her sight away from Jake, but the man gripped her shoulder tightly. The Vespera girl peered back at him, her brows furrowing as she saw the panic in his eyes turn to relief. A slight smile littered his face before pulling the girl into his embrace.
This was different from Neytiri's or any other sort of hugs she experienced in her second life. His hold was warm and had a fatherly touch to it that Juniper couldn't help the tears building in her eyes. She sunk into his grasp and returned the favour. The Vespera girl rapidly blinked in an attempt to rid the waterworks that burned her eyes before anyone noticed.
She didn't realise how much she missed to be held in a fatherly sense.
The three's gazes burned into the skull of the large ikran posted on a stick. Jake's fingers drifted against its teeth, "other guys call it the Great Leonopteryx."
"It is toruk," Neytiri added, glancing at Jake, "'the last shadow,'" Juniper sat off the side, not so far from the two as she listened to their conversation. She held onto her side after Neytiri forcefully dragged the young girl to her mother to get checked over. Juniper didn't know what Mo'at did, but her side was feeling much better than before. She thanked Eywa that it wasn't worse.
Jake's scoff and his words brought Juniper back to reality rather than being succumbed to her thoughts, "yeah, right. It's the last you'll ever see," Neytiri hopped next to Jake as they both observed the bones of the creature.
The woman spoke softly, "my grandfather's grandfather was toruk makto. Rider of last shadow," No matter how many times Juniper would hear the stories of the great toruk makto, it'd always be her favourite. The way it drove her with courage and hope that someday she could be as good as a warrior, and protect the Na'vi from the sky people invading their home, "toruk chose him. It has only happened five times since the time of the first songs."
Jake remarked how that was a long time and Juniper chuckled at his comment, "every Na'vi knows the story of toruk makto," Neytiri and Jake glanced back at the Vespera girl when she stood from crouching on one of the branches that the hometree granted, "toruk was mighty. He brought clans together to fight in wars—times of great sorrow. It gave hope to the people. That they would make it out of the sadness, and build on what they have."
Jake saw the softness laced in the two Na'vi's eyes as they spoke highly about the great story. The Sully man copied the action, gazing back to the skull of toruk.