|I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it :) Kind of a short one, but more will be coming soon.
If anyone finds any grammar or spelling errors ANYWHERE in this story, please let me know so I can fix them! Thank you all so much <3|
With night falling, my anxiety levels continue to rise. Being in my Avatar, yet being surrounded by darkness, frightens me, and reminds me of the sightless reality back at the compound.
Knowing that the best thing for me to do, is to get up into a tree, I begin to climb, the movement coming easily to me, as I trust my body to know what to do.
My hands grasp the vines tightly as I hoist myself up. Finally, when I feel that I am high enough up to hide, and still be safe, I stop. I look around, trying to find anything that looks familiar, or something that says the others are looking for me.
"Eywa, please make sure Jake is safe." I whisper. Grace seemed terrified of the Thanator, and if a seasoned Avatar Driver like herself was afraid, it didn't bode well for the Marine that never listens to his instincts.
The darker it got, the more I shook, my mind freaking out, unable to stop my body from making noise. The only downside of having a mental illness such as Anxiety, is that it follows you wherever you go.
Suddenly, I see a light in the distance. Not a flashlight, but fire. Hoping that it's one of the others, I slowly climb down the tree, and start running in that general direction. It isn't long before I find Jake getting attacked by a bunch of Viperwolves.
Thinking quickly, I grab the nearest stick I could find, and start whacking them away from him, not wanting to hurt them, just scare them away.
However, It isn't long before we are both overpowered by their numbers. "Eywa, Save us!" I shout, my wrist getting caught in the mouth of one of the viperwolves. I hiss in pain, but it doesn't last for long, as someone else joins the fray, and scares them off. Holding my wrist gently, I look up to see a young woman hissing loudly at the Viperwolves.
She looks at us both coldly, before picking up the torch Jake made, and dunking it in some water.
"Wait! Don't-" Jake starts, but it's too late.
Before I could even think of the darkness, the world around us lights up in what appears to be bioluminescence. Blue-green light surrounds us, lighting up the area just enough to light our way.
"Beautiful..." I whisper, once again amazed at this world.
The woman finds a dying Viperwolf, and kneels down next to it. "Forgive me, my brother." She whispers in Na'Vi, before stabbing it in the base of its neck.
Jake, being his usual self, pipes up, "Look, um, I know you probably don't understand this. But - thanks. Thank you. I owe you."
The woman ignores him, bending down over the now dead animal and saying a prayer. "Forgive me. May your spirit run with the Great Mother."
"I would have been screwed if you hadn't come along - " She rises and walks away without looking at Jake or I. With one look, we both follow her, my arm still being carefully held to stop the bleeding. "Hey, wait. Wait! Where you goin'?" He asks. Running after her, making a lot of noise, Jake grabs his shoulder. "Slow down a second will you. I just want to thank you for killing those -"
She whips around and hits his chin with a well placed backhand swipe of her bow.
"Oh I like you. Do it again." I exclaim, smiling.
She ignores me, "Don't thank! You don't thank for this! This is sad. Very sad, only."
"Okay, I'm sorry. Whatever I did - I'm sorry." Jake replies, digging his grave even deeper. I sit back and watch, slightly amused by his abuse.
The woman gestures to the dead bodies of the viperwolves on the ground. "All this is your fault! They did not need to die."
"They attacked me. How'm I the bad guy here-"
"Shut up Jake!" I hissed. He sends me a glare, but focuses back on the woman when she silences him with the tip of her bow at his throat.
"Your fault! You are like a baby, making noise, don't know what to do." I chuckle softly, the fact that she hardly knows him, yet hits his personality on the head is impressive.
"Okay, fine, you love your little forest friends. So why not just let them kill our ass? What's the thinking?"
She tilts her head. "Why save you?"
"Yes, why save us?" I ask.
"You have strong hearts. No fear." She leans closer to Jake. "But stupid! Ignorant like a child! She has more sense!" She turns, and stalks off, Jake and I following after her.
"If I'm so ignorant, maybe you should teach me. Kita knows most of it."
"Thanks Jake."
"Sky people can not learn. You do not See." She exclaims, the remark hitting closer to home than she knows. She jumps onto an elevated root, thinking we won't be able to follow.
I easily manage to leap onto it, Jake as well. "Then teach us to 'See'." She runs across the root with ease and grace, something that both Jake and I struggle with.
"Hey, slow down. Look, I think we just got off on the wrong foot and -" Jake starts, but stops when he looks down and notices the height. "-You just have to get to know me. I'm Jake. Jake Sull-" A vine catches his spear, and throws him off balance. I try to reach him in time, but the woman beats me to it.
"You are like a baby!" She shouts in her native tongue.
"We need your help." I say softly, still anxious about not being with Grace and Norm.
"You should not be here." She replies.
"Then take us with you." Jake states, a smug smirk on his face.
"No. You go back." She goes to say something else, only to stop when woodsprites float down towards Jake and I.
"What?" Jake asks. I shush him as I notice them as well. Several of them land on us both, more so him than me. He holds out his arms, while I hold out my hands, amazed at these creatures. "What are they?" He asks.
"Atokirina' -" She starts.
"Seeds of the Great Tree. They are very pure spirits Jake." I finish, just as amazed as the woman standing before me. She looks at me in question, probably trying to figure out how I know so much, yet so little.
As if a gust of wind blew them away, the woodsprites leave, traveling back on their unknown path. "What was that about?" Jake asks.
Without an answer, the woman grabs Jake's hand. "Come." She pulls him along, with me following closely behind.
"So, what's your name?" Jake asks her. Before she responds, something knocks Jake off the root, and onto the ground below.
"Jake!" I shout. I watch the woman jump down, and I quickly follow suit, more afraid of being left behind, than what could be down below.
However, I take that back when I stand, only to see the Direhorses with their riders surrounding Jake, their bows aimed at him.
"Tsu'tey, what are you doing?! He is my captive!" The woman shouts at the man, Tsu'tey.
He jumps off his mount, standing with such a stance that makes you want to bow to him, as if he were a king. "These demons are forbidden here. I will kill this one as a lesson to the others!" He goes to draw his bow, but the woman leaps in front of him, in between Tsu'tey and Jake and I.
"Stop! There has been a sign. This is a matter for the Tsahik." The woman claims. Great. Just great Jake. Look at what you've gotten us into. The loss of blood from my wound makes me sway slightly. Tsu'tey's face morphs into frustration as he leaps back onto his direhorse.
"Bring them both." He growls out. Other hunters that were on foot, grab Jake and I by our braids, making us cry out. I look at the woman who led us here, her gaze fixed on us.
I motion to my wrist, the blood seeping through my fingers. "Help me." I state, pain filling my voice.
As if just seeing me for the first time, her eyes open wide. "Tsu'Tey! Bring her ahead of the others! She needs help!" Tsu'tey stops the direhorse, to turn and look at us.
He hops down and approaches me. He gestures to my wrist, and I remove my hand to let him see. With my hand gone, the blood starts pouring out too quickly. "Come." He whispers, and picks me up, putting me on the back of the Direhorse. He mounts in front of me, and begins to ride quickly.
However, I never knew where we were going, for as soon as we started moving, my vision swayed, my eyes closed, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up to darkness. I grip my wrist tightly and start gasping for air. The link pod opens, and shouts from Grace and Norm start filling the air.
"Kita! Kita you're okay! Is the Avatar safe? Where's Jake?" They both ask.
"I don't know. I don't know."
Grace helps me sit up, and puts a glass of water in front of me. "Take a sip, then tell us what happened."
After a few sips, I begin my tale, recounting everything. "The last thing I saw, was a bunch of the Omaticaya leading Jake and I somewhere. Tsu'tey had me on his direhorse, trying to get me medical attention. I don't know how long it will be for Jake, Or where my Avatar will be..."
Just then, the sound of a link pod disconnecting shocks everyone, making them bolt away from me, and towards it. Jake's voice sounds, and gets closer as he wheels over to me. "Your avatar is safe. It's at Home Tree."