A New Beginning, A New Life

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

i was gonna wait to post this but, im impatient. this is the prologue/chapter 1 of my Avatar fan fic. it basically tells what would happen if i were to get to Pandora. if i get good feedback, ill post the whole story here once it is done. and if u have any tips or anything, lemme no. this is my first fan fic, let alone Avatar fan fic, so if u veterans have any advice or tips, id love to here them.

so without further ado, here it is.

Spoiler

An Old Beginning, A New Life

Prologue
It's been 50 years since the humans left Pandora. Since then, what transpired had only been mentioned a few times. Eventually everyone forgot about Pandora or what happened with the natives. Everyone who knew is either dead, or old age has withered their memory. Anyone under 50 years old hasn't even heard of Pandora, or the Great War between the natives, or why humans were there. If no one knows about Pandora, can it ever be found again? Purposely? Or perhaps by complete accident?

Chapter 1-Crash
To understand how it happened, you must understand how it came to be.

All my life I've felt like the odd man out. I felt like I didn't belong here on Earth. Everyone thought I was the weird kid because I was obsessed with things that possibly didn't exist. They rejected me for my beliefs. So I spent most of my time when I was younger watching anything I could that could help prove I was right. But, I never could. That's the thing about legends: some aren't true. But then I thought, "If I can't prove the existence of other beings on Earth, perhaps I could prove existence of other beings in space." It was at that point I realized what I wanted to do with my life: NASA. I studied hard in school, got good grades, top of my class. I had earned a full scholarship to a renowned aeronautics school. I worked hard, learning anything new I could about the vast emptiness known as space. I learned everything there was to learn about planets, stars, rockets, anything I could get my hands on. I was able to graduate within 4 years, quicker than anyone else. About a week after graduation, I get a call. I got a call from NASA, who wanted me to work for them. My dream was becoming a reality. They moved me down to Florida, got me started with monitoring computer screens. They soon realized I had more experience than they thought. They promptly moved me up to research and development. They wanted me to help develop a new state-of-the-art rocket booster, capable of launching the space shuttle faster than ever. After years and year of trial and error, we finally had it: a rocket booster capable of launching the shuttle from Earth to Pluto in a matter of hours. But, due to the steadily decreasing economy, we could only afford to build it. Getting astronauts to test it was not possible. So I quickly volunteered to test drive it. Since the shuttle had been easier to survive in, there was no need to go through all the training astronauts had to go though all those decades ago. So, we prepped the shuttle, and it was ready to go a week later. My boyhood dream was being realized. Never could I have ever imagined being able to go up into space. The shuttle was packed with food, drink, everything I could need. But, I soon found out that even with everything I needed, I still wasn't prepared.

Launch day came and I was told what to do. I knew how the fly the shuttle forward, backwards, and sideways, even with the new boosters. I waited anxiously in the cockpit of the shuttle, begging for the countdown to go just a bit faster. Then, from the roar of the crowd outside, I heard one of the greatest sounds I've ever heard:

"10, 9, 8, 7........."

I held onto the seat handles tightly as the countdown got down to zero. Then, at that moment, I heard the roar of the rockets that would propel myself and the shuttle a few thousand feet above the ground. I could feel the force at which I was traveling, as I was being pushed slightly against my seat. The shuttle had much more control over the g-force of traveling this fast, so much that I could still move quite a bit. After a few minutes, I heard a rumble outside. The preliminary rockets had just ejected and were falling back to Earth. A few seconds later, I heard the even louder roar of the external tank. Even with this massive rocket launching me even further from my home, I could still move in my seat a bit. As I watched on the monitor on the dashboard of the Earth getting smaller and smaller, I couldn't help but think that it was possible I will never return. I didn't know at the time that I'd be right. The external tank ejected and began its descent to Earth. By this time, I was far away enough from Earth that was able to move about the cockpit, and start the final stage of ascension. I took control of the shuttle, and piloted it at the approved speed as set by NASA. But something went wrong, as the boosters of the shuttle suddenly sputtered. I began to panic.

"Houston," I screamed into the radio, "I've got a problem up here."

"We read, Captain Tim, what's the situation?" a voice said over the radio.

"Um, well the boosters to the shuttle just gave out, and –"

Just as I said that, the boosters sputtered back on.

"Uh, never mind, Houston. They just came back on, and they appear to be working fine"

"Affirmative, Captain. You may—"

I was cut-off by static. Thinking it was just interference, I tried again.

"Houston, repeat last directive. You got cut off."

Nothing.

"Houston?" I said desperately into the receiver.

Nothing but static.

I was officially freaked out. I was in space, with no contact to Earth. But at least the boosters were working correctly. But I guess someone doesn't like me. Suddenly the boosters sputtered a bit, but this time they didn't turn off. Instead, they let out a huge burst that projected the shuttle much faster than NASA had allowed. I tried to gain control to the shuttle, but whatever the problem was, I couldn't fix it. Hell, I couldn't even steer. The force of how fast the shuttle was traveling pushed back to far in my seat; I could feel the plastic back of it through the cushion. I was so scared about what was happening, I could barely breathe. I don't know how long I was traveling before the shuttle started to slow down. I caught my breath, and leaned out from my chair that, for as long as I was traveling that speed, had felt like I had more seatbelts than usual holding me in. As the shuttle was cruising at a slow speed, I looked out the windshield. I was a planet that looked a lot like Jupiter, and yet, it wasn't. It was missing its red spot. Then I noticed something else. I saw one of it moons in front of me. From what I could tell, it was covered in a dense forest. I decided to try and call Houston again. I grabbed the receiver, and tried to call.

"Houston, come in," I said into the receiver. I got nothing back.

"Houston, do you read? This is Captain Tim Weldon, on board NASA shuttle Valkyrie." Still no response.

I gave up, putting the receiver back. I sat back in my seat and rubbed my forehead, realizing I was alone, with no contact at all. So, in an attempt to calm myself, I stared outside the windshield at the planet and its moon. It was one of the greatest things I've ever seen. But after about a minute, I realized I was speeding up again, but I couldn't hear the roar of the boosters. It was at that moment I saw fuel gauge on the dashboard: it was on "E". Frozen with fear, I jumped for the helm, as a last attempt at controlling what I was hoping wouldn't become my tomb. I was speeding toward the moon like I was being drawn to it. I tried desperately to control the direction of the shuttle. As I trying my best to steer, the planet's surface came into view. The dense forest I was above the planet was now barreling down on me. I pulled the control column toward myself, in an attempt to level the shuttle so it doesn't crash directly into the ground. I was able to level it out a bit, but that didn't stop the shuttle from flying through the canopy and onto the surface below. The shuttle crashed, dirt was thrown upward over the windshield, and the force had knocked me out cold.

[Duma Vadamee {Aungia Tsawkeyä}]

its good for your first fan fic. it was a bit confussing, but i think your intending us to get confussed in the first place. i want to read more! keep at it, and i think you will get good reviews.

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

yeah its good ur confused. its just a way of gettin the audience connected to me in the story, cuz im confused myself about whats goin on

irayo for the good review.

[Duma Vadamee {Aungia Tsawkeyä}]

any publicy is good publicy 

[Muzer]

I don't find it confusing TBH...


The only bit I have a problem with so far is the fact that nobody knows about Pandora - wiped from living memory, that's feasible, but I'm positive there would be some government records or something that a person like the main character would find when working for NASA.



Anyway, other than that, good start - I'm going to guess the fact that it went to Pandora instead of wherever it was supposed to go to was due to the old na'vigation program to go to Pandora accidently being found and fed into the shuttle, possibly remotely (from Houston) - but if you've got another reason in mind, that should be fine too


So yeah, since you've said it's about you, make sure you don't let your ego get the better of you (you haven't yet), else everyone here will know you as the guy with the big ego

The spelling and grammar were good - it didn't have any errors that I noticed (though I daresay there probably were some - few people are perfect), so there was no distraction to the story itself.


It's too early to say whether the storyline itself is going to be any good, so I won't comment on that.

I'm not an expert by any means at reviews and writing, and I am generally seen to be a bit too kind, so you may wish to take this with a pinch of salt - but the fact that I replied is always a good sign, if I don't reply it usually means the thing I would be saying is nasty

[Tsamsiyu92]

The chances of suddenly speeding up and reach pandora are very small, unless there was some kind of force dragging him to Pandora...

Anyways, now you got me waiting for chapter 2.

[Niwantaw]

I can haz more?

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

The chances of suddenly speeding up and reach pandora are very small, unless there was some kind of force dragging him to Pandora...

Anyways, now you got me waiting for chapter 2.

this gets explained in chapter two dont worry.

The only bit I have a problem with so far is the fact that nobody knows about Pandora - wiped from living memory, that's feasible, but I'm positive there would be some government records or something that a person like the main character would find when working for NASA.

the government probably would, but not NASA. plus, wheres the fun in doing that? what would be better: finding out about Pandora from government records, or finding it accidently and learning about it firsthand?

also, chapter two will be done hopefully this weekend. and just as a small spoiler, ill be starting to introduce a new character.

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

okay guys, u ask and Eywa will provide. Chapter 2 is done. this chapter was actually going to be both 2 and 3, which will also be out soon, but i didnt want it to be so long, so i split it up. we also meet our first new character. it may get confusing this chapter, cuz at one point i flash to her perspective, so im just warning u guys in advance. well any way here it is: chapter two-Aftermath

Spoiler

Chapter Two-Aftermath
   I didn't know how long I was out for, but eventually I awoke to the familiar surroundings of the space shuttle. I sat up in my seat, rubbed my eyes, and tried to contemplate what had just happened. I knew that I had crash-landed on this unknown moon in this unknown system. And I knew that if I tried to communicate with Earth, I wouldn't get anyone back. And I'm probably a few light years away, so any communications I would send wouldn't reach Earth for a few years. I looked up at the windshield and saw nothing but dirt and mud. My impact must have been greater than I thought. After thinking it over for awhile, I decided I should try and figure out what went wrong with the boosters. But to do that, I'd have to go out into the unfamiliar terrain. I thought about it again, and came to the conclusion I had no choice. So I got one of the emergency oxygen tanks from storage, put on the mask and left the shuttle. When I exited, I saw something I had ever seen before: the beautiful landscape of this moon. It was absolutely stunning. It made me wish Earth's moon was like this. But, I knew I couldn't enjoy it just yet. I had to try and figure out what went wrong. I made my way to the back of the shuttle. Once there, I started examining the boosters. They looked fine on the outside, so I had to break one open for a closer look. Luckily I knew every inch of these things. It took a few hours, but I finally found what the problem was: the fuel regulator valve was faulty. It's what controls how much fuel is used by the boosters at anytime. It seems it malfunctioned and instead of feeding only enough to go the NASA-approved speed, it fed the booster too much, thus making the shuttle go faster. Once I knew the problem, I knew that I couldn't do anything about it. Even if I had a spare part, how would I get more fuel? There was only enough fuel to get me from Earth, to Pluto and back to Earth. Not from Earth, to a start system light years away. I knew the best thing to do was to try to find a place to camp and see if there were any intelligent life forms on this planet. Then, as soon as I thought that, I had realized my long-lived dream had come true: the words, "intelligent life forms" had made me remember why I studied all these years. And now, I had my chance. So I salvaged what I could from the shuttle's storage bay: food, water, extra oxygen tanks, anything I thought would help. I didn't want to take a chance with not having extra oxygen, just in case the air here was toxic. Once I thought I had everything, I left the shuttle, possibly for good. Little did I know at the time, I was being watched since the moment I crashed.

*   *   *

   A native had been on her way home after a long day of hunting. She carried nothing but a bow and a few arrows. She was walking along the top of the trees when, through a gap in the canopy saw something flying toward her home. It was unlike anything she had seen before. She started to follow it the best she could to see what this strange thing was. She heard it fly through the trees just a little bit from where she heard it. She ran toward the spot where the strange thing had fallen, and saw what it was. She was shocked to see what it was.

"This is no ikran," she thought to herself, "it's not even Toruk. What is this strange creature?"

She waited for this thing do something. She waited for a long time, she was very patient. Until finally she was a strange being emerge. This creature was strange-looking. It seemed he had been born with a tail growing out of his face. She watched this creature look around at the trees, with what seemed like a look of astonishment. The creature soon stopped this, and headed toward the rear end of the creature he came out of. She watched as the small creature started to carve into the dark growths on the big creature's rear end.

"Why is he doing this?" the young warrior thought to herself.

She thought that she should help the big creature, but she noticed it didn't stir when the small creature cut into it. So she assumed it to be dead. She watched as the small creature started taking things off the big creature, and placing them on the ground. She watched him do this for hours, until he finally stopped. She then watched as the small creature put back what he took off the big creature. She then watched the creature as it went back from where it came out of, and after a few minutes, the creature emerged again. But this time it had a sack of some sort on its back. The warrior watched as the creature took one last look at its dead host, and walked off into the forest. Once the creature was far away enough, she swung down from the tree she was watching from, and went to examine the dead creature. She walked to it, and ran her long fingers against it. It felt like it had skin like that of the Angtsìk, and yet it didn't.

"This isn't skin," she thought to herself.

Her instincts were telling her something, but she had to be sure. She walked to the back, and examined the black "growths". She knew immediately that this wasn't an animal, and she knew what the small creature was. It was something her father had told her about, but that he was sure would never return.

"Tawtute," she said aloud to herself.

Knowing something had to be done, she thought about running back to her tribe and warning them of the imposing threat. But, she realized it would be better to eliminate this Tawtute before it had the chance to be a threat. So she climbed back up into the treetops, and followed the Tawtute quietly.

*   *   *

I walked along this unfamiliar terrain, keeping my eyes open for anything, friendly or otherwise. I walked along the forest, admiring the large trees around me. As I was doing so I heard a noise from above my head. I looked up to see what appeared to be some kind of primate. It was about the size of a chimpanzee, only it was different. It had no fur; its blue skin was completely visible. And it also had an extra set of arms. I watched the creatures as swung from the branches, but they stopped, and look at me curiously. Trying to capture this opportunity, I slowly took out my digital camera. I turned it on and quickly took a few pictures of these amazing creatures. Just as soon as they stopped to stare, they swung away on the branches. I was amazed to find life forms on this moon. It made me wonder what other creatures were here. I walked along the forest for a good two hours, and saw many magnificent things. One of the things I had seen was these plants that retract when they are touched. It was amazing to see these types of plants on dry land. The only place on Earth you could see plants like this were at the seafloor. Once again, I took a few quick pictures. But I stopped when I heard a roar. Not wanting to meet whatever its source was, I decided to move on. A bit later I encountered a deer-like creature. Like the chimp-sized creatures from before, this one also had an additional set of front legs, and two fan-like membranes, one on each side of its face. I found it while it was eating some bark off a nearby tree. Not wanting to disturb it, I ducked down behind a plant and took a few pictures. Just as I got up after finishing, the deer-like animal must have heard me, because it puffed up the fan-like membranes on its head, and growled. I walked away slowly, and the animal went back to eating the bark. A few minutes after I had seen the deer-like creature, I heard an unfamiliar beeping sound coming from my oxygen tank. I looked at the meter that told how much oxygen was left. In digital numbers, it said I had 5% of the oxygen left. I had to change the tanks or I was going to eventually suffocate. So, I took a deep breath, and quickly switched out the tanks. I stashed the nearly empty tank in my pack, just in case I would need it. I looked at my watch, and saw that a single tank only can last 90 minutes. Even though I had 5 extra tanks, excluding the one I just installed and the empty one, I knew unless I found a way to breathe the possibly poisonous atmosphere, I wouldn't be able to survive the night. After about half an hour of not seeing a thing, I saw some more animals in a small clearing to my left. These creature resembled dogs. Again, they were fur-less, their black skin clearly visible, and had an extra set of front legs, like most of the fauna I had encountered at this point. I started taking pictures of what appeared to be a family of a few "puppies" and their mother. But, the minute I was done, one of them saw me, and promptly barked in my direction, alerting the rest of the family. They all got up, and arched their backs, getting ready to attack me. Realizing what would happen if I stayed, I quickly ran for my life.

again, feedback is appreciated.

[Tsamsiyu92]

Nice work, keep it up! Can't wait for 3rd chapter.

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

ill have chapter 3 up soon. so dont worry, u wont have to wait too long.

[Duma Vadamee {Aungia Tsawkeyä}]

good i hate waiting. 

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

chapter 3 is done. enjoy

Spoiler

Chapter 3-Discovery

I went back to high school, running track, jumping over hurdles. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, jumping over the massive roots of the trees. I turned right, trying my best to lose these predators. They seemed to be coming from all sides. I didn't know what I could do. Then out the corner of my eye, I saw something: I saw what looked like a concrete wall covered in vines. I ran toward it, hoping it could hold some salvation. And, sure enough, it was exactly what I thought it was. I looked up at this massive barrier, forgetting what was swiftly running toward me. I drew my Bowie knife out of my pack, just in case I had to do something I didn't want to do. I started running around the perimeter of the wall, trying to find an entrance. I could hear the barks of my pursuers closing in behind me. I must have ran halfway around the wall before I found an entrance. It was a dilapidated, iron gate, barely hanging onto its massive hinges. I quickly pushed open one of the gates, and I was able to close it, just as the dog-like creatures got to the door. I heard them clawing and barking at the door, trying to get them open. But after awhile they gave up, and ran away. No longer in danger, I dropped my knife, and collapsed to the concrete ground, trying to catch my breath, and give my worn out legs a rest. As I laid there, out of breath and with weak legs, I stared up at the sky, and gazed at the planet that this moon orbits. I watched as a flock of large, dragon-like creatures fly across the sky. After awhile, I was able to walk again. So, I got up off the hard, concrete ground, and looked around. What I saw was a virtual airship graveyard. There must have been dozens of ships, all in varying states of disrepair, from great to just a heap of junk on the ground. I walked to a few of them, looking inside their cockpits. I found one I could actually enter from the side. I climbed into the ship, and looked around. It looked like the inside of an Air Force transport. I stepped into the cockpit, and sat at one of the ancient seats. As I started to take in what I was looking at, it seemed that I wasn't the first human to get here. I looked around the cockpit a bit more, and my eye caught something inside a small plexiglass case. In front of it was a thick sheet of plastic, and written on it in big, gray letters was "EMERGENCY REBREATHER UNIT".

"A rebreather unit? This could prove to be helpful. I should take this," I said aloud.

When I took the mask out its case, I saw instructions on how to use it on the back. They seemed simple enough: put the mask on, press the button under the mask where the hose meets with it, and breathe like normal. I held the mask in my hands, looking at the clear front.

"I hope this still works," I said with a bit of worry in my voice.

I took a deep breath, and removed my oxygen mask. I quickly put on the rebreather mask, and pressed the button, as the instructions indicated. I felt a vacuum suck the native air out of the mask, and filter safe-to-breathe air in. I inhaled the air, and found that this device did in fact work.

"Wow, this thing is great. Seems like it only filters out toxins in the air. I hope this lasts awhile," I said, looking through the cockpit at the large compound in front of me.

"Maybe I can find some answers in there."

I placed my oxygen mask inside my pack, keeping it just in case, and exited the cockpit. The only other thing I took was the first aid kit from the bulkhead. I jumped down to the concrete ground, and started making my way toward the compound. I continued to look around at the crumbling machinery. I saw one vehicle that was definitely wasn't an airship; it was some sort of bulldozer, but unlike the ones on Earth. This one had a blade that was nearly equal in size to the vehicle itself. On the side, I saw the letters "RDA".

"RDA? They were here before? How?" I said out loud, contemplating this new development.

I somewhat remember RDA, the company ended when I was very young. RDA had gone through hardships in the later years, which resulted in the company losing stocks, investors, everything. Eventually they decided to cut their losses and just ended it. I remember the CEO of the company, some guy named Parker I think, say that all their problems stray from one event that I can't recall right now. Maybe that's why they left here. I decided to continue on my way to the compound. As I approached the door, I saw that there was a light dimly lit on a panel next to the door.

"Well, looks like forgot to turn the lights off when they left," I said in an attempt to be funny for myself.

The iron door in front of me had the word "AIRLOCK" written on it. So, I opened the door, and stepped in. I looked around for the panel that would activate it. Once I found it, I pressed the button, and heard that familiar beeping sound, indicating it was safe. But, always the skeptical, I kept my mask on as I entered the compound, just in case. I noticed a siren near the ceiling. It wasn't going off, so I assumed this meant the air was safe. So, I took the mask off, and stashed it in my pack for the time being. I made my way down the long corridor, until it split two ways. There were signs that indicated where each hallway led. I decided to follow the sign that read, "LAB". As I was walking down this long hallway, there was a whole wall of windows that appeared to be showing the lab I was making my way to. I made my way to the doorway, and entered the dimly lit lab.

"Man, RDA doesn't know how to shut stuff off," I said looking around at the computer monitors.

I took a look around the lab. It brought me back to when I first started working for NASA. The familiar sight of computers and research desks made me feel at home. I eventually came to a clear wall, which showed a small room. It had two hospital beds and a door at the very back. There was also some sort of circular entrance point behind each of the beds on the wall. I looked around a bit more and found what those circular entrances seemed to be for: a set of large tanks.

"Wow, these are some big tanks," I said, "I wonder what they were for?"

I decided not to worry about it right now, and continue to look for information on this moon. I found my way to another part of the lab, which housed a number of odd, bed-like machines. I walked over to one of them, and tried to figure out what they could be used for. After awhile, I couldn't figure out anything. So, I went back to the main lab, where I found a large stack of books.

"Hmm, these look interesting," I said as I picked up the first book.

This book was called "The Na'vi", written by Dr. Grace Augustine. I skimmed through the book slowly. It seemed to be a guide on all the flora and fauna of this moon, which, from the pages I got a good look at, was called Pandora. I thought it'd be a good idea to keep it, so I put it in my pack for later. The rest of the books seemed to be bound notes on something called the Avatar Program. It seemed to be some sort of biological project. I didn't think they could help, so I left them.

"I think I've got all I can use here," I said.

I made my way back toward the hallway, and went down the other way, which, judging from the sign, was the way to the kitchen. As I looked around, it seemed that all the available food had either gone bad, or was taken when RDA had evacuated. I was hoping there would be something to add to my already limited food supply. So I figured there was nothing left here, so I left the kitchen, walked down the long corridor once again, entered the airlock, put my mask back on, and exited the compound. I walked along the concrete ground, passed all the vehicles, and exited the site through the gates. When I left the site, it was nearly dark, but the cover from the treetops made the forest look dark already. I took my flashlight from the pack, turned it on, and continued on my way through the forest. Little did I know at the time, I was in danger once again.

*   *   *

She followed the Tawtute the whole time, never taking her eyes off of it. She watched it as it used a strange device on a group of primates.

"What is this strange device?" she thought to herself.

She thought perhaps this Tawtute was trying to harm them. But she watched the creatures swing away, unharmed. She continued her pursuit, watching this new enemy stopping, and using the device on several plants and animals. But, when he got caught by the aynantang, she nearly lost it. She watched the Tawtute run as fast as anything she had seen. She tried her best to keep up with it, but even she could barely keep up. The young warrior finally was able to catch up when the Tawtute reached the place her father had called "Hell's Gate". She watched as the Tawtute went through the gates, and wait to see if the aynantang could get through.

"This could be my only chance to get it," she thought to herself.

She took her bow off her shoulder, got an arrow out of her quiver, and loaded it. She was about to shoot when the Tawtute suddenly it dropped its knife, and collapsed. She thought about taking it out right there, save herself the trouble, but she changed her mind.

"I can't. It is defenseless, and tired. I shall wait," she thought to herself as she put her bow down.

She thought this would be a good time to get some rest, so she fell asleep for a quick nap in the tree she was hiding in. She would awaken when the Tawtute left Hell's Gate.

*   *   *

I walked on for a bit, not noticing anything new I could take pictures of. But, eventually, I heard that all too familiar barking sound. I quickly tried to take out my knife, but found I didn't have it.

"Damn, where is it?" I said to myself, trying to think where I put it.

My memory went back to the iron gates, after I had collapsed. I had dropped my knife, but forgot to pick it back up. I was in deep trouble.

"Aww, damn it," I said, as I started to run away from the impeding threat.

I ran just as quickly as I did before, maybe even faster. Perhaps the fact that I was unarmed helped raise how important it was that I get away. But, even with this extra boost, the dog-like creatures were all around me. I didn't know what to do. I could keep running until they eventually maul me or I trip. I ran, and ran, and ran until my legs were numb. But, eventually, they cornered me. I slowly backed up as they approached me left and right. I tripped on a root of a tree and fell back. I was on my hands and knees now, backing up, watching and waiting for these savages to attack. I backed up until my back hit a tree. I thought that was it. I thought I was going to die here, on this far moon called Pandora, light years away from home. I was prepared to die, but then something happened I didn't expect. Right when they were going to maul me, the dog-like creatures suddenly stopped, and backed away with their tails between their legs. They continued to do so, and then they ran back off into the forest. I sighed a breath of relief. I thought I was going to die with my back to this tree, but I was still breathing. I looked up to the tree that had seemed to save my life. This tree was different from all the other trees around it. It looked like a willow tree, but its tendrils were different. They didn't appear to be made of wood. I can't even think of a word to describe them.

"Well, obviously there is something about this tree they don't like," I said aloud, "I guess I should spend the night here."

I put my pack down, and walked around the tree a few times. Aside from its tendrils, this tree seemed be brand new, but at the same time, not brand new. One part of it seemed to be older than the rest of it. And, in one direction, all the trees seemed to be just as young as the rest of the tree.

"I wonder what happened here. Obviously something big," I said inquisitively.

Eventually, my flashlight started dying. I smacked it a few times to get some more juice out of it. That didn't really help at all.

"How did this burn out so quick?" I asked, unscrewing the battery compartment, "Dollar store brand batteries. Thanks, NASA."

I put the flashlight back together, hoping I could get some more light out of it. But, while doing so, I looked up, and saw something I didn't expect: the entire forest was lit up. Even the tendrils of this tree were. It was quite a sight. But, then I started wondering how exactly this is possible. I took a fork from my pack, and started to scrap up a piece of moss from the ground. When I did, it glowed for a few seconds, and then died.

"Well, I guess I can rule out the 'glow-in-the-dark' theory," I said while trying to think of another theory.

I thought for a few minutes on how this could be possible. Then, a memory from my childhood made its way into my head.

"Fireflies!" I shouted out, "Fireflies are able to create their own light naturally. What's that called? Biolight? Biolit? Bioluminescence, that's what it's called."

It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It was like the whole forest was made of light. Even some of the local wildlife had some bioluminescent body parts. And even they knew not to come near this tree, because some of them who wanted to attack me didn't. What makes this tree so special? I looked up at this tree that had saved my life today, as its tendrils lit up in a bright pink color.
"I wish we had places like this on Earth," I thought to myself.
I looked at my watch, in an attempt to figure out what time it was here.

"2345," I said reading my watch.

I figured I should try to get some sleep, try to figure out what I should do in the morning. I leaned up against the trunk of the tree, shut my eyes, and went to sleep, not knowing what the next day would hold.

and i need help for chapter 4. i need a good name for the female Na'vi character. ill give u credit for w.e. i picked. so if u got a good one, leave a comment.

[Muzer]

I like the idea of this one very much - though I think, as I mentioned before, some of the finer details are a little less-than-believable. However, that doesn't really matter much - it's probably going to turn out to be an interesting story!

Oh, and it's tawtute, not tawtut - unless you're implying that the Na'vi language has been slowly changing over the 50 years they've been gone, if it's some new slang or something... the plural, if you ever need it, is aysawtute or simply sawtute for more than 3 people, mesawtute for exactly two people and pxesawtute for exactly three.

[Tsamsiyu92]

Great story. I like the third-person mind-reading narration you use here. I can't wait for chapter 4. As for the name, I do not have any ideas, but anything that follows Na'vi word rules works.

[Muzer]

Yeah - read chapter 1 of Na'vi in a Nutshell (only 2 pages long but densely packed) and just come up with something random that meets all the rules and doesn't mean something else (or if it does, make it something sensible that you would call someone).

I like how the narrative style seems to fit very well the mind of the main character - very scientific, precise descriptions with comparatively little opinion - it feels like the sort of thing a person of his background (NASA) would think/write. Though I suppose since as you've said he's based on you, that makes sense, as you would of course be good at writing in your own style

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

irayo for all the good feedback so far everyone. the story is only gonna get bigger from here. i wont say much, but look for sum returns. and to Muzer, irayo for helpin me with the Na'vi. im still pretty new to it, so i dont know everything yet.

[Muzer]

Yeah, I know how it is with Na'vi, it goes against intuition that seems almost (but isn't quite) hardwired... If I knew nothing about the Na'vi language and heard the word "sawtute", and was told it meant plural sky-people, I would, like (I assume) you did, expect it to be the "e" on the end that makes it plural, when in fact it's the change of the first consonant... it's a very weird language compared to most human languages that most of us are familiar with at least, which is also what makes it so fun to learn

So yeah, if you need any other help with the language, feel free to ask...

[Tìkawng Txe’lan]

just thought id give u guys an idea as to when chapter four will be done. ETA: 2 days. and i might have found a name for the female warrior. but, my request still stands.

[Txantslusam Skxawng]

and i need help for chapter 4. i need a good name for the female Na'vi character. ill give u credit for w.e. i picked. so if u got a good one, leave a comment.

Here are a few names that I have come up with ( also came up with a full name, not sure its correct )

• Ilenä ( te Cha'ney'ite  ( but this name I already made for Emtokay's companion on the Strange Lands RP )

• Atena ( te Waye'ite )
• Lot'na ( te Ina'ite )
• Viru ( te Ane'ite )
• Iye ( te Haywe'ite )
• Tiryea ( te Nawe'iya'ite )
• Perìya ( te Ihea'ite )
• Su'ya ( te Mae'te )
• Ayiye ( te Pi'aen'ite )
• Henä ( te Taye'ite )
• Nìyave ( te Iyä'ite )

You can also mix some of those names like Waye te Lot'na'ite

11 names in total ( one already in use in a RP, so 10 names )

HRH

I'm getting good at making up Na'vi names!  Although I not sure if there any grammar rules for writing a name, I know that you use a capital letter and such....

Edit: I just saw that I made all those names, except for the first one, in just a few minutes. I have another name, but that is one from my fanfic, so that wouldn't help you But I hope these names help, don't forgot to mix them, maybe you can spot a better name in it.[/list]