A skxawng in Kelutral

[Puvomun]

I wrote a very short piece just now. Had to slap the spell checker for it too. It's a short impression of how one of the Omatikaya perceives the presence of Jakesully at Kelutral. You might recognise a few bits of the movie here and there. I went easy on Na'vi language, holding to my own knowledge, which probably everyone surpasses.

Disclaimer: some names are stolen from LN members, if you object to being mentioned let me know and I will 'replace' you. Some names are from the dictionary, and some are personal inventions.

Here is my first attempt to fanfiction...



At the earliest morning light, Puvomun awoke. With eyes closed, he listened to the sounds. Most others were still sleeping, he heard, and the touch of the wind was gentle. With a slow movement he pushed against the side of his nivi, the hammock the people slept in. As it opened, he climbed up to the branch it hung from.

Overhead he saw the spot where the stranger, Jakesully slept, in the hammock next to Neytiri. Puvomun shook his head, he did not understand why this uniltìranyu had been chosen to stay here. The Sky People had mostly brought pain and fear to the world.

Well, not all of them. Dr. Grace and her people had been nice. She meant well with her school, and her lessons had taught many Omatikaya to speak the Sky People language.

Puvomun had been a friend of Dr. Grace, as he was teaching the children also. He taught them the Songs of the Clan, together with Ninat and Amhul and some of the other singers. Puvomun also made some of the New Songs, so the important things would not be forgotten.

Carefully he moved over the branch, passing the nivi of Lolet, Tskalepä and Ì'awn who were still sleeping. They had been dancing and singing until late.

From high above in Kelutral, Hometree, came the sound of a few ikran squabling. One of them had to be Tsu'tey's, that one was always making noise.

Puvomun went down to the ground. When his feet touched the solid soil, he stood still and let his senses move out, seeking Eywa. As usual, it did not work as this was plain soil, not Utral Aymokriyä, the Tree of Voices. He grinned at his ever failing attempts as he walked out into the open air. The smell of the lake filled his nose. A few pa'li, direhorses, were walking around looking for water to drink. The pa'liwll were full after the night, so the animals would not go thirsty.

The skull of Toruk seemed to have invisible eyes that followed Puvomun around as he found a good place to sit and repeat the words of the new song he was trying to make. It had to speak of the memory of Ekte'ka who had saved the life of two children when a palulukan had charged at them as they had approached its young too closely. ln.sxkxawng had been there also, taking the children, while Ekte'ka had distracted palulukan. Unfortunately, he had been too slow, so palulukan had sent him to Eywa.

"Be well, ma 'eylan," Puvomun said. Ekte'ka had been a good friend.

Then he thought of words to honour Ekte'ka's memory, until more people awoke.

-=-=-

The day went along. Puvomun, who was trying to teach some of the children together with Amhul, was about to give up. The children were wild again today, and did not want to stop talking about Jakesully.

"He is funny," one of the girls said.

"He is not," a young boy argued, "he says he is tsamsiyu, but Tsu'tey can beat him. And he smells wrong too!"

"And he stepped on my aunt's tail the other night," a third one pitched in. "They should stand on his kxetse too, so he knows what he does."

Amhul laughed. She told the children to sing some more, but also for her it was a lost cause. "Should we let them go?" she asked.

Puvomun nodded. "Yes, as long as they are not used to the skxawng, they won't listen."

They chased the children away and laughed as the group dispersed rapidly, screaming and shouting and laughing.

"What will you do today?" Amhul asked.

"I may go and catch some fish," said Puvomun. "I am also thinking of the new song."

"Oh. For Ekte'ka," Amhul nodded. "That is good. Maybe you can go with Tsu'tey today. He said he wants to see where the Sky People are now."

Puvomun thought about that. It would be good to keep an eye on the Sky People. They were spreading out very fast with their machines, and talking nor arrows had not stopped them so far. "I can, yes. If he wants to me to come."

"Ekte'ka would want you to go," Amhul said as she got up. "I am sure."

Tsu'tey agreed, when Puvomun asked him to go out with the other riders. "You can come. You have good ears and eyes, we need those. We will go to the south, the Sky People were there yesterday and they are coming close to Kelutral. Maybe we can scare them today. Bring your bow, Puvomun. We ride soon."

Puvomun fetched his bow. As he went to find a pa'li, Amhul waved at him and wished him good luck.

The horse trembled for a moment when tsaheylu started to flow. The singer-teacher breathed deeply as his mind and that of his animal connected, making them one. Then they rode to where Tsu'tey would be waiting, making a circle around the village.
Children did not always know the strength of pa'li legs, and even when the rider was very careful, things could happen.

"We are still waiting for-" Tsu'tey started, when his face turned dark for a moment. "Oh. She is out with the skxawng again." It was clear to everyone that Tsu'tey was not a friend of Jakesully. Neytiri spent far too much time with the uniltìranyu. "Maktoko!"

Quickly the group rode out, leaving Hometree behind them.

-=-=-

They arrived at the shallow part of the lake where often children would play and swim. They watered the horses while in the distance they saw two figures with a horse.

Puvomun recognised Neytiri and Jakesully, as did the others.

"We go there," Tsu'tey commanded. He drove his pa'li splashing through the water.

Puvomun followed the group, and just before they reached the spot where Neytiri was, Jakesully had mounted pa'li. Puvomun saw how the animal suddenly jumped forwards, sending its rider toppling backwards. The man ended up in the mud. The riders all laughed, seeing it happen. Tsu'tey spoke with Neytiri, making fun of Jakesully, calling him a 'skxawng' and as blind as a rock in the sand.

Puvomun watched Jakesully arguing with Tsu'tey as they both tried to become the winner of this verbal battle. In the end Neytiri sent the riders on their way, and as the group rode off, Puvomun could not help feeling that there was something about this man Jakesully.

-=-=-

The evening drew close. Puvomun sat on a low branch of a tree near Hometree, enjoying the silence and solitude, when a gentle tremor went through the wood. He looked to the side and saw Amhul approaching.

"Kaltxì, ma Puvomun," she said. "Did you find the Sky People?"

"Tsu'tey did. He is a good hunter. I did not much. But I found the words for the song to honour Ekte'ka." He sang them to her. After a few tries, Amhul could sing the song with him.

"Amhul! Puvomun!"

They looked down and saw Ninat standing there, waving.

"Come down and sing with us!"

"We are coming!" Amhul said, beating Puvomun to it.

They went and joined the clan, singing the songs. Puvomun and Amhul sang the new song too, teaching it to the others as they went along. Even the children, calm now after a day of running around, sat and learnt the song.

Puvomun noticed Jakesully not trying to sing, which he understood. The man did not speak Na'vi at all. But the way the man stared at Neytiri all the time made the singer-teacher hope nothing bad would happen. After all, Tsu'tey could see it too...

[Puvomun]

The mission.

"Do you think he will ever learn to speak like one of us?" Amhul asked Puvomun. She was sitting with him and together they looked over the lake. Puvomun understood she was talking about Jakesully.

"I don't know, ma Amhul. Even the way he speaks the Sky People language is hard to understand for me," the singer-teacher said. "And when he tries to speak Na'vi, even a yerik will run."

Amhul laughed. "Srane, it is very bad. Neytiri was not pleased when Tsahik told her to teach him our ways. I spoke with her and she says that the skxawng is beyond ignorant. He said his cup was empty, but Neytiri sometimes wonders if he has a cup at all."

Puvomun grinned at that remark. "Perhaps we should make a song for him."

"For who?" Tsu'tey's voice sounded behind the two.

Puvomun looked back. "For the skxawng."

"For him?! Pxasìk!" Tsu'tey spat. "But you can make a song for when he joins Eywa. If Eywa wants him." The man walked off. The rest of what he said was lost, but the singers knew it was not pretty what the next olo'eytkan had to say about Jakesully.

"Don't anger Tsu'tey," Amhul warned Puvomun. "When he gets angry, he will forget you are not taronyu and he will challenge you."

"You are right. I should be more careful around him." Puvomun nodded. "I will go now and see if I can find I'awn and Virid'ian, to see if they want to-"

At that moment a cry came from above, making the two look to where it came from. They saw Neytiri dive down from the top of Kelutral, flying Seze. Puvomun always was impressed seeing someone fly an ikran like that. After circling the higher branches, Neytiri and Seze flew into them, disappearing from view as another of her cries barely reached the surface of the forest.

Amhul had gotten up. "I would love to fly like that, Puvomun. Do you think I can still become taronyu?" she asked as she strained her neck to see if the ikran would come out of the high foliage again.

"If you really want to, Amhul, you can do anything." Puvomun also stood. "Ask Tsu'tey, maybe he will guide you. Or Tawtewng, or one of the others."

The singer shook her head. "I am a singer, a dancer and a teacher, like you. We will never fly, ma 'eylan. We are here to see the others and sing of their deeds. And you need not look for I'awn, she asked me to practice a dance with her today."

"Sìltsan," Puvomun said, "I will then find something for Virid'ian to do. If I can find him."

Amhul laughed as she walked off.

The singer-teacher tried to find Virid'ian, but the young one was not to be found. As he walked back to Kelutral, as there was always something to do there, he heard Neytiri shout.

"You are so stupid! No, don't say that you are sorry! Not again! Next time I throw you from the tree!" Mo'at's daughter came running down and almost ran into Puvomun. "Oh!"

"What's wrong, Neytiri?"

"It's... it's... him!" She stabbed a finger at Jakesully who came down also, an expression of wonder on his face. He had that often lately. "He doesn't know one end of an arrow from the other, and now he almost fell down when we went to see the ikrans! Hrah!"

"I can teach him a few things," Puvomun offered, wondering what those things would be as he said the words.

"Kehe... Sa'nok told me to teach him. She won't like it if I don't do that. Irayo, ma Puvomun." Then Neytiri looked at Jakesully. "Come. We go and read the trail. And this time do not step on my foot!"

"Good luck," Puvomun said to the dreamwalker as Neytiri grabbed his wrist.

"Thanks, I need it!" replied Jakesully as he was dragged away.

Puvomun silently agreed with him. Neytiri was in a mood.

Lolet came walking in. "What was all that?" she asked as the singer-teacher looked for arrows to fletch. He told her what had happened and they laughed.

"Have you seen Virid'ian?" Lolet then asked. "I've been looking for him."

Puvomun shook his head. "I tried to find him too, but he is a master of hiding."

"Hiding? He is lazy! He promised ma sempul to help with some work and now he is gone!" Lolet hissed. Things did not look well for Virid'ian, if she were to find him.

Puvomun looked at her as the girl ran away, and then continued making the arrows. It was slow and precise work. If the wood was not straight, or the feather not in balance, the arrow would be worthless.

He had been working on the arrows for a while when Tawtewng came along.

"Kaltxì, Puvomun."

"Kaltxì," said the arrow maker without looking up from his work, "who are you looking for?"

Tawtewng stared at the man. "How do you know that?"

Now the singer-teacher looked up. "I just know. Tsu'tey left a while ago, he went to where the pa'li are. Amhul is looking for I'awn and Lolet is on her way to kick Virid'ian if she can find him. So who are you looking for?"

Tawtewng said he wanted to see Eytukan about something. "It is something for tsamsiyu, Puvomun, not for rolyu. Not for a singer. I will find him." Proudly, the young warrior walked off.

"Tawtewng!" Puvomun called after him. "You have more luck finding the olo'eytkan on the other side of Kelutral." He pointed.

"I'll walk around it," Tawtewng said, who did not want to take the advice.

Not long after that, the young warrior came back, his face unhappy.

"What is on your mind, young tsamsiyu?" Puvomun asked.

"Hrah," Tawtewng vented his feelings. "My idea was not good enough, he said. Instead you and I have to go and find Neytiri and the uniltìranyu, to see how he is progressing. And they should not see us, so we have to be careful."

Puvomun nodded as he put the repaired arrow to the side. There were plenty of new and repaired ones now. "Sìltsan. We should go then."

"I will get the pa'li," the young warrior said. He looked dismayed as Puvomun held him back.

"No, we won't need horses. They went off to read the trail. Neytiri dragged him that way, so they are going to the waterhole again. We can go there on foot. Or are you afraid to run with a singer?"

Tawtewng stood proud. "I will run slowly, so you can keep up!"

-=-=-

They found Neytiri and Jakesully sitting in a tree. Neytiri was still not very pleased, Puvomun noticed quickly as he sat on a high, distant branch. Tawtewng sat next to him.The singer noticed Jakesully's broken bow hanging from a twig.

"Not again." Puvomun had repaired the bow several times already. Maybe he should tell Neytiri to be more careful with the man and his things. On second thought, that might not be wise. The 'ite of the Tsahik did not always take it well when people told her to do something.

"What?" Tawtewng asked. Then he noticed the bow. "Oh. Yes. Again." He chuckled. "Another tsko for you to repair, rolyu. I can shoot better with his broken bow than he could with a good one."

"Tawtewng, keep your voice down. We are here to see how Jakesully is doing, not to tell them and palulukan that we are here," Puvomun reprimanded the young warrior. "There is a time to make noise, and there is a time to be quiet, ma 'ewantu."

"Srane, srane," Tawteweng muttered. "I wish I had gone with Tsu'tey. You are no fun."

"Fun, tsamsiyu? You look for fun? If you really want-"

"Look, they're leaving," Tawtewng interrupted Puvomun.

And indeed, Neytiri and Jakesully had given up the language lesson. The two spies heard how she commented on the uniltìranyu having a tongue of wood and a brain of sand.

"You can't even remember the simple words! You must practice harder, talk more. Talk with the children." Neytiri jumped down from branch to branch. "The little children!" she added.

"I think we have seen what Eytukan wants to know," said Puvomun. "We can go back now."

"No, I will stay and keep watching them," said Tawtewng, already on his feet and ready to chase after the two others.

"Kehe, Tawtewng," Puvomun said, his voice surprisingly sharp. "That is not the way. Olo'eytkan gave you an order. You are responsible. You have to tell him what we saw. We have seen that they are working hard." The singer's face went dark as he thought of the broken bow. "Too hard, perhaps. But it would not make a good impression if I go back and tell Eytukan what he asked you to come and tell."

"But I want to see more," Tawtewng argued, straining his neck to see where Neytiri and the skxawng were going.

"Is that what Eytukan asked you to do?"

"Yes. No. Not really." The young warrior still was fighting himself, but his conviction was faltering a little. "Hrah... now they have gone and I don't see them anymore. That is your fault. Now we have to go back." Tawtewng started back towards Kelutral.

Puvomun went down the tree. In the distance he heard Neytiri yell at her numeyu. Tawtewng heard that too, Puvomun was certain, yet the young warrior kept going back home. The singer-teacher smiled. Maybe this tsamsiyu had learnt something today. From rolyu.

[Puvomun]

Surveillance and tsaheylu.

Most of the warriors and hunters had assembled. A few scouts had discovered aysawtute, Sky people, in places where they had never been seen before. Eytukan, leader of the clan, was talking.

"We must chase them away from here. They are coming too close with their ketuwong machines. Tawtewng told me that he has seen their flying machines over Vitrautral."

Puvomun, sitting close enough to hear what was being discussed, was shocked. The Sky people had no business being near the Tree of Souls. It was worrying enough that they were moving out further into the jungle, but to know they had seen that sacred place...

"Tawtewng will take some warriors and fly out to where he saw the aysawtute yesterday. Tsu'tey, you will take some warriors and go to Vitrautral and see if there are more ketuwong flying machines there."

Tsu'tey immediately got to his feet and pointed at a few warriors. "Txewì, Lolet, you come with me." He did not wait for approval, he walked off the way he always did, confident and in control. Txewì and Lolet jumped to their feet and went with him.

"Tawtewng," Eytukan said as the young warrior rose, "be careful. Fly high. The Sky people should not see you."

"Srane, olo'eytkan," said Tawtewng, who then looked for four people to go with him. That was not hard, many wanted to fly out with him.

As the small group ran off to the top of Kelutral, Amhul came walking. "I want to go with them, Puvomun," she sighed, as she longingly looked up to the high crown of leaves of their Hometree. "I want to soar on an ikran."

"They are not only soaring, ma Amhul. They are going to watch the aysawtute and they may even be in danger. The Sky people have been shooting their weapons at them before. Do you want to be in danger?"

"Kehe," Amhul had to admit. She was not looking forward to being shot at, and could not understand how others would put themselves in such a situation. "I will stay here and teach children."

Puvomun grinned. "That usually is safer."

"Usually," Amhul agreed. There were times that trying to make palulukan sing was safer, when some children had a mood of their own.

The two looked around when hurried footsteps sounded. To their surprise they saw Virid'ian approaching. He jumped over some of the hunters that were still sitting and came to a full stop only a few inches away from the olo'eytkan.

Eytukan looked at the young man as if he had been expecting him. "Is it done?"

Out of breath, Virid'ian could only nod. The few words he could say were: "Yes, all done."

"Good." Eytukan turned to the listeners. "A small group of Omatikaya have been working on securing a part of our land. For when the Sky people come too close." Then to Virid'ian again: "Have you seen or heard any of them nearby?"

"There were two, in their fngapä ta'leng," Virid'ian replied as he was catching his breath.

Commotion went through the group of hunters and the few warriors who had stayed behind. Two aysawtute in their metal skins? Near Kelutral? Some of them rose and said they would go and hunt down these hetuwong. Eytukan told them to calm down. "They know where we live, but they are far away."

"And that is where they should stay," one of the hunters said. "Their noise chases all the game away, sometimes it is hard to find food."

Another taronyu agreed, there were days that they had to travel very far, when the aysawtute had been near with their flying machines.

Sounds from above made several people look up. A small swarm of ikran flew out and split in two groups, Tsu'tey taking one group to Vitrautral and Tawtewng leading the other away.

As there was nothing more to discuss, Eytukan said that everyone should go back to their normal chores. Many people tried to make Virid'ian tell them what he had been doing. It was not very difficult to see who had been with him, because several members of the clan were gone. The young man however did not say a word.

Puvomun nodded. A good man. He then turned to find a few of the older children. It was time for them to learn to ride pa'li.

The children were all gathering around the singer-teacher as he walked to where some of the direhorses were waiting. Also the little ones not old enough yet were with them, of course, but Puvomun was not fooled, he knew whose turn it was to learn to ride.

"Puvomun, do you need help?"

He turned, to see Peyral come closer. "Ah, yes, please. Too many children today," he said to the huntress.

Peyral laughed and patted the horses that came walking up to her. They all knew her.

The two both carefully picked up a child and put it on the back of a horse.

"Now, you have seen how to do this," said Puvomun to Tsenu, the girl he had lifted up high. "Hold your kxetse and gently make tsaheylu. Don't think wild things, just make the bond."

Tsenu looked very serious as she held her tail.

"Close your eyes if you want," Puvomun offered.

She closed her eyes, and then Puvomun gently pushed against her hands, helping her to make tsaheylu with a large animal for the first time.

Pa'li reacted calmly to the experience. The singer-teacher had picked this one, as it was very gentle with the children and used to them.

Tsenu's face was puzzled for a moment, then she smiled. "Oe 'efu pa'li", she said, "I feel the horse."

"Sìltsan, Tsenu," Puvomun encouraged her while keeping an eye on Peyral and the young boy she was guiding. Things looked to go well there too. "Now ask him to walk, Tsenu. Slowly, just walk. Open your eyes and tell him where to go."

The girl wrapped her kxetse around her arm so it would not loosen and then the horse slowly started walking.

"Good, very good," said the singer-teacher as he walked along with her. "Make him walk to the big tree back there and then come back." He waited as the pa'li walked on. Tsenu looked calm, and seemed to enjoy the experience. Behind him, Peyral let her pupil ride also, and soon the two pa'li trotted towards the tree.

"You do this well, Puvomun," said the huntress. "You should have children of your own."

"I have no woman," he replied. He did not take his eyes off the two children who were already coming back. "But this way I have many children."

"Hrah... you are so strange. Why don't you ask Amhul?"

He tilted his head for a moment. "I did. She said it was not the time yet, and I respect that."

By then the two children and their mepa'li had returned, the little faces beaming with joy.

"He is so strong, Puvomun!", Tsenu exclaimed as he held up his hands to help her down. She was very very slow in ending the bond with the strong animal and when she did it, her face showed that she missed the connection already. The young boy didn't fare much better, but all the children needed their turn at this.

All of them had two turns at riding the direhorses, and then the adults herded the group back as they were singing one of the children's songs about the riti: "Little stingbat, eat my fruit, and then little riti, fly for food. Don't sting my arm, for I don't like that; it burns and hurts and I won't like that. I click my tongue to call for you, I hold my arm out just for you. Little riti, come to me. Little stingbat, eat my fruit..."

As the walking choir passed along, many people looked up from what they were doing and smiled. There was nothing like the joyful singing of children to cheer everyone up.

As soon as they were close to Kelutral, the children broke up their song and ran off in all directions. Their toys were waiting for them, and toys, Puvomun and Peyral knew, should not be kept waiting.

"Irayo, for helping me with the children, ma Peyral," the singer-teacher said.

"Nìprrte'", the huntress said, "my pleasure. It was fun." Then she walked off.

Puvomun went back to the large tree. There were things to do and toys to make. There were many children who wanted to become taronyu and they all required a toy ikran to practice their flying. It made him smile thinking about it.

As he returned to the spot where he had been working on the arrows, Ekirä was waiting for him. She had an arrow in her hand and seemed to be in thought.

"Ekirä?"

The girl looked up, almost as if he had scared her. "Oh..." Quickly she put the arrow down. "I want to know if I can take some arrows. I want to practice and yesterday some of my arrows broke."

"Of course. Take five or six. There may be others needing arrows. For more serious things." Puvomun frowned for a moment.

"Irayo," Ekirä said as she picked up the four arrows that 'happened' to be lying at her feet already, and then she picked one more.

"Try not to shoot rocks again, Ekirä," the singer said as he laughed, "that will allow your arrows to live longer."

[Puvomun]

4. Taking a ride.

In the early afternoon Tawtewng's group returned. They had not seen any aysawtute flying machines near the Tree of Souls, which was a big relief for the clan.

"They know that Vitrautral is sacred to the Omatikaya," Mo'at said once again. "Sometimes I wish we had not let the ayuniltìranyu into our village."

"I wish they had never come to our world," Amhul said. "Since they came, too much has changed. Too much is damaged already. It I were tsamsiyu-"

"You are not," Mo'at interrupted her, "and that is good. We already have Tawtewng to worry about."

"Tawtewng?" Amhul didn't quite understand. "He is a fearless young warrior."

"Srane. Too fearless at times. He would charge at palulukan with his bare hands." Mo'at shook her head. "You, I hope, are not like that."

"Oh no! I would never do that." Amhul had once seen palulukan, not even up close, and it had frightened her. She was convinced Eywa meant well, but palulukan was... oh well.

"You do better teaching children to sing, Amhul, together with Puvomun and Ninat," Mo'at said in a friendly voice.

Then their conversation was interrupted by the loud voice of Neytiri.

"You will never be more than 'eveng," Mo'at's daughter yelled as she and Jakesully came walking into the space beneath Hometree. "Your aim is bad, your pose is bad, you hold the tsko all wrong and you can't find the arrows that went wrong. Hrah!" The young woman ran past her mother and Amhul, not seeing them in her anger.

Mo'at glared at the man who had done it again and walked off. Amhul also looked at him but did not walk.

"Looks like I pissed her off again," Jakesully said, with a shurg and a smile that conveyed an apology.

"You did what?" Amhul didn't understand the words the uniltìranyu said.

"Pissed her off. Made her angry, you know." He explained, waving his hands.

"You should not do that," Amhul said. "She is Tsahik ìte."

"I guess, but she's pushing me." Jakesully shrugged once more. "And I think I damaged this bow." As he held up the bow, the broken string hanging from it, he looked guilty. "Neytiri is right, I am an idiot with a bow."

"Tsko," Amhul corrected him.

"What?"

"That. Bow. Is tsko in our language."

"Oh, right, I see. Tskow."

Amhul felt sorry for Neytiri. She took the bow from Jakesully's hand. "I will take this."

Then the noise of screaming ikran made them walk outside and look up. Tsu'tey's group had returned. Amhul smiled as she saw the graceful way the riders made their ikran fly among the branches.

"That's cool, isn't it?" Jakesully commented. "Neytiri said I am not ready yet."

Amhul looked at the broken string. "She is right."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jakesully said, laughing.

Neytiri reappeared, I'awn was with her. Neytiri didn't look very pleased, so Amhul suspected that Neytiri had run into her mother.

Neytiri glanced at the man. "Come. I'awn and I will show you how to ride pa'li without falling off. Again." The tone of her voice made it clear that her hopes for success were quite low.

I'awn looked at the bow in Amhul's hand. "Did you do that?"

"No. He did. Puvomun will not be happy."

"At least it is only the string this time. Maybe he has to learn how to repair that himself."

"I'awn, ayfa'li are waiting for us!"

I'awn grinned quickly and dashed off, after Neytiri and Jakesully.

As Amhul turned to put the bow away, Tsu'tey, Lolet and Txewì came down the tree. "What did you find?" she asked.

Tsu'tey looked dismayed. "Nothing."

"But that is good, right?"

Good was not good enough, evidently, as the warrior walked past her.Amhul looked at the other two, in wonder.

"Don't mind Tsu'tey," Txewì said. "I think he had hoped for something more. Something to fight. We saw traces of the machines of the aysawtute, but that was all."

Lolet looked as if she wanted to leave quickly.

"Why are you in a hurry, Lolet?" Amhul wanted to know.

"I have to see to something," the young woman said and quickly walked off.

Txewì laughed. "She is going to see if the new kava she is making is already done. She talked about that on the way back, and Tsu'tey was quite unpelased with that. I think that is what annoyed him more than not finding the aysawtute."

"I understand." Amhul grinned with Txewì.

"Amhul? What happened?" Puvomun's voice stopped their laughing.

Amhul first wondered about the question, then she recalled the bow in her hand. "Oh, this? Jakesully-"

"Him again?" The singer-teacher sighed as he took the tsko. "At least it is just the string this time. Maybe he is learning something. It is a good thing that pa'li are not so easily broken."

Amhul laughed loudly, to the surprise of Txewì and Puvomun. When she could talk again, she said: "Jakesully is trying to ride again now!"

Puvomun grinned as he understood Amhul's joy. He put down the bow and said: "Come, let's go and watch how he is doing."

"Go? Where?" Rakan asked, who had just come back from the jungle.

"We're going to see Jakesully and his riding," Amhul explained. "Do you want to come with us?"

"No. I am going to find Lolet," Rakan said. "You go and have fun without us."

Txewì laughed. "I am sure you two will have fun without us as well." He had to duck as Rakan fake attacked him. Then, laughing, everyone left for the field where Neytiri and Jakesully usually practiced the riding.

As the small group approached the field, they heard Jakesully talk.

"Hey, look, I can do this!"

A few moments after that, they heard a thud and an 'ouch'.

"I think he still cannot do it," Txewtì commented as they heard I'awn and Neytiri laugh. He was right. Jakesully was just getting up again as they rounded the last trees.

"Oh no, audience," the uniltìranyu said, "just what I need."

I'awn and Neytiri turned and smiled at the three, who smiled back and said they were coming to have a look at the progress.

"He falls off more gracefully," I'awn commented as she jumped off her horse. "But he is improving."

"A bit," Neytiri added. Puvomun noticed that she looked at Jakesully in a special way for a moment. "But he has to practice a lot before he can become taronyu."

"Yeah, I am not sure how you people do that so easily," said Jakesully. "I mean, I saw you with the children, Puvomun, and they make it look so easy. Oh, and I'm sorry about the bow."

"Tsko," Amhul corrected him.

"Yeah. Tskow." Jakesully watched Amhul grimace. "Not good again, right? Tskoh?"

"He is getting better with riding," Neytiri said, "but he still speaks Na'vi like a tawtute. Worse even." She frowned at the man who was getting on the horse again. "If ever he makes it to flying an ikran, I feel sorry for it."

I'awn rode along with Jakesully, trying to tell him not to go too fast, but again, after a while, the pa'li jumped forward so fast that he could barely stay on its back. Neytiri just shook her head.

"Maybe it helps if we all ride with him. And keep him in the middle, so he can't go faster," Txewì suggested. They talked about the idea for a few moments. Neytiri liked it, so everyone went to get a direhorse and then waited for Jakesully to come walking back, his pa'li following him.

"Hey guys, are you going to give me an escort?" he laughed. "Or are you all going to show me how it's done?"

Puvomun admired the almost indestructable mood of the man.

"Get back on the horse," Neytiri commanded him, stricter than usual. He obeyed. Then she and Txewì arranged the others around him. "Now we are going to ride. Together. Slowly. Follow us. Don't try to go faster. You need to learn control, Jake. Gentle control."

Puvomun looked at Amhul and saw that she too had noticed how Neytiri had called him 'Jake'. They exchanged a glance, but remained silent.

"Now we go," Neytiri took charge. She made her pa'li go forward, the rest followed. Jakesully seemed to understand what was going on, he and his horse also moved along at a gentle pace. After going around the field a few times, Neytiri told everyone to speed up a little. It went well for only a few moments.

Jakesully remained on his pa'li, but together they broke out of the formation, forcing Neytiri and Txewì to the side. He managed to stop and turn, with a grin on his face. He clearly was sorry, but in a strange manner.

"Maybe he has to learn about the twig and the wind," Puvomun said, recalling a children's song.

Amhul giggled, while Txewì frowned.

Neytiri shrugged. "If you think that helps... Talking to him like an adult does not seem to work."

Jakesully glanced at the hunter but held his silence. Then he said: "What twig and what wind?"

Puvomun jumped to the ground, breaking the tsaheylu with his animal. He waited until Jakesully had done that as well. Then he sat down. "The song goes like this:
The wind blows, the storm comes
The tree shakes, the leaves fall
The branch trembles, pushing back.
And the small twig, it bends, it bends,
Back and forth, back and forth.
And the small twig, it bends, it bends,
Back and forth, back and forth."

Jakesully looked at the singer-teacher, his face a big puzzle. "And what am I supposed to make of that?"

Puvomun had already expected that. This man did not think like a Na'vi. He held up his hand, the palm to Jakesully. "Put your hand against mine." After the man had done that, Puvomun slowly started pushing. Jakesully pushed back. The teacher-singer pushed harder, and the response was equally hard.

"Very good. Now pay attention." Puvomun relaxed his hand quickly. Jakesully pushed too long, making Puvomun's hand almost fly backwards.

"Oh. I'm sorry, man," said the uniltìranyu.

"You reacted too late and too harsh. The wind changes fast. You have to react fast. You react fast when I push harder, but you forget to react fast when I don't push. I even told you to pay attention. It is like that with pa'li. React gently, going faster and going slower."

Jakesully stared at Puvomun. "And that is how you talk to children? This is almost as bad as learning your language."

[Puvomun]

5. Sleeper

Puvomun sighed. He also felt sorry for Neytiri. She had to put up with that all day? He tried another approach. "You can walk, yes? And you can run."

Jakesully nodded.

"Can you go faster than walking and slower than running?"

It was as if the sun rose inside the uniltìranyu. "Oh, wait a minute, that's what you mean? Like standing for a traffic light and not flooring it when the light goes green!"

Now Puvomun really felt sorry for Neytiri. "Does he do that often?" he asked her. She nodded.

"No, wait, I think I got it now," said Jakesully as he jumped to his feet and mounted his pa'li again. If nothing else, he had gotten experienced at that.

Just to be safe, Neytiri and Txewì formed the group around him, and then they all started going round again. And this time the group managed to stay together just fine, be it that Jakesully sometimes had a problem keeping the pace of his horse up with that of the others. The sudden improvement was apparent.

Puvomun and Amhul left the group as the riding became wilder. I'awn, Txewì, Neytiri and also Jakesully kept going faster, and then they turned away from the field and chased into the forest, out of sight.

"Ayfo makto nìwin," Puvomun said. "They ride too fast."

Amhul agreed. "We are not used to that kind of riding, ma 'eylan. We'll let our horses find their way, I want to walk back."

They let the horses run free; the animals started to look for food. The two singers started on their way back to Kelutral. They were, of course, singing songs, and trying to invent a new one as they went along.

The evening came. The clan was sitting together to eat and there was some talk about what several people had been doing. Jakesully was mostly silent, as he could not follow all the conversations. Neytiri sat with him, occasionally talking to him.

Puvomun wondered how the man felt, with so many Na'vi around him that were so strongly against the presence of his race on their homeworld. Someone sat down next to the teacher-singer, dragging his attention away from the stranger.

"It was fun today," said I'awn, for it was she who had sat down with him. "He's not a good rider, but we had fun."

Puvomun laughed. "Yes, we could tell."

"You should have come with us," I'awn said. "You would have laughed also!"

"The way you were riding? Amhul and I would have fallen off our pa'li like Jakesully, I'awn."

"You would not," I'awn was determined. "You need to ride more with us, Puvomun. I will tell Amhul also. And maybe we can take you out on our ikran someday. For a short ride, of course."

Puvomun understood. Ikran were not so strong to carry two people for long. "We'll see."

"Txonway and I will make sure," I'awn stated, as if she did not accept a 'no'. "We know that Amhul wants to fly, she says so very often."

"Irayo, I'awn," said the teacher-singer, "we would appreciate that."

"I know," the woman next to him grinned. "Oh, there is Txonway now, I will go and-" She almost jumped to her feet and ran off, to her mate.

Before Puvomun could react, Amhul joined him. "What was that about? Did you chase her away?"

He told her what I'awn was planning, much to his friend's delight.

"Tewti!" she said. "We are going to fly an ikran, ma Puvomun!"

"What?" Tawtewng had overheard Amhul's exclamation and missed what had been said before. "You're not taronyu or tsamsiyu, so you can't be ikran makto."

"Tam tam, Tawtewng," Mo'at said. "If they have a dream, let them have a dream. You have yours."

The young warrior nodded and concentrated on his food again. Mo'at was not someone to argue with, you couldn't win.

"What's he done this time?" Rakan's loud voice bounced over the heads of the eating people.

"Nothing, sit down and eat," Mo'at told him, without looking back to the man. Lolet's laughter made many people grin.

Puvomun looked around as he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder for a moment. It was I'awn's, and the woman was kneeling behind the two teacher-singers. Next to her sat Txonway.

"Ma Puvomun, I talked to Txonway about the ikrans, and he says he will take one of you up some day," I'awn said. Her shy mate nodded with a gentle smile.

Puvomun again wondered how such a person had made it to be ikran makto, and a good one too. "That is wonderful," the teacher said, "irayo."

"Srane," Amhul said, looking very happy, "irayo, ma eylan. If this really happens, one of my dreams will come true."

"You can fly with me," Txonway invited Amhul. After having said that, he looked at the ground, almost as if he was apologising for being heard. "My ikran is strong enough for two."

"All ikran are strong enough, silly," I'awn told him with a grin. "We'll find a good time to fly, soon."

Puvomun and Amhul watched the two walk away. "An interesting couple," Amhul commented, to which Puvomun had to agree.

After having eaten, many of the Omatikaya went to sleep. The day started early in the village, and the night did so as well.

-=-=-

The following morning Puvomun woke up to a sound that came from overhead. He folded back the hammock and climbed onto the branch, looking up. Several people were gathering where Neytiri usually slept. Something had to be wrong there.

"What is the matter?" the teacher called upwards.

For a few moments he had to wait, until the answer came: "The uniltìranyu does not wake up."

That was strange indeed; usually Jakesully was awake quite early.

"Anything I can help with?" Puvomun asked.

"If you know how to wake him up," Ekirä called down to him. "We tried everything."

"Except throwing him down," Tawtewng suggested from somewhere.

"Watch it, ma tsmukan," Rakan yelled from a similar unseen spot, "or we'll see how well you fly without an ikran."

"I can take you every moment, little warrior!"

The two started a verbal battle, making Puvomun and probably many other shake their heads and wonder what would happen when these two would have to fight side by side in times of real problems. The word-fight was soon ended when the olo'eytkan decided it was enough. One word from him and the two fighters were silent.

By then, Jakesully still had not moved. Many people had shaken him, telling him to wake up, but to no avail. In turns they went to eat something.

Puvomun found Neytiri at the foot of Kelutral, talking to Ekirä and Amhul.

"Puvomun. Rewon lefpom."

"Rewon lefpom to all," he replied. "No luck with the Dreamwalker, I see."

"Kehe. It is as if his vitra, his soul has left." Neytiri looked unhappy. That became even worse when Tsu'tey came along.

"You see what you have, with these Sky people. They are not real, I told you." His face showing nothing but contempt, he walked away.

"I am sure there is a good reason that he is still sleeping," Ekirä tried. "Maybe he is still very tired."

"I don't believe that. We did not work very hard yesterday, so he can't be that tired!" Neytiri shrugged.

"Ite!" Mo'at called her daughter. The small group watched their friend walk over.

"Will Jakesully wake up?" Amhul wondered. Nobody had an answer, so they went to get something to eat.

Suddenly, the friends had not even finished their food, there was a lot of noise coming from above. Calls indicated that something interesting was going on, so they all started to go up into the tree, where halfway up they almost ran into Jakesully and several Na'vi who were coming down.

"Hey, did you miss me?" Jakesully asked, a wide grin on his face. A slap was his reward.

"Where were you?!"

"Whoa, what a welcome," said Jakesully, touching his cheek. "I am sorry, Neytiri, I overslept. Back at the camp I mean. Somehow I did not wake up in time and nobody came to call me."

"That never happened before!" Neytiri was clearly annoyed and angry with all this.

"There is a first time for everything," said Jakesully as he caught her hand that was on its way to his face again. "And I had to eat something also."

These words made it clear, to everyone that heard them, that Jakesully was not Na'vi. He was uniltìranyu, who was living two lives. One among the people and one in the settlement of the intruding Sky people who were destroying parts of their world. A cold silence was among them for a while.

"I understand," Neytiri then said. "Come. We have work to do today. You have to learn how to speak."

Jakesully walked down after her, his face showing sudden despair. The language was not getting any easier for him.

Puvomun heard grinning around him when Korun remarked: "Maybe he should really practice with the little children."

[Puvomun]

6. Eight little hunters, seven little hunters...

Village life was calm that day. Warriors flew out to keep an eye on the things the aysawtute were doing, the aysaronyu went out to hunt for fresh food, and Neytiri's attempts to make Jakesully say simple words were heard everywhere.

"The only thing you can pronounce well is what you are!" she exclaimed at a certain point. "Skxawng."

All through the village people were laughing as they heard that, and 'skxawng, skxawng' was immediately picked up as a chant by some of the children. It took a lot of convincing and being chased around by their parents before the kids gave in and ended their chanting.

The whole thing looked so comical that even Jakesully and Neytiri had to laugh.

Puvomun had gathered a group of children near the workspace of Nusumea Tirea and was teaching them things by singing songs. That activity was temporarily interrupted by the entertainment that unfolded in the village.

"Puvomun!" Neytiri called out, "what are you singing?" She seemed to look for a short escape.

"The song about the eight little children," Puvomun replied, and saw how the leader's daughter gestured to Jakesully and then the two came walking over to the group of children. The children, of course, were hopeless for him at that point. They were all excited about having the uniltìranyu so close by.

Nusumea Tirea looked up from his work for a moment as the two approached as well.

"I think that Jake is ready to try and sing a song with you," Neytiri said to the children. Puvomun caught the mean streak in her voice and suppressed a grin.

"Go easy on me, guys," the man said, "I only know English and your language is really hard for me."

Puvomun translated that for the children who did not follow the foreign language, but they all promised to sing slowly, so the Dreamwalker could clearly hear what they were singing.

"We will sing the song of the eight little children then," said the teacher-singer.

The group of children started with the first verse, all their eyes on Jakesully, and their mouths pronouncing all the words very clearly. Even Puvomun was surprised about their effort to sing the song so articulately.
"Vola 'eveng tivaron new
'awìl mun'i mì zekwät
vola 'eveng tivaron new
slä tafral ì'awn nì'aw 'eveng akinä"
"Eight children, they want to go, to hunt they want to go,
Yes, they are strong and have no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng, he cannot come, his finger hurts too much,
I must go home my friends, he says, and leaves them in a rush."

All eyes were still on Jakesully. He looked at Neytiri, then at Puvomun. "I think I understood one word," he finally said. "Did they say tskow?"

"Hrah," Neytiri said as she pushed him. "You are not paying attention." She explained what the children had sung. Then they started to repeat the song, first attempting line by line and when that failed they fell back to word by word. Most of the children were highly entertained by the mistakes this grown-up person made, trying to speak even the simplest words.

Ekirä, Lolet and Rakan came back from whatever they had been doing and watched the attempts of Jakesully to keep up with the children. After some discussion they joined the group and sang along as the children started the second verse:

"Kinäa 'eveng tivaron new
'awìl txopu si hrrapìt
kinäa 'eveng tivaron new
slä tafral ì'awn nì'aw 'eveng apukap"
"Seven children, they want to go, to hunt they want to go,
Yes, they are strong and have no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng, he cannot come, his fear is just too much,
I must go home my friends, he says, and leaves them in a rush."

Rakan, sitting behind Jakesully, slapped the man in the head at almost every attempt to try and pronounce a word. Lolet grabbed Rakan's hand. "Hey, no hitting him. Neytiri will do that, do you hear?"

"Hrah, he is not singing well. He is not even saying it well," Rakan muttered.

Lolet tapped Jakesully on the shoulder. "If Rakan hits you again, you can hit him back."

Rakan made a rude noise, but from then on he kept his hands under control.

"Can I join?" Amhul asked. She had seen the large group of singers and thought that it was a wonderful way to teach the stranger how to sing.

"Oh yes, do join," said Puvomun, "we need all the help we can get." He looked at Nusumea Tirea. "If you feel like singing, ma tsmukan, you are free to join as well."

"Irayo, ma Puvomun," the invitee said. "I will sing from here, so I can continue my work on this bracelet."

Jakesully did not seem to be very happy with all the help. Puvomun had a feeling that the man felt crowded, but he would have to deal with it. It was good for him. On his mark the children started to sing the third verse of their song, with the aid of the adults:

"Pukapa 'eveng tivaron new
'awìl zolup nrrit
pukapa 'eveng tivaron new
slä tafral ì'awn nì'aw 'eveng amrr."
"Five children, they want to go, to hunt they want to go,
Yes, they are strong and have no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng trips on a root, he falls and then he hurts,
I must go home my friends, he says, and leaves them in a rush."

A silence fell over the assembled choir. Jakesully had managed to pronounce the last four words in an understandable way. Rakan actually congratulated Jakesully on that, when Eyamsiyu was dragged over by Ninat.

"Yes, you will sit down and sing too," Ninat said, "and when I see Tawtewng I will make him sit and sing too."

The group was expanding rapidly this way. Puvomun wondered how many singers there would be in the end, as there were five more verses to sing. Neytiri in that time was explaining to Jakesully what the words meant that he had managed. The man looked proud, in a very careful way.

"Mrra 'eveng tivaron new
'awìl tse'a palulukanit
mrra 'eveng tivaron new
slä tafral ì'awn nì'aw 'eveng atsìng"
"Mrra 'eveng, they want to go, to hunt they want to go,
Yes, they are strong and have no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng saw Palulukan, and his fear became too great
I must go home my friends, he says, or I will be too late."

Amhul grinned as she heard how Jakesully repeated the words he had just done so well, while the children sang the right words. Neytiri hid her smile behind a hand.

"It is not your fault, Jakesully. You do not know the song," Nusumea Tirea said. "You will learn, as we all learn so many things. Eywa will guide you."

Puvomun agreed with the man who was working on a strip of leather, adorning it with small beads and special symbols. The he asked the children to repeat the last line, which they did, and explained the meaning. This time the "I must go home, my friends" part started to become understandable when Jakesully said them.

"Tsìnga 'eveng tivaron new
'awìl yerom veyit
tsìnga 'eveng tivaron new
slä tafral ì'awn nì'aw 'eveng apxey"
"Four children, they want to go, to hunt they want to go,
Yes, they are strong and have no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng was hungry still, his tummy in a state,
I must go home my friends, he says, or I will be too late."

Again Jakesully managed a few words, and even in time. He seemed to pick up the rhythm of the song a bit, to Puvomun's surprise.

Amhul praised the uniltìranyu and waved at I'awn and Txongway who were slowly approaching the by now large group. "Do you want to join us?" she asked, telling them which song they were doing, and why. The two were game, sat with the group and waited for the children to start the next verse.

Puvomun saw that Jakesully was paying a lot of attention to the little ones. That, he knew, was good. The little ones were disarming and just having fun.

"Pxeveng tivaron new
'awìl keltsun nivume taronit
pxeveng tivaron new
slä tafral ì'awn nì'aw 'eveng amune"
"Three children, they want to go, to hunt they want to go,
Yes, they are strong and have no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng he could not hunt, his face was in a blush,
I must go home my friends, he says, and leaves them in a rush."

Neytiri had told Jakesully that the first ending was coming, and he almost had it right this time. She tried to explain that two and three in counting had special prefixes, which seemed to puzzle him to no end.

"That's silly," he said, "why would you do that?"

Neytiri growled. "When we were learning 'Inglìsì from toktor Grace Augustine we said there are strange things in your language also, Jake, and she said that was English. And Na'vi is Na'vi."

Ekirä touched Jakesully's arm. "Maybe Puvomun or Amhul can explain later. They are meharyu, teachers. We are not."

"Might be the best idea. If the language doesn't kill me first," the man commented, grinning about something he alone understood.

Then the children sang the next verse, about the two remaining children:

"Meveng tivaron new
'aw lu husahaw
meveng tivaron new
slä tafral ì'awn nì'aw 'eveng a'aw"
"Two children, they want to go, to hunt they want to go,
Yes, they are strong and have no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng he wants to sleep, the child says with a blush,
I must go home my friend, he says, and leaves him in a rush."

This time, Jakesully actually said tsko instead of tskow, and the start of the last line worked better as well.

"You need a lot of help to learn our language, Jakesully." Mo'at had been watching the whole scene from a distance, and now she came closer.

Jakesully shrugged. "Your language is difficult for us, ma'am."

That was a fact. Grace Augustine had complained about the Na'vi language also, but she had managed to speak it quite well in the end. Puvomun shared a glance with Amhul, who nodded. They both remembered how complicated it had been to speak with Grace Augustine in the beginning, when they had not had any reference to hold on to.

"You must learn, Jakesully. It is good you have many teachers here," Mo'at said. She bent down, patted a few children on the head and then she moved on.

"We only have one more verse to sing, Jakesully," Puvomun warned the man. On his sign, everyone began to sing:

"'Awa 'eveng ke tivaron new
'aw kä nekelku
pol eylanit tse'a
slä tafral 'eveng avol."
"One child, he wants to go, to hunt he wants to go,
Yes, he is strong and has no fear, with swizaw and with tsko.
But one 'eveng he cannot hunt in the forest all alone,
I must go find my friends, he says, and runs back to his home."

As the song ended, the children all started yelling their war cries, startling Jakesully for a moment, while the people that had joined them yelled along with the children. After that, they all laughed, and the uniltìranyu looked a bit lost and puzzled.

While all around him people were laughing, he said to Puvomun and Amhul: "I'm afraid I'll have to sit in with you a lot before I get this."

"You are welcome to join, Jakesully," Amhul told him. "We will help you if you need our help." She promised she would talk to to Mo'at about this, as Neytiri had gotten the responsibility to train Jakesully. There were some things that teachers simply were better at. "Mo'at will understand," Amhul said, "she is txantslusam, wise."

Jakesully did not look as if he was entirely convinced.

[Puvomun]

7. A guest

Puvomun allowed the little children to run and play, they had been very good and serious with the uniltìranyu.

"Thanks for the help, everyone," Jakesully said as most of the adults started to leave. Then he turned to Neytiri and while trying not to be too obvious, he asked her: "Who's he?" He meant Nusumea Tirea.

"Ask him yourself. He knows best," said Neytiri as she got up. "I need something to drink. Ma Puvomun, please make sure he does not walk off and gets hurt by a yerik."

The teacher laughed and introduced Jakesully to Nusumea Tirea. "Nusumea Tirea is a hunter, but he cannot fly now."

"Why's that?" Jakesully looked very surprised about that.

"I had dreams," said Nusumea Tirea. "Dreams about healing people, about doing some of the things a Tsahik would do."

"Well, dreams are okay I guess," said the dreamwalker.

"Not when you fly ikran at the same time," Nusumea Tirea said, his voice gentle, a smile on his face. "I think I scared Rìk very much."

"Rìk?" Jakesully asked.

Nusumea Tirea looked at the teacher-singer as he did not know the Inglìsì word.

"It means 'leaf'," said Puvomun. "It is the name of his ikran."

"Oh. I see. But a Tsahik is always a woman, right?"

Nusumea Tirea nodded. "Srane. But taking care of people is... sìltsan-a 'u fpi-frapo. Good for everyone."

"Yeah, I hear you. More people should think like that. Still it must suck to be a hunter and be grounded like that."

Even Puvomun had some trouble understanding and translating that, but after some trial and error they worked it out.

"Jake!" Neytiri called and he looked at her. "Come. Fetch your tsko."

"Coming!" Jakesully replied. "Thanks guys, nice talking to you. And I'll try not to break the bow this time, Puvomun. The tskow. Tsko. Damn."

As the man walked off, Nusumea Tirea grinned. "A remarkable person."

Puvomun agreed with him. Then he talked with Nusumea Tirea about the pattern that was emerging on the strap of leather.

-=-=-

The bow and the arrows had survived. Jakesully presented them to Puvomun with some pride, after returning from an afternoon under Neytiri's scrutiny. "See, I can do this now."

"I see. I am grateful that you are improving," said the teacher-singer as he was making a new toy for one of the children. "It saves me a lot of work."

"I thought you'd like to know," said Jakesully, grinning his wide grin. "Well, got to go. Neytiri isn't tired of bossing me around yet." He turned and walked off.

Puvomun was very glad to know that Jakesully's archery skills were getting better. At the rate that man had been going through strings, the forest would soon have been rid of every kind of animal whose intestines could serve as such. Then a loud noise, almost a scream, made the teacher get up and look if he could locate its origin.

He found Lolet and Rakan looking at a gourd, one of the large ones Lolet used for making kava. "Why was there screaming here?" the teacher asked.

Lolet looked at him and then punched Rakan. "Stupid here dropped a stone in the kava! I had made fresh kava for the dance this evening, and now..."

"Hey, come on, it's just a stone. I'll take it out and no one will notice," Rakan said as he bent over, grabbing in the liquid inside the gourd.

Puvomun was still wondering about the scene when Lolet's foot found its target and Rakan tumbled over the ground.

"What'd you do that for?" Rakan asked from his floored position.

"That should be obvious," Lolet growled, "you destroyed my work, you made the kava undrinkable! And no, that is not funny!"

"You, go away," Puvomun said to Rakan as he got up and wanted to say something. "We will call for you if you can do something sensible around here."

"You are not the one to send me away, teacher," the young man said, "I am not one of the little children that will do what you tell them to do!"

Puvomun looked the agitated youngster in the eye. "I am old enough to be your sempul, young person. And I am telling you to leave."

Lolet stared at Rakan, not sure if she wanted him to leave or stay, nor was she sure of what her mate would do now. To her surprise Rakan left, while he muttered all kinds of things that he could do to singers.

"Now let us see about the kava, Lolet," Puvomun said, hardly shaken up by the words of Rakan. The fact that he was a teacher and a singer did not mean he was defenceless.

Lolet nodded, still looking at her mate who was walking off. "He really left," she said in surprise, stating the obvious. Then they took stock of the kava that was still available. There were two smaller gourds, one full, one mostly full. "That's not enough for tonight," she sighed.

"It will be if we keep Tawtewng away from it," Puvomun joked.

"We'll water his down," Lolet laughed. "But I have to start making new kava now. I cannot use the kava that had a stone in it." With a sorry face she emptied the gourd and picked the stone from it.

"I have an idea..." Puvomun said, and he shared it with her...

-=-=-

That evening the light of the moons was very bright. The Tsahik had already said it would be so, and hence there was a big feast planned. Bright evenings were wonderful for festivities.

There also was a special guest. Jakesully had talked to Mo'at, and somehow he had gotten the Tsahik to agree to inviting toktor Grace Augustine back to the village. She had been there for a few visits already. Grace'd had tears in her eyes when she saw the People again. The children all remembered her, and had come running to welcome her back to the village. As a token of friendship the people had invited Grace to this evening.

Together with Neytiri, Ekirä and Korun, Jakesully had gone to a place in the jungle where the flying machine of the Sky people could land, and they had picked up Grace from there.

Eytukan greeted her, but stayed to the side, with some of the older warriors and hunters. He still had not forgiven the aysawtute for killing a daughter. He probably never would, Puvomun thought as he was helping the musicians to set up the drums and hang the large flutes into place.

I'awn and Txonway had been busy helping making food, and Lolet was fussing over the containers with kava, fruit juice and water. She had assigned Rakan to serving duty, a task he had accepted without an argument. That, Puvomun thought, was almost worrying. Rakan nearly never did something without making some kind of trouble, unless he liked what he was going to do. And those things regularly consisted of trouble.

Grace was talking with Amhul and Mo'at. Jakesully hovered close to Grace, trying to make it look incidental and failing miserably at that, for all Na'vi to see.

A large fire was burning in the central area, food was cooking, and to the side a small group was softly singing. The children were not sleeping yet; some of the older ones were singing with the grown-ups, some were running around the fire laughing and yelling things at each other.

Peyral, who was helping Puvomun to tie the last drum to a branch, laughed. "We have a good night for this," she said. "Everybody is so happy. I am surprised that Mo'at and Eytukan allowed toktor Grace back to the village."

Puvomun agreed. "It is a good sign though. Toktor Grace was always against the warriors of the Sky people being here, and she wanted to do good things. They hurt her feelings when they closed the school."

Peyral frowned. "They also hurt us. Our people. And they hurt more than just our feelings."

The teacher-singer knew that she was thinking of Neytiri's sister, who had been her best friend.

"Srane, ma Peyral," Puvomun said. "We have to accept that Sylwanin is with Eywa now."

Peyral yanked a rope, harder than necessary. The drum it was attached to hummed in protest. "Yes. But she joined Eywa too soon." Then she looked at the teacher. "Ngaytxoa, ma Puvomun, my apologies. I did not mean to give you my anger."

He smiled and touched her arm. "Sìltsan, Peyral. I understand."

Their conversation was then brought to an end, as two flute players started the music. It was a traditional song about the world and the unison of all life, everyone in the village knew it and soon the space around the fire was filled with voices singing along.

Toktor Grace's face showed how much she enjoyed being there.

Jakesully, Puvomun saw, was very relaxed. Was that because Grace was there? Or was that because he felt more at home with the Omatikaya now? It could not be because of the kava, Puvomun knew. Jakesully had not taken a liking to that.

The song ended, and there was a moment of silence among the people, as they all let the meaning of the words sink in. It was tradition. Then Ninat and Ekirä came to the centre. They called for Neytiri and some other women to join them.

"We will sing the song of the red bird," Ninat called out to the musicians.

Puvomun approved of the choice; the song of the red bird was a funny song that invited to sing along and dance. The drums started again, the flutes joined, and soon the whole clan was singing and clapping hands. The women in the centre danced and jumped around the fire, portraying the red birds in flight. Ninat stepped out of the line for a moment as she grabbed Grace's hand and pulled her into the centre, to join the others.

Grace did not object; she had been part of Omatikaya festivities before and knew that it would offend them to say no.

Tawtewng and Korun were singing loudly, their voices almost breaking up in their joy. Txonway sang also, be it much calmer. Nusumea Tirea sat with them, singing as well. Puvomun could tell that Nusumea Tirea was waiting for a song that would allow the men to dance too, so when the song of the red bird was done, he told the musicians what to play next.

Soon the centre place was full of dancing people. Even Jakesully was among them, as Neytiri had dragged him into the group. Kava, fruit juice and water were flowing richly, and everyone had a wonderful time. Everyone except Rakan, it seemed.

"I want some kava too," he muttered to Lolet as she sent him walking with more fruit juice to hand out.

"Come back and you will get your share," Lolet told him. This made Rakan hurry. So much, in fact, that his hands were covered in fruit juice that had sloshed out of the cups. When he returned, Lolet had a big grin on her face as she handed him a stone.

"What's that?" Rakan took the stone and looked at it suspiciously.

"It's the stone you threw  in the kava," Lolet explained. "You can sniff it as long as you want. Who will know the difference!"

[Puvomun]

8. Virid'ian

Rakan stared at his mate, holding the stone in his hand. He could not believe what she had just said to him. Then, in an impulse, he sniffed the stone. It smelled like kava. A moment later he almost collapsed with laughter.

Several of the people that were close enough to the two stopped their dance for a moment, making sure nothing was wrong. When they heard laughing, they continued their dancing. Laughter was good.

"Lolet, my woman, you go and dance if you want," Rakan said. "You tricked me. I will hand out the drinks, you go and enjoy yourself."

"I enjoy myself well here, with you," Lolet said, "but I will go and dance anyway!" With a loud Na'vi scream of happiness she joined the people around the large fire.

Puvomun was among the singing dancers, Ekirä, Korun, Txonway and I'awn were there as well, as were most others, as far as there was space. he saw Neytiri, and toktor Grace and Jakesully also tried to follow the dance. Nusumea Tirea seemed to be halfway in a trance as he went round and round the fire.

The evening became the night, when toktor Grace suddenly seemed to worry. Amhul, who had been close to Grace, came to Puvomun after talking with the toktor.

"Ma Puvomun," she said, "Grace needs to go back to where the flying machine brought her."

Puvomun, who had not touched the kava, as he knew there was barely enough, understood what Amhul meant. As he looked around, he noticed that most people were not capable of guiding Grace. "Yes, I will take her back. Is there someone else who can come along?"

"Ekirä. I will ask her," said Amhul. She went to talk to the young woman, as Puvomun told Grace that they would take her back on pa'li.

"It is the fastest way," he explained as Grace argued she did not know how to ride. "And you will sit behind me. Ekirä will come as well. You will be safe as long as you hold on to me."

"I have always felt safe with your people, ma Puvomun," Grace said. "I trust you." She did look nervous as well as excited. She had never sat on a pa'li before!

Ekirä arrived with two direhorses; she was already mounted. Puvomun jumped onto the other one, and Amhul then helped Grace to sit behind him.

Before they could leave, Jakesully stepped up to the two horses. "Hey guys, where are you going - Oh, hey Grace. Getting your first riding lesson today?"

Ekirä explained to him that they were going to deliver Grace to the place where she would be picked up.

"Oh, cool, wait and I will come with you!"

Amhul held Jakesully back. "No, you won't. You drank too much, pa'li won't like it when you try to ride when you had too much kava."

"Oh, come on, Amhul, I didn't have that much," the man said.

"Jake!" Neytiri's voice was as a whip, and it had the same effect: he turned quickly, to see why she was calling his name. "Stay here. Pa'li will not take you now, they are smarter than you."

Puvomun grinned. "We're leaving now, otherwise the tawtute who collects Grace will have to wait too long."

"Damn," said Jakesully. "Be careful then." With sad eyes he watched as the two direhorses left, passing over the long fallen tree that led from Kelutral into the jungle.

Puvomun and Ekirä both knew where they had to go, and the journey there was not very far, so they did not have to go very fast, but the direhorses were in a good mood and needed little encouragement to keep up a decent pace.

"Ma Puvomun," Grace said with her slight accent, "I hope I made it clear that Trudy would be doing the flying, not you, yes?"

"We are not going fast, Grace," the teacher tried to assure her, but the way she held on told to him made it obvious that was not happening. He made pa'li go slower and slower, until Grace relaxed a bit.

"This is amazing," she said, "but a saddle would be nice."

Puvomun laughed and shared her words with Ekirä, who was also very much entertained by them. "It is good to see you back in the village again, Grace."

"Lu sìltsan fwa ne'ìm, ma 'eylan, it is good to be back. Jake told me that you are working well with the children. Thank you for helping him, he's having a hard time often."

"Everyone helps, in a way," Ekirä said as she caught Grace's words. "Well, most do." She thought of Tsu'tey.

While they talked and enjoyed the soft light from the bioluminescent environment, the trip to the landing spot went fast.

The flying machine was already there. The woman flying it, Trudy, was pacing around restlessly. She froze when the two pa'li suddenly broke through a bush. Her hand flew to her belt. Puvomun knew that most aysawtute carried weapons there, and this woman would not be an exception, but before anything happened, Grace had jumped off the back of the horse.

"It's okay, Trudy, they are here to bring me back" she said, to make sure Trudy was aware that she had finally come.

"Damn, you guys scared me!" Trudy exclaimed. "I was about to give up on you. You took your time." She stared up to Ekirä and Puvomun. "And you should make more noise next time."

Grace said: "I'm sorry, Trudy, it's not their fault. Let's get back to base."

"Yeah, Quaritch had a fit when I said I was going to pick you up, even though he had approved this night flight before."

Grace laughed. "You must tell me how you pulled that off on the way back, Trudy." She turned to the two Na'vi, still on their pa'li. "Thank you, ma eylan, I had a most wonderful time and I hope to come to your village again soon."

"Txon lefpom, Grace." The two wished her a good night. Then, before the machine would make its noise, they turned and rode their pa'li back to the village. It was late, and they had to sleep.

-=-=-

The awakenings on the next morning were very calm. The ones that were loudest usually, were holding their heads in their hands. Puvomun, who was up since a while already, had to chuckle. Lolet had been worried that there was not enough kava. The silence, and the expression on many faces made it clear that her worry had been in vain. It surprised him that Jakesully did not seem to suffer as much as Tawtewng, who had somehow managed to get quite a decent share of the available alcoholic beverage.

Virid'ian also noticed the suffering expression of his friend. "You will get over it soon, ma 'eylan," he said. Tawtewng did not look confident about that assumption and went to sit somewhere silent. A few others, who also were overwhelmed by the 'after effect', joined him.

Eytukan looked at the lot. "It is better that they have this now, than when there are problems arising."

Puvomun agreed with that observation, but he did not like the implication. "Do you expect problems?"

The olo'eytkan only looked at the teacher-singer. His expression conveyed his thoughts more than any words could have done.

Rakan, cheerful after only having had the stone to sniff, and Lolet's attention to keep him happy, walked passed the sufferers and loudly said: "Rewon lefpom, ma eylan!"

Txewì made half an attempt to kick him, but Rakan was too quick and laughingly leapt away. Even the olo'eytkan had to laugh for a moment, seeing that. It was not often he could laugh about something concerning Rakan.

"Virid'ian," Eytukan then said, "it is time for you to go and check."

Virid'ian nodded. "Srane. I will go soon. Puvomun, do you want to come with me?"

"To do what?"

"We just have to check on something," the young man said, not divulging what exactly they would be doing.

"I'll come with you." Puvomun was curious to find out what Virid'ian had been doing for the olo'eytkan.

"Come where?" Amhul asked as she joined them.

"Virid'ian asked me to accompany him for something," Puvomun said. "Can you take care of the children while we are away?"

"Of course I will." Amhul did not ask where the two would go, if they wanted her to know they would have told her. "If they let me."

Everyone laughed, as they knew how strong headed many of the children could be.

Virid'ian and Puvomun got up after eating. "We will need pa'li," Virid'ian said as they were out of earshot. "It is not very far away, but we can check quicker that way. I will tell you what we're going to look at when we are on our way."

It was not often that there were secretive things like that, so Puvomun really wondered what was going on. "Why don't you then take someone with you who has already seen the thing, whatever it is?"

"They are all busy, I guess," was the reply.

The two mounted their rides and quickly left the village. Once in the jungle, Virid'ian said: "There have been aysawtute in their fngapä ta'leng close by, the metal skins. Eytukan told some of us to make sure they do not get too close to Vitrautral that way. They are very careless and they can damage so much there."

Puvomun understood the concern. These large machine-people lacked every kind of grace and subtlety. Too often had he seen how easily they destroyed things without even trying.

They rode on as fast as Puvomun felt safe; Virid'ian knew that the teacher was not a crack rider and did not make any remarks about their lack of serious speed. Still, soon they arrived at a spot where the young man held up his hand and the pa'li slowed down.

"We're there," Virid'ian said, as he jumped to the ground.

The teacher also slid off the horse, slightly shivering when he broke the bond. He might never get used to that. He knew they were quite close to Vitrautral, but in this area there was nothing special.

Virid'ian pushed through some shrubs and then lead them to a strip of open space. When they came to it, Puvomun saw what they had come for. There was a layer of thin branches and leaves on the ground, as usual, but here was something remarkable: a large hole.

"We came here to look at a hole?"

"Yes. We dug a lot of deep holes," Virid'ian said, "and then we covered them. We knew that any aysawtute would come past this place if they want to get closer to Vitrautral, so they would fall into one of the holes."

It was clear that one of the metal skin people had indeed done that. The crack in the leaves was large, and they found scramble marks around the opening in the ground. There had been two fngapä ta'leng there, clearly, one had fallen in and the other had dragged the fallen one out. The trails showed that the two had left towards the jungle again, not going closer to the Tree of Voices.

Virid'ian was satisfied. "They probably think that there are more holes everywhere."

"Are there?" Puvomun  asked.

"We decided that we will not tell everyone," Virid'ian said. "The less people who know about this, the less chance there is that someone says something to the aysawtute. If only by accident."

Puvomun understood, although he did not like that idea. Na'vi did not have to keep secrets among each other, he thought.

They spent some time covering up the hole and making sure the deep tracks were impossible to find back. According to Virid'ian this was a good thing, as that way the intruders could see the Na'vi knew they had been there, and were prepared for more of them.

[Puvomun]

9. In the night

Virid'ian and Puvomun returned to the village. The young man went to talk to the olo'eytkan and the teacher was surprised that Amhul was not there. Nor were the children. As he asked around, one of the mothers knew that Amhul had taken the children into the forest, to learn about plants and small animals.

"I'awn and Txonway went with them, so they will be safe," she added.

"Mllte, these two are responsible," Puvomun agreed. Amhul was quite proficient with her weapons, but with a swarm of children to watch over, she would need assistance.

As he did not feel like more toy-making that day, Puvomun went to do some maintenance on one of the large blue flutes. Something was wrong with it, and that had to be fixed.

Carefully the teacher rolled over the large flute, to find what could be wrong with it. Ah, there it was - a large crack at the bottom, where the flute would rest on the ground. Someone had probably put it down too quickly, or the wood that this flute was made of was not so strong as the flute-maker had assumed.

"Ma puvomun, do you need a hand with that?"

Puvomun looked up and saw Eyamsiyu approaching. "Yes, irayo. This flute is difficult to handle."

Together they propped the flute up on a tree-stump.

"That looks bad," Eyamsiyu agreed. "Such a crack is hard to fix. But we'll see what we can do; making a new one is far more work."

The two went into the jungle. They were looking for a specific plant, it had a very sticky inside, because of the honey-like sap that flowed through the stem,  and these things were very tough to cut down. It was the only material they knew that would fix the flute; other pieces of wood, or leaves, would not hold for long.

Eysamsiyu spotted a good plant and they got to work on a thick branch, after wrapping some leaves around it. Without that, they would have serious problems getting the branch from their hands. They spent a good deal of time hacking at the resilient branch. These plants were known to put up a good struggle before they let go of something attached to them, but the reward came. The branch came loose enough for the two men to yank it free.

"Wou, that was a strong one," Eyamsiyu puffed. He, as well as Puvomun, were almost out of breath after battling the plant, but they knew they had won fair and square. "Irayo, ma tsmukan 'ewll, your limb will grow back, and your old one will save our music."

Then they loaded the branch on their shoulders and carried it back to Kelutral. There they started the ungrateful task to peel the leaves from the wood.

"What is that?" Kalin Kato asked, who had seen the two come back to the village with the piece of wood.

"We're going to try and repair a broken flute," Eyamsiyu explained, "and it is going to be messy. We have to get these leaves off without getting stuck to the wood ourselves."

"I can help," Kalin Kato offered.

"That would be appreciated," Puvomun said, "but be careful. The sap is very sticky. If you get it on you, it will take long before it goes off."

The three carefully peeled away most of the leaves. Puvomun went to measure the size of the crack in the flute and came back, new leaves in his hand. "We need about this much," the teacher said, holding his hands apart.

Eyamsiyu nodded and folded the fresh leaves over the wood, leaving as of the sticky wood open as the teacher-singer's hands were apart. Then the two men started cutting into the branch, while Kalin held leaves at the ready to lift the piece up whenever they had managed to free another bit.

"These knives will be useless when we're done with this," Eyamsiyu said as he almost broke his. "Maybe we should have made a new flute after all."

The screams of children filled the air, and soon a whole flock of them was standing around the three people yanking at the wood. Amhul, I'awn and Txonway had returned with their charge.

Kalin Kato almost let go of her end as she tried to ward off some of the very curious ones who wanted to play with the wood, but the three who had been watching the children all morning were there, so problems were avoided in the nick of time. In the end, Amhul and I'awn herded the children away. Their timing was perfect, as only a moment later the piece of wood needed for the flute broke free.

Kalin held it up, half proud and half unsure what to do with it.

"Come with us," Puvomun said, guiding the way to where the flute was still waiting for its surgery.

Txonway had followed them, and asked if he could help as well.

"Your hands are welcome, Txonway,"said Eysamsiyu. "If you can hold the flute exactly like this, then Kalin can hold the new wood close to the crack and we can chip off enough of the sticky wood to make the new part fit."

Kalin Kato made the two promise they would be careful with her fingers. After all, the knives were large and sharp.

Eyamsiyu was very careful though, his skills with wood and knife were amazing, while Puvomun worked at smoothing the sides of the flute, working away the cracked bits. The end result looked promising, as the three gently pushed the sticky wooden piece into the crack of the flute. Txonway used hands and knees to keep the instrument straight.

"That seems to fit well," Kalin Kato commented after the two men had wrapped some leaves around the repaired part of the flute.

"It does," Eysamsiyu said, "but I think it will affect the sound of the flute. Maybe we should try it."

They lifted the large flute, and Eyamsiyu carefully blew into it.

The soft, warm sound from it gave Puvomun a great feeling. he could tell that indeed the sound was not the way it should be, but that could be fixed. "You are right, it does not sound the way it should. I will work on that this afternoon."

"Mllte," said Eysamsiyu, "but I think also that it would be sìltsan to go into the forest someday soon and look for wood to make a new one. This won't hold forever."

Txonway offered to go along on the search for the wood, something that Eysamsiyu appreciated. "I will let you know when we will go," he said, "and then we will find a nice piece of wood for the best flute ever."

"That's if Ninat will let you go," Kalin Kato grinned, jumping away as Eysamsiyu pretended to slap at her.

They all laughed. Then Puvomun and Txonway put the flute away. The repair still had to tighten, and laying down would be the best position for the instrument.

-=-=-

The day came to an end. Sleepy people left the still singing ones, in search of their hammocks. Puvomun sat near the dying fire, his mind afloat in the past, recalling the First Songs and imagining the events that had led to them.

Amhul had sat with him for a while, but she had noticed that her friend had withdrawn into realms where she could not follow, so she had left as well. He did not seem to notice, but she knew that he was like that.

Nusumea Tirea was the only other one who was sitting by the fire, his mind also adrift to regions unattainable for others.

Silence was spreading out through the village, save the crackling embers and the calls and whispers of the night animals.

Puvomun had lost track of time and space, when suddenly a movement drew him back to where he was sitting. Calmly he opened his eyes, noticed the fire having gone out and then he saw the lights on the floor where someone was walking. "Ekirä?" he half-whispered, as he recognised her luminescent pattern. "Why are you up?"

Ekirä was a bit startled. She had not seen the teacher-singer, so his voice caught her by surprise. "Ma Puvomun... I want to go to Utral Aymokriyä, the Tree of Voices. I feel weary tonight, and they give me comfort and peace." She walked over to the teacher and squatted down with him. "And why are you still awake?"

"I was remembering, 'ewan Ekirä. Remembering the things from long ago. Like Nusumea is still doing." He pointed to the man who sat silently, eyes closed, seemingly untouchable. "Would you mind if I accompany you?"

"Kehe, of course not. I would appreciate that."

Together they walked to Utral Aymokriyä. Puvomun sat down as Ekirä walked among the bright lines, touching them with her fingers, holding some of them against her cheek for a moment. Puvomun knew that she would be fine. Then it occurred to him that there were voices he had not heard for a long time, so he rose and also walked among the strands that hung from the massive tree.

Ekirä was smiling, her face dreamy and her eyes closed. Puvomun saw how she had attached her tswin to a few of the strands already. A few steps further he took his braid in one hand and three strands in the other. He closed his eyes as the ends of his tswin folded around the lines. Immediately after tsaheylu started flowing, sounds filled his head; voices, laughter, screams. The initial wash ran through him. He did not try to follow or fight it, as it would not take long.

"Ekte'ka... I don't know if you are there, brother, or if you can hear me," the teacher whispered. Some voices whispered back to him, giving him impressions and feelings rather than words and sentences.

"I want you to know that you are missed, but that you are with Eywa. We made a song for you, oeyä koaka 'eylan, maybe you have heard it when we sang it this evening."

Puvomun stood still, waiting and hoping for some response. A rush of joy, laughter, happiness almost hit him, making him shudder as it came so unexpectedly. Somehow, he knew, Ekte'ka would know about the song. He was convinced of that.

"Eywa ngahu, ma 'eylan," Puvomun said. "I will visit you again soon." Slowly, reluctantly, he took his tswin from the lines that connected him to the Voices. After taking a deep breath he smiled and walked back to the place where he had been sitting.

Ekirä was still with the tree, but to his surprise, Nusumea Tirea was there. The hunter with the dreams had a smile on his face.

"Kaltxì, ma tsmukan," he greeted the teacher-singer. "He has heard you."

Puvomun frowned for a moment. How could this man know what he had done among the strands? But then, Nusumea had been different since he had scared Rìk, perhaps this had something to do with it.

"Irayo, Nusumea Tirea," Puvomun thanked him. "I..."

The other man just touched Puvomun's shoulder. "I know. Ekirä is coming back. It is time to sleep." Then he disappeared into the relative darkness, with only his luminescent marks and the faint light from the forest floor showing where he went.

[Puvomun]

10. Lifeless

The next morning village life started in its usual noises. Rakan and Tawtewng were already arguing about something, Lolet, Ekirä and I'awn babbling about things, and the other hunters were gathering for breakfast. All but Neytiri and Jakesully were present.

This caused some wonder among the people, so the tsahik went to see what was happening while the others ate and got ready for the day.

"Puvomun, can you come with me?" Mo'at asked the teacher.

Puvomun followed her. She would have good reasons to ask him and not someone else.

Once near the aynivi, they found Neytiri staring at the unmoving body of Jakesully.

"Ite," Mo'at said, "what is wrong? Why did you not come down?"

"Jake is not waking up," Neytiri said. "I called him and I pushed him, but he remains like that."

Mo'at muttered something under her voice. "It is your responsibility. You brought him here."

"But you gave me an order to take care of him! That's not fair! I told you there was a sign from Eywa and-"

"Srane. You were with Jakesully when the Atokirina came to him, you were the one who found him and helped him, so you are to look after him. Also now." Mo'at turned and walked off, leaving Puvomun with her daughter and the lifeless uniltìranyu.

"Hrah," Neytiri spat, her eyes throwing fire. "Sometimes..."

The teacher sat down. "Go and eat. I will sit here with him and wait until you come back," was all he said. "But wait a few moments until ngayä sa'nok is gone."

Neytiri, still angered, nodded. Then her eyes went back to the silent body in the hammock. "What is wrong with him, Puvomun?"

"I think he is well. He has slept long before, remember? He said that the aysawtute had not woken his tawtute body up in time."

"But not this long," Neytiri grumbled.

"Maybe he does other things. Maybe his tawtute tokx is ill and he cannot come here with their machine."

Jakesully had once explained how the humans became their Unitìrantokx using machines. It sounded strange, and yet Dr. Grace had told them the same thing long ago, so it had to be true.

"Srane, you are right. I will go down now, to eat, and come back later."

Neytiri left the teacher, who looked at the silent body now.

"You are a strange person, Jakesully," he said. "While you are not awake, I will sing you a song of Toruk."

As the man was singing, Amhul came to see what was taking him so long to return. "Neytiri seemed quite annoyed," she explained. "Are you going to sit here for a long time?"

"Maybe. I don't know. Neytiri should come back up, and then I will be done here. Until then I intend to wait."

"I understand. We had planned to go fishing today," Amhul gently reminded him. "With some of the older children."

Puvomun nodded. He recalled how they had agreed to do that, but nobody knew that this would happen. "Maybe we can ask Tsu'tey to come and watch over Jakesully," he laughed.

Amhul laughed loudly too. "If we were to ask him, I think he would cut the nivi down and enjoy every moment that the uniltìrantokx was falling down. And probably go down then and damage it some more."

Puvomun agreed with her. Tsu'tey was still not very friendly towards the man who had come to them a stranger. Tsu'tey considered Jakesully a rival for Neytiri more and more, and that was with reason. Before the Dreamwalker had come to the village, Neytiri and Tsu'tey had spent much time together, but hardly as much as she spent with Jakesully. But now, she hardly ever seemed to regard Tsu'tey anymore. And that, they both knew, hurt the warrior's pride badly.

The two teachers talked for a while, when suddenly they noticed someone come towards them. It was Nusumea Tirea.

"I will sit here for some time now," he simply said. "We agreed that sitting here can be done in turns. Mo'at agreed with that too." As he sat down, he pulled some things from a pouch, jewelry he was making. "As you see, I can do my work here as well."

Puvomun and Amhul wished him good luck sitting there, and then made their way to the bottom again. Upon reaching the surface, they heard Lolet.

"No, if we are sitting with him, you are not going to tie his kxetse to the hammock, Rakan! It's not fair to do that when he's sleeping!"

"But when he's awake he won't let me! You are such a spoilsport sometimes." Rakan sounded very disappointed, but his voice told everyone that he had already resigned to Lolet's wishes.

Kalin Kato sat talking to Eysamsiyu and Ninat and looked up at the teachers as they passed by. "I am going up to sit when Nusumea comes back," she announced.

"I thought we were," Eysamsiyu said, his face surprised. "Looks like we have to talk about that."

Puvomun suppressed a grin. There clearly were plenty of people around who were feeling fine about Jakesully being there. It would be no problem for them to go fishing, so Amhul and he went to round up the older children who had said they wanted to go fishing. They also gathered a handful of the younger ones. A few older girls said they would watch over the little kids, and swim with them, so in the end a rather large expedition went out towards one of the better fishing places on the lake.

As they went along, several of the children were debating if Jakesully was with Eywa now. Some of them firmly believed that. Others pointed out that dead people would not be kept in their nivi that long, but brought down and their body prepared for its return to the ground.

Amhul and Puvomun grinned when some of the children started singing some of the songs that traditionally were sung at funerals. One song brought about another, and soon the group arrived at their spot near the water. The song was broken up and a lot of splashing and screaming laughter followed.

The people who were going to fish walked on. The fish would not be caught around the children who were having so much fun in the water. In a spot where the water was calm and they could still see the chilren, they laid out their fishing equipment and then walked into the water with their nets and light spears.

Many of the people enjoyed this activity. It gave them the possibility to be silent and focussed, stand in the water without moving and also catching fresh food for the clan.

Txewì, who was very good at it, soon had brought up four large fishes. Puvomun always wondered how the boy did that. He had, himself, only gotten one fish so far, and that was not even a very big one. Amhul had done better, with two fishes.

Puvomun was about to go back into the water for another try, when Txonway came riding to where the people were fishing. "Puvomun! Txewì!"

The two looked up, as it was very unlike Txonway to yell like that. To their surprise he had two more direhorses with him.

Txonway abruptly halted his pa'li. "Tsu'tey told me to come and bring you back. The aysawtute are destroying more forest!"

Puvomun only had to look at Amhul before she told them to go. "We'll take care of the fish and the children."

The two jumped onto the horses and then rode off with Txonway, as fast as they could. Once back in the village they went to get their bows and arrows. Tsu'tey had assembled a group of twelve warriors and hunters already, and so with a rather large group they all rode out, Rakan in the lead.

From what Puvomun understood, Rakan had seen the intruders in the forest as he was out on his ikran. He also heard that Jakesully was still in his nivi.

"He has not moved a muscle," said Lolet who was with the group. "I was there for a short while when Tsu'tey called me down."

"I'm going to kill all these  aysawtute," Tawtewng growled, who overheard Lolet's remark.

By then Rakan made the group slow down. He did not have to tell them they were almost there; the noise that had grown to extremes had made that clear.

The group came to a halt and went further on foot. The ground shook as crashing sounds told the people that large trees were falling, being pushed over by the giant machines of the intruders.

Tsu'tey directed three small groups in different directions. "We will strike all at the same time," he said. The leader did not have to speak softly, the surroundings were noisy so it was hard enough to understand him when he spoke aloud.

Tawtewng and his group disappeared among the trees to the left. Puvomun followed Rakan, Lolet and Anute in the opposite direction, while Tsu'tey and the remaining people stayed where they were.

Puvomun wondered if they would be able to hear Tsu'tey's alarm. The machines of the aysawtute were very close, the roaring was deafening and the ground shook from the steps that the large metalskins made. The group had to run fast, at one point, as a tree came crashing down. Had they reacted just a bit slower, some would have gotten caught under it.

They reached the spot where they were going to wait for Tsu'tey's signal, but when Rakan and Lolet peered over, that group was already attacking the intruders. There was no point in waiting.

[Puvomun]

11. Fight

Rakan told everyone to spread out and stay among the trees. Going into the open, in the path that had been cleared, would mean the intruders could easily see them and use their many weapons on them.

Puvomun found a good position and shot his first arrow. It was aimed at one of the huge walking machines, but it bounced off. The machine stopped its advance though. Slowly the man inside made it turn around, to see where the arrow had come from.

The teacher already had a second arrow waiting, and this time he had more success: the arrow punched through the glass. It did not hit the man inside, but the driver of the machine had to grab his breathing thing. The man felt forced to retreat.

A giant car on huge wheels slowly rolled by. A large metal hand on it picked up the trees that had been brought down by a group of the metalskins that were using explosive things to make the tree collapse. Puvomun's rage flared up as he witnessed this senseless destruction again. In anger he shot a few arrows into one of the wheels, knowing that it would not make any difference. Puvomun heard Rakan yell something, but the noise of the machine that was thundering past him made it impossible to hear what the man said.

The teacher, now turned into an angry protector of his home, climbed up into a tree and from there he had the possibility to shoot another arrow into something on the large rolling machine. It did not make much difference for the machine, but one of the men on the machine had seen where Puvomun was sitting and fired their weapons at him. As the first small projectiles hit the tree, he jumped down and hid behind it.

"Puvomun!' Lolet's voice was barely audible over the noise of the machine and the rattling tawtute weapons. Then Puvomun saw her and Rakan, further into the forest. He dashed towards them, as this part of the battle was clearly a lost cause.

"Where is Anute?" he asked as he reached them.

"He is dead," Rakan said, his face full of anger. "I shot the skxawng who did it. We have to go round and attack them from behind!"

Another volley of shots rang through the forest, hitting leaves and branches near the three. The shots were reaching them more by chance than intent, but it was close enough for them to dive onto the ground and wait for the direct danger to be gone. Then they got up and ran through the forest, locating the place from where Tsu'tey and his group had started their attack.

There was a large group of aysawtute on foot walking along behind the large tree-collecting machines. They all were heavily armed, the Omatikaya people had seen enough of these things to recognise that. They quickly agreed what they were going to do.

The three, tsko and swizaw ready, ran onto the cleared path. Only a few intruders were still coming up behind the rolling machines. Three of them quickly left their lives there, in the clearing. Puvomun shot his last arrow at one of the large walking machines; the arrow shattered the glass, making it hard for the occupant of the thing to see where he was going.

With the end of his bow, and a knife in his hand, the angry teacher hit and slashed at the skypeople soldiers while running to the other side of the cleared area, until he reached the forest on the other side, where he disappeared from view and was out of reach of the weapons that were fired at him. As he came to a halt, his heart pounding and ready to turn around for another go at the intruders, he almost stumbled.

To his shock, Puvomun saw the body of Rai'tan, one of the men that had gone with Tsu'tey. Pain struck the teacher-singer's heart. Rai'uk had become a father not so long ago. His first emotion was to kneel down and cry, but then more anger flared up inside him.

"Puvomun!" Tawtewng came from behind a group of trees. "Stop. Don't go back. There are too many, we won't stand a chance."

Trembling, the teacher looked at him. "They killed Rai'tan. And Anute."

The young man shook Puvomun. "We took out many of them. But we have to be smart about this. Going back without arrows is stupid. Come with me. We have to go find the others."

Puvomun looked back at the silent body of Rai'tan. "Srane. You are probably right."

-=-=-

The war-party was reunited after quite a while of searching. The sad result was two dead and two quite severely wounded. The others had escaped more or less unharmed, save some scratches or cuts. Tsu'tey said that they all had done well. Puvomun was not so convinced about that, but he assumed he missed the heart of the warrior.

The aysawtute had moved on, after collecting their dead and taking the drivers of the walking machines. The war party went to collect the bodies of their fallen friends and made their way back to where the pa'li were waiting for them. Unfortunately, somehow one of the weapons of the intruders had released a projectile that had hit one of the animals and killed it.

"Palulukan or one of the other animals will not have to worry about food," Lolet said as she touched the head of the fallen animal for a moment. "You helped us well, pa'li."

They mounted their horses, after securing the bodies of their friends on the back of one of the animals, and started back towards Kelutral in a sad procession, as the skypeople continued their path through the forest. The sound of the ongoing destruction only dimished very slowly, tearing up the hearts of the Omatikaya.

The arrival back in the village caused a lot of grief among the Omatikaya, as the bodies of of husbands, friends, fathers were carefully taken from the pa'li that had carried them.

Puvomun noticed that Jakesully had awoken; the man stood to the side, with Neytiri, while the villagers lamented, giving air to their grief. Together with Rakan he led the pa'li away.

"They died a brave death," Rakan said as they shoo-ed the horses into the woods.

Puvomun did not want to reply. Death. Was it ever brave, he wondered.

As they returned to the others, Rakan joined the others who had been in the group, as Tsu'tey spoke with the olo'eytkan. Puvomun went to help the people who were dealing with the dead.

Amhul was there too. "You look bad, oeyä 'eylan," she said as she saw him. "You should not be helping here."

"I have to," the teacher said. "They died where I was, so in a way I feel they died for me."

"Kehe, ma Puvomun, they died for us all. You cannot blame yourself for that."

"She is right, rolyu." Txewì said. "Your place is with the other singers, and teaching the eveng. You went along with us, which is brave."

Puvomun did not feel so brave. His mind was still revolting to accept what he had seen and done, as usual. As he let Amhul guide him away, they passed Tawtewng and Tsu'tey.

"You did well, rolyu," said Tsu'tey. It was quite high praise from him.

Tawtewng offered to help Amhul, so Puvomun walked between two people. It did not make him feel any better.

Once Amhul was treating the many small wounds and cuts he had not even noticed, the teacher understood why he felt so uncomfortable.

"Something I can do to help?"

Both teachers looked up in surprise. It was Jakesully who had asked the question.

"Only if you know how to treat wounds," Amhul said, trying to remain friendly.

"Not too good at that, sorry. Never got past basic training and the stuff they taught me there," the man said, an apology over his face. "And I'm really sorry all of you got so beat up. And two not surviving..." He seemed genuinely upset about that. Jakesully looked a bit lost all of a sudden. "I think I go see if I can help somewhere. Maybe Neytiri can..."

The rest of his words faded off as he walked off.

"He is no help," Amhul muttered. "Now lie still you."

Towards the evening, the clan assembled near two freshly dug graves. The bodies of the two who had died during the attempt to stop the aysawtute were placed in them, in the ritual resting position. A few atokirina had been collected and put on the silent shapes.

Mo'at spoke, telling the clan that these souls now were with Eywa, having giving back their life and energy to the world that had brought them into it. Then Puvomun and Amhul each kneeled with a grave, and together they sang the song of the Lost Soul and how it found its way back to Vitrautral.

Jakesully, who had helped dig the graves, stood to the back as the holes were filled with sand again. Neytiri stood next to him, whispering. She was explaining to him what was happening. His face was changing as she spoke, Puvomun noticed. Obviously he understood some things and had no idea about others, but occasionally he nodded.

I'awn and Txonway joined the teacher-singers after the end of the ceremony. "Can we talk with you?" I'awn asked them.

Together they walked off to a silent spot, where they sat down. Nusumea Tirea was sitting there as well. This could not be a coincidence.

"You tell them," I'awn said to her mate.

Txonway first looked at Nusumea Tirea, for a reason he alone seemed to know. "We have the idea to take you two out on the ikran tomorrow. Nusumea is allowed to fly with us."

"If Rìk still dares," I'awn joked, making everyone laugh.

Amhul and Puvomun stared at the two who had made this amazing offer, and then at each other.

"I will only fly if you come with us," Nusumea Tirea said. "Mo'at agreed that I can fly again. This flight should be special."

"That is wonderful, ma 'eylan," Amhul said. Her face showed honest happiness for the man who had been grounded for so long. "Puvomun, we have to fly."

"We want to fly," the teacher said with a grin. "We would really be very happy if you could take us up, dear friends."

"Sìltsan lu," I'awn said, "we will fly tomorrow. The five of us."

[Puvomun]

12. The flight

Puvomun opened his eyes. The night had been restless, many animals had made more sound than usual. As he heard Amhul call his name, he grinned. She was up very early. And with reason.

As he met her on the way down, he heard Jakesully talk to Neytiri about something, and it sounded like a complaint. Puvomun did not pay attention to that, as today Amhul and he would have an experience they'd never had before.

"Do you think you are up to fly with them, Puvomun?" Amhul was obviously worried about him. After all, he had been beaten up quite a bit.

"Yes, I am fine, ma Amhul," he smiled. The sleep and the proper care of the day before had done him a lot of good.

They patiently waited until I'awn and Txonway appeared. By that time they had also understood that Jakesully had heard about how they were going to fly with the two hunters, and he was obviously annoyed that Neytiri did not want to take him along for a flight in the same way.

"You want to become taronyu," she lectured him, to everyone's entertainment, "so you will live like one. And that means you will not fly until you are worthy to be ikran makto yourself."

"You must hurry to learn, tsamsiyu," Tawtewng grinned at the man. "I will go and fly with Tsu'tey today."

Jakesully did the best thing possible and ignored the comment. Whether he chose that option by being smart enough or just by being fed up was not clear.

Nusumea Tirea then came walking in from the forest. "I am ready," he simply said, and sat down.

"We are ready too," Puvomun said, "we are waiting for these two hungry people to finish all the food that was gathered to feed the clan for the rest of the week."

Txonway looked at Puvomun and then at the food in his hand. As the teacher laughed, the young man grinned and quickly finished eating.

I'awn and Txonway then led the way up to the highest branches. Puvomun tried not to glance back at the uniltìranyu but did not miss the slightly envious look on the man's face.

The climb, all the way up, took longer than the two teachers had thought. They had never been up in Kelutral that high, as they had no business there, and not knowing how to hold themselves around ikran had also been a reason not to go there.

They stepped out on one of the massive branches. The view took their breath away. Amhul held Puvomun's arm. "Oh, look how far you can see from here!"

He too was amazed as the immensity of the view became clear.

The two were still taking in the sights when I'awn said: "We are now going to call our ikrans. When they come, don't look into their eyes." No reason for that was given, but the two nodded.

Nusumea said he had to go to another part of the tree to find Rìk. "I will find you in the air," he said with a grin. Then he disappeared into the tree.

I'awn and Txonway called out, with sounds the teachers had heard more often. Almost at once there was movement in the smaller branches and moments later two large animals came falling to where the people stood, their wings spread wide.

"This is Txonnguway," I'awn told the teachers as she hugged the animal, "and Txonway named his ikran Tifnuna'rìng."

Avoiding eye contact, Puvomun watched the animals and how the two people interacted with them, tender and loving. I'awn, who was closest to Amhul and Puvomun, gracefully swung herself on her ikran and held her hand out to Amhul. "Come, ma tsmuke, fly with me."

Amhul did not need more encouragement. She reached up and I'awn pulled her onto the animal. "Hold on to me. Hold on well. Here we go!" She let out a cry, Txonnguway spread its wings wide and with a scream (coming from Amhul) they dove away from the branch, into the air.

Txonway had also mounted his ikran and grinned at Puvomun. "You will fly with us, ma rolsyu."

Puvomun took the hand offered and quickly found himself behind the young man. The sensation of being on an ikran was amazing, to feel it beneath him. So different from pa'li.

"Hold on well, Puvomun," Txonway warned him. As the teacher held on to ikran makto, the animal let out a coarse cry and after a jolt they dropped from the branch.

The wind rushed around them, as Txonway laughed. The strong wings of the ikran easily held them in the air. To his surprise, Puvomun saw more than two other ikrans in flight.

Txonway pointed. "Käsatseng lu I'awn si Amhul."

The teacher wondered how he had spotted them so quickly.

"And there, that is Nusumea Tirea."

The green ikran was easier to recognise. As if the man and his ikran had heard it, they came close very quickly, and Nusumea Tirea held up his hand.

Puvomun was glad to see him fly again.

"Keep holding on!" Txonway warned his passenger. He had noticed that Puvomun's arms were slipping. Understandable, but not wise.

Puvomun hung on again, while I'awn and Txonway aligned their flight path, so Amhul and Puvomun could try to shout at each other, something that was made very difficult by their speed.

Nusumea Tirea joined them, and then also Lolet, Rakan and several others came closer, so in the end they flew in a formation of twelve ikrans. The group was in no hurry, so they made a wide swoop over the area, and even reached as far as the large massive arches and Vitrautral, a sight the teacher-singers had never seen before from so high up.

Puvomun watched Amhul, who seemed to try and squeeze I'awn in two halves. He enjoyed seeing her while she enjoyed the sensation of the flight. He himself also was thrilled, the more as there were so many Na'vi around them, all in the air with them.

I'awn made a signal with her hand. Puvomun had no idea what that meant.

Txonway simply said: "Hold on very very tight now."

The singer-teacher did.

"Tell me when to stop," the young ikran makto then said.

"Stop what?" Puvomun got his answer sooner than he had anticipated, when the entire group of hunters and warriors made their ikrans dive down. The ikrans pulled in their wings, and they all dropped downwards like stones thrown from the highest floating mountains!

There was no sound of wind anymore. Instead there was a thunder in Puvomun's ears, his tswin wildly flapping behind him. He did not dare to look to the side. He just held on to Txonway and hoped that this madness would end before they reached the ground. That would be very, very good.

The yell that came from the young man in front of him almost startled him. He had never heard such a sound before. It's impact was even greater as the ikran also screamed. The combined sound was almost like extreme fun!

How they did it, the teacher would never know, but somehow the ikran came back to level flight. Only then Puvomun dared to look around, to find that everyone was there with them. He noticed a very familiar mix of exhilaration and fright on Amhul's face. He was certain it was how he looked to her.

As she started laughing, he fell in with her. And their laughter was contagious, as soon everyone around them was laughing as well. Then all attention was yanked away to the loud thuds of a flying machine of the Sky People. Fear jumped to Puvomun's heart. Why were they here? But then he recognised one of the blue shapes in the back of the machine; it was Dr. Grace!

She shouted out something, but the machine's noise made it impossible to understand her. Dr. Grace seemed to talk to someone in the machine that none of the Na'vi people could see. Then she waved and pointed to the ground.

"I think she wants to put the thing on the ground," said Lolet.

"And she wants us to do the same," I'awn added.

Her feeling was right. The noise-maker fell silent, and Dr. Grace looked up and waved until the first riders sailed downwards. Some of them kept their ikrans hanging from nearby trees. I'awn and Txonway made their ikrans land on the ground, so Puvomun and Amhul could get off. Hanging from a tree, they would have certainly slipped off the back of the animals, lacking a good foothold!

By the time they were down, another person had stepped from the flying machine. Dr. Grace introduced him as Dr. Norm Spellman. The Na'vi people were delighted to hear the man speak their language, be it somewhat stiff.

If only Jakesully could talk like that, Puvomun thought, that would make things a lot easier on Neytiri.

"Why are you out flying with such a large group?" Dr. Grace asked, as Dr. Norm Spellman could not keep his eyes from the ikrans.

Rakan laughed. "We are giving flying lessons to people who are not taronyu!" He then had to deal with Lolet who told him to be quiet, which of course he had no intention to be.

I'awn told Dr. Grace about how she had heard Amhul talk about wanting to fly and how this trip had come to be. Dr. Grace was surprised that the ikrans could do that.

Norm Spellman, the other uniltìranyu, had trailed off a bit and suddenly yelped as an ikran snapped at him.

"Norm, get your ass back here before it gets chewed off!" Dr. Grace warned him. He was more than eager to sprint back.

"Hey guys," a little voice said. A small woman with black hair, wearing a mask, had come from the flying machine. Most of the people recognised her as Trudy, the person who flew the machine. Trudy climbed up on the machine so she did not have to crane her neck all the time.

"Hello, Trudy," they greeted her.

Then Amhul asked why Dr. Grace was out here in the jungle.

"We are looking for more samples," Grace said, "some of the things we have found here are amazing and almost unbelievable, so we want to repeat our tests to make sure we're getting it right."

Puvomun grinned. This was how he knew Dr. Grace. Always busy with things he did not understand. He knew she would be careful with the forest. And Norm Spellman had to be a good person also, otherwise Dr. Grace would not have brought him along.

"So how is Jake doing with you? I hardly have time to talk with him," Grace said, "it is amazing that he can stand so much time in the link-unit. He needs a shave."

Everyone informed her about the state of things concerning Jakesully, and most of what she heard made Dr. Grace look satisfied. She had to laugh at the comment that Jakesully had finally learnt how not to damage his tsko.

After some more talking, Dr. Grace clearly wanted to get on with her work in the forest, so everyone mounted their ikran again, and soon after that, they were in the air again. The take-off from the ground was a very special experience for Puvomun and Amhul, as they had to hold on extra tightly while the ikran was working hard to get into the air. Getting airborne from the top of Kelutral had been much smoother.

[Puvomun]

13. The floating mountains

"Is there somewhere else you want to go?" I'awn yelled at Amhul and Puvomun, once all ikrans had come together again.

Puvomun would just have stayed in the air all day if that had been possible, but he had his obligations as well. Amhul seemed to leave the choice to him, so reluctantly he decided that this flight had been fabulous, and also over. "Can we fly back to Kelutral in a wide circle?" he asked.

That was very simple for the experienced ikran aymakto, and to make the end of the flight extra special, they flew through the branches, single file. All, but Nusumea Tirea. The speed at which they did that felt insane, at least that was how it felt to the singer-teachers.

I'awn and Txonway then made their ikrans land on the large branch and helped their two passengers down to their feet again. Puvomun and Amhul were shaking from the experience, and had to hold on to each other to keep stable.

"I hope you enjoyed the flight," Txonway said as he stroked the long neck of Tifnuna'rìng.

"It was astonishing. We have never done something like that and we want to thank you. Irayo, ma tsmukan Txonway," the teacher-singer said.

"Maybe we can make another flight soon," I'awn said. "This was fun, and all the others were happy to be there as well. You are well liked, Amhul si Puvomun."

"We sing and we teach children," they said.

I'awn grinned over the modesty of the two. "Stay together," she said, "you make a nice pair." Then she yelled out and a moment later she and Txonnguway had left the branch again. Txonway followed her, after raising his hand for a moment.

"She is right," Nusumea Tirea said. He had come to where the two were standing, their arms still around each other to support one another. "We all are happy that you had a good time."

"And how was it for you?" Amhul asked. "And for Rìk?"

They started to walk down, and Nusumea told them about his experience of flying again after such a long time.

"Rìk was happy to see me again. Feeling tsaheylu with him again after so long was as if we got reacquainted. In a way it was that too," Nusumea Tirea seemed to think out loud now. "I am certain that I have changed, and the ikran sensed that."

As they reached the foot of the immense tree, the shaman ikran makto went off to find Mo'at, and tell her how his renewed first flight had gone.

While Nusumea Tirea walked off, a gaggle of children came running, laughing and screaming, all dying to know how the flying had been, and of course when the aysaronyu would take all of them out for a flight. The singer-teachers laughed. A young girl broke up their hands and held both of them. Only then  they noticed that they were still holding each other.

-=-=-

Days became many days. The rains had come and gone. The uniltìranyu had improved his skills dramatically. Neytiri had, on one rainy day, taken him out again, and when they came back they had a yerik with them. Neytiri had told everyone that Jakesully had made a clean kill, the way that the Omatikaya would do. Respectful. The tsahik's ite almost sounded proud of what this man had achieved.

Puvomun and Amhul were pleasantly surprised about that. They had worked with the man to teach him the Na'vi language. Most of the time they had asked him to sit with the children, who in general liked having the clumsy man with them. Also Nusumea Tirea had done what he could to help Jakesully, as had many of the others.

Many times, everyone knew, had Jakesully been standing on the top branches of Kelutral, watching people fly off on their ikran. It was something many people did when they were ready to become taronyu.

Tsu'tey, whose task it was to take the new taronyu to where the wild ikrans lived, however waited for a few more young people to reach the stage where they were ready to go there as well.

Jakesully kept working during that time, improving his archery with Neytiri, speaking and a few times even attempting to sing with the children. Sometimes Puvomun and Amhul walked with him, talking about the differences between the life of the Sky people and that of the Na'vi.

Also the tension between the Sky people and the villagers had been growing, Puvomun had noticed. The strangers with their machines had gone deeper into the forest. There had been a few skirmishes, but also there had been some severe fighting, injuring and even killing more people.

Then the day came.
Tsu'tey approached Puvomun and said: "Rolsyu, I need your help. Tomorrow I am going to take the new ones to the high ikran rookery. Can you come along to handle the pa'li when we are up there?"

"Srane, ma Tsu'tey," Puvomun said. "I will ask Amhul to come also. I cannot control so many pa'li alone."

"Good. I need you to go to the kxam, the midpoint of the trip this afternoon. I will fly my ikran to the rookery. Take two pa'li so we can come back with ease." Tsu'tey did not wait to be acknowledged. He turned and paced off.

"What did Tsu'tey want from you?" Amhul asked somewhat later, as they had worked with some of the younger children, and Puvomun told her. "Oh. It will be interesting to find out if Jakesully is strong enough for an ikran." She looked up Kelutral again, to where the ikran lived.

"Maybe I'awn and Txonway will take us flying again," Puvomun said, touching her arm. "They were very kind to do that."

"Srane. Ayfo lu tstunwi," Amhul nodded. "When will you take the pa'li up?"

"Soon," Puvomun responded. "There is no telling when Tsu'tey will leave here, and he does not like waiting."

"Dr. Grace will come to the village again today," Amhul reminded him. "Maybe you will be back in time to speak with her."

The teacher-singer sighed. "Srane. Kxawm. We'll see. It would be nice if she did not need to come by that noisy machine."

Amhul agreed.

Not much later Puvomun went to fetch two horses and rode up the trail to where the first small floating rocks were attached to a large boulder; the beginning of the perilous trip up to where the wild ikran lived.

What would it be like, he thought as he looked up, to climb these lines? To go all the way up, to see the wild ikrans, and to- He shook his head. "You are getting the same impossible ideas that Amhul has, old fool," he scolded himself. "Stick to what you can do. Sing and make songs." That was what the singer did while he waited for Tsu'tey.

A loud cry pulled Puvomun from his ponderings. As he looked up, he recognised the shape of Tsu'tey's ikran. The warrior circled around Puvomun once, as if to make sure he had been seen, and then quickly the two disappeared from view. Puvomun again marvelled at the powerful strokes the wings of an ikran could make, propelling its rider almost straight upwards. Maybe he should make a song about that someday.

It did not take long before Tsu'tey had arrived, and then they went back to the village. Tsu'tey would arrive there much sooner than the teacher, as the warrior had a way of riding so fast that only thinking about it scared Puvomun.

When he reached the village, Dr. Grace was still there, talking to some of the children who were showing her the necklaces and braid-adornments they had made. Some of them were trying to stick their handicraft in Grace's hair, and having loads of fun as they did so.

The teacher walked up to them, tired from all the riding.

"Ma Puvomun," said Grace as she got up, "kaltxì, ma 'eylan."

Puvomun greeted Grace and they sat down. The children swarmed around Grace again, while Amhul told some of them to fetch some water for her tired friend.

"Where have you been?" Dr. Grace asked.

Puvomun was not allowed to tell, so he had to invent something that sounded believable. He was not happy having to avoid the truth, Dr. Grace was very nice, but none of the Sky people were allowed to hear where he'd been. All the future aysaronyu would learn where they would go at the same time. Jakesully might hear this from Dr. Grace earlier, even if just by accident.

Before he had to come up with some half truth, some of the children came carrying water for everyone, making the shift of subject quite easy, the more as some of the older kids started throwing water at each other. Grace laughed about it, but Puvomun ordered the children to take their water play outside, where rain had started to fall. That did not matter to them: laughing many of them ran off into the pouring rain.

Dr. Grace then told them there had been a lot of bad stuff happening at the place that the Sky people claimed was theirs. "Things are very grim at the moment, ma eylan," she said, "and I don't like what might happen."

They all agreed that this raging misery was getting out of hand.

Dr. Grace had to leave again then. Everyone was sorry to see her go, but she explained that Trudy would be waiting for her with the flying machine.

Puvomun asked if she needed a ride on a pa'li to get there quicker, but she shook her head. "Kehe, ma 'eylan. Because the Sky people cleared out parts of the forest, she can land the chopper closer by. I know, it is sad, but for me it makes it easier to come here."

Puvomun and Amhul nodded. There was some good in that bad thing.

"You will stay here," Amhul ordered Puvomun. "I will walk with Grace."

Puvomun agreed. He was tired. After saying goodbye, he saw the two walk away. Many children followed them. Amhul, he knew, would have her hands full, but she was up for the task.

[Puvomun]

14. Aysaronyu

A noise alerted Puvomun. The sound came from Tsu'tey who summoned all the people who were going to be taronyu. This meant the teacher would have to come along as well, accompanying the group to where the floating mountains began.

He looked around, to find Amhul. She was playing with some of the children, flying toy ikran and doing magnificent aerial stunts.

"Puvomun! Puvomun!" one of the ayewan called out, "can you make toruk for us?"

"Yes, I can," the teacher laughed, "but first I have to go with Tsu'tey, and I need Amhul to come with me."

She stood and grinned. "Do you need my help again, ma tsmukan?"

A young girl stared at the two adults. "You are going to ride an ikran?" she asked.

The two teachers laughed and explained that they would take care of the fa'li while Tsu'tey took the young hunters up to the mountains.

"You have to become ikran makto," the girl decided, before she grabbed a toy ikran and ran off with it, the other children in her wake.

"Puvomun! We wait for you!" Tsu'tey called out, being his impatient self. The way he pronounced 'wait' made it sound like an insult.

Amhul and Puvomun hurried. Tsu'tey and waiting did not mix well. Someone had already arranged for fa'li for the two, so soon the group rode off.

The first part of the trail to the mountains was easy. They just had to follow the track through the forest, where large flowers bloomed. Jakesully trailed behind, where also the teachers rode.

"It's amazing, this place," he shared with the two. "We don't have a forest like this back on Earth. Hell, we don't have a forest, period." His face grew dark for a moment.

"A world without a forest, ma 'eylan... that cannot be," said Amhul. "A forest brings life!"

"I know," said Jakesully. "Things are dying there. It was not much fun there, outside the bars and the Marines."

It took a while before Puvomun and Amhul understood the concept of a 'bar', by which time they had reached the treacherous part of the trail. Their fa'li worked hard to get the riders up to where the trail ended for them. Tsu'tey jumped off his direhorse and called the new hunters. He told them that they would go up to where the ikran lived, and that they had to stay close to him.

Jakesully almost missed the rapid start the others made as they followed Tsu'tey up along the rope-like lianas that kept the smaller rocks from floating away.

Puvomun and Amhul watched them go up for a while, until they had gotten so high that it was hard to see where the group was going. Then the two sat down and prepared for the wait.

"There are five, so that might take a while," Amhul said, having experience.

The two made themselves comfortable and then the waiting was on. At times they heard the shrieks of a few ikran that came plummeting down from their high rookery, but the animals never came down so far that the singers could see them.

As they were singing and trying to make a new song, they suddenly heard a familiar cry. They gazed skywards and saw Neytiri fly overhead. They recognised the colours of Seze, her ikran. Neytiri had evidently seen the two, as she made Seze turn and flew past them, shouting out something that was lost in the wind and the speed of the ikran.

Amhul and Puvomun laughed and waved as the huntress raced by and then shot upwards.

"She is going to see how Jakesully is doing," Amhul knew.

"Yes. She spent so much time with him," Puvomun nodded.

Amhul looked at him. "You know what I mean."

"I do, and so does Tsu'tey," the teacher replied. "And that worries me."

The two were silent for a moment, each with their own thoughts. They both worried about the same thing and they knew that of each other.

After some time they heard a noise. It came from above, which was to be expected in this place. The two teacher-singers stood and looked up, trying to find out what had made the noise. Some bits of the sound had clearly been from an ikran, but the way it had sounded was not normal, to say the least.

"There!" Puvomun pointed up along the steep wall of the tremendous floating mountain where he knew the rookery was.

Two ikrans came falling down. One did so in a controlled manner, and the other one looked like a raggedy amount of wet leaves, the way it plunged down alongside the wall.

"That is not going well," Amhul said, radiating ikran authority she did not possess.

Puvomun agreed though. "The other one is Seze. It must be Jakesully who is... uhm... the other one."

As the two stood watching, suddenly the fluttering ikran spread its wings and was stable in the air. They looked at each other, in wonder of what had happened. Unfortunately, nobody came along to tell them.

Puvomun and Amhul saw how the two ikran riders sailed through the air. Seze's movement were still far more controlled, but Jakesully somehow had gained controlled over his own ikran.

The two teachers wondered how the other aysaronyu would do...

It did not take very long before all the young hunters were soaring the sky on their ikran. Tsu'tey was with them, on his ikran.

"I think we can go back to the village," said Puvomun. "They are all in flight, so we do not have to wait anymore."

They mounted the pa'li and slowly started their descent along the dangerous track. The other animals, now without riders, followed them.

The two could see the formation of ikrans fly for a long time. Only when they entered the forest, their view of the sky was blocked. And by the time they arrived at Kelutral, the new aysaronyu had already found their way there.

Puvomun overheard how they all talked about their flying experience, about the way that tsaheylu felt when bonding with the ikran. He smiled, seeing their enthusiasm and sensing the fire that lived inside them because of it, and he wished for Amhul to once be able to share that fire.

Jakesully and Neytiri sat somewhat apart from the others and talked as well, their hands moving to depict the manoeuvres they had done while in the air.

Ekirä suddenly stood next to Puvomun, almost startling him as she said: "They all did well," she said. "We have fine new hunters now."

"Yes, we do," Puvomun agreed. He had not heard her approach, as he was occupied with his thoughts so much. "They are proud of what they achieved."

"Srane. And they should be. It is amazing. I want to be like them too." Ekirä then walked off, to find her mate.

The clan celebrated the success of the new aysaronyu, until deep in the night.

-=-=-

In the days that followed, the new hunters flew out very often. Many times Tsu'tey flew with them. Tsu'tey always felt it was his duty to look after new hunters, and help them find their way over the forests.

Jakesully flew with them as often as he could, and when he flew, Neytiri would fly with them as well. Puvomun had a slight feeling that Tsu'tey was not feeling as bad towards the Uniltìranyu now he had proven to be a worthy hunter, the more as the young new hunters all had done their Dream Hunt and they all had come back from that stronger and richer.

One day, the hunters all came together and planned a great hunt. There were Sturmbeasts near, and their meat was welcome as food for the clan. Tsu'Tey and Tawtewng had agreed on a plan to go after the beasts and were explaining that to the others. The young hunters were warned to be careful and not get in the way of the experienced hunters and their arrows.

"Also remember that there are hunters on fa'li," Tawtewng said. "They will be close to the Sturmbeasts so when you shoot a swizaw, make sure you aim far away from them."

The group went up then, and the people who remained at the village saw the large swarm of ikran fly away, while a lot of people on fa'li also left for the area where the prey had been sighted.

The children that were sitting with Ninat, Amhul and Puvomun cheered as the many hunters were leaving. Shouts and cries were going on long after the last riders had gone out of view and the teachers had a hard time trying to calm the group down.

Once they were ready to proceed the lessons, singing the song of the colours, one of the boys said he wanted a blue ikran. That triggered others to share their favourite colour ikran, and again chaos took over. The teachers looked at each other and laughed. They chased the children away, and the group quickly ran off, making noises and many of them pretending to fly an ikran.

Ekirä then came to Puvomun. "Ma Puvomun, I have an assignment from the olo'eytkan. I need ten small bows. Some of the bigger children have to learn shooting."

"And you have to teach them?"

Ekirä nodded. "Together with Txewì and Kalin Kato when they come back from the hunt. But I have to start already."

"I have the bows," the teacher said, "and I think we can help you get started."

Ninat offered to bring the children together, with Ekirä. Amhul and Puvomun then went to fetch the bows. Ten smaller ones, and three larger ones, and also a good supply of arrows.

The group met in the forest, where most archery practice was done. Some of the trees bore signs of that, with holes in them everywhere.

Ekirä had her own bow and first explained that the children should be careful. "Don't shoot arrows at each other for fun. They are sharp and painful."

First the children learnt how to stretch the bow correctly, using the right fingers and position, and using a small stick as a fake arrow. After a while in which arms were pushed up and positions of feet corrected, the children were allowed to shoot their first arrows, one child after the other.

The lesson went on well, until an arrow missed the target tree and disappeared into the shrubs. That happened more often, but this one ended in a strange animal yelp.

The adults froze. Then quickly Amhul and Ninat pushed all the children away, behind them, while Ekirä and Puvomun stretched their bows and waited.

"What do you think it is?" Ekirä whispered.

"Maybe Nantang," the teacher replied. "Sounded wrong for Palulukan. They don't come near the village."

A quick rustling sound from inside the shrubs made the two focus even more. Then a Nantang came from behind the tree, darting towards Ekirä. She did not hesitate and let her arrow go.

At the same time Ninat shouted: "Above you!"

Puvomun looked and saw another Nantang on a low branch. As he saw the animal, it jumped. The teacher shot his arrow and somehow his arrow hit the animal before it slammed into him. He fell backwards, grabbing the animal. When he was on the ground, he found that the Nantang was dead.

Ekirä was already with him, her knife in hand, ready to kill the animal, but there was no more need for that. "Are you unhurt?"

Puvomun nodded as he tossed the Nantang to the side.

Ekirä looked at Amhul and Ninat. "Wait here." She disappeared to where the Nantang had come from, and only moments later a short yelp ended quickly. The teachers and Ninat understood that Ekirä had killed the Nantang that had been hit by the children's arrow.

"Take the children back to the village," Puvomun said to Amhul and Ninat. "I think this lesson is over."

He waited for Ekirä to return, and then the two of them took the other two dead Nantang into the forest, and said the words. The Nantang would join Eywa...

[Puvomun]

15. Omatikaya

The villagers all were surprised that the Nantang had been so close to Kelutral. Several voices said that it was all the fault of the aysawtute, as they damaged the forest and chased the animals away from where they usually lived.

Eytukan ordered that the people would take turns in surveying the area around Kelutral, to avoid nasty surprises like this from now on.

Several days later, many of the new hunters had been going through the last step of becoming a true hunter. They had all done their Dream Hunt, and the olo'eytkan had welcomed them into the clan anew, as Omatikaya hunters. Only Jakesully had not gone through that ritual, as his body had been asleep a few more prolonged times. The good thing was that he had warned everyone that he might be "gone" longer, as there were things he had to do in the camp of the Sky People.

Neytiri had made a terrible row with Rakan and Korun when she found out they had snuck to where Jakesully's body was and there they had tied his kxetse to his tswin.

Rakan had tried to defend himself by saying that he had not been too bad; as his other plan had involved tying the tail to the hammock, but Neytiri was not impressed by that.

Mo'at had taken the young men by their braids and dragged them to the silent body, ordering to undo what they had so carefully done. And so Jakesully was freed before he had noticed that his tail and braid had been tied together.

"If you ever come near him again while he is not awake," Neytiri hissed, "I will tie all kinds of things of your bodies together and feed you to Palulukan!"

"Hrah," said Eysamsiyu, "knowing Palulukan he will throw them back at us!"

Rakan and Korun were not happy to be the laughing stock of the village, but their ordeal did not take long. The villagers were very forgiving. Most of the time.

Suddenly Neytiri's voice was heard everywhere. Jakesully had returned to his body.

Things were then prepared to officially welcome Jakesully into the clan.

Eytukan was relieved that this part could be done now, it had taken quite a long time before Jakesully had returned.

While Neytiri, who had worked with the man so much and for so long, painted him in the traditional patterns, Dr. Grace came walking into the village.

"Is Jake here also?" she asked Lolet, as Puvomun saw her.

"Yes, he is. Neytiri made a lot of noise so he must be awake," Lolet grinned.

"Srane," Rakan added, "we don't know yet what he did to her but she screamed loudly."

"Be quiet you," I'awn tried, but Rakan just laughed.

"One day," he said, "we'll get to do what we want to do. And nobody will know when we did it."

Txonway and Eysamsiyu both took Rakan by an arm. "Not now, young man. If you do not behave now we are forced to do some tying up ourselves, and you will not like that."

"He did not mean it," Lolet said. She knew that the two men were not violent, but if they had to do radical things, they were not hesitant. And Rakan had more often than not done things that warranted that kind of behaviour from them.

"But I did" Rakan said, his mouth faster than his brain again.

"Didn't we saw that big branch on a high tree somewhere far away?" Eysamsiyu asked Txonway.

Txonway nodded. "Very high. The right size too."

"Come on, boys, I was joking, okay?" Rakan started to feel uncomfortable now, as the hands of the two men were very tightly on his arms. He had no way to get out without making a lot of fuss.

Amhul told Rakan to behave or he would be forced to sing with the children for many days. "And we'll let them practice their painting on you as well."

"Oh. Eeeuw." Rakan did not like that idea in the least.

Tawtewng said he would keep an eye on Rakan. "One wrong move, buster, and you will be looking at your tail through your but, because that is where I will punch your head. Have I made myself clear?"

"Uhhuh." Rakan was definitely impressed by this warning. He knew that Tawtewng did not make idle threats.

After this little intermezzo the clan waited, until Jakesully, decorated in all the patterns and sumbols, appeared. He slowly came walking down and proudly stood before Eytukan, who nodded at him.

Neytiri was close behind Jakesully. Puvomun saw how her face was all aglow. He also saw Tsu'tey nearby, the next clan leader. Even he was in a good mood, obviously proud that he had helped to make this uniltìranyu a proper taronyu.

Eytukan spoke the words he had spoken to every other young hunter, and ended with what Jakesully, and also Neytiri, had been waiting for. "Set nga lu Omatikaya." He placed his hands on the shoulders of Jakesully. Neytiri put her hands on his shoulders also. Then Mo'at put her hands on him.

One by one all the clan members followed, until they were all connected, accepting and welcoming Jakesully as one of theirs.

The large web of people slowly dissipated. Puvomun stood close to Dr. Grace and noticed there were many emotions on her face.

"Are you happy, Dr. Grace?"

"Yes. I am also proud of him. And when do you finally call me just Grace?"

Puvomun grinned. "Grace."

"When he first was assigned to my team," Dr. Grace told Puvomun as Amhul joined them, "I was not pleased with him at all. He knew nothing."

"Jakesully has learnt a lot of things," Puvomun said. "He even has learnt to speak a few sentences of our language. And some words. Mostly words."

"I know, I've seen you and Amhul working with him, with the children. You had a lot of fun with him."

At that moment, Jakesully came up to them. "Hey guys, I want to thank you for all the things you did for me. I must have been the worst numyo you ever had."

"Numyo?" Puvomun tried to match that word with something sensible.

"Numeyu," Amhul laughed. "Yes, you are right. You are the worst, and you will always be."

"Not much of an accomplishment for him," Dr. Grace laughed as she shook Jakesully's hand. "Congratulations, Jake, I never thought you'd make it. Shows how wrong I can be."

"You know, doc, I surprised me too," Jakesully grinned, his face showing the typical expression he had so often, when he did not exactly know how to behave. "And I have to thank Neytiri here also."

Neytiri smiled. "Jake has changed. The people like him."

"Do you mean they didn't like me before?" Jakesully asked her, grinning.

"At first you were ignorant, like a child. Now you are just ignorant." Then Neytiri jumped away and laughed as he slapped at her.

"I'll get you yet!" he called out. "Sorry guys, I have an annoying person to catch." Then he followed Neytiri, but only as far as the next few villagers that wanted to talk to him. And Neytiri.

Puvomun saw Tsu'tey stand next to Eytukan.

Dr. Grace followed the teacher's eyes and asked: "Do you think there will be trouble with Tsu'tey?"

"I hope not." Puvomun was not sure, and he could tell from their faces that Amhul and Dr. Grace felt the same way.

-=-=-

The next morning there was an uproar. All warriors and also most of the hunters had gathered, as Tsu'tey and Eytukan were talking, calling on everyone to take up the weapons against the aysawtute. Shouts and cheers rose from many throats as the call for battle became more and more clear.

Tsu'tey had been out with some men and women, and they had seen how the aysawtute and their machines had destroyed the Tree of Voices, leaving nothing but a trail of destruction.

There had already been some rumouring among the people as their hammocks had not been occupied as most clan members awoke.

Then Amhul came running. "Puvomun! Come quickly!"

He told the children to practice with the paint and followed her.

"Grace is talking to Tsu'tey, there is danger!' Amhul said as they went into Kelutral.

"We will strike them at the heart," they heard Tsu'tey say, when Puvomun noticed Neytiri come in, with Jakesully.

"Tsutey don't do this," said Jakesully. Instead of a response, Tsu'tey punched him to the ground.

Neytiri yelled at Tsu'tey to stop.

"They mated," Amhul assumed as she and Puvomun found Dr. Grace who had come to the village earlier that day.

"Oh no. Eywa ayoehu..."

"You mated with this woman?" Tsu'tey exclaimed.

"Oh s***," Dr. Grace said. She could not have expressed Puvomun's feelings clearer.

Mo'at came forward and looked at her daughter. "Is this true?" she asked.

"We are mated before Eywa," Neytiri said, taking Jakesully's hand. "It is done."

Jakesully tried to talk to Tsu'tey, telling him not to attack the Sky people, but everyone around knew that was useless.

The new Omatikaya man tried to talk, saying that he was not an enemy, but that the enemy was beyond Kelutral and very strong.

Soon punches flew, Tsu'tey's mouth was already bleeding, and then - Jakesully and Dr. Grace collapsed, as if their spirits were pulled out of their bodies.

With a growl Tsu'tey jumped towards the silent body of Jakesully as he pulled his knife.

"You see," he screamed, "that they are demons, in demon bodies!" But before he could slit the man's throat, Neytiri charged at him and kicked him away.

With her knife in hand, standing protectively over the body of her mate, she hissed at Tsu'tey angrily. Yes, Puvomun now was certain, they were mated. Without that she might not have done that, but now no one would be allowed to hurt or harm Jakesully. Even when he was unconscious.

With an angry growl Tsu'tey walked off, as Neytiri's eyes followed him as he left...

While the commotion among the people spread out and subdued, a few of them took care of the silent bodies. Dr. Grace and Jakesully were carried to one of the silent upper floors of Kelutral. Neytiri did not want to leave the near-dead shape of her mate. Kalin Kato decided she would sit with Neytiri, while other friends sat closeby.

Tsu'tey and Eytukan continued their plans to go to war against the Sky people, as worrisome news trickled down from where Neytiri sat.

The aysawtute, she had confirmed, had destroyed Vitrautral. This outrage fired up all the anger that the people had been ignoring and repressing for far too long. Plans were made to attack all the Sky people whenever they left their buildings. They had to be stopped and sent away. Everyone felt the same way.

[Puvomun]

16. Burning

Suddenly Neytiri and Jakesully came running down, Dr. Grace close behind them. Somehow the two had been revived, much to the surprise of the people around.

Puvomun was on his way back to the children when he heard Jakesully and Neytiri talk to Eytukan and Tsu'tey urgently. They spoke of danger, and the aysawtute coming to bring weapons and hurt the people.

Jakesully tried to convince the olo'eyktan that they had to leave, run to the forest, or many Omatikaya would die.

Dr. Grace urged everyone to listen to Jakesully.

"They sent me here with a message," the man said. He told them that he had been sent to learn about their ways, to become one of them, that one day he could say what he was saying now.

As he spoke, many people held their hands over their mouth. All this they heard was so shocking, so unreal. Amhul stared at the scene as it unfolded.

Jakesully told Neytiri how much he had fallen in love with the forest, and with her, and the people, but she was crying and screaming by then, pushing him away and refusing to look at him.

Puvomun felt like his feet could not move. Around him many people whispered and talked, and uncertainty spread through the group. Jakesully had spoken of the aysawtute who would come to destroy Kelutral. Could they really do that?

Dr. Grace and Jakesully tried to talk and reason with Neytiri, with the olo'eyktan and Tsu'tey, but their words were not heard.

Eytukan ordered the two uniltìranyu to be tied up outside, while Tsu'tey called everyone to pick up their weapons and prepare for when the Sky people would come.

Dr. Grace and Jakesully were dragged outside. They did not resist. Their faces showed resignation and terror, and a pain Puvomun had never seen on them before.

"Singer! Find your tsko!" Tsu'tey shouted. "We need everyone out there!"

Puvomun turned to Amhul. "Join the mothers and take care of the children. I fear bad things will happen, so be prepared to run, like Jakesully said."

Amhul nodded and touched his arm. "Be careful, ma Puvomun." Then she turned and ran off.

Puvomun saw her go, and scolded himself for not telling her- but there was no time for that now. He wrestled his way through the throng of people, to get his knife and his tsko si swizaw. He put on some protective gear and then followed the hunters and warriors outside, where there was nothing to do but find a good spot and wait...

-=-=-

Outside, Puvomun found a spot near Lolet, Rakan and Ekirä who was also there to fight.

"Ekirä, you are too young for this," Puvomun said.

She shook her head, a grim expression showing. "No. I can shoot an arrow, so I will do what I can to defend Kelutral."

The teacher-singer looked around. Further away he saw Eyamsiyu, and I'awn and Txonway. Kalin Kato had to be around there somewhere also, he guessed. Closer to Tsu'tey he discovered Tskalepä and TawTewng.

A tap on an arm made him look around.

"I shall fight with you, ma Puvomun," said Nusumea Tirea.

"Eytukan, please! Run while you can!" Jakesully and Dr. Grace both shouted at the leader of the clan, but Eytukan ignored them and talked with Tsu'tey, probably about the way they would defend their home.

Jakesully yelled out more, warning everyone for the approach of the kunsips and the weapons of the aysawtute, but nobody took notice.

Then someone screamed and pointed. At that moment a swarm of flying machines, the smaller kunsips and also a very very large one came into sight as they came around the bend of the river. Their noise washed over the area and the engines made all the branches shake.

Jakesully and Dr. Grace kept shouting, telling everyone to leave if they wanted to make it out of this alive, but the roaring of the engines drowned out their voices.

Tsu'tey's voice was just audible. He yelled that the people should attack and shoot as well as they could. All around Puvomun archers put arrows on their bows and started shooting at the hovering fngap machines. With a sigh the teacher also drew back and shot at one of the machines. The arrow never even made it to the machine; the downstream from the engines blew away most ayswizaw.

The more experienced archers, the warriors and many hunters, managed to hit the outside of the tawtute machines.

Then word came that the warriors had to follow Tsu'tey to where the ikran lived. A few large gaps appeared in the group of people who valliantly kept shooting arrows at the kunsips.

Puvomun wondered what he should do, as he was running out of arrows. There were more arrows under Kelutral, he knew, as he had made and stored them. But none of the arrows shot up had done any damage to the ships.

"Run while you can!" The words of Jakesully momentarily came over the noise of the machines.

Then there were loud bangs, and round things flew from one of the large kunsips and landed in one of the areas of Kelutral where Amhul would be, with the mothers, the older people and the children. More and more bangs sounded, and more round object flew. After mere moments a strange smoke billowed from under Hometree, and people came running from it, coughing and screaming.

"Run, dammit!" Jakesully did not give up.

In a futile move, Puvomun shot his last arrow. It hit the belly of a machine. The teacher wondered what was going to happen next. His unspoken question was answered quickly.

More bangs erupted from first one, and then from all of the flying ships. Large pots flew towards Hometree and when they hit, they exploded with fire. The earth shook.

Puvomun quickly looked at Nusumea Tirea. "Can you still go up and save Rìk?"

The hunter-dreamer nodded, slung his bow over his shoulder and ran off. "Ikran, ikran," he shouted as he went along, and many ikran makto followed him, in a desparate attempt to reach their bonded animals and save them from what looked like certain death.

"Run to the forest!" The shout was becoming the only thing Puvomun still heard, next to the beating sound of more and more pots being fired from all the kunsips, bringing fire and death. Puvomun also slung his tsko over his shoulder and ran off. He wanted to find Amhul, and help people escape from the sea of fire.

Mo'at, a large knife in her hand, walked past him. He hardly noticed her. Screams were everywhere, the thudding of more and more projectiles sounding, fire burning everywhere inside and around the base of the huge tree that had been their home.

That same fire prevented him from going any further; the heat made an invisible wall that held him back. He screamed Amhul's name, but there only was the roar of fire and more bangs from the kunsips as a reply, as more fire-pots were coming.

From beyond the fire Puvomun heard screams, but he could not get to the people. He looked back, up at the flying machines, and screamed loudly at them, hating them for bringing this pain to the people. Then he had to leave his position as the heat from the flames was becoming too intense.

The teacher ran along the base of Kelutral, as pots of fire hit the massive trunk over him and behind him. The ground shook as they hit, and even the immense tree shook as the pots exploded. He saw someone lying on the ground. Quickly he kneeled down and turned the body over. The man was a friend of Amhul. Or rather - had been. Half his face was gone and there was a big hole in his chest.

"Eywa ngahu, ma 'eylan," he whispered, then he had to run on.

Everywhere now screams were heard, figures were running and bits of burning wood were falling. Mixed with the noise of the shots, ikran were yelling and screaming, probably hoping for their riders to come and fly off with them. Puvomun's heart cried out as he ran away from the fire. More and more people were running, he could see them as he got further away from Kelutral. Smoke was everywhere, burning his lungs and eyes. Several times he fell, tripping over things he could not see through the smoke.

As he clambered to his feet again, he heard someone scream. More by luck than knowledge, he found a woman and a young child, lying on the ground. The woman's leg was badly hurt. Without even trying to speak, he bent over and picked up the woman, who kept the young child close to her. With his heavy load, Puvomun went on, fleeing in the direction where most people seemed to go.

"Puvomun!"

Someone called his name, and he did not know who it was, nor where it came from.

"I am here!" he called out. Suddenly there were two people next to him. One was Eyamsiyu, the other was Ninat.

Ninat took the child, while Eyamsiyu helped Puvomun carry the wounded woman. They had not gone but a few more paces when an ominous cracking sound filled their ears.

Eyamsiyu looked back for a moment. "We have to go over to the right!" he yelled, "Kelutral is falling!"

Puvomun did not believe what the man said, but the sound of his voice was so strange that the three of them moved to the side. They ran as fast as they could, half stumbling.

The crashing sound grew louder. The ground trembled, as if the majestic tree refused to go down, holding on to the soil with all its might. But the inevitable had to happen. A shadow moved over the running people, while the fire roared and a heart-wrenching sound screamed to everyone.

Puvomun fell. Eyamsiyu managed to protect the wounded woman from falling as well. Ninat ran on, holding the child. The teacher was on his feet again but fell once more as the earth shook violently. This time it was so bad that also Eyamsiyu and the woman tumbled to the ground.

Emotionally drained, the teacher did not dare to move, did not care to move for long moments. Was this the end? It could not be. "Eyamsiyu..."

"Puvomun. Are you well, ma 'eylan?"

The two stood, picked up the woman and moved on, while the shadow became darker, the sound of vast amounts of breaking, tearing wood became louder.

From far away they heard Jakesully yell something. Others yelled also.

Then the worst sound ever heard came over them. Puvomun did not have to turn and see what happened... Kelutral, the huge tree that had been their home for so many generations, crashed into the ground. The sound was like thunder, and it did not stop.

Parts of the great tree fell everywhere. People cried and moaned, trying to avoid being hit by large branches. Some were unfortunate, they could not get away in time. Kelutral, their previous home, became their grave.

Puvomun, Eyamsiyu and Ninat stopped trying to run. Slowly they sank to their knees. The child in Ninat's arms was crying; the boy's mother had fainted, perhaps from the pain. They just waited. Waited for the noise to end, for the insanity to end.

They waited a long time. And then there was an eerie silence, one that should not exist...

[Puvomun]

17. Ayvitrayä Ramunong

The scary silence only slowly dissipated. As it left Puvomun's ears, a sad rustling of leaves took its place. It was mixed with the crackling of fire, a fire that nobody had asked for. The fire that had destroyed their home.

In the air, there were no more roars from machines. They had gone, leaving the Omatikaya with the ruins that once had been a proud Kelutral, shrouded in thick layers of smoke.

It was the moaning of the wounded woman that brought Puvomun back to his senses. He talked to her, telling her she would be alright, and yes, her son was safe. As he said it, his eyes searched for Ninat. She sat on her knees, still protecting the child with her body, ashes and soot all over her. Eyamsiyu did not look any better. He had done what he could to protect Ninat in turn.

"Are you..." Puvomun could not say the word 'well'. Who could be well after what had happened? "Are you unhurt?"

Ninat and Eyamsiyu nodded, grey dust falling from them. The child softly cried. That at least meant it was alive.

All around people were sobbing, crying, shouting and hurting. The two men carried the woman as they tried to find a spot where more people were gathering. Once they found it, it felt as if someone wrenched Puvomun's beating heart from his body. The group sitting there, so many wounded, forlorn and near desperation, was almost too much to bear.

Carefully they laid the woman down, so others could take care of her. Ninat sat with her, to keep the boy safe.

Eyamsiyu and Puvomun started to search for other wounded people. Through some miracle not very many were hurt badly. The number of deaths however was mind numbing.

Together with all the others, they searched and carried for a long time. They found Neytiri, grief stricken, tears on her face, who told them that Eytukan, her sempul, was dead. She carried his bow, but without any pride.

Mo'at had joined them too. As Puvomun saw her, he recalled her walking to the rack, that Jakesully and Dr. Grace had been tied to. He wondered what had happened to those two, but did not want to ask. Not now.

When finally they came back to where the people had assembled, Puvomun saw the silent uniltìrantokx of Dr. Grace. He understood that she was not inside the body. "Is she dead?" he asked Tskalepä.

"No. I think the aysawtute have stopped the mah'sheen," Tskalepä replied. "Some ayeveng saw her collapse and called upon us, so we brought her here. She has always been good for the Na'vi, so we have to be good now for what is here of her."

Puvomun nodded. "Have you seen Amhul?"

"Kehe, ma Puvomun. I have not."

The words fell heavy on Puvomun's mind. Eywa be merciful, and let her still be alive. "And Jakesully?"

Tskalepä and also Kalin Kato who had come back from the last search, shook their head. "He has failed us. He mated with Neytiri while betraying the people. We should not look for him."

Tsu'tey, Neytiri and Mo'at organised most of the people in travelling groups.

"We will go to the Tree of Souls," Mo'at said. "That is the only place we are safe for now. Ayvitrayä Ramunong is where Eywa is strongest, and where we can find what we need to heal our wounded."

The people started to leave the area where they had lived for so long. Many of them were hurt, most of them cried, and everyone looked back at least one time. The view behind them, though, was too sad and painful to behold for a long time.

With broken hearts and shattered trust the people moved away, as grey dust was in the air and stuck to their feet. The fa'li that were unhurt were loaded with the elderly. The men carried the smaller children.

Puvomun walked along, carrying a crying girl. He talked to her, trying to soothe her, but he knew it was in vain.

As the group walked, Puvomun saw that the dreamwalker body of Dr. Grace had been put into a kind of sled. Two people pulled her along. Again it worried him that Jakesully was forgotten. On the other hand, what he had done was unforgivable. He had known about this attack. He had known about what the aysawtute had planned. And he had not told the people.

The teacher-singer was relieved of the crying girl after carrying her for a long time. Korun was now walking next to him. He carried a baby, whose mother had been killed in the attack on their home.

"Something is bothering you, ma 'eylan," the young man said.

"Srane," Puvomun said, and told him about the thoughts he held about Jakesully, Dr. Grace and the attack.

"It pains everyone, ma Puvomun," Korun simply said. "We can do nothing now."

"Do you know where Amhul is?" Puvomun had looked for her a few more times, without finding her.

"Kehe. I don't."

Silence fell between them again as they walked on.

Finally the group came close to their destination. Normally the sight of this sacred place filled all hearts with joy and peace. Now however, it was their place of refuge, the only part of their world that they knew they could be safe. Many people were there already, preparing places for the wounded, making food. Others, who had flown their ikran there, came walking towards the people, to help them carry the wounded, the crying and the dying.

The tired people sat down, their feelings still in a jumble. The warriors and hunters that had made food, went round, handing out what they had to the people who had just arrived, who had not taken the time to rest, eat or drink. Getting to safety had been the most important thing.

Someone handed Puvomun something to eat and told him to sit and eat it. Filled with unease over many things, he did.

"Puvomun?" someone spoke his name. The voice came from behind him. He looked.

"Nusu- Amhul!" The teacher-singer almost dropped his food as he jumped to his feet. Nusumea Tirea was there, and next to him stood Amhul. "Ma eylan!"

The three walked to each other quickly and hugged each other.

"Ma Amhul, how did you get here? I looked everywhere for you?"

She told him that she had met Nusumea Tirea as he came running towards the central structure of Kelutral. "I asked him where you were, and he said that you had sent him to save Rìk."

"And this foolish woman wanted to go and find you," Nusumea Tirea said, shaking his head. "I told her to come with me. Rìk would be strong enough to fly and carry both of us."

"And he was," Puvomun said. It was as if a Palulukan was lifted off him.

"I am sorry that we had you worried, ma tsmukan," said Nusumea. He put his hand on Puvomun's shoulder.

Puvomun put his hand on it. "Don't be sorry, brother. Knowing that you and Amhul are safe makes it all worth it."

Nusumea Tirea suddenly had a different look in his eyes, as he said: "You should admit to what you want, Puvomun." Then he smiled, gently pulled back his hand and walked off.

"What did he mean by that?" Amhul asked, watching the healer hunter kneel down with someone wounded.

Puvomun had a strange feeling. His friend could not know. Or could he? "We'll talk about that later. There is too much to do here."

Amhul looked at her friend in a wondering way for a moment, but she agreed.

The rest of the day and most of the evening was spent taking care of people. Nusumea Tirea and Mo'at were dealing with the people who were severely wounded, assisted by anyone that had time. Some Na'vi died that evening. Their wounds had been not lethal, but the stress of the attack and the journey all the way to ayVitrayä Ramunong had taken too much out of them. They just could not deal with things anymore, their spirit and body gave up.

Most of the next day was taken up taking care of wounded as well. Puvomun and several others went out into the forests around their sanctuary, to gather food for all the mouths that needed feeding.

Many of the people then helped to prepare it, while Puvomun, Amhul, Ninat and also Ekirä, Korun and Eyamsiyu assembled the children and started singing songs with them. Singing was a good way to escape from the misery for a while.

After a while, most children became tired, and wanted to lie down and sleep.

Puvomun found Nusumea Tirea.

"Ma tsmukan, how are you?"

The healer-hunter smiled. He looked tired. "Sìltsan, ma tsmukan, irayo. How are you?"

Puvomun sat down. "Most of us are still alive. That is good."

"Srane."

"Have you seen Dr. Grace's uniltìrantokx?" the teacher asked.

"I have, yes."

"It is so strange, to see a normal body and there is no person inside it. Where would she be? And..."

"Jakesully," Nusumea Tirea added. "I know. I have wondered about that myself a few times. Maybe I can find out."

Puvomun nodded. "That would be - what? Find out? How? Do you want to fly out to the aysawtute and ask?"

Nusumea Tirea laughed for a moment and shook his head. "No. Since I scared Rìk, I learnt how to travel with my mind alone. I can go to places when I close my eyes."

The teacher-singer had heard of that. It was what Mo'at and other ayTsahik could do. "Can you see where Dr. Grace is? And Jakesully?"

"I can try." Nusumea Tirea sat comfortably and closed his eyes.

For a while nothing happened, or so it seemed to Puvomun.

Then the healer-hunter smiled and opened his eyes. "They are not in the camp of the aysawtute. It feels as if they are close to us."

"Close to us." That sounded strange to Puvomun, but he had no proof that his friend was wrong. He felt sorry about how things had gone, what had happened. These people were close by and did not dare to come closer because of all of that.

"Have you spoken with Amhul yet?" Nusumea asked.

Puvomun shook his head. "There was no time. I should do that now."

"You should. You know you have to."

"Irayo, ma tsmukan. Kìyevame..."

"Amhul? Can you walk with me?" Puvomun asked when he had found her.

At that moment, Mo'at stood and walked to a small platform at the foot of the sacred tree. "Now the children are done singing," she announced, "we should all sing. Sing to Eywa and open your hearts."

Amhul smiled at Puvomun. "After the singing."

They joined the others, while Ekirä and Korun remained with the children, and then all of the people sang.

A flow of relief went through the area, as the singing released much of the tension and anxiety. For now, the people knew, they were safe.

Puvomun and Amhul sat close to Tawtewng. Also he was singing. He had burns on his back and his arms, as he had tried to save people from the flames. Not far from Tawtewng were Lolet and Rakan. Puvomun had heard how Lolet had barely escaped death as one of the fire pots had bounced off something and had almost hit her ikran as she flew away on it.

The teacher-singer pushed these thoughts away and concentrated on the song, when suddenly a shadow fell over most of the singing people. At first not many seemed to notice, but when Mo'at stopped singing and several people turned and screamed, all people fell silent as they looked and saw what caused the shadow.

[Puvomun]

18. Toruk Makto

People screamed and stumbled back as the mighty shape of Toruk approached. Several children who had never seen such a giant shape, did not know what to do and fell silent. Others started to cry.

Puvomun's first thought was to rush to them and soothe them, when he saw several mothers, closer to the ayeveng, do that. He got to his feet, as did Amhul, and stared at what was happening. There was a man flying Toruk...

The immense animal landed, chasing many Na'vi away. It raised itself high and let out its fearsome scream, then it landed on the short claws on its wings. The man that rode it slid from its neck and walked to the front, touching Last Shadow as if it was an Ikran.

Puvomun heard Amhul gasp for air at the same moment he recognised the man. Jakesully. It was Jakesully. Toruk Makto, the rider of Last Shadow.

The man who had been cast out of the clan slowly walked forward, to where Neytiri and Mo'at were standing. He looked confident and determined.

Everyone saw how he walked forward and how Neytiri walked up to meet him. They talked. And touched. Puvomun felt good about that, and from the people around him he noticed they were relieved as well.

Jakesully talked to Mo'at too and suddenly something seemed to change. Word spread among the people, word that Dr. Grace was wounded badly, and that Jakesully begged for the help of Eywa.

Puvomun reached out and touched Amhul's arm. No, this could not be. Not Dr. Grace, he thought. What had happened? He snapped out of his jumbled thoughts when he felt a hand on his hand. He looked and saw Amhul holding his hand. He them looked at her face.

"You are shocked, ma Puvomun," she said. "About what we heard."

He nodded.

Amhul left her hand on his as she said: "We all are shocked. Do you think we can help?"

"I don't know. We should wait and listen if Mo'at calls for us."

"Look. They are leaving." Eyamsiyu pointed as Jakesully, Neytiri and a few others walked off in a hurry.

Mo'at called for everyone's attention.

"Na'vi," she said, "Toktor Grace is badly hurt. We will gather and give our strength, and ask Eywa to help us move her to her uniltìrantokx. Rakan, Txonway, bring her body here."

As the two men went to bring Dr. Grace's dreamwalker body, all the others sat down in long rows, around the sacred tree. What they were going to do was the most powerful thing they knew. With care they all connected their tswin to the maze of roots from ayVitrayä Ramonung, making tsaheylu with it. The more people made the bond, the stronger the flow of energy became.

Almost at the same time Puvomun and Amhul searched for each others hand. They looked at each other for a moment and smiled.

Rakan and Txonway had brought Grace's uniltìranyu body to the platform under the tree. Mo'at was softly speaking to Eywa, preparing the body, until Jakesully came back. He carried Dr. Grace in his arms. She looked so small and fragile.

Behind Jakesully walked the man Norm Spellman, whom they had met when they were flying with I'awn and Txonway. Puvomun wondered from where they had brought the small woman. They had not been gone very long. Barely visible behind Norm Spellman was the small figure of a tawtute woman. It was Trudy, the woman who flew the machine that had brought Dr. Grace to the village so often.

Carefully and tenderly Jakesully lay down the small person. He stepped back as Mo'at did the things that only a Tsahik could do, preparing Grace for the transition.

Mo'at then started chanting, her arms spread out wide as she stood over the body of Dr. Grace. She was speaking the old words. Some of them were in the First Songs and only used in special circumstances. Puvomun had only heard them once before.

In a low voice at first, but louder and louder, all the people took up the words, chanting them, raising the energy. Everyone was connected to the others, hands and arms locked, bodies moving in a circular motion to increase the power.

Puvomun lost himself in the energy, in the chanting. He saw nobody, heard nobody, and yet he was with everyone, at one with all the voices and sensing the ancestors who had joined Eywa before. The energy here was strong always, and now they were making it stronger, faster, begging the help of Eywa to save Grace.

The power raised became a wave, a sea that engulfed not only the people but the entire area. And then it ebbed away at a tremendous speed. Most of the people, Puvomun and Amhul too, held on to each other for sheer stability. The power disappeared so rapidly that it left them helpless for a few moments, disoriented.

Puvomun looked at Amhul to find that she was looking at him. He smiled and she returned the smile. Then they looked at the platform.

Mo'at, Neytiri, Jakesully, Norm Spellman and the small woman Trudy stood there, while Mo'at spoke with the others.

The singer wanted to know what they were talking about, as all others did. Quickly the notion that their attempt to save Dr. Grace had failed spread, as both bodies remained lying down.

When finally someone spoke it was Jakesully, while Tsu'tey translated his Inglìsì words.

"The Sky people sent us a message," he said, "they came here, thinking that they could take whatever they want. But we will send them a message. A message that this is our land, and that they cannot take whatever they want!"

Everyone was on their feet now, screaming "ayoeyä atxkxe, ayoeyä atxkxe"! Puvomun and Amhul also screamed and waved their arms. It was time to fight the aysawtute, and this time they would succeed. This time toruk makto had come, so the people could fight back.

Jakesully went on, telling everyone to fly out and ride out to all the clans, telling that toruk makto was calling them, to help in the fight against the aysawtute. He then took Neytiri's hand and together they ran to the large shape of toruk. They mounted it, toruk reared upwards and screamed, and then it jumped and flew upwards. All the saronyu and samsiyu went to their ikran and followed the mightly shape of the ferocious animal. Others ran to the fa'li and rode off into the darkness.

Suddenly, with so many people gone, there was a strange silence. The thrill of having seen Jakesully, coming as toruk makto, was still around as the remaining people gathered together. Despite all that was said and done, no matter how much heroes had rode out, there were still the wounded to be looked after, the children to be seen to.

"Ninat, Amhul, Puvomun!" Mo'at did not have to shout, but her voice sounded very loud in the sudden quiet. "Please come. Eyamsiyu, are you here?"

The four people made their way to the rocky platform where Mo'at stood.

"We need to give toktor Grace back to the earth," the Tsahik said. "It will be good to make one grave for her."

Eyamsiyu and Puvomun nodded, and walked off to find a good place, close to the tree, where they made a grave. Several others helped them, in silence. One of them was Norm Spellman, who had to stop several times when his tears made digging impossible for him. By the time they had finished, the two bodies had been decorated with twigs and small leaves.

With care, the bodies were laid in the grave, the small one cradled in the lap of the uniltìrantokx, one of the arms over the small, wounded shape that had been Dr. Grace.

The people stood around the grave, Mo'at, Norm Spellman and Trudy at the front. "If you want to speak for her..." Mo'at invited the mesawtute.

Trudy looked up at Norm Spellman. The man shrugged. Trudy looked around at the people, then down at the grave with the two bodies.

"We should sit, for her," Mo'at said quietly, pointing at Trudy.

"Heyn, heyn," the people agreed as they sat down. This way Trudy would perhaps not feel so small.

"I don't speak a word of your language," Trudy said, "maybe someone can help me?"

Amhul touched Puvomun. "You speak Inglìsì best, ma Puvomun."

Puvomun translated Trudy's words.

"I never met many of you," Trudy said, "and it sucks that we have to meet like this. It's so unfair what happened. Grace was a great person, she loved every one of you. She once said she'd die for you. And now she did."

The small woman could not speak more, as tears streamed from her eyes. She had troubles keeping her mask on.

Norm Spellman, everyone saw, wanted to comfort Trudy, but he did not know what to do with his body being so much larger than hers. His Na'vi sounded a bit formal, but he did not require the help of a translating person.

"Grace loved this planet, and the people. She wrote a book about you and this moon, and it is famous. On 'Rrta." He swallowed hard for a moment. "No matter what happens, I will fight for you the way she would have done."

"Me too," Trudy added, who had cleaned her mask and was able to talk again. "I'm gonna kick someone's ass real bad."

Norm and Puvomun tried to translate that together, and according to Norm they managed it.

Then the people sang a few songs, asking Eywa to keep Grace safe.

Trudy and Norm then had to leave the village. They said they had to look after the machines that kept Jakesully in his 'avatar', his uniltìrantokx, and they had to sleep.

"I hope he remembers to lay down at times, so he can wake up and eat," Trudy worried. "And sleep too. When he's on the go, he's on the go."

A few days passed without news from anywhere, until some riders returned from the plains, with many warriors of the horse tribes. They had heard that toruk makto needed them and they had come.

That same day many ikran arrived, and among them the impressive shape of toruk. Jakesully had returned, and with him were many Na'vi, ready to fight.

[Puvomun]

19. They come tomorrow

The area around the sacred trees was crowded. Very crowded. The many many Na'vi and their animals were spread far.

Neytiri, Jakesully, Tsu'tey and the clan leaders were talking very often, trying to decide what the best course of action was to go against the aysawtute, but the ideas all varied.

Puvomun hardly had time to follow what the ayeyktan were talking about, with so many mouths to feed, gathering food and preparing it was almost a full time job for many, and the teaching of the children had to go on as well.

One time moment was very memorable and strange. Everybody that was close to Utral heard that Jakesully had to return to his tawtute body, he had to feed that as well.

"Trudy and Norm whooped my ass over that," Jakesully had said with his familiar silly grin. "I'll come back as soon as I can." Then he lay down, closed his eyes and fell silent.

Several people sat with his silent body, of course Neytiri was one of them. They all knew that he was now in the strange fngap house, not far from there.

As they waited, Puvomun found a short time to rest and sit, eating something. Amhul came walking and sat with him.

"Ma Puvomun, you look tired."

"I can say that to you, ma Amhul. At least the children are playing now." He chewed for a while.

"There is something you want to tell me," Amhul said as she watched her friend.

He slowly nodded. "Srane. I do." Carefully he put down his food and took one of Amhul's hands. "I want to know if you would become one with me. Be mine, as I want to be yours."

Amhul smiled briefly, then looked at the hand he held.

Puvomun waited in silence, not knowing if he had asked the right thing. If this was the right moment.

"Srane." The one word, yes, came from her lips a mere whisper. Had they not been so close together, Puvomun would not have heard it with the sounds coming from the people around them. "I want to be yours." The woman closed her fingers around Puvomun's. "Since long."

The singer-teacher smiled and pulled Amhul against him. "I did not know. I was not sure."

"I was," Amhul simply said, "and I knew that Eywa would tell you when it was time." She leaned into him as he put an arm around her.

-=-=-

"Puvomun, Amhul." The voice was calm but insisting. "You have to wake up now."

The two singer-teachers looked at Lolet, who squatted next to them. Rakan stood behind her, grinning. "Jakesully is back, and he has to say something to us all. We're sorry to wake you up-"

"Oe ke lu," Rakan pitched in.

"-but this is important," Lolet finished her sentence while slapping at her mate's legs. Rakan jumped and laughed.

As the singers rose, Lolet grinned. "I'm happy for you," she said. Then she turned to Rakan. "And you should learn when to be quiet. Unless you like stones better than kava."

"Hrah," Rakan growled, "no kava for anyone soon, so you be quiet about that." He turned and paced off.

Lolet cast an apologetic look at the other two, then went after Rakan.

As they all had gathered, Jakesully was talking about an attack that the aysawtute were planning. "They will come with many flying machines. They will be very angry and dangerous, with no respect for anyone or anything. And they will come here. We are certain that they want to destroy ayVitrayä Ramunong, and as many of us as they can."

These words left a painful silence among the people. Even Neytiri stared at the man who was speaking with Tsu'tey's help for translating.

"But we can beat them. We're many, fifteen clans. We know these mountains. They will be in a strange place where their machines don't help them. We will beat them!" Jakesully raised his tsko high, as did Tsu'tey. And Neytiri. And soon all others waved their aysko and yelled along with him. They could beat the aysawtute.

Then followed a detailed explanation how Jakesully thought the battle would go, and what the Na'vi would have to do to win this.

Norm Spellman and the small woman Trudy had joined the people by then. Tawtewng was assigned the task to teach Norm ride pa'li. Norm would ride with the clan, he had asked for that. Tawtewng nodded.

"Trudy will join forces with the ikran people," Jakesully said. "She can fly the floating mountains almost as well as we can, and she can put the guns from her kunsyip to good use."

"When will they come, Jakesully?" someone asked.

"Fo zìya'u trray, at first light. We know they are preparing now, so we have to be ready before that."

Suddenly things started happening very fast. The Ikran People from the eastern shore called for all ikranä aymaktoyu to join them, so they could make sure that everyone had a good idea of what to do and where to be.

Puvomun saw Nusumea Tirea in the distance. It was obvious that the man hesitated. Amhul, holding Puvomun's hand, said: "He has to go. He is ikranä maktoyu."

As if the healer-hunter had heard her words, he raised a hand to Amhul and Puvomun, and then walked off with the others.

Puvomun wondered if Trudy would be able to keep up with them. He admired the tenacity of the little woman. Then he said: "We should find out what we can do."

The two walked around, looking for someone to tell them something, but that proved hard. Everyone who would have an active task in the battle was busy with things. Finally Mo'at found them.

"We need some people that can take care of the children," was her simple response, when Amhul asked her what she and Puvomun could do. "Bring all the people together that cannot fight."

"I can fight," Puvomun said.

"Oel omum, ma Puvomun," Mo'at said, "I know. But what can your tsko si swizaw do against the ayhunsyip?" Her face grew worried for long moments.

Puvomun understood that she thought back to when the warriors had been shooting their arrows at the flying machines to no effect.

"We need you here." That decided the affair, as far as Mo'at was concerned. "Find Nusumea Tirea and also Tuke, then go and gather the herbs to heal people. We will need them." The Tsahik looked at the two people one last time and then turned, to walk away.

"Nusumea left with the ikran people," Amhul said, "we'll have to find the herbs with Tuke."

Tuke was an older woman from the village who knew a lot about the herbs. The two found her tending to a man whose leg had been shattered. The man was in a fever, trying to beat his arms around, mumbling words nobody understood.

"How is he?" Puvomun asked. He knew the man well. It was a proficient fisherman that he often had gone out with.

"Ke nìltsan, rolyu," Tuke shook her head. "He may not live until the next light."

They told her about Mo'at's order to find herbs.

Tuke agreed that would be a good idea. "Let me find someone to look after him," she said, pointing to the hurt and moaning man.

Amhul kneeled with the man, while Tsuke left for a short while. When the older woman returned, she had two older children with her. Puvomun smiled. These were calm and responsible ones, he knew them. Long ago he had taught them to ride pa'li.

Without a word the children took Amhul's place, holding the man's arms and keeping him as comfortable as possible.

"Come," Tuke said. "I know where we have to go to find the herbs."

The singers followed the woman. They knew a bit about herbs, like every one of the people, but their knowledge was limited. Tuke was a specialist.

The three made several trips into the surrounding forest and in the end they had a few stacks of herbs gathered. Tuke then commandeered a number of children to help prepare the herbs. Some needed to be folded, some crushed, some cut up, and there was too much work for just the three people. They worked until it became too dark to continue.

Tuke then chased all of them away. "I will stay here with the herbs," she said. "You all worked hard. I pray to Eywa we don't need all of this."

-=-=-

Later that night, many people were already asleep, Puvomun and Amhul sat with a few other people, when one of them gestured to the Tree. They all looked and saw Jakesully slowly walk up to it. They saw how he kneeled down with the massive trunk and he was speaking.

"He is talking to Eywa," Amhul whispered as they all saw how the man took a few strands and made tsaheylu with them. "He truly is Omatikaya, ma Puvomun."

The singer nodded, reaching for the hand of the woman he loved. "Srane, ma yawne, po lu."

Neytiri then approached the tree and the kneeling man, her mate. They saw how she touched Jakesully's shoulder. He stood, broke his tsaheylu and talked with her. Then, for a while, the two touched foreheads, after which they walked off.

Then Puvomun and Amhul found themselves alone. The other people had left without the two singers noticing.

Puvomun looked at Amhul's face, her spots softly glowing, making her look ever so beautiful in the gentle light of the plants around them. He was still holding her hand. As he moved closer to her, Amhul moved closer to him. Their foreheads touched. Then bodies came even closer, and the ultimate form of tsaheylu happened for both of them.

[Puvomun]

20. The battle

In the early morning, several hunters came back. The people were all waiting for news, and the hunters were sent to inform everyone. They spread out among the large crowd, each hunter talking to a smaller group, so everyone was able to hear what was being said.

"It is not certain what will happen, so it is best if most people spread out over the area. Take all the weapons you can, as there may be aysawtute warriors coming. The ikranä aymaktoyu are taking their positions, as are the horse people."

The words weighed heavy on Puvomun's mind. The people had never faced anything like this, confronting an enemy that had such tremendous power with their fngapu weapons.

"We should take the children and try to move them to a safe place," he suggested.

Amhul nodded. "Srane. But I wonder if there is a safe place anywhere, once the fighting begins..."

Puvomun sensed her silent despair. "I know, ma Amhul. But we have to try and find one. Perhaps Ninat and Eyamsiyu can help us. They have been walking around also, they may have seen a good place to hide."

The two walked around quickly, trying to find the singer and her mate, but they were impossible to find. In the end they decided to gather all the children and at least take them among the trees. There was nothing more the two singer-teachers could do at this short notice.

"Tuke. Come with us," Amhul begged the older woman who was still keeping watch with the mound of herbs.

"Kehe. I stay here," the woman said. "Go. Take the eveng to safety." She shoo'd the singer-teacher away.

Puvomun had, by then, assembled most of the children and guided them to the place among the trees. It was hard work to find a good place for each one, as there was more sharp rock here than proper places to sit. The larger children decided they would sit a bit further down, away from the trees, so the hì'i eveng were in some kind of cover. Whatever good that might be, Puvomun thought.

And then the waiting began.

Quickly it became clear that the silence was not helping anyone. The moaning of the wounded sounded so much louder, the wind made too much noise in the trees.

"We should sing a few songs," Amhul said. It sounded like the best thing to do.

A little boy who sat in her lap clapped his hands and said he wanted to sing one of the old songs. He meant one of the First Songs.

"Which one do you like, Mekanei?" Puvomun asked.

Mekanei started singing, unafraid, about the first Toruk Makto. Quickly more and more voices joined in.

Puvomun smiled at Amhul as they too sang. He knew that Mekanei's choice had to be influenced by Jakesully's appearance as Toruk Makto. And Toruk Makto, upto now, had always been the solution to extreme problems.

All the children sang, and then still more voices joined. All the people near and around ayVitrayä Ramunong sang also. The sound of so many voices brought a very special kind of inner peace to Puvomun.

Even in this time of great sorrow, for that is what this was, the songs brought strength and faith. And he was sitting close to the woman he had finally dared to declare his love to. And she had returned his love. How foolish had he been all those years.

Loud explosions made all singing stopped. The hum of approaching gunships and other aysawtute machines could be heard. These sounds signalled that the battle with the Sky people had started. The people looked around, at friends and family.

Amhul reached out and put a hand on Puvomun's arm. Her eyes radiated sudden fear, even terror.

"Be strong, ma yawne," he said, as fear also gripped his heart. "We should all be strong."

Amhul nodded, and bravely she said: "Srane. Eywa will provide." Her hand remained on his arm, though.

"Puvomun," a little girl said as she stood next to him, "I want to fly an ikran and kill the aysawtute." Her face looked like stone.

The singer-teacher knew that she had lost both her parents, when the intruders had destroyed Kelutral. He put an arm around her and pulled the girl close. "I know, little one, I know. We all want that."

Somewhere in the group of people some commotion flared up. Amhul picked up the boy on her lap and walked over, listening and talking to some of the people. When she came back, she said: "Two of the older boys are missing."

Puvomun told two children to watched over the others and went with Amhul. A worried mother told them that her son and one of his friends had somehow slipped away.

"I'll go around and see if I can find them," the teacher-singer said, trying to make the mother feel better.

"Be careful," Amhul simply said.

Puvomun walked around the Omatikaya in circles, asking if anyone had seen the two boys, but nobody had.

At the end of his search, the noise of the flying machines had grown much louder. Many eyes searched the skies, trying to locate the source of the sound.

"Mo'at! Mo'at!" The two boys came running towards the Tsahik. Before someone could say something, one of the boys started telling about what they had seen, that the horseriders had been forced to withdraw. "Many people are dying," he said, "and it looks very bad! There is fire everywhere!"

The ground shook. An explosion very close by.

Mo'at took the two boys by the shoulder. "Sit down," she told them, "and make tsaheylu. Show Eywa what you have seen. Puvomun, Tuke, Amhul! Alert all the people, tell them to join these two. Listen, look and show!"

The three went round, urging everyone who could to make tsaheylu while listening and watching. During all this, the noise of the war became louder. Ayikran flew back and forth, and then the giant white hull of the biggest tawtute flying machine came in sight. Its engines roared maddeningly. Children started screaming and crying. Puvomun and Amhul looked at each other, not knowing whether to join the others in the scream for help to Eywa, or take care of the children. They chose for the children.

As they ran towards the frightened group, they saw how the large shape closed in.

Suddenly Toruk fell from the skies, diving towards the machine. What was going on there, Puvomun wondered, rocking two children, babbling calming words to all of them, which he doubted would have any effect, if any of them heard his words at all.

The two young boys were facing the approaching flying machine. It was coming straight to where the people were, straight at ayVitrayä Ramunong. Their eyes seemed locked onto it while their ayswin were connected to the ground, to Eywa. Fear was on their faces, and yet they remained where they were.

As the massive thing hung in the air, its goal and threat obvious, suddenly one side of it erupted in a fountain of fire. As if an enormous hand beat on the side of the machine, it turned away from where it was going. It tumbled, slowly, almost lazily rolling over. Its nose pointed to the ground and then the thing went out of sight.

Everything seemed to stand still for the group of people, until a column of yellow and white fire jumped up, while the ground shook once more and an explosion of a magnitude they had never heard deafened many of them.

Then another sound reached them: a large stream of ikran without riders flew over the area.

The people looked up in surprise, not understanding why the animals had chosen to come down from their home high in the mountains, until they saw how the ayikran started to attack the few ayfunship that were still flying around. Fiery flares came from some of the flying machines, shooting at the ayikran. Some of flares hit the animals, making the large winged creatures tumble out of the sky, but the animals kept coming, taking down several machines, before the remaining aysawtute decided that retreating was their best option.

Nobody around ayVitrayä Ramunong exactly knew how or why it happened, but the sounds of the battle suddenly subdued. Puvomun noticed a very strange expression on the faces of the people who had been connected to the Sacred Trees as they disconnected their ayswin and got to their feet. They all looked towards where the enormous ship had gone down.

"What happened?" Amhul asked.

"I don't know. But something happened, obviously." Puvomun looked over at Mo'at, but the Tsahik was also uncertain of the proceedings.

When two ikrans came flying down, landing where the mighty Toruk had done, everyone was shaken up. This change was so unexpected.

"I'awn," Amhul said, "and Txonway."

She was right.

I'awn ran to Mo'at and quickly talked to her, after which Mo'at pointed at the group of children. I'awn came running. "Amhul, Puvomun, come with us! We need your help! So many are wounded"

"Why us?" Puvomun asked, "we are not healers."

"You have no time to become one," I'awn commented, "but you are the only ones who rode an ikran without having one, so you have to come. Our ayikran are used to you."

"Go!" Mo'at called out, gesturing, "we'll take care of the children."

The teacher-singers put the children down on the ground and ran after I'awn. Amhul followed the woman, Puvomun went straight to Txonway.

"Quick," the young man said, "hold on!"

In three blinks of an eye, they were in the air, the ikrans slamming the air with their powerful wings, steeply climbing.

"What happened?!" Puvomun shouted, but Txonway shook his head as he pushed the ikran to go as fast as it could go.

From high in the air, Puvomun saw the devastation that the exploding large ship had left. The entire area was singed, black smoke billowing up. They flew on, and the further they came, the more the extent of the fighting became clear. Everywhere he saw death. Na'vi, fa'li, flying machines and their riders that had crashed. Many parts of the forest burnt.

On and on they went, until Txonway warned him to hold on tight again. That warning was not in vain: the descent was beyond steep. A falling rock could not have gone down faster.

"You are killing us!" Puvomun shouted, but again Txonway did not respond. At the last moment, the ikran spread its wings and their airspeed dropped to almost nothing. A moment later they were on the ground.

"Ai, ai, ai!" they heard, and I'awn landed her ikran as well.

Amhul and Puvomun stood on the ground again, their knees shaking from the experience.

I'awn and Txonway slipped from their animals and disconnected their ayswin. "Come!"

They did not have to go far.

Lolet, Rakan and Nusumea Tirea were standing in a small field. Many trees were on the ground, the floor was scorched, and there were many wounded there. As the four people came to the field, Eyamsiyu, Ekirä and Kalin Kato arrived carrying more wounded people.

"Ekirä?" Puvomun was surprised to see the young woman.

"Later, ma Puvomun, not now," said Ekirä as she carefully laid down the man she and Kalin Kato were carrying. Then the two walked off again in a hurry. Puvomun saw how Ekirä limped.

"She snuck off on pa'li," Eyamsiyu said, dragging Puvomun's attention away. "She wanted to fight. And that she did." The man's face was smeared with soot, there was blood in many places on his skin, but he did not seem to notice that. "I have to go again." He turned, but then looked at the teacher-singers. "Ninat? Is she safe?"

"She is safe, ma 'eylan," said Puvomun.

"Oe irayo si Eywaru..." The man ran off into the forest again.

From among the trees, Tawtewng came to the field, leading five fa'li. "Oh. You're here. Sìltsan. Here, these are yours, I'll find more." He was gone before someone could ask anything.

"Use the fa'li to bring the wounded to Mo'at and the others," Txonway simply said. "We have to go. Good luck."

I'awn just nodded, after which the two aysaronyu ran off.