Aytautral (Sky Trees)

Started by Txura Rolyu, September 21, 2011, 04:50:00 PM

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Seze Mune

#140
At the abrupt appearance of the second flying ikran, Lutey and Premal froze.  Neither had ever seen anything astride an ikran before. Lutey, more fearful, reacted a split second before Premal and wheeled to escape the apparition.  Premal needed a moment to assess the danger to Atan, and that moment proved her undoing.

A great weight slammed against her, snapping her head around as it dragged her to the ground.  She caught a glimpse of the attacker's eye as she hit the rocks.  There was no anger there, only an incomprehensible gleam.  No time to think rationally, Premal allowed the creature's momentum to roll her closer to a nearby rock wall.  Nearer the wall, she planted her feet firmly, grasping a few smaller boulders, and then thrust upwards and crashed into the rock wall using all her strength and gathered momentum.  The wall shook and loose boulders tumbled around them.  The blue creature loosened his grip and Premal tossed him off, pivoting to face him fully.  She lowered her head and bared her teeth, fixing him with a fierce glare.

Stunned at first, the Na'vi lurched to his feet, rubbing the back of his head but never taking his eyes off the tokran. For a moment, he saw double, but took a deep breath and shook it off.  As he locked eyes with her, he grinned appreciatively. Already it was apparent she had the strength to carry him into battle.  No question of that.  The question was, how to achieve tsaheylu with such an formidable opponent?  Determination settled into his thoughts and his grin became wider and almost feral...the tokran was his, she just didn't know it...yet!

Premal noticed the creature bare his teeth and she roared in response.  At the same time her stance became more aggressive and her teeth flashed as she prepared to attack him.  As she struck out, he reacted swiftly and it was as though she'd tried to bite a tree.  Neither she nor the creature moved for a long moment as he blocked her strike with his hand, and then pushed her head forcefully against the pebble-strewn ground. Her neck was her weakest point, and he did not relent until her whole body was forced down.  She struggled, and then went limp.  When you meet an immovable object...she gathered herself imperceptibly as he withdrew his hand and stood there, waiting.

For a few seconds, she meekly lay there unmoving.  Suddenly there was an explosion of talons and wings and Na'vin found himself in the middle of a Fury, bent towards his destruction.  It was his instinct against hers, and both were fierce competitors.   Na'vin was pushed step by step toward the edge of the floating rock.  Blood flowed freely from a wound on his upper arm where the tokran scored a gash when he tried to block her again.  He could hear Wangari shout a warning from above, but he couldn't turn to look or the tokran would have him.

His own blood spattered against the rocks as he parried her strikes, mingling with the blood which had dripped earlier from the wounded ikran.  He slipped and regained his footing.  He slipped again.  Now the tokran was relentless, and he gave ground as he fought to find a place to make a stand and turn the tables on her.  

Did Wangari cry out first, or did he go down first? He never really remembered.  But blood-slick rocks shifted under his left foot and he was thrown off balance as he fended off another tokran strike.  His right foot came down on emptiness and his left hand grabbed forcefully toward the rocky ledge.  Instead of clasping something rough and hard like a shale shelf, his hand closed ferociously around something warm and leathery, and he yanked himself toward it.  

He had unknowingly grabbed the tokran's neural whip as she thrust forward to attack him.  He was already close to the edge, and his weight swinging from the area of her head carried her over the edge and out into space.  Her wings unfurled to keep herself aloft, but she could not right herself.  He was too close to her head and his weight was an anchor.  They plummeted toward the rocky void below with Wangari's anguished yelp ringing in their ears.

Premal twisted her body while Na'vin clung tightly, and he worked his way onto her back.  Still clutching her neural whip, Na'vin caught his own queue and brought it forward as the turbulent wind squeezed tears from his eyes.  The end of her neural whip was difficult to find and control.  It was much longer and thicker than an ikran's.  But he managed to find it and fit his queue into its protective sheath.  The shock of tsaheylu was immediate.  As the forest below neared alarmingly, Na'vin focused his mind like the point of a spear....Up!  Fly!

                                                               

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#141
A strong heartbeat, a very powerful body, an almost overwhelming stream of his thoughts consumed her mind.
For a moment, Premal wanted to fight this foreign feeling. She felt like she was losing herself, she lost control of her body.
Falling from the sky Premal lost her motor control and her body flapped about with no direction.

As she began to panic within her mind, her muscles filled with energy, her body felt more powerful than ever.
"...Up  Fly!"   A burst of energy shot through her making every fiber in her wings explode outward.
She heard the voice clearly, she understood this voice. For some reason she loved the sound of it, the deep rasp and homely vibrations echoed in her mind.
An instant love for this voice, she felt compelled to do what it said. Premal had opened her wings as far out as she could, air engulfed them lifting them up just as they began to near the tree tops below.
She yearned to hear the voice again... However Premal began to wonder where the voice was coming from. Something began to stroke the side of her neck.
Slowly but gently, with the perfect firmness, the Blue creature to which had attacked her was still with her.
Locking eyes with his once more, his gaze brought her comfort. Her stroked her neck once more and never looked away from her eyes.

The voice she longed to hear, began to speak to her once more. "Let us fly together, forever."
It was his voice, his eyes spoke the words just as she heard them in her mind. A quiver rolled over her body, her muscles fluttered with a joyful sensation.
Na'vin took that as an agreement.

The stroke of her wings was massive, very powerful strokes moved them effortlessly through the air.
Finally, after all this time... One of the Notorious Tokran was now Na'vins.
Na'vin had fulfilled the need to prove himself as one of the Nos'feratu Clan. He did what many could not, these thoughts now filled Na'vins mind.
The Tokran was listening... All the thoughts of Na'vin became Premals... What he believed in, she believed in.

Na'vin returned from his thoughts to look upon the Tokran once more. "A name..." he wondered.
With a subtle roar, Na'vin heard her name. "Premal!"

With a smile Na'vin gave a pat to her side in acknowledgement.
Na'vin turned his head to look behind for Wangari, He couldn't focus his eyes to the cliffs that were left behind. His head began to ache, he remembered hitting his head in the scuffle with Tokran.
Where was she?

   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

#142
As Wangari followed Na'vin's progress up the lianas toward the fray, she decided on a bit of diversion. Her ikran was eager, and it shot upwards and into the battle without warning.  The tokrans flung themselves away from her,  shocked at the intrusion. At the edge of Wangari's mind, she could feel anxiety growing and it took her a moment to realize it belonged to Sulani, not to her.

The ikran was fixated on the lifeless form nearby.  It was splayed over the rocks in a way which would have been uncomfortable to most.  Blood pooled by its spiracles and thin stripes of red streaked its right wing and chest.  There was no movement. Anguish which wasn't hers, lurched through Wangari's heart.  Sulani was grieving.

Sounds of a colossal scuffle wrenched her attention back towards Na'vin.  He had sprung upon the tokran and was trying to force her down.  For the briefest of moments, he was successful.  The tokran was still.  But instead of using this advantage, his arm dropped and he stood, waiting.

"Tsa-hey! What is he doing?" thought Wangari in frustration. "He could be astride the tokran, making tsaheylu already!"

And in that instant, the tokran detonated into a whirling ball of razor sharp teeth and deadly claws.  It forced Na'vin backwards towards the cliff which was perilously close.

"Na'vin! Nari si! Uo nga!" she yelped.  He didn't seem to hear her.  One of his feet skittered on the shale and as he struggled for balance, his foot met thin air.  Wangari gave a piercing cry as he flailed for a handhold.  

Unbelievably, he managed to grasp the tokran's tswin.  His pendulous weight overbalanced the beast and drew it over the cliff with him.  This time, true fear gripped Wangari's heart.  Na'vin's body was close to the animal's lethal jaws and she couldn't fathom how he'd be able to achieve tsaheylu before the lew na'ringä swallowed him.

She forced her ikran into a stoop dive, trying to get to Na'vin before....

The tokran had rotated during the fall and Na'vin was now on its back, his legs locked around her lower neck with his queue in one hand and the tokran's tswin in the other.  Sheer incredulity overwhelmed her thoughts as she watched him make tsaheylu with his tokran.  Tsaheyl si had freed both his hands and he gripped the beast's meswin, bending low over her neck.  Her flight levelled out as she brushed over the tops of the ayutral.

Wangari closed in on him as he leaned further forward and patted the tokran's neck.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" she shouted.  With some satisfaction she noticed him wince slightly and rub the back of his head. Served him right, scaring her like that! Wiya!

He grimaced and then looked at her, a sudden grin lighting up his face.  He didn't need to speak.  She understood.

As Na'vin and Premal played, Wangari and Sulani shadowed them.  Sulani's heart was heavy with grief but Wangari kept her occupied with weaving from side to side and cutting across Premal's path occasionally.

Although they didn't know it, Wangari was steering them towards a campsite the clan had used the last time she was in Iknimaya.  As they flew over it, she caught Na'vin's attention and pointed toward it, lowering her hand in a landing gesture.  He nodded and Premal banked into a long earthward spiral.  Wangari and Sulani followed.



Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#143
Na'vin looked over and down to see that they had just flown over what appeared to be the old camp site from which the Clan had long moved from.
It was empty, but Na'vin picked up several smells that were familiar. A clear spot not to far from the camp site made for an easy landing.

Na'vin gently slid off of Premal, she was huffing a bit having already been tired from so much action. Wangari also came down from her Ikran who seemed low spirited.
Premal sat back and brought her head all the way up, towering over everyone. Avidly keeping an eye out for anything unusual. She was nearly the size of a Toruk... Pride swept over Na'vin for a moment.

Walking into the old camp site, it was obvious that the Hufwe Clan had left in a hurry. A few things were left behind like bowls and even a few tools. Na'vin looked around for any traces or signs that might help him locate his people. Na'vin had done what Ke'gan asked, the Tokran was now his and he would be seen as one of the people.
Something got Na'vins attention, tracks were made through the camp that were quite fresh... Na'vin thought to himself, "someone is still living here..."
Crouching down, Na'vin lightly touched a footprint. It was a Na'vi footprint, female and very recent. Beside it was another footprint however much larger and most likely a male Na'vi.
Their scents although very light, Na'vin recognized!

The female footprint smelt like Nelkira, the woman who had been Na'vins guide at the beginning when he was first introduced to his people.
Sefin! This was his footprint beside hers! Sefin was alive! He was here somewhere.

But where was everyone else? Wangari had also discovered the footprints in other locations. She knew as well that someone was still here.
Na'vin stood back up and closed his eyes. Becoming very still and focusing on sounds and smells, the wind, the fauna nearby, everything.
Many lessons were learned while growing up in captivity, and scrutinous training.

Spending the first ten years of his life in a room with false parents, after discovering that it was all a lie, Na'vin knew he was on his own.
Na'vins very first time outside, he was locked in a cage. His false mother whom he had still cared for rolled by on a gurney. So many terrible memories, but so many lessons learned.

After Na'vin learned he was alone, he had no real parents of anyone like him, for that very first night in that cage Na'vin became still. He listened to everything around him.
Smells, sounds, the animals. Everything became amplified. Na'vin finally was able to "see" what he had been missing.
Even if you close your eyes, it does not mean you cannot "see."

The camp site where Wangari and Na'vin now stood was long abandoned. Wangari had looked around a bit and found a simple bow that had been left behind. She picked it up as a replacement for the bow she lost.
Wangari was very astute, she could tell and feel that they were not alone here, but she could not see or hear anything unusual.
She made her way back to where she lost saw Na'vin investigating, only to find he had not moved. He was standing still and hardly breathing.
Knowing what he was doing, she stopped and waited silently for him. She even watched him as he stood there, eyes closed, trying to make sense of it all.
For someone who knew little about the Na'vi way, he was acting far beyond what was expected. He took it all in, held everything about this world close to him.

Wangari was lost in thought while watching Na'vin. It was becoming clear to her that she was becoming fond of him. Ra'fi was taken by the sawtute, but before he died, Ra'fi had brought Na'vin with him into Wangaris life.

   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

There was a subtle change in the energy ambience.  Wangari felt it first as the skin prickled slightly on the back of her neck.  She whirled into a crouch, dropping the bow as she jerked the obsidian knife from its sheath.  She could not see anything amiss, but she could feel it...it was making her skin crawl.

Heat radiated against her skin on her left and Na'vin's warm scent, full of pheromones and adrenalin, grew stronger as he stealthily slipped beside her.

Seze Mune

Nothing moved.  The air was still, but electric with anticipation. 

Wangari felt Na'vin's tail curl around her ankle, letting her know he was guarding her back.

Seze Mune

There was a soft bird call and Na'vin's ears instantly flicked forward while his tail tightened around Wangari's ankle.  It came as a surprise for her to hear a soft call in response - especially since it came from Na'vin.

Wangari's head swiveled to her right as the dense undergrowth parted and a tall figure stepped gingerly out into the open. 

"Na'vin.  We thought you were dead," said Se'fin quietly, almost unbelieving.  His eyes raked over his friend and then flitted to Wangari, noting the tail around her ankle.

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

Se'fin gave a great big smile as he took a step towards Na'vin. At that very moment, the roar of what sounded like a very large beast echoed close by forcing Se'fin to quickly drop his smile and pause in his footsteps.

Na'vin gave a smile of his own, "That... Is Premal."

Se'fin saw something in Na'vins eyes.  "Premal? Wait.. you mean the Tokran?!"  Se'fin looked for an answer, but he already knew it was true.

Na'vins ear twitched to the left... Na'vin moved his gaze into the brush near by, then took a sniff of the air. Wangari was already watching the very same spot. Someone else is here.
Looking back at Se'fin, Na'vins tail remained wrapped around Wangari in caution.

"Nel... Nel'kira... Come on out, they know you're there." Chimed in Se'fin. She stepped out and looked at Na'vin and how he stood ominously over this strange woman.

Nel'kira and Se'fin were both wondering who this woman was and where she came from. And also, why was Na'vin so obviously close to her. Nel'kira especially was wondering why his tail was around her ankle.

   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

Wangari's stance eased somewhat as Na'vin drew up alongside her.  His tail relaxed, but did not leave her ankle and she felt comforted - especially because  Nel'kira's long, cool, head-to-toe glance was less than welcoming.  Perhaps 'questioning' would have been the better word, but there seemed to be prickles of jealousy in the woman's yellow eyes.......or was that only her imagination?  Wangari pushed the thought away.

She stepped forward assertively and looked at Se'fin.

"You know me, ma Se'fin.  I was with Ra'fi the last time you saw me.  He was my...friend," she said. She looked at Nel'kira as she sheathed her blade.  "Who are you?"

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

Se'fin touched his still very sore wound. It wasn't long ago when Se'fin and Ra'fi were attacked...  Se'fin became lost in thought of the horrible memory.

Nel'kira stood there with a cautious and uneasy stance. While this strange woman remained in a confident strong stance, maintaining a glare that made Nel'kira nervous.

"I remained behind with Se'fin, his injuries wouldn't allow for quick travel. Se'fin wanted to stay behind anyway, awaiting your return Na'vin."
Se'fin popped out of his trance, "Yes... She is with me, her name is Nel'kira. Ra'fi told me about you... You must be Wangari."



   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

The tsahìk numeyu nodded slightly.  "I am."

A loud exhalation introduced Sulani, who had retreated to an overhead vantage point.  Nel'kira looked upward and then leaned back in such a funny way that Wangari grinned.  It was hard to take Premal in with one glance and Nel'kira was obviously overwhelmed by the size of Na'vin's mount.  She stepped back and Se'fin grabbed her arm.

"Tokran. The only one of its kind," he said and gave Na'vin a salute of deference.  "I did not think it could be done.  The way you went racing after the sawtute who attacked us, I did not think you would live to do this, ma Na'vin."

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

Na'vin began to shake his head at Se'fin.  Giving a confused look as Na'vin held up two fingers. "Two."
Se'fin gave a loud "HAH!"  as if it meant something to him, but before Na'vin could ask, Premal grumbled a bit and dropped from the tree tops.

She gave a flap of her wings as she reached the ground stirring up a whirlwind of vegetation and dust.
With a heavy ~Thud!~ she landed.

Se'fin and Nel'kira staggered back out of reflex to avoid the Giant Tokran.
Sulani followed right behind Premal, but she landed much more gracefully and closer to Wangari.

Something was amiss however. Premal quickly lowered her head almost setting it on the ground next to Na'vin. She swaggered a bit making it apparent that she wanted Na'vin to get on.
This was unsettling... Na'vin recognized Premals movement as "make haste!"
So he attached his queue to Premal and was bombarded with feelings of Danger.

A crack, and crash was heard not to far away. The Sawtute... They were coming. They must have been watching the area and spotted Na'vin and Wangaris arrival.


   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

#152
Na'vin stepped towards Se'fin.  He jerked his head toward the sound of the sawtute.

"Ma tsamsiyu, we must find the clan before they do.  Give us directions and we will fly."

Se'fin looked uncertainly at the massive tokran.

"She can fly us both, ma tsmukan," Na'vin said, reaching out towards the shorter warrior and urging him towards Premal.  Already bonded, Premal would accept others if that was Na'vin's will.

"Nel'kira?"  Wangari, already seated on her ikran, waved the woman towards Sulani.  Nel'kira didn't hesitate.  A few quick strides and she was already aboard. 

Premal was aloft, both Na'vi crouching to afford her the best aerodynamics.  Smaller and weighted with two, Sulani was slower into the sky, but was able to pull up alongside the tokran as they glided over the canopy.  Na'vin nodded toward Wangari, a slight grin on his face.  Se'fin touched his shoulder and Na'vin leaned slightly toward him.  Se'fin pointed toward the west and without a spoken word the tokran adjusted her flight, Sulani following.

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

Filler Content and background of Na'vin Nosferatu
~ Na'vin Nos'feratu Chronicles ~
Continued...


Na'vin sat up slowly, one hand holding him up while holding his head with the other. What a terrible headache...
After collecting his thoughts for a moment, his eyes were blurry and unable to focus. Na'vin rubbed his eyes a bit, then he could see more clearly.
Na'vin was outside, laying out in the open. The grass was a little tall, the trees were in every direction, all Na'vin could think was "How did i get here?"

Wasn't it just moments ago that he was with the humans in captivity? His escape thwarted by Draik and his men... It was all coming back to him, Moon had stopped Draik form shooting Na'vin in the middle of his escape.
Was that all a dream? Na'vin gave a sigh of relief while he contemplated the situation. He rubbed his neck at felt something tear in his skin.
Na'vin pulled out a dart from his neck... So he was put to sleep after all. The whole escape memory wasn't a dream. But how did he end up out here?
Where is everyone? Did they finally just let Na'vin go?

Throwing a foot beneath himself, Na'vin stood up slowly, staggered a bit from having been asleep and having no motor control.
He began to slowly survey the area, looking in all directions. There was no sign of humans or their buildings.
After looking into the tree line, Na'vin noticed tracks. He had seen them once before and it began to make sense. The humans did indeed drop him off out here.

A beep started to go off at his feet, a little red light was strapped around his ankle. What in the world is this thing? There was also a little black box on the ground that he hadn't noticed before.
Na'vin knelt down to examine it, when it turned on and a screen display popped out with Dr. Moon's face on it.

"Na'vin! How are you feeling? Are you alright!?" Dr. Moon exclaimed through the little monitor.  Na'vin simply gave a perplexed face not knowing what the hell this thing was.
The screen cut out for a moment, then Col. Draik's face popped up. Na'vin quickly became angry at the sight of him.

"Ah, you're finally awake. Welcome to your new and 'improved' cage. In case you're wondering, you are not being held inside a building anymore, so we decided to fence you in to a much larger area. Oh, and I hope you don't mind that we stuck a tracking device to your ankle. We need to keep an eye on you."
Draik gave a short almost triumphant laugh then continued,
"You will not try to remove or damage that tracker, if you do we will make you very uncomfortable. Understand? We will be watching you..." Draik gave a smile that set off Na'vin.
Grabbing the box with Draiks face still on the monitor, Na'vin threw the box as hard as he could into the sky.

What Na'vin didn't count on was how far the box had gone. It felt good to throw it, it felt easy too.
Na'vin looked at his hands for a moment, then his arms, legs and chest. He was bigger than before. What is going on?!?! Such strange things happened at the facility, Na'vin couldn't remember much of it.
"Now what?" Na'vin wondered.

Something was coming! It was noisy and sounded strange. A flying machine quickly came over head, Na'vin debated on whether to run but he was curious.
A door opened on the machine way up high, and something fell out of it. Na'vin watched whatever it was fall for a few seconds then hit the ground a little ways away.
Whatever it was, it must have been heavy! It made a very loud thud and kicked up a chunk of the ground when it hit.
The flying machine quickly took off and evaporated into the sky.

Na'vin jogged over to where the drop was. But Na'vin was a little stunned by what he saw. It was a humungous sword looking thing. Na'vin went over to it and examined it.
It was longer than he was and very wide. This thing must weigh a ton!
Curious to see how heavy it was, Na'vin put a hand around the hilt of the giant Blade. He pulled and yanked trying to move it with no success, he put both hands around the Blade handle and managed to pick it up a few inches but the weight was too much for him.

Na'vin let go of it and looked at it, "What is this for?" he wondered.

To be continued....

   
NotW#82

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

The sky was fading into darkness. Premal seemed almost comforted by this. Na'vin could tell she was more at ease now that they had left the ground.
Se'fin was holding onto Na'vins Blade and sheath while maintaining balance on the giant Tokran.

Premals massive wings slowly beat the sky with every stroke, a low tone echoed as she flapped her giant wings.
Se'fin was a bit uneasy but became more relaxed as Na'vin gave a reassuring smile back at him.

Wangari and Nel'kira were right beside them, Sulani was doing well for holding two riders. She is strong, just like Wangari.
Premal gave a short squawk, Na'vin knew what she was thinking.
"Where are we supposed to go Se'fin?" Na'vin questioned in a calm manor. Se'fin looked around a little bit but could not make heads or tales of where they were.
Regardless of not knowing the Clans exact location, Se'fin couldn't tell if they were still going in the right direction.

"We need to camp out for the night Na'vin, we won't find them at night as easily!" Se'fin yelled a little bit to compensate for the wind noise.
Na'vin gave a nod in understanding. But now how to find a good place for the night that's safe.

The light was trickling away as the forest became bright again with all sorts of glowing flora. Na'vin looked at the sun that was just about to disappear and saw the figure of a tremendous tree.
The sun wasn't completely down! This enormous tree was blocking a lot of the light! The sun finally made its was down along the middle trunk line of the huge tree, shedding light all over the forest one last time.
Until the sun finally came to rest and darkness filled the sky and the forest below. It was a beautiful sight!

Se'fin was speechless, he had never seen such a tree. Wangari and Nel had noticed it too and they all knew where they should go for the night.
They began to draw closer to it, with every passing minute the silhouette of the enormous tree became bigger and bigger.

Na'vin and Wangari steered their beasts into the very long branches. They landed near the center of the tree top.
This place over looked the forest canopy below. There was no higher place within sight in any direction... This would make a great home, for the clan. 

   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

#155
Nel'kira leapt to the limb, even before Wangari had untethered her ikran's neural whip.  She crouched low, centering her weight on the branch as she peered below.

Being much larger, Premal needed the sturdier limbs further down the tree to make a landing.  Her huge taloned feet reached for the rough branch as she backstroked her wings to slow to landing speed.  Na'vin took half a second to bathe Premal in affectionate appreciation for the smooth flight and then he disconnected tsaheylu and slid from her back to the spongy moss-covered branch.

Since Na'vin was holding Premal's attention for the moment, Se'fin felt safe enough to slip from the tokran's back.  He tried to keep out of her line of sight, but her secondary eye fixed on him and he backed away quickly.  The size of the beast still intimidated him despite Na'vin's mastery and her obvious fondness for him.

He heard the ikran snort above him and when he looked up, Nel'kira grinned at him over the branch.  He smiled slightly and nodded, then walked to the trunk of the massive kelutral.  Epiphytic orchids were growing from nests which had been left by ayyayo.  

Under her feet, Nel'kira's branch wobbled and she looked up in alarm.  Sulani was swaying from foot to foot, he wings fluttering with agitation.  Wangari was trying to soothe her.   Nel'kira watched for a couple of minutes, until she felt a presence behind her.  She turned to face Se'fin.  He put an arm on her right shoulder and held her still as he tucked a richly colored orchid into the hair before her left ear.  She tilted her head and gave him a little cockeyed smile.  When she didn't pull away, he touched her cheek and she closed her eyes.

Not for long.  They both felt others' eyes on them. Sulani had quieted, partly due to the distraction of Se'fin's sudden appearance and partly because Wangari's messages of calmness had blanketed her agitation.  Nel'kira drew slightly away from Se'fin as Na'vin appeared beside Wangari.

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#156
Filler Content and background of Na'vin Nosferatu
~ Na'vin Nos'feratu Chronicles ~
Continued...


The wind began to pick up a bit and with it the sky began to turn grey. A touch of cooler air hit Na'vin as he stood looking at this giant Blade in the ground. A drop of water popped Him in the head, then another.
It came raining down gently at first, but then it began to pour. Na'vin had almost no clothing on except for his ragged and torn shorts. No shoes, no shirt... The rain began to cool Na'vin past his comfort zone.
Light erupted in the sky, a flash so bright it made Na'vin jump. The crashing boom soon came after. This was all new to him, Na'vin had never seen a storm before let alone stand in it.

Out in the open with this giant Blade thing, the rain began to cover the blade with mud. Na'vin knew that this piece was going to be important so Na'vin began to try again.
Both hands around the blade hilt, Na'vin pulled with all his might but slipped and fell into the mud. Becoming very frustrated Na'vin jumped back up and tried again. Another streak of lightning boomed across the sky, much louder than the last one. But Na'vin was not bothered by it this time. He actually began to like how it sounded, powerful, big and heavy.

The rain actually began to work to his advantage now, Na'vin started pulling the blade across the mud. It slid much easier now, he dragged it out of the field and into the forest. It was dark... and noisy...
Na'vin felt like he was being watched, but pushed that out of his mind. The trees were quite large, Na'vin could barely see any branches they were so up high.
Getting more and more tired, Na'vin persisted to drag the blade with him into the unknown. He had to get out of the open and find some kind of shelter. The weather seemed to just get progressively worse.
Covered in mud and a little blood? Na'vin had apparently hurt himself at some point, his leg was red.

Na'vin dragged the blade for what felt like miles. He couldn't see the open field from where he came, but he couldn't help but look back to see if he was being followed.
Finally... Finally!! A giant tree just a few feet away had a giant hole in it. One big enough for him to get into and out of the rain! Na'vin was so tired and frustrated he wanted to just drop the blade and climb up.
But he fought that thought from his mind, he felt like this was something important and loosing it would make things worse. Na'vin huffed and huffed trying to catch his breath, finally having reached the hole in the tree. It was only slightly above him, he figured that he could climb up but that too became quite difficult.

The tree was slick with water, no branches to climb up on. The tree trunk was so large that there was no putting his arms around it. But then he had an Idea!
Na'vin pulled up the blade and with all his might stood it on end Blade into the ground. With great care Na'vin slowly propped the Blade against the tree trunk. Na'vin lost his grip as the blade fell against the side of the tree. But luckily the hilt hit the tree and actually put a dent in it, holding it in place. Na'vin put a hand on the hilt and managed to throw up his leg and get a foot on the hilt.
Na'vin carefully brought his head up to look inside the hole in the tree. It was empty and dry! Na'vin was soaked to the bone... He sat inside the opening of the hole and removed his ragged shorts.
He didn't care that he was naked. Climbing into the tree, Na'vin was surprised at all the space inside. It had a flat floor, but no ceiling. Looking up it was too dark to see how high it was.
Na'vin managed to work his ragged shorts over the entrance of his new spot. The shorts were so wet and heavy that it kept the wind from blowing in very much. Finally warming himself back up, Na'vin brought his knees up to his chest and leaned against the inner wall of the tree. He hugged his legs to his chest to get warmer.. It worked.
Sitting there thinking, and thinking... Na'vin couldn't make sense of what was happening, but he did know something. He was on his own right now, he needed to figure out how to survive.

A Roar came from outside startling Na'vin. It wasn't very far whatever it was. And whatever it was, it sounded big and angry. Na'vin focused on keeping very still and very quiet.
After what seemed like ages, the rain began to slow down. Na'vin was finally dry and warm inside his new hole in the tree and didn't want to leave it just yet.
Na'vin sat forward and moved towards the entrance of his hole a few feet away. Slowly moving his shorts that hung over his doorway, he peered outside to see.
The rain had stopped, but drops of water still fell from the leaves up high. Na'vin looked down to see if his blade was still there... of course it was.

It was dark however, the day was already gone. Which was fine with Na'vin, he was tired and ready to just get some rest.
He scooted over to the backside of the tree, he had plenty of space inside to stretch out but instead sat propped up facing the hole to outside.
He brought his legs back up to his chest and hugged them close, resting his chin on his knees...

Slowly, he began to close his eyes... The night sounds of the forest lulled him to sleep.

To be continued...

   
NotW#82

Reykoveyzä te Werufalä Haflak'ite

00T: I'm back! if either of you doesnt like anything in the post, let me know

Lutey woke up slowly, her larger pair of eyes blinking at the light, her second pair of eyelids sliding down automatically to shield her sensitive pupils from the glare of the sun.

In an instant, the day before came rushing back, and Lutey slammed a wing to the floor in frustration and anger. Premal, taken by eywa-knew-what urge to allow that tiny syaksyuk-like creature to ride on her. Bearing it away, tailed by yet another ikran that she seemed familiar with. Lutey snarled in fury. What company had Premal been keeping? It was ridiculous, and utterly demeaning! To willingly consort with prey – that was sacrilege of the worst kind.

Both of them were old enough by now to be sitting their first clutches, she reflected. In another life, both of them would have been, had not their accident of birth prevented them from mingling with other Toruks before now.
Lutey looked to the sky, her four eyes peering in all directions for any trace of her hatchmate, but there was nothing in the sky at this time of the morning, apart from a few 'Riti, who were already on the wing, snapping at a few insects, hoping to avoid the ikran's prime hunting time.

Lutey thought back again, as she had been doing so often recently, to her childhood. Sempu hadn't shown any warning signs of leaving, but leave he did. Part of Lutey wanted desperately to believe that if he had had a choice, he would have taken her and Premal – or at any rate just her – with him. But always, when she thought that, a little voice laughed mockingly at her. Him, a full-blooded toruk, lumber himself with a half-breed like you! Impossible, the voice sang. He probably has a new mate by now, new hatchlings, toruk hatchlings. He's forgotten his folly, and as far as he's concerned, you don't exist.

In her adolescent moons, this voice had all but eaten Lutey up, repeating and repeating inside her head until she wanted to rend, tear, rip anything near her. She had hated to see her reflection in pools of water, hated to be reminded of her own weakness. She had even hated to see Premal – she and her sister were so alike, and she could see Premal's physical shortcomings as well as she could see her own.
Lutey supposed it was this phase of self-hatred of hers that had first driven Premal into the arms of the prey. If Lutey had been able to keep a closer check on her, Premal would never have gotten so close to their mother, or induced to take that fateful trip to the place of their mother's hatching.

Premal had told Lutey about it, many moons after the events had taken place. After Lutey had lied and lied to her sister, and Premal, bereft and forlorn, had finally believed her.

The ikran rookery had welcomed back their mother, but shunned Premal herself. Her size and considerable weaponry – the double tail, the clawed talons, the crest – all scared them and made them feel too much like what they were: prey. Premal had wandered, lonely, saddened by the rejection of the peaceful, loving ikran. All she wanted was to be accepted – and there had been one young male ikran who had accepted her.

Premal never told Lutey his name. But she did tell Lutey that when it happened, they had been very close. They hunted, flew and nested together. Lutey supposed that if she had left them to it a little longer, Premal would have mated with the weakling and put a few more disgusting halflings into the world.

Lutey thought of her own experience of that time. She had met her first toruk other than her father. Her name was Nikeya, and she was a battle-scarred old female who had fought and killed more creatures than Lutey had lived days, or so she said. She had savagely attacked the half-grown Lutey when she saw her, and only Lutey's youth and superior stamina in flight had saved her. Lutey, far from being horrified at such brutal treatment, relished the warlike nature of one she recognised as her own kind, instead of the wretched pacifism of Premal and their mother. She resolved to show Nikeya that despite her inferior physique, she was a toruk. She followed the elderly female wherever she went, above and behind her, just enough to make it difficult for the stiff-jointed Nikeya to reach her and drive her off. Once, when Nikeya made a dive for a young ikran hatchling learning to fly, and missed, Lutey saw her chance and took it. She had used her superior manoeuvring ability to kill the little ikran – it was easier than she had thought it would be, little thin bones crunching like twigs between her claws.

Soon, she had become invaluable to Nikeya, hunting for her, and as she grew larger, able to support her in flight when she grew weary. Nikeya soon saw past her weak exterior and recognised her for the toruk she was. Lutey had always viewed Nikeya as the mother or granddam that she should have had.

But eventually, Nikeya had died, and Lutey had grown lonely again. She knew that no other toruk than an elderly one like Nikeya, who needed her, would ever accept her. So she had returned to the hatching ground to find her only other equal – Premal. Her mother and sister hadn't been there, and though it had taken weeks, she had eventually tracked them to the ikran hatching ground.

An involuntary shudder ran through Lutey as she remembered her horror at the thought of her sister dwelling in this place, with these creatures. The ikran, seeing her circling high overhead, had taken her silhouette for Premal's harmless one and continued to go about their day to day lives. Lutey thought of how she had seen her sister and an ikran take off from a nesting site and fly to hunt together. She had followed them, much as she had once followed Nikeya, but with a slight difference. This time, she was stalking them. To hunt.

She had watched and waited for many days, until she was sure. The male ikran had been loving and attentive, too much so, to Premal. He had to be stopped, Lutey saw, or her sister would allow him to get more weak half-bloods on her, further polluting their bloodline. It couldn't be allowed to happen. So Lutey didn't allow it to happen.

The male had gotten up before Premal one morning to drink water. A foolish mistake. Although he hadn't known it, Premal's presence had protected him. Lutey didn't waste time – she wasn't that innefictient. She killed him, and mutilated his body enough so that it looked like a toruk attack, but not enough that Premal wouldn't be able to recognise him. Lutey then turned her attention to the other ikran. She must have killed forty or fifty that day, taking out her anger at Premal and the world on them. Most escaped, but the young or the old, the sick or the weak, those Lutey had caught. One, who was neither young nor old, sick nor weak, had hung back. A purple-blue female, who called Lutey 'monster' and looked at her with horrified eyes.

"Mother," Lutey whispered, her lips forming the word as she looked back through the years. Mother. The one who had allowed Premal to stray in this manner. Who had brought her to this tainted place. Who had tempted their father from his species in the  first place. It had been too easy, Lutey thought, her limbs like ice as she remembered her mother's eyes as she crushed the life from her weak ikran body. Too easy. She hadn't even fought.

Premal had been horrified, of course. Lutey had piled the bodies of her kills on the forest floor, the young male on the top, prominently positioned. Their mother's body was buried deep at the bottom. Premal would never have forgiven her, had she known. It would have been a wingbeat too far.

As it was, Lutey had been overjoyed with her sister's progress. For the first time, bloodlust had awakened in Premal, true toruk fury. Of course, it was a shame it was directed at Lutey, but it couldn't be helped. They had fought then, long and hard. Lutey had expected no less. What she hadn't expected was Premal's prolonged, bitter hatred of her. She had fled from Lutey, when she couldn't defeat and kill her, fled from her in disgust and hatred. That was never what Lutey planned. For the first time, she realised she had underestimated her sister. She had never underestimated Premal before, simply because she never expected anything of her – no courage, no fury, no strength – but she hadn't expected this deep, seemingly permanent attachment to the ikran male. Premal had eventually succeeded in throwing Lutey off her tail, and Lutey had wandered alone, until she found Akìntey.

Returning to the present, Lutey sighed again. It looked like Premal had repeated her earlier mistake again here, with this young ikran. Luckily, she had corrected this one too. Almost, anyway. Lutey realised that  she hadn't actually killed the young ikran yesterday. It was time to do so.

Although, tracking Premal down and extricating her from her newest folly was still more important. The syaksyuk-thing had to be killed, clearly. In order to kill it, though, Lutey had to track it down. And the young ikran, who had recently spent so much time with Premal could be the key to that.

For the first time in her life, Lutey hoped an ikran would survive. She flared all four wings and sprang into the air, beginning the long descent to where she had seen the ikran fall.
Irayo, ma frapo, ma oeyä smuke sì ma oeyä smukan.
Vivar 'ivong Na'vi! Eywa ayngahu!



*if i make a mistake in any of my Na'vi, please correct me :)

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#158

Premal gave her rolling rumble growls of happiness as Na'vin gently scratched the underside of her chin.
The next thing Na'vin saw was Se'fin dashing up the side of the kelutral to reach the limbs above. Na'vin could see that Sulani, Wangari and Nel'kira were all up there.
Paying it no mind, Na'vin turned his attention to a few large arch like holes in the kelutral. Na'vin began to make his way over to the arch like hole the lead into the tree itself.

He stopped and was just fascinated by the sheer size of this kelutral. It reminded him of when he was left alone in the wilderness long ago, he found that one hole in the tree for shelter...
The branches began to sway a little bit, Na'vin turned to look at Premal, but she was looking upwards at Sulani. Na'vin looked at Sulani too, but then looked over to see Se'fin and Nel'kira.
An obvious display of affection... It became apparent as to why Nel'kira had stayed behind at the abandoned camp, she was protecting Se'fin while he healed.

Wangari had a smirk on her face as she looked back at Na'vin, who in exchange raised his eyebrow. Na'vin was still naive when it came to love.
Dr. Moon was the only person he was close to, the only person he knew that he knew he loved. Until he learned that the life he was living was a lie, she was not his mother, she never was.
He was a captive that they wanted to control, the humans wanted his life for their purposes. Na'vins heart burned with pain...

Na'vin reflected on the memories, but Wangari quickly saw his face and knew he was fighting with something in his heart. Such a large warrior, an unmovable object was controlled by his emotions.
Wangari made her way down quite quickly to reach him. He stood only a few feet away from Premal. Na'vin had a sunken feeling in his heart that Premal could feel.
His giant Blade still on his back, his Tokran standing behind him, he seemed unapproachable. Wangari no longer feared him, because she knew he loved her.

Se'fin and Nel'kira had taken notice when Wangari ran by them to get down and reach Na'vin. They looked on with concern...

His thoughts were broken, his eyes opened. Wangari had gently and lovingly placed a hand on his cheek. Her touch made all his pains go away, her voice calmed his heart.
Na'vin brought his eyes to meet Wangaris. She looked at him hard but with a warmth that eased him to relax. Premal also relaxed once Na'vin unclenched his fists and became calm.

Breaking the moment, Se'fin came up beside Wanagari, Nel'kira was close behind. "This place is amazing..it's perfect!" Se'fin voiced loudly.
Na'vin took Wangaris hand, and placed it in both of his. "This is where we will stay for tonight, and perhaps get the clan to come here too."

Se'fin and Nel'kira had found a nice little nook that they could comfortably sit in together, they talked and laughed about what an amazing day it had been.
Na'vin and Wangari had also found a decent place to lean up against and relax. They sat down just inside an Arch way of the kelutral, side by side.
Na'vins was exhausted from the day of excitement.


   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

#159
As she sat facing him, Wangari could plainly see the exhaustion etched in Na'vin's expression. The immense blade still rested against his back and bent him slightly forward as he leaned his arms against his thighs.  A slight smile flickered briefly as he looked at her, then he closed his eyes, allowing his neck to relax and drop his chin. 

She didn't disturb him.  His breathing slowed and deepened.  His tail was limp and his ears fell into a more relaxed position. Her eyes noted the muscles under his smooth blue skin. They were unusually large and well defined for a Na'vi.  Even in repose he looked powerful.

The forest around them grew quieter as the shadows intensified.  She leaned back, her arms slightly behind her to support her weight, igniting cold bluegreen circles as they crushed the moss beneath them.  Something small ran over her fingers and she jerked her hand back quickly and then laughed softly, watching the small fan lizard she'd just inadvertently launched from the branch. His bright fan undulated in a descending spiral as he hung helplessly underneath.

She raised her eyes from the lizard's descent.  Na'vin was watching her; his eyes reflecting glints of the forest's night light.  Then he straighted and shrugged the blade's leathern bindings from his shoulder, placing it alongside his thigh, the hilt at his hip.  He caught Wangari's gaze again and stretched out his hand.  A clear invitation.

She smiled at him, considering.  She wasn't sure what this meant, but her heart urged her forward.  She made her way over and sat down next to him.  He put his arm around her and drew her close, resting his chin on the top of her head.

After a moment she spoke. "Se'fin is right, ma Na'vin.  This could be our best choice for a new Hufwe kelutral.  The people - your people - could finally have a new home," she said.

"Tomorrow at first light we will investigate thoroughly, ma Wangari,"
he said.  My people? he thought. They could be your people too, ma kalina tuté.  He drew her closer still and drifted into a light sleep, keeping one eye half open and one ear tuned to the forest.  It wasn't only himself he had to protect now...he had someone else he wanted to protect even more.  It was a new feeling for Na'vin, despite the time he'd tried to protect Dr. Moon.  This was different.  VERY different.

And he had the feeling that unlike the events with Dr. Moon, THIS held the promise of being more heart-stirring and spine-tingling than anything Draik or Moon could offer.