Aytautral (Sky Trees)

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

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Seze Mune

#40
The day had been very uneventful compared to the day before, and Sulani was just glad that it was at an end.  A few more days like this and she would almost be back to her normal crusty albeit jovial self.  Her talon had stopped bleeding, but the core was very sensitive.  She had flown to the delta of a river known by ikrans to have special healing minerals in the clay deposits at its mouth.  Once there, she dug her injured foot into the clay and cringed as the bolt of pain shot through her.  It would take months for the talon to grow back, once the injured one was shed.  Fortunately, this special clay seemed to enhance the process by sealing the wound and preventing infection.

Sulani had seen other ikrans catch meals from the river.  She was hungry enough to try it.  Wading slowly into the cool water brought her further relief and she stood patiently, waiting and watching.  It didn't take long before she saw fish darting just out of reach.  A few more careful steps brought her within striking distance and a few minutes later she was gulping a mouthful of squirming, wriggling little bodies.  "Hmm," she thought. "Something like teylu, but not as creamy. And a lot colder, too."  She fished for a little longer and then waded back to the delta.  Tilting her head, she scanned above her.  She could see a few ikrans soaring in the misty distance, looking like dots in the waning sunlight.  It was getting uncomfortable to be this far from cover in case that tokran wanted a second chance at Sulani for dinner.

She stepped from the clay onto a large piece of driftwood, and then launched herself into the sky.  Her wing had benefited from the gentle heat provided by her 'itan as he huddled against her during the night and it felt nearly normal as she flew onwards toward the rookery.  Before long she spied her young one, already huddled into their aerie at the edge of the rookery's rocky field.  He looked downcast, his wings drooping a little.  She landed at the edge of the aerie and sidled over to him.

"Is something wrong, ma Atan?"  She had seen him try to pull himself together and conceal his feelings as she approached.

"Uh, no," he said.  She wasn't convinced.  "Was your hunt successful, ma sa'nok?" Ah.  A diversion.   Well, she would play along.  Sooner or later he'd want to talk, and she would be ready.

After a few minutes of conversation, Sulani could tell her 'itan's heart was elsewhere.  Something was troubling him deeply and he wouldn't allow her to help.  The best she could do was drape her wing over his shoulders in comfort.  As she did, she noticed that he had grown considerably and was very nearly adult in size.  It would not be long, she realized, before he would go the way of his older siblings and build his own aerie with his new mate at his side.

Sulani sighed.  Her own mate had been lost to the blue creatures more than a year previously.  There had been neither time nor need to find another one.  She shifted and rested her chin on his back.  The rising moon was reflected in the shadowy amber of her eyes.  Slowly she fell asleep to the sound of his gentle breathing beside her.

Seze Mune

#41
Wangari quietly and nimbly climbed down from her niche within Kelutral.  Her bow was slung across her back, and her dagger was fastened at her right hip.  It bobbed as her movements jostled it, light from orb lamps reflecting off the dark obsidian surface. Most of the clan seemed to be occupied elsewhere, and there was an eerie silence within what should have been a very busy eating area.  The scent of the stew was stronger here and her mouth watered, though there was no food in sight.

Before she ate, however, she wanted the blessing of the clan's reigning tsahìk.  The ritual which usually accompanied a young clan member's ikran quest was solemn and full of poignancy.  There was risk here, and it was acknowledged that sometimes a young one would not return. Wangari knew this too well.  Her older brother had lost his life on his visit to Iknimaya. He had not gained full control when his new ikran had slipped between two floating mountains and been crushed when the huge rocks crashed slowly but inexorably together.  These thoughts made her mouth go dry and her palms grew sweaty again.  She rubbed them against her thighs as she glanced around, looking for the tsahìk.

A low murmur of many voices came to her from the far side of the commons area.  What was going on?  Curiously, she began to move toward the crowd when a scream split the air and the murmur vanished.  Dead silence for a moment, and then a voice said, "Ma Sefin, what happened?" Wangari recognized the shocked voice of Ro'kan, one of the clan's eyktan.

She climbed atop a protruding root and listened as a bleeding and visibly exhausted Sefin described his encounter with sawtute.  She couldn't see who was with him until they parted for the tsahìk who knelt by someone on the ground.  She went weak with fear and anguish when she saw Ra'fi lying nearly motionless, great smears of blood staining his chest and loincloth.  Ra'fi, her beloved!  She pushed her way to the edge of the circle surrounding the two wounded warriors.  The giant newcomer knelt beside Ra'fi, one hand on the warrior's shoulder and the other cradling Ra'fi's head as he looked into the dying man's eyes.

Ra'fi opened one of his eyes and smiled at the man they called Na'vin.  "Nos'feratu... Oel ngati kameie." He exhaled... and his smile vanished...

"Ma Tsmukan!!! Ra'fi!! Kehe!!!!"
the giant screamed as Ra'fi's eyes glazed and his body sagged.  Wangari gasped, her knuckles at the corner of her mouth.  A deep keening moan escaped her throat, but Na'vin's scream of hatred and rage cut her off.  For a moment she was paralyzed, but when the newcomer sprinted from the campfire, Wangari knelt by Ra'fi's side and brushed the blood soaked hair from his forehead.  Tears ran freely down her cheeks and as she leaned over to kiss his brow, salty droplets falling onto his cheeks, mingling with his blood.  She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and looked up to see the tsahìk bending over them, sorrow in her amber eyes.  Giving Wangari's shoulder a brief squeeze, the tsahìk knelt beside her.  The older woman placed the young woman's hand over the warrior's heart and then placed her own upon it.  

"Ma oeyä tsmukan, ne Nawma Sa'nok tswivayon ngeyä tirea," she said gently.  

Wangari closed her eyes, her hand still on Ra'fi's chest.  Her lips moved soundlessly as she murmured goodbye to her beloved warrior.  Dreams were all they would ever have now.

The young woman rested a moment on her knees, then stood up quickly.  Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were narrowed as she looked at the tsahìk, who stood up beside her.

"I will find them, ma Tsahìk.  I will kill them!  They do not deserve even the respect of aynantang, let alone the respect of our People!  Her hand went to the hilt of her sharp obsidian dagger as her tail lashed angrily and her ears went back.  

"Mawey, ma tsmuke.  Think this through," the older woman said.  Her hand gripped Wangari's upper arm.  You are a fine hunter and a good numeyu.  But you are not yet a warrior.  You have not bonded with an ikran...

Wangari cut her off.  "I know, I know! That is why I am leaving.  Tonight.  I cannot stay here by Ra'fi, his body still warm, and not..."  She choked back a sob and turned away from the tsahìk.  The older woman put an arm around her shoulders and walked her away from the stunned and worried crowd.  When they stopped, Wangari found herself within the tsahìk's private niche.  This had been her classroom.  She had been sent from her own clan to live with the distant Hufwe clan and share knowledge with their tsahìk.  As a student, Wangari had found the tsahìk a tough taskmaster.  Rarely did she win praise from the older woman, although neither was she ridiculed.

Without looking at her, the tsahìk pushed her into a sitting position in front of a well-illumined bladder lantern and rummaged among several earthen dishes and jars on a carved wooden shelf.  She grabbed one of the tallest pots and swirled the contents briefly after stirring them with a stick.  She knelt in front of Wangari and lifted the girl's tear stained chin with one hand.  Dipping her other hand into the pot, she withdrew a few fingers dripping with red ochre.  Starting above the girl's right brow, she carefully traced a 'V' extending down the nose and back up above the left brow.  The tsahìk touched Wangari between her eyes at the point where Eywa's voice is heard and bent her old head, murmuring a benediction.  Wangari was too numb to feel the blessing of the moment.

Setting the pot aside, the older tsahìk took both of the girl's hands in her own.  Gently rubbing her thumbs across the backs of them, she caught the girl's gaze and nodded, solemnly.

"Ma Wangari.  You have been my numeyu for years.  I have rarely shown it but I hold you close within my heart, ma 'ite.  I know you and Ra'fi shared feelings though tsaheylu was not your fate.  He could never have been olo'eyktan for your clan.  Or ours.  But I understand how you must feel, and I know you must avenge his death.  Be very careful, ma 'ite.  Let Eywa speak to you and more importantly, heed her.  If you do not, your actions may become lekey'ung and lead to your death...and others'.  For the sake of our clans...for my sake, this must not happen!

"Ngari txe'lan mawey livu, ma Tsahìk," Wangari answered quietly.  "I will make sure I avenge ma Ra'fi, and when I return, I will come back to you a warrior, with a warrior's heart."

Picking up the bow she'd laid on the floor, Wangari left the niche.  She stopped only long enough to grab a handful of poison-tipped arrows and then stalked determinedly into the forest.

Seze Mune

#42
She had been dozing for quite awhile.  Premal couldn't tell what alerted her; maybe it was the strange quietude beyond her waterfall.  Maybe the sudden tension radiating from other wildlife in the area.  Then again, maybe it was just the way the vines by the entrance started slapping against the rockwall next to her.

Intrigued and alert, she peered over the lip of the cave.  Movement far below immediately caught her eye. A blue animal was climbing the vines of an adjacent floating mountain.  This was interesting.  The animal seemed to have a tail at both ends, one black and one blue. Premal cocked her head and gave it an appraising look.  It would not provide much meat, being so lean and stringy.  But it was larger than a fkio.  Hmm.  

She watched it climb, its movements strong and sure.  Could this be dinner?

The animal climbed to the rock face of the adjacent mountain.  Here there were strong, thick, vining roots which tethered that mountain to hers.  Hooking a long blue arm over the thick horizontal vine, the creature pulled itself up.  For a moment it crouched there, breathing heavily, one hand resting against the rough rock wall and the other on its muscular thigh.  After a couple of minutes, it stood up and looked over at her waterfall.  Premal felt protected and secure.  For her, there was only one thing to be frightened of: a toruk.  Anything less was insignificant.  She stared back through the water curtain, unafraid.

Putting one foot carefully in front of the other, the creature began to make its way over the thick and twisted horizontal tether.  At times it would stop and rock from foot to foot and then move forward again. The vines began to give slightly as the weight of the animal forced the two mountains to come slightly closer to each other.  The vines near her cave entrance swayed with their movement. The animal did too, its arms lifted away from its sides as though it would take flight.  Premal sat forward and scanned the area.  There was nothing else in sight, no ikran or toruk which could snatch her dinner from her.  

One of the vines in the twisted tether came loose, and the animal tried to regain its balance by crouching quickly.  This caused a deeper dip in the tether and Premal saw the blue one's foot slip through the opening.  It toppled to its left, away from her and within an eyeblink it was hanging upside down with its foot caught in the vines.  Premal lurched forward onto her thumbs, preparing to launch herself after her nearly airborne meal, oblivious of the pain in her right wing.  Disappointingly, however, the creature was twisting itself back up onto the tether, where it rested briefly and looked down.  Premal knew there wasn't much to see down there due to the thick canopy of utral and other vegetation.  She huffed impatiently.

Even more carefully the blue creature made its way across the vines and disappeared around a rock wall.  She paused for a few moments, knowing it couldn't have gone far and tested her wings.  The pain was still there but the tetrapteron snacks had refreshed her somewhat.  Flying with that animal in her talons shouldn't be much of a problem.  She hopped closer to the cave's lip and just as she was about to put her head over the edge, a large blue hand grasped the rim and the animal heaved itself inside the cave.  Its movement caught her off guard and she recoiled in surprise.  Before she could recoup, the attacker stepped onto her thumb, pinning her injured right wing to the ground.  It threw an arm over her neck right behind her neural whips and tried to drag her head to the ground.  In its other hand it held a long piece of vine.  

Premal roared in rage and surprise, trying to bite the aggressor but unable because it was behind her jaws and too close to her head. She tried to pull away, but its weight on her injured wing held her in place.  Its strength shocked her, and her head bent closer to the ground as it tried to slip a loop of vine around her snout.  She shook her head vigorously, knocking the loop out of its hand.  Instinctively she rolled towards it in a move which would have crushed it had the creature not leapt out of the way.  Without its weight on her wing, she was suddenly freed and she rounded on it with a scream of rage and intimidation.  How dare this animal, her prey, try to best her!  The sound of her fury was magnified within the cave, which made the blue one's sensitive ears ring.  Even creatures in the na'ring below perked their ears at the sound.  The animal kept the cave wall at its back and its eyes riveted on hers, which only made her angrier.  

She lunged at it, making a feint at its left leg, then blocking off its reflexive move to the right.  But it was astonishingly quick, this creature.  Quicker than anything she'd ever hunted before...except perhaps those two ikran which had recently escaped.  The blue one flashed past her and in a single bound was on her back, astride her withers.  She reared back and it slipped, grabbing her neural whips to keep its seat. That threw her into a violent frenzy and she twisted and threw herself into the wall, trying to scrape it off.  It only shifted its weight and drew up its leg, keeping a firm grip on her antennae.  

The confrontation brought them closer to the cave's entrance.  Premal had not managed to dislodge the creature by scraping against the walls.  The only thing left was to roll on her back and this she did.  Because she was close to the entrance, the roll took her over the lip of the cave and through the wet curtain of falling water.  Feeling the free fall, she opened her wings wide and they caught the air with a loud CRACK of canvas in the wind.  The blue creature had managed to keep its grip on the wet neural whips until the sudden shock of the tokran stopping its free fall tore it loose.  The whips slipped through its hands like eels and with nothing else to cling to, the animal found itself falling toward the canopy as the purple tokran wheeled through the sky above it.

                                             

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#43
I moved as carefully as I could, but as quickly as I could. Unsure of what was really inside the cave, the curiosity and hope drove me deep within to continue on. As I climbed the vine, a curious but magnificent purple face peered out of the entrance. I was right, It was the Tokran and she was now very aware of me.

I made it to the first mountain that floated adjacent the Mountain that held Tokran within its cave. More vines, slightly larger, connected to both mountains, stretched across a rather short distance. Upon reaching the first mountain I stopped and crouched down to take catch my breath, I had to put one hand against the wall as the mountain began to shift.

I stood up when the Tokran continued to watch me, I was invigorated by her stare. However she seemed indifferent about my presence, as if she wasn't afraid at all. I could relate as I was also without fear, instead I was full of Willpower. I wanted this magnificent creature of Eywa, I was going to have her with me, or I was going to die trying.

I began to line walk a rather shaky vine, one foot after another I balanced myself with my arms. The wind wasn't helping me as It nearly blew me off and the vine gave way, I had to crouch quickly to retain balance. The mountains began to move closer because of my weight, I had to move quickly or I was not going to make it across. I continued forward but my foot had slipped through a split in the vine, I lost my balance and toppled over to the left. I gasped as I felt myself falling but I simply hung upside down, my foot was hooked just right in the vine. I swung forward and grabbed a hold of the vine with both hands and yanked my leg free. I pulled myself upright rather quickly and regathered my wits, Tokran was still watching me but with a rather anxious posture... Probably waiting for me to fall.

I reached the end of the vine finally but was on the outside of the mountain, a sort of wall around to the side of the cave. I stood up on the ledge and jumped to the side of the cave mouth, I grabbed the ledge of the Cave and hooked my arm inside to climb in. The Tokran was right in my face but had jumped back in surprise. I grabbed my vine wrap and unrolled it with a light whip, while stepping onto her Talon with my right foot. Her head came down at just the right moment and I threw my Arm around her neck and relieved my weight onto her neck to pin her.

I had spun the vine wrap around one revolution when the Tokran gave a roar of aggrivation and began chomping at me trying to get a hold of me. She began shaking her head and body, which shook the vine wrap out of my hand. To my surprise the Tokran rolled forward forcing me to let go.

She quickly came to, turned around and faced me. She gave a roar that would put fear in a Palulukan, but I was not shaken or intimidated by her aggravated roar although I winced with the pain in my ears from her roaring. I met her eyes with my own intense glare, she didn't seem to like that.
Her roars had made me excited, like the heavy deep rolling thunders of a Storm. Her roars actually gave me strength and my heart swelled, a smile crept onto my face.
The Tokran made a snap at my left leg, but she did it rather lightly. By reflex I moved to the right and she had nearly caught my rebound.
I ducked and dashed to her side and jumped onto her back, however we were close to the cave entrance and my worries came about. She rolled off the cliff face and I with her but I maintained my grip on her antennae. We were sloshed with water as we fell from the cave, the waterfall had slammed onto both of us dowsing me with water. I thought I had the upper hand, I thought I had won, I grabbed my Que with my left hand but as I did, the Tokran opened her humongous wings and I was ripped off by the force of my own weight.

I gritted my teeth and had shut my eyes as I was literally ripped off the Tokran, I quickly opened my eyes to see the Tokran quickly falling away from me... No, I was falling away from her! The wind screamed as I fell towards the ground, I rolled over to face the Canopy of trees.
I threw my arms and legs out to slow my fall as much as possible, the ground came quick...

I timed it just right, and with all my might I put my legs together in front of me and feet first Slammed directly onto a large limb.
The limb was big, but with the force behind me the limb snapped at the trunk. I went off balance and slipped upside down, another limb quickly found my backside and whiplashed me forward as I landed face down into the ground.

I opened my eyes and winced with the bruising pain now engulfing my backside... I exhaled while still remaining face down on the ground.
"I failed..." I thought while laying there. I carefully and slowly sat up but fell over onto my butt.

"Now what am I going to do... How will I find her again?" I wondered.

   
NotW#82

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#44
"Ahhh, Wìya..." I mumbled as I rubbed my back accompanied with a wince of pain.

I had extremely underestimated the Tokran, however she had underestimated me in a few instances as well.
She was very intelligent, very cunning and quick. As I sat there thinking about everything that happened, each second that passed by, I wanted her more and more. She was unique and her size, power, and intelligence commands a new respect from me.
I was not about to give up, not even close. If anything, I am more driven now than ever before.

Giving a sigh and hopping to my feet, I took a look at my surroundings and realized I was somewhere completely new. The light of the warm sun was vanishing quickly, the day was drawing to an end. It was beginning to get dark, too dark to travel.
I reached back to feel the hilt of my Sabre, it wasn't there! I froze in thought trying to remember where It could be... "Wiya..." I mumbled through my teeth, I left it in camp! I wasn't worried about anyone taking it with them when everyone vacated the camp earlier. The Sabre was too heavy for them to bother taking. All I have is a small knife strapped to my lower back, I pulled it out to examine it.

I snapped my eyes to the sky as I heard the now familiar roar of the Tokran, a roar that humbled me and gave me confidence.
The sky was engulfed with tree limbs and branches, which disabled me from seeing the Tokran or even the sky itself. The roaring continued but began to dissipate as I could tell the Tokran was flying away. I made note of the direction she was flying in until she stopped roaring.

It was going to be a long night I could tell. I was hungry and in a new place, however the darkness was more helpful to me than daylight.

I remember growing up in the labs of the Humans, we did outside training. They taught me to use stealth and shadows to my advantage.
I remembered when I was taken outside for my first night time exercise, it was dark but the forest area we had for training was lit with bio-luminescence. They instructed me to go out and hide from them while hunting for a particular person in their group.
I had ran out into the training area which was a fenced in small section of forest, and waited for them to come after me. They told me that if they ever saw me I would fail the test, but I had to secure one of their VIP's that were walking with them.

The things I remember most about that night, was how my instincts took over, everything the Humans taught me only increased my already natural skills for hunting. There were 4 escorts armed with fake weapons, there were 2 others dressed alike with no weapons, and one of them was my target. They remained close together, while they walked through the forest they scanned up and down for me. If they made it to the other side of the fence, I would fail the exercise. I had no weapons and had no way of taking them out...or so I thought.
I stripped off the clothes they gave me, I left on these skin tight shorts that the Humans called Under Armor.
I noticed for the first time my skin was glowing luminescent, and I blended very well with my surroundings. They walked closer and closer, I sat inside a small bushel of glowing blue flowers... They walked directly toward me, but I remained perfectly still. I waited for the right moment and It came at the perfect time, the 2 front escorts both looked up into the trees and diverted their gazes away.
I took that moment to throw a small rock over their heads which landed several feet behind them.
All 6 of them turned towards the noise of the rock, I slowly and with perfect silence stepped out and snatched the first VIP putting my hand over her mouth and my other arm around her body. Her weight was nothing to me and I lifted her off the ground with no effort.

I stepped quietly into the bushel of flowers which glowed still ever so brightly, I held the VIP carefully so as not to harm her but tight enough to where she could even move a muscle. The escorts turned around and noticed that one of their VIP's was now gone.
They jumped to an alertness scanning everywhere for me and the now missing VIP.

The exercise had ended shortly there after, as I had gotten the other VIP moments later. What I hadn't anticipated was the feeling I had afterwards, the feeling of hunting a rather intelligent creature, using my surrounding to my advantage.
What the scientists noticed from me bothered them.... I couldn't turn it off. I was addicted to the hunt and every exercise there after was more of a game than training.
What scared the scientists even more was when I had finally been given weapons to use during the training.However I threw away their guns and projectile type machine guns... I soon chose the Sabre... which was full contact melee combat.
They tested my skills with this Sabre with dummies and with live ammunition. I was able to deflect every bullet shot at me with my Sabre, I honed my skills so well that the scientists could not give me a challenge anymore with their exercises. It was all too easy and made me agitated. It became a problem and soon led to my escape from their Facility.
--
The night was now here, Tokran had escaped me, and I was hungry. The sounds of the forest began to hush as the night came and the forest lit brightly with life and light. I wasn't going to sleep tonight, the thoughts of Tokran washed through my head like a waterfall.

I froze... *Snap* ... *Crack*
Something else was out here... I quickly meshed with my surroundings and waited...

   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

#45
It wasn't until hours later that Wangari noticed her stomach rumbling.  At first she was absorbed in a maelstrom of emotions over Ra'fi's death.  Horror and grief at his sudden death gave way to red-hot anger at the sawtute who mortally wounded him, giving way in turn to grief once again.  So involved in her emotions was she that until she came upon a large footprint on the muddy bank of a shallow river she hadn't noticed the small signs of a previous passage.

That brought her to a sudden standstill.  She looked around her and noticed other signs of passage: broken twigs, tendrils.  She knelt down and examined the footprint.  The size and the depth of the impression told her exactly who left the footprint.  There was only one male who could leave tracks like this.  Her nose wrinkled, but she couldn't catch the scent of his passage.  She bent back over the footprint and touched it.  The dampness of the print gave her some idea how long it had been since he'd passed.  She sat up and looked across the river.  There were tracks on the other side, and from the spacing she could tell he'd still been running when he forded the shallow water.

She stood up.  Around here were large trees, but not large enough for her to climb for a good look down the trail.  Caution returned.  Not only was she suddenly aware that she needed to be wary for predators, but she was also aware that this Na'vi could be a danger to her in his present state of mind.  If she came upon him while he was still very angry, he might shoot before he knew the identity of his target.  Besides, he was a stranger to her. 

Picking up the pace, she trotted through the na'rìng for a long distance until the trail became less visible.  Her ears perked forward and her tail quieted as she stopped to examine some spoor.  Yes, he had come this way.  This concerned her.  Why was he on the way to ayRam aLusìng?  He had not been given the tsahìk's ritual blessing for Iknimaya.

"Wìya..." she muttered as she scouted his passage.  In his anger he could scatter the rookery, unsettling them before she could catch her ikran.  This was a complication she hadn't foreseen.  Taking a deep breath, she allowed irritation and worry to slip from her mind.  She needed all her senses alert because...because...nantang!.  The wind had changed direction and as she drew breath, she was acutely aware of the acrid scent of the predator filling her nostrils.  She crouched defensively as she drew her knife and scanned the forest.  She could not see them.  Her ears strained for the characteristic huffing noises of a hunting pack...nothing.  Still, the scent was strong.  Along with the predator scent was the scent of fresh blood. 

Moving forward cautiously, she stepped lightly into the undergrowth.  Aynantang often made dens in this kind of rolling territory with many downed trees for shelter.  Wangari followed the scent, treading on the balls of her feet to move softly and well-balanced for quick movement.  Several minutes went by until the scent was so strong she knew she was close.  Stealthily she scaled an utral whose mossy branches absorbed the sound of her hands and feet.

The sight of the massacre left her frozen in horror. The  torn and lifeless forms of eight nantang cubs and three adults was an assault on her senses.  Eywa!  What could have done this?  Her mind screamed wordlessly at the atrocity.  She clung to the tree limb, and sent her senses probing for information.  Whatever had done this had moved on.  Once on the ground, the spoor told the story of a rogue palulukan, a berserker, killing only for the sake of killing and not for food or defense.  This was very rare, and it was extremely dangerous.  From all appearances, this animal was bent on killing anything it came across...and the giant stranger didn't know!
 

It no longer mattered that this stranger might ruin her plans for avenging the death of her beloved Ra'fi...this took precedence.  He must be warned!  As tsahìk numeyu it was her responsibility.  And night was coming on.

She began to track the two spoors at a fast pace, and it was distressingly obvious that the palulukan was heading in the stranger's direction.  Dusk began to obscure the spoor and as the night deepened, the bioluminescence of the plants began to fluoresce.  A sense of alarm quickened Wangari's senses and she halted, listening. 

*Snap* ... *Crack*


                                                         

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#46
I had silently moved into some brightly glowing vines which had colorful flowers running all over the place. The vines were a veil against a tree trunk that had a gaping underside from where it had been washing out. The river ran beneath half of the tree which eroded a large portion of the soil away. The vines were draped over the opening in the trunk of the tree which provided ideal cover for what might be coming...

"A Human?" I thought... I listened carefully for any ambient noises the Humans made, but didn't recognize them.... "Kehe...Maybe it's a Na'vi?" I wondered... I continued to wait silently and motionless.

A deep grumbling noise, then a quick exhalation. A heavy but carefully placed step was made several feet away... A step that was too big to be a Human, a Na'vi or even an AMP suit...
Another heavy step was made, but slightly slower than the last... I caught movement in my peripheral vision to my left, about 30 feet away.
I slowly moved my head enough to use both eyes, and what I saw brought my heart nearly to a stop. The Humans called it a Thanator, but the Na'vi call it a Palulukan. I had seen several in the past at the Humans facility, but this one was enormous, this one was an Alpha.

I had never met a challenge during my time at the Humans Facilities. The humans had Avatars which I later learned were False bodies, but none of the Avatars could best me. I was always faster, stronger... larger.
When I had finished another boring training day with several Avatars, I was headed back to my Living Quarters when I overheard a few scientists talking about using my DNA for the creation of future Avatars. Although I was just a test subject to them, I paid close attention to what they did, how they did it and why. When I overheard these scientists talk about collecting my stem cells, I nearly tripped over myself... Taking my stems cells meant they were going to kill me... I escaped the next day.

In my time with the Humans, they were never able to test my full capabilities. When I finally escaped from the humans, the magnificent Tokran had bested me... But that was due to flight, I could not fly which lead to my loss against the Tokran.
I was now on the ground which was my domain, my territory... my expertise.

I rush ran over me, energy shot through my body. The thought of finding something to test me, to challenge my skills, to bring out my full power, excited me like never before. This Palulukan seemed different however... I shook with anticipation, when I simply couldn't wait any longer.

I stepped out slowly and the Palulukan stopped then snapped his gaze to me... He looked hard at me and we exchanged looks for several moments... The Palulukans at the Humans facility would slap their glass cage walls that separated them from the observing Scientists.
Once I approached the Glass container wall which held one of the most aggressive Palulukans in the Facility.
The Palulukan bolted to the wall and stopped, we were face to face but separated by glass. He looked at me with a fierce expression, I moved forward to where I was almost up against the glass. I looked into his eyes without falter, I looked at him as if I was ready to eat him. The Palulukan squinted at me, then diverted his gaze. He denied me a possible challenge, he walked away from the Glass wall, he walked away from me...

However this Palulukan that now stood before me, gazed deeply into my eyes with no Glass wall to separate us. I noticed something after a few moments, our gazes locked, our intentions showing... I noticed how his eyes.... were like my own.

He lowered his head and began to show his teeth, very large, black and sharp... I smiled from ear to ear showing my bicuspids, I slowly stretched my arms out to my sides while angling my fingers to resemble claws.
The Palulukan took another step forward in my direction, then another... He was slowly decreasing the Gap between us, but he did it cautiously. I became livid with anticipation... finally something worth fighting! My senses increased dramatically, my muscles twitched with adrenaline, my eyes, ears and nose picked up everything with acute accuracy... Which lead me to discover something.

To my surprise, I picked up the scent of a Na'vi.... I could smell....her.
She was close by, I picked up her scent of adrenaline in the air as well.... which meant she was aware of the situation.
The Palulukan had moved his snout slightly but maintained eye contact with me... The Palulukan had picked up her smell too.
This wasn't good...

   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

#47
Dead silence.  No yayo trilled in the canopy, no syaksyuk chattered nearby.  The muted murmur of the wind brought no other sound to her straining ears.  Her amber eyes swept the undergrowth, revealing only faint signs of passage.  Something large had gone this way, but it had tried to be stealthy.  She could not see it.

Wangari transferred her weight to the balls of her feet and crept slowly forward.  She kept close to the largest ayutral at hand, one hand on the rough bark.  The other hand held her gleaming obsidian knife reverse grip, edge out - a tactical defensive grip for something likely to be in front and above her...like a palulukan.

A screen of dark leaves gave her some coverage as she came upon the scene.  The giant Na'vi was poised in an assertive position; he was leaning slightly forward, his hands splayed and his fingers curled to resemble claws, his gaze locked on the thanator.  His knees were bent to absorb shock, and his thigh muscles were tensed and coiled.  She could not see any weapons. As she leaned slightly forward, his eyes flickered to hers, and his left ear cocked in her direction.  He knew she was here!

But so did the palulukan.

As the Na'vi's eyes alighted on hers, the menacing black animal's head swung in her direction.  As it saw her, its upper lip folded back.  Gleaming purple highlights reflected in the thick beads of saliva oozing down the beast's 23 centimeter fangs, now distended in her direction.  It began to turn toward her.  The giant Na'vi moved, and the animal snapped its head back toward him.  

Adrenaline pounded through her veins and her heart leapt to her throat.  Her hands were clammy, and fear burned through her nerve endings, screaming dire warnings.  Frightened but resolute, determined to protect him as was her duty, Wangari saw the giant distract the beast, giving her a chance.  Gathering every ounce of energy she had she sprang at the animal, careful to avoid its armored tail.  The bioluminesence seemed to make her knife flicker as she slashed through the beast's right rear hamstring.  It collapsed onto its right haunch with a deafening scream, full of pain and anger.  As it fell, it lashed out with a front paw and caught her bowstring slung across her back and dragged her toward its distended jaws.  Before its teeth could tear into her, she shrugged the bow loose and rolled away, coming to her feet in front of the giant with her bloody knife still drawn and held defensively before her.  He grinned at her.

She whirled to face the palulukan which was struggling to come to its feet.  The sound of its fury and pain shook the ayutral around them.  Her sharp blade had struck deep and half severed the animal's hind leg.  Blood spurted from the wound, reddening the foliage around them and making the moss slick underfoot.  The giant tried to push Wangari behind him, but she sidestepped him.  He nodded his head toward the bloody beast.

"Ma tsmuke," the stranger said, laying a hand on her arm.  "To leave him like this would be the sawtute way.  We are not like that."

Her breath coming in gasps from exertion, she glanced up at him and then back at the writhing beast. She shook his hand off. "Ma tsmukan, you did not see what he did.  He slaughtered the aynantang for the mere fun of it!  He might as well be a tawtute for all I care. He would have killed you for the sport of it!"  She paused and then hissed, "Just like the sawtute killed ma oeyä yawnetu Ra'fi!"  her eyes narrowed in anger and her tail lashed against his calf.

The giant watched her hand tighten upon her knife, her jaw clench and saw her fight back the tears which were beginning to glisten in her large citrine eyes.  His glance swung back to the bleeding palulukan, now on its feet and gathering itself to attack them.

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

The Palulukan had suffered a fight-ending injury, however it was still ready for more. I was extremely surprised by the sudden attack from this Na'vi woman, not to mention invigorated by it. Such a quick and logical attack executed nearly perfectly.
I had severally over-estimated this Palulukan. It had been beaten by this Na'vi woman in one attack. However the Palulukan was not finished yet...

I no longer desired to fight this creature, it was now injured and of no excitement to me. The challenge I had expected from this Palulukan, was a false hope. I was disappointed, but quickly gained curiosity for this woman. Who was she? And how did she know Ra'fi?
I let down my formation, and crouched down resting my forearms on my knees while keeping an eye on this Woman. "Interesting." I thought.

The Palulukan would pose no challenge to me in its current state, it was a short lived moment that had to end.
Although this Na'vi woman was right about this creature killing for sport, all losers of a fight deserve a swift death.
My curiosity deepened about this woman... I wanted to waste no more time with this Palulukan.

Although the Palulukan was injured he was still very large and very fast. It made a dash towards the woman and I... I Smiled the most sinister of smiles.
I was still itching for a fight but my motive changed when the woman entered the scene. She was clearly able to defend herself, but I wasn't going to risk this interesting Na'vi woman getting injured... it was time to end it.
The Na'vi woman assumed a defensive stance, just as the Palulukan was upon us I pushed her off balance onto the ground.
The giant creature jumped upwards throwing both its arms outward in an effort to pounce onto both of us.
Just as the Palulukan was slightly above me, I closed my right hand into a fist and with all my might I uppercut the Thanator right in the jaw.
I felt the crack of bones then the crunch of its now shattered jaw bone as it gave way to my fist. The creatures weight was its own undoing, my fist broke through its jaw bones and slammed into the bottom of its skull.

The force which I asserted into my uppercut had lifted the Palulukan upwards, its feet tucked under and it fell onto its back... lifeless.
The fight was over and I looked over at the woman who lay on the ground very surprised but with an annoyed face.
I turned back to the Palulukan and honored his death with my saying,
"Oel ngati kameie, ma tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo. Ngari hu Eywa salew tirea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'viyä hapxì."

   
NotW#82

Seze Mune

#49
It was over so fast, Wangari didn't have time to react.  The palulukan launched itself at her, its arms spread wide for a death embrace.  She braced herself with her knife held defensively, expecting the palulukan's impact.  She did not however expect the sideways thrust of the giant who pushed her aside and took the brunt of the attack upon himself.   Reacting with lightning-like reflexes and a power that she couldn't begin to fathom, he brought the thanator to a swift and bloody end.  Watching from her prone position on the soft green moss, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened.  And she had thought him unarmed?  Wou, tsawla kxeyey!

The stranger held the battered remains of the palulukan for a long moment, the beast's blood streaming down his arm and spattering on his thigh which was flexed to take the weight. He pulled his arm from the animal as though he were taking off his riding gauntlet and let it fall to the ground.  His gaze turned to Wangari and then went to the lifeless form which had rolled next to her.  The animal was between them as he knelt and placed his hand on its shoulder. His voice was surprisingly calm as he paid homage to the life he'd just taken. "Oel ngati kameie, ma tsmukan, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo. Ngari hu Eywa salew tirea, tokx 'ì'awn slu Na'viyä hapxì."

His eyes followed Wangari as she stood up.  There were smudges of blood on her face and splashes on her arm where the arterial blood had sprayed her.  She bent and picked up her knife, wiping it clean on the soft moss before sheathing it again.  There was a feline grace in her movements and for the first time he noticed the shaman bundle draped across her chest.  The dried tendrils she wore on her necklet, along with the colors and arrangement of beads in her hair bespoke her status.  Unfortunately, he had not been among his people again long enough to be able to read these accurately.  He only knew she was not an ordinary female, of that he was certain - especially after watching her attack the palulukan.  Why hadn't he noticed her before? He was not aware that his head had tilted to one side, as though he had asked a question.

"'Upe?" she asked and then turned away from him, in search of her bow.  It was on the ground, the upper limb of the bow smashed, the string tendon sprung and one of the string silencers missing.  It was no longer usable.  Tsa-hey! She had lost her bow, and for what? This Na'vi - this unarmed male - hadn't needed her help at all!  She shook her head, her braids sweeping across her shoulders making the beads click.  What was she thinking?  She wasn't even a warrior yet, hadn't captured her ikran.  What if he knew her strike against the palulukan had been only luck, Eywa's gift?

"Fyape fko syaw ngar?" he asked, arising.  For the first time he noticed the blood on his arm and grabbed a handful of leaves to wipe it off.  It only smeared and he grimaced.

She misinterpreted his grimace and looked annoyed. "My name? Is that all you can say? I distract the palulukan for you and you act like you're insulted!"  Before he could respond, she added, "Oer fko syaw Wangari. Ngar?" Her hands on her hips and the slight backward tilt to her ears spoke of her irritation.

Surprised, he stopped wiping his arm and a slow grin crept onto his face.  He dropped the leaves, held his hands palm-out to her and said, "I am not the palulukan."

She was embarrassed.  Obviously she'd misread him.  She sighed. "Ngaytxoa, ma tsmukan.  I was worried when I saw the palulukan following your spoor.  I meant to warn you, but I arrived too late to do anything but distract him."  He smiled and looked for another way to clean the gore from his body.

"It was well done," he said. "Irayo seiyi for that. By the way, I'm Na'vin."  He kept his family name to himself, though he wasn't sure why.  Wìya, this blood was already partially dried on his skin.

"Well. Na'vin." She said the name as though trying it on for size.  It seemed to fit him.  

He was suddenly acutely aware of her proximity when her fingers grazed his shoulder and she said, "Za'u, we must find some water and wash the blood off before the scent brings unwelcome visitors."

Wangari could smell the scent of fresh water, but it was difficult to see where it was as the night deepened.  Her ears flicked back, and she felt gratified that she could hear the sounds of the stranger following her.  He was silent as he walked, but in places where she could duck under foliage, he had to push it out of the way.

She heard it before she saw it...a small stream burbling over smooth stones and running into a larger pool.  There were luminous anemones growing in groups on the bottom, casting shadows on the surrounding plants.  As she scouted the area for animals, the giant drew up quietly by her side and gently grasped her upper arm. She looked up at him quickly and he gestured for her to be quiet, then pointed at a large group of lionberry bushes.  A small family of yerik nestled next to the base, sleeping. 

He smiled at her and she returned the smile.  Stooping, she scooped up some of the water and poured it down her arms, careful to make as little noise as possible.  For a second he watched her, then carefully cupped more cool water in his large hands and tipped it against her shoulder, helping her to rinse the blood away. As he stooped for more, she stepped to his other side and quietly patted his arm with a little water.  She made him lean out a little more over the pond and she poured more water down his shoulder and upper arm, places which would be hard for him to reach.

Once cleansed, he silently motioned for her to climb the largest of the ayutral in the area.  She nodded and swung up to a thick and moss-padded branch.  He had many questions about this strange woman, but those would have to wait. They would need to sleep now; no telling what tomorrow would bring and he wanted to be rested for it.  He had a feeling that she did, too.




Na'vin Nos'feratxu

#50
Filler Content and background of Na'vin Nosferatu

I was 2 years old when I could remember things like colors, names of things and people. I was raised in a Room with white walls and the ones who took care of me looked like me. I grew up confined to this white room for several years, my parents came in everyday to play with me and teach me things. But was never allowed to leave the room with my parents, they would come in for a little bit, then leave.
They taught me English and how to behave, although I had a wild personality.
I was about 8 years old when my personality changed drastically, I was unhappy and depressed all day, every day. My parents tried to get me to eat and play with them, but I wasn't interested. They grew concerned that I was becoming sick but I was fine.

One day my mother Layla brought me a poster and stuck it on my wall next to my bed while I was asleep. A while later I awoke to this amazing picture of forests and rivers, mountains floating in air!!  My excitement was profound and my father Dr. Beck, told me that this place existed. Everyday my parents came in the first thing I asked them was "Can I go there today!" pointing at the poster. My father told me with a reluctant smile, "Soon Na'vin, very soon. But not today."

Another year had gone by and I was 9 years old on the verge of ten. I had learned everything about that poster on my wall, the trees and the rivers and especially the enormous Tree that was really far away. It was the biggest of all the other trees! I day dreamed of going there and swimming in the rivers, and to climb each and every tree I saw.
Until one day, my birthday, I awoke to find my poster was gone. My favorite thing in the world was gone! I looked all over the room for it until my parents came in. I was crying and truly heart broken when my parents told me they took it away.

Dr Beck my father, told me today was a special day. It was my birthday and I was going to get a present like never before. I didn't care what it was or anything, I wanted my poster back!  Layla my mother sat down on my bed next to me and told me, "You're ten years old Na'vin! I'll give you your Poster back if you promise to do what I tell you." I quickly nodded my head in agreement.
Dr Beck opened the door as if he were leaving my room like usual, but he stopped and said, "Come on Na'vin, it's time to go see where we put your poster!"

I looked at my mother curiously which quickly changed to excitement. She took my hand and stood up with me, "Hold my hand and be polite Na'vin." I walked out the door for the first time in my life, I took everything in. The noises, the smells, the voices?
Several very small light and dark creatures walked around with the same clothes as my parents. They were wearing something weird on their faces and talking to each other in English. I looked up at my mother and she simply smiled at me still holding my hand.
My father was behind us too, but he stopped occasionally and spoke to these little creatures. I was overwhelmed and quickly became shy.
My mother tried to comfort me, "Na'vin don't be shy, these are our friends! You must never be rude or hurt them, understand?"
I nodded and continued to walk with her down this long room, there were doors everywhere and these creatures moved around like they had purpose.

I noticed theses creatures didn't have tails, which I thought was funny. My father noticed my curious looks and said, "These people are called Humans, but you are a Na'vi. They have names too, just like you and I."
A group of green clothed Humans walked up to me and mother, we stopped and they began to talk. One of them spoke over the rest of them, "So... Dr. Moon, I see you brought out the little Na'vi boy. We were starting to wonder when you would bring him to us." I looked up at my mother and thought, "Dr. Moon?"
My mother responded, "We aren't bringing him to you Mr. Draik, we agreed to wait until he was sixteen." The face of Mr. Draik changed from neutral to angry. Although he was smaller than me I became afraid of him quickly.
"Sorry Dr. Moon, but we are taking him today. He starts training immediately." Mr Draik had responded angrily. He made a motion at me to his friends surrounding him. "Take him to the Barracks boys."

Four humans came toward me and mother, but she didn't stop them. One of the humans grabbed my arm, another one got behind me and pushed my in the back hard enough to separate me from my mother. I was frightened at first, but something came over me, something washed through my body like fire and I changed. My thoughts and feelings changed. The desires of my heart rapidly took a turn which was reflected in my actions...
I grabbed the human who held me by my arm and threw him into the wall beside me. My instincts took over and I reacted without thinking.
The human who was behind me jumped back and pulled out something from his side and pointed it at me. My mother screamed, "NO!!"
but the human had hit me with something, it was stuck in my chest and had little feathers on the back of it. It hurt for a second but then everything started fading, I felt my body give way. I was unconscious before I hit the floor.

Fuzzy, and bright. I awoke and upon opening my eyes I couldn't see, everything was fuzzy and distorted. I slowly felt my arms, legs, fingers and toes come back to life. My eye sight was clearing up and I was in a place I had never seen before. Strange noises engulfed my hearing, chirping, hooting, cricking sounds and something in the distance sounded like water...lots of it. I sprawled upwards to my feet and looked around for my parents. I was alone and in a room with bars for walls. The ceiling was brown looking and the door was also a gate.
Little creatures were flying all over the place, buzzing around and glowing different colors. I watched them with amazement and chased a few of them around until they eventually flew out through the bars. Bright green leaves and big brown trees were everywhere! Little flying creatures continued to mumble around landing on everything.
"Those are called bugs, kiddo." the voice startled me. It was fathers voice!! I turned to the door and saw a human standing there looking at me. I became confused and looked around for my father. The human spoke again, "It's me Dr. Beck, don't be alarmed my little Na'vin." I carefully walked up to the gated door and looked at the human. His facial appearance resembled fathers?! I was confused and thought I was in some kind of dream.
But my dreams never looked like this. My dreams were always of a tree I had never really seen before. The tree was bright white and dangling limbs illuminated everything, I always heard voices from the tree, children laughing and singing.
This wasn't a dream, I knew it wasn't. Something was wrong and I didn't know what was happening.
"Sorry Na'vin, but your mother and I can no longer take care of you anymore. You're a big boy now and it's time you were shown how to be a warrior." The human smiled reluctantly and dropped his gaze to the floor. "Be strong kiddo, and remember that the humans are not going to hurt you. Be a good boy and do what they say."

Before I could muster up something to say, he walked away...

Filler Content and background of Na'vin Nosferatu
-To be continued...

   
NotW#82

Na'vin Nos'feratxu

Climbing up the Tree, the woman lead the way. I had become intrigued by how welcoming she was towards my presence.
She didn't seem bothered by me at all. I wanted to ask so many questions, but I knew that would have to wait for tomorrow.

We reached a split in a very tall tree, it was wide enough to provide a flat surface for us to lay down for the night.
As long as she didn't mind being right next to me all night this spot would provide a well protected nights sleep.
Branches sprawled outward from the edges of the spot and leaves covered us from above and below. Nothing that flew or walked down below could see this little space. It was perfect!

The woman whose name I didn't know yet, had moved to where she was slightly hanging over the edge of our new hiding spot. She peered out enough to look at the ground far below, scanning for anything that might have seen us go up... Nothing below us but the forever silent palulukan.

I had reached the top with her and climbed into the little nook. I plopped down, stretched out my right leg flat on the surface and bent my left leg upwards. I leaned backwards against the Giant tree branch that ascended further up and propped my left arm on top of me left knee. I looked over at the woman who was still peering out down below, I smiled and looked down letting my head droop comfortably.

My eyes relaxed, and my body began to loosen. My breathing slowed and I felt heavy with fatigue. The sounds of the night began to lull me into sleep, my eyes closed and just as I was about to fall asleep I felt something warm rub against my right arm.
I opened my right eye slowly and glanced over to see the woman propped up beside me. Her eyes also heavy, she shifted a few times to get comfortable, but she was careful not to nudge me too much.

I closed my eyes and fell asleep... The dreams that followed were of the Tree that I had never seen except in my dreams. Voices and singing lulled me throughout the dream as I walked among the glowing white dangling limbs.

   
NotW#82

Txura Rolyu

I could feel my mother's warm touch as she lay next to me to sleep. I noticed that her wing no longer covered me like it used to in my youth. I was still sad inside although I knew she was trying to comfort me. My heart was not calm but sleep began to take over as I lay there after having flown with my meylan that day. My eyes were drooping a little at a time and my breathing slowed as I drifted on to the dream world.
My breath shifted in my mind to the sound of the wind as it passed me in flight.  I was flying around my old home watching my progress from the time I was little. I saw my first attempt at flying, which was more like graceful falling than anything, and just how worried Sulani was when I took off into the air without her expecting it...

As I fell suddenly I grew to a slightly larger size. I was flying alongside Sulani now and was having no trouble gliding and learning how the wind moved as I traveled in the sky. I was still a little slow compared to her and could see her resisting the urge to fly at her usual pace so that she could be next to me and defend me if need be...

After this short scene I saw myself alone in the forest at night. I was once again older and larger but this time I was looking around in the Toruk's nest. I watched as the little body eased its head into the nest and how quickly it came back out after the Toruk almost took it away from me. The younger I took off at a very quick pace just in case the large beast decided I was worth the chase. I saw the familiar landmarks that lead to my home that I was sleeping at now and felt the safety of seeing the last landmark as I got closer to sleep and a safe place...

Soon after I had reached the nest in my dreams a bright light began blotting out what I was seeing. I also felt myself returning to my body and as that process went on I felt the warmth of the sun and of my mother next to me, still with her wing draped over me. I opened my eyes and began to breathe more deeply as my body demanded me to wake. I moved my jaw around some since it had been left at a funny angle overnight. My mouth was dry as always and I took the liberty to go get some water from just outside the nest. As I lapped up some of the cool liquid I looked around at the new day and I noticed the landmarks from my dream leading away towards the old Toruk nest. I thought to myself that maybe I might go and see what had become of the old place since I had visited it so long ago. As I climbed my way back up the rock wall to the nest I thought more on my youth and how Niä and Trewna were always such great friends to me. Then I remembered of their being together and that I was now alone. This made me sad again.

I re-entered the nest and sat at the entrance soaking up some morning sunshine to feel a little more comfort rather than the sadness I was beginning to create for myself. Sulani was still asleep and I would wait for her to rise and then talk with her about the news of Trewna and Niä. Maybe then my mind could be at ease.
Quote from: Ekirä on March 30, 2011, 04:45:34 PMNeytiri: Now you choose your woman. This you must feel inside. If she also chooses you, move quick like I showed.
Jake: How will I know if she chooses me?
Neytiri: She will try to kill you.
Jake: Outstanding. *takes out an ikran-catcher and walks through hometree looking for women*

Seze Mune

Nervous and disturbed, that's how she awoke.  Her 'itan was not there.  All night long Sulani had a sense of loss that accompanied her throughout her dreams and now that she was awakening, she was alarmed to find the spot under her wing was empty and cooling in the morning breeze.  Anxiety squeezed her heart.

Their eyrie was in a large utral on one of the floating mountains, adjacent to the rocky field at the edge of the rookery.  She had carefully selected the site with her mate, happy that there was a small stream nearby to slake their thirst before they took flight for their hunts.  After an anxious moment she spied her young one crouched pensively near the edge of the eyrie, half hidden by lush foliage and shadows cast by a nearby rock wall.

She shook herself and then stretched, awakening her muscles for the morning hunt.  Atan heard her movements and glanced back, giving her a brief ikran grin.  She grinned back and made her way to his side, purposely bumping into him playfully.  He didn't respond as usual, and she once again felt a stab of anxiety that something was wrong.  She huddled closer to him and looked at him questioningly.

"Ma 'itan, I feel a distance between us.  What has happened?  Is there something wrong?"  All her eyes were focused on him now, and he felt the weight of her stare.

Txura Rolyu

Sulani was giving me a deep stare and this did not make it easier for me to want to explain how I was feeling. I took a moment to breath and collect my thoughts and get some courage back. After a few moments of silence with only the breeze passing in the leaves I finally spoke.

"I am feeling alone ma sa'nok," I said with a weight in my voice. Sulani seemed to fear the worst as her eyes became alarmed at my words. Something in what I said hit her deep. I continued but I did not look her in the eyes now.

"Yesterday when I came back here and found Niä and Trewna, my two closest friends, I was eager to spend a great day flying and just being good friends. What I did not expect was that the two of them would no longer just be friends rather they are now mates." I looked at Sulani for just a split second to see her reaction but she was looking away from me thinking of something. "I am very happy for them and it will be great to see the two of them together because I know they will be perfect for one another, but now I am the odd one out. I could feel that even though we flew together as we always had they flew closer and more in sync with each other than I did with them. I could feel that I was seperate from them and that I was not regarded in the same manner as I had been before."

I was starting to dig myself into a deeper and deeper well of unhappiness. I began envisioning myself flying alone in the grey shadow of muted clouds with nobody next to me. I couldnt help but keep pushing myself into that sad place and eventually a tear welled on my eye and dribbled down my cheek. My face must have started showing signs of such sadness because Sulani was immediately at my side taking me in her embrace to comfort me.
Quote from: Ekirä on March 30, 2011, 04:45:34 PMNeytiri: Now you choose your woman. This you must feel inside. If she also chooses you, move quick like I showed.
Jake: How will I know if she chooses me?
Neytiri: She will try to kill you.
Jake: Outstanding. *takes out an ikran-catcher and walks through hometree looking for women*

Seze Mune

Atan had struck a chord which resonated deeply with Sulani.  Except for her 'itan, Sulani too was alone.  Sure, there were plenty of other ikran in the nearby rookery, but it was not the same as having one with whom the connection went to the heart.  She quickly tried to comfort him, quelling the cry from her own breaking heart.  She knew what this meant.  He would soon be leaving in search of the clear call of his heart.

She would be alone.  Again.

Nevertheless, she comforted him, chirruping and nudging him gently until his tears ceased and his eyes seemed to radiate just a touch of his usual good spirited humor.

"Oh, youngest," she said. "I know you are feeling lonely now, but this is the time that ikran of your age begin to find their friends more interesting in strange and exciting ways.  You will always be friends with Niä and Trewna, but you will also find someone else, someone whom your heart will know is more than just a friend.  Do not hurry this," she added hastily, knowing she was being just a bit selfish, hoping to keep his company only a little longer. "Nawma Sa'nok will guide you; open the ears of your heart ma Atan.  That is all you have to do."

He brightened visibly and her own mother's heart sank just a little more.  She sighed, turning away slightly so that he couldn't see.

"Now, ma 'itan...I'm feeling a little hungry.  How about a morning hunt?"  She pointed her chin vane towards the wide blue arch above them.  "Ready?"  And without waiting for his reply, she bounced aloft with a powerful downsweep of her large wings.

Seze Mune

#56
What kept Premal from diving at the falling blue animal, she didn't know.  Maybe it was the shock of the encounter.  Maybe it was the pain in her right wing and thumb which had been severely bruised by his weight on it.  She didn't know.  But she was sure of one thing:  she wanted as much distance between herself and that creature as she could get!

She flew instinctively toward her birthplace, a sheltered area on a mountain many klicks distant from the scene of her battle with the blue one. Her right wing slowed her flight and it was with great relief that she finally landed in the glade which contained her original home.

It was a good thing her hide was tough.  The entrance to this secluded cave was guarded by bushes studded with large thorns. Unbeknownst to Premal, the thorns secreted a fluid which was poisonous to many other animals.  It did not bother her though, and she nosed her way into the large cavern.  Her mother had chosen this place far from the rookery of her own youth.  Her toruk mate would not have been welcome amongst the ikran, some of whom had formerly been his prey. Here Premal was raised as one of two offspring and she did not know what had happened to her sibling.

The scent of this place awakened many memories for her, and most of them were good.  But these scents were faint and dusty smelling and she knew the cavern hadn't been used for a long time.  A lonely sadness crept over her and she made her way to the nesting area, a slight depression in the floor.  She huddled down, clasping her wings tightly against her body for warmth and comfort, and fell into an exhausted sleep.

When morning arrived, Premal was ravenously hungry.  Rocking forward onto her thumbs to get to the entrance, her right wing failed her.  She keeled to her right side and pain shot through the stiffened limb and banished her hunger temporarily.  Premal half hopped, half limped to the cave's entrance and peered out.  The day was new, but unless things improved dramatically in short order, she was in deep trouble.  Flight was out of the question for a few days at least.  

Like the wounded animal she was, Premal had sought solitude - and in this solitude she would either heal or die.  It was up to Eywa now.  The tokran huddled miserably in the cavern and fell into a fitful sleep, awaiting her fate.

Txura Rolyu

Ma sa'nok always knew how to make me feel better and had the most wonderful wisdom. Her actions and words helped resolve a lot of the thoughts in my mind and I was greatful. As soon as she could see I was feeling better she took to the skies leading the way for a hunt and my stomach agreed that a morning hunt was in order.

I shook away the last hints of sadness within me and stretched my wings ready to take off and find a good meal. Yerik had been scarce lately but I could smell a herd of them not far away. I took the skies following Sulani and and was soon flying right along side her. I pointed my vane toward the smell of the small herd and Sulani nodded her head in agreement as if to say she was planning on following that originally. we both banked with the breeze heading towards the scent making good progress with each stroke of our wings.

We were upon the small herd in no time. I circled above them and spotted about 5-6 of them walking through an open area covered in grass nibbling away not paying attention to their surroundings. I signaled their location and how many there were to Sulani and then took the liberty of diving at them and stun them momentarily. It worked perfectly. I first landed on the back of one of the males and broke its neck quickly so that it would not thrash about and possibly injure me. When I tackled my prey I had buffetted two others with my sudden pull up from the dive that the force of the wind was strong enough to knock them off their feet and daze them. Sulani was not far behind me claiming the life of her own prey as it tried to regain its senses. I watched the other gallop away quickly in fear, we did not need to take more than we needed.

When I looked back at Sulani she was doing the same as I had by stilling the animal before it had a chance to thrash and injure her. It lay motionless in no time and Sulani grinned at me with pride. I smiled back at her and took my kill in my talons and flew to the nearest large branch to get off the ground and to a safer location to enjoy my hard work.
Quote from: Ekirä on March 30, 2011, 04:45:34 PMNeytiri: Now you choose your woman. This you must feel inside. If she also chooses you, move quick like I showed.
Jake: How will I know if she chooses me?
Neytiri: She will try to kill you.
Jake: Outstanding. *takes out an ikran-catcher and walks through hometree looking for women*

Seze Mune

#58
"It took his mind off of his loneliness, at least," Sulani thought to herself as she watched him dive and scatter the yerik herd.  She noticed how competent he had become in his strike strategy.  "A true hunter!" she thought, watching as he grabbed the yerik and gave it a hard shake to snap its neck as he lifted it aloft.

Diving in right behind him, she picked off one of the females and snapped its neck quickly.  A much younger Sulani had lost several meals when they'd struggled within her talons and forced her to drop them.  Some of them had survived the drop, some of them hadn't.  She had learned from the experiences and passed the teaching on to her 'itan...who had obviously learned it well.

She hefted her kill to a large limb, as high up in the utral as she could get.  The yerik hung limply over the branch.  With one taloned foot pinning the dead beast to the branch, Sulani ripped into the warm flesh and enjoyed her morning meal.  Every so often she would glance over at the adjacent tree where Atan was eating.  He stopped and with the last strip of yerik hanging from the corner of his jaw, he regarded Sulani thoughtfully.

"Ma sa'nok, Niä and Trewna fly well together.  How did they know it should be this way?  When we were younger, there was no feeling like this between any of us.  What changed?"


"Ma Atan, there are no words to tell you about it.  You must feel it.  It has been a long time since it happened to me.  Perhaps it would be better to talk with your meylan about this."  Sulani gave him a long look, then dropped her head to finish her morning meal.

The young ikran paused, then rubbed his jaws against the mossy branch to wipe them clean.  Looking up into the bright arch of the sky, he decided Sulani was right.  It was time for him to fly.

Txura Rolyu

#59
The morning meal was settling in my stomach slowly but I could fly with no problem. I bent my legs and hefted myself into the air without too much problem. The yerik I had just finished was larger than usual so I would need to fly easily and take my time. I made one circle of the clearing I had just come from and screeched a farewell to Sulani as I took off towards the place I had seen ma meylan yesterday.

The wind carried me towards the rookery and I passed over the path I had seen in my dream. I made a note to myself again to travel that path later that day, maybe even take Trewna with me if he wanted to join me. I arrived at the rookery and flew around it multiple times searching for any sign of my friends. I checked all the usual places and didnt find them. As I was checking the last place a shadow crossed over me suddenly and then I was flattend to the floor and pinned down. I couldnt move and I was panic stricken. What was attacking me?!

I tried to wriggle free but with no success. I shouted at my attacker, "Who are you?! Let me go you vrrtep!" What I heard after that was not expected. It was laughter of my friend Trewna. He was laughing in a gloating manner. "I have finally bested you Atan! Admit to this or I will not let you up," he threatened jokingly. My neck was let free just a little so that I could turn and look at my friend. He was grinning extremely wide and I had to smile myself. It was about time he had bested me. "You win ma Trewna," I said. "Now let me up, my neck is beginning to hurt."

He let me up and I stretched my neck a few times before I finally faced him. He was still grinning with elation at besting me... finally. I greeted him with a nod of my head and stretched my wings as well. "How are you doing today ma tsmukan?" he asked me. "I am a little sore thanks to you, but I am happy to see you. I came back to this old place in search of Niä and yourself," I replied. "Do you know where she is? I expected her to be with you."

"She is off hunting this morning with her parents. We have not built a nest for ourselves yet so we do not spend every moment together like the older couples," he said. He looked off into the distance, possibly in the direction that his mate had gone that morning. I could see the longing in his eyes to be at her side and that reminded me about the reason that I had come looking for him. "So I am just curious ma 'eylan, but when did you and Niä begin feeling for each other more than just as friends?" I asked curiously.

Trewna turned his head back to me and appeared to be thinking fondly of his mate still, but now in his memories. "I would say it just kinda started on a random day," he said with a slight chuckle. "I dont know what was different about that day, but for some reason when Niä would fly around I saw just how graceful her flight was. I had never noticed it before and I couldnt seem to take my eyes off of her when she was around me." He sighed fondly to himself thinking about her. "I felt feelings in me that I hadnt felt before," he continued slowly. "I wanted to be around her, I wanted to impress her, and I did just about anything to accomplish these goals. Eventually my hard work paid off and she began to notice me more," he said with a happiness in his eyes. He looked towards me and continued, "The night I went flying with her, just the two of us and the stars above, that will be a night I wont forget. Our hearts spoke to each other and the dance we had in the air was true and unrestrained."

I watched him talk about this with so much passion and the hapiness that exuded from him would increase with each memory that he recounted. He finished with something that sounded very similar to what Sulani had told me regarding love. "I guess you could say that love struck me. It just happened and I followed what my heart would tell me. I am really glad that I did too. Niä is a wonderful mate." As he finished his piece of wisdom three ikran could be seen on the horizon and one of them broke away and headed for us. I pointed my vane in the direction of the lone ikran and Trewna saw her. When he did he gave out a loud screech in greeting to her so that she could find us and he could hardly keep from staying still. I knew from his reaction it was Niä back from her morning hunt.

We waited for her to join us. When she did the two greeted with a great amount of affection that made me roll my eyes and laugh. They didnt acknowledge me initially but when they were finished with their greeting Niä turned to me and gave me a friendly embrace. Now that I understood the feelings that they shared I was no longer sad and I didnt feel alone around them. They were still my friends even if they were now mates. They had not forgotten about me.

"It is good to see you ma Atan," Niä said to me. "It is good to see you too ma Niä," I replied in kind. After our embrace she joined Trewna at his side and they continued to coo to each other happily. I could tell that they were lost in their own little world and I had to grin to myself seeing how my friends had changed for the better.

I decided to remove myself from their presence and let them be together once again as they had been the day prior. I cleared my throat loudly to get their attention. When they looked over at me I wished them a good rest of their day and told them that I would be doing some exploring on my own. Trewna was happy to hear this and wished me good luck and a safe trip. With that I took the skies again and headed back to the small river by my home to get a drink because the day was getting hotter. When I landed and had quenched my thirst I stood in the shade and enjoyed to calmness of my surroundings. My home had always been safe and calm my whole life. I smiled at my fond memories of growing up in this place and then remembered my plans to search the old nest that I had found long ago.

I prepared for flying once again and took to the skies and began following the landmarks in the direction of the nest. It didnt take as long as it had when I was younger now that I was older and could fly faster. As I reached the area of the old nest I made sure to circle a few times to look for signs of danger. I didnt want to have a repeat of my past. When I deemed the area safe I flew down to one of the branches near the entrance and when I landed I saw that the thorny vines that surrounded the nest had grown since I had last been here. I could also see that some of the vines had just recently been broken by something that traveled to the nest. I sat there a minute longer listening to everything and trying to pick up any smells.

When I opened my sphiracles more the smell that reached me set my heart to pounding. Partly from fear but also from deep attraction. The smell was the same as the one of the female beauty that had attacked Sulani and I only two days ago. My interests were peaked to the extreme now. Why was she here? I had to see her. My heart pushed me on and my curiosity only pushed me further. I hopped to the vines and made sure not to cut myself on the thorns. The toxins that were in them would not harm me but I didnt need to have the smell of blood on me in case the female in the nest perhaps felt hungry. I moved slowly and quietly. As I got closer to the entrance I began to hear a deep breathing, as though she were sleeping. I kept my guard up though. When I reached the entrance I peered my head in slowly and held my breath...
Quote from: Ekirä on March 30, 2011, 04:45:34 PMNeytiri: Now you choose your woman. This you must feel inside. If she also chooses you, move quick like I showed.
Jake: How will I know if she chooses me?
Neytiri: She will try to kill you.
Jake: Outstanding. *takes out an ikran-catcher and walks through hometree looking for women*