"Scooby Doo that shit, dawg"
Hanging out in the wood of Pandora was a normal thing for Na'vi children. Most would stay close to home, having a respectful fear of Pandora and her dangerous wildlife. Others, like the four oldest children of Jake Sully, preferred the wonders of the deep forest. Even with their human friend, Spider, the kids loved to get together and make their way to a beautiful pond or a hidden field of glowing flowers. Kiri especially loved to lay in patches of moss and take her 'Eywa naps' as Lo'ak called them. The three boys would shoot their bows and try and catch the biggest anything. Little Mo would sit and braid flower crowns or small beading projects her mom would help her start.
The children would be ok for the most part. It helped that all the kids had human-made com devices that allowed them to speak to each other through an earpiece and a choker. They even made a clicking device on Mo'teya's choker so she could be included in the conversation, too. They would spread out and hunt small game and even each other if they were bored enough. They were respectful of any and all creatures they came across, moving swiftly out of the way of talioang, and 'angtsìk. They would, safely, watch nantang packs move through the forest. All of the children had such wonderful memories of their adventures.
One story, in particular, stood out.
Four children stood on the bank of a large body of water, eyes scanning the deeper parts. They looked for many different types of fish species, calling out each by name. It was a contest between them, who was able to spot the most. Kiri was quickly taking the lead with several species. Spider sat closest to Kiri while Lo'ak quickly made the argument that they were cheating. "Bro, you're helping her!" Lo'ak waved his hands. "No, bro. You just suck. You can't say we're cheating every time she does better than you!" Spider laughed. As the two bickered, Neteyam was pointing out movement on the left side of the bank to Mo'teya.
"See that, little sister? It looks like a young tspìng." Nateyam pulled his sister close so she could see what he did. They watched a juvenile tsping, standing at about 8 feet tall, walk through the weeds of the bank. The animal's yellow-orange coloring stood out in the sun against the dark green of the flora. It walked with careful grace, eyes scanning the bank for anything small enough to eat.
Mo'teya was mesmerized as the animal leaned down and took a drink from the lake. Water dripped from its beak and it chomped like it had caught some prey. She watched the purple stripes ripple as it swallowed.
"What did you guys find?" Kiri crouched with her brother and sister, finally seeing the tsping. "Oh, it's beautiful," Kiri looked at Mo'teya, nodding. She nodded with her, saying, 'Very. Can we get closer?'
The two looked at their older brother, waiting for his say. Neteyam frowned and did their father's signature head tilt, unsure what to say. Tsping usually just ran away from Na'vi. The adults would scare tsping easily, but they were children. The creature was taller than all of them and as a juvenile, its behavior was unmanageable. Still, Neteyam wanted his sisters to enjoy all of Eywa's gifts. It also so happens his two little sisters were blessed by Eywa.
"Sure, we can get closer. But I need you two to stay close to me, do not make any sudden moves, ok?" Both girls nodded and smiled widely. Behind them, Lo'ak and Spider were jeering at each other, still arguing.
The three kids crawled through the thick flora, slowly moving weeds and tall grass out of their way. The tsping had not noticed them yet. It continued to graze and look out over the lake. Neteyam held up a fist to tell the girls to stop, waiting for the tsping to dip its head again. 'Ok, here is close enough,' Neteyam rolled onto his side to talk to the girls. Both nodded and eased onto their stomachs, silently cheering as the tsping walked a little closer. The scene was beautiful, with the sunlight dancing on the water. The kids pressed close together, watching.
Lo'ak and Spider's loud voices sang into the air, causing the tsping's head to dart their way. It made a screech while flapping the little wings at its side. All three kids flinched farther into the grass. 'Do not move,' Mo'teya made clicks on her com. They held their breath as the tsping stalked closer to Spider's shouts. As soon as it walked past, Neteyam got up into a crouch. "No, no. Wait," He whispered when Mo tried to get up. He watched the tsping continue to stalk before letting out a warning call.
Lo'ak looked up at Neteyam's call, eyes scanning for his brother. "Where are they?" Spider asked, waving his arms. Lo'ak shrugged. "I don't know, bro. They didn't leave." He didn't see his siblings walk back to the Ikran who stood not far away, snoozing. Where could they have gone?
Suddenly, a loud screech made Spider jump to his left. Lo'ak grabbed his shoulder, pulling him to his side. A tsping standing at about 8 feet tall, rushed them. "Shit, bro, run!" Spider yelled as they took off into the woods.
They ran past tall trees and thick bushes, scaring away plants and bugs. They even jumped tall roots and crawled under logs and between stones. The tsping did not let up. Lo'ak tripped for a moment before reaching out and grabbing a rock. "Fuck, cuz!" Lo'ak screamed when the tsping tried to bite Spider. He dropped to his knees, dodging the bite, but falling behind Lo'ak. Spider ended up pinned to a tree, mask fogging up from his heaving breaths.
The tsping ran at Spider, mouth open, ready to clamp on when Kiri jumped out from behind the tree, hissing and spitting. She launched a rock and it hit the animal on the beak, making it stop. It shook its head in pain. She didn't waste any time grabbing Spider and dragging him away.
Neteyam ran past the tsping, going straight for Lo'ak. After grabbing him, he yelled, "Are you ok, yeah?" Lo'ak nodded, still panting too heavily to speak. "Ok, run. Run!" Neteyam pushed him as the tsping got its bearings. It darted after the brothers, snapping at their heels.
Mo'teya clicked on her com, telling everyone to climb the trees, get up off the ground. If the tsping could follow them up there, then Eywa help them. But they needed to try. She wrapped her hands around a strong vine and pulled herself up. "We are in a tree. Mo, we're to your left." Kiri waved to her sister. She held onto Spider's arm tightly, leaving bruises. They both heaved, eyes and ears waiting for a message from the boys.
Mo'teya clicked back, telling them she was also in a safe spot. She didn't get a reply from either of her brothers, and it worried her a bit. They would be ok, right? If shown any real aggression, tsping should run away. Plus, Lo'ak and Neteyam were armed. They could defend each other.
"Are you guys ok?" Neteyam was gasping for air, his throat burning. Everyone else responded, but Lo'ak's was a little shaky. "Where are you?" Spider tried peaking through the leaves, but couldn't see Lo'ak. "Safe, in a bush," he replied.
Kiri slapped a hand on Spider's shoulder, pointing to a faint blue figure in the bushes across some logs. It wasn't Lo'ak she was pointing at, though.
Lo'ak waved to Kiri, showing she was pointing in the right direction. He didn't hear the tsping stalking him. "Turn around!" Kiri yelled. Lo'ak just shook his head and waved harder. "I did, it's not following me. It's not following me." He smiled, feeling smart. He hoped that tsping was mad as hell, not being able to catch him.
A twig snapped behind him and Lo'ak slowly turned, coming face to face with the tsping. "It is following me," he whispered into the com.
Kiri cackled, arms around her stomach as Lo'ak screeched and jumped out the bush. She laughed with Spider, both of them clinging to each other as to not fall out the tree. He dodged the tsping once more, passing by Neteyam, who slapped his hands on his legs, doubled over as he tried to hold his laugh. He was the older brother and should be protecting Lo'ak. But it was too amusing. "Oh," he laughed, wiping away tears.
Mo'teya clasped both hands over her mouth, choking on the breath. She wanted to laugh so bad, but also was worried for Lo'ak. 'I can see you' she clicked out. Finally, after Lo'ak cussed the tsping out after it tripped, she let go of her mouth and laughed so hard, she choked.
Spider leaned farther out onto a branch, peeking down at Lo. He was running in diagonal lines, making sharp turns and hiding under things, only to be found. Just one big blue blurry thing. It reminded Spider of the old Earth cartoon Jake and the lab guys had shown the kids. "Scooby Doo this shit, dawg!" Spider of howled.
Lo'ak had enough, running towards the tree Mo'teya was in. "Pull me up!" He screams, latching onto the vines Mo used. She pulled with all their little body, still screaming with laughter. When her brother was up and safe, she hugged him. He returned the hug, muttering, "It's so fast, it's so fast, it's so fast."