Summary:
After the return of the Sky-People, the Omatikaya are forced from their ancestral lands and pushed towards the borders of the powerful Tipani clan.
To secure peace and ensure both clans survival, a political marriage is arranged between the heir of the Omatikaya and son of Toruk Makto, Neteyam Sully, and the Tipani Prince, the strongest warrior and future leader of his people.
Neither are given a choice yet neither resent the arrangement.
That becomes the problem.
Hi Lazzyy here,
Sorry I haven't been uploading for the past few... months? Anyways, I have something in the works, It's like an exaggeration of royals in Na'vi custom, cause
It's Prince x Prince
So yeah,
In the works I'll upload once things are stable, look out for them ✨✨
The Na’vi Avatar Tournament is over! To no one’s surprise, our winner is the one and only: Jake Sully.
👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿
Considering how many brackets Varang won, I have to say she must be the fandom’s second favorite.
Apparently the fandom likes Kiri more than Tuk and Neteyam more than Neytiri? It’s shameful how quickly Lo’ak dropped out, honestly how dare you all.
And congratulations Okul and overall Kame’tire Clan for making it so far! The fandom must also love Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (the designs are beautiful!).
When a side character who was just supposed to make someone jealous, but you wanted to gave him meaning and a background too, suddenly gets so important und people start loving him, that you have to create an alternate timeline of your own fanfiction *just* for him to be happy ...
And yes, we already have a working title and I hate my brain.
Thank you so much to @centipedebum on TikTok for the amazing commission. It was $20 and I 10/10 recommend getting from them. This is my second commission. It’s of Nìklonu my Sarentu Navi oc and Mi’tay his mate from the Tipani clan.
This is the first commission I got it’s of Nìklonu and Lef’pom I got it awhile ago but I’ll post it again because I loved it ❤️ ⬇️
Norm was sitting at his desk. Working at the samples,a little aggressively he'd admit. Jake getting into the clan and Grace always in her Avatar left him behind. It was annoying, stupid and every other word he could think of. He'd spent his LIFE, dedicated his life to it,and JAKE,a stupid Jarhead gets it. It was so damn stupid and it made him aggravated. So much so he wasn't paying attention or even listening when the door hissed open, assuming it was Grace. He didn't bother to look.
Trudy walked in,and saw Norm. The dorky science geek Grace added alongside Jake. She didn't talk to him much besides an occasional greeting. He seemed pissy recently so she mostly ignored him. He wasn't paying attention anyway but she did recognize the plant he was working with,a thorny flower the Na'vi called "Burning Thorn",he wasn't wearing gloves either.
"Hey" Trudy said waiting for an answer.
Norm jumped when a hand slapped in front of his face,and jerked looking, only instead of looking at Grace's eyes he was staring at the face of Trudy Chacon, Grace's SCI-OPS pilot. Trudy was wearing her traditional outfit, flight suit pants, jacket tied around her waist and white tank top. Her sunglasses on her shirt,and a cross necklace he never noticed.
"What?"Norm said,back to being Aggravated,Trudy was a soldier so she aggravated him as badly.
"Pay attention. Stab yourself with that thorn and your in for a world of pain Dork" Trudy responded,sassing him clearly.
"Oh lay off. I know what it is,I doubt you can even name one plant on Pandora"Norm responded,now annoyed she felt she had any right criticizing him or his knowledge. Trudy glared at him,and before he could move kicked his chair sending him against the wall,her arms caging him with her hands on the chair arms,and a glare. He realized he probably shouldn't have insulted a woman who could probably break him in half is she wanted to
"Alright,Asshole. I'm done,I get your pissy Jake was chosen but I do not give a good god damn. If I'm stuck with your ass during this storm,your gonna stop that bullshit. I get to you I'm just another hired gun but I can promise you I know more than you think"Trudy snapped. Keeping Norm in his place. She was so sick of being treated like she was stupid just because she was a marine. After years of working with Grace, she'd learned plenty about science and the Na'vi. Hell, she'd been to Grace's SCHOOL before the place was shot up.
Norm felt his face heating up from both embarrassment and anger,but his mouth wouldn't work. So he was left sitting when Trudy walked away, kicked off her boots,and threw her glasses,belt and flight suit top on her bunk going to the bathroom. A few hours later,Norm had finally gotten back to himself and was now trying to make a map of the forest, looking at a holographic image he could touch and move as needed,trying to place the Tawakami clan Village when Trudy came out of the bathroom, having been showering based on her damp hair,she was also,much to Norms dismay and embarrassment, wearing a bra and underwear. Nothing else. He immediately whirled around in his chair to continue working.
Trudy sighed, having just gotten out of the shower. The good thing about the mountain lab she only had to share hot water with 3 people instead of EVERYONE else at Hell's Gate. She looked over when she heard the chair spin, Norm had his back to her working at the hologram,so remembering he was an ass,Trudy did the most adult thing she could think of. Walked over in her bra and underwear just to fuck with him,even more so when she hopped onto the desk sitting on it beside him. She smirked when she saw his face heat up the roots of his hair, she'd embarrassed him. Good,he was an ass.
"What are you doing,Dork?"Trudy asked. Norm glared and kept his eyes firmly in front of him when he answered
"Mapping out the Tawakami Clan. But I can't find them. They shouldn't be far from the Omaticaya"He was aggravated again. He'd looked for a solid twenty minutes in the same area they were said to be and couldn't find it.
"Your not in the right place"Trudy said. Reaching over and pulling the hologram zoom out and swipes sideways and zooms, another home tree. It was a little deeper but was more surrounded by flowers. Norm blinked and looked at Trudy,her face not her body. And said
"How did you know that?"
"Because I've flown over it. It's real beautiful to be in"Trudy responded like it was normal. Norm was surprised but continued working,but again Trudy surprised him by finding the Tipani clan village.
"I wonder why their the farthest from the Omaticaya"Norm said curious. The other clans seemed to be so much closer
"The Great Sorrow" Trudy said. She hadn't moved, still sitting in her underwear and bra beside him on the desk. Norm stared at her confused and repeated her
"The Great Sorrow?"
"The Omaticaya used to be Nomadic. When they stopped they went to war with the Tipani for territory. Apparently that's when the 4th Rider of the leonoptryx lived" Trudy explained. Norm was surprised and said
"How do you know that". Trudy smiled and said
"because a couple kids told me. I was at Grace's school before,the kids liked playing with my hair,so I listened to a lot of stories with giant blue toddlers weaving flowers in my hair" Norm just went quiet. He knew Trudy worked with Grace Longer but it'd never occurred to him Trudy had met the Na'vi kids. The time passed. They made a deal,in return for Trudy helping him with his studies during the storm, She'd teach him to pilot her Samson.
By the time Grace and Jake both got out of their links,Norm and Trudy were eating a thing of freezedried Beef with vegetables and chatting over the hologram.
TW: mentions of assault, sexual assault and suicide
The trip continued on and Kim noted how the land of the Valley and the Tipani territory sat from above; giving her a natural idea of expectations.
Soon however they breached the Tipani air space and Kim noticed the familiar landmarks of specific trees or rock formations or floating mountains before taking a lead with a yip towards the northern east to the largest rocky formations which lay under their Iknimaya pathway. One of the few Tipani villages that was visible from the sky. So noticing the structures up in the distance was a relief. This was a hunting and hide-working village, a warrior’s village would not be seen above.
It was no surprise on the appearance three mounted Ikran appeared and surrounded them before Neytiri took the lead with a yip after the main Tipani lead and followed down to an area meant for Ikran.
Kim landed though and spared a glance to Neytiri who looked worried as she dismounted to the warriors that still lingered, armed and ready. Harper subtly removed her ear pods though there was no mistake about the weariness in her face. The people surrounding them were quick to be alert.
“<Is that a sky person?>”
“<Why is it here?>”
“<Who is that woman with the body paint? I do not recognise the clan attire.>”
The hushed whispers echoed before Kim jumped from her Ikran, patting Se’ayl’s neck, her eyes scanning around though there was in hiding the pregnancy either, nor that she planned to either but she still disliked the eyes on her belly that seemed to burn.
The village was as she remembered it.
Rocky pillars and arches supported platforms and the living areas on top. Between each occupied pillar were long vines that had been nurtured for generations or woven bridges and walkways across the multi-layered village which were set above a river that ran through the mountainous area, the sound of water settling a peaceful backdrop. A Totems hung against a pillar, meant to be seen by Ikran.
The huts were traditional mauri, supported by strong branches and the weaves were tights against the breeze and district; meant to also show its uniqueness to the clan.
Neytiri reached to peel Harper off who looked less willing to jump off the Ikran’s harness.
“I think I’m good.” Harper declined. “I’m much safer up here.”
Kim wanted to smile, but the time was not for that. “No, stand your ground but follow our lead, Harper.”
“Fear like this may be seen as weakness. Show them strength.” Neytiri added.
Reluctantly, Harper allowed herself to be untied and lifted onto the group but stayed close to Neytiri’s legs before movement though the growing crowd revelled a very familiar face that… it was almost a welcome if it hadn’t been for the shrewd glare that seemed to be more aimed to Harper. Kim stepped into his line of sight to shield her and squared her jaw.
The male was the leader of this particular village, led by his mate, Marali but they both responded to the Tsahìk’s guidance often. His scarred face was stern now, pained more with white paints and wielded a large club in his left hand, his right eye white now with blindness that came with the creature that scarred him in a hunt. He wore a big necklace that spoke of leadership as well, striking him as a figure of importance.
The woman beside him was just as sharp, but less intense as she examined them. She wore a more detailed chest piece, a flattened ceramic circle on her headpiece with the symbol of the clan but less… detailed. Showed she had power but not near to the Tsahìk.
“<I see you, Peyka'amo te Stìno Tavey'itan.>” Neytiri greeted, gesturing out from her forehead politely.
Payka’amo’s jaw remained tense but softened enough to politely gesture back to Neytiri.
“Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite, I see you. But you come with an outsider and a sky person.>” The note of disdain was not hidden. The Tipani did value stealth and quietness, even words were often considered before they were spoken out loud. “<Why come to us with such people?>”
Neytiri nodded, unabashed in her stance. “<We have come to speak to your Tsahìk but my father taught me manners to visit through you first. It is of importance which is time sensitive.>”
“<You have brought a sky person.>” Payka’amo scoffed, “<I did not think your clan would open such welcoming arms to those who butchered your clan’s children. Your own sister. My own mate barely made it out.>”
Neytiri hissed softly at the accusation in his tone. “<Do not mistake me blind. I know the difference between the sky people that live under the name of the RDA but you don’t know that the Omatikaya have allied with a group of sky people that fled their village due to abuse and harm that had happened or may have come to them if they stayed. The sky people that live on our lands contribute to our home, they learn our ways and while they do not take on every aspect of our life, they respect it. They have helped us in return. I trust this human woman to be here today.>”
“<Who is this woman you have brought?>” Payka’amo’s attention turned to her swiftly but his head cocked with the look of someone who was trying to figure her out from vague recognition.
“<We’ve met before, Payka’amo.>” Kim spoke, “<My name is Kim Greene. I spent a week here after my spiritual transfer.>”
The leader’s ears twitched up before his eyes widened a little; he knew that name and that story.
“<You joined the Omatikaya?>”
“<No, the Omatikaya have not accepted me or my mate, Jerome as one of their own. It’s been…complicated. But I have an alliance with them>”
“Understatement of the year,” Harper muttered softly.
“<Your clothes?>” He gestured down to her attire next, “<They are not made to resemble the Omatikaya.>”
“<No, what we needed to cover stood out against the Omatikaya’s typical wear. Many Dreamwalkers have hidden away as well so it was a more favoured option to prevent the RDA from coming and interrogating the clan for information. Those who have escaped are to be captured and imprisoned as they took items necessary for survival.>” Kim explained, “<We cannot pass for another clan but we could pass for Na’vi. Eytukan agreed to this outcome. We hide to protect any clan from the sky people seeing us and so far, I believe the RDA thinks the Omatikaya are hosting a distant clan in their Hometree and lands.>”
Payka’amo’s eyes ran down her figure, displeased before he scoffed. “<Sky people are easily fooled>”
It took a lot to not point out he had been too, but that was rude on this type of basis.
“<Why have you come to us?>” Marali spoke, stepping in to get to the topic again. “<I was not expecting another visit as your last envoy was brief to inform of us these dangerous cold sky people that walk Eywa’s child.>”
Neytiri turned her attention back, seemingly relieved to return to the topic.
“<You have sky people on your land, I’m sure you’ve noticed that. That group had also left the Sky People village but found coming here under the guise of another task was their means of escape. The Omatikaya will take them but they wish to remove sky people technology from the old abandoned areas they once had here and come to our lands.>” Neytiri explained, “<It is a tremendous task but the sky people group have only a few more days before the RDA realise they have fled and may come looking.>”
Marali’s head tilted. “<Is that it?>”
“<We’ve brought gifts as tokens for our clan’s old connections and for new ones. This sky person is the blood of René Harper, the Dreamwalker Sänume could not save those years ago. Trinity Harper. She can be trusted>”
Marali looked more intrigued while the leader scoffed before she turned and they both left the area, and no doubt to their council tent by Kim’s assumption. The people around lingered but some seemed to return back to their duty and jobs. The warriors stayed close.
“Now what?” Harper broke the silence first, stepping around her leg and peering up at Neytiri.
“We wait.” Neytiri said, “They’re weary but they haven’t pushed us away entirely. I was expecting a lot worse so it’s better than I thought.”
Kim reached down, setting a hand on Harper’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Shadow me if we wander. They may confine us to a hut to discuss this in more length with one or more of us. They may ask for more personal information from you. The female leader knows English so don’t count on private conversations with it.”
Harper sucked on her teeth a moment. “Okay.” But there was no mistake of the anxious shakes the SecOps woman had. Kim patted her shoulder sympathetically.
-
Kim was right as soon as the crown began to simmer down, and no sign of the two’s return, they were led towards a ground-level hut and a single warrior stood by the door. Harper lay down on the mat after cracking several of the gas bubbles up her neck in rapid succession which echoed horribly in the hut.
Neytiri cringed a little at the sound, coming to crouch by the small bowl of flames. “<I hate that sound>”
“<I can make it worse.>” Harper suggested with a grin, rolling her head to look at her.
“<No, thank you.>”
Kim chuckled softly, coming to join them on the floor.
“What now? I know I asked before but that’s not answering too much of what’s expected of us to do while they discuss our presence?” Harper asked again.
“Chances are, they’ll send a messenger back to the Tsahìk and she’ll decide if we’re worth the trip to their Hometree,” Kim answered. “If she’s not particularly interested, she’ll let the two leaders here handle the situation. They’ll either allow us to work or they’ll have us take the humans and leave, or they’ll come up with a third option.”
Harper wrinkled her nose. “Hope that doesn’t mean to kill us…or me for that matter.”
“No,” Neytiri interjected softly. “They may also interview us separately.”
“Yippy.”
“Why don’t you take a nap until then? If we’re successful, we’ll still be up all night.” Kim suggested. “<I might do as well. The babies have settled so I might as well rest before they kick my kidneys.>”
Neytiri smiled softly, nodding. “<Rest well>”
-
Kim did in fact rest well, up until she woke sharply to pressure against her bladder from one baby head as if it was a pillow.
“<No! Bladder bladder!>” She was vaguely was aware she had startled Neytiri from her talks with another Na’vi but didn’t wait to get to her feet. “<Is the toilet where it last was?>” She demanded the guard.
Kim barely waited for the confirmation before she was out and hurrying towards the general area and thankfully, found it vacant before she undid the under strap and did her business before she could wet herself. As understanding as the Na’vi were of the difficulties of pregnancy, she still didn’t want that embarrassment. The relief was immense, her daughter’s head shifting away and she elbowed her sibling. She waited a few more minutes after she was done for any late follow-ups before she was satisfied she was in the clear and washed her hands, tied her waistcloth back up and returned towards the hut.
She had only just returned and nodded to the guard inside when the figure of Marali appeared in the entryway.
“<Our Tsahìk has agreed to meet you three but only one at a time.>” She stated, her eyes running across the three of them. “<We passed along the gifts you had prepared and the human gift is mere…confusing. Context is missing.>”
“<I’m glad to hear Sänume is open to it>”
Marali’s lip curled a fraction. “<It took the gifts to open her curiosity towards the sky person you brought. The sky people made items look Na’vi and there is clear intent that it is a purposeful item. It brings… value to your statement of your sky people.>”
“<I am glad.>”
Kim woke Harper up and the human followed behind sleepily to the Ikran and followed Marali’s Ikran further north.
The village disappeared and the rock formations vanished into the green jungle but the endpoint was clear; the Hometree settled close to a few large stone structures on its north and west sides so it was very defendable and carefully chosen to house the clan.
Kim smiled softly but it made her heart pang a little. The distant ache of loss, no matter how brief her stay had been for a clan that had been… tolerable at best towards her and her mate. But it oddly felt more like home than the Omatikaya’s Hometree.
Still, she was here with purpose and maybe she’d be able to visit the burial grounds. Her and Jerome's human body had been buried here, as was René so it felt like a good time as any to visit and pay her respects.
They landed in the Ikran’s landing at the branches, Harper clinging a little more to Neytiri on the lift down with a very frantic look over the very close edge to the fall of death.
“Dramatic,” Neytiri commented, deadpan.
To Kim’s utter surprise, Harper began to complain right back at the Na’vi in plain German. “Ich zeige es dir dramatisch! Mal ehrlich, mich direkt neben den Tod zu setzen und zu erwarten, dass es mir gut geht? Bah.”
“<Oh, you speak German?>” Kim responded with, following Neytiri and Marali down the spiral.
“<My uncle specialises in languages, why are you surprised I know German? Didn’t you wonder why I picked up Na’vi fast?>”
“<Never came up, honestly. I don’t spend that much time with you.>”
Harper’s head craned up to look at her brightly. “<We probably should.> It’d be nice to have visiting friends that you don’t have to live with and know personal and intimate details about.”
Kim snorted at that, amused. “<Since I have Se’ayl now, I can do.>”
Harper flashed her a grin.
They were led to the second level from the central core spiral, akin to the Omatikaya’s spiral, but more compact, where Kim and Harper were made to wait while Neytiri was led off to an in-closed space of woven fabric; their distance enough that they couldn’t hear in, the only sounds was the only gentle sound of lice within the tree and the quiet hum of voices.
The Tipani were renowned for stealth and silence, even in their Hometree and it was trained from the moment the child was learning to walk. By the time they were five, they could fall and still make no sound; a trained art and Kim knew about but never practised but it still amazed her to listen to how quiet this Hometree truly was in comparison to the Omatikaya.
So they waited.
It was over an hour and Harper paced in circles anxiously, fiddling with her mask filter strap and Kim had left to cater to her bio needs again and watched Harper pull out the laces from her boots to practise knots.
Then Marali appeared, leading a lightened Neytiri out and down further with words of refreshments. Only did she return that Kim was next and she followed the leader into the Tsahìk’s Den where the stoic, familiar Na’vi stood waiting in front of a totem.
The average height for a female Na’vi, black braids pulsed away from her eldered face with sharp yellow eyes that gave little away to her emotion. She wore a beaded shirt but it was significantly more open with burgundy beads. Across the chest, she wore a brown, decorated hide in a U shape and from her throat to under her collarbone, more decorative placement of the same material that held onto the beaded shirt. She had a dark red armband on her right arm and a bracelet on her left hand. Two ankle guards that were also brown as her loincloth.
They weren’t alone, a single Na’vi male was crouched off over a bowl of fire with his back to her, a wrap with a baby inside judging by the little foot but he didn’t react to her presence.
She felt the Tsahìk’s eyes on her the moment she stepped in, taking in her new appearance and her clear pregnancy before she stopped and waited.
Sänume did not break the silence either but she moved forwards and then walked around her, the feel of her tail getting touched before the extra limb curled away from the contact and the tug to her tswin as it was checked.
Since they had started to evolve their styles, Kim had taken the time to rebraid it into a different style while it wasn’t locs like Jake’s, it was entirely braided and platted as opposed to the simple loose braid most Na’vi had. She had been inspired by Kame’tire who dreadlocked their tswin hair to match their typical dreads. She planned for more later on but has been too busy.
Sänume grasped her wrist and pulled it up to peer at her handguards before she let go.
“<You have changed a lot in the past three years. Your heart is colder.>”
“<I’ve spent the last two and a half years isolated from the people. Omatikaya were not kind and cut us away for actions that were not our fault. They caused us much pain that not even Eytukan’s recent apology has lifted.>” Kim didn’t try to be anything less than blunt. “<We did consider leaving the lands but our ability to travel was limited without a Pa’li or Ikran and our knowledge of the lands wasn’t enough for us to be comfortable leaving.>”
Sänume stared for a moment. “<You are welcomed back, as I’ve been told.>”
Kim’s eye twitched. “<The clan reopened our previous agreements with working with the clan every few days. They did not offer a place in their Hometree and live with them nor Uniltaron or any rite of passage for us to become members of the clan. We’re still outsiders to them no matter what we do to prove ourselves.>” Her jaw set but her eyes prickled with tears.
“<They still accepted sky people and Dreamwalkers to walk among them. Even the ones on Tipani land that they have not even met.>”
“<They can do as they please with the people that come to them. Humans are helping them and being helped in return. I don’t get in the way of that. It’s not my place.>”
Sänume didn’t say anything for a moment, but her hand came to her chest and settled upon her heart.
“<You guard your heart. It blinds you.>” She stated, “<Not that is without merit.>”
Kim didn’t reply to that. Nothing to add so why speak?
Sänume moved back, withdrawing her arm. “<You came to us to speak on behalf of the sky people that are here.>”
“<Yes. Neytiri speaks for her people, I speak for the humans who leave.>”
“<Then speak of your purpose here, even if your heart does not beat with the Omatikaya.>”
“<We wish to aid this group’s evacuation from the site of Blue Lagoon. They wish to take as much from the facility for supplies for themselves and for the other sky people as possible within the next three nights before the RDA comes looking for them. The stuff they need, items we could use and repurpose and recycle rather than leaving it all to rot and pollute. We’ve put together a plan of action to maximise efficiency. The transport will happen at night due to the rules of the RDA. They cannot come after us at night.>” Kim explained. “<Once we’ve cleared everything, we should have no reason to return to your lands for sky people purposes.>”
Sänume remained quiet for a moment, her eyes watching her intently. “<The human gift made of strings, what is its purpose?>”
“<A map. Beads present areas importance, the strings with knots represents it’s pathway. We use smaller ones we call Fya'otelem to navigate underground caves without sky people technology. It can be adjusted for you, should you wish it.>”
Sänume nodded once. “<Return to Neytiri. I will speak to the human before I make my decision>”
An abrupt dismissal but it was typical fashion for the Tipani so Kim nodded once and followed Marali out.
-
Seeing Kim calm and content had been a relief but being the only human, was still the oddest feeling in the world as she followed the giantess into the Tsahìk’s den, which felt closer to a thanator den right now.
Her eyes ran about anxiously, but she noticed the Tsahìk talking to another Na’vi now, his back to her but there was a clear respect the Tsahìk had with him to be here and listen in. Her eyes turned from the man to the Tsahìk before she was stopped.
The Tsahìk turned, her head tilting down to look at her before she gave a single nod to the male who then turned to face her and it felt like she had been struck in the gut as she recognised him passed his Na’vi clothing and his face paint.
The face of someone who was long dead…
“Uncle Ren?” She knew that face very well; she had seen her uncle in her avatar for a few years before he died more or less three years ago…. So how in the hell was he here?
René’s face was soft, coming to crouch down in front of her, the baby at his chest now she realised as they sucked on their thumb showed also 4 fingers on their hand and crumpled eyebrows in a frown. Her eyes grew wide before she stared up at him.
“<You have a kid now? I have a Na’vi cousin?!>” She gaped a little. “<How are you alive?! I thought you were dead. Kim and Jerome also think you’re dead. How did you survive?!” She fired off.
René smiled at her fondly. “<It’s a long story, Trin.>” He patted the baby in the sling. “<One I cannot yet tell when business calls.>” His head tilted towards the Tsahìk. “<Later.>”
“<Yes.>” Harper was gonna made damn sure she got some answers. Her uncle was alive and well. At least the procedure he actually worked. Maybe it happened late? It was the logical conclusion to draw from. Still, it was a little sour given the Tipani weren’t welcoming to Jerome and Kim yet they still took her dear uncle in and… gave him a life among the people. They had liked him… maybe more to overlook the unfairness of the situation with the other two. How would Kim take that? She clearly was very… distanced from the Omatikaya because of the personal betrayal she felt in regard to them. Harper hoped she’d take it well…
“<Neytiri spoke in favour of your kind with her people but I wish to know more of your motivation that made you decide to flee the safety of your sky people village. It has all your needs met, does it not? Even air that is safe. Yet you risk living in those masks.>”
Harper felt her throat tighten and her eyes drop to the floor of the den she felt the Tsahìk’s eyes on her.
“<I don’t like to talk about what happened to Me.>” She deflected. “<It… is not pleasant.>”
Sänume’s eyes remained sharp. “<I wish to know. To See.>”
“<Tsahìk, I beg you to be gentle in your approach…>” Uncle René said lightly.
Harper was glad to hear his support and glad he understood it wasn’t a simple accident. He likely suspected what it was to know to be gentle. The grief and shame of the incident was… overwhelming. It haunted her still but it had been something she had ignored to keep on going because she had no other options. She didn’t want to tell them either… but she supposed with what they needed from the clan… she had to.
Sänume nodded once. “<Speak, TrinityHarper.>”
Her head felt a little light and her mouth dry, her hands clenched into her pants. “<I will speak this once… but not again of the ordeal.>” At least the Omatikaya and most of the humans knew better than to press on the subject but still… if she wanted this to be smooth for their people out here…
“<As you wish.>”
Harper swallowed thickly, coming to sit on the floor, arms wrapping around her legs as she tried to compose where to start.
“<In… human workplaces, there are sometimes illegal rituals forced upon new people who join their groups. Tasks that are… either an innocent fun prank or a horrific event that has led to death in extreme cases. Humans call this Hazing.>”
René’s breath paused a little.
“<I… I wasn’t meant to be part of this group Hazing. A group of sky people came down a few years ago and had a… private group that looked impressive and made people wish to join them. But to do that, you must be put through a Hazing to… prove your worth to them.>” That was the easiest way to explain it to the Na’vi. She didn’t know how else to explain the group.
“<I… I just so happened to be at a remote site when the Hazing occurred. Alone, foolishly, I had finished up a patrol and split off from my patrol partner to go to bed. It was late… but then another colleague, Winnie Jones, just came out of nowhere and tried to get me to help her but the group Winnie escaped from caught up to us and dragged us both to the forest to continue on with the Hazing. Th- they were drunk… and didn’t seem to stop drinking while I was there. They had no control… and me, Winnie and the others were helpless. They thought they were being funny.>” Her head shook.
“<They… soaked us down in diluted urine, had us strip until we were naked with only our masks. They… threatened to pull our masks off if we didn’t comply. They had us go through… humiliating tasks, all the while laughing at us. Some of us were beaten if we failed or tried to escape the tasks. With… some of us, mostly the females and one or two men were… sexually assaulted as the last ordeal. After they were… done with us, they left us there to drink more and pass out elsewhere.>”
Her uncle’s hand on her shoulder was sharp, and tight but offered her some grounding. “<I’m so sorry that happened to you.>” He looked disgusted and horrified but it was something she was glad to see was mirrored in the Tsahìk’s eyes.
Harper swallowed shakily. “<I learned to cope with the trauma of the events. Winnie… didn’t. She never recovered and she was found three weeks later dead and hanging off a rope around her neck.>” She glared down into the ground. “<What happened to her changed her. Some of the others recovered, got moved to other sections or simply returned home. The worst thing was… I reported the ordeal and I thought I would get help or have the group brought in and arrested for their crimes. Nothing happened. No one was brought to justice and everyone brushed aside Winnie’s death as a tragic accident.>” Her lip curled in disgust. “<How could I stay when the RDA just… passed it off as nothing and left the group to be free to do it again to other people? I… got together a small group that had suffered assault of similar fashion and when we realised we could just… leave, we took it. It’s… safer for us out here than it is in there.>”
Which said a whole lot, didn’t it?
“<Not… not everyone in the RDA is like that but knowing who is safe and who isn’t… isn’t a game we were willing to test. Most people who want to leave the RDA will typically take a ship back to Earth. I’m not going back to a planet where half my abusers returned to. With… the Na’vi, I don’t have to worry if they’re gonna rape us or assault us for the fun of it. The worst thing a Na’vi will do is kill us… with actual due cause. I know what to expect with Na’vi.>”
René sighed deeply, nodding softly. “<Are you in a good place now, Trin?>”
Harper shrugged, “<I don’t have to look over my shoulder as much. Better than I was there.>”
René didn’t look content. “<Is there a therapist among you that could lighten the burden?>”
Harper shrugged. “<I… I know Mo’at’s been trying to help with our mental troubles but… I’d rather not get her involved in mine. She’s far too busy with her clan and helping the other humans with that spirit tree.>”
René’s head turned.
The Tsahìk’s words echoed next, laced with curiosity “<Spirit tree? For Humans?>”
Harper hummed noncommittally. “<The miners found a new tree that humans can connect to. I did say I was interested in trying it out but Mo’at is making us all take it slow.>” She was just last on the list. She had agreed, in part to see if it would help her mind but she wasn’t sure.
“<Where is this new tree?>”
“<Underground in a cave system. It… looks like a giant purple blossom with tendrils that Dreamwalkers can connect to. It closes up when Na’vi approaches. Along its trunk there are smaller flowers, about the side of my head; they had a tendril-like thing that looks like the end of your kuru that suckers to the back of your neck.>” Harper explained, turning to show with two fingers the placement; the base of the skull. “<Typically here.>”
Sänume was genuinely fascinated before she stepped back and nodded.
“<Thank you for telling me your truth. René, go and meet the group. There is much to discuss.>”
René nodded and Harper accepted his hand up and trailed close to him as they left the Tsahìk to her deliberation.
“<What’s the Baby’s name?>” Harper asked, following him down the spiral. She walked on her tip-toes to get a better view but failed.
“<Mar’kiri. She’s five months old>” René said, proudly. “<Born through a surrogate as neither I nor my husband can conceive.>”
Harper let out a sharp whistle. “<Honestly, I forgot you were gay.>”
René laughed a little, his laughter making the baby on his chest smile around her fist. “<As a human, I had a lot more things to do than to find a date out here. Not many people knew or cared.>”
Harper smiled. “<I’m glad you’re happy… and that you’ve found a home. Honestly, I sometimes wish I had an avatar. Make’s life seem simpler>”
“<Did you apply to the avatar program?>”
“<I did. Did some tests, and sent off the bio requirements which showed compatibility but never got accepted since I was SecOps, not SciOps.>”
“<Have you spoken to Dr Hodge? Neytiri mentioned him.>” he added to her confused look.
“<Frequently. Why?>”
“<He’s a bioengineer. He started off in the avatar program in assisting the creation of avatars on earth before he was recruited with an avatar in SciOps.>”
Harper stared. “Huh.”
“<I take it the humans want the avatar lab. Blue Lagoon has a lot of supplies to support avatars. Both in creation and development but you’ll need new Na’vi genetic sources for new Dreamwalkers.>”
Her eyes widened “<Wait, you’re saying I could get an avatar?>”
René nodded. “<If the equipment is salvable and a facility could be constructed to house it safely… it’s possible.>”
Harper stared then nodded. “<If the Tsahìk doesn’t really want us to get rid of the RDA shit, can we at least bargain for the avatar lab?>”
René laughed but they were interrupted by a sharp gasp.
“<René!>”
Their head turned to Kim as the woman stared at him, her face pale her jaw dropped and her yellow eyes wide before she began to waddle forwards, her hands coming to him.
“<You’re alive?!>” She touched his shoulder, her eyes watering. “<How? How are you alive? She said the transfer didn’t work. She said you were with Eywa…>” she sniffled, her lips wobbling even as René led her back to where Neytiri was seated and also stating a little, nibbling at a bowl of fruit and nuts. “<Oh, little baby too…>”
René grasped her hand, pulling it up to kiss her knuckle and patted her wrist. “<I’m sorry.>” He crouched down with them. Harper just sat and waited for his story. “<When I didn’t wake up after you and Jerome did, there was the assumption that it failed. I.. my spirit spent time with Eywa but Sänume moved my Dreamwalker to their spirit tree to keep it nourished until she could decide if it needed to be euthanized or if Eywa would return me. Three weeks... and I woke up. While I was nourished, I was very weak. My avatar lost a lot of muscle and skeletal mass and strength so I was allowed to stay to cater to the long healing process.>” He said, “<My… mate before we bonded, looked after me. He convinced Sänume to allow me to stay if I trained to be one of them. She agreed.>”
“<Did you look for us?>”
“<I asked about you, but they mentioned you were with the Omatikaya and I honestly believed you were… one of them by now. I’m sorry for not putting in the effort sooner to really see if you were happy. I could have tried to get you back to the clan. Your children deserve a clan to be born into.>”
Kim’s stare was hard for a moment before her hands came to her belly and her face softened. “<Apology accepted.>” though she tilted her head. “<Maybe they still could, if I ever find a clan worthy of them.>”
René’s head tilted, “<Neytiri mentioned you planned to use a new clan as a façade for Dreamwalkers.>” though he didn’t sound thrilled. “<I like the idea but… perhaps you should consider turning that façade into an actual clan.>”
Neytiri’s head tilted, joining into the conversation now. “<It is not an easy journey to navigate. Creating a clan… it must be done properly. Adults who have gone through rites of passage and come from an established clan. That will build respect among the fellow clans. Dreamwalkers just creating a clan will cause problems, even the humans are aware of that.>”
“<No, at least one main leader must come from a clan. Either the Tsahìk or Olo’eyktan must certainly be Na’vi.>” René said sharply. “<Finding the right people matters. A tsakarem willing to take the Tsahìk mantle and develop into a new spiritual leader would be the easiest solution; trained by a Tsahìk and very familiar with Eywa and the way of Pandora. You must find new land to call home. You’d need more numbers than just the Dreamwalkers; you’d need Na’vi willing to follow you from the Omatikaya lands to your new one, or from any clan. Those willing to build the foundations for a new clan and those willing to mate with Dreamwalkers to establish firm bonds between the human side of Dreamwalkers and those Na’vi-Dreamwalker children will learn both worlds. You have a style but there’s no culture developing, even with your mirage.>”
Honesty, he felt like he was targeting very specific oversights. It made sense to harper on why’ the image was one thing but it would be nice to… see them develop it into something real. Kim’s babies would grow up in a clan.
“<I have a few ideas on territories.>” Kim spoke up, her eyes brightening up. “<The Valley or Mo’ara. Neither Tipani nor Omatikaya Territory. It’s got a rookery, at least three Hometrees to scout out and it has a gulf on its western side right to the ocean. The forest is large and could easily sustain a clan if lived on. It… would take some time to learn its pathways but… it’s doable.>”
René nodded. “<A good place to start but for now, focus inwards than geographical. Culture is important for the survival of any clan or group. Right now, think about it. Make no swift action until you are certain.>”
“<Alright.>”
After a meal was passed around, Harper took care to breathe after her mouthful in her mask between each bite, then they were approached by the Tsahìk.
Harper watched the stern woman for a moment before she spoke.
“<I will allow your people to clear the abandoned territories but I will only allow one night and Two days, after which, the sky people will leave the Tipani lands to be claimed by Eywa. Our warriors can guard them from wildlife as a single favour but nothing more.>”
Harper’s eyes widened in alarm; that was shorter than planned…. They’d only get half the stuff if they were lucky.
“<Thank you, Tsahìk>” Neytiri thanked politely. “<We will let our people know and the sky people and start the preparations immediately.>”
Neytiri led them out, shadowed by René and Harper struggled to keep up at her brisk pace given her shortness.
“That’s not a lot of time… We can’t collect everything with that.>” Harper pointed out.
“We can, if we’re smart about it,” Kim said, “We can use the Valley of Mo’ara as a drop-off point. We can afford the morning and day trips in the Tipani territories so moving it from Tipani to the Valley will be enough time for everything, after which, we have all the time to clear the valley.”
“Oh.” That sounded far simpler… and smarter really.
“As soon as my husband arrives, I can hand my daughter off to him and help you at the site. I know all its secrets.” René said, “He’s teaching our son the way of the silent steps the moment. Pìpu just turned five so the training starts..”
“Aww,” Harper smiled but didn’t open it up for further conversation just yet. Later.
