Hufwe Makto (Avatar Fanfic) {Book One}

Chapter 16: Banshee Rookery

A/N: Chapter 16, let's go!!!! We're finally going to get the banshees, or as the Na'vi call them, Ikrans. You guys already know what my OC's Ikran looks like, it's in her bio on the very first page of the book. Remember, I own NOTHING, except for my OC, and Alex belongs to Malrog_the_dragon !! Let's kick this off!

(Siera's POV-Iknimaya)

Tsu'tey leads us on direhorses on the side of a cliff leading up to where the banshees' nest is. I notice there are some hunters with us too, so I turn to Alex.

This man still has my heart after all this time. I'm curious on what will happen next. I don't even have to look to see that the rocks near Jake's direhorse has slipped and fallen off.

"Don't look down," I hiss at him, "yah will make me nervous otherwise." Jake turns to me, keeping his eyes ahead. I keep my eyes on the warriors in front of me, one of them being Tsu'tey. Tsu'tey then dismounts and undoes the shayalu as he then turns to his students.

"Learning to ride an Ikran, we call them banshees, is a test every young hunter has to pass," Jake says. "But first, you gotta go where the banshees are. Oo-rah." He, Alex and I dismount our own direhorses then follow Tsu'tey and the hunters up the mountains, our bows strapped to our backs. We climb up nimbly, my feet curling into the rocks some to keep myself from falling to my death. Tsu'tey then says for us to stop as we reach the top.

"Now what?" Jake asks, looking at the head warrior. Tsu'tey then says wait in Na'vi, then orders us to go, Alex and I watching in awe as he leaps onto the vine, and starts climbing. Jake then jumps, grabbing the closest vine he can reach before starting to climb up. Alex looks back at me.

"Ladies first," he says to me. I grin.

"Don't mind if I do," I say before leaping for a vine, grabbing it with both hands and wrapping my legs around it before I start to climb. I notice Neytiri on her Ikran as she flies past us. I turn to Alex, seeing that he too has made the jump and is climbing the vine.

Once we reach the top, we follow Tsu'tey as we then slow down, hearing the screeching of Ikrans.

Iknimaya, this is it. This is where all of our hard training pays off, hopefully. I hear Neytiri's call again as she lands Seze in front of us, and dismounts her, flipping up her windbreaker as she looks at Jake with a grin.

"I See You." She says to Tsu'tey as he does the gesture back to her. Jake leans slightly against his bow, panting from the running he has done to get to this point. Neytiri says soothing words to her Ikran in Na'vi then I watch as Tsu'tey looks at Jake, and smirks.

"Jakesully will go first." He says, stepping away. I know why he's doing this. He still promptly hates his guts so he's making him go first so he could get himself killed. Jake steps forward, then holds out his bow, Tsu'tey taking it. As he starts walking, Neytiri glances at the head warrior before following Jake. Alex and I follow behind them as I look in shock and awe at the many colors of each and every banshee.

"Now you choose your Ikran," Neytiri says to Jake. "This you must feel inside." She touches his chest as she says this. "If he also chooses you, move quick like I showed. You will only have one chance, Jake."

"How will I know if he chooses me?" Jake asks her.

"He will try to kill you." Neytiri answers. My pinna prick at this. Did I hear that right? For an Ikran to choose a rider, it will try to kill you?! Great. Just great.

"Outstanding." Jake remarks as he walks out, Neytiri on his heels. Tsu'tey stops me and Alex from going further.

"Stay here," he says to us. "This is something he must do alone." The hell? Since when are we ones to listen to orders? Not to mention, Jake could probably die because of this?

"You could've just warned us sooner about this," Alex says. "Not to mention it's basically signing your own death sentence." Tsu'tey looks at us and hisses,

"That moron's going to die." I turn as I watch a couple of Ikrans fly away as Jake gets close, swinging the catcher in his hands. He then walks up to a teal male Ikran with blue patches and spots decorating his wings, as he turns his head then his body towards him. The Ikran roars, but to our surprise, he doesn't fly away. Jake hisses at him, and he hisses right back at him. Neytiri's stance looks tense as she softly growls. Jake then twirls the banshee catcher in his hands.

"Let's dance." He says. I watch as Jake lunges for the Ikran, wrapping the catcher around his muzzle as he wrestles with him, trying to take him down. The Ikran flaps his massive wings, trying to buck Jake off his body as he screeches, Jake keeping his grip on the banshee's head, trying to hold on. The Ikran lands as Jake keeps his grip on his head, his other hand clutching his bicep as he wrestles with the Ikran. I notice Tsu'tey yelling,

"Do not be afraid, warrior!" Neytiri then yells at Jake,

"Make the bond!" Jake, quickly getting the idea, frees his hand from the lock he has on the Ikran's head, reaching for the neural queue, only for the Ikran's head to go back, head butting him, then with his vision blurred, flaps his wings, knocking Jake off his back, and over the cliff. I gasp in alarm and horror as Jake grabs a branch to keep from falling off the cliff entirely to his death.

"Jake!" Neytiri yells, racing to him, but knows that he must do this alone. Tsu'tey laughs again, and I stiffen slightly. Jake is then able to get back up and tackles the Ikran as he reaches once again for the neural queue.

"Shayalu, Jake!" Neytiri reminds him. "Shayalu!"

I watch as Jake wraps his legs around the Ikran's head in a headlock, then reaches for the neural queue again, then his own. With a yell escaping him, he connects the two together, and the Ikran's eyes widen before Jake yells,

"Stop!" The Ikran stops moving, Neytiri soothing the banshee with words of her own. Jake looks down at the Ikran as he chuckles, holding onto the catcher still wrapped around the Ikran's muzzle.

"Yeah, that's right. You're mine." He says to him, undoing the catcher as he settles on the Ikran's back, only for Neytiri to push him to the edge.

"First flight seals the bond. You cannot wait. Think, fly!"

"Fly?" Jake asks before the Ikran jumps off the cliff without warning, taking off. Tsu'tey then turns to me.

"Your turn." He says. I nod, hand one of the students my bow, before I walk out, banshee catcher in hand. Like Jake, I have zero luck until I find one: a purple female Ikran with green stripes, green patterns swirling on her scales. Her wings are massive, more bigger than the normal Ikran. Tsu'tey gasps softly upon seeing her, his eyes widening.

"Hufwe," he says. "That's impossible. Why....how is she here?" Alex seems a bit confused, but watches me carefully. I approach this massive beast, as she turns and hisses at me. I hiss right back, a challenge. I twirl my banshee catcher as she then lunges for me, the military training kicking in as I wrap the catcher around her muzzle, and she bucks, trying to get me off her. Hell no, I won't go down without a fight, and she deems me worthy of challenging her. I grab her neural queue, only for her head to knock me back, hitting me in the face as my vision goes black for a second. She flaps her wings, then knocks me off her back, and I'm close to falling. I grab the branch in front of me as I'm nearly knocked off the cliff.

"Siera!" Alex calls, but I lift myself up, telling him with my eyes I'm alright, then I leap for this powerful and massive yet majestic creature as I wrap my legs around her head, and connect my neural queue with hers.

"You are worthy," Tsu'tey says, as I can hear the thoughts of this Ikran say the same as well. Neytiri is shocked. I think fly, and she takes off, flying at the speed I wanted her to go. I stay rooted to her back.

A/N: Wooo, finally got this chapter!! Now for the next!!

Next Chapter Title: First Flight