The gift of Eywa

chapter 11: dream hunt

Commens/hometree- night

Jake and I sit, eyes closed as Neytiri and another young hunter, paint on his face and body in preparation for the uniltaron- the dream hunt. "When your spirit animal comes. You will know." Me and Neytiri's eyes meet before I turn to Jake with our eyes also meeting, unknown emotion that can no longer be concealed swirling around.

Grace stands with the crowd at the ramps to the hometrees lowest level. Jake and I can barely see her as we go down the spiral. Grace trys to follow but it is barred by hunters.

Bellow, seemingly in the womb of the earth, we slowly walk into a tight circle of seated elders and hunters. An elder is slowly wrapping a large water drum.

Mo'at purifies us with smoke from burning herbs, chanting in a low monotone voice. Jake and I are squatting as we us our palms to wash the smoke over us. Mo'at's fingers unwrap a piece of wood ridled with holes. She catches the end of two glowing purple worms and draws ot out of the wood.

"Oh wise worms. Eater of the sacred tree, bless this worthy. Hunters with a true vision." She then places on pur out stretched tongues before indicating to chew. To which we... reluctantly did.

An earthen jar is opened. Eytukan removes a ringing black arachnoid, equivalent to a pandorian scorpion. He places it against the back of my neck and presses. The insect drives its stinger into my skin and I grimace. Mo'at and Eytukan step outside of the circle leaving me alone in it as Neytiri and Jake watch intensely.

My eyes open as I look around at the faces to which they seemingly transform, becoming threatening. I look down at the palm of my hands before they recede, then my whole body and finally, the ground.

Instantly the circle of na'vi recedes, as if to a distant horizon, leaving vast ground in between. Space is utterly distorted and sounds as well, echoing thunderous. My pupils dilate black as I look around and realise the onlookers have been replaced by a ring of glowing trees, which seem miles high. The while image is bathed in spectral radiance.

I look down to see my body and hands transforming, fingers stretched into tendrils, legs becoming roots which spread outwards across the ground. A thousand glowing dendrites which connect to the root of the trees and-

-Cut to reality I am on my hands and knees, puking in the dirt. I contort, crying put in agony as the venom contracts my muscles but-

-In my vision I am standing serene on a floating mountain cliff. A great black shadow covers me, the unmistakable silhouette of a diving leonopteryx. The last shadow. As the shadows grows larger-

-Real me writhes in the dirt, my back arched as my muscles seize. Tsu'tey Neytiri and Jake look at me in worry and sadness, not being able to do anything to take away Nova's pain. I foam and thrash around. My eyes roll back into my head while inside-

-Clouds scream around the mountain top, mist boil through the forest. I feel the wind of time blow through me as-

-Real me claws the ground, moaning, staring blindly while-

-Inside I fly over the landscape of pandora. But the forest is blasted. Fires flicker among the trees that are burned black and lifeless in a smokey twilight. A great winged shadow is cast below, rippling over the devastated ground.

I look down at the shadow only to realise that I'm the one casting it ehwn suddenly a vision enters my mind of a great leonopteryx flying lordly and terribly over the land. It let's out an almighty shriek which seems to echo over eternity and-

-I wake up to reality with me on my back, Gasping. I weakly roll up to one elbow and look around the room. "It is finished" I see Jake, Tsu'tey and Neytiri's face flood with relief as the elders of the clan look at me exspectanly. "Did your spirit animal comes?"