The Hunter

Mountain Fortress

Lo'ak's point of view:

The following week was miserable. I had to hand it to my father. He knew what punishment he should give us to teach us a lesson. Polishing every item of armor and weapons with animal fat was squishy and sticky. I wouldn't have opposed the punishment if the wax didn't make me smell like dirt and death. It was unpleasant, to say the least. Neteyam and I struggled together, and despite our best efforts, we still managed to knick ourselves a few times while cleaning. My grandmother gave us a salve to clean our wounds, but it stung. After using it for a few days, I didn't know which hurt worse, the cut or the balm. But we made the best of it, and Neteyam and I got on without complaint.

Kiri was in a similar boat but was spared from sharp objects as she cleaned tack. However, her items took longer as each article was intricate to polish, as the leather was diverse and needed to be cared for differently. Eventually, she managed to manipulate Spider into helping her clean the tack. Luckily there were fewer tack items than our weapons, so they got done around the same time as us.

    Despite our determination and quick cleaning, the sheer amount of time it took and the objects did our cleaning last days. Eventually, Kiri joined us in our cleaning efforts which allowed us to be done cleaning and polishing before the week ended. Though we still had to keep our profiles low so Dad wouldn't assign us something else to do.

Hunter, however, was stuck with Grandmother. I loved my grandmother dearly, but she could sometimes be insensitive and quick-tempered. I wonder how the equally sharp-tongued Hunter would do while being paired with her. Neteyam, at one point, saw the two of them bickering with each other, and while I worried about a quarrel, they eventually calmed down. For both their sakes, I tried to convince my grandmother to end the punishment early. But despite my siblings and my best efforts, Hunter was still required to stick out the week of punishment. One night while Neteyam and I were relaxing and messaging our sore hands, I saw Hunter talking grimly to grandmother.

They were by the Tree of Souls, assumedly consulting the spirits before their conversation. As I watched, I noticed Hunter get emotional before cooling her features. I knew she wouldn't want the clan to see her upset, but she soon wandered off. Not long later, Hunter came to our spot by the fires, and I asked what had happened. Hunter didn't comment at first as she seemed half in this world and half in her thoughts. Though she jerked from her thoughts when I held her hand. She gave me a soft smile before her face fell. I gently squeezed her hand before she admitted, "I'm sending Toruk away." Neteyam perked up from his place by the fire, and Kiri, who had been off in her own world, sat up quickly.

    We tried to sway her mindset as we knew the comfort the clan took in having a toruk around, especially with the human increase in activity. Hunter would not be deterred, though. She admitted to thinking about it since my Father's Toruk passed as she believed that her Toruk was not safe here. Kiri perked up then and said, "But the benefit outways the danger. You are Toruk Makto, rider of Pandora's most prominent aerial hunter. Protector of the people and uniter of clans. If you send her away, the hope will die. They will think Eywa has abandoned us."    

   Hunter didn't comment. Her face grew grave before she said almost silently, "Maybe she has." I looked at Hunter with concern, but she didn't meet my gaze. Her blue eyes were on fire as she watched the flicking flames. She shook her head after a moment before clearing her throat and said, "I have to put away some herbs before I get some sleep." She stood, and my hand slipped from hers as she walked away before Kiri said, "I wonder what she saw to sway her mind like this." I shrugged as I turned back towards my siblings before Neteyam said almost ominously, "Or who swayed her." I thought that might have been more probably, but after that, the conversation ended.

A few days later, I saw Hunter assumingly saying goodbye to her Toruk. My grandmother, who seemed a mixture of awe and fear of the great orange and black beast, was a comforting presence by her side. The orange and blue head dipped down to give Hunter an affectionate nuzzle before it launched into the sky. Many na'vi around shrieked out of surprise, but eventually, the noise settled down once the animal was in the air. I saw my grandmother pat Hunter's shoulder reassuringly before she turned away from the moment. Eventually, the clan would become aware that there was no longer a Toruk Makto in the Omatikaya clan. I feared for their reaction and worried for Hunter, but I was sure she would be fine. She is a warrior, after all.