Avatar: The Guardian

Chapter 1: Recollections

The sun was rapidly nearing its peak at the edge of a large swamp in the heart of Pandora's rainforests. The morning mist was heavy, and the light could hardly make its way through the dense canopies of the trees, which were pressed branch to branch and leaf to leaf. The water here was a discolored brown, with floating algae and flora on the surface and the odd splash of critters living below the water's surface. Banshee screams could be heard filling the air as riders of Ikrans flew in and out of a vast cave opening in the side of a mountain that was part of a large Na'vi camp. These experienced riders had little trouble entering and exiting safely, even in the thick fog.

The cave was home to scores of Na'vi families, the Omatikaya, who lived in makeshift tents both inside and outside, clinging to the last vestiges of their existence that were uprooted three months ago when conflict drove them from their homes. In addition to the Na'vi, this location was also home to a select group of human workers and scientists loyal to the Na'vi. The cave interior, which was covered with stalagmites, was ancient and large enough to house the enormous gathering of dozens of people, including both Na'vi and human loyalists.

Jake Sully, the rebel Na'vi leader of the Omatikaya, had chosen this site as his temporary base of operations due to its seclusion from the RDA's central city and the fact that it was difficult to see from the sky due to the dense canopy. From here, he would launch raids on the RDA and then return to store the loot.

The cave was a hive of activity, with dozens of workers visible outside cutting up wood and animal flesh, practicing with bows and arrows, setting up new tents, and lighting new campfires. Every now and then, Ikran riders set off from the cave as hunters traveled large distances to hunt for game in the jungles and swamps.

Near the location where the hunters took off, a sizable group of Ikrans had collected in one of the cave's crannies and crevices, perhaps trying to soak up the scant sunshine from the outside or simply taking a break after their flight. Kiri, the teenage adopted daughter of rebel commander Jake Sully and his wife Neytiri, was there in that area providing care for one of the Ikrans.

"It's okay, girl..." Kiri spoke softly as she put her reassuring arms around the neck of her Ikran, Gracie, and gazed into her eyes which were tinged with a grayish color. She had just finished applying a green healing ointment to her wings which had old burns that were slowly healing. The ointment she crafted consisted of a combination of various flora that she had gathered from the surrounding area and drugs that she had gathered from the RDA's stolen medical supplies.

Gracie let out a shrill shriek as she affectionately buried her face in Kiri's hair and nuzzled her cheek against her hair. Like her, Kiri had scars on her arms and ears from small burns that had healed over time. These marks served as constant reminders of the atrocities committed by the humans when they returned.

"We'll be back to flying soon enough, Gracie," Kiri said as she took a step back and examined her. She had given her Ikran the name Gracie in honor of her biological mother. Since she was a little girl, they had been inseparable, but how they became friends was still a mystery to her. Neytiri had told her that she had befriended Gracie by merely asking her to be her friend, which was a unique method of taming an Ikran. She could not be sure that this was a fairy tale because it occurred before her first recollection; yet, Gracie was always with her, and she learned to fly with Gracie earlier than her brothers.

Gracie let out yet another cry before she turned around and settled down on the ground so that her wings and body could rest. Kiri turned back and looked to see what was happening in the camp. In the center of the cave, she could see human and Na'vi workers picking through containers labeled "RDA," which contained recently stolen commodities such as guns, supplies, medicine, and valuable human technology.