One of the people [ Jake Sully x Reader ]

-* Small skxawng *-

Chapter 3

Zìr'iawat was not happy. She hissed and grumbled as she dragged me up the winding wooden helix stairs in the centre of the large tree, I continuously stubbed my toes as I was dragged higher and higher, and I would occasionally catch words like "stupid weak baby thing" and "never be one of the people" hissed my way in anger, Jake, however, was nowhere to be seen and had disappeared swiftly after the dismissal, perhaps he thought Zìr'iawat was scary too. After a while of climbing the stairs, my poor toes could no longer handle the abuse, Zìr'iawat dragged me to a wooden archway carved from within the tree itself that was softly lit by the gentle glowing bulbous plants littered above the archway. " be no loud" she hissed softly at me and grabbed my bruised upper arm as she dragged me through the archway. The intricately woven hammocks that I had spied earlier were securely tied to the rough branches of the tree in varying heights and widths, as Zìr'iawat dragged me past them I could faintly make out the lumpy forms of Na'vi sleeping in them, the sounds of their gentle breaths were carried away by the soft breeze. I was pulled to a stop in front of two empty hammocks, I glanced in worry at Zìr'iawat who only looked pleased with my obvious distress, I could easily fall out of the hammock in my sleep and fall to my death.

"In" Zìr'iawat gestured to the first empty hammock, I slowly turned to her and then turned my gaze to the hammock

"Uuuuhm, what if I fall and you know..die?" I asked quietly wrapping my arms around myself and taking a step back from the hammock. I really did not want to wake up and find myself transformed into a pile of blue mush in the morning.

"You no fall from snonivi, impossible" she muttered as she gestured towards the... snonivi

Zìr'iawat just huffed in frustration and grabbed my arm pulling me towards the snonivi, she pulled both sides of it wider and gestured with her eyes for me to get in. Not wanting to test her patience, I cautiously placed one foot into the snonivi biting my lip and looking away in irrational fear as it wobbled under me, the decorative beads clinking together as I distributed my weight, I slowly lowered my body into the hammock as Zìr'iawat's tail thrashed in impatience, once I was lying awkwardly in the hammock she closed the sides above my head securing one side to the other, as she gracefully hopped into her hammock I could only faintly catch strings of her angry mutterings.

"Cannot even get into snonivi" "Scared of slipping out, I hope for" she hissed as she closed and secured her own.

"Night Zìr'iawat, thanks for everything today" I whispered to the woman in the hammock next to me, a quiet hiss was the only reply I got. I sighed rolling over, the snonivi was incredibly comfortable the soft woven mat below me seemed to radiate warmth, it was like being wrapped in one big relaxing hug gently rocking with the wind. I closed my eyes feeling my heartbeat fall into a soft rhythm and my mind faded into a serene nothingness.

Perhaps it was being among so many people, or maybe even the energy buzzing through the large tree itself, but my dreams that night were beyond strange. They were vivid with fragrant smells and deep sounds that seem to resonate through the planet's crust itself, thousands of hands passed over my skin as melodic voices chanted, images flashed before my eyes, a throaty voice speaking to me gently in Na'vi. My skin flushed from hot to cold then hot again as the voices rose and dropped, grew close and retreated further. It was sudden, a change in scenery, the voices faded and I was left alone in silence. I was standing in a patch of grass, nothing but endless black further than my feet, it was warm and welcoming, I did not feel threatened. Hundreds of voices spoke as one, chanting and singing, louder and louder until-

A sharp kick to my back sent me jerking awake, I hissed and turned around to see my attacker, Zìr'iawat standing and looking at me in mild annoyance, she threw a decorative thick leather strap and serrated hunting knife at my feet. As I wrapped the leather strap around my leg fastening the hunting knife I peered around, the sun had yet to rise and the three moons were still in various stages of slowly dipping behind the horizon.