A New Mission: Ash to Fire

Fire, Prelude

It was three days until Miles' official ascension ceremony. To Miles' surprise, Ka'uwe had not asked him what he wanted his Olo'eyktan garb to look like. She had not even mentioned it, but he assumed she was preparing something with the village craftspeople. He didn't really care either way, Miles not being one to be concerned with style, but the silence was intriguing. Hopefully it would at least match the gemmed accessories he had, his armband, belt, and ruby necklace. The village was also starting to really fill up with visiting members of the outlying Ash clans.

The warriors who gathered for war were but a fraction of the Txepìvayo's total people. All Ash People together, non-warriors, families and children, and the elderly, given how many people's clans were currently gathered, he inferred that there would be around two thousand when all arrived. Certainly not a small group of people to manage as their leader.

Miles woke up in the early morning in his and Zu's bed. A lightness about him. Content. Happy. He quietly shifted to brace up on his hand, his elbow bent, and he looked at Zu sleeping in front of him on her back, her head turned to the side, one arm raised above her head, the other resting over her waist. She was drooling and in a deep sleep. He gave an amused little grin in watching her for a moment.

He then gently leaned in to kiss her on the forehead, careful not to wake her. She stirred a bit, moving her hand from atop her head to join the one lying over her waist. Miles then very quietly got out of the bed, put on his sarong and headed outside their home, but not before grabbing two packets of powdered coffee, two metal mugs, and a water tin from the main room of their wall-carved home.

The canyon was still shaded, cool air flowing through it. It was a perfect morning. Miles walked a few yards to the village spring to fill his water tin, then went back to the front of their home and lit a small fire at the hearth to heat the water. Miles rested on the bench, yawned, and rubbed his hand through his hair which was really starting to grow in. Hmmm, gotta do something about this, he thought to himself.

Miles was never going to be one to embrace the long hair lifestyle that most male Na'vi do. No way. He'd be happy with longer than a buzzed fade, sure, but he figured some type of fade with length at the top could be a good look for him. Zu liked his hair a bit longer, he knew that.

When the water was done boiling, he took the tin and poured the water into the two mugs, then took the packets of powdered coffee and poured them in. Miles realized he forgot a stirrer. Ugh. But he was headed back inside anyway. He kicked dirt into the fire, left the tin, and carried the two mugs back inside his home to Zu's room. When he got inside, he found a little wooden spoon to stir the coffee. He placed a mug on a small table by Zu's bed, then sat on a floor cushion and started sipping. He was smiling as he did, his tail curling contently, looking at his wife.

Zu, awakened by the smell of the coffee, opened her orange eyes and rolled over, catching Miles looking at her from the floor. They both smiled sweetly at one another. Miles reached for her coffee and handed it to her from the floor, Zu giving him a look of thanks as she leaned up and grabbed the mug.

"You will run out of this bitter drink soon, My-ulls. Do you not want to preserve it?" Zu asked while taking a sip.

Miles pulled his lips and sighed. "All the better reason to enjoy it."

Zu grinned.

"So you gonna put on some clothes, princess?"

Zu just cheekily teased, "Mayyybe."

She then took a deep breath and Miles noticed her shoulders drop a bit. But they were still high. Tense. He didn't know why. She then turned her head and stared out in the room, seemingly not looking at anything.