ꎇ꒒ꌩꀤꈤꁅ ꅏꀤ꓄ꃅ ꓄ꃅꍟ ꂦꂵꍏ꓄ꀤꀘꍏꌩꍏ (ꍏꃴꍏ꓄ꍏꋪ ꊼ ꂦꉓꌗ)

\\ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟠//

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

~𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭... 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥,~ Eytukan waved a hand, settling the matter.

Neytiri nods, accepting. She grabs Jake's arm and pulls him roughly away while Ke'Kaya stands frozen in her spot, glaring at the ground as her tail flicks and her ears fall low. Tsu'Tey stepped towards her, placing his hand on her upper arms and whispering something in her ear. Nate watched his lips move as he tried to figure out what he was saying. Tsu'Tey pulled his head back slightly, casting his gaze on Nate while Ke'Kaya also raised her eyes to scowl at the Avatar. Nate swallowed hard before looking between the Ol'oeyktan and Tsahik as they too looked over their daughter. Mo'at turned to her youngest.

~𝘒𝘦'𝘒𝘦...~ She called out.

With another whip of her tail, Ke'Kaya turned her gaze to look at her mother, eyes sharp as she turned them back to Nate. Inch by inch, Ke'Kaya turned her slim, bluish-gray body toward the Avatar, her unblinking eyes staring dead into his. Nate clenched his fists while he waited, he wasn't sure how he felt being examined like a gazelle a jaguar was about to pounce on. She stared him down, looking over his face and down his body at his cuts and bruises and wet ripped clothing. She clenched her jaw, flicked her head, and turned to walk the way her sister and Jake disappeared. Nate looked between the Tsahik and Olo'eyktan for a second, seeing their eyes watch him in an almost threatening manner. He swallowed, bowing his head for a second before running after Ke'Kaya.

Later that night, Neytiri and Ke'Kaya lead Jake and Nate up the spiral to the second level. The two Avatars now wore only a leathery loincloth. Their wounds are bound with plant-fiber bandages. The entire Clan is squatting at dinner in a huge circle around the cooking fires. They stop talking and turn to gaze at Jake and Nate as they enter the area.

"God this is terrifying," Nate muttered to himself as he and Jake looked over all the sharp blue faces gazing at them.

Jake followed Neytiri to a small opening in the circle, sitting while she walked toward the fire pit to grab food. Ke'Kaya did the same, leading Nate to another small space between the people before heading in toward the cooking pit to grab food for herself and Nate. Returning and placing the large food-filled leaves in front of them, while settling herself in a squat next to Nate.

"Incredible..." Nate mussed as he looked over the clan, all eating, singing, and talking as one.

Ke'Kaya turned to look at the dreamwalker as she bit into a large squishy white root, not saying anything.

Nate, feeling her eyes, turns him toward her.

"Oh uh, sorry, I was just, admiring everything," Nate chuckled awkwardly, picking up some orange-looking stems on his leaf and carefully chewing on them.

"Who ar' you?" Ke'Kaya asked, her English voice thick with an accent.

"I'm Nate Shaw, I'm a ~"

"Why ar' you here?" Ke'Kaya interrupted Nate, her eyes lidded in judgment.

"Well like Jake said we're hear to learn about you and your clan and your world~"

"Then why every time you come my people die?" Ke'Kaya accused Nate, her voice hard.

Nate blinked, taken aback. He watched the shadows of the pitfire dance on the young Na'vi girl's blue skin, her hair swaying softly as she glared at him.

"Look I know your previous relations with us haven't been the best," Nate began, and Ke'Kaya pulled her lips tight, flicking her head forward to glare at the fire as she listened.

"But we... I am not here to hurt you or lie to you, or any of that~" Nate was cut off when Ke'Kaya jolted to her feet, turning and walking away from the dining area and up the spiral.

Nate watched her storm off before looking forward and seeing Jake and Neytiri watching. Neytiri quickly rose to her feet and chased after her sister. Jogging up the spiral Neytiri searched around for her sister, hearing the rustle of leaves.

~𝘒𝘦'𝘒𝘦,~ She called out, ascending to the final level of Hometree and seeing her sister standing tightening the saddle on her ikran.

~𝘚𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳... 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘺,~ Neytiri walked up behind Ke'Kaya slowly.

~𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵... 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯... 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦... 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥... 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨...~ Ke'Kaya choked, her forehead falling to lay against her Ikran's neck.

Neytiri sighed, walking up to her sister and placing her hand on her shoulder. Ke'Kaya turned around quickly, wrapping her arms around Neytiri and crying. Neytiri hugged her sibling, feeling as Ke'Kays's Ikran stepped forward and placed her head over both Na'vi, tilting it slightly as she joined the hug. Once calm, Neytiri walked Ke'Kaya walked back towards the dining level, watching as the clan filtered out to head to bed. Ke'Kaya hugged herself as she and Neytiri waited for the two Avatars. Nate and Jake were talking before Jake noticed the sisters, and motioned for Nate to look over. Nate, turning to gaze at the two young hunters found his chest hurt suddenly at the sight of Ke'Kaya, but Neytiri motioned for them to follow, and then lead them up to the level where all the hammocks hung. Ke'Kaya was the first to jump down, lowering herself gracefully and pulling the weaved bed shut, keeping her back turned to the others.

Neytiri pulled her eyes away from her sister and cast them at the two Avatar before skipping ahead slightly and hopping up onto one of the thick branches the single hammocks were suspended from. Jake and Nate follow suit, with Jake struggling but managing to slide into the hammock on Neytiri's right, Nate settling in on Ke'Kaya's left. Jake lies awake in a hammock, people rustling in the darkness around him. Neytiri is nearby, curled up like a little girl. She stares at him for a moment, then turns away and closes her eyes. Nate watches the glowing bugs fluttering inside a night- light, a pulse of life energy. A strange peace spreads through him. He closes his eyes and in seconds he is lying in his link with a blinding light going from one eye to the other.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───