MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

F I V E

Days passed since last incident:: 6

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Tsu'tey lead me to a smaller tree. But, I got sidetracked. It seemed like one was calling my name. He grabbed my hand. I blushed a light shade of purple and Tsu'tey called me a moron.

"Scoun," Tsu'tey mumbled. He lead me to a smaller, seeding one. The seeds were just as glowing.

"Tsu'tey," I said. "These are the seeds of the trees of voices."

"We have tried everything we can to regrow them, but they do not grow. They do not seed but every twenty years. I have only seen it twice, now and when I was very young. We need these trees, they hold the voices of my- every Na'vi ancestor."

I grabbed one seed and handled it carefully. I pushed it into my pocket and soundlessly let a tear fall. I picked more, about seventeen or eighteen. I looked at the ground around me.

"Have you tried planting them in these conditions," I asked, watching his eyes widen. For a moment, a hopeful smile graced his usual stoney face. He chuckled, but put it away when he caught me watching.

"Let us tell Mo'at," Tsu'tey said, his attitude bouncing. He went to grab onto Txur's antennae, but he snapped at him. He looked back at me. I walked up to him, and he bowed to let me on easier. He stared at me sternly. I giggled. He looked at me questionably when I suddenly made the halo and left him to follow me.

Back At the Shack, about month later.

Grace and Norm were teaching Jake again. He says the days blur together. I am waiting for them to become solely in my Avatar. I do not like this skyperson form. Jake and I agree that we'd give anything to be in our Avatar bodies forever. I, however, unlike him, tell my logs fake things. He tells them everything, I do not.

No one ever explains to you that it gets harder and harder every day to learn a new way of life. The food is different. The dances and music are cool, though. Tsu'tey is trying to teach me how to dance, but my normal people clothes restrict a lot of movement.

He keeps on trying to teach me about the Ikran, but I'd rather ride on Txur, no destination, just a ride. So, on my off days, I do. Jake keeps telling me in secret how he doubts that they'll move. It worries him greatly, and me too. I keep on and keep on pressuring him to tell them. I warn him the closer he gets the worse it'll be. Selfridge most likely won't try to force them, and Quaritch hasn't made a move on them, according to Jake.

I don't want these people to die. They're amazing people, the Na'vi. They have adorable babies too. An older mother actually came to me yesterday and wanted to teach me about the children. I said I would tomorrow.

The days with Tsu'tey blend more than I think. He lets me into things he tells me he keeps secret, his feelings. And in return, I let him into mine. How I feel. How my life is falling to shambles in my skyperson body. He teaches me everything. I am getting my Ikran soon he tells me. Mo'at has said no clean kill is necessary since I am regrowing their forests. I feel like it's unfair a bit, but I listen with no back-talk. I learned from watching Neytiri, that Tsahik likes to smack people who talk back.

He says he thinks he understands. I don't think he does. Either way, I feel so close to him. It didn't take me long to realize I had feelings for him. One day, we were talking. Tsu'tey began the conversation, which I felt ended sourly.

"Who have you taken interest in, since you'll be getting your ikran, like Jake, and become part of us soon."

His eyes looked uncertain for a moment. I looked at him with a hard blush. My mind raced at the thought.

"Oh, uuh, I don't know. There are... Many fine hunters. I-"

Suddenly, a young hunter, one that'd been following me around, stepped out. Tsu'tey grumbled and began talking to him. I watched from my small garden bed.

"Tsu'tey, Tsahik requests your service," he said, but I knew he was lying. Neytiri would be here if Mo'at really did.

"I saw where that conversation would've went," the hunter says, as soon as Tsu'tey is gone. "Many women do not trust males with their choices. Many jealous men will kill other men for the woman's hand in mating. I am Ta'al, by the way."

"Iris," I say, nodding. "Thank you for warning me, but he is promised to Neytiri, and she to him, why would he be interested in me? I am but the botanist."

"No, you are more. You are creative. You are beautiful. You have a large heart, and an even larger brain. You can regrow the trees that connect us to our ancestors, and that alone is amazing. You mean so much to everyone here. Mo'at is talking about disowning Neytiri and throwing you in her place. That technically means..."

"Oh heck no, not in a million moons. She would never let me mate him, nev-"

"I'm joking Irisreaver, please don't become angry," Ta'al said, chuckling.

"You lied to me," Tsu'tey claims, causing Ta'al to bounce from his spot. Tsu'tey, following him until the edge of the small clearing, yelled noises of warning. Ta'al yelled back in daring tones and noises. I chuckled.

"What," Tsu'tey asks, clearly shaken.

"Nothing, just rumors," I say, standing. He watched me stretch. By now, my clothes are worn and pulled out by the stitching. I groan and attempt to pull it down. I still refuse to change.

He knows it too. He looks away, mumbling under his breath. The long stream of weird thoughts follow him as I do. I chuckle and he takes off running.

I race after him. The days spent with Tsu'tey have taught me that he likes to have competitions. He will leave you and dash off. It is like his way of testing you. I live for the runs through the trees, or days spent growing the trees of souls, teaching him how to once he's Olo'Eytukan.

He leads me deeper into hometree, up the spiral, to where Jake and Neytiri usually hang out. I spotted them, and turned to say hello, when Tsu'tey grabbed my arm. But we both stopped to see them flirting. Tsu'tey went to rush at them, but I grabbed his arm. Shaking my head no, we kept watching. It turned out, that Neytiri was scolding him by twisting his skin, like a Na'vi edition of an Indian burn.

Tsu'tey grabbed my forearm and began up the spiral and branches again. His hand let slack against my arm and trailed down to my hand. He dragged me up, to the leafier parts of the tree.

He led me onto a surprisingly large and high up branch. My sudden fear of heights kicked in. I dropped to my knees on the branch. Tsu'tey stopped.

"Iris," Tsu'tey questioned. "What is the problem?"

"I-I have an im-im-immense fear of heights. I c-can't stand being in an airplane, but this, ooooooh no."

I shook now, so hard, that Tsu'tey had to steady me. He went to lift me up, much stronger than me. I latched onto his chest. He grabbed me and walked me forward. I was scared. He knew it.

"Ai ai," Tsu'tey called out, waiting. His calls were being met by the flapping of wings. I looked to see an ikran. It flew and landed in front of us.

"Do not look in his eyes," Tsu'tey says in my ear. "Calm yourself, boy." Tsu'tey speaks to the animal as if it was a very special friend. Then again, it probably was. He reached my hand out to touch it. I pulled it away. I was not gonna touch that thing.

He lifted my hand again. His fingers intertwined mine. Our hands rested peacefully on its head. He removed his hand and stepped away from me. I opened my eyes to see Tsu'tey hopping onto its back. I patted the ikran's head before stepping away. Tsu'tey gave me this smug smirk before letting out a call. Then, he took off. And I laughed. It was magnificent. His ikran was so beautiful.

Like the purple and blue part of an ocean, mixing, right before it turned pitch black. Like looking into a swirling whirlpool. It was so.... Beautiful.

I had never seen anything so pretty. . .