17Pandora: A Different Time
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the terms and subjects in the Avatar world, all rights go to James Cameron (The Genius). This is my first Fanfiction ever so bear with me. A big shout out to Kateofallpeople for helping me with the grammer, spelling and random sentences I couldnt find homes for :D
Italicised words indicate characters speaking in Na'vi or onomatopoeia
Chapter Two
Anna listened with one ear as Grace and Norman crouched by the roots of a tree, the soft beeping of the scanner filled the somewhat silent forest. The colours assailed her amber eyes as she walked further away from them, her tail swishing to and fro, gently knocking into the plants.
Shwoop!
Anna giggled as a large spiral plant called a Helicoradium Spirale sucked into itself so quickly Anna barely saw it happen.
"Loreyu." Anna whispered, practicing her Na'vi. In the twelve months she had been on Pandora, she had made it her mission to master the language. If she could speak their tongue, maybe she could befriend them. With that thought in mind, Anna began tapping the remaining loreyu, marvelling at the speed of their retraction.
"Bop, bop." She giggled, incorporating her tail with her dancing motions as she hopped from one foot to the other. So consumed was she in her play that she didn't notice the soft grunting of a creature not too far from her. Anna found a tree bearing large purple fruit which she knew to be safe. Picking from it, she bit into the supple flesh, shivering as cool juice ran down her throat. The animal growled again and this time Anna heard it. Her ear pricked towards the direction of the sound and she dropped the fruit as the full size of the animal came into her eye line. A Hammerhead Titanothere stood with its head lowered, the wide expanse of bone on either side of its skull smacked against the bark of a nearby tree. Anna's eyes widened as he pawed the ground. Its purple rigid crest blocked out the streams of light as it snorted.
"Anna, do not move." Grace said through the communication link around her throat. Looking over at the two Avatars, Anna gave a small encouraging smile. They looked so much like their human selves it was amazing, she realised that Norman was quite attractive as a blue, ten foot tall alien. The Hammerhead drew back her attention as he smashed his head against another tree.
"It's trying to show you that this is his territory." Norman spoke, his voice audibly shaking.
"Well, I don't want it." Anna replied eyeing the animal's movements.
"Yeah, it's a bummer he doesn't understand English." Grace quipped. Anna would have laughed, but the Hammerhead took her slight hesitation as an invitation to stampede towards her. Praying under her breath, Anna ran full force towards it.
"You think you can handle this!" Anna yelled waving her arms erratically. The Hammerhead snorted as if to say 'no' and turned returning to his herd.
"Boo!" She shouted even louder, the Hammerhead ushered his family away from the crazed female.
"How was that?" Anna said into the throat mike. There was silence. "Guys?" She whispered, looking to where they were standing. On their faces was a frozen look of fear, and slowly she turned to what had caught their attention.
"Palulukan." Anna whispered knowing that this was not a territorial act, the thanator was hungry. Anna ran as fast she could in the opposite direction of the Samson that had dropped them off in the forest, far from Grace and Norman she wouldn't endanger them.
"Anna!" She heard through the throat mike. Cursing, she ripped it from her throat. Norman's hysterics would only enrage the thanator.
Anna stumbled as her left foot caught the undone shoelace of her other foot. Quickly she discarded them- as well as her socks- throwing them far away from her. Hopefully the thanator would be deceived by the scent of her smelly boots. The forests twigs and leaves bit into her feet, but fear eradicated all discomfort, even when a throne-like vine slashed her face, leaving a faint trickle of blood. Anna rubbed her finger against the cut, but she didn't slow down. The roar of the thanator was so loud Anna swore she could feel its breath on her neck and didn't dare slow down. Hearing the sound of a waterfall, Anna clambered up a tree, trunk hoping that thanators didn't know how to climb.
Anna was grateful for her father's enthusiasm with turning her into a mini-Miles. Most girls spent their weekeds at the mall while she was doing assulat courses. Anna found just how incapable she was climbing in the Avatar, and many times she caught her long queue, housing her Avatar's neural tendrils, beneath her hands.
"Ouch." She hissed slipping a few inches down the tree. The six legged creature reminded her of holo-images of the now extinct panther. The thanator had dark skin with stripes of purple, its sensory quills fanned out about its head. Reaching near the top of the tree, Anna sat on a thick branch, hugging the trunk with all her might. For a few moments there was nothing but quiet and the occasional growl of the circling thanator. Her fingers sought the soothing comfort of her mother's locket. Melissa had worn it at all times up until her death. As her mother's breathing became rattled, her coughing laced with blood, Melissa had given it to her daughter before falling into a coma. Anna sniffed, thinking about how rapidly her mother had fallen ill and then subsequently died. Holding the locket gave Anna inner strength, and she promised her mother that she wouldn't die like this.
Anna peered down, puzzled at the thanators sudden absence. A large object hit the side of the tree, almost throwing Anna off and into the air. The thanator was tearing away at the base of the tree, ripping away at the bark. Oh shit, Anna thought as the tree began to sway erratically. Clambering even further up the trunk, she reached for a branch and pulled herself up into the foliage. The tree continued to sway but leaned further to the left, towards the thundering waterfall. Bracing herself for the impact, Anna wrapped her entire body around the branch so that she was riding it. She watched in dazed silence as the mighty tree fell further and further, smashing into the ground of the other side of the river. Anna trembled but didn't have time to sit and wait to catch her bearings, she ran quickly through the standing branches that stood like saplings. The tree shuddered as the thanator gave an almighty roar and ran towards her. There was a sudden ominous creaking, and Anna screamed as she began to run at an angle. Looking back quickly over her shoulder, she realised that the thanator was in the middle of the tree, its weight breaking the tree in half. Taking a deep breath, Anna sped up, but as she neared the opposite side the tree gave way. There was a good six feet between her and the other side.
"Mom, help me." She whispered leaping into the air. She was going to die. She could see it now-splattered on the ground below, supplying the thanator with an Avatar milkshake. Once her Avatar body died, she would have to move around Pandora in an exo-mask. That would not happen, she loved her new body. Loved the tail that she could use to swish with just a thought. She loved the beauty of her cyan skin, with the darker stripes and the illuminate spots. Even more she loved the fact that she could connect with nature with the simple touch of her queue. No dumbass wild cat wannabe was going to keep her from her dream.
Norman smashed his large fist into the metal hull of the Samson, wincing as his hand came back bloody. They had swept the skies looking everywhere for Anna, but to no avail. Trudy spoke through the communication link.
"Got to head back guys, colonel's orders." Norman hissed, an animalistic trait that he found sufficient in getting his feelings across.
"Anna is out there somewhere, alone, what if she's killed!" Norman yelled.
"It was his idea. Do you think Quaritch cares if her Avatar body gets damaged?" A previously silent Grace said from the back seat.
"But depending on her…the Avatar's death, the shock could kill her." Norman said his eyes scanning the canopy of the trees.
"Do you want to be the one to tell him that?" Grace asked, settling back into her seat her mind racing with the thought that Anna's Avatar wouldn't survive the night.
Ngay'swizav sat hunched on the thick branch of utral utu mauti. Beneath the pads of his feet, light glowed. Reaching down, he picked its fallen fruit, putting it in his pouch. Fruit from the utral utu mauti was rare and he had been lucky to find this one lying on the branch when he had climbed up. Ngay'swizav had been separated from the rest of the hunters and though he could call Tsyal, his ikran, Ngay'swizav found comfort in solitude. The soft breeze played with the beads at the end of his plaits and he enjoyed the sound for a while, humming to a tune that brought him solace.
Ngay'swizav was of the Omatikaya. He knew his abilities and felt no qualms in knowing that he was one of the best warriors in his clan. He had been the one to lead the hunting party, and it was he who had led them to the talioang. But they were all seasoned warriors and had proved themselves by undergoing Uniltaron and scaling Iknimaya. Now he had found the rare fruit utu mauti and he would show it to his people. Ngay'swizav chuckled to himself at the thought, he was far too vain.
"Txon." Ngay'swizav turned as he heard the soft voice and tiny footsteps of someone below on the forest floor. Curiosity won out to indifference, and Ngay'swizav climbed down the trunk, silently his large eyes following the intruder.
"Tanhi." Came the voice in soft dulcet tones. Fully intrigued by the being in the forest, it wore the clothes of the uniltìrantokx –'dreamwalker'- a stained top and shorts similar to that of Toktor Augustine, who had once taught him and many others English.
Ngay'swizav snarled at the abomination that this creature represented. Ngay'swizav stood up in the tree and drew his bow and arrow, his form steady, aiming at its head. Before he could release it, the uniltìrantokx turned. Ngay'swizav stood silently watching as dozens of atrokirina danced in the air settling upon the head of the uniltìrantokx. The sacred seed of the great tree danced upon her skin and the female laughed, her eyes becoming amber crescents. Her fangs shone against the natural light of the plants as the spots on her face and body glowed.
"Atrokirina." They said in unison as more coated her body.
Ngay'swizav sheathed his arrow, putting the bow onto his back. The female was beyond beautiful in terms of the Na'vi. Her hair was longer than the females he knew and ran down to her hips in endearing disarray. She spoke Na'vi as so though she had lived as one all her life, her fingers touching and stroking the plants as though they were small children in the hands of their mother, or lover. Ngay'swizav growled as the thought took hold of his mind like an incessant nantang. He grew hard at the thought of her soft lips caressing his or even…NO! This was a dreamwalker, not a true Na'vi. Eywa had blessed the creature with her favour and so he would leave her, whether another being took pity on her was not his concern.
...
Anna crept through the masses of brushes, watching in awe as the night was filled with the bioluminescence every Pandoran plant and animal had. These features shone brightly as the sky grew darker.
"Penghrapp." Anna said playing with the silky fringes of the bulbous leaves, its bright light brightening her fingertips. Anna sighed as the forest called out to her, when she could see the stars in the sky, she knew that she was far from Earth. The mass industralization of her home planet meant that the sky was always illuminated by artificial lighting from the buildings and homes. She had never seen stars before until she had arrived on Pandora, and they were beautiful.
"Sevin." Anna laughed her breath catching as she saw a wave of white, glowing seeds raining from the sky. They danced like jellyfish, their cilia kissing the air as they rested all along her body. From reading Grace's books she knew that these seeds were sacred to the Na'vi, a sign from Eywa.
"Hello, beautiful." Anna whispered as one landed on the tip of her nose. With childish delight she blew against it, watching as it spiralled a few inches away from her before landing back on her nose.
"Atrokirina." She said as they flew up and away from her, defying gravity as they went up. A rustle in the bushes drew Anna away from the spectacular sight of miniature angels. Through the dark shone dozens of emerald eyes shone and a snarl ripped the blissful silence of the night.
Anna's fingers brushed against the hilt of the dagger her father had given her on her sixteenth birthday. She was reluctant to use it but as the growls grew louder and more hostile Anna realised that she may not have a choice. Crouching, she waited, watching as they slinked over the vegetation leaving her no room for escape. The first launched itself at her. Its fangs mere inches from her face. Anna grabbed it by the throat and flung it back towards the pack. In the time taken to catch her breath, two more sprung. Using her fists she batted them, moving backwards until her back hit the base of a tall plant. Their circling grew tighter as more of the viperwolves grew in confidence.
Anna unsheathed the blade, flipping it so she was holding the blade, using the blunt end of the handle to smash into their snarling face. It's six legs twitched and it fell into unconsciousness, the bio-luminous spots dimming somewhat but not completely. Anna was relieved, she didn't want to kill them unless she had to. Her wishes were smothered when one snapped at her ankle missing her by millimetres. Anna slashed it across the face just as its brethren attacked her from the side. Overpowered by the full use of its weight, Anna rolled back, using her feet to hold the rest of its berth away. Though she was stronger in her Avatar than as a human, the viperwolf was very heavy, as it snarled its breath caused her nose to wrinkle in protest.
A loud thwack caused the other viperwolves to pause in their attempt to kill her, and the one she was keeping at bay stopped thrashing against her, its eyes rolling in the back of its head. Pushing it off her body Anna scrambled back watching in awe as a giant of man flew through the sky landing in a crouch. He drove the remaining viperwolves away, his skill with his bow and arrow impressive.
Taking her eyes of her saviour for a moment, she heard the laboured breathing of a smaller viperwolf, laying on its side as it tried to rip out the arrow. Hurrying towards it, she pulled the arrow out and began talking to it.
"There, there it's ok. Know that through your death you feed the land." Anna said thrusting her blade into its heart killing it instantly.
Wiping the blood from her hands, Anna felt the sensation of being watched and turned to the male Na'vi. As he stood from his kill bright spots illuminated against his skin, and his stripes were almost black. Intricate braids with colourful beads brushed his shoulders. They rattled when he pulled out the arrow, flicking it harshly so that droplets of blood sprayed the floor. He was handsome, she could see it as an Avatar and as a human. His eyes were large and golden green, his cheekbones were high with a numerous piercings on his left ear. Extravagant jewellery hung from his long neck, caressing his muscled chest and a loincloth was tied at his tapered waist. It was filled nicely and Anna couldn't help but put lick her lips, short puffs of breath cooling the wet trail her tongue left behind. Without a backwards glance the male disappeared into the thick forest.
"Wait!" Anna called, running after him. His ears pricked towards her but he continued walking, his pace increasing. Anna swore as she slid on some moss, touching down on log bridges. Up ahead a large tree branched out towards the sky, embracing it with magnificent arms.
"Kai ne'im." He said, yelling "go back". Anna paused, wondering what she had done to make him so angry. Pulling back his lips, he hissed. Instead of fearing him Anna was strangely aroused and laughed. The Na'vi cocked his head in confusion which only made Anna laugh louder. With a snarl the Na'vi turned and kept running. Anna wiped her eyes quickly before giving chase. The Na'vi disappeared behind a trunk that shot through the natural bridges.
Anna came to a stop and looked around. He was nowhere to be found. Anna looked over the side of the trunk and almost wish she hadn't, she didn't know they had been that far above the ground. Gulping , she leaned against the tree, her ears twitching when she heard a rustle. Looking up, she saw the gentle sweeping of a tufted tail. She batted it with her hand then began pulling at it. The tail was pulled quickly from her grasp, and Anna climbed up the tree following the faint steps of the Na'vi. He was purposely making sound for her to hear- she was under the pretence that if he wanted to travel silently, he would.
"Please." Anna called when she reached halfway and realised she had lost him. Fighting back tears, Anna smiled and slid back down the trunk, to her surprise she found him waiting impatiently at the bottom of the tree.
"So you wish to follow?" He said. Anna hid a smile at the resonate baritone of his accented English.
"I have nowhere to go." Anna pouted, marvelling as his pupils dilated and stayed transfixed on her bottom lip. Anna smiled breaking the spell.
"You want to learn?" He asked puzzled. Anna nodded earnestly, following him as he carried on walking. As they did so hundreds of atrokirina danced around them. The Na'vi stopped suddenly, causing Anna to slip on the soft trunk. A firm hand grabbed her arm and held her as she dangled over the edge of the bridge.
"Eltu si." He said, which roughly translated to 'quit goofing'. Anna scowled snatching her bruised arm away after he had pulled her up.
"I'm not goofing, I slipped. The seeds keep following me." She said, pointing to the swarm that now littered her hair and shoulders. It tickled but Anna tried not to move, the Na'vi was taking a keen interest, his eyes widening with wonder.
"Eywa." He whispered in reverence. His eyes quickly snapped to hers and his perpetual expression of irritation returned. Anna wondered what side of the bed he had rolled out of to make him so grumpy.
"Ngay'swizav." He said pointing to his chest.
"Anna." She said pointing to her chest. Ngay'swizav huffed as though he hadn't wanted to know her name, which Anna found quite rude but she bit her tongue. Ngay'swizav was on the move again, and he wasn't being considerate.
Ngay'swizav looked over his shoulder again, making sure the dreamwalker was keeping up. It was clear to see that she was exhausted, though she kept smiling manically whenever he looked back. His ears had never heard so much grunting and harsh sounds than the ones coming from the dreamwalker, and he almost smiled at her determination. Not once had she asked him to slow down or to catch her breath, even though he was certain she had never exerted herself to this extent. A loud rumble sounded from behind him and he stopped as the dreamwalker hung her head bashfully.
"I haven't eaten." She explained. Ngay'swizav scowled realising there was no food between here and Kelutral. The pouch with the utu mauti increased in weight as if telling him to give it to the dreamwalker. Fruit from the utral utu mauti was so rare Ngay'swizav could hardly remember when he had last tasted it and to give it to this uniltìrantokx made his blood boil.
"Let's keep going." The dreamwalker said, pushing at his chest. The contact required a friendship between them, but this female flaunted all rules and continued touching him. The words were on the tip of his tongue to scold her but he couldn't get them to leave his mouth, the touch felt good against his rising chest.
Taking a step back, he reached into his satchel and handed her the fruit. With great strength he ignored the wide eyed wonder of the dreamwalker as she bit into his find. At first his look was one of resentment and jealousy, but as juice began to run down her throat Ngay'swizav gaze turned heated.
"Irayo." The dreamwalker said speaking in Na'vi. Ngay'swizav couldn't help but smile. The dreamwalker smiled back as though she had achieved something great. His smile quickly turned to confusion as the low whistle of a bola flew into the air, wrapping themselves around the dainty feet of the dreamwalker.
"Anna!" He yelled, falling to the ground trying to grab hold of her hands. For a moment their fingers touched, and Ngay'swizav marvelled at her five digits against his four before she was lost to the darkness.
All comments are gladly welcomed, be they good, bad, or dont right ugly. (Going through a Clint Eastwood faze at the mo') :S
Na'vi translation.
Loreyu- Helicoradium Spirale
utral utu mauti- Tree from which the rare utu mauti fruits.
Utu mauti- Banana fruit
Ikran- Mountain banshee
Omatikaya- Blue Flute Tribe, main tribe in the story.
Uniltaron- Dream Hunt
Iknimaya- Hallelujah Mountains
Txon- Night
Tanhi- Star
Penghrapp- Type of plant
Sevin- Pretty
Talioang- Strumbeest
Nantang- Viperwolf
Kai ne'im- Go back
Eywa- World spirit, guiding force and deity
Kelutral- Hometree
Irayo- Thank you
Eltu si- quite goofing
Atrokirina – seeds from the great tree. Viewed as wood sprites by the Na'vi