To survive the wild (HobbitxAvatar)

Chapter One: The Hunt

Third p.o.v.

She was flying, a young Na'vi warrior and hunter, gliding through the sky on the back of her ikran, over the forest that went on for as long as the eye could see, the pieces of debris still visible from the war five years ago. Her skin glistened in the warm glow of the sun, wrapping around her body and keeping the cold at bay. Her hair was braided, pulled back from her face, the thick strands tightly secured at the base of her neck, the wind whipping around her. Her tail and tswin trailing behind her as she flew.

She was determined to prove herself, not wanting to fail her people. A frown pulled at her brow, an ugly feeling settling in the pit of her stomach, and the thought of such a failure unnerved her.

She gazed with sharp eyes upon the land below, looking for an animal that could be taken back to their new Hometree. She flew over the forest swiftly, and silently, waiting for movement to catch her eye. She had to prove to her clan that she was capable of providing for them, to help rebuild the life that they once had. Otherwise, what was the point? They had lost many of their family to the sky people.

Five years previous there had been a war, a war between the sky people and the Na'vi. There had been many great losses and the people of the Omatikaya clan were still grieving their loved ones and the home that they had lost. But, life must go on and many of the children filled in the missing roles as they grew. It saddened her that the sky people had destroyed so many lives, taking and taking, never giving back to the planet that sustained them, and then they set their sights on their world, all for a rock.

The young warrior remembered the Hometree, the giant spiralling trunk that stretched far into the sky and the large branches that provided cover and shelter from the harsh storms that sometimes weathered their lands. That tree housed hundreds of lives, not just the Na'vi but the ikran and other such creatures. Large vines hung from the top most branches, sweeping through the air and travelling down the tree, creating natural beds that protected their bodies as they slept. A majority of the bark was covered with moss that clung to the wood, helping them climb up and down the tree.

The loss of their home was not something so easily forgotten, and would never be forgiven, most Na'vi despised the sky people and if they were ever to return, they would not be welcomed kindly. But they found a new home far to the east of their original Hometree.

The sun was low over the horizon and it reflected off the young warriors rider mask, nearly blinding her in the brightness. She urged her ikran closer to the ground, looking for protection from the relentless rays coming off the sun. Movement in the brush caught her attention and her head snapped towards the direction, hope filling her at the prospect of warm meat in her stomach, as well as bringing the proof of her capability within her clan, but that would take a few more days journey to reach her desired location.

She steadied her breathing, ears flicking back and forth, listening for any sign of more movement down below her, eyes watching closely.

She crouched lower over her ikran and brought her bow up in front of her, keeping hold of the arrows carefully as to avoid poisoning herself with the neurotoxin that her people coated the tips with. She knocked an arrow, slowly pulling it back tight to her cheek before breathing out and releasing it, letting the arrow fly.

The arrow sailed through the air, spinning and hitting the animal, bringing it down. It gave a cry as it went down, echoing through the forest and scaring away other creatures in the area. Its body barely making a sound as it fell, its small size contributing to that fact.

The young warrior watched the animal laying on the ground, its chest rising and falling slowly as it endured the pain of the toxin and arrow. Sorrow consumed her, sad that a life had to die, but she knew the balance would be kept when she passed. Ignoring the feeling for now, she once again urged her ikran down, landing on the forest floor, leaves and plants crunching under foot as she dismounted, releasing her tswin and breaking the tsaheylu.