I See You (N. Sully)

Chapter 7

The next morning, after helping Mo'at with breakfast, Ahurewa noticed that the camp was busier than usual. Na'vi were moving large crates of weapons to the entrance of the cave from new aircrafts that had appeared overnight. Even the sky people were helping to make room and hand out weapons.

Walking towards it all to get a closer look, she thought it better to stay out of the way after everything had happened, and chose to slip past the busyness of the others, and gravitate towards the people she knew, even if they disliked her now. "What is going on?" She spotted Neteyam, attaching a saddle to an ikran, the first one she had seen up close since being there.

He glanced in her direction, not saying anything at first, tightening the straps. "There is a raid today." When he saw she didn't understand, he elaborated further, "the humans transport weapons and machinery following a certain trail, we intercept, destroy their machines and take what we need."

She neared the ikran, lowering her eyes as she held out a hand. "But you like the sky people – these humans."

"Not these ones." He stopped, watching her interact with his ikran. "They kill and take what is not theirs."

She noticed the signs then, that he hadn't slept much. His movements were more sluggish than usual, and his eyes were heavy. She supposed she should be grateful. If he wasn't so tired he probably would have bitten her head off for everything that happened the day before.

When the ikran nuzzled into her hand, a light smile met her mouth. This was the only thing that reminded her of home. Drawing nearer, she stroked its nose, drawing invisible lines with her fingers all over its face. "He likes you." He said, matter-of-fact.

"He is friendly." Turning her eyes to Neteyam, she asked, "why do you wear a saddle?"

"so I can ride." His face scrunched up in confusion then, "did your clan not ride ikran? I thought they did?" He thought back to what his mother had briefly told him about the similarities between their clans; even she didn't know enough.

Ahurewa stopped stroking its nose, "the opposite actually. My clan are great riders of ikran, we do not need saddles." Her expression had shifted, almost as peaceful as she looked in her sleep. "We live in harmony with them, always keeping them close by."

"We fight our ikran, when we become adult warriors of our clan. They choose us by challenging us."

Ahurewa chuckled to herself, "Like Taronyu, our great ancestor who discovered we could bond with ikran. We also fight, but it is a great ceremony and celebration in my clan." Neteyam watched her eyes glaze over in thought. "We sing and we dance for the joy of Eywa, celebrating a child becoming one of the people. I have seen every ikran bond since learning the spirit dance."

Before Neteyam could begin to ask what the 'spirit dance' was, Jake and Lo'ak had interrupted, briefly looking at Ahurewa before instructing Neteyam on what he was to do during the raid.

Ahurewa was glad she didn't have to go, and it didn't take her long to leave them to it, choosing to disappear into the cave until they left. She had thought that sharing stories about her clan would be painful, something she wouldn't have wanted to do. And even though she felt the reopened wound in her heart, she felt refreshed knowing that at least one person could understand, and remember her clan. If she was ever killed, she would want her clan to live on in memory, that way she would not be the last, and she would not have failed her family.

After they had left with a great roar, the silence of camp was noticeable. There was a faint echo of laughter coming from where the children were, further in the cave, and imperceptible shuffles coming from those who were still in their tents.