Like Water || Neteyam

Chapter 6: Overshadowed

(Many dialogues of the war council in this chapter comes directly from the Avatar comic book, the High Ground Volume 1)

Your initial link to your avatar is temporarily set for tomorrow morning, as early as possible, for everyone must leave Hell's Gate immediately. Tonight, Jake called for a council amongst the nearby Na'vi clans to discuss the actions everyone must take upon the return of the sky people. Neteyam as the Olo'eyktan in training must surely attend this meeting, and you as a human though not appropriate to join, still wanted to be within sight of him for moral support.

Kiri and Tuk stayed behind with you and Spider atop a small hill by the Tree of Souls where the council was taking place, whilst Lo'ak attended the meeting accompanying Neteyam. That however, didn't last long, You noticed that Ikeyni, Olo'eykte of the Tayrangi Clan, and Akwey , Olo'eyktan of the Olangi clan approached Neteyam with smiles on their faces. They said something to him, causing Neteyam to turn to Lo'ak with a timid yet proud face. Lo'ak just mumbled something back with a disappointed look. Shortly after, he left his older brother's side to join the four of you uphill.

"What happened? Why didn't you stay?" you approached Lo'ak first before anyone else said anything.

Lo'ak answered without meeting your eyes, "Why stay when I'm practically invisible?"

You glanced at Kiri and Spider, looking to them for help, but neither of them knew what to say at the moment. This has been going on as far as you could remember, Lo'ak living under Neteyam's shadow, not knowing that his older brother also lives under the shadow of their father. It is after all, not easy trying to live up to a man who was praised as the chosen one of Eywa. Sometimes you wonder, how is it that you can see Neteyam's burdens and hard work, yet Lo'ak seems to only hear the praises that he earns.

"Jake Sully will speak now!" Yeyatley, the Na'vi representative of the council of elders announced as all of the Na'vi crowd were talking amongst themselves. Everyone quickly feel silent upon hearing his voice.

"I see you, Yeyatley, speaker for Olo'eyktans. I am not Toruk Makto anymore, I have no special standing. I ask your blessing to strike the sky people tomorrow, when they come." He motioned towards his wife and many other young Na'vi's, "These warriors have gone with me to the Black World many times, we are ready."

A grave expression upon his face, Yeyatley had to think for a moment before speaking. "This is a big decision, it will affect all Na'vi people."

"I asked this war council to meet here at the sacred tree to remind us what we almost lost." Jake's gaze fixated upon the glowing Tree off Souls, flashbacks of the time when the Omaticaya people fled here after the destruction of the old hometree appearing before his eyes once more. Those sights haunted his dreams for so many years, even after he became Na'vi, even after the sky people were forced off of Pandora; now that they are back, Jake would not allow them to put the entire planet at stake again as they once did.

"The hills around us are littered with the war machines of the sky people, and now they return in even greater force."

Sitting in between you and Tuk, Lo'ak raised a brow suddenly. "Did you hear that? I just got the greatest idea...let's go and check out these war machines."

"Lo'ak..." you wanted to tell him now is not the best time, but after already having been overlooked by the clan leaders just a second ago, you didn't want Lo'ak to feel like you were bossing him around.

"Many do not like this path you are on, Jake Sully." Yeyatley's tone was heavy, "They say you break the laws of Eywa by using weapons of metal. They say our warriors are becoming no different than sky people, that your mind still thinks like an alien."