One of the people [ Jake Sully x Reader ]

-* Nìftuenui *-

Chapter 4

The trek through the jungle seemed much more tedious this time, my muscles still ached from being half dragged through the forest the day before and I could feel the humidity of the jungle clinging to my skin and drawing out thick beads of sweat. I kept on adjusting the child's bow as it sat uncomfortably on my back pinching my skin, so often so that Jake eventually held up a hand to Zìr'iawat signalling for her to stop, she hissed in annoyance muttering about how I was a "whiny little skxawng" and "I should feed you to the first nantang we find, maybe then, you less noisy". Jake rolled his eyes and turned to me

"Sorry I probably should have shown you how to carry it on your back properly before we left" He smiled sheepishly as he lifted his own bow off his back and then did the same for mine, he placed the bow in my hand and adjusted his

"Watch and copy" he stated as his lean arms lifted the bow above his head, pulled the string to the side and placed the wooden section diagonally along his back and readjusting the sturdy string so that it rested along his muscled sternum, he motioned for me to do the same. I started slowly trying to recall the motions he had gone through, step by step, I felt as though I had done everything to perfection and I turned to Jake to get his approval, he hummed raising his eyebrows and nodding

"Just this one thing though," he said reaching out and softly adjusting the bowstring so that it lay resting on my sternum and in between the valley of my breasts. He took a step back and tilted his head

"Better?" he asked with a toothy grin watching me as I tested the bow's new position by twisting and stretching my torso and arms,

"So much better, thank you" I smiled up at him, my skin finally free of its horrible pinching

"Let's go" Zìr'iawat huffed stalking off again her tail lashing as she fought her way through the thickened jungle leaves, Jake chuckled and signalled for me to follow after her.

Perhaps just minutes later Zìr'iawat dropped into a crouch snatching my non-bruised forearm and dragging me down into the slippery dank smelling mud, I fell to my knees and cringed as the mud cacked my legs and hands, I could feel the blood drain from my face as I noticed a splatter of mud had transferred onto Zìr'iawat's thigh, I was preparing myself to get fed to a nantang when she lifted her bow from her chest and uttered a soft

"Look", I lifted my head and peered through the leaves to spot a small six-legged animal snuffling along the jungle floor, the little voice in my head whispered 'tapirus'. Zìr'iawat tapped the bow on my back signalling for me to use it, As quietly as I could I lifted it above my head and adjusted my hand on the grip so that it rested in the indents left by its previous owner, She wordlessly handed me a long thin wooden arrow whose feathery fletching was painted in shades of deep purple, black and yellow. I held it in my hands unsure of what to do with it, she huffed and slotted the nock of the arrow into the string while resting its sharp head onto the arrow rest above the grip. I looked to Zìr'iawat as she did a strange motion of pulling the string back vigorously with her hand and squinting along the wooden shaft of the arrow trying to direct it, I copied her and she hummed lowly in approval, she pointed to the tapirus and then to a part of her face, that must be its weak spot, I hoped. She urged me to focus as I lined up the shot, took a deep shaky breath, let the arrow fly from my bow, and.... groaned in frustration as it hit a tree a meter away from the tapirus. The creature bleated frantically as it scrambled off into the jungle's dense underbrush, Zìr'iawat, to her credit, only sighed and stood up wiping the mud on her hands off on onto her knees.

"Not bad for a first try" Jake huffed a laugh bumping his shoulder with mine

"Thanks but you don't have to lie, I messed up and I've now scared all the animals away," I said feeling guilty as I pulled the beaten bow back over my head and stood up to retrieve the arrow.