Trinity

Instinct Wins

AN: Explicit warning, it gets spicy in the second part of the chapter

It didn't take long for both Lyle and Ten'etirey to wear down and become fatigued. Realistically, they just needed to take breaks, but they both refused to speak up. For Lyle, it was pride; he was already pissed about what happened. Could he have really done anything differently? Not really, but that didn't change how vulnerable it made him feel to be caught like that. Part of him was glad they were both unconscious for all of it. The other part was frustrated that he needed to be rescued at all.

It also didn't help that these assholes weren't telling them what happened. Lyle didn't know how Ten was handling everything; she donned her brick wall of a mask and showed only indifference to the situation. Meanwhile, he felt like water being slowly heated up to a boil. Not quite at a boil, but getting there, the bubbles were starting to form and float to the surface. A few more twitches and sweeping motions of frustration came from his tail and apparently Quaritch decided to tell them as they continued traveling.

It wasn't that they were trying to hide what happened, but that also didn't mean they wanted to talk about it. When they followed the tracker to the location where 'nothing was supposed to be,' it became incredibly clear that was no longer the case. A small village tucked away in a clearing, hidden from the air by a dense canopy, became a safe haven for outcasts. Those who had been forcibly removed from their tribes for one reason or another found this place to come together and live.

At least, that's what most of the occupants believed. A male Tawkami Tsahik was using the location to lay the groundwork for the revenge he sought upon those he believed went against the beliefs of Eywa.

You shall not set stone upon stone.

Neither shall you use the turning wheel.

Nor use the metals of the ground

These are known as the Three Laws of Eywa. They lead the Na'vi way of life and restrict any activity that would be destructive of the environment. It is their duty as children of the Great Mother to protect the gift of life given by her. However, many Na'vi understood that their continued existence would end if they did not utilize what technology was available to them due to the humans who stayed behind.

Many more were vehemently against using any of the sky people's technology. Not without good reason, the tenets they lived by since the time of The First Songs clearly stated what they were attempting was wrong. Yet if they continued as they were, they would fail and Pandora would fall. Most who were involved with the war effort agreed to use the tech, considering it to be the lesser of two evils. Others... refused.

Not only did they refuse, they essentially created a civil war within their tribes. Killing them was out of the question. They weren't wrong. This was going against the original tenets of Eywa, but abandoning their homes and lives was not an option. There were outcast villages dotted around Pandora where they were forced to live out their banishment, but this would be the first in Omaticaya territory. The other exiled villages were well known and avoided. Those who refused to fight for their home and people would not be a part of it.

"Lyle was a bonus, he wanted you." Quaritch's voice held an unmistakable edge of anger.

"Said he was going to right the wrongs of the hybrid demons who infiltrated and misled the Na'vi into abandoning their way of life." Mansk was the only one besides Spider who was fluent at this point; the others were still learning.

"Okay, so he just wanted to take out hybrids?" Being considered an abomination wasn't new. Generally, it wasn't an issue, but when it was, it was.