Second Chance

chapter IV | break it

I woke up panting in the linking unit, but I didn't get out, I had to try and save the avatar. I went back in but this time something went wrong. I could feel something go wrong as I was jerked to consciousness. When I looked around I realized that I clearly was not in the linking unit. I was in the middle of the wild pandoran forest. I sat up, my head was ringing and everything was kind of blurring together but I could still clearly understand something was wrong. I felt much more alert, much more close to this body. I didn't know what was happening but I didn't like it. I layed back down on the wet floor. I had washed up on the shore, far, far away from where Norm and Grace probably still were. I tried to use our transmitter to contact them but got no answer. They weren't waterproof so I wasn't expecting much but it was worth a try. I stood up and began looking around me more. My back was screaming at me, the pain seering and bringing tears to my eyes but I did my best to ignore it as I noticed that the sun was beginning to set and realized I should find a shelter for the night. I had to make sure the avatar was safe. I started by taking off my wet clothes until I was completely naked. I had to blend in with Pandora's nature, if I stood out I would become a prey to dangerous creatures. I looked through my bag to see what I had. Most of it was scientific equipment and let's just say my priority was not to take samples. I did take out some protein bars, my knife and the waterproof camera Ella gave me at my departure "take as many videos and photo's as possible for me" she had said, hugging the leg of my 10"6 avatar. I then left my pack and went slightly deeper in the forest. I was looking for somewhere to settle for the night, I needed a place where I wouldn't be too exposed. I found the perfect place, a simple hollow in a tree but now the question was; how do I get up there? I tried to climb directly by the trunk but this body wasn't as strong as my other one and I was unsuccessful. I tried pulling myself up on a branch a little lower that was on a tree adjacent to the one I was trying to get in, which I successfully did, but then fell pathetically to the floor after jumping and trying to reach for the closest branch sending a sharp bolt of pain throughout my body. I tried that again to no avail before giving up on the technique. I looked around me some more, trying to find a solution to my problem. The answer came to me when I saw a vine-like plant hanging from a nearby branch. I would have to jump, successfully grab the vine, then climb up it and then finally jump in the hole in the tree adjacent. This was a terrible plan, especially with my injured back, but it was the only plan. I backed off as far as I could on the branch before running back and jumping. My hands clasped the blue plant and I wrapped my feet around it. Using the whole strength my arms had I managed to pull myself up but almost fell when I had to switch my grip to hold onto the higher branch. After a bit of work I managed to drag myself up. All that was now left to do was jumping on the other side to where the hole was. I took a deep breath and with all the strength left in my body I pushed off of the thick tree limb and landed, with a growl, stomach first on the other one. I almost literally dragged myself to the hole where I layed in the fetal position, making myself as small as I could. The pain was unbearable as I cried, teeth clenched

My breathing eventually evened out and my strength and energy slowly built back up. The Night had fallen by then and so I very carefully exited the hollow and began collecting leafs. I was careful and respectful in the way I did this, only cutting what was necessary and always leaving enough leaves for it to grow back. I also took a moment to really take in the night life of Pandora. Its many bioluminescent plants and moss was beautiful, a true sight for sore eyes. Ever since I was a teen I always dreamed of traveling to space to discover all forms of wildlife and also to get far far away from earth. I never thought this day would come but here I was, sitting on a tree branch in another body looking at a glowing forest. A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I got back to my feet. I made my way back to the hollow and placed the leaves down in it. I got back in and covered my body with the large green blades I collected from the surrounding plants. I turned on the camera, I wanted my last days to be documented. "This is Maxence Kelley from… somewhere in the Pandoran jungle, log date ; Wednesday 14 of June. I'm not sure what time it is but it's night and I'm probably gonna die soon. I lost Jake, I don't know where Norm and Grace are. They probably stopped looking for me, Ella told me they're not allowed to fly when it's dark out. Hopefully they found Sully, I feel like I owe Tommy to protect his brother. But as it's going currently, I don't know how long I'll last. Maxence Kelley, logging off."

It's noise and screeching that woke me up after I finally fell asleep. I was definitely not in my linking unit, rather, I was still in the tree hollow in which I fell asleep the evening prior. I felt myself start to panic but it quickly stopped when I saw what was standing there. In front of me was a very young prolemuris blocking the entry -and exit- of my makeshift shelter. "Hey little guy…" it looked at me unsure, turning its head on one side, then on the other like it was calculating. It took a couple of steps forward and its small frame came wrapping itself around me. I didn't quite know what to do, I was widely unprepared for this. I tried to remember what I learned during training on these forest creatures. 'Traveling in packs prolemuris are harmless creatures but if provoked or attacked they tend to become aggressive.' This wasn't what I was looking for, I remembered learning something about children. 'Children reach maturity fast. After only three months out of the womb they will already be their adult size. If a parent dies before the child has reached maturity, the pack will abandon the child.' So this little guy was probably abandoned. I tried to peel the small monkey-like animal off of me but it was holding on strong. "You think I'm your mama little guy? I'm gonna have to give you a name." I said contemplating my options. I decided on giving it a name based on my father's but with a na'vi twist. Txurik, txur means strong in na'vi and ik is the last syllable of my late dad's name. I peeked outside, the sun was rising slowly on the beautiful moon that is Pandora. My back was still hurting like hell but I knew I couldn't stay in the same spot for too long. "Come on little guy it's time to dip" I grabbed some of the leaves and tied them around my waist to try and keep the sliver of dignity I had left and began trying to make my way down without hurting myself too much. Txurik gracefully climbed down the side of the thick trunk while I slowly and, not so gracefully, made my way to the ground, but not without accidentally getting my ankle caught in some roots and falling face first in the mud. My little baby prolemuris jumped onto my shoulder as I started walking.

A few hours later I stopped, my back was starting to hurt again and the things I carried were starting to be heavy. I sat down in the grass in a small clearing to eat. Txurik climbed up into the canopy of the rainforest while I stayed down. I turned on the camera but stayed silent, I filmed the beauty surounding me, capturing the sounds of the wild. Branches moving with the wind, brids and forest banchees screeching and chirping, the deep growling of viperwolves… wait the deep growling of viperwolves!? I turned around and found myself face to face with the dark beasts. So focused on taking in the breathtaking beauty of pandora I hadn't realized the sun had already began to set. Had I really been walking all day?! I dropped the camera and tried to run in the opposite direction but was quickly stopped by another of those pack hunting animals. 'Viperwolves are tough predators, they are fast and their bite force can reach 1340 PSI. They always hunt in packs.' I'm fucked. The one infront of me pounced and I ducked but couldn't stop the second one from sinking his teeth into my left shoulder. Falling to my knees I let out a scream before grabbing it by it's leg and throwing it away. I scrambled up to my feet but was quickly attacked again, more and more were comming out of the trees and while I managed to kick another off me I wasn't prepared to be slashed in the back by another. As I fell to the ground once more I came to except my fate. This was the moment I died. But as they were getting ready to pounce and make a meal out of me, I heard hooves hitting the ground. The small forest predators turned to the source of the noise, but I couldn't even find the strength in me to look. The pain coursing through my body was unbearable that, even if I wanted to look, all I could see what black dots. I could faintly hear hissing and fighting in the background while I slipped in and out of consciousness. I could hear a discussion in Na'vi but I had no idea what they were saying. I felt arms lift me up, two pair of arms to be precise, I was then thrown on the back of what I assumed was a direhorse and, with a last hiss of pain, I finally and truly passed out from the seering pain.

A/n: Sorry I know it's been almost a year since I last updated this story but I had a lot of things going on in my life and I just didn't have the heart or the time to write. But I'm back now and it summer so hopefully I'll have more time to write although I have a full time job and so won't be able to write all the time hope you guys understand. Thanks for those you stuck around!

~1898~