Avatar: {Hybrid and Alien]

{64}

The suggestion of making art with paint didn't seem bad. It felt interesting and exciting to be exact. Lily was the most thrilled when she heard what the na'vi clan leader has proposed.

Midnight was already felt by everyone, but they were too committed to fall asleep on doing what they decided amongst each other. They were led to a sort of cave by Layontsin, followed by a few na'vi that were curious to see what Asim, Kentaro, Mikhail, Emeralda, Shaka, and Lily drew on the stone walls. They helped bring wooden bowls filled with a few color variety, them being mostly comprised of white and red colors. The others helped carry other things that were to be used for the paintings. The trip to the cave was short, nearly half the distance it took for the clan leaders to take Asim to their sacred place. It was located under two fallen trees, making an X over the entrance of the cavern. A nice and natural occurring touch to symbolize the entry to the cavern of na'vi ancestors, as the clan leader had told them. The bioluminescent plants and lights lacked inside the cavern, making it difficult to see. The na'vi helped light the path by using fire torches, while Asim and his friends used their flashlights to help out with the darker sections.

Some time later they reached halfway when they came upon the drawings of the ancestors.

The drawings depicted several na'vi people, as well as hand markings, placed all over the cave walls around them. That wasn't the only things shown there; it was the depictions of all other creatures that existed in the Pandoran forest, ranging from the smallest insects to the largest creatures to ever exist on the planet. As they progressed on, the pictures changed to depictions of na'vi and thanators, showing how they came to revere the apex predator as their main tribal symbol, and how each attempted to tame them. Further along, they saw how the clan fought with the rest of clans fiercely to protect their own until they finally agreed to make peace with each. Next up were the ones that depicted the arrival of the humans to Pandora, on their spaceships and their machines, how they met with the rest of the tribes...and then started to attack the Anurai clan with their weapons. This depiction made Asim's heart ache, seeing how the na'vi must have suffered the violence brought upon by the RDA. The others with him and the rest of na'vi that accompanied them had faces that expressed the same thing; guilt and remorse for how things started between the humans and the natives of Pandora. Even Lily expressed worry as she saw the sad pictures of the past.

Layonstin saw the expressions in each of the faces of the humans when they realized what they were seeing. "You are not them." The anthro thanator said to them, also looking down at Lily to assure them. The youngest of the group nodded and cheered up thanks to her words, and then they continued observing. The final and recent drawings consisted of the clan coming back together once more, and this time they were under the protection of a great divine beast that looked like a thanator. It took them a moment to realize that this divine beast was none other than Layonstin herself. "Look! It's you!" Lily said to Layontsin in joy, pointing at the drawing. "Yes. That is me." The anthro thanator confirmed, moving to take Lily in her arms gently and pick her up so that the little one could see better. Asim watched with a small smile how Layonstin carried Lily, while the little one complimented on how beautiful the depiction of Layonstin was.

Now, the next wall was blank, saved for the next great even in the history of the Anurai clan to be told. The na'vi told the humans that this space now belonged for them to draw, and they set the pain bowls down. "Alright then. Let's get to it." Asim said, and everyone from the group went forwards to the wall as they made adjustments to their flashlights to light the large walls. "So...who goes first?" Mikhail asked as they had the bowls ready and their finger tips dipped in the red paint. "I think I'll opt out of this one. I'm not a great artist and not sure if this is a good idea." Emeralda said, raising up her hands and stepping back a little. "Come on. What do you think this is?" Shaka asked her. "I dunno. Vandalism? I guess?" Emeralda said. "Enough with your saltiness. They let us do this. Even the clan leaders. And there is no changes with their decision." Kentaro said to her. "Fine. Fine. But maybe later on." Emeralda said, smiling a little. "I can start!" Lily offered, Layonstin setting her down so she could walk over to them. "Of course. What are you going to draw?" Asim asked her. "All of you guys." She said, giggling and beaming before she knelt down to dip her whole hands into the paint. "Alright" he said and then helped Lily by holding her up a bit so that she could start painting on their level. The group and the na'vi observed how the little human began to paint, drawing small stick figures as a representation of Lily herself, Asim, Kentaro, Mikhail, Emeralda, Shaka, Layonstin, and some of the na'vi that were part of the Anurai clan. Granted, it wasn't accurate and very sloppy, but she managed to do it. Layontsin was endeared by this as she moved closer to them and gently patted Lily's head, making her smile proudly as she looked back at her.

After Lily was set down, it was the turn of the others.

First up was Shaka as he began dabbing his fingers expertly over the stone wall surface, starting to draw a landscape. The picture soon began to take form, showing the savanna that belonged to the previous sight of Africa as well as its animals. The young na'vi kids began to recognize the animals on the depiction that Shaka was making, thanks to the wooden figures he made. Kentaro offered himself next to draw how his homeland looked like after Shaka finished drawing his own. Kentaro started by drawing a part of the mainland, and then the shores that led all the way to the sea. He made precise strokes while painting, making the scenery feel almost as realistic as a real artist would make their masterpiece. "Kentaro...you never told us you were a great painter." Mikhail said to him. "I never was. Perhaps I used to draw back then when I was a kid." Kentaro said with a shrug before resuming. Now he started to draw the ocean and all life that was there underwater, like the fishes and the other creatures that resided there. At one point, when Kentaro was drawing some whales that were under the water and one of them jumping up, some murmurs from the na'vi were heard, either one of the adults and kids saying the word "tulkun" and pointing at the picture of the whales. "What's a tulkun?" Asim asked to himself as he heard the na'vi say those words. "They are the whale equivalent of the sea creatures that reside in the oceans of this world." Shaka said, overhearing him. "Ah, now I remember" Asim said as they continued watching the drawings.

Next up were Mikhail and Emeralda as they painted their homelands. Mikhail painted the large mountains and the snowy landscapes that were part of his home, as well as some animals like deers and snow leopards. Emeralda drew the flat plains as well as the few mountains that spread across the land, even the vegetation and few animals that thrived in such solitary place. Finally, it was Asim's turn to draw the landscape of his home. In all honestly, he didn't know if it would turn out as great as the others', but he mustered the courage and dipped his fingers in the paint so he could begin drawing. The images of the time he and his real parents went out to the last spots of forest with other families began to show in his mind, making him hesitate and start to shed tears as the memory was painful. Yet, despite this, Asim wiped away his tears with an arm and began to paint the landscape. Pine, oak, maple, sycamore, and cedar trees, as well as some bushes and beautiful flowers that he remembered seeing before. Asim also added some animals in the picture, like birds, squirrels, butterflies, raccoons, and even some wolves and deers.

The last touch was the sun, moon, and stars above everything they have drawn, and Layontsin helped as Lily offered to draw them as the final touch. At last, the artwork that depicted how life on Earth looked like before was done, leaving the na'vi in the cave astounded and left awestruck. Everyone from the group smiled as they saw how the na'vi admired the finished masterpiece made by the humans. "And now we sign it." Shaka suggested later, dipping his whole hand on the white paint and moving to the end of the drawing to mark it on an empty space. Emeralda, Mikhail, Kentaro, Asim, and Lily did the same, dipping their hands on the white paint to make a handprint at the end. Surprisingly, Layontsin also joined by smearing the palm of one of her hands and making a hand mark beside those of the humans. They let her, seeing that she also wanted her mark to be present as she had helped them. "So...what should we name the painting? 'The beautiful past of the human world before it was destroyed'?" Emeralda suggested, making the others sigh and shake their heads. "Any ideas?" Shaka asked Asim, sensing that he trusted his friend that he would give a proper name to the painting.

"How about 'Skypeople Home'. 'Tawtute Kelku'" Asim suggested, looking up at all of the pictures he and his friends have drawn. Everyone thought for a moment before agreeing, each feeling pride for their work.