Eywa'itan

4 | Skxawng

Neytiri had finished hitting every place Jake had wrong, adjusting his fingers and posture to shoot the bow. He was enthralled by her skill, sure, but he was sure his body was going to be bruised all over by the end of today. Even if he was terrified of her, just a bit, she knew what she was doing more so than others he'd seen.

The training was hell, but he was starting to realize what an honor it truly was to have her teaching him. Being around her was an honor. But he needed to focus. Focus, Jake. Focus.

He was sure that he was about to get hit again, clearly doing this wrong. But the hit never came as he expected. Neytiri's eyes were focused elsewhere, and that's when he noticed the children.

Jake was trying to concentrate on shooting the bow when the kids arrived.

"Neyn'inan..." Neytiri's ears flattened slightly, hopeful yet afraid to approach more than a few steps. Anyone with eyes could tell she wanted to run to them, but she was holding herself back from doing so.

Kanu, who he recognized instantly now, was standing by another child just a bit smaller than her, covered in scars. His eyes were covered with a woven cloth of thin vines, but one could see the scarring peaking through them. Jake connected the dots quickly.

This was Neytiri's kid, the little devil that had been terrorizing him until not long ago. The ninja Na'vi baby out for his blood, Neyn'inan.

The kid took one sniff of the air and Jake could practically see his hackles raise. He stepped in front of Kanu, and raised his bow. Despite his obvious blindness, he aimed true, right for Jake's chest.

"Vrrtep!" He yelled. Jake had heard the term whispered enough to know exactly what it meant. Normally, coming from a five-year-old munchkin, it wouldn't be very intimidating. But when it comes out as practically a growl and he's got a meter-long death weapon trained on every vital, it becomes damn scary.

"Kehe, ma'itan! Mawey!" Neytiri was quick to get in the way, taking a step closer. She continued speaking soothingly, and he could see the kid react to her voice. The bow lowered immediately and pointed to the ground away from her.

Jake could see the visible struggle this kid was having to not move in her direction, and the only reason for that was because he was there. Even with Kanu trying to inch him forward, he did not budge from his spot.

This was his fault, there were grudges here. Maybe he should have been thinking of his original mission here, but at this moment, all he cared about was the hurt in Neytiri's eyes. If there was a time to start fixing them, now was the best.

"Neytiri." He said, getting her attention. "Can I speak with him?" The only way to figure out how to fix something was to know what was wrong. He needed to understand, and the only way to do that was to speak.

"He does not understand English. The sound of it makes him angry." She said. "He will probably shoot you if you start speaking."

"If he does, oh well. But I damn sure want to know why."

She looked into his eyes, watching as they held firm. Jake was doing this. He wasn't going to yield. It was just like when they met and he persisted in following her. His heart was unwavering.

"Please translate for me."

"...Alright." She sighed. She hoped that whatever he had planned worked.

"Why do you hate me?" Was the first question he asked. "Why is it that as soon as I'm within range I'm at arrow point with you?"

"Vrrtep." The child tightened his grip on his bowstring, "Hrrap Sa'nu! Hrrap Soaia!"

Neytiri, being well versed in what his shortened words meant, explained them in a way Jake could understand. "You are a demon to him. And that means you are a danger to his mother and the rest of his family here.