The Stars in Your Skin

CHAPTER ONE

Neteyam crouches low behind the thicket, amber gaze focused on the yerik grazing just beyond the brush. Carefully he draws his arrow from his quiver, knowing any noise would spook the herd and his target with it. He nocks his arrow and in one fluid movement, rises and shoots. His arrow flies true. The beast falls. The small herd panics and bound away into the thick trees beyond.

He hurries to the downed animal, quick to put it out of its misery. He says the death prayer over its twitching form before finishing it off. He looks up to his father expectantly. His father claps him on the back, pride etched on his features.

"It's a clean kill. You are ready for your iknimaya, my son."

A brilliant smile nearly encompasses his entire face. He wants to do a celebratory whoop but instead he settles for a small fist pump. He was finally ready to undergo his rite of passage and truly become one of The People.

"Come, there's no time to waste."

Noney hurries to the outskirts of the village where the pa'li roamed. She stops nearly tripping over an idly standing fwampop. "Sorry," she mumbles when it snorts at her. She looks around the area, past the training hunters to the female Na'vi standing over a yoke. "Nawri!"

Naawri nearly stumbles when her twin all but tackles her. "Noni!" She starts to chastise but stops when she sees her sister all but vibrating out of excitement. "What is it dear?" She frowns when a tall hunter with a shaved scalp bodyslams a smaller Na'vi in the training ring.

"Rayka says I'm ready for my iknimaya!" They celebrate together, Noney with a series of whoops while Naawri is more sedate but no less happy for her sister. "Which means I'll be in the same group as your tunutu, Neteyam."

Naawri rolls her eyes. "He's your tunutu also, along with most of the young females in the clan.'' She walks to one of the large yokes laden with leartherbound baskets on both ends. "Now help me with this."

"I just came off a Hunt," she protests.

She glowers at her sister, but before she can say anymore, one of the Hunters, the tall one with the shaved head comes over and lifts it effortlessly from the ground. "I can do it myself."

He waves her off. "It's fine. You shouldn't be lifting this when someone stronger is around Noney."

Naawri's eyes narrow at the mix-up. "I'm Naawri," she gestures toward her giggling sister, "that's Noney."

"Ah." Well at least he had the decency to look sheepish.

She makes tsaheylu with the pali before mounting it, giving the creature a pet when it knickers, no doubt feeling her annoyance. "I'll be home later." She urges it forward into the forest.

Neteyam stretches his sore muscles, wincing when a bruise he'd gotten from a too enthusiastic young hunter makes itself known. He had been training nearly nonstop for his iknimaya which was only two days away. He smiled to himself at the thought. He couldn't wait to make his parents proud. He hoped to live up to the legacy of Toruk Makto.

Ha'ew a fledgeling Hunter one year his senior flops down next to him. "My bruises have bruises," he complains. The lanky male had introduced himself rather exuberantly the first time they met and had been stuck to him ever since. Neteyam didn't mind though. It was nice having a friend outside his beloved family.

He rolls his sore shoulders. "It'll probably be worse when we face our ikrans." He casts an idle gaze over the area, noting they aren't the only pair in their group relieved the training is over for the day. He just wants to lay in the grass and sleep, but the day has other plans.

A middle-aged Na'vi female with dark brown locks and feathered rings in her ears approaches them. He knows her by Vahi, a master Weaver. He rises to greet his esteemed elder. "Oel ngati kameie," he says politely. Ha'ew mirrors him.

She gives a nod of her head. "Kaltxi young ones." She smiles, the small wrinkles at her eyes crinkling. "Ha'ew I am in need of your help."

The other male nods with a sly smile on his face. "Of course. Auntie."

Vahi only squints at him. "I sent Naawri into the forest to gather berries for dyeing this morning and she has not yet returned. Do you think you can find her for me?"

"Sure and I won't even ask for anything in return," he states with another sly smile.

"Thank you," Vahi says with a sigh. The sigh however seemed more aimed at Ha'ew than for his agreeing to do this task for her. She gives another nod of the head before departing.

Ha'ew looks at him. "Do you want to come with me? I don't want to go alone." Neteyam thinks the big sad yerik eyes were a bit much, but he agrees.

"I'll have to clear it with my parents first."

He finds his father and surprisingly he's agreeable as well as his mother. Which is why some hours later he finds himself deep in the forest with Ha'ew. The canopy here is thick and the air colored with some unexplainable thing that puts his instincts on edge. Keen eyes shift over the thick brush. The pali beneath him knickers, shaking its head. He sends it a calming thought.

"Ah, there she is!"

Sure enough, he sees a pa'li burdened with a yoke laden with berries of varying colors standing under a fruit tree. He looks up and high in the branches of the tree is a Na'vi woman around his age picking fruit and putting it in her crossbody slingbag. They dismount their pali and stride to the trunk of the tree.

"Hey!" Ha'ew calls up. She stops reaching and looks down. "I thought you were supposed to be picking berries for dyeing, not fruit for your stomach slacker." His voice is playful.

He smirks when she throws the taller male a rude gesture.

Ha'ew makes a sound of surprise. "Tewti! And right in front the Olo'eyktan's son too." He clicks his tongue but there's no real reprimand in his voice.

Her eyes widen when she notices him. Neteyam only gives a customary greeting. His eyes narrow when he sees her face, because he had just seen her talking to another young hunter on his way out of the village. Then it clicks. Oh. She's the other half of the Syemu twins.

She apologizes but he only waves it away. "Don't mind this one," he gestures to Ha'ew, "I hear and see much worse during training."

"True," Ha'ew agrees. "Auntie said you're late."

"I'm coming." She starts descending the tree.

A prickle runs up Neteyam's spine, and a sound catches his ear. His instinct screams at him that something dangerous is near. He draws an arrow from his quiver, nocking it, and crouches low. Ha'ew does the same before warning Naawri to remain in the tree. His ears swivel back and forth and he sniffs the air, but gets only a faint scent that sends ice in his veins.

The bushes rustle seconds before a great black shape leaps into the clearing. It roars, the sound deafening at this proximity. Neteyam inwardly curses, his stomach falling to his knees. For they were standing face-to-face with one of Pandora's apex predators. The mighty palulukan.

Author's Notes:

1) I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. So I really like the sound of the Na'vi language and will use a lot of Na'vi words for the animals and such. I will include the translations here.

Yerik- hexapede.
Pa'li- direhorse
Fwampop- tapirus
Tunutu- object of desire, crush
Ikran- banshee
Tewti!- Wow!, exclamation of surprise
Palulukan- thanator

2) My goal is to update this fic twice a week. Also this fic will have interludes that aren't completely part of the main story but still have a bearing on it.

Again I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. If so drop me a comment.