"They have chosen you. Eywa sees you, little human."
"Chosen? Like Harry Potter?"
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In which the daughter of General Ardmore is forced to choose between blood or bond when she falls for the...
CHAPTER FIVE "Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known..."
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Murmuring,chattering, reverberating caws, buzzing, chirping—Nix could hear all of it as she sat atop the wood-beam platform, writing in her journal.
There was a wide stream down below which currently harbored a family of austrapedes (a mix between a flamingo and ostrich). Though they didn't have any feathers, just tough orange skin with purple stripes.
Nix was fully engrossed in her observation of them as they weren't a common species to spot, especially not anywhere near RDA campsites or bases. They were gentle creatures—such as the prolemuris—however, they did spook easily which is why Nix was trying to avoid making any fast movements or creating noise.
Spider and Lo'ak, on the other hand, were not on the same wavelength.
They were chatting up a storm, recounting the time Lo'ak became an ikran rider. It took him two attempts to tame his banshee whereas his sister, Kiri, just walked up to hers and asked it to be her friend. Nix couldn't help but listen in.
She was seated on round brown cushion, scribbling notes in her journal when the iknimaya story piqued her interest. Lo'ak's banshee even let out a high squawk as if sharing his excitement.
Though, unfortunately, the noise startled the austrapedes. Nix grimaced as the flightless birds flapped their little wings rapidly before scurrying down the riverbed.
"Hey, bro," Spider suddenly said to Lo'ak. "We haven't heard from Neteyam in a while. You think he's okay?"
"I don't know..." Lo'ak paused, glancing at Nix. He then leaned in and spoke in a hushed voice. "Säsyepit peu txo fìpol?"
The air seemed to shift, the mood instantly souring at his question. Nix let out a small sigh as she closed her journal and shoved it inside her bag. She rose to her feet, pulling the strap over her shoulder as she turned to face the two boys.
"I may not be able to understand you, but I do know how to use context clues," she said in no particular manner. "I wouldn't trust a random human either if I were you. But I also wouldn't have traveled the forest alone just to set you up in any way. Coming out here without protection is like a death sentence. I really do want to help the wildlife here."
The two of them shared a contemplative look. "Oengal oe fpeiyìl poeti tsun mivong," said Spider.
Although Nix couldn't understand him, she knew he'd said something positive from the expression he wore.
"Eagle Eye, you there?" A muffled voice came from the radio technology around Lo'ak's neck.
The boy quickly responded, pressing some kind of button while he spoke. "I'm here."
