"Awvea ultxari."

"Aw-va ult-ari..."

"Ohengeyä."

"Oh-en-geyah..."

"Nawma Sa'nok siveiyi."

"Nah-ma Sa-nock siv-ay-e..."

"Awvea ultxari ohengeyä, Nawma Sa'nok siveiyi."

"Aw-va ult-ari oh... Oh-geyah nah... Siv-ay-e..." Laila's nose and brow wrinkled with concentration as she did her best to remember the words and their pronunciation. Ru'atan buried his face within his hands to conceal his laughter, and Laila gave the teen a playful nudge.

The morning after her first venture among the clan, Laila did not wait for Tsu'tey to rescue her from the crowd. Instead, she went directly from the medicine room and to the creek, where she met up with the women from the day before and they started their chores. Washing clothes was not the only thing on their to-do list. They would start the day at the creek, and once the clothes were clean and the holes were patched, they moved towards the outskirts of Hometree. There, they went to work making ceremonial jewelry, weaving baskets, and making new clothes. Much like her sewing, Laila was quick to catch on as Hanai taught her each new skill. She was still slower than the other girls, but she was making progress.

In the evenings when the hunters returned, Laila and the women would gut and skin their haul of the day and prepare the hides for tanning, the process of which would continue over the course of the next few days. This particular chore was the one thing Laila felt most comfortable doing and had the most success with. She even offered up a few tips that Hanai seemed eager to use. The smile on Hanai's face faintly resembled the eagerness of Laila's little brother, who was always eager to help however he could when she and their father returned from a hunt despite being too young to hunt himself.

Although there did not seem to be a leader of the group, Nevaeh fit the role. She directed the women to their duties, making sure to cycle each person so as to not overwork someone on one chore, and she worked just as diligently on whichever task she ended up with. Despite their rocky relationship, Laila respected the woman and thought her a commendable leader. Once the women were given their share of lunch, Nevaeh released them for an hour break before starting on the evening chores.

Laila took her lunch by the creek, utilizing her hour as a breather from the women. After three days of working with them, the hype from the clan over Laila had begun to die down, though she still received the stares. That being said, the air of awkwardness hung around her shoulders like a bad omen. She found it hard to talk to the others, so she mostly distracted herself in her work and listened to the others talk among themselves. Hanai was a darling, and she did her best to include Laila, but her efforts only made Laila feel more uncomfortable. Being inserted into other people's conversations was worse than being left out, in Laila's opinion.

The first day Laila took her lunch break, Ru'atan and Poa'hik had yet to leave the creek. Upon seeing her alone, Ru'atan left his friend's side in favor of giving Laila company. Poa'hik did not join them, and he had not attempted to since.

Not once had Ru'atan uttered an English word other than Laila's name. And yet, the soldier felt at ease with the boy due to his acceptance of her. She was truly grateful for him. At first, they sat only in silence, watching the different birds and bugs that zipped past. Then Ru'atan pointed at something and spoke, which ultimately kicked off their new routine of language lessons. While eating their lunches, Ru'atan would point at an object and tell Laila its name. She would repeat the word until her pronunciation was deemed alright, then they would continue on to the next word. Each day at the start of their lessons, Ru'atan would quiz Laila on the words she had learned the previous day before moving onto new ones.

Today, Ru'atan took a different approach. Laila had graduated from single words and now worked on stringing together sentences. This is where things got difficult. Laila did not know what he was saying, she simply repeated whatever Ru'atan said. When learning single words, she at least knew what the object was. Now, she could have been saying any number of things with only Ru'atan knowing the truth. Since she had no reference for the new words, it was difficult to associate the words to the sentence. She kept fumbling the pronunciation and switching the letters, or swapping one word for a similar one.

"Ohengeyä Nawma Sa'nok siveiyi!" he corrected her, drawing out each syllable. Laila pulled her knees close to her chest and she leaned forward, listening intently as she chewed on her last piece of dried meat.

"Oh-en-geyah- oh, hello," Laila interrupted herself at the sight of Tsu'tey. She gave a small wave as he approached, though he did not return the gesture.

Ru'atan nudged her shoulder and whispered, "kaltxì."

"Kal-teh!" she repeated with a happy grin. That was one word she did know - hello.

Not impressed, Tsu'tey stepped around Laila and made a gesture with his head. Instantly, Ru'atan stood and Laila followed suit. "You should be attending your chores," Tsu'tey said, and Ru'atan clenched his fingers into fists. The boy tried to speak, but Tsu'tey raised his hand and Ru'atan swallowed his words. "Go," he ordered. "Now."

Ru'atan's eyes flickered from Tsu'tey to Laila, then back. His tail swayed and he flattened his lips. For a second, Laila thought he would speak out against his elder, but in the next moment, the boy huffed and stormed away. Laila re-positioned the sling strapped to her arm she begrudgingly wore and glared hard at Tsu'tey. "You don't have to be so hard on him."

"You distract him."

"It's not like we were goofing off, he was helping me learn Na'vi."

Tsu'tey gave her an incredulous look. "You come here to learn our ways, yet you do not speak our language?"

With a pitifully coltish chuckle, Laila scratched the back of her neck and gave a short shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah, I guess I didn't think this through very well, huh?"

Tsu'tey's brow furrowed, then he released a short exhale of breath that faintly resembled a laugh. Somewhere deep within her chest, Laila felt a small flutter. She exhaled slowly and she crossed her arms over her chest. She stared at the tree that Ru'atan disappeared behind, and a thought occurred to her.

"Why doesn't he speak English?" she asked. "I know he understands me. At least, somewhat. Isn't Grace's school near here?" As soon as she mentioned the school, she regretted it. The look that came across Tsu'tey's face was indescribable, and it sent Laila's heart sinking. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"He was there when it happened. Poa'hik, too."

A sharp chill raced the length of Laila's spine and she shivered. Tsu'tey's insinuation did not fall on deaf ears; Laila knew exactly what he was referring to. The thought of such sweet boys experiencing something like that... her stomach coiled.

"I'm sorry," she told him sincerely, her voice hardly louder than a whisper.

"A hunting party tracked down those twatute and confronted them. Ru'atan's father and mother were there. They did not survive." As Tsu'tey said this, Laila could feel his gaze drift over her face. She turned to look at him and was taken aback by the look he had. There was so much loathing and resentment held within those yellow eyes, so much hostility and bitterness, all directed at her.

Laila hadn't even heard of this event. Everyone whispered the rumors of the shooting at the school, but not one person mentioned the deadly altercation between those soldiers and the parents of the kids. If Laila had heard this from anyone else, she may have thought it nothing more than propaganda spread by the Na'vi activists among the scientists. But the sincerity to his words and the pure hatred laced within his tone hit Laila like a brick to the gut. Even worse, she could tell he blamed her for it.

"I am so sorry, Tsu'tey," she said slowly, hoping the quiver in her throat was not too noticeable, "but that wasn't me. I would never hurt Ru'atan or Poa'hik or anyone else."

"Would you have stopped it?"

"What?"

"If you were there, would you have stopped it?"

Laila sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. Would she have stopped it? The obvious answer was yes, she would have stepped in and prevented the killings. However, there was more to it. She was a Sergeant after all. She couldn't let her emotions drive her actions. In that situation, she may have had the opportunity to speak out. But what would be the repercussions? How would it affect her status among her peers if she were to delay action against aggression from the Na'vi, even if it was deserved? What if she stepped in and got one of her own killed as a result? These were all factors that would play in her choice, though she could only know her true decision if in that specific moment. Her stance would be chosen within a split second, unable to take in all factors at play, and she did not know what her choice would have been.

"I don't know," she mumbled. "It's more complicated than that..." Laila hugged her arms around herself and shamefully averted her gaze to the floor. She felt awful for saying such a thing and she wondered if she should have lied, but the question rattled her more than she first realized. It should have been an easy answer. Yes, I would have saved them. Why was it so hard to say those words?

Tsu'tey sighed heavily and nodded as he mulled over her answer. He ran a hand over his chin and looked to the creek, where a family of waterfowl drifted lazily in the gentle current. When he finally spoke again, his tone changed. It was no longer somber or angry, and Laila was taken aback by the sudden shift. "This evening, when you finish your chores, meet me at the North side of Hometree."

He began to leave. Through her surprise Laila called out to him, questioning his meaning, but he did not answer. Laila was left alone, standing along the creek bed confused and at a loss for what had just happened. Ultimately, she shrugged her many questions to the side, along with the memory of the horrible thing she had just discovered. That all would be addressed later. For now, Laila had to return to her chores. She was already running late, and keeping Nevaeh's annoyance of her at a minimum would be best.

As Laila gathered her wooden bowl and tossed her leftovers to the alien fish and birds, a movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention. From the direction Ru'atan and Tsu'tey left, another Na'vi stood beneath the trees. Laila scrunched her nose and did her best to ignore his gaze that bore into the side of her face. She had picked up on his presence days ago when she had first left the medicine room. At first, she paid him no mind when she met his eyes in the crowd. He was just another onlooker, albeit with more animosity than most. It was not until she caught sight of him that evening when she was dying beads, and again that morning by the creek, that she realized just what his intentions were. He was spying on her; tasked by the clan's leader Eytukan, known as the Olo'eyktan. Laila had yet to meet Eytukan, though by the short words overheard from Mo'at, the Tsahik's mate was not happy with the human's presence in the clan.

Laila understood the reason for a spy, though it would put a damper on her plans. It would be harder to shake the clan off her trail with this man keeping a constant eye on her. She would have to be much more careful and precise when choosing her opportunity for escape. Ignoring him for now, Laila took her departure from the creek and returned to her chores with the others. The mysterious Na'vi remained close, hidden within the shadows, though his gaze never seemed to leave Laila as the hairs on the back of her neck continued to prickle and stand on end.

Just as he had said, Tsu'tey was waiting for her arrival later that evening. He gave a short nod of his head, beckoning her, then took off back into the woods. Dutifully, Laila followed close behind without a word of question. They walked for some time, heading far from Hometree and towards territory Laila had yet to see. They approached a gorge, the two cliff sides of which remained connected only by a fallen tree. Tsu'tey climbed up the exposed roots with ease, and a strike of worry hit Laila as she watched the warrior. She hadn't a clue where he was leading her, and she did not know if she was able to keep up, especially if there was climbing involved. Grumbling inwardly to herself, Laila took hold of a root as high as she could reach and hauled herself up, using only her unbandaged arm to carry her weight. Thankfully, the coiling roots created plenty of foot holes and the ones she grabbed were strong enough to hold her. By the time she reached the top, Tsu'tey was pacing the edge of the enormous trunk. By the way his tail twitched, she knew he was annoyed at having to slow their pace. She clambered onto the trunk and gave a short exhale through her nose at his impatience.

"A little help would have been nice," she grumbled, though Tsu'tey hushed her. Her brow furrowed. "Hey-" he raised a hand, silencing her again. Laila glared at the man, but she did not speak. Although, there were a few choice words floating around in her head.

She pushed herself back onto her feet and came by Tsu'tey's side, where he had stopped his pacing and froze like a statue. He held his gaze to the sky, watching, waiting for something. Laila's head cocked to the side as she observed him, trying to unlock what he could possibly be thinking, though he kept his expression placid. She couldn't get a read on him at all, and for some reason, that irked her.

The sun had sunk below the treeline by now and two of the three moons had begun to take their place in the sky. The shadows of the forest continued to creep in closer and closer, slowly enveloping the world in their darkness. Then, Tsu'tey pointed. She followed his gesture, and she gasped. There was a break in the foliage overhead, and far in the distance. Laila could see Hometree. She knew it was large, though she couldn't possibly have known it was this enormous. Its branches reached high over the other trees like a goliath that could pluck the moon from the sky. Stars twinkled lazily against deep purple-blue, so many that Laila could never hope to count them all in her lifetime. A few stray clouds brushed over the world, carried by a light breeze that smelled of fresh soil, and Laila faintly thought they gave the illusion of ocean waves. One of the moons strayed into view. Laila placed a kiss upon the tips of her fingers and faced them outwards, reaching for the moon's glow.

"Wow," she breathed.

"Now look here," Tsu'tey said and he swept his arm out. Laila had to blink a few times to clear her vision, but once she had, it was like she had awoken in a completely different world. The plant life around her shined like never before, unrestricted by man's artificial light and unbound by any walls. Bioluminescent blues, purples, and greens glowed brilliantly from their respective growth, breathing a whole new life throughout the forest. Despite herself, Laila laughed. She quickly covered her lips with the tips of her fingers, holding back the airy feeling that tried to bubble from her chest in fear the sound would shatter the beauty that was Pandora. Still, she smiled against the poor concealment. Tsu'tey watched her, studying her reaction, though she hardly noticed. If she had been paying attention, she may have seen the way his ears flattened ever so slightly, or seen how the wrinkles of his forehead smoothed, and the look of... Was it approval? Or something else entirely?

When Laila did finally look at him, his attention was already drawn to something else. He was looking over the side of the makeshift bridge, though this time, Laila couldn't bring herself to follow his gaze.

He was certainly an impressive warrior, she thought. He stood tall and lean, and his braided mohawk did little to aid against his intimidating stature. However, his face was different. She had rarely seen the man without a scowl, though even in times of peace, she could still sense a hardness to his being. Laila could not imagine what hardships he must have conquered, or what atrocities he must have witnessed. It was no wonder why he hated her. Although, at that moment, Laila did not see this in him now. His shoulders remained relaxed, his brow did not wrinkle, and his eyes remained wide and aware. Dangling from the side of his head, a few strands of beaded hair tapped against the thick necklace that concealed his neck, the tiny clinks joining the bugs' songs in the night.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, and Laila responded instantly.

"Yes."

"Get down."

Only then did Laila snap back into reality, and she dropped to a crouch instantly. Tsu'tey did the same, though there was no real eagerness to his movements. Laila's ears strained as she searched for the sound Tsu'tey was referring to, though she smelled the newcomer before she heard their rustling in the leaves. It smelled familiar...

Tsu'tey pointed down the side of the tree and told her to watch. Laila did so, and soon enough, she saw him. Far below, creeping within the foliage of the gorge, Laila saw Ru'atan. He crept as stealthily as a cat, his footsteps so light that Laila wondered how Tsu'tey had picked up on the sound at all. He carried a bow upon his back and a blade was strapped to his side. Laila threw a questioning look to the male at her side, though he only placed a finger against his lips, signaling her to keep quiet.

Laila felt as if she were being tested. Was there something she was not seeing? What purpose did Ru'atan have in the gorge, and why were they spying on him? Readjusting her footing, Laila leaned just a bit further over the ledge and she searched for the missing piece to the puzzle. A flicker of movement caught her eye further up the path from Ru'atan, though the brush prevented her from fully seeing what it was. She swallowed, suddenly fearful for Ru'atan's safety, though Tsu'tey remained at ease. In fact, if Laila looked hard enough, she might have seen the smallest of smirks playing at the corners of his lips. She watched the boy stalk closer and closer to the bush, completely unaware of what hid beneath the leaves. Then, with a startled shout, Ru'atan was tackled.

Ru'atan grappled in the grass with Poa'hik, the boys tossing one another about as they attempted to pin the other to the ground. Their laughter echoed against the cliff sides and Laila could not help but chuckle along with them. "What are they doing?" she whispered to Tsu'tey, who rolled his eyes at the sight of the boys' roughhousing.

"They are supposed to be training."

Ru'atan grasped Poa'hik around his waist and slammed him to the floor. Just as fast, Poa'hik swiped his leg against Ru'atan's ankles and pounced. Laila shook her head with a smile. "Boys."

Tsu'tey stood to his feet and called down to them, halting their tussle. "Poa'hik, it is your turn to hunt. Go." With beaming, breathless grins, the boys separated and took off in opposite directions, though Ru'atan paused to wave at Laila.

As the two once more disappeared into the brush, Laila gave Tsu'tey an incredulous look. "Looks more like a game to me."

"They think so, but it teaches them many things. They must learn to recognize the smallest change to their surroundings. Any sound, any smell, any print. Overlooking such things could mean their death."

Laila frowned. She did not like the implication that children had to learn such things just for their own safety. Although, in the world they lived in, she supposed it was necessary. "Well, at least they can have fun with it." Laila sat upon the bark and crossed her legs beneath her. She propped her chin in her palm as she patiently awaited for the teens' new show to begin. "When can I take a jab at that? I wouldn't mind a good game of hide and seek."

Tsu'tey regarded her for a moment, then scowled. Any reserved joy or contentment he might have had was gone in a second. "You still do not see."

She flattened her lips and frowned. Laila had heard that many times from the others, especially Navaeh. She knew the meaning was not simply the degree of her eyesight and had chalked it up to their way of calling her dumb. Although, she also knew that wasn't completely right either. "Everyone keeps saying that, but I don't even know what that means. What am I supposed to be seeing?"

The male sighed very deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. Laila's brow furrowed. She didn't understand why he was so frustrated with her. He had yet to teach her anything, yet he acted as though she should know everything. All she had done was a few chores around Hometree and learned some new words. How did they expect her to progress?

"To see is not with your eyes alone," he said firmly. "It is to know others as oneself. To regard another being as one does their own, and understand them the same. Humans are incapable of such things. You are selfish and see only your own greed."

Laila took in his words, mulling them over in her head again and again. To see someone the same way you see yourself. To know their desires, their fears, and understand them as you would your own. Perceiving them as their own person, yet recognizing your hidden connection. "Is... is that why you have me work with the others? Why you've brought me here?" she questioned quietly.

Has Tsu'tey been teaching her this whole time, simply by having her interact with the clan? Was this all so she could see the clan and the individual lives within? It hurt her, truthfully, that she had not seen his intentions sooner. He was right. Laila had gone into this as a soldier, blind to anything other than survival and escape. She could not blame herself for this, but for this man feeling the need to prove to her that they were just people...

Hanai, Ikoa, Zi'te, Euey, Nevaeh, they all had their own personalities, their own goals and weaknesses, their families. Poa'hik, Ru'atan, Tsu'tey...

"I know that me being here is hard. For everyone," she swallowed thickly, struggling for her words. "I also know that I can be hard to get along with at times, but I never meant any disrespect."

The two sat in silence for a long time. Laila was lost in her own world, swallowed by guilt. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't be here. Even if only for a few days, she was already having some impact on the clan and she couldn't allow it to go on any further. She wasn't even supposed to be here. Staying would only make things worse...

When Tsu'tey finally spoke again, his tone was thoughtful and surprisingly soft. "I do not trust you, Lay-lah the Protector, and I cannot blame you alone for your blindness, but I trust that you would not hurt them."

She regarded the powerful warrior at her side, taking in the sculpt of his face and the emotion within, the meaning behind his words, and she was surprised at what she saw looking back at her. She saw sufferance.

With a tight-lipped smile, Laila forced a small nod through the hurt she felt in her heart. "Thank you, Tsu'tey. I appreciate that."

That morning, as the clan slept blissfully unaware of her actions, Laila waited for the shift change of the guards at her door. As the four Na'vi spoke with their backs to her door, Laila slipped past the pelt and fled into the shadows of Hometree, making a B-line for the exit. When she got to the forest, she ran, fully intending to never return.

—

"Overall, I'd say our current operations have been going smoothly, but we have had our fair share of mishaps as of recent."

Miles Quaritch nodded at that. His aged, rough boots thumped the cement floor heavily, following the echo of the Commander's own in the warehouse. Miles had arrived at Pandora only an hour previous, and he longed for nothing more than a mattress to bury his face in. Cryosleep, despite its name, did not leave the man feeling rested at all. Despite having received the orders of his dreams and finally setting foot on the famed alien planet, the last thing on his mind was a tour of Central Command. However, he is now head of the RDA corporation's security detail, and there was work to be done. From what he could tell, things at Central Command seemed to be running smoothly. The more ferocious animals had long since evacuated the area and, after years of research and work, the place seemed well fortified. The only real concern came from the natives of the planet, though it appeared they had been well restrained as of recent. In the back of his mind, the Colonel couldn't help but worry that he had missed a majority of the action already. After all, what was the point of being on an alien planet if you couldn't place a bullet between something's eyes?

"Indigenous?" he inquired about the Commander's revelation.

"No," Commander Patrick shook his head, "we've got them pretty subdued for the most part, but four of our soldiers have gone MIA."

That caught his attention. "Any leads?"

"We know exactly where they are. They're dead."

"You said they were MIA?"

"Only in technical terms," the Commander smirked. Miles was quickly tiring of the odd blonde man, especially with being tired in general, though he managed to keep his mouth shut. At least for his first day, he would play nice. "We sent the troop to the Hallelujah Mountains with their Avatars," Commander Patrick continued. "Their mission was to infiltrate a nearby settlement of natives. Try to gather more information about their fortress and their battle tactics. However, they made a direct hit with one of the other floating islands. The rubble crushed the pods, killing every single one of them in their sleep. All but one; Sergeant Richardson, Liala."

Miles sniffed, the tips of his ears burning at the sound of the familiar name. "What information was she able to gather?"

"Who knows," the blonde shrugged.

"She's MIA? How long now?

"One week, four days."

Miles stopped in his tracks. "And no one has bothered to search for this missing soldier?" He tried to keep his voice even, though he worried he may have spoken too quickly. Thankfully, the Commander did not seem to pick up on the hidden sense of urgency within Miles' tone.

"We tried, Colonel. The magnetic fields in the area scramble our instruments. On top of that, there's a nest of ikran nearby. If our ships get anywhere near there, we're flocked like flies to shit. All search efforts have failed thus far."

"How do we know she's still alive?"

The Commander instructed him to follow, and he did. The two soldiers finished their trek past the large, robotic military machinery and through the warehouse. Upon entering the main building, they headed down the numerous winding hallways and past rooms filled with more scientific creations within, which Miles had no interest in. Although he kept his calm exteriorly, his insides were coiling. Above his excitement for conquering this new planet and above the pride he felt earning such a high position at Central Command, his intrigue at seeing Laila overshadowed it all. Perhaps intrigue was the wrong word. He would deny it even to himself, but he missed her. He had been thinking about her a lot, more than he had in years, and it stemmed from the single evening spent talking together before her shipment.

He had last seen her three years ago. Technically speaking, it was closer to nine. Three years after Laila shipped out to Pandora, Miles got his orders. The trip to Pandora took roughly six years, though Miles felt as if no time at all had passed, and he didn't particularly like thinking of the math behind their voyages. All he knew for certain was that he wanted to see her again. And now, finally having set foot on the same planet as Laila, he's told that she's missing?

The Commander held a door open for Miles and he stepped in. The room was large with a wall of windows on the north side. Beneath the windows were desks filled with monitors and a large round table was placed in the center of the room. Commander Patrick went to an empty computer and began to type. Miles didn't bother watching the flashing images on the screen. Instead, he turned his attention to the windows and the world beyond. The enormous trees and thick foliage stretched on for as far as he could see, and a sense of discouragement came upon him. Laila was out there somewhere. She was tough and he knew she could handle anything. And yet, the idea that she was out there alone...

"Here," Commander Patrick said and he pointed to the screen. Towards the left, there were letters with corresponding numbers in line with ovals. Most of the ovals were gray, though some were green and few red. "This shows all of our active pods in the Avatar Program. When in use, this program documents their time in and time out logs. Gray is inactive, green is active, and red is critical damage. Pretty simple stuff. Pods F6 through F8 are red, meaning they're decommissioned. Deadlined. Those were assigned to Corporal Wazowski, Corporal Meyer, and Sergeant Connell. Their pods went offline while in use, so it's safe to assume they're dead. However," he slipped his finger to the oval on line F9, which glowed green, "Sergeant Richardson's is still in use." He clicked on F9 and numbers flashed across the screen.

"Here you can see her pod has been activated every morning and deactivated every night," he continued. "She's been using it."

Miles stuffed his hands in his pockets and he nodded, though he was hardly at ease by this information. "Are we sure it's her?"

"We're not. But, that is her assigned pod and the others deactivated while in use, so I'd say we're pretty damn sure it's her."

"What about search parties? Rescue teams?"

The Commander turned to him, his brow raised and a cynical look upon his freckled face. "I don't know what kind of shit show you think I'm running here, Colonel, but I am confident our search efforts have been perfectly reasonable considering we've been short handed. Other than these logs, we've found no trace of her. All search efforts have ended in casualties with no trace of Richardson. I refuse to send further soldiers to their deaths for the life of one."

Miles chuckled, though inside, he was furious. "Well, I'm here now and I guarantee you that I will find that soldier."