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Italics: (Na'vi language or Jake's inner thoughts or narration)
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After Jake explained to Grace what had happened to him after he strayed away from the group, they all couldn't help but look at him in shock. They could not believe what they were hearing from the ex-marine who knows nothing about Pandora and has had little to no experience but still managed to be taken in by the Omaticaya people themselves.

It was not hard to notice how his voice and face changed when he talked about the princess and the upcoming Tsahik, Y/n. It was clear to see how smitten he was about her and Grace knew that she was to be paired with Tsu'Tey, so if Jake intervened with that, it would not have a good ending with either of them or the tribe.

It was the next day and everyone was having breakfast in the cafeteria. Jake was to be in the link room straight after that to connect with his Avatar and then live his first day as the Omaticaya do. All of the scientists who were interested in listening to the story of Jake's whereabouts gathered at one long table as Grace re-told what had happened.

"The last thing we see is this Marine's ass disappearing into the bush with this angry Thanator coming after him" Grace laughed, earning a similar reaction from other scientists gathered at the story.

"Hey, it's just not something you can teach" Jake smirked, laughing slightly while he ate his breakfast at the head of the table.

"That is awesome" Max chuckled on the seat next to Jake's, amazed at what he experienced. Never in his career had he heard about a situation like this happening before.

"You know, for reasons I cannot fathom, the Omaticaya have chosen you. God help us all" Grace laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. She knew this could turn around the entire outcome of their operation.

Across the table, Norm sulked as he ate his breakfast. This entire situation seemed unreal to him, and not in a good way. He had been studying and preparing for years to participate in this program, but suddenly an ex-marine rookie comes in with no training and gets it done in just a few days. Norm couldn't help but feel jealousy brewing inside him. He had been wanting to connect and interact with the Omaticaya, and the Na'vi in general, for years. It felt like a slap to the face.

After breakfast, Jake headed over to the main hangar that Quaritch and the rest of the higher-ups were in. Jake explained what happened and the Colonel scoffed in disbelief. Much like his colleagues, Quaritch couldn't believe Jake came through with what they talked about and was able to infiltrate himself into their clan.

"Jarhead Clan?" Quaritch asked, and Jake nodded with a hum in approval. "And it worked?" The Colonel laughed.

"Hey, I'm practically family," Jake said, meaning it as a joke, but earning a few laughs here and there. He leaned onto the railing in the hologram projector before continuing. "They're gonna study me. I have to learn to be one of them" Jake said, earning an approving nod from Quaritch.

"That's called taking initiative, son" Quaritch started. "I wish I had ten more like you," He said, patting Jake's shoulder approvingly.

Hearing this, Parker came into the conversation and caught Jake's attention. "Look, Sully. Sully. Just find out what the blue monkeys want. You know, I mean, we try to give them medicine, education, roads, and so on. But, no, no, no, they like mud. And that wouldn't bother me, it's just that they're, uh...Hey, can you?" Parker paused for a second and gestured to an employee to adjust the hologram on the table in front of them.

"Can somebody just...Sector 12. Go, go, go. Stop. Jesus" He said, seeing his employee go a little too far away from the map. Jake stiffened seeing it land right on Hometree. "Their damn village happens to be resting on the richest Unobtanium deposit within 200 klicks in any direction. I mean, look at all that cheddar!" Parker said, laughing afterward.

In his mind, Jake felt hesitant. At first, when he hadn't stepped outside the base, he hadn't seen what Pandora was really like or what the Na'vi were like, he'd be saying in his head he would do it with no problem. But now that he got a new perspective. Now that he met you. Jake was starting to doubt if this was a good thing he was doing. He didn't know how to feel. When he was over there getting to know the Omaticaya, he had completely forgotten what it was he was there to do.

"Well, who gets them to move?" Jake asked, knowing in the back of his head that it was him who they wanted to talk to the Na'vi. "Guess..." The Colonel quipped, and Jake lowered his head, running a hand over the back of his head as Quaritch's words confirmed his thoughts.

"And what if they won't go?" Jake asked, knowing the answer wouldn't be any less than a torturous plan to get the Na'vi to leave. "Oh, I'm betting that they will," Quaritch said with a smirk and a knowing tone.

Seeing this happen, Selfridge stepped in and tried to get a word in. "Okay, okay, okay. Hey. Look, look...killing the indigenous looks bad, but there's one thing that shareholders hate more than bad press, and that's a bad quarterly statement. I didn't make up the rules. So, just find me a carrot that will get them to move. Otherwise, it's gonna have to be all stick. Okay?" Parker explained, coming up to stand right next to Jake.

"You got three months. That's when the 'dozers get there" Quaritch said, and Jake sighed at this fact. In his head, all he wanted to do was try to find a better solution, rather than something that will destroy and burn these people's homes to the ground.

"Well, we're wasting time" Jake smiled, not genuinely, though. He wanted to get back there as soon as possible to try and see if he can try to find another solution, rather than just doing things the hard way when these people haven't done anything wrong at all.

Not noticing his fake initiative, Parker smiled and patted Jake's shoulder. "I like this guy!" He exclaimed, then shortly after, the ex-marine was soon summoned back to the link room to reconnect with his Avatar who was at Hometree.

Back in the scientific wing of the RDA, Max was already prepping everything and directing the other employees to have the pods functioning correctly so that the process can flow smoothly. "Guys! Right now!" He said to everyone else, earning nods around the room.

Right before Jake was to be reconnected with his Avatar body, Grace was having him review all the faces and people he met with yesterday. It was all a process, so including these steps will eventually help in the long run. Jake needs to look professional in front of these people if he wants to be taken seriously and eventually get the Omaticaya's trust.

"Okay, let's run through them again," Grace said, holding up a tablet with different pictures of important figures of the clan.

First up, was the Tsahik, so Grace showed Jake a picture of her. "Mo'at. Dragon Lady" He said simply, then Grace turned to the next picture and Jake was quick to remember. "Eytucan," He said, yet slightly mispronounced at the end.

"Eytukan" Grace corrected him, hoping he doesn't make the same mistake while he was out there. "He's the clan leader. But she's the spiritual leader, like a shaman" She explained.

"Got it" Jake nodded, wheeling himself to his capsule as it opened and preparing to hop in. Grace showed the ex-marine another picture and Jake quickly remembered his name. "T'su'tey," He said, mispronounced slightly too.

"Tsu'Tey" Grace corrected him once again, and Jake repeated the name in the right way. "He'll be the next clan leader" She explained. The red-headed scientist flicked her tablet onto the next picture while Jake hoisted himself up to the pod as the link was prepared.

"Neytiri. Princess of the Omaticaya" Jake said, looking at the picture, and secretly waiting until a picture of Y/n came up. His wishes eventually came true and Grace swiped her tablet to reveal a picture of you.

At your picture, Jake couldn't help but feel his heart swell. He just met you the day before, but he would be lying if he said you weren't running through his mind all day. Grace noticed how Jake practically had heart eyes looking at your picture, worrying her slightly.

Jake still hadn't responded, so Grace coughed, getting back his attention. "That's Y/n," Jake said softly, with a smile appearing on his face, seemingly entranced by you.

"She'll be the next Tsahik. She and Tsu'Tey become a mated pair," Grace said and saw how his smile dropped a bit at this new fact. He did feel disappointed but tried his best not to let it show. It wasn't important now.

Moving on, Jake had one more question to ask before he was ready to be linked again. "So, who's Eywa?" He asked cluelessly. Norm's eyes widened in shock, almost leaning forward to see if he had heard Jake correctly.

"Who's Eywa? Only their deity. Their goddess made up all living things. Everything they know! You'd know this if you had any training whatsoever" Norm scoffed, and Jake turned to look at him, clearly noticing his jealousy start to show through his words.

In retaliation, Jake grabbed Grace's tablet and held it up for Norm to see, with Y/n's picture still on. "Yeah? Who's got a date with the chief's daughter?" Jake smirked.

"Oh, come on. That's not-" Norm began to argue but even cut himself off because he couldn't even say anything back. He leaned back against the wall in defeat while Jake got comfortable in his pod.

"Alright, knock it off, you two. Let's go, village life starts early" Grace scolded while rolling her eyes, then turning to the monitor next to the pod to configure everything. Once all details were put in place, Grace leaned down to look at Jake as he was laid down. "Don't do anything unusually stupid" She said with a warning, but Jake dismissed it with a chuckle.

-

Y/n woke up the next day, stretched, and let out a small yawn. She then turned over to Jake's hammock to see that he was still asleep. While she couldn't believe that she was chosen to teach him the ways of the Na'vi, in a way, she wouldn't admit out loud that she was excited to get to spend more time with him.

The girl was aware that this man knew next to nothing about their way of life, so it was now her duty to fulfill what she was told to do. It was a new experience, and for that, she'll try her best to make him feel welcome.

While she reminisced, Y/n realized that the strangest thing to have happened since she met him had got to be how different it felt to be around him compared to her people. She didn't know what it was, but for some reason, there was something about him that allowed her to let the walls she set up so high come crashing down in just a few minutes of conversation and interaction.

She was aware that it was a sign from Eywa that made sense as to why this would happen, but not like this. It felt like a concept completely foreign and strange to her. Knowing this, Y/n vowed to herself the night before to keep her distance from this strange Sky Person, complete her duties, and let things happen the way they should. She was to be mated to someone else anyway, so she had no reason to be thinking about someone else.

Looking over at him again, she sighed and climbed herself out of the hammock, and made her way out of Hometree so she could gather up two Pa'li's for their first lesson of the day. If he woke up, he'd just have to find his way out and get a head start on starting to familiarize himself with his new surroundings if he wanted to learn the ways of the Na'vi.

After Y/n left the tree and came back with the two Pa'li horses, the sight in front of her was so endearing that she felt herself already going back on her vow to keep her distance. There he was, Jake, playing with other Omaticaya children, still oblivious to the fact that Y/n was standing there waiting for their first lesson.

But she didn't mind at all, if anything, he could spend a few more minutes like this if we wanted to do so. Going back to her senses, remembering what she promised, Y/n coughed awkwardly and got Jake's attention.

After getting Jake, he and Y/n were off together towards the field where Pa'li riders usually passed through. She thought it was the perfect spot to get started. Tsaheylu, the bond, is one of the most important things a Na'vi can have access to when wanting to connect with the world and nature around it. Y/n thought this would be a good introductory lesson.

"To start, today I am going to teach you how to ride a Pa'li," Y/n said, and Jake nodded understandingly. "Creating a bond with you and other organisms is very important.  A vital part of being a Na'vi" You explained.

Before starting, Jake watched as the horses began to feed their bellies by licking the nectar off of some plants with their long tongues. He then turned you, seeing how in tune you seem to be with the animal and how calm it was by being in your presence. You rubbed her hands on the animal's snout, earning a soft snort from the horse in contentment.

"Easy, boy," Jake said, starting to approach the Pa'li. He hoped he was correct in terms of telling if it was a boy or a girl, but the confused look you gave him told Jake that he was wrong.

"Pa'li is female," Y/n said, then speaking soothing words in Na'vi to the animal as the horse whacked Jake in the back of the head with its antenna. "Okay. Easy, girl" He said softly, approaching the animal slowly.

The Pa'li's feet shifted a little in place but quickly calmed down. Once Jake made it to her side, he lifted his hands onto the back of the animal and pulled himself up. He didn't have the hang of it at first, but he quickly adjusted. The Pa'li did not like the fact that there was a stranger sitting on its back, but it didn't object in harsh actions towards him.

"Sìltsan, Pale, sìltsan" (Good, Pa'li, Good) Y/n soothed the animal, given that the horse was becoming fidgety at Jake's presence. You gently grabbed onto her antenna and handed it to Jake.

Seemingly knowing what to do, Jake looked at the antenna and then back at his braid, bringing his hair forward. With a soft exhale, Jake connected the two queues, causing an immediate surprised reaction from the Pa'liz

At this action, The Pa'li's eyes widened and the horse jerked forward and jolted with the uneasiness of the presence of a new person. So that Jake does not fall off, Y/n kept a steady hold on the horse's head and its upper body.

Once it calmed down, Jake exhaled with relief that he didn't fall off and with surprise at the same time. He turned to Y/n and made direct eye contact with her to get the next instructions.

"That is tsaheylu. The bond" You explained, patting the direhorse on its side. "Feel her. Feel her heartbeat. Her breath. Feel her strong legs. You may tell her what to do. Inside" Y/n said, tapping her head.

The Avatar took mental notes of your teachings and closed his eyes with a relaxed smile on his face. He was feeling and sensing everything that the direhorse was experiencing. Now that he was connected to the direhorse, everything he felt, the animal felt as well, and it works well both ways.

Jake nodded at your words, for now, understanding the basics. "For now, say where to go," Y/n said, stepping back, knowing this was the moment of truth for Jake.

Looking in front of him, adjusting his position on the horse slightly, he gulped and prepared to say his first command. "Forward," Jake said simply, and the animal took off rapidly without warning, making the bond break as Jake fell to the ground and onto the mud.

Y/n was not made of stone, so seeing him fall, immediately sparked a laugh from you while running over to him. You quickly called over to your Pa'li, patting her head as comfort. These animals are very sensitive when it comes to the bond, so it's important to give them sympathy.

Before the lesson could continue, the sound of hooves could be heard from afar, so Y/n, as well as Jake, who was standing up from the mud, turned their heads to see Tsu'Tey and another warrior riding their way over to the two of you. Tsu'Tey had an amused look on his face once noticed that Jake was covered in mud.

"You should go away," Tsu'Tey said, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer. He was not any happier about his appearance than he was the day before. He could sense Jake was trouble, and if you spent a lot of time with him, you could end up being hurt and he would not allow that to happen.

"Nah, you'd miss me," Jake said with a smirk. "I knew you could speak English" He fired back at Tsu'Tey, who did not look any happier and scoffed. He was seeing how Jake was still struggling to get the mud off of his body and face, and the sight made the warrior chuckle.

"Fìketuwongìl ke nayume ke'ut. Nì'ul kame tskxe. Poru tìng nari" (This alien will learn nothing. A rock sees more. Look at him) Tsu'Tey said, pointing at Jake, making Y/n roll her eyes with a small smile.

"Kä" (Go) Y/n said, patting the back of Tsu'Tey's Pa'li, urging it to go forward. Once he and the other warrior were out of sight, you turned back to Jake. After that, Y/n had Jake repeat the same process until he got the hang of it correctly with no mistakes.

-

As soon as he was back at the RDA and sitting on the main hangar of the base of operations, Jake was now showing his superiors what he had found out while being out in the forest and living with the Na'vi. Parker and Quaritch listened intently, taking note of everything Jake was saying so that it can be an advantage for them in the future.

"If you wanna hit this thing, it's gonna be complicated. Your scan doesn't show the internal structure. There's an outer row of columns" Jake explained, earning a hum from Quaritch, concocting a plan in his head.

"Real heavy duty. There's a secondary ring here and an inner ring. There's a core structure like a spiral. That's how they move up and down" Jake said, while officials looking over the hologram nodded at the information.

"We're gonna need accurate scans on every column," Quaritch said, and Jake nodded. "Roger that" He replied while the Colonel continued to ask if there is anything else they should know about the structure of the tree.

Meanwhile, Max was coming up the stairs to the main base of the operations room, hearing everything that was being talked about. Max listened to Jake say that he guessed that there was a secondary ring that is a load bearing. Max knew in his gut that this operation wasn't leading to anything good.

After discussing everything with Quaritch and Parker, Jake came back to the link room and saw many scientists, including Norm and Grace, moving around and packing up supplies. Jake wheeled himself over to try and figure out what was happening.

"So, where are we going?" Jake asked, reaching Grace, Max, and Norm. The red-headed scientist turned to him with a simple facial expression. "Getting out of Dodge," Grace started. "I'm not about to let Selfridge and Quaritch micro-manage this thing. There's a mobile link up at site 26 we can work out of, way up in the mountains" She explained, and as Norm heard this, he stopped in his tracks.

"T-The Hallelujah Mountains?" Norm asked, with excitement brewing inside him. "That's right" Grace nodded with a smile. "Are you serious?" He asked, still in disbelief, and Grace hummed in confirmation.

Norm pumped his fist up in the air and then back down. "Yes!" He exclaimed excitedly. Norm had been dying to go to these mountain ranges ever since he learned about them.

Jake looked confused as to what was happening and where they were going, and Norm took notice of this. "The legendary floating mountains of Pandora? Heard of them?" He quipped with attitude, still not believing that this rookie was this far into the Na'vi without any knowledge at all.

Eventually, the crew got on board Trudy's helicopter and were now on their way to the floating mountains. Grace and Norm's Avatars were strapped in the back unconscious, and everyone was in their human forms. Including Trudy, Jake, Grace, and Norm. The fog began to thicken as they got closer to the mountains.

"We're getting close," Grace said, sitting behind Trudy in the cockpit. Trudy chuckled at the scientists' words. "Yeah, look at my instruments," She said, gesturing with her head to the control panels that were flickering and glitching all over the place.

"Yup. We're in the Flux Vortex" Grace stated. "We're VFR from here on" Trudy added, making Norm turn to her with confusion. "What's VFR?" He asked, sitting in the passenger seat of the helicopter with Jake right behind him, observing the landscape.

"It means you gotta see where you're going" Trudy explained. Norm looked forward, seeing everything in front of them was clouded by fog. "You can't see anything," Norm said, and Trudy laughed, since he pointed out the obvious.

"Exactly. Ain't that a bitch?" She said, eventually flying through the fog without a problem, making the floating mountains of Pandora come into clear view. Jake leaned forward in his seat to look at the landscape, and he couldn't believe his own eyes.

He had so many questions in his head about this place. They were majestic and beautiful, so it was very hard to look away. Some had waterfalls on the side of them, while other mountains had vines surrounding them.

"Oh, my God," Norm said slowly, entranced by the sight in front of them. He could not believe he was seeing this in person after so long.

Trudy looked over to Jake and Norm for a second and then turned to look forward, chuckling at how in awe they looked. "You should see your faces" She laughed.

After a few more minutes of flying, on top of the mountains, there sat a couple of metal crates that were what Jake assumed was their new base. Trudy landed her helicopter on the ground in front of the base and when she landed, she began shutting down her helicopter.

"Thank you for flying Air Pandora," She said jokingly, turning off the power in the aircraft so that it was safe for the crew to come out.

Being the first one off, Grace entered one of the crates and once the air generators began running, she took off her mask and began turning on the lights, and then the airlocks. When everything was prepped, she welcomed everyone inside their new base.

"Welcome to camp," Grace started while everyone set down their things. "So, this is my bunk," She said, pointing to the first cot on the other side of the room with her cigarette hanging off of her mouth.

Trudy opened the fridge and rummaged through what was inside. "This stuff is nasty" She muttered, seeing that there wasn't anything all that appetizing to eat.

While Trudy had the fridge door opened, Jake sat in his wheelchair and looked at the pictures that were put on the refrigerator door. Most of them included Na'vi children with Grace in her Avatar form. Some were with you, Neytiri, and another girl he was failing to recognize. He met a lot of people when he was at Hometree and he didn't see her anywhere.

"Norm, you go under," Grace said, and Norm agreed immediately, taking the bunk under Grace. "Trudy, you take the top one" Grace continued, and the pilot nodded at her words.

Grace didn't miss a thing. I knew she was talking to the Colonel. But I had what she needed. A way back in with the clan, so she's playing nice

Jake continued to look at the pictures. Since he's met you, he hasn't seen you smile a whole lot. It has always been you with a stoic smile on your face, that makes it hard to interact with you. He understands why you have some sort of barricade up for him, like a wall that won't come down no matter what he tries to do. He wants to see that carefree and serene side that is shown in those pictures, and he'll try everything he can to get you to trust him.

Jake finished his train of thought and closed the fridge door shut. He began to wheel himself behind Grace as she led him to a link pod at the end of the room. "Alright. Jake, hang a left. You'll be in the link at the end. Unit one. Beulah. She's the least glitchy" Grace said, patting the pod with her hand.

-

There was a lot of trial and error for Jake with the Pa'li. Eventually, he did get the hang of it and how it works, so now it was time to get onto another lesson. Y/n led Jake up to one of the top branches of Homtree. He grunted and panted tiredly since it was a long way up, and he was honestly surprised at how Y/n didn't even break a sweat. When they both got there, Jake walked behind Y/n cautiously, and carefully given the height they are in.

Y/n was wearing a special headpiece that was designed for flying, and other accessories every Omaticaya princess needs to wear. Today was a very special day. It was to show Jake how important it is to be disciplined in these types of things because it will help him in the long run when learning about the Na'vi ways of life.

To become a true warrior and part of the Omaticaya clan, what Y/n was about to show him is a rite of passage every man and woman should take. However, this was just a demonstration. Jake could only perform this task when he is ready to do so.

Y/n looked upwards towards the top branches and opened her mouth to imitate a special bird-like call. Jake felt a little confused if he was being honest. What could she be calling for? His question was quickly answered when a large dragon with sharp claws and teeth, big wings, and a large snout, came down from the branches. The creature screeched, alarming and scaring Jake to no end. This was an Ikran, or a banshee, which is what humans call it.

Seeing Y/n smile and walk up to the banshee calmly without any fear is something that Jake was amazed and impressed by. This Ikran in particular was (Favorite Color) with (Favorite Color) stripes all over its body.

"Holy shit!" Jake exclaimed, laughing nervously at the same time. He had never seen a creature like this before, and the way it completely calmed down when being in your presence, is something that warmed Jake's heart completely. You were so in tune with everything around you, and he loved that.

"Do not look in her eye" Y/n warned Jake, and he did so, turning his eyes away from the beast. Y/n took some treats from her belt and gave them to her Ikran, who accepted them happily. Y/n named her Nana, which means Star. "Nana. Tam Tam, Nana..." (Okay, okay, Nana) Y/n spoke softly to her Ikran while rubbing the banshee's chin affectionately.

"Ikran is not horse. Once a Tsaheylu is made..." Y/n started softly, admiring her ikran while the banshee became gentle towards her rider. Y/n attached their bonds, making the Ikran chitter and squawk softly at the feeling while allowing the bond to happen. "Ikran will fly with only one hunter in the whole life" Y/n explained while adjusting her harness and hoisting herself onto the saddle in its back.

"To become Taronyu, hunter, you must choose your own Ikran and he must choose you," Y/n said, turning to Jake, who was processing your words carefully before answering back.

"When?" Jake asked, still weary of the creature, but smiling nonetheless. Y/n let a soft smile grace her lips before replying. "When you are ready," She said, lowering her headpiece for flying and letting out a yell, or yip, finally telling the Ikran to fly.

Nana leaped from the tree branch into the sky they flew. Jake looked over the branch to see where they went until he saw Y/n emerge on her Ikran. Y/n laughed happily from being up in the air. It was one of her favorite feelings in the world and she wouldn't give it up for anything. She loved Nana so much.

Still standing in the large branch, Jake watched with a wide smile from ear to ear as he watched you fly. He was leaning over the branch, waiting for his rite of passage to come so he could do the same. When you flew over him, Jake ducked down to the branch, letting the breeze caused by the flapping wings of the Ikran whiff right through him as Y/n let out another excited cry into the air that echoed through Hometree.

-

Hi! This chapter was about 5.1k words or so, and I hope that you guys enjoyed it. I'm trying so hard to finish this story before school starts, so wish me luck :,) Ill still do weekly, maybe daily, updates when school starts tho, bc I really love this book.

I don't have much to say for this Author's Note, but I hope you guys look forward to the next one! I have so much planned for future chapters that Im excited to include <3

Also I'm still debating switching from 3rd POV to 1st POV, so I might be changing it soon, or not lol I don't know lmao Don't forget to comment and vote, because I really love reading and replying to them! They make my day!

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