I pray in my heart that this dream never ends

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𝔾ℝ𝔸ℂ𝔼 entered the link shack, removing her air mask and placing her bag down. She walked over to a switch and flipped it, illuminating the room as the others followed inside. "Welcome to camp," Grace greeted. "So, this is my bunk," she said, showing the beds.

As everyone settled in, Trudy opened the fridge. Arya noticed photos plastered on it, depicting Na'vi children and Grace in the school, capturing the fond memories they shared.

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

Arya sighed as Trudy closed the fridge, stealing another glance at the photos that evoked a sense of nostalgia. She then turned her attention to Grace, sensing a hint of longing for those past times. "All right, Arya, hang a left. You'll be in the link at the end. Unit one. Beulah. She's the least glitchy," Grace instructed, leading Arya towards the link unit pod at the end. Arya looked at Grace and nodded, expressing gratitude for the guidance.

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As Arya followed Neytan, leaping gracefully from branch to branch in the spiraling ascent of the home tree, she marveled at the breathtaking views of the lush surroundings. While navigating the heights, Neytan emitted a distinctive call, prompting Arya to hear an animal noise and witness the rustling of leaves. Suddenly, an ikran, a majestic creature, burst out, startling Arya.

"Holy shit," she chuckled, sharing the unexpected thrill with Neytan. He cautioned her, "Do not look her in the eye." Arya averted her gaze from the creature and watched as Neytan fed it meat, revealing a warm smile. Speaking the ikran's name, Neytan explained, "Ikran is not a horse. Once Tsaheylu is made, ikran will fly with only one hunter in the whole life." After securing the saddle and establishing a bond with the ikran, Neytan climbed on its back. The creature screeched, playfully startling Arya, who chuckled and smiled. Neytan elaborated on the significance, stating, "To become taronyu, a hunter, you must choose your own ikran, and he must choose you." Arya inquired, "When?" Neytan replied with a smile, "When you are ready," and winked at her.

Lowering his winged headpiece, Neytan emitted a cry as they dove down. Arya observed with joy as they gracefully circled the tree, Neytan looking up at her. Flying around her, he executed another cry before diving over Arya, filling the moment with exhilaration. She ducked down as he soared overhead, laughing. Arya couldn't help but chuckle and smile brightly in response to the thrilling experience.

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Arya donned the log monitor and began recording, "Okay, this is video log 12. Time's 21:32." She turned to Grace, who was focused on a microscope. "Do I have to do this now? I really need to get some rack," Arya commented. Grace replied, "No, now. When it's fresh." Arya sighed and returned to the monitor, stating, "Okay, location: shack, and the days are starting to blur together."

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Arya sat before Neytan on a branch of the home tree, engaging in a language lesson. Despite having some familiarity with the words, her mind felt jumbled, and she struggled. Neytan guided her, placing his fingers on his eyes as he corrected her pronunciation. "Navi," Arya attempted, prompting Neytan to correct, "Nari."

"Nari," Arya echoed, attempting to mimic the rounded 'r' sound. "Narrri!" Neytan demonstrated, but Arya's attempt at "Narrr!" wasn't quite in proper pronunciation, earning her a gentle smack on the forehead from Neytan. Moving on to archery, Neytan taught Arya to hold the bow, emphasizing strength, "Txur ni'ul. Stronger." He demonstrated by placing his hands on his stomach and inhaling to emphasize core strength. Arya imitated, pulling the bow back, but Neytan adjusted her form, pushing her gut in more and fixing her arm position. He even gave a sharp slap to her arm holding the string and arrow, ensuring a proper stance.

Neytan calls me skxawng. It means moron. As Jake picked up the word and now he just calls me skxawng.

"This is a very important part of it," Norm emphasized, dedicating his time and efforts to assist Arya in learning the language. His positive attitude and commitment were evident as he aimed to bring her up to speed with the knowledge he had acquired over the years. While also offering occasional help to Jake, Norm's primary focus was on teaching Arya, aiming to impress the Na'vi clan with their progress.

Norm's attitude has improved lately

"I see you. I see you," Arya repeated, mimicking Norm's movements. He clarified, "But it's not just 'I see you in front of me,' it's 'I see you into you. I see you.'" Arya smiled, appreciating Norm's return to his old, nerdy, and loving self that she had encountered in the beginning. Meanwhile, Jake struggled, shaking his head at the intricacies of the lesson.

It's good he's back on board, but he thinks Jake and I are skxawngs.

"I'm accepting you. I understand you," Norm continued, imparting the deeper meaning of the phrase. Arya chuckled and rubbed her temple, finding the lesson both amusing and challenging. "So, you gotta get this, okay?" Norm emphasized to both Arya and Jake. As Arya prepared to enter the pod, she exclaimed, "I gotta run! Okay? Let's go!" Norm assisted in starting the unit.

My feet are getting tougher. I can run farther every day.

Arya trailed behind Neytan as they swiftly navigated the branches. Neytan caught a branch, swinging himself to the other side and smoothly landing on the next branch. Arya followed suit, mimicking his actions, and sprinted forward, doing her best to keep pace with him.

I have to trust my body to know what to do.

Arya tried once more with a direhorse, and as the creature moved, she felt a surge of pride. "Yeah! Check it out!" she exclaimed triumphantly. However, as fate would have it, she tumbled off once again, landing in the dirt. "Crap!" she exclaimed in frustration, while Neytan shook his head and laughed.

When the rain started in Pandora, Neytan led Arya into the forest, following a trail through the damp surroundings.

Every day it's reading the trails, the tracks at the waterhole, the tiniest scents and sounds.

Stealthily crawling on the ground, they reached a clearing where another viperwolf with her pups was visible. Arya smiled at the heartwarming sight, and Neytan glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, reciprocating the smile before returning his focus to the viperwolf family.

He's always going on about the flow of energy, the spirits of animals I really hope this isn't on the final.

"This isn't just about eye-hand coordination out there, you know. You need to listen to what he says. Try to see the forest through her eyes," Grace advised as she examined data through the microscope. Arya, in the midst of recording a video log, turned to her and remarked, "Excuse me. This is my video log here."

As Arya and Neytan ran across the branches once again, he ran fast before he lipped off the branch as he caught himself with huge leaves to make his fall smoother as he landed on the ground and looked up at her who looked at him as if he was crazy.

With Neytan, it's learn fast or die.

"You gotta be kidding me," Arya muttered as she wrapped her bow around her and attempted to follow his actions. Unfortunately, her attempt didn't go as planned, resulting in her bow falling to the ground. She landed less smoothly than he did, standing up and removing a vine from her shoulder as she retrieved her bow.

Each day passed like a blink of an eye. One day, Arya successfully convinced Mo'at to bring Grace back to the village. Despite initial difficulties, Jake to also be in the village as he also accepted a tutor, Ninat, one of the skilled Na'vi women known for her exceptional singing. As Grace returned to the village, the children from her school were overjoyed to see her, and the feeling was mutual as Grace reunited with them once again.

I talked Mo'at into letting Grace into the village and Jake too. It was the first time since her school closed down.

As Grace finished her data work, she noticed Arya had fallen asleep. Grace smiled, turned off the video log, and, upon approaching Arya, saw the book with handwritten notes and highlighted parts-clear evidence of Arya's dedicated study of the Na'vi way. Grace affectionately remarked, "Come on, Marine," and helped Arya to her bunk. She gently removed Arya's prosthetic leg, tucked her into bed, and wished her a restful night.

The next day, Neytan began teaching Arya archery. As Arya pulled the bow and assumed her stance, Neytan approached and placed his hand on her arm to check her form. Their proximity caught Arya's attention, and Neytan, realizing it, stepped back, signalling her to release the arrow.

Later, in the forest during a rainstorm, Neytan demonstrated harvesting water from a plant's leaf. He pulled down a leaf filled with rainwater, poured it into his mouth, and Arya observed the technique.

I'm trying to understand deeply this deep connection the people have to the forest. He talks about a network of energy, that flows through all living things. He says all energy is only borrowed, and one day you have to give it back.

As darkness enveloped Pandora, Neytan and Arya ventured into the forest and stumbled upon a fan-lizard. Just as Arya was about to touch it, the lizard opened its swirling circular purple fan. Arya smiled in awe as Neytan ran, prompting a cascade of fan-lizards to illuminate the surroundings with their fans. Neytan laughed, and Arya joined in as they tried to keep the lizards from falling. Observing Neytan's joy, Arya couldn't help but smile, enchanted by the simple yet delightful moment they shared.

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As Arya emerged from the pod unit, Grace informed her, "You were in for 16 hours today." Arya, noticing her slightly grown auburn hair, put on her prosthetic legs and stretched. Heading to the fridge, Grace expressed concern about Arya's weight loss, but Arya grabbed a smoothie and attempted to leave. Grace pulled her back, insisting, "No, you don't." Arya chuckled, stating her need for sleep, but Grace placed a sealed meal in front of her, saying, "Bon appétit." Arya mentioned making a kill and eating it, emphasizing the origin of the meal. Grace insisted on taking care of her body, prompting Arya to grab her cigar and toss it away. Grace encouraged her to eat, noting, "You look like crap." Arya thanked her and disposed of the cigar, "Get rid of this shit. And then you can lecture me," Arya said with a smile before Grace urged her, "Now, I'm telling you, as your boss, and as someone who might even consider being a friend someday. Take some downtime. Eat this, please. Trust me, I... learned the hard way." She microwaved her coffee as Arya looked at the photos of the school on the table and asked, "What did happen at the school, Grace?" Grace sighed, meeting Arya's gaze.

"Neytan's sister, Sylwanin, stopped coming to school. She was angry about the clear-cutting. And one day, she and a couple of other young hunters came running in all painted up. They had set a bulldozer on fire. I guess they thought I could protect them. The troopers pursued them to the school. They killed Sylwanin in the doorway. Right in front of Neytan. And then shot the others. I got most of the kids out. But they never came back." Grace sat next to Arya, who handed her the photo.

"I'm sorry," Arya said softly.

"A scientist stays objective. We can't be ruled by emotion. But I put 10 years of my life into that school. They called me sa'nok," Grace spoke.

"Mother," Arya said softly as she saw tears in Grace's eyes.

"Mother," Grace repeated. "That kind of pain reaches back through the link." Grace said to Arya as she placed her hand on Arya's chest where her heart was before Arya went and hugged Grace tightly.

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By: SIlverMist707

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