5.New Purposes

"And the last thing we see are both of their asses as they run away from the thanator!" Grace laughed heartily, slapping the desk for emphasis. A ripple of laughter spread through the group of Avatar drivers gathered around the breakfast table. Norm snorted into his cup. Even Max cracked a smile, though he rarely indulged in anything outside data.

Maria's cheeks flushed slightly, but she was grinning. She leaned against the lab counter, cradling her mug of something vaguely resembling coffee. "In our defense, I didn't think it could climb trees like that."

Jake, seated beside her, raised a brow. "You were the one who screamed first."

"I did not scream," she said, aiming a sharp jab at his ribs.

"You kinda did." Grace chuckled, eyes twinkling. "And yet, somehow, the Omaticaya still picked you to learn their ways. Miracles never cease."

Maria rolled her eyes, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "I told them I was a singer. I also told them I wasn't from the same country as you bozos. That probably helped."

Jake chuckled. "And I said I was a warrior. Probably more convincing than it should've been."

Grace shook her head, chuckling as she flipped through a display of clan member profiles. "Well, considering you two fell out of the sky screaming and survived a thanator, you've earned some attention. But listen up. This here," she stopped on an image, "is Tsu'Tey."

Maria leaned in. The face that stared back was unmistakable—the same stern male who had captured them in the forest with eyes sharper than any blade. The same male who had already hissed in disdain at her twice.

"He's next in line to be Olo'eyktan," Grace continued, "and he's supposed to be mated to Neytiri. So try not to insult him, okay?"

Jake hummed. "Noted."

"And who is Eywa?" he added, voice uncertain.

Norm let out a groan, clearly annoyed.

"Knock it off," Maria said firmly, stepping between the rising tension. She was growing tired of the passive hostility between Norm and Jake. She understood Norm's resentment—he'd trained for years for this mission, only to be sidestepped by a soldier with a spinal injury and a charming grin—but the energy was dragging the entire room down.

"Be nice to each other," Grace said softly, her tone a reminder rather than a reprimand. She handed each of them a monitoring tablet and guided them toward their booths. "Time to earn your stripes, kids."

Jake was already grinning as he laid down. "See you on the other side, Bondarenko."

"Don't scream like a kid again, Sully," she shot back with a wink, and closed her eyes.

Her Avatar's senses greeted her with a flood of color and sound. Pandora was already alive beneath her as she blinked awake. A buzz of energy, the scent of fresh dew, the chirping of alien animals, and the distant thump of drums. The Omaticaya were stirring.

Peering over the edge of her hammock nestled in one of the upper levels of Hometree, Maria spotted women weaving, children running, and young hunters preparing for training. It was beautiful chaos. She stretched, breathing in deeply. She had never felt more alive.

Jake clambered down clumsily, puffing as he caught up. "How are you this fast in the morning?"

"I'm Slavic," she said smugly. "We rise early, survive winter, and have sturdy calves."

As they stepped to the ground, the crowd of children Maria spotted earlier surrounded them. Tiny, wide-eyed Na'vi stared up in amazement. Some giggled, whispering to one another. Their hands poked at Maria and Jake's digits, marveling at their weirdly smooth fingers and rounded nails. Unlike the real natives, who had four toes and fingers, the Avatars had five.

Maria laughed, reaching out playfully. "Boo!"

The children squealed and scattered, and a spontaneous game of tag erupted. Jake joined in. For a moment, the laughter of the children and two dreamwalkers filled the air. few of the elders watched the scene in front of them in awe and silent smiles.

But not everyone was smiling.

Across the courtyard, Tsu'tey stood in the shade, arms crossed, watching the scene with narrowed eyes. The children should know better than to play with demons. And so should their parents. His tail flicked in disapproval.

Before he could speak, Neytiri beat him to it. She emerged from the crowd, grabbed Jake and Maria by the ears, and hissed at them like an angry older sister catching younger siblings sneaking sweets. Seeing that, it satisfied him, as he wished to have done the same.

"Like babies! I was searching for you!"

Maria winced. "Sorry..."

With a sheepish grin, they followed Neytiri to the Pa'li stables. Tsu'tey didn't follow, though his gaze lingered for a long while before he turned to his own students.

Both Avatars followed Neytiri silently, trying to take the whole scenery in. Her parents would have loved it here. A pang of sadness was coming for her heart, in all the time she spent on Pandora Maria realised she didn't had any time to really remember her parents as they deserved it.

They were on their way to leave the Hometree, to be greeted what seemed to be a little paddock full of these horselike animals Tsu'tey and the other hunters were riding the previous evening.

"Today, you learn to ride a Pa'li," Neytiri announced, voice clear and commanding. "To ride is to understand. You must bond with them—tsaheylu. You will feel what it feels, what it thinks. You will be one."

Maria's breath caught. She'd read about tsaheylu, but nothing could prepare her for actually doing it. The bonding the natives had was too impressive to fathom into words. It was fascinating on paper, but imagining it actually excisted was something else. She nodded, nervous but determined. Jake looked less enthused.

"JakeSully goes first," Neytiri said, gesturing toward a Pa'li, a sleek direhorse with expressive blue eyes. "This is Pale, she is kind."

He failed spectacularly.

The horse bucked him straight into the mud. Maria burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. Neytiri didn't hide her amusement either. "You are not ready," she said.

Maria's laughter faded when Tsu'tey arrived, his students in tow. He looked like a thundercloud.

"You waste time," he said to Neytiri in Na'vi, loud enough that Maria caught the tone, even if not the exact words. "They will never learn."

"Watch out who you call demon, big nose." Maria shot back, surprising even herself.

Tsu'tey's eyes snapped toward her. She ignored the heat in his gaze and stepped towards Pale. With a prayer to whatever gods were listening, she vaulted onto the beast's back, hands shaking.

Tsaheylu.

The bond formed, and her whole body stilled. Emotion flooded her—calm, alertness, trust. Pale accepted her. She was truly feeling EVERYTHING. A blissfull smile came over her face, and she knew not to do the same mistake as the marine before her. Go forward, slowly she thought, and that's what the direhorse did.

She began to ride. Slowly. Then faster. A gentle gallop.

A laugh escaped her lips. It was freeing. Incredible.

Tsu'tey stared, brows furrowed. "Perhaps not as hopeless," he muttered before turning away.

''Good, maybe you should show Jakesully how to ride too.''

Neytiri was proud of her student, well at least at one. She knew Sully had probably other talents but it was good for Maria to stand up for themselves.

They spent the whole morning riding around the parlour, and after two more failed tries even Jake mastered the skill.

Neytiri showed both of her student around the village, explaining how weaving was also an important task for the clan, as they were famous amongst the other clans for their brilliant textures and weaving skills. If they wanted to, they could learn it too she explained, but only after the rite, as they had a lot of other tasks to learn beforehand.

Their teacher showed them around some more, explained the different roles that had to be filled and what their tasks could be. She explained that the biggest shame one could suffer from was the shame of being useless.

They felt like kids being lectured, and in a way they were as they were wearing garments typical for children. Both of them had no standing in the clan, so they had no right to garnish themselves with beads or other accessories.

After another round of training in which Neytiri explained them bowmaking and a light lunch, Maria found herself sitting among a group of women, sorting fruit, as Jake needed more help with his Na'vi, Maria was send to help with daily task to assimilate into the village life. They were wary at first. She understood why. But Nekawn, an elder, welcomed her.

They chatted about traditions, clan roles, even music. Nekawn wanted to hear more about the "Clan" she belonged to and Maria felt a flicker of belonging—until he showed up again.

Tsu'tey stormed over, glaring. ""Why are you talking to the demon?" He hissed at the group. Some of the women instantly scattered away, not wanting the future Olo'Eyktan to think lowly of them. Only Nekawn seemed to not care.

"Why not? We should all teach them our way, maybe we can cure their sickness. It's Eywa's will."

"What's your problem Tsu'tey?" Maria hissed back.

"Your demon blood! You should not be here."

Now he was right in front of her, poking his finger into her chest.

"Your people are like poison."

"You should not judge Eywa's will young one. I know the skypeople made us suffer, took loved ones, but you should not forget there is a reason Eywa blessed us with these Dreamwalkers. We should do what we can to show them our ways."

Tsu'tey knew better than to discuss the elder, and simply nodded her way. Maria kept her eyes on the stomping form of the male. Without losing sight of him she sighed.

"Thank you Nekawn. I will do what I can to live up to your expectations."

She was granted a small smile, the first she saw on the older women's features.

"I see you, young one.

She could not believe her ears. That sentence would not mean that much back on earth, but here it meant the world for her. Nekawn saw Maria as a Na'vi, with no ties to the past or the skypeople, and for that she was thankful. She would stay true to her words, she wanted to make the women proud and thanking her in that way for sticking up for her. And she would show Tsu'tey how she would become a great and functioning member of the People.

"I see you."

With that, they parted.

Maria went on a search for Jake, to wash up before the Last Meal. She didn't need to search for long, as he was still following Neytiri, even if their studies ended long ago. She pulled him by his arm, away from Neytiri and nodded towards her teacher.

"What are you up to?"

"We should clean ourselves up before we join dinner you thickhead."

He silently followed her to the little waterpool at the base of Hometree.

The little pool of water was connected to a small stream that lead to the huge river near them.

"I can't believe how lucky we are!" smiled Maria.

"Yeah, didn't think it would be as fun as it was today..."

"Well having a crush on your tutor definitely helps right."

Smirking knowingly Maria watched how the marine turned purple and denied her accusations, but she knew better.

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The meal was subdued. Maria sat beside Jake and Neytiri, picking at her food. She noticed Tsu'tey again—across the fire, flanked by students. Their gazes clashed for just a moment. The gaze of her new found nemesis.

A mutual challenge.

But under it, something else. Respect. Curiosity.

Maria could feel anger bubbling up in her stomach and she couldn't stop humphing throughout the dinner.Neytiri and Jake shared concerned looks but didn't ask any further questions.What Maria didn't realise was how Tsu'tey was doing the same throughout dinner, how he stared at her when she was not looking."Such a waste" he was thinking.He saw Maria as an able bodied Na'vi, respecting their traditions and wanting to learn more of their culture. He respected her as she never backed down and stood up for herself. And he couldn't deny her good looks. But again, all those features would go to waste, as she would never truly be one of them.

She was a demon.

The war between them had only just begun.