xxxvii. ❝daughter of toruk makto❞
╰ au / extended storyline
( year seven )

HE has come a long way.

Jake knew this about himself. He knew that he had started out on this adventure as someone who took his brothers place, he was a replacement that no one even wanted. But then he became one to help lead the war against the sky people, and claiming victory. He adopted two children; Inkire and Spider, and had two biological children; Lo'ak and Ak'tari — he started his family. He grown to see Odessa as his sister, and best friend, and he watched her grow her own family too.

Ak'tari was curled up in Niaves arms, listening to all the sounds around her. She was only a few weeks old, but she had already taken a liking to any of her surroundings — whether that meant she reached out and touched things, or the perk of her ears as she listened.

"You're aunt, Neytiri, had been hunting two clueless avatars. They were on her peoples land, and they were not welcomed. They had been chased through the mighty forest by many creatures that wanted to kill them both. If your aunt hadn't intervened than I would not have met you father." Niave spoke in her language, her words natural and the story true.

Lo'ak looked up, so did Spider. They were much more interested than Inkire was, for she had heard the story so many times, she could tell it as if it was her own. "What had happened after that? How did you meet dad?" Lo'ak asked, eyes wide as he wanted to hear how his mother and father had met.

"Your father and aunt Dessa acted like a baby and child. Neither knew the way, and wouldn't be able to survive on their own. Neytiri was going to kill them both, but Eywa decided that it wasn't their time. She intervened because of their souls and the things she knew they would do. Neytiri brought them back to home tree, where your grandmother and grandfather had decided decided that they would learn out ways — the first warrior dream walkers." Niave shared a loving smile with Jake, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I was tasked with teaching him. He did not see back then, and his cup needed to be emptied. I had to push him off a tree so his cup could be emptied."

"It was love right then and there." Jake chuckled, placing a kiss to Niaves cheek.

🌍.

"INKIRE will go first." Odessa smirked and walked towards her niece, standing over her in an intimidating manner that did scare her.

Inkire was thirteen and had proved to Odessa that she was ready for her final steps in becoming one of the people. She may be blue, and she may be Na'vi, but she needed to have her first fly with a Ikran.

Odessa had been the one who was teaching the children all the ways, every step they would need to survive, to live, to see. Of course Neytiri taught them everything too.

Inkire, Odessa and many other children who had proved they were ready, had climbed and climbed and swung. Now they stood where many had before them, where Odessa and Jake had stood once. It's where they would chose their own Ikran, and be one step closer to become one of the Omatikaya.

Now it was up to Inkire, and if she failed, she wouldn't get a second chance. That's what all the children had been told. This was life and death, one wrong move and the Ikran sends you flying off the cliff. As

Inkire passed her bow to Odessa, the woman taking it and moving out of the way so her niece could move across an edge behind the waterfall. Inkire reached out and touched the water, feeling the soft flow of it run across her fingers. She loved the water, and the many things it held.

The banshees were on the other side of the waterfall. A few more steps, it's what Inkire kept telling herself. She could hear the roaring and flapping of wings — it only made her more excited for her next few steps. As nervous as she was, there was excitement bubbling somewhere in her stomach.

Odessa was a few steps behind her, as were many of the others that would bond with an Ikran. She reached forward and touched Inkires back, only with the tips of her fingers, and she looked at her with kind yet stern eyes; just like Neytiri had done to her. "You can do this. Remember; you must choose, but they must choose you too."

Inkire nods, like she truly understands, she doesn't though. "And if it chooses me? How will I know?" She isn't ready, her nerves are going haywire and she truly doesn't want to do this first. She isn't like her father, Jake, Toruk Makto, who can practically drip with confidence some days. She's freaking out now, no more excitement bubbling in her stomach.

"He or she will try to kill you." Odessa speaks, and the words sting against Inkires blue skin. Her father is Toruk Makto, she has a lot to live up too. She is his daughter, and has been since she lost her own biological parents. She wants to be like him, but if she fails and dies today, she wouldn't ever get the chance.

Inkire took a deep breath, her eyes closing quickly before they opened and she took the final few steps closer to the creatures that would either kill her or fly away.

She took her rope like thing out, blue fingers wrapping around it and moving it so it whirled around. She would wrap it around their faces so they couldn't snap at her and bite her. She's has to do it successfully for it to actually work, she has to put that last little bit of effort in.

The many banshees screeched at Inkire as she made her way through the crowd. Some flew away, taking steps away to avoid her. She didn't feel a connection with any of them, and the ones she looked in the eye flew away before she could do anything. None of them where hers, and she wasn't theirs.

Jumping from a small ledge, Inkire landed on her feet with a small tumble. She wasn't steady, but she didn't take a whole tumble where she fell face first. She moved a few feet forward, in and out between other banshees that had no interest in her, and then she came face to face with a blue, green, black banshee.

It stared her down, and she smiled. That was her ikran.

"Come on, let's party." Inkire smiled wildly. The Ikran moved, dodging the rope that she had attempted to wrap around its snout. Then the Ikran lunged, and Inkire had just moved fast enough and swung her rope once more, successfully wrapping it around its snout as she did so.

She cheered mentally, happy that she had been able to accomplish that.

Inkire jumped onto the creatures back, her legs wrapping around its neck as she tried to keep it steady so she could make the bond. It proved harder to be when the creature twisted and turned and flung her to the side.

"Don't be afraid warrior!" Odessa yelled to Inkire, watching as her niece lost her grip due to the Ikran violently moving and thrashing around.

"Make the bond!" Neytiri yelled to Inkire, seeing her struggle as the creature twitched and moved its wings around.

The Ikran wasn't done and whirled it's head to the side and collided with Inkire's face. She groaned in pain and in shock, her hands slipping completely from its body. Nose bloody, dripping down her chin. It pushed her to the side, her body rolling of the edge as still recovered from the bash to the face.

Just like her aunt and father before her. Déjà Vu.

Inkires blue skin welcomed the warm sun that shined down on her. She grunted, using her arms to push her self up so she could kneel and then stand. Once she was standing, she jumped at the Ikran and wrapped her arms around it tightly. She pushed it to the ground and used her foot to help her.

She reached behind her, attaching her queue to the end of the creatures. They became one right then and there.

"Stop, stop." She huffed, puffing her cheeks and commanding the Ikran to stop moving. She slowly moved so the creature could stand and wasn't pressed against the ground. She then removed the rope that was loosely around us face, placing her hand on its head and moving it in a soothing motion."You're okay."

"First flight seals the bond. You cannot wait." Odessa steered them towards the edge. "Think, fly!"

"Fly?" Inkire blinked, the words causing the Ikran to lurch forward and fly. "No! Ah, fuck!"