【 CHAPTER SIX 】

EVEN in her dreams, it was as if Ruth could smell the pollution of earth's atmosphere, feel the overcrowding of the streets at any which way one might go. While amid a never ending crowd, the world was closing in on her, the bright lights of the cities and the shuffle of hundreds of thousands of people around her felt suffocating as she tried to get away, tried to push through the crowd. 

Yet, as she grabbed the arm of an individual walking by to shove her way past, the woman was horrified to find that the man she grabbed had no face. She stumbled with a yelp as she began spinning, looking at the hoard of people around who also had no faces. Terror deepened into every fiber of her as she realized her hands were blue, and she was suddenly so much taller than the sea of faceless people around her.

"No," she cried out, swirling. "No!" Tears spilled down her face as she felt trapped, wanting to scream and run and curl in a ball all at once. Luckily, her nightmare stopped short as her green eyes shot open at a sudden commotion that ripped her from the terrible place her mind had been harboring her. She leaned up from her cot quickly, panic consuming her.

Jake was at her side, his hand lowering from where it had been shaking at her forearm. She tried to rub away the sleep from her eyes while trying to gain her bearings, pulling away strands of her ash-blonde hair away from her face. She must have been trashing something fierce if Jake had wheeled himself over to wake up her.

His expression was taut, a brow raised as he didn't move his gaze from her. "You okay?"

Dropping her hands into her blanket-covered lap, she sighed. "Nightmares. They come every so often. I can't really do anything about them."

Jake sucked at his teeth. "Well, you were talking loud enough you would've woken the others up. Luckily they're outside working right now. I figured I'd let you sleep a while before we linked in."

Appreciative of his concern, Ruth offered a weak smile. "Thanks for waking me up. It was a particularly shitty dream." Avoiding hitting him or his wheel chair, Ruth swung her legs off of the cot and padded a crossed the cool floor of the unit to prepare some breakfast for them before they began their lives on the outside once more. The thought was calming enough to help her forget her restless sleep. She had another day full of learning from Tsu'tey ahead of her.

Following her to the mini fridge, Jake acquired some of the utensils and dish-ware they had to eat their grovely food from. Rehydrated eggs and what looked to be a poor excuse for sausage was never appetizing to the doctor, but she forced herself to it. If only to preserve her human body to live in her avatar.

"I have nightmares too, sometimes," Jake tells her as he leans up to set the utensils within Ruth's height as she places their food into the microwave-like machine that would heat and rehydrate it. "Nicaragua. Where I lost my legs."

Surprised that the marine was so candid about talking about such a seemingly touchy subject, Ruth gave him a softened look as she met his gaze. "You're a tough fucker, I'll give you that. No one in their right mind or any good conscious would come to Pandora willingly while crippled."

Jake chuckled, shrugging. "Money is money. And Tommy would've wanted me to. If not to at least put his avatar to use."

"It's your avatar, Jake," she reminded him. He may not be his brother, but Jake was proving to be a different person than she'd allowed herself to believe upon their first meeting. She sighed, looking at her feet for a moment to find the words. "I know I was harsh on you when you arrived," she said, thinking back weeks ago to when he'd arrived. So much had happened already. "But I'm proud of how far you've come. I've seen the effort you've put in to learn from Neytiri. You are doing something no one has done before. We had no access to the clan like you do until now."

Ruth pulled their food from the rehydrator as Jake said, "You too, Doc. I'm not the only one out there in the field, learning. You've got the future clan leader teaching you." Reminded of Tsu'tey again and the anticipation of seeing him that day, her heart fluttered.

Ruth hid her blushing as much as possible as she dumped Jake's portion of food on his plate, serving it to him with a fork and a pouch of nutrient-dense fluids before returning to her own plate. "We have a long day ahead of us," Ruth exclaimed as she lifted a bite of her own food to her mouth. "It's one of our first hunts, after all."

A quick breakfast and a swift launch in the link pods with the help of Norm and Grace soon after their return from outside had Ruth awake in her other body, pleased to see that Tsu'tey was the first thing she saw once her yellow eyes fluttered open. Another quick meal followed with her mentor at the alcove where food was always prepared and ready for any hunter or other member of the clan throughout the day. Everything was quiet in Hometree while the clan began to wake for the day.

Her anxiety for the Great Hunt they would be taking part in today didn't truly set in until she descended down the spiral of Hometree behind the hunters that would be taking part in the hunt as well, headed for where the direhorses grazed when idle. Once she was seated in the saddle and her queue connected to the animal, she was relieved to see Tsu'tey's ikran land nearby while the rest of the hunting party continued to ready themselves. 

Silently she wished she were going to be in the air for this event rather than on horse back. Sturmbeast were the earth's equivalent of bison that used to roam the planes of America long before their extinction, a connection she'd made herself. For lack of better terms, they were dangerous.

Wandering over to her with his swaying braids and eye-shield ornament pushed up from his eyes and resting on his forehead, Tsu'tey offered Ruth a reassuring smirk as he stopped near the neck of her mount. "Do you remember what I instructed?" He asked her as he patted the neck of the animal.

"Keep to the outside, allow the other hunters the space to make their kills," she replied in a half-mutter, not all too pleased. Since she'd only had a few weeks of training before this hunt, Tsu'tey had deemed she only watched and learned.

He nodded, half smirking. "You will do fine. I don't wish to see you harmed during your first hunt with the clan. You have much to learn after all." Behind him, his ikran let out a cry.

Ruth rolled her eyes, lingering on him a moment longer than usual as she instructed her mount to walk forward toward the gathered riders nearby. Tsu'tey watched her go, a smirk tugging one side of his lips. Her scent hit his senses on the soft breeze as he jogged back to his waiting ikran, the grin never fading.

•••

SHE knew that she was supposed to feel fear as she clung to her galloping mount with her legs, her training bow notched and ready to be pulled back. Yet, she only felt excitement. Her heart sang along with the thumping of her dire horse, the animal letting out its jagged breath the faster they ran. Her archery skills had developed exceptionally since the first day that Tsu'tey had instructed her, but she wasn't sure she would be able to put them to good use today. Hopeful, apart of her thought she might be able to use them today.

The Great Hunt the clan was taking part in today was completed once a year when the Sturmbeast made their annual migration through the river deltas not far from Hometree. Still unsure how she managed to be apart of one of the largest hunts the clan took part in every year, Ruth didn't know, but she was fucking ready for it, whether it be anxiety or excitement goading her on. The imminent danger was not on her mind.

To her right, the herd of Sturmbeast fumbled quickly through a shallow riverbed, kicking up all manner of mud and water as they stampeded away from the pursuing hunters. Other riders were around her as well, some having already found the perfect opportunity to land an arrow or spear into the airway of one of the beasts, which had been downed far behind them. Anticipation was growing in her the longer she rode alongside one of the giant animals, trying to find the perfect opportunity to shoot despite trying to focus on balancing on the back of her mount.

Above, other hunters flew on their ikran, bows at the ready while they also scouted ahead. Within the few glances she'd spared to look up, Tsu'tey had been hovering above every time as if to keep a particular watch over her. A calming sight, perhaps, if not for their distance and her proximity to a very possible swift death by way of her mount slipping on the mud or a Sturmbeast crushing her to a pulp.

Focusing her gaze back to her right, on the bull that had been charging vigilantly around rocking outcroppings and fallen members of his herd, Ruth was on the edge of a decision. Tsu'tey had told her to allow the others to watch, if not to just treat her participation as a learning experience she figured, but she was staying with the clan for a reason, to learn. It was learn quickly or die with the Na'vi and the former was far more agreeable than the latter. Her heart thrummed in fear, causing her mount to reciprocate her emotions down their bond with extra jerks forward.

Ruth had been running her whole life. From her shitty past life, from the earth, from any confrontation that involved the Colonel that had tried to coerce her for her body. The list went on. 

She'd avoided many things in her life that may have presented her happiness, all because of the risks, of fear. She was done running. Damn what Tsu'tey had said about staying a safe distance away from the galloping beasts they currently hunted. She would prove herself to the people she so desperately wanted to be a part of, if not just for a short time. Even if she had yet to complete a solo hunt, she would prove herself ready by downing one of these beasts.

Taking a few deep breaths and forcing herself to calm down as she gripped her dire horse with her legs to stabilize, Ruth pulled back on the string of her bow and aimed her jagged arrow toward the airway of the animal.

The up and down of her mount's gallop made the aiming difficult, to say the least, but she was going to be shooting her arrow whether it hit home or not. She owed herself one moment of bravery for once.

Ears back and fangs bared, she let loose a primal growl she didn't know she could muster. Ruth shot the arrow in hopes of landing it where she'd aimed as it beamed a crossed the short distance. The quickness of everything didn't allow her to have a second thought about whether it may land or not, but the tip plunged into the airway of the bull. Emitting a dying bellow of agony before crashing into the muddy shallows head first, Ruth let out a yelp as she quickly veered her mount to the left to avoid the deadly collision.

Around her, those who had seen her act of bravery let out hoots and calls of victory. They called her name, cheering her on as she wrapped her forearm around the tendril her queue was connected to, a victorious grin plastered on her face. Every part of her trembled in all manners of excitement and fear and joy as she held onto her mount, cantering down the river bank.

•••

RUTH'S success with the Great Hunt spread like wildfire among the clan upon the hunting party's return to Hometree. Perhaps too early she had taken the opportunity to complete a hunt, that of which was often to be a solo one she learned, but downing a Sturmbeast had quickly gained the admiration of the clan members once they'd learned the woman had shown bravery in such a dangerous event.

 As per tradition, a hunting festival was hosted by the clan in celebration of the bountiful meat and other materials provided by the beasts downed that day.

Jake, having been present for the hunt as well, sat near Ruth while many of the other hunters chatted with them. Near the blazing fire constructed for the evening at the center of the festivities, clan members danced to the rhythm of the drums and blue flute, the sacred instrument of the Omaticaya. Donning exquisite ornaments and headdresses and beads, the clan celebrate with song and laughter. Ruth felt at home in their presence. The flute sang to her heart as she listened and watched them all celebrate.

"So I hear you made one of the kills yourself," Jake said to her after he'd turned from talking to another clan member and directed his attention to her. One of his legs was hiked up, his elbow resting lazily on his knee as he looked at her.

"You didn't see?" She joked lightly with him, smiling.

"I helped with one of the first ones taken down," he told her, shrugging. "Neytiri brought one down herself. I stopped to help."

Ruth chuckled. "I think we might have had an easier hunt if we had been flying," she said. "But at the rate we're going, we should be completing the Iknimaya soon." The rite of passage they would take to capture and tame an ikran. Part of her was unsure if she was ready for that.

Grace and Norm soon made their appearance, having been dropped off by Trudy in the Samson. By way of greeting, Grace cocked her head and grinned, the braided bits of her bead-ornamented hair swaying. She and Norm appeared ecstatic to have been invited to the festival. 

"I hear you guys did well on the hunt today," Grace said to both her and Jake. They had only seen each other a brief time between link units to inform them of the invitation.

"I'm not the one that took down one of those giants on my own," Jake pointed to Ruth, who smirked at his side.

"Look at you, learning quickly I see," Grace grinned. Jake and Norm started their own conversation. "It's a wonder you didn't get yourself killed, though." 

"I did as you said, immersed myself. There's still much to learn," Ruth shrugged with a toothy grin. 

"And is the future Olo'eyktan teaching you well?" Grace asked her. Ruth could not prevent her ears going back in embarrassment as her cheeks warmed at the mention of him. Grace must have noticed the reaction as she lowered herself closer to Ruth and quieted her voice. "I'm not blind. You know how things work in the clan, Carson. He is spoken for and has a role to play. Do not interfere."

If Ruth's obvious reaction showed so obviously anytime Tsu'tey was mentioned, she would need to mask her emotion more. She didn't have to worry about a flicking tail or pinned-back ears that non-verbally expressed her emotion when she was a human. The Na'vi read body language easily. She would have to be more careful.

"I never said I was pursuing anyone," she muttered softly so that Grace could only hear, Jake and Norm's conversation luckily masking their own. Her anger flared at the accusation Grace was posing, no matter the truth of it. "It's not as if I've expressed some undying love to him."

"But you're attracted to him," Grace stated with knowingness in her gaze. "All I am saying is to be cautious. One wrong move could see a dishevelment in the clan we wouldn't be able to fix."

Weary of Grace's warning, Ruth forced herself to stifle the pleasing thoughts and feelings she felt towards Tsu'tey when he soon appeared from the depths of the celebration carrying a large pitcher in one of his hands and a handful of stacked cups in the other. As much as Ruth tried to ignore it, his devilish grin toward them all made her heart skip.

The gathered group looked up to him as he lifted the pitcher. "A game, perhaps?" He asked them all. Ruth looked to Jake, who had a light of excitement in his gaze that showed he knew what it entailed: drinking. Grace rolled her eyes with a smile when she saw Norm nod in excitement. The group's consent to join had Tsu'tey beginning to pass around the few cups he held, one of which went directly to Ruth. The others were handed off to Jake, Norm, and Grace while the other clan members who were present watched in excited anticipation. Tsu'tey kept one cup to himself.

She eyed the wooden carved cup momentarily before directing her gaze back to Tsu'tey, a brow raised. The fire behind him provided a glow against his blue skin, accenting the shadows his toned muscles cast. "And how do we play this game?" She asked in English.

Tsu'tey flashes that shit-eating grin once again. "A game with drink, of course," he stated as he poured some of the liquid inside of the pitcher into her own cup before putting some into his own. The smell was already enough to tell her it was outrageously fermented, akin to that of a strong mead or perhaps ale. She grimaced at the smell that permeated from her cup as she looked at Tsu'tey in concern.

"The rule of this game," her mentor grinned, a glimmer in his golden eyes. "Is that the first to finish their drink wins. The other is left to shame." 

The loser merely facing shame? She could do that. She'd done drinking games before, when she was a student in college, and had allowed herself the occasional opportunity to drink by going on a rager at the bar she and her fellow student friends would frequent. She didn't expect anything worse than perhaps the burning and grimace brought on by a shot of whiskey or tequila. Nothing too serious.

"Let's do it, then," Ruth stated almost challengingly in a spurt of courage, lifting her cup up to Tsu'tey. Jake cooed a cheer at her bravery and he and Norm shared looks that were ready to witness a spectacle.

"Let us see this mighty hunter—," more of a light tease toward her success that day, "prove her courage!" He grinned, his fangs flashing as he passed the pitcher to one of the close clan members watching. Reaching his cup towards hers, they clanked the wood together, gazes never leaving each other. Her grin began to spread as she brought the edge of her cup to her lips and began to start drinking with him following suit.

Immediately, it seemed Tsu'tey's challenge was a mistake as soon as the foul liquid touched her tongue. It grew worse the further it went down her throat, the urge to spit it onto the ground overwhelming. She pulled the cup away, gagging, as those around her cheered her on and hissed at the sight of her disgust. Jake shook at her shoulder in encouragement while Norm cheered and Grace just held a smirk of amusement. Forcing herself to continue drinking, Ruth downed the rest of the foul liquid as fast as she could. When she was done, all of the metallic and fruit-like liquid begrudgingly finished, she looked to Tsu'tey with an almost twitching eye as she fought the foul taste stuck on her tongue.

Immediately, the liquid began to hit. Unlike any alcoholic beverage she'd ever tasted as a human, this drink's potency hit almost instantly. Perhaps it was the low density of the atmosphere or just her general lack of tolerance to Na'vi beverages that had her on her ass, but Ruth felt the effects spreading through her with warmth. She giggled lightly.

"And she survives," Tsu'tey hummed, his amusement nothing near mocking or belittling. It appeared he was gazing at her with a look of admiration, the same he'd shown when he'd touched base with her earlier that day just before the hunt.

"Shit," Ruth mumbled, feeling woozy as she looked at Grace. "Man, this hits harder than anything back home. Is this even possible, Grace? For something to hit this fast?"

Grace chuckled, ignoring Ruth's question and looking at Tsu'tey. "I think I'd like my turn now." They all erupted in laughter.

And so as the festivities went on, Ruth, Jake, Grace, and Norm grew belligerently drunk. Jake claimed he still held his military tolerance to alcohol in his avatar body somehow, but it was apparently not true. They shared jokes and laughed the more they downed the foul drink until eventually, Tsu'tey guided Ruth toward the fire where other clan members were dancing. Jake joined Neytiri as well until a traditional dance of couples began, the women in one line faced the men in another.

Ruth was wildly drunk, the music and the beat and the song and dancing singing to her as she faced Tsu'tey in the dance. Much in the way she had a handful of times in her younger years on earth, Ruth looked to Tsu'tey with every manner of admiration in her eyes. If she were not drunk as she was, she may have been able to decipher whether she saw the same from him as they danced in unison, the music seemingly guiding them alongside one another as they moved fluidly like they'd done it dozens of times in the past.

Once the song had ended, Ruth felt every ounce of joy inside herself.  She wanted to speak with Tsu'tey, as she felt she already trusted him with everything in her, a rare thing in her life. She pulled him away from the focus of the festivities, toward the outskirts of Hometree's roots. Unaware of Grace's disapproving and worried gaze, the two found a place that was quieter to speak.

"I wish to be honest with you, Tsu'tey," Ruth half murmured, half muttered once they'd found a quiet place to talk. Though drunk as well, Tsu'tey was not nearly as unhinged as she was. "I wish to leave my old life behind. I want nothing to do with the skypeople anymore."

Tsu'tey cocked his head, his darkness-induced dilated eyes focused on her. "You do not love your own kind?"

Ruth shook her head, the loose braids of hair that hung from her face swaying as the beads clicked against each other. "I hate my species for what they have to this world. I would do anything to protect it."

Tsu'tey's expression softened. "You have already proved much to the clan," he told her reassuringly. "As I have said, you are unlike the others I have seen. Soon, with time, you will become one of the people."

His kind words sing to her as she smiles, ears back as she looks up to him.

"After today, you are ready," he continued to say, his voice soft. "You took talioang on your own. Now you must take your ikran and become hunter of the sky."