FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Disclaimer: Blah, Blah, Blah. I don't own Avatar; James Cameron does. All the Avatar stuff belongs to him. However, my Na'vi character, myself, the Dragon Weyr and its technologies, and the Pandoran animals of my menagerie are all mine. The Protoss - apart from my characters - all belong to Blizzard Entertainment.

Pandora's Templar

A Work-In-Progress Story by Coranth Dehanae

Chapter 4

(Continued from Chapter 3...)

Unfortunately, however, we could not go home just yet. The slightest noise - a twig snapping - prompted Falkor and Miracle to begin snarling in warning as they swiftly turned back to face the forest behind us. Instinctively I turned with them, but slower, as I carefully drew upon my reserves of psychic power and prepared a Psionic Blast in my hand to throw. 'Whatever is coming now, I won't face it unprepared; not again!' I thought. Hefting the condensed sphere of psionic energy in preparation to throw it, I decided to call out the hidden threat. Raising my voice above the unholy din of Falkor and Miracle's snarling, I shouted, "Whoever or whatever you are... show yourselves, NOW!"

"I, David Boucher, High Templar of Pandora, command you! Get the fuck out here, now, lest I send my animal friends to find you!" As the echo of my voice faded away amongst the trees, in Khalani, I softly commanded Falkor and Miracle to hush... and then there was silence in the forest, not a sound save for our quiet breathing, and the world that continued to live around us. My body tense, and mind alert, with Falkor and Miracle at my sides, I waited to face whatever would come. I did not have to wait for long... Soon, there came the gentle sound of leaves rustling softly in the wind... and then dropping down from out of the trees, and walking slowly out from the dense foliage, they came...

Men. Women. Children. Adults. Elders. Weavers and Craftsmen, Warriors and Hunters, and many others both young and old. As they emerged from the forest to surround us, I did a quick estimate, my heart dropping into my stomach. 'By Adun... there has to be at least a hundred and fifty of them!' I thought, alarmed. I, Falkor and Miracle stood surrounded... by an entire clan of Na'vi! 'Ah, shit...' I thought, drawing upon a little more of my psychic power, as I prepared myself for battle, 'today's just going to be one of those days, I guess...' Like the warrior whom had attacked me before, these Na'vi were all the proper size for their race, or variants thereof... but unlike the warrior whom Falkor had killed, they made no move to challenge, or attack me, at all. With a quiet sigh, I dispelled my Psionic Blast - siphoning the energy that I had used to create it back into my reserves - and then I waited to see what they would do.

The Clan of Na'vi continued to emerge from the forest until all were present, and as they did so I began to see that something about them was very, very wrong. The expressions on their faces... were broken. The looks in their eyes... were lifeless. Additionally, nearly all of the Na'vi were emaciated - I could clearly see their bones poking through their skin - and many appeared to be ill and sickly. The only Na'vi who appeared to be of good health and weight, were fifteen hunters, each of whom possessed a bow larger than my entire body. 'Right... they were the ones who fired the hail of arrows at me,' I deduced, 'but... why the hell didn't they interfere when Falkor killed the one who tried to fight me?' As I pondered this question, suddenly, from out of the Clan of Na'vi stepped a female.

Like the rest of the clan members, she wore a taparrabo about her waist, but she also wore a brightly coloured turinash, a 'spirit robe', wrapped about her body. Simple bracelets woven from coloured plant fibers adorned her wrists and ankles, and atop her head rested an elaborate headdress intricately crafted from dozens of feathers and beads. '... and she would be the Clan's Tsa'hik.' I thought. 'Hnnn... I wonder what she wants.' As it turned out, the Na'vi Tsa'hik desired nothing from us at all. With slow, deliberate movements, she moved toward us and then walked right past us, as though I and my animal friends didn't exist! Making her way over to the dead Na'vi that Falkor had killed, the Tsa'hik knelt down by the body, and then with her fingers she closed his eyes, softly uttering, "Oh, Ema'zu, you blind, stupid arrogant fool... Eywa ngahu."

With this last rite done, the Tsa'hik carefully removed the War Bonnet from the warrior's head, and then reached down to a handmade leather pouch at her side to withdraw from it what appeared to be a small glowing light. 'No... Not a light, a seed' I realized a moment later, when I was able to get a better look at what it was. 'That's an atokirina - one of the seeds of the sacred Tree of Souls!' Awe filled my thoughts, a feeling that was reflected back at me by Txe'lan and the Dragon Weyr, for this was the first time that she, the great Nexus, and I had truly seen one of these seeds. With bated breath, I looked on as the Tsa'hik gently placed the seed upon the fallen warrior's chest, over his heart.

Then, moments later I watched, half in horror and half in awe - a chill running down my spine - as from deep beneath the earth, a mass of vines rose to gently embrace the fallen Na'vi... and then, those vines gently pulled him beneath the ground, burying him. A feeling of solemnity passed between the three of us, then, as we realized what had happened: Eywa had claimed him. A short while later, the Tsa'hik stood and made her way over to me, her movement so swift that it prompted Falkor and Miracle to start snarling again. The Tsa'hik was undeterred by this. however; in fact, when she reached me, she stopped in front of me, knelt again to look at my animal companions and softly said, "Mawey Palulukan Makto, Fahl'korr, Mir'a'kel... Mawey."

Hearing this foreign Na'vi - whom I'd never met before - speak the names of my friends, made me take a step back in surprise. Falkor and Miracle, too, were surprised; as she spoke their names, they stopped snarling and gazed at the Tsa'hik, letting out soft, puzzled-sounding whines. "You... you know of us?" I enquired. "Srane", the Tsa'hik replied, "I do know of you, and know you well. Unlike my former mate whom was blind, I See You, Palulukan Makto. You may not believe in Eywa, but I see Her working through you; see how you heal Her animal children, returning those whom can be, safely, whilst looking after those whom cannot be returned. We know you look after them at your place of healing; I and the other Tawkami have Seen you perform great works there. If only my mate hadn't been too blind to See the same."

At this, I swallowed thickly to moisten my suddenly dry throat, before replying. "He... He... the man Falkor killed was your mate?" The Tsa'hik nodded, before replying, "My name is San'eya - and yes, Palulukan Makto, he was. He was also our Olo'eyktan." With a weary sigh, she continued, "Ema'zu... I loved him, once; a long time ago, when he was but a young, foolish warrior, with even more foolish dreams. When he rose to become Olo'eyktan, however... something changed within him. He became cruel and cold, caring not for the welfare of our Clan, but only for his own selfish wants and desires. It was he, who told our hunters to fire upon you, as you made your way peacefully through this forest..."

Raising a hand to interrupt her, I replied, "Forgive me for interrupting, Tsa'hik San'eya, but - when Falkor struck Ema'zu down... why didn't you or the other warriors interfere?" With a shake of her head, she answered. "He forbade us from doing so; he desired to challenge you alone, thinking that you would be as easy to defeat as any other Tawtute. He cared not that you had befriended Eywa's animal children, or that they might fight for you." As the Tsa'hik finished speaking, I performed before her a kneeling bow so deep that my forehead touched the forest floor. "Ngaytxoa, Tsa'hik San'eya. I... I never meant for this to happen!" I said,my voice filled with regret."I... I tried to tell him I meant no harm but... Ngaytxoa." I apologized, my voice thick with emotion. When she heard my apology, San'eya hissed softly in agitation and then reached down to grab me and haul me to my feet!

"Do not apologize for his foolishness, Palulukan Makto!" she snapped, angrily."I... I tried so hard_to make him see reason; to make him see that you were not the evil Tawtute whom cruelly took the life of his Father before him, but his rage made him blind. It was his choice to challenge you, and with that choice he made those Children of Eywa whom follow you angry. He chose his fate, and now, we must choose ours."_ And with those words - before I could say or do anything to stop her - she carefully adjusted the War Bonnet, and then placed it on my head! Then, stepping back from me, she raised her voice and proclaimed, "We of the Tawkami Clan choose to bind our fate to yours! We wish you Txa'vit, Palulukan Makto of Txra'kon Weyr, to lead us as our Olo'eyktan!"

Upon hearing her proclamation, shock thundered through my thoughts - an emotion which was doubly reflected back to me by the Dragon Weyr, and then by Txe'lan via her bond to the great construct. Struggling not to be overwhelmed by the strength of the emotion, I replied, "Ah, let me think about this..." And I did, for approximately, 0.6 seconds. After that time, I turned back to San'eya and shouted, "Are you serious!?" When the Tsa'hik of Clan Tawkami regally nodded her head, I heaved a frustrated sigh, and then began to pace rapidly back and forth in front of her, causing my templar robe to billow out behind me like an emerald-green wave. "Look... with all due respect, ma'am... I cannot do this! I cannot!" I said as I paced. "I am a Veterinarian ; - a healer and caretaker of animals. I... I wouldn't know the first thing about leading a Clan of Na'vi, let alone yours! Can you not select one from among your Clan to lead you?"

With a shake of her head, San'eya replied, "Normally, that is how it is done! A new Olo'eyktan is chosen when the old chooses to step down due to age, or dies due to illness or injury - but... when Ema'zu became Olo'eyktan of our Clan he decreed that he would only step down if the one who would replace him as Olo'eyktan could win against him in a trial by combat. Palulukan Makto... every single male member, and every single female member of our Clan - besides myself - has tried to defeat him in combat. We... we all failed..." At this, I became suspicious. 'She's telling lies,' I thought to myself. 'She has to be! There is no fucking way that every single warrior of the Clan could fail to defeat just one man in combat!'

Aloud, I said, "Forgive me, Tsa'hik, but I believe that you are lying. There is no way that all of you could utterly fail to defeat one man!" Upon hearing my reply, San'eya became incensed. Reaching out to me, she seized me by the arm - forcing me to stop pacing - and then got in my face, looming over me, as she screamed, "You think I lie, Palulukan Makto? Do you think we haven't tried to defeat Ema'zu in combat? Let me show you what he did to the best of us! Lompor, step forward, that Palulukan Makto may See you!" The young warrior who wearily stepped forward at her call was a true giant among his kin - almost the size of Ema'zu himself! His heavily muscled arms were decorated with a myriad of leather and bone bracelets, and he wielded the longest spear I'd ever seen in my life, topped with a lethal, barbed bone head, which - thankfully - wasn't coated with deadly neurotoxin!

As he approached us, however, I saw that he'd had seven shades of shit kicked out of him. His face was covered with blood that had run down from a scabbed over cut on his forehead and congealed, and his right arm was obviously broken, for it was cradled against his chest, supported by a plant-fiber sling. His left leg, too, was broken - it was wrapped in a splint crafted from scraps of dead wood - and his entire body was covered with a mass of cuts, lacerations, and bruising. "By Adun..." I murmured in English, looking him over, "that looks horrible!" Then, switching back to Na'vi, I asked, "Olo'eyktan Ema'zu did this to you, ma tsmukan?" The warrior, Lompor, nodded wearily, before he replied, "Srane, Palulukan Makto; I attempted to duel him two days ago, and he did this to me for my attempt."

Nodding to him, I slowly reached into a pocket of my Templar Robe and pulled from it a portable Warp Beacon. As he saw me withdraw the device, his golden eyes seemed to light up and he started to utter a prayer of thanks, but I silenced him with a look as I sent off a quick warning to the Dragon Weyr and Txe'lan to expect an incoming patient. Within seconds I received an acknowledgement from Txe'lan. "Txra'kon We'er is ready to receive Lompor whenever you are ready to send him here, Txa'vit." With the warning sent, I returned my attention to Lompor. "If you and the rest of your Clan have Seen me and the things I do - as your Tsa'hik claims - then you know what this is" I said, as I carefully attached the Warp Beacon to a place on his taparrabo.

As I finished attaching the device to him, Lompor nodded. "Srane" he replied, "I know not how it works, but I know it makes the nawm'atan that will guide me to the place of healing. Irayo, Palulukan Makto!" Giving him a grin, I activated the Warp Beacon, and when the cerulean glow of a Warp Gate surrounded him, just before it pulled him through, I said, "Call me Txa'vit." The reaction of the Clan at Lompor's vanishing through the Warp Gate was mixed. The children were at once both awed and curious, whilst many of the adolescents and adults whooped and cheered at what I had done, for they knew that Lompor would soon be back amongst them, hale and hearty once more. The elders, however, swung between agitated and pensive; some even prayed to Eywa that the mighty warrior hadn't been sent to his demise in my fngap kelku.

For a moment, San'eya observed their mixed reactions with the fondest of smiles, and then raising a hand, she called, "Fnu, rutxe, frapo! Fnu rutxe! Lu mawey." Once the Clan had quietened and calmed down, San'eya returned her attention to me and said, "Now, Palulukan Makto, Txa'vit, let us return to what I was previously speaking of. We all tried, and failed to defeat Ema'zu in combat, and thus, he remained Olo'eyktan... until today. You defeated him, Txa'vit; that makes you our new Olo'eyktan!" At this, I rested my head in my hands for a moment, heaving a frustrated sigh. Then, raising my head to look at San'eya, I replied, "Technically, Ma'am, it was Falkor who defeated Ema'zu!"

Upon hearing this, two young children giggled and made their way over to Falkor. Then, without fear, they knelt before my Viperwolf companion and said, "Hail, Olo'eyktan Fahl'korr; Oeng ngati kamiei!" Falkor gazed steadily at his 'new subjects' for a moment, and then with a regal nod of his head, he woofed solemnly at them both, before lowering his head to gently touch each child's forehead with his cold, wet nose! At this, the children leaped to their feet, shrieking with happy laughter. Turning to face the Clan, they cried out, "The new Olo'eyktan has blessed us in the name of Eywa!" before running back to their parents. This caused many of the adults, and even a few of the elders to begin laughing.

Once the laughter had died down, I returned to my conversation with San'eya. "As I have previously stated, Ma'am, I don't know how to be an Olo'eyktan!" The Tsa'hik's reply to my answer was vehement. "Then, I - we - will help you! We will all help you!" Many adults and even a few Elders nodded at her reply, and I heaved another sigh. 'Well... there goes one 'out' down the drain...' I thought. Aloud, I continued, "If I did become your Clan Leader, Tsa'hik... why should the Clan show me any respect?" My question wasn't answered by the Tsa'hik, this time, but rather by two adult Na'vi - a male and a female - who stepped from the crowd. "We would respect you as we would any Olo'eyktan of the People, Palulukan Makto Txa'vit, not just because Eywa works through you, but also because of what you have done for our daughter, Txe'lan; she is healthier and happier than she has ever been, because of all you have done!"

My eyes widening with surprise, I responded, "You are Txe'lan's parents?" The two Na'vi nodded, before the female spoke. "We are, Palulukan Makto! I am her Sa'nok, Sunu, and this," she said, gesturing to the male standing next to her, "is my Mate Rìkean, her Sempul. Please, we miss our 'ite very much, and would like to be reunited with her again." Sighing through my nose, I nodded whilst grinding my teeth behind tightly closed lips! 'Shit... they're really dead-set on me becoming their new Olo'eyktan; something I don't feel I can do! I'd better try one final out...' I thought. Returning my attention to San'eya, I said, "Tsa'hik San'eya, I am not one of the People; I am of the Tawtute! I don't ever want to -be- one of the People, and - even though you say that Eywa works through me - I don't believe in Eywa, at all..."