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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 32

(Continued from Chapter 31...)

Through the bond I shared with her I heard Ieesha's voice as she yelled out, ~Get away from my Lifemate!~ No sooner had the words escaped her, than she raced from the forest with Tsa'hik San'eya atop her back, a terrible roar escaping her as she barreled into Jake Sully, the impact flinging him away to crash against a tree! Once he was gone from atop my body, as my Clan's Tsa'hik of Eywa leaped down from atop her back in order to assess my condition, Ieesha moved to assume a protective stance over us both and not a moment too soon! From the forest there came a powerful ìley as Omatikayan Warriors burst onto the scene... followed by a second ìley as Lompor and Oo'ano appeared with my own Clansmen in tow; they all having followed the Omatikayans as soon as they had left the Kelutral in pursuit of their Olo'eyktan.

Still somewhat dazed and confused by all that had happened, but with clarity beginning to return, from beneath my beloved I looked on, a groan escaping me as the Omatikayans beheld the scene. When they saw the state of their Olo'eyktan, his body smashed against a tree, unconscious or possibly even dead, and Ieesha standing over San'eya and I, snarling viciously at anything that came near, they made a snap judgment and assumed the absolute worst had happened - that Jake Sully had been killed by the tìkawng Tawtute, and his hiyìk Ikran was protecting him as his Clan's Tsa'hik helped him recover from battle. Oh, dear readers, if only they had arrived a moment earlier; they would have seen the truth.

That instead, Jake Sully had almost killed me and that Ieesha had protected - and even now still was protecting - me from him whilst San'eya assessed me to see whether I'd been badly injured. But alas... Wanting to avenge the death of their Olo'eyktan, whom had become Toruk Makto before leading them to victory during their Time of Great Sorrow, they drew their weapons. At this, my Clansmen unsheathed their own weapons in order to defend us. Now, the two groups of Na'vi - my small escort from Clan Tawkami and the warriors of the Omatikaya Clan, whom were far greater in number - faced off in preparation for mortal combat! As another wave of pain tore through me, in horror I thought, 'Oh, god, it looks like the shit's really going to hit the fan!' Then, a few moments later, I passed out...

* * *

Things would have gone downhill swiftly indeed, dear readers, were it not for the actions of one Tsa'hik Mo'at, whom strode out from the Omatikayan ranks and stood in the great gap dividing our two Clans, raising her hands beseechingly as she cried out, "Frapo, rutxe, mawey nekll!" Unwilling to cause their Tsa'hik injury the People of the Omatikaya immediately stowed their weapons; upon seeing this the Clansmen of Tawkami immediately did the same, many of them sighing internally with relief, for they had come only to ensure the safety of their Clan Sister and had no real desire to enter battle with their brethren. With the situation mostly under control, the Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya heaved a sigh of relief and then cautiously approached the abnormally large Ikran the Tawtute had somehow managed to bond with.

'How on kifkey Eywa'evengä did Tawtute Txa'vit manage to make Tsaheylu with an Ikran that large?' she wondered. 'And without a tswin, no less...' Still standing over her Makto and the Tawkami Tsa'hik whom was treating him, the fkew ioang affixed her with a beady eye of midnight-blue, a soft, growl escaping her. 'In order to calm things here completely, I must reach her and make her calm down, lest she accidentally provoke the others of my People! But how?' Mo'at thought. 'Wait a moment... What is her name? What did Txa'vit call her? Ah, yes, her name is Iee'zha. Now, let's see...' Swallowing to moisten her suddenly dry throat, the Elderly Tsa'hik inhaled a breath and then, taking another step towards the nawm Ikran, she softly uttered, "Iee'zha?"

To her relief, at the sound of her name Iee'zha ceased growling and cocked her head, a curious-sounding whine escaping her. At this, Mo'at continued, "On behalf of my people, I must apologize to you, Iee'zha, for the appalling behavior of our Olo'eyktan. No one thought that he would carry your yawne away like he did! I only wish I knew what happened afterwards." Gesturing to the small human beneath the Nawm Ikran and the Tsa'hik examining him - and then moving to encompass all happening around her - she continued, "What was the cause of... all this?" No sooner had she asked the question then the Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya felt an eerie chill course its way down her spine as the golden-bronze Ikran fixed her with a deathly gaze.

Then, a moment later the Ikran briefly made Tsaheylu with her without using its tswin and as it did so Mo'at gasped softly - her eyes widening in horror - because in that instant, as her mind was filled with its thoughts she knew with utmost certainty that the creature standing before her was not Ikran. No, the nawm ioang before her was something else, something much more dangerous. As its ketuwong presence, filled with a dark, unidentifiable power, merged with her thoughts, through the tìvawm came a feminine voice, filled with bitter cold and indifference. ~You would know the cause of all this, Tsa'hik?~ It sneered. Having never encountered anything like this hiyìk ioang before in her life - and unwilling to open her mouth for fear of issuing a horrified scream - the Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya shakily nodded her head.

At this, through the thick and heavy darkness filling her thoughts, there came a ketuwong feeling of satisfaction as Iee'zha replied, ~Good. Then I will show you...~ Mere seconds later, Mo'at gasped softly again as her thoughts were filled with the animal's most recent memory...

* * *

As soon as the foolish Na'vi grabs my 'tahl - before any of the other Na'vi here can stop us - Tsa'hik San'eya leaps atop my back. For a moment, I almost think to throw her off, but quickly realize that would be foolish; should David be hurt, I will need her to treat his injuries. Thus, with a snarl of warning to the Tawkami Tsa'hik - to remind her that she is only atop me because I allow it - I race after Jake, swooping down from the Kelutral to the forest floor. For all his hatred the blue-skinned fool is intelligent, I'll grant him that; as long as he has David with him I cannot hurt him without risking injury to my aya'tahl. The a'thet is fast , too - by the time I have backwinged to land, the va'cha is already deep within the forest.

'...Spiriting my aya'tahl away to Trag'Oul knows where!' I think to myself. Still, it does not matter; before my 'tahl found me, I lived alone on the myh'rr tanak that he called Arcadia where I had to learn to hunt and fend for myself and I have not forgotten those skills. 'I shall hunt this foolish Na'vi, Jake Sully and if he has harmed my aya'tahl I will make him pay...' I think to myself, a soft growl escaping me. With that, I bow my head and slip into a deep trance - chanting holy Kirata litanies and phrases from the Scriptum de Drakkhar, the ancient stone scriptures of Trag'Oul carved by my people's claws - to help center myself as I began to concentrate, gathering and focusing my latent mental power.

Then, opening my eyes and raising my head, I make my power manifest... A great wall stretches out before me - an improbable distortion of time and space, somehow tapering to nothing in every possible direction - before I effortlessly wrap it about me and my passenger. Light slides by without touching us. Now concealed from sight, I silently slip into the forest and observe my surroundings for a moment as I attempt to find the trail Jake has left behind. How do I know he has left a trail? Well, for one whom had to hunt and track in order to survive, said trail is easy to see: a broken branch here, some swept aside leaves there, flattened grasses leading deeper into the forest... and always, always there exist the scents - that of my aya'tahl , filled with terror, and that of the a'thet thick and bitter with hate.

Travelling through the forest, I soon happen upon an area that is dead and lifeless - a burned Kelutral fallen at its heart - and there I see my aya'tahl David and the a'thet , Jake Sully; I have found them! Though I am quite large for an Ikran, armed with my shielding collar, and well versed in a unique discipline of combat all my own, none of that matters for Jake has my aya'tahl with him; if I charge to his rescue blindly, Jake could swiftly kill David with a neurotoxin-coated dagger, or worse. I cannot risk that and so - staying concealed and hidden in the foliage that encompasses this lifeless place, I observe... as Jake Sully tosses my aya'tahl against the burned Kelutral! Fighting through my David's pain, and the nausea that follows, I bear witness as he stumbles to his feet before vomiting up the MRE he snacked on at the Omatikaya's new Kelutral.

My beloved seems to almost collapse, then, but Jake roughly pushes him back upright against the burned Hometree. Jake speaks something to my David, and then I feel his dawning realization and horror as he turns and sees what it is that he's been thrown against. Moments later, I witness Jake and David begin to stalk towards each other, hear every word of their heated conversation as they close in, and finally hear my beloved scream, "I... have had... enough... of you!" My aya'tahl - pushed to the point of breaking his Oath - launches a Quivering Palm Strike at Jake's chest, but Jake is faster; the filthy a'thet sweeps David's legs from under him and then - with a powerful thu'um of his own - he pins my 'tahl to the ground, drawing a long knife to slit his throat!

That is it; I can watch no longer! Releasing my concealment, I scream ~Get away from my Lifemate!~ Then, with a terrible roar, I charge from the forest and, as Jake Sully raises his head, his jaw dropping open in stunned shock, I barrel into him, knocking him from atop my beloved's prone body. Then, as San'eya hops down from my back in order to assess David's condition. I move to stand protectively over them, and not a moment too soon...

* * *

As the memory faded from her thoughts - no longer fearing the Nawm Ikran - Mo'at sadly shook her head before responding, "...I always knew that Jhake Zohly's hatred of Tawtute would be his undoing... but I never realized that it ran so deep! Nevertheless, it's alright now; you do not need to protect him anymore. He will come to no further harm whilst he is with us; I swear to you this in Eywa's name." To her surprise, at her words the ioang snorted_,_ as if to say "I don't believe you , " and then, with a flick of her great head, gestured to where her Olo'eyktan, Jhake Zohly, lay awake leaning against the tree the Nawm Ikran had thrown him against, being carefully tended to by his Lifemate, her daughter, Neytiri.

The Elderly Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya looked that way for a moment - taking note of the state they were in - before she turned back to face Iee'zha, nodding her head as she replied, "I do not know what my daughter sees in him, but Jhake Zohly is the light of her life, and I thank you for sparing him. Even though he is a yaymak skxawng he does love my daughter deeply and brings her great happiness; the loss of Jhake would not only have devastated her, but would also have thrown our Clan into turmoil as we searched for a new Olo'eyktan! Irayo again, Nawm Ikran, for sparing his life. He will be dealt with; you have my word on that. Now rutxe, tìng tseng. Let me help your Tsa'hik examine and treat Txa'vit's injuries or, if not that, then let us take your yawne back to our Kelutral, that he might see one of our Healers. Rutxe?"

For a moment, the nawm Ikran did not respond to Mo'at's plea. Instead, she looked down at her rider and San'eya, and then raised her head to gaze at Mo'at again, her expression conflicted. When at last she chose to obey the Omatikaya Tsa'hik, it was with much reluctance, a low keening cry escaping her and her eyes misting with tears as she finally moved from atop the two whom she was guarding so faithfully. Although she had never seen Iee'zha do this before - let alone any Ikran, for that matter - the Elderly Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya knew grief when she saw it and so, stepping towards the distressed ioang she gathered the gentle beast's head into her arms. "Oh, Iee'zha, tam, tam... Tam, tam..." she said comfortingly, stroking her hands gently over the animal's muzzle and face.

"Your yawne will be fine; he faced things far worse than this during the battle against 'They Who Could Not See,' I am sure. We will take him back to our new Kelutral and there I will see to it that our best healers tend to him. He will be fine; you will see!" For a moment, Iee'zha did not respond to Mo'at's soothing words and touch. Instead, the nawm Ikran attempted to bury her head into the Tsa'hik's brightly coloured turinash as she continued to weep for a moment longer, her soft anguish-filled cries causing the old Tsa'hik's heart to wrench painfully. Finally, when Iee'zha was able to cease crying and regain control of herself, gently, she pulled away from Mo'at and then nuzzled the Elderly Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya in gratitude.

At this, Mo'at smiled and then - after giving the nawm Ikran a final soft pet - she swiftly made her way over to where Tsa'hik San'eya still crouched by Txa'vit, assessing him. "How is he, ma Tsmuke?" she asked softly. The Tawkami Tsa'hik did not answer her, at first; instead, she concluded her examination of the young man whom was her Clan's Olo'eyktan, carefully feeling the back of his skull, the last part of his body to impact against the burned Kelutral. Then, at last, she turned to face Mo'at - drawing herself up slightly with an air of relief and resolve - as she harshly answered, "Txa'vit will be fine, no thanks to your utter skxawng of an Olo'eyktan!" At Mo'at's crestfallen expression, her tone lightened as she continued.

"He has no injury to his txal txärem - the masat pxen he wears protected him from that, at least - but his unprotected re'o impacted heavily with the Kelutral when Jhake threw him against it. Fortunately, no part of his re'o txärem was broken, but his eltu was moved about inside it and I fear he will have what is called a concussion_."_ As San'eya finished speaking, Mo'at frowned; that last word had been in 'Ìnglìsì! "Kawng'kxus'ong?" she replied, struggling to pronounce the unfamiliar word. "Concussion" San'eya repeated gently, correcting her. "It is a type of skxir that can occur to the eltu, which is most often caused by ayfekem and ayzup... or - in this case - your skxawng Olo'eyktan slamming him against the remains of your old Kelutral!"

She gestured to the Kelutral with a hand, and Mo'at - after glancing at it briefly and then turning her head away with remembered pain - nodded slowly. "This eltu skxir... It can be healed?" she asked. Immediately, San'eya nodded as she answered, "Srane, thank Eywa, it can be. I think it will be a skxirtsyìp; it should heal on its own. We must get him back to Kelutral, as he will need tsurokx and to be watched carefully." At this, Mo'at frowned gravely as she studied the still body of the unconscious Tawtute whom had helped so many of Eywa's ioang ay'eveng. "Is that wise, ma Tsmuke? Is it safe to move him?" she asked. Tsa'hik San'eya nodded her head at Mo'at's question, softly answering, "It will be fine, ma Tsmuke, and he is safe to move, but have a care."

Swiftly, Tsa'hik Mo'at ordered several able-bodied men to construct a litter on which Olo'eyktan Txa'vit would be carried back to the Omatikaya Kelutral. A wide, shallow basket, crafted from animal shell and bone, leaves, wood, reeds, twigs and twine, it was fairly simple and robust - similar to the Sumin jilt'luy, or Leaf Plate - but far larger and sturdier. Jhake Zohly, along with another Omatikaya man, would be the one to bear it and Txa'vit back to Kelutral, since he was the one whom had instigated this whole mess. Once the litter's construction was complete and Txa'vit had been carefully placed upon it, as Jhake and his helper stepped towards it - intending to lift it onto their shoulders - there arose a problem.

Iee'zha stepped forward to place herself in front of the litter protectively, a deep, rumbling growl escaping her as she affixed Jhake with a baleful, icy gaze. Mo'at didn't need Tsaheylu to know that the Nawm Ikran obviously did not want the yaymak skxawng anywhere near her rider, at all! In the end it was decided that Masters Oo'ano and Lompor would bear the litter upon their shoulders for the journey back to Kelutral. As the two Na'vi made to lift the litter with its precious cargo up onto their shoulders, however - as he lay there, nestled safely within it - the Tawtute Olo'eyktan of Clan Tawkami, Txa'vit, issued a soft groan as he slowly began to regain consciousness...

* * *

From one moment to the next, I awakened, half-remembered memories returning to me as though filtered through a dreamlike haze. "It's you who are responsible for this; you and all your lying kind!" "You're a fucking traitor, Sully; yes, humankind grievously wronged the Na'vi... but you betrayed them - humanity - your kin!" "...You betrayed two races - your own people and the Protoss - when you came here..." "I... have had... enough... of you!" Then, for a moment the pain and nausea I was feeling seemed to dissipate as my memories returned fully with terrible clarity. I had attacked Jake Sully. I had attacked Jake Sully. I had physically attacked Jake Sully, the Olo'eyktan of the Omatikaya Clan.

"Oh, god," I murmured, my eyes misting over with tears, "I... I've broken my Oath!" Of course, due to my condition, the words I actually spoke were, "Uh, gd, 've brkn mh Uth" and as I spoke the two Na'vi men crouched either side of me - who were they? Ah, now I remembered, Masters Oo'ano and Lompor - looked over me at each other, puzzled. Said Masters, however, were soon gently nudged aside by the golden snout of a large Ikran and once the two had backed off, said Ikran promptly laid down and curled herself around the... the... 'What am I lying on?' I thought, astonished, gingerly turning my head left and then right. 'Is this a... a Leaf Plate?' The absent thought, however, was swiftly banished when the_Ikran_ - after folding a golden wing over my body - began to softly lick my face, an occasional soft whimper escaping her.

'Are you my Ikran?' I wondered. No sooner had I thought the question, then to my surprise the Ikran nodded its great head, and then, through a feeling of warmth in my thoughts that I couldn't quite identify there came a voice - her voice - soft, and feminine. ~Yes~ she said, ~I am yours, sweet David. I am Ieesha, your Lifemate. Do you know the date, and where you are?~ At her questions, a frown suffused my features. "I... Of course, I do" I grumbled irritably. "It's... This is the 15th of Adun's Hand; the Year of Taeradun, 2296. I'm on the planet Pandora - known to the Na'vi as kifkey Eywa'evengä - lying in what seems to be a giant Sumin jilt'luy, or Leaf Plate!"

My beloved couldn't help it, then - she giggled, and I couldn't help the grin that creased my face at the sound - but then she became serious, her voice turning grave as she said, ~You're suffering from the effects of a concussion, David - a minor one, we think - and the 'Leaf Plate' you're lying in is actually a Litter; you're going to be moved back to the Omatikaya Hometree for rest and observation.~ At this, I merely blinked, before replying, "A concussion, eh? So that explains why my memories are all over the place at the moment..." My beloved Ikran nodded slowly again, and as she did, I murmured to her, "I broke the Oath, you know; just... shat... all over one of the fundamental things that makes me a High Templar..."

Great sorrow and misery welled up within me, then, but even as I closed my eyes, my tears slipping from beneath closed eyelids to run down my face, Ieesha was there, washing away my tears with her tongue as she softly replied, ~No, sweet David, no; you didn't! Yes, you attacked Jake Sully, but you didn't actually hit him; he moved out of the way.~ A frown creased my face, then, and I glared up at Ieesha as I growled, "That's a legal technicality!" ~But a legitimate one!~ she responded, her fear and anxiety racing through my thoughts. ~Please... please, my love, you don't need to undergo Penance for this!~ At her words, I slowly shook my head.