Chapter Text
Tree of Souls, Pandora
August 23, 2154
Tsu’tey’s hand moved down her chest, the cold shock of the red paint causing her ears to twitch in response. His movements were swift and controlled. Te'siri’s fingers tightened around the small bowl of paint in her palm as she watched him concentrate. He painted a large upside-down triangle-like shape on her chest in red. When he finished, Te'siri placed the red paint down and grabbed the yellow. Tsu’tey dipped his fingers into it and outlined the shape on her chest, adding a yellow stripe that went down her torso, stopping just below her navel. He stepped back when he was satisfied.
Te'siri locked eyes with him. Her gaze trailed over his already painted face as she tilted her head. “How do I look?”
Tsu’tey didn’t respond, his tail flicking back and forth as he narrowed his eyes. Instead, he grabbed the yellow paint from her hand. Her sharp, amber eyes tracked his hand as he lifted it to her face. She flinched back slightly at the coldness of the paint as he trailed his fingers from the top over her forehead all the way down to her chin. She closed her eyes as his fingers left her skin before starting again on the mark below her left eye, making a diagonal line to her chin. He repeated the motion on the other side of her face.
“You are ready,” Tsu’tey whispered, stepping back and placing the paint on the floor.
Te'siri opened her eyes, sighing. “I don’t think any of us are ready, Ma Tsu’tey.”
He moved across her tent they had put up in the make-shift camp in front of the Tree of Souls. He looked conflicted. After the death of Eytukan, he was Olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya now. He had every right to be worried about what was ahead. Even the appearance of Toruk Makto, Jake Sully, the dreamwalker who had stolen Neytiri’s heart, possibly couldn’t be enough to win this battle.
“Tsu’tey,” Te'siri whispered, stepping towards him. She reached out and took his hand gently. “What is wrong?”
She knew what was wrong, she just wanted to hear him say it.
“What if this doesn’t work, Te'siri? What if something goes wrong? If you get hurt…” His voice nearly broke as he spoke. “What if we lose everything?”
“Then we lose everything,” she shrugged, causing his head to snap up in surprise at her nonchalance. The corner of her lip tilted up in a small smile. “There is no point in drowning in the ‘what ifs’. These people need you to lead them, just as much as Toruk Makto.”
Tsu’tey looked down at their joined hands, gently running his thumb across the back of her hand. His tail brushed over her calf subconsciously. Te'siri lifted her free hand up, placing it on his chest where there were two large white Na’vi hand prints. Tsu’tey glanced down at her, allowing his expression to soften.
“We’re going to be alright,” she told him, squeezing his hand. His gaze fluttered between her eyes. Tsu’tey cupped her face with his hand, tilting his head. She leaned into his palm subconsciously.
“I do not like covering your mark,” he mumbled, swiping his thumb across the yellow paint to reveal the Sarentu symbol.
Te'siri’s hand reached up to cover his, stopping him from removing any more paint. “You know how my mother is.” She slowly took his hand away from her face, releasing it so she could push one of her smaller red-beaded braids back behind her ear. “The Sarentu are gone, Tsu’tey. I am Omatikaya. I always have been.”
“Don’t cover it during the fight,” Tsu’tey pleaded under his breath. He held her hand up to kiss the back of it. “We need the support of all the clans. Even the Sarentu.”
“Diplomacy doesn’t seem to be the solution currently, ma tíyawn,” Te'siri smirked.
Tsu’tey wanted to kiss her so badly, but he hesitated, worried he’d ruin the painted stripe that ran down her lips. His eyes trailed down her body, lingering on her hair for longer than he intended. The few braided strands that escaped her half-up half-down style to frame her face carried matching red beads to his own hair. Her whole head of hair was braided by Neytiri, she was always better at it. She had even tied a few feathers into Te'siri’s braided kuru for the battle.
His gaze moved to her chest, studying the multicolor beaded sash that covered her breasts, secured in place by thinner beaded strings. He remembered helping her craft the decorative top. Tsu’tey was never good at making such things, but he only wanted to see her smile.
“You’re staring,” Te'siri teased, poking his nose. She gently tilted his chin up with her pointer finger.
Tsu’tey was snapped out of his trance and locked eyes with her. She smiled up at him, completely real. He loved her smile. Te'siri blushed as he mimicked her expression, looking at her like she was the only thing that ever mattered. Tsu’tey cupped her face and leaned forward, wanting to capture her lips. She immediately tilted back, pressing her pointer finger into his chest. He frowned deeply at her, disappointed.
“You’re going to ruin the paint,” she stated, smirking. Ever since Neytiri mated with Jake Sully, Tsu’tey and Te'siri had been less careful about hiding their “relationship” with the rest of the clan. They had always kept it a secret, not wanting to ruin the betrothal between him and Neytiri. But now, nothing mattered.
“We can always fix it.”
Te'siri let out a small sound of surprise as his lips met her. She quickly melted into the kiss, her hand wrapping around the back of his neck. Their lips moved in sync. Te'siri loved the feeling of him pressed against her. His hands held her face so gently, matching the softness of his kiss. It wasn’t a lustful action, he only wanted to make her feel loved. If they truly were going to lose the battle, he wanted to cherish her the best he could.
“I see you two are doing just fine then.”
Te'siri jumped away from Tsu’tey at the sound of another voice. Her eyes widened when her gaze locked with Neytiri’s. The young woman’s knowing smirk made Te'siri roll her eyes, gently shoving Tsu’tey’s arm away.
“We were just getting ready,” Te'siri sighed, wiping the smudged paint on her lips. The yellow line on her lips was now mirrored by Tsu’tey. She grabbed his chin, attempting to rub it off with her thumb. He quickly pulled his face away with a teasing smile. She scoffed at his childish actions, shaking her head.
“And ready, you are,” Neytiri stated, walking up to her in two quick strides before gently grabbing her shoulders. “Your paint is beautiful, tsmuke.”
“Tsu’tey works wonders,” Te'siri said, the corners of her lips lifting at the compliment. She glanced over Neytiri’s shoulder and saw Tsu’tey with his back turned to them, digging through a random basket. All he gave in response was a small grunt.
Neytiri hummed, her face was decorated in bright green and yellow paint with a small amount of black. It matched the colors of her ikran, Seze, just like Te'siri’s correlated with her bonded, Zira. The woman was undeniably beautiful, just like her sister before her. Te'siri had no idea how the dreamwalker managed to steal her heart. However, Jake Sully had grown on her. At first, she was just as distrustful as Tsu’tey. Now, she had to put her faith in him if they wanted to win this fight.
“Jake wanted to see you two and go over the plan once more,” Neytiri informed them, gently adjusting Te'siri’s beaded braids. She sighed, dropping her hand from the woman’s hair. “He worries.”
“Well, there is much to worry about,” Te'siri whispered, placing her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “He’s got 15 clans following him into a battle that could change our planet’s history for better or for worse.” Neytiri’s gaze lowered as she pondered the warrior’s words. Te'siri grabbed her chin, lifting her face. “But all will go to plan. I trust Jake, even Tsu’tey trusts him.”
Tsu’tey hummed, all the softness that was once there slipped away when he realized what they were truly about to face. His back was still to them, this time he was searching through a different basket like his life depended on it. Te'siri glanced over at him, sighing.
“We’re going to be okay,” she said softly, dropping Neytiri’s chin. She placed her hand on her friend’s arm, giving her a small smile. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
The woman nodded to her before stepping out of the tent, bidding a small goodbye to Tsu’tey, to which he hummed a low response. Te'siri sighed, subconsciously toying with the songcord wrapped around her wrist. Things were changing too quickly. Part of her wished she could go back to the days where she was just a child, waiting for the Sarentu to visit so she could see her father and the family he had.
But the Sarentu were gone. Her two half-sisters were gone. Her father was gone.
She brushed her fingers over her mark. Tsu’tey grunted beside her, pulling her attention away. She dropped her hand from her face, raising a brow. “What is it that you are aggressively searching for?”
“This.” He lifted his head, pulling something out of the basket and turning to her. Her lips parted when she saw a small decorative neckpiece in his hand. It was like a smaller version of his, made with what looked to be the claws of a palulukan. Just like his. He moved towards her, lifting the neckpiece. Te'siri stilled when she felt him clip it around her neck, allowing his fingers to brush her collar bone as they fell away. He gently tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes, whispering, “I made it for you. So that we will be together during battle.”
“It is beautiful, Tsu’tey. Irayo,” she said, placing her hand over the neckpiece.
“Oel nagti kameie,” Tsu’tey mumbled, kissing her forehead.
Hallelujah Mountains, Pandora
August 23, 2154
Te'siri rested her hand on the leather strap on Zira’s neural queue, her bow held tightly at her side. She flew slowly next to Tsu’tey as they glided with Jake and Neytiri through the Hallelujah Mountains. She gently stroked the ikran’s neck in a calming manner. Toruk let out a sharp, powerful breath. Te'siri glanced over at Tsu’tey beside her. He wore traditional Olo’eytan attire, long yellow tassel-like material falling down his back. Matching feathers were weaved into his braids.
He was stunning.
Jake had feathers and leaves braiding into his kuru, along with black and yellow war paint. The sides of his head were shaved, all his hair had been braided. He looked… Na’vi. He was no longer the skxawng dreamwalker who had shown up in the Na’ring. Jake Sully was Toruk Makto. It was a weird realization for her. Only months ago had Te'siri been living a semi-normal life, and now, she was being thrown into a war against the Sky People. With Toruk Makto.
Te'siri fiddled with the comm strapped around her neck. Jake said it was necessary for communication between them all. She reluctantly obliged. He had also given her some human grenades, just in case.
Like she would ever use them.
Zira let out a sharp call and her rider’s head shot up. She could hear the demon ships coming closer. Te'siri patted her bonded’s head, whispering softly to her. At her side, she tightened her grip on her longbow. She glanced down at the small quiver strapped to her thigh, long arrows rested in it, each one baring her signature red feather on the end.
“Ma Te'siri,” Tsu’tey said over the wind, catching her attention. When she made eye contact with him, he continued. “Be ready. This enemy is quick.”
“I’m well aware,” she responded, releasing the leather strap on Zira and placing her hand on her thigh. She brushed her hand over the red riding breeches she wore before looking back up. “But so are we.”
Tsu’tey sent her a small smile before pressing three fingers to his forehead and letting them fall. A simple, but powerful gesture. Te'siri smiled, returning it to him. Zira swung her head up in a teasing manner at the woman, causing her to almost lose her balance.
“Mawey, Ma Zira,” Te'siri mumbled to her bonded, grabbing hold of her saddle. She heard a small chuckle from Tsu’tey as he watched. The woman opened her mouth to speak but Jake’s voice cut in.
“Te'siri, you watch our flank,” he spoke in English. Her head shot up and she looked over Tsu’tey, making eye contact with the dreamwalker.
“You got it,” she said into her comm, nodding her head. Te'siri pulled Zira back and they drifted behind Tsu’tey, Jake, and Neytiri. They followed closely, weaving through the floating mountains. She could feel Zira’s powerful breath, the sound of her beating heart.
“Be ready,” Neytiri told them all as they made the last turn, revealing the large army of RDA ships.
Te'siri grabbed an arrow, preparing it to fire. Everything was a blur. Jake struck first with Toruk, and suddenly the air was flooded with ikran and RDA ships. Te'siri’s mind blanked as she nocked an arrow and aimed at the closed ship. She released her breath as her fingers slipped away from the string, allowing the arrow to soar through the air and meet its target. The ship went up in flames, crashing into the one below it.
Te'siri stood up in her saddle and lifted her bow, letting out a loud yip to her fellow Na’vi as she weaved through the chaos.