1. A skxawng in Kelutral

It was still early. The first light was creeping over the high branches of the majestic tree, which the People called Kelutral. Hometree.

Puvomun, a singer-teacher of the Omatikaya clan, noticed that first light while he still had his eyes closed. This moment of the day was so pure, so fresh, he didn’t want to miss it. He delighted in the soft warmth of the light as it touched his skin.

A gentle breeze passed by, carrying the sound of a few Ikran, who were bickering about something. The large animals, flown by the hunters of the clan, were high up, but their sounds could be heard everywhere.

He reached up and tapped the side of the nivi he’d been sleeping in, high over the ground. The hammock, which looked like a net cocoon when closed, slowly opened, allowing Puvomun to climb up to the branch it hung from.

The singer-teacher looked up at the line of nivi overhead. In one of them, the alien called Jakesully was sleeping. Neytiri, daughter of the Tsahik, the clan’s matriarch and high priestess, and the olo’eyktan, the clan leader, had chosen the hammock next to the stranger.

Puvomun only knew a little about these dream walkers, which the Na’vi called uniltìranyu. Doctor Grace had tried to explain it to those who wanted to know, during one of her visits to Hometree. Most of it had been lost on him. That was when she still had her school, teaching the Sky People language to the Omatikaya clan. Most of her people couldn’t learn the Na’vi language. Or didn’t want to.

Puvomun still considered himself a friend of Doctor Grace, even though Eytukan, the leader, had forbidden the Sawtute to enter the village after the first deadly incidents.

The children had loved Doctor Grace, and they were the ones connecting him and the Sky People woman. She taught them the language and he taught the children the Clan Songs, the Old Songs. He did so together with Ninat and Amhul, and some of the other singers.

Puvomun had also created a few New Songs, so the important things would not be forgotten. He hoped they would become part of the Old Songs at some point.

Then his musings brought him back to the previous day. Why had this dreamwalker, a Sky People man in a Na’vi body, come to the clan? Jakesully was the first uniltìranyu the clan had seen in a long time. Many people had gathered to see and hear him, and Mo’at, the Tsahik, had even decided her daughter had to teach Jacksully how to be a proper Omatikaya. Neytiri had not been pleased.

The Sawsute, the Sky People, had been friendly at first, but now they were symbolic for pain and fear, and the destruction of the world. Was this man here to do the same? Or would this be another attempt to make peace? To be friends again?

Deciding he wouldn’t get answers to his questions soon, he walked over the wide branch, passing the nivi of those who’d been up late, singing and dancing.

Again he heard some of the Ikrans making noise. Tsu’tey’s Ikran was the loudest, as always.

Once he read the central steps of the tree, he quickly went down to the ground. When his feet touched the soil, he stood still and let his senses move out, seeking Eywa, the Goddess of the world. As usual, it did not work as this was plain soil, not Utral Aymokriyä, the Tree of Voices.

A few horses, the Pa’li walked around, looking for the flowers with their deep beakers. These flowers filled up with water, so the horses would have enough to drink. He admired those powerful creatures, which he would sometimes ride.

Puvomun walked across the open area, glancing at the skull of Toruk, the mighty animal guarding the clan. He always felt as if the empty eyes were watching him.

He located a good spot near a tree and let his mind go over the words for the new Song he’d created for Ekteka. Ekteka had been his best friend. He’d lost his life to Palulukan, a mighty predator of the forest, when the animal had threatened a few of the clan’s children. The children survived. Ekteka hadn’t.

“Be well, ma ‘eylan,” Puvomun whispered. The soul of his friend was with Eywa now, the eternal soul and goddess of the world.

He sat and mused over the words of Ekteka’s song until the clan awoke.

*

Teaching the children was hard this day. Even Amhul, who was always so patient, had sighed very often as the children kept their wild streak and ran around all the time. The reason for their unruly behaviour was, of course, the stranger, the uniltìranyu Jakesully.

“He’s funny,” one of the girls said.

“He is not, “ a young boy argued, “he says he is tsamsiyu, a warrior, but Tsu’tey can beat him. And he smells wrong too!”

“And he stepped on my aunt’s tail the other night,” a third one pitched in. “Someone should stand on his kxetse, so he knows what that feels like.”

Amhul sat down with Puvomun, who had already given up hope. “They won’t listen. We should let them go.”

Puvomun nodded. “Yes, as long as they are not used to the skxawng, they won’t listen.”

They chased the children away and laughed as the group dispersed rapidly, screaming and shouting and laughing.

“What will you do today?” Amhul asked.

“I may go and catch some fish,” said Puvomun. “I am also thinking of the new song.”

“Ah. The Song for Ekteka.” Amhul nodded. “That is good. Maybe you can go with Tsu’tey today. He said he wants to see where the Sky People are now.”

Puvomun thought about that. It was always good to keep an eye on the Sky People. They were spreading out very fast with their machines, and neither talking nor arrows had not stopped them so far. “I can, yes. If he wants to me to come.”

“Ekteka would want you to go,” Amhul said as she got up. “I am sure. You should talk to Tsu’tey before they leave.”

Puvomun agreed and went to look for the warriors and to his surprise Tsu’tey agreed, when Puvomun asked him to go out with the other riders.

“You can come. You have good ears and eyes, we need those. We will go to the south, the Sky People were there yesterday and they are coming close to Kelutral. Maybe we can scare them today. Bring your bow, Puvomun. We ride soon.”

Puvomun fetched his bow and a handful of arrows. When he returned, to find a horse, Amhul waved at him and wished him good luck.

“Irayo, thank you,” he said, before walking off.

One of the pa’li came up to him, as if it sensed they were going out. The singer-teacher swung himself onto its back and reached for his long braid, and one of the extensions on the horse’s head. He closed his eyes as the tendrils at the end of his braid wrapped around, and connected to those in pa’li’s extension.

Minds touched, connected, then the two were like one. Puvomun took a deep breath. This sensation would never be ordinary to him. After that, he rode his horse to where Tsu’tey and the others were waiting. He took a long detour around Hometree, because children didn’t always remember the strength of horse legs.

Reaching the group, the singer-teacher noticed Tsu-tey’s face was grim. “You came in time, Puvomun,” he greeted the arrival. “We were waiting for someone else, but she’s out with the ketuwong. The stranger.”

It was clear from the very beginning, Tsu’tey didn’t like or trust Jakesully, and the man was upset Mo’at had instructed her daughter to teach the man. Tsu’tey was meant to marry Neytiri. She should be here, with him, but the leaders had decided differently.

The waiting was over. “Maktoko!“ said Tsu’tey and quickly the group rode out, leaving Hometree behind them. They arrived at the shallow part of the lake where often children would play and swim. They watered the horses while in the distance they saw two figures with a horse. Puvomun recognized Neytiri and Jakesully, as did the others.

“We go there,” Tsu’tey commanded. He drove his pa’li splashing through the water. Puvomun followed the group, and just before they reached the spot where Neytiri was, Jakesully had mounted pa’li. Puvomun saw how the animal suddenly jumped forwards, sending its rider toppling backwards. The man ended up in the mud.

The riders all laughed, seeing it happen. Even Puvomun couldn’t hold back his laughter; he’d never seen anyone make such an ungraceful exit from a horse’s back.

Tsu’tey spoke with Neytiri, making fun of Jakesully, calling him a skxawng being blind as a rock in the sand.

Puvomun watched Jakesully arguing with Tsu’tey as they both tried to become the winner of this verbal battle. In the end Neytiri sent the riders on their way, and as the group rode off, Puvomun could not help feeling that there was something about this man Jakesully. The man had an honesty about him which was hard to deny.

The group rode off, looking for signs of the Sky People. Those weren’t difficult to find, because their machines made a lot of noise, blew out dark smoke and left a trail of destruction everywhere they went.

One of the group suggested a fast attack, but Tsu’tey said no. It would be foolish to attack the huge machines. Their arrows did nothing, and they would put themselves in danger. The Sawtute had weapons that killed at a great distance.

The scouts found another group of destructing people and they did launch a successful attack on those. They didn’t only have the large, roaring machines, but there were men they could strike.

Puvomun didn’t like shooting those people, but he knew this had to happen. The Sawtute had to be reminded as often as possible the Omatikaya wouldn’t let this happen without resistance.

The evening drew close when the group returned. Puvomun sat on a low branch of Hometree, in silence and solitude, when a gentle tremor went through the wood. He looked to the side and saw Amhul approaching.

“Kaltxì, ma Puvomun,” she said. “Did you find the Sky People?”

“Tsu’tey did. He is a good hunter. I did not do much.” He felt burdened by the kill he’d made, slaying a Sky Person, and decided to keep that away from her. She probably knew, anyway. “But I found the words for the song to honour Ekteka.” He sang them to her. After a few tries, Amhul could sing the song with him.

“Amhul! Puvomun!”

They looked down, seeing Ninat standing there, waving at them. “Kllza’u! Rol ayoehu! Come down! Sing with us!”

“We are coming!” Amhul said, beating Puvomun to it.

They went and joined the clan, singing the songs. Puvomun sang the new song too, with Amhul joining in as far as she knew it, teaching it to the others as they went along. Even the children, calm now after a day of running around, sat and learned the song.

Puvomun noticed Jakesully wasn’t trying to sing, which he understood. The man did not speak any Na’vi at all.

The way the man stared at Neytiri all the time made the singer-teacher hope nothing bad would happen. After all, Tsu’tey saw it too…