Chapter 29

"Sukal, daughter of Tuel and Suri, we name you the Tsahik of our tribe," Harry's voice was full of pride and respect. "You have proven yourself worthy of this honour, and we trust that you will lead our people with wisdom and strength."

Sukal felt tears well up in her eyes as she heard the words. She vowed to do everything in her power to live up to the expectations of the tribe and to serve her people with honour.

As the Tsahik, Sukal knew that she had a great responsibility. She would have to be a role model for her people, leading by example and showing them the way. She would have to make tough decisions, sometimes ones that would not be popular, but that she knew were necessary for the good of the tribe.

She also knew that she would have to work hard to earn the respect of her people. Many of them saw her as a young, inexperienced leader, and it would be up to her to prove them wrong. But Sukal was not afraid of the challenge.

She was determined to be the best Tsahik she could be and to earn the trust and admiration of her people.

As the tribe members celebrated and danced until the sun set beyond the horizon, Sukal rested her head on Harry's shoulder.

"We have started something my Harri. A seed that will grow mighty."

Running his hand across her back, Harry could feel his wife hum with joy. She was now connected to Eywa in a way that filled her whole being with an inner divine light.

"The tribe is growing, but we are still weak. I fear what would happen should the sky people ever investigate the island." He had heard nothing from Hells Gate since his confrontation with Quaritch. The escalation of the conflict between Navi and humans was like a volcano over the horizon, he was just waiting for the inevitable eruption.

"Hopefully the tribe is not the only thing growing."

Harry looked at his wife, not understanding her statement. She pried one of his hands from her back and placed it over her womb.

"You mean your…"

"No. Not yet Harri. But one day our family will grow strong in the home you have built."

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Howl!

Harry crouched low to the ground, his eyes fixed on the tracks ahead. The pack of Viper wolves had been spotted on the outskirts of Ra'sar's tribe territory, and so it was his job to track them down and drive them out.

"Good practice," Ra'sar had replied when Harry had questioned how this would benefit him to complete the hunter trials.

He moved stealthily through the dense undergrowth, his Navi senses heightened as he learnt to embrace his instincts. He could feel the presence of the animals all around him, hear the rustle of leaves and the snap of twigs underfoot.

As he drew closer to the pack, he could hear their growls and snarls in the distance. He knew he was getting closer, and he prepared himself for the confrontation ahead.

He burst through the brush into a clearing, just in time to see the pack of Viper wolves attacking a herd of the village's dire-horses. The animals were locked in a fierce battle, with the wolves snapping and snarling at the horses' legs and flanks.

Harry felt a surge of rage and protectiveness at the sight. He knew that the dire-horses were vital partners to the Na'vi, and he couldn't allow the wolves to harm them. This was the reason they were tasked with convincing the predators to move further away or become nourishment for the tribe.

He let out a fierce war cry and charged at the pack, brandishing his bow drawn full with an arrow ready to let fly. The wolves turned to face him, snarling and baring their teeth. Harry felt a moment of fear as he faced off against the fierce beasts, but he pushed it aside and focused on the task at hand.

One wolf, larger than the rest charged at Harry. Lunging forward into a barrel roll to escape the razor teeth and claws, Harry lined up his target. With surprising calm, Harry fired his arrow.

Whoosh!

Thud!

The stone arrow hits its mark, silencing the snarling beast with a single quick kill. Drawing another arrow he faced the rest of the pack ready for the next attack. Barring his teeth, he hissed. He took no pleasure in killing the creatures, but would nevertheless if they refused to flee.

The pack hesitated for a moment, then seemed to sense that their leader was down. They turned and fled, disappearing into the forest with a chorus of yelps and snarls.

Harry let out a sigh of relief and turned to check on the dire-horses. They were shaken but seemed to be unharmed, and he took a moment to calm them before starting to lead them back to the safety of the village.

"I could have used your help." Ra'sar smiled at his friend's silly notions.

"You must learn to hunt without help. And should Viperwolf prove too difficult for the mighty Olo'eyktan, then he should retire." Ra'sar took great pleasure in being more skilled than a tribal leader, even if the said leader had only been on Pandora for a few months.

As Harry walked, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had protected a tribe. It might not have been his tribe, but he had contributed and proven himself to be a valuable member of the clan. Harry could feel the time for his hunter trials, and the taming of an Ikran was fast approaching.

Using his knife, he extracted the longest claw from his first clean kill. It might not have been a great beast, but the Navi believed that key points in life, such as this for Harry, were worth remembering. They constructed Waytelem (Songcords) that represented the history of individuals or clans. The viper wolf claw is the first relic of his hunting journey and would therefore be placed near the start of his own songcord. When his time was up and he rested with Eywa, his clan would sing the story of his Waytelem. Every victory. Every failure.

After handing the dire-horses off to a nearby Navi villager, Ra'sar restarted the pursuit.

"They've already ran off. Why do we need to follow them?" Harry complained. One life-threatening incident a day was enough for him.

"Our task is to protect the village. We must know where the pack goes. If they make a nest near the tribe, we have to drive them out further."

Accepting his fate, Harry followed.

To be as stealthy as they could, the pair left the Pa'li (Dire-horse) at the village choosing instead to pursue on foot. Ra'sar left Harry to track the pack through the scents and signs of the forest. Fortunately, the pack of over twenty creatures caused enough impact on the ground and bushes to give them a clear path to follow.

Harry followed them further out, into parts of the jungle he hadn't seen before. Hearing their high-pitch yapping further ahead, Harry readied his bow. Crawling over a branch to safely observe the animals Harry was shocked at what he saw.

Thanator!

The pack of Viper wolves circled the Thanator, their eyes narrowed with determination. They knew that this was a fight to the death, and they were not about to back down. Harry could see the large hollowed tree with a bed of leaves behind the Thanator, it was the animal's home. It seemed the pack, being kicked out of their previous home had chosen to challenge this Thanator to its territory.

The Thanator roared causing a flutter of birds to escape in colourful streaks through the sky. Baring its large fangs, it swiped at them with its massive claws, trying to keep them at bay. But the wolves were too quick, darting in and out of reach and snapping at its legs and flanks.

The battle raged on, with the pack of Viper wolves and the Thanator locked in a fierce struggle. The wolves snarled and snapped at the massive predator, trying to tear at its flesh with their razor-sharp teeth. The Thanator roared and swiped at them with its massive claws, trying to fend them off.

The Thanator was larger and more powerful, but the wolves were faster and more agile. The Thanator also seemed restricted somehow. It didn't go on the attack but rather defended the hollow tree.

"It's injured." Harry nearly jumped in freight, so focused on the fight he missed Ra'sar crouch beside him.

Taking a closer look at the Thanator, he could see the Operculum of animals, scared over blocking its full breathing potential. The Operculum was the nostril-like opening on many of Pandora's creatures that allowed them to intake greater volumes of air. If an animal's Operculum was injured, it would struggle to survive as it would be weaker and therefore easier prey.

Now that Ra'sar had pointed it out, he noticed a fragility to the mighty creature that still instilled fear in him from his near-death experiences with it.

The Thanator saw an opening and lunged forward, its jaws open wide. It snapped at one of the wolves, its teeth narrowly missing the animal's throat. The wolf yelped and retreated, trying to evade the Thanator's grasp but failing. Holding the wolf in its mouth, it shook it violently so that even the two Navi could hear the crack of the spine breaking.

Spitting out its victim the Thanator looked at the rest of the pack, daring them to attack further.

As Harry watched the epic battle, he couldn't help but feel a sense of DeJa'Vu. While Thanators were not the most populace creatures of Pandora, there were several that could be found in each great forest.

However, this one was familiar.

Harry remembered how he had shot at Thanator, months ago on an expedition for the mining base, he never saw the injury he inflicted. Trusting his instincts, Harry knew he was responsible for this one injury.

If the Thanator wasn't injured, it could dominate the pack of viper wolves with ease, but injured, it was a losing battle.

Both sides taking heavy blows, the Thanator made a fatal mistake. It lunged forward again, trying to catch one of the wolves in its claws. But the wolf was too quick, evading the attack and leaping onto the Thanator's back.

It sank its teeth deep into the beast's neck, trying to bring it down. The Thanator let out a pained roar, attempting to shake the wolf off. But it was too late. The rest of the pack closed in, tearing at the beast with their teeth and claws.

The Thanator let out a final, pitiful cry and collapsed to the ground, its life force extinguished. The pack of Viper wolves stood over their prey, panting and covered in sweat, their victory clear despite the several dead wolves. They let out a chorus of triumphant howls, signalling their dominance over the forest.

Seeing one of the viper wolves approach the hollow, Harry heard a small bark and froze. The Thantaor couldn't have fled, it was protecting its cubs. A squeal broke the silence as the viper wolves discovered the young Thanators.

Knowing he shouldn't, that he should respect the balance of the forest, Harry swung down on a vine to land in front of the cubs. He used his bow to knock the closest wolf away while he drew an arrow and hissed at the pack.

They snarled back, clearly remembering their earlier encounter.

Locked in a stalemate, one of the wolves finally barked at the others and they retreated into the jungle. This time not going far, their red eyes still visible through the brush. They might have baulked at another fatal encounter with Harry but they weren't willing to give up their prize – the Thanator.

Reaching down and retrieving the cub he held it close. It immediately started gnawing on his blue fingers. The teeth, while sharp weren't developed enough to break his skin. The scrunched face like a puppy told Harry that they were only a few days old.

Harry glanced down at the forest floor, he hadn't been fast enough. Out of the two cubs, one had died before he could knock the wolf away. He was too late. Still holding the wriggling cub, Harry approached the mother.

"I'm so sorry. May you walk with Eywa and find peace." He touched the creature's face, his fear now replaced with respect. Something so vicious and deadly as a Thanator also possessed the love and a willingness to sacrifice its own life. It deserved his admiration.

Reaching into the animal's mouth, Harry used his knife to quickly remove a large fang. Normally it was a Navi tradition to take a trophy of special hunts to display their strength and value to the tribe. Despite Harry playing a vital, if unknowing, part in the Thanators death, he took the tooth not as a trophy but as a solemn reminder. A reminder that all life mattered and should be protected.

Such love for family was the foundation of his clan, therefore Harry intended to attach the tooth to his Olo'eyktan's ceremonial outfit. As later generations took charge of the clan, the fang would be passed down. A generational lesson in what they were fighting to protect.

Closing his eyes and trying to feel the spirit of the animal, he gave his vow in recompense for his actions.

"Your pup will be safe. I will take it with me and raise it into a mighty beast that great legends will speak of for generations to come."

At his words, a gust of wind blew through the clearing, sealing his promise before Eywa.

Pulling his thumb from the animals grasping mouth, Harry held it close, letting his body warm and comfort the now orphaned creature.

"Let's go home little one."