Chapter 31

Harry stood in the arena, his eyes fixed on the spear in his hand. He had been practising for weeks, taking his studies in combat even more seriously than his academics during his human life. He had come a long way, however Harry was humble enough to admit that he had much to learn if he wanted to become a skilled warrior worthy of the title of Olo'eyktan.

Harry and his opponent faced off, their eyes locked in a fierce and intense gaze. They both knew that this would be a hard-fought battle where they had to display all of their skills. Harry's spear instructor, Doeung, stood to one side to watch the confrontation. Doeung had often been Harry's sparing partner and despite his disability, he was quick and agile with his one good arm enough to dominate Harry.

Over the weeks of training, combined with his growing skills as a hunter, Harry had finally started to hold his own against his teacher. To increase the difficulty, not willing to let his student coast on his achievements of beating a cripple, he had sought the services of Tawtute. Tawtute had only recently been accepted as a member of the tribe, with his group of wanders which had brought the tribe's numbers up to 43. A staggering growth but one that Harry's forethought had ensured went smoothly to get the new Navi members acclimatised to the Tawsemka clan.

Tawtute was a hunter in his prime, successful enough to provide for and protect his group through dangerous waters. He would not be an easy opponent, but Harry knew that there was much he could learn from him.

"Come at me," Tawtute said, beckoning Harry forward.

Harry hesitated for a moment, trying to remember all the techniques that Doeung had taught him. He took a deep breath and charged, thrusting the spear towards Eytukan's chest.

Eytukan easily deflected the attack, knocking the spear aside with a flick of his wrist. Harry stumbled, off balance, and Eytukan seized the opportunity, disarming Harry and knocking him to the ground.

Harry groaned, feeling a sense of frustration and embarrassment wash over him. He had always been a quick learner, capable of devouring knowledge however learning physical skills was not his forte.

Tawtute helped him to his feet, his face stern but not unkind. "You must focus, Harry," he said. "The spear is a powerful and deadly weapon, but it requires skill and precision. You must learn to control it, or it will control you."

Harry nodded, determined to do better in the next round.

The two warriors circled each other, their spears at the ready. Harry could feel the tension and adrenaline coursing through his veins, and he knew that he had to stay focused if he wanted to win.

Tawtute took the opportunity to strike first, lunging forward with a fierce and powerful thrust. Harry parried the attack, his movements quick and precise. His green eyes took in every twitch, every tensed muscle of his opponent, trying to find a hole in his defence. Harry countered with a thrust of his own, narrowly missing Tawtutes chest, however the hunter stayed calm and readied his next attack.

The two fighters continued to battle, their spears clashing and ringing in the air. Harry could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead, and he knew that he was pushing himself to the limit.

Despite his best efforts, however, Harry couldn't seem to get the upper hand. Tawtute was a skilled and experienced fighter, and he seemed to anticipate Harry's every move. As the battle raged on, Harry began to wonder if he would ever be able to defeat him. He was starting to tire, and he knew that he couldn't keep this up much longer.

Leaping back, Harry disengaged from the fight. He needed to try something else. Something different. Thinking back to his training droid, he remembered a move from an Asian martial art.

Seeing an opening for a split second, Harry took his chance. Lunging forward, he stabbed the spear towards Tawtute's feet. As the hunter dodged the strike with ease, Harry continued his attack until the spear was wedged into the sand of the training arena. Using his spear as leverage, Harry swung his body around on the pole, his whole body flexing with hidden strength, as his foot flicked out and caught Tawtute in the chest.

The hunter, surprised by such an unfamiliar attack, was sent hurtling to land in a heap. While Tawtute groaned in pain and clutched his body painfully, Harry took full advantage and advanced on his opponent. Before Tawtute could refocus, Harry had his spear resting under his chin.

Victory!

The cheers and celebrations that erupted made Harry jump, not realising how many of his fellow tribe members had been watching. Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. He had faced a formidable opponent and come out victorious, and he knew that he had earned the respect and admiration of his fellow warriors.

Reaching down a hand, Harry pulled Tawtute to his feet looking deep into his eyes. They were darker than Harry's, and despite the injury and loss, contained no malice.

"It was a good fight." Smiling at his Olo'eyktan while feeling more confident in his decision to entrust his friend's and family's safety to this alien Navi, Tawtute couldn't resist a final challenge.

"I won't go so easy on you next time, Olo'eyktan."

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The ground shook.

Harry had been training Fang on the mainland, teaching the animal to hone its senses to track to smallest trace of prey. It had only been several weeks since Harry took Fang into his home however he was already the size of a viper wolf, making him more than capable of hunting smaller prey.

Fang whined and retreated into a nearby hollow of a tree. The normally vibrant jungle that hummed and echoed with the sounds of life, was silent. Harry felt winded as if he was mourning the loss of a close friend. Not having experienced such sensations, Harry quickly called to Fang, who required several bribes to follow, before retreating back to the rotor-craft.

He needed to find out what had happened.

Earthquakes on Pandora were not uncommon, as all planets had fault lines and tectonic stresses. However Harry knew the area they were in was at the centre of a large tectonic plate, making it the least likely place to feel a quake.

That meant it was something else. Something powerful enough to shake the very earth hundreds of clicks away. That scared Harry.

In his plane, he could examine the instruments and sensors however he couldn't detect anything that would cause such an impact. His only guess would be a meteor strike, however his sensors and the satellites of Hells Gate that he had hacked into would have notified him.

Making the quick trip back to his island, Fang's drooping head rested on his lap, upset that their hunting trip had been cut short. When they had landed, Fang ran off at seeing the ever-growing group of children running up the hill to the play park Harry had built. It was a large area with a single tall tree in the centre with a variety of obstacles, training tools, slides, swings and games to name but a few of the opportunities hidden within. While Fang would always be Harry's, the children embraced the animal and used their endless energy to tire each other out. A win-win for Harry and the children's parents.

Pushing a wall of hanging vines aside, Harry entered the concealed entrance of his underground lab. The computer there had far more capacity and he hoped to find answers to his questions.

Seeing all the nearby sensors he had placed around his clan were green, he let out a breath and tried to calm his racing heart.

"The clan is safe. Sukal is safe." He repeated the mantra to himself over and over until he started to believe his own words.

His fingers resumed typing, rapidly changing the holo-screen to an orbital view of Pandora. Hells Gate may represent some of the worst of humanity, but its infrastructure still was useful.

Zooming into a live image of his home, or at least what he had programmed the satellite to see was displayed. When Sukal and her people had agreed to live on his island, he had created an automated programme that scrubbed satellite footage of his tribe off the human's computers, making their secrecy his greatest defence.

Using his hands to navigate the controls effortlessly, he started the scan the surrounding forest. He needed to find the cause of the quake and the unnatural terror in his heart. He scanned over many areas of forest, all green and thriving as normal. Ra'sar's tribe living in a sky tree was fine and he could spot no abnormalities.

Harry even went as far as to scan over Hells Gate. The mining site was still a colossus, marking the landscape like an angry infection. He could see the stacks of smoke billowing from the refineries, polluting the air with their poison. Harry was about the continue looking in other areas when he noticed something was missing.

Mercenaries.

When he had been forced to visit previously, the base was teething with military activity with every camo-dressed soldier wielding their heavy guns. Now he saw none of that. Clicking a few buttons he zoomed in on the image of the airfield. Normally the fleet of rotorcraft was on the great slab of concrete, now it was empty.

Harry felt the sinking feeling in his heart worsen.

Trying to think of possible targets, his mind racing, Harry remembered Jake Sully. They had been acquaintances, maybe even friends, however their paths diverged. Harry had left to find his peaceful retirement and acceptance among the Navi. Jake's Avatar had been accepted into the Omatikaya clan, the clan closest to the base, so both sides could learn more about their respective people and culture.

Controlling the screen to locate Jake's clan, Harry fell to his knees, unable to endure the shock and horror of what he was seeing.

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Hometree, the majestic and ancient tree that had stood at the heart of the Na'vi village for countless generations, was a sight to behold. Its massive trunk rose up into the sky, its branches stretching out like arms to embrace the world. It was a symbol of strength and resilience, a beacon of hope and inspiration for the Na'vi people.

But on this fateful day, Hometree had met its end.

The air was filled with the sound of machinery and the roar of engines as the humans hovered over the apocalyptic scene of destruction, safely nestled in their ships.

Hometree lay dying, its great branches broken and twisted, its leaves withering and fading. No longer reaching upwards but fallen prone crushing the forest beneath its weight. All that remained of Hometree was a shattered and broken stump, a testament to the power and greed of the humans.

A great fire still blazed on the shattered trunk where the human's weapons had broken the tribe's ancestral home. Waves of black smoke billowed into the air, scaring every leaf and life with a brush of darkness.

Even from the satellite, Harry could see some blue figures trying to avenge their home, fighting with all their might, but they were no match for the humans' superior technology. Their arrows and spears bounced harmlessly off the metal and glass leaving little more than scratches. Most of the Navi scrambled to escape, running for their lives, faces filled with fear and desperation. They had lost their home. Their place in the world.

The death toll was incalculable. The humans had destroyed the home of a tribe, where many of the women, children and elderly all resided. Only a few lucky Navi would have escaped. The Omatikaya tribe had been decimated. It would take generations, if ever, to fully recover.

Harry felt tears run freely down his face.

The death. The destruction. It was far worse than he feared.

Watching the scene of a clan as renowned and revered as the Omatikaya, Harry felt a new sensation. Something unfamiliar. It started as a small burning sensation in his chest, then quickly spreading throughout his body, making his fists ball and his blood boil.

This was no fair contest or competition over resources. It was a senseless and barbaric slaughter. That left Harry with only one option open to him. One option he had always been against. One option that he had tried to prevent at every opportunity.

War.