Subaiya

"Oh!" Grace complained as she tried to touch her left shoulder, "quiet!" a Na'Vi woman, named Aldia, responded as she proceeded to continue poking a small thorn into Grace's shoulder. 

Three days had passed since Grace managed to pass one of the final phases of her initiation, but thanks to her injuries sustained during the altercation with the Thanator, Grace was unable to finish her initiation formally, which is why three days later and, having healed of her wounds, Grace was now being prepared. 

Her day began very early when she met M'aora, the Tsahik, with whom she had a long and illuminating talk. She still, clearly remembers the last lines she told him about herself before she dismissed her. 

"You have done well, dream walker, too well in fact, my son and your next Olo'eyktan is a very pure-hearted Na'Vi, love Eywa, love our People, but do not be fooled by that facade "Just as you love him, you also protect him, so be careful not to betray us, be careful not to betray the trust and the teachings that we have given you, because once that happens, you will have more than six clans after you." 

To say that she was a little anxious after that conversation was an understatement, but after several minutes of introspection, Grace realized that she would die before betraying the clan, before betraying Eywa. 

That thought immediately placed her at a crossroads, coming to know that she could betray her race, the one that had given her everything throughout her life, in exchange for saving a new one, one, which had opened its arms to her, He had taught her, he had accepted her, all of that scared Grace, especially since she knew that her natural body was still in Hell's Gate. 

It was in those moments that Grace wondered if the same thing happened to Jake if he felt empty and lifeless every time he had to abandon his link with his avatar and return to his life on the base, that life that was full of death, war and disappointment, even being the worst feeling for him, especially considering that he had to wake up every day and remember that he did not have that freedom that the Omaticaya clan gave him, with even the feeling of walking being taken away from him. 

"We're done, Grace, you're ready." 

Aldia, the Na'Vi who was giving Grace the tribe's warrior mark, told her, pulling her out of her thoughts in the process. The symbol, which consisted of a half-moon-shaped semicircle, which was crossed by a spike very similar to a nail.... the symbol of the warriors of the clan, said symbol that Grace now carried with great pride and honor. 

"Hurry up girl, you don't want to keep the tribe waiting on this," Aldia said haughtily, making Grace get up from the bench where she was sitting, but not before sticking her tongue out at her and telling her that in addition to her advanced age, she was very grumpy. 

Leaving the tent where she was before, Grace saw how the other young people who had undergone their initiation were also already outside, all very well-dressed, with ceremonial robes, their long hair tied in braids and their bodies painted with paintings that showed in shape. 

Of songs his journey in the tribe so far. Approaching the rest of the group, Grace greeted them, seeing how everyone showed signs of anxiety and stress about what would come next, "don't worry, I firmly believe that we passed the hardest point, and that was surviving the Palulukan (Thanator) " 

"Well, at least I have scars to show," said one of the young men, named Valinor if Grace remembered correctly. Jakio, another of the young men, only scoffed when he saw the large scar on Valinor's chest, "now you look much uglier." 

"HAHAHA" everyone laughed, an act that dispelled the anxiety in the air. Suddenly, the sound of a horn was present, which made the laughter stop, to welcome a more serious atmosphere. 

"Here we go" Grace heard, but she did not look at who it was, for her, the tree of souls captured all her attention, it was beautiful, more than a hundred meters high, and almost three hundred meters in circumference, it seemed as if it were a bridge that connected the earth with the sky, especially with its golden and purple tendrils falling like a waterfall. 

"It's beautiful... I would like some samples" Grace said to herself, while she saw how almost the entire clan was in front of the sacred tree, which turned around once the group was present. 

There were easily more than seven thousand members gathered, with the remaining eighteen hundred guarding the tribe's grounds, with everyone fitting in normally, speaking volumes of the large size around the tree.

The initiates approached the front of the tribe, where the Tsahik and the Olo'eyktan were already waiting for them, Grace saw Aleyx, an act that ended in surprise every time she saw him, asking like someone, who was visibly young, damn! If he was over twenty years old it was a lot, yes, his tender age did not give justice to his talent and strength, since several times Grace witnessed how Aleyx won in fights against three or more warriors.

One day he even saw how he managed with relative ease to control a wild Thanator that had been frightening the tribe's livestock (hexapedes, sturmbeest), if those achievements failed to show his strength to the tribe, then having brought all the 'angtsìk (Hammerhead Titanthere) who now resided in the vast territories of the clan was proof enough. 

All it would take was for him to arrive one day riding a Toruk, and seeing her achievements, Grace believed that that thought was not far from the truth.

"Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters!" M'aora began to say, drawing the attention of the audience, which remained in a surprising display of silence.

"Today, in front of Eywa, our great mother, protector, and guide, these gathered here" At that point, M'aora pointed with her hand to the thirty-six initiated warriors, "They, in a display of courage and valor, have "They demonstrated to their mother their strength, their responsibility and fervor towards the tribe, and today, they have earned a place alongside us, as members of the clan, as its warriors, and as voices that will guide our predecessors!"

With that, the silence that was before was lost, to welcome the clamor and encouragement of the clan members, who began to celebrate and encourage the young warriors.

"Go ahead and join your voices with our ancestors!" With permission given, the thirty-six warriors each approached the tendrils of the tree, then attached their neural tails to them, all while the members present began to sing praises. At the same time, and as if they were all synchronized, they sat in front of the tree, while their neural tails joined the roots of the sacred tree.

After a few seconds, the eyes of all the new warriors opened in shock, which gave off a small white and gold glow, while tender smiles formed on their faces, like a child when he was congratulated by his parents.

At the same time, all the members gathered and managed to hear them, among the countless voices of the ancestors, now there were also those of the young warriors, voices that would be part of the tribe for generations, including Grace's voice, being the first. Humans, through an avatar, connect to Eywa, Pandora's mother.