Chapter 27

Time Skip: two weeks later…

"Use all your senses. Feel the forest. Let it speak to you." Ra'sar guided Harry in the jungle, teaching him to hunt and track as the forest clans had since the time of the first songs.

After Sukal and Nami took off hunting to find some bigger game, Harry had been left wanting. The daily training with Doeung and Zewyan was helpful however he was still lacking many of the skills. If his tribe was to truly be a bridge between Navi and humans, he had to learn more about Navi-related skills.

Ra'sar, now a fully trained hunter with his own Ikran, had offered to train him with his forest-related skills. Harry had some experience in the forest and felt reasonably comfortable moving around in its domain, what he needed were training on how to use bows, track animals, identify useful plant and ride dire-horses/ikran.

Willing to take every advantage, Harry had created a more modern bow for himself. To not upset any of the Navi, Harry made the exterior to mimic the skytree wood which most bows were made from. The insides were made with carbon nano-tubes, designed to be extremely strong and have a greater draw weight to enable his arrows to be far more lethal.

Harry knelled down and brought his face close to a track in the mud. Taking a deep breath, he was able to faintly smell to distinctly earthy musk of a Hexapede. They were Pandora's equivalent of deer, although blue with yellow stripes, and bred in great numbers making them a staple food source of tribes and predators. They had six legs with small skulls that were protected by colourful fans that gave them an incredible hearing radius to detect threats.

Making careful steps, Harry sneaked closure. His prey was drinking at a stream, unaware that two Navi were hunting it. Ra'sar silently moved beside Harry, his bow ready in case the first shot failed. Using sign language, which was at least similar to the underwater language, Ra'sar instructed him to shoot.

Rising slightly, Harry placed an arrow on his bow and started to draw.

Snap.

Harry's motion of drawing his bow had rustled a tree branch above him. The hexapede immediately looked up at Harry. It bleated a warning, sending the nearby herd retreating into the jungle before following.

With practice, he was accurate on stationary targets, however rapidly fleeing animals were significantly harder to hit the vital sections to ensure a clean kill.

Trying to correct this aim on the move, he released his arrow. The colourful feather flew through the clearing.

Thud!

The arrow embeds in a tree, on the opposite bank.

Thud!

Crash!

Harry looked and saw a colourful arrow sprouting from the animal's chest. The arrow angled just right to slide through the ribs to the heart. A clean and quick kill. Ra'sar may be a young hunter, yet he was gifted which is why Harry felt no shame in asking the younger Navi to train him.

The pair jumped over to the kill. Ra'sar reciting the traditional words out of respect and thanks.

"Your spirit walks with Eywa. Your body stays behind to become part of the people." Ra'sar also offered some wisdom to his friend. "You aim at prey. That is why you miss."

"Where else should I be aiming?"

"You must aim not where the prey is, but where it is going to be." Harry glanced down at his bow, even with his modifications, there was a delay between releasing the drawstring and the arrow hitting the target. It was a vital difference between bows and the guns that he had become more used to using.

Taking a vine rope, Ra'sar hung the corpse from a branch before making a small cut along the neck. Blood pooled on the forest floor, dying the glowing moss with a shade of red.

"Won't that attract other animals? Predators?" Harry asked his mentor.

Ra'sar nodded. "When possible, you can carry your hunt back un-bled, much safer. This animal is too large, we need to reduce its weight. All hunts carry risk. This you must learn Harri."

"And if a predator was close? A Thanator?"

Ra'sar gave such a calm smile, Harry wanted to throttle him.

"We run."

With that shocking revelation, they retrieved their arrows before Harry was given the glorious task of hauling the animal back to the tribe.

Their hunter training had ended for the day.

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Returning home to the island empty-handed again wasn't something he enjoyed. None of the clan offered an ill comment or condescending looks, but there were times when Harry felt like a failure. He was meant to be Olo'eyktan (chieftain), he was meant to look after and provide for his tribe. Instead, the meat he ate was from the fishing team or the regular hunts.

On a more positive note, the clan was starting to come together. There were some tensions at the start when Harry kept using his technology, which still held the stigma of coming from the sky people. They would never embrace everything, but in those small ways that technology could improve their lives, while still honouring Eywa and their Navi traditions, he started to see a shift. Harry was able to use his technology, materials and automation to help build homes, craft daily necessities, grow crops and synthesise medicine. Slowly, but surely, they started to embrace some aspects of technology as they found a medium between convenience and environmental impact.

The greatest example was Sukal. With Harry's role as the Olo'eyktan, it was traditionally his mate's position to be the Tsahik. Tsahik's were the spiritual guides of the tribe with a special relationship to Eywa that would lead the clan through ceremonies and held their own authority that few could question. In addition, the Tsahik was the clan's primary healer as they held knowledge about all the plants and potions that could be created. That knowledge was something jealously guarded, even between neighbouring clans of Navi, and is only passed down through the line of Tsahik's.

While Harry fundamentally disagreed with the hoarding of knowledge, as a new tribe, they had no foundation to learn from. Sukal, despite having some rudimentary knowledge of plants and medicines, had not received training. Using Harry's fancy new quantum computer, the pair were able to analyse plants for their medical properties much faster. By enlisting the other members of the clan to gather samples, the work sped up even more.

The computer was able to run simulations of their impact on Navi and Human bodies, by themselves, in other combinations or even by separating different chemical components from the plant. Despite not having any humans in his care, Harry still instructed the computer to simulate humans in the faint hope of finding medicine so valuable that even the sky people would start protecting Pandora.

They had already been successful in finding a large variety of plants and natural ingredients that could promote healing in different ways. Using that information, Harry had built a database that Sukal could access to learn the plants, where they could be found, their medical properties and how to safely prepare them. Harry had offered machines to synthesise the medicines, however Sukal felt that using his knowledge with her people's methods stayed truer to Eywa.

Every day Sukal gained more confidence in her abilities, relying less on Harry's scanners to diagnose problems and suggest treatments. She was able to make medical potions and salves that helped all the clan members when they got hurt as her understanding of the plants increased. Soon Sukal was working with the computer to experiment on different plants and compounds to find more effective treatments. While there was still a large gap between the abilities of humans and Sukal's medicine, she had started the long journey to advance the Navi's understanding of their world.

It was a perfect marriage of technology and Navi culture.

Harry only hoped other Navi tribes would be as accepting as his.

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"If you want to survive in the jungle, Pa'li (Dire-horse) are essential." Ra'sar, on another of their training days, was instructing him on how to ride like a Navi hunter.

"What about Ikran's?" Harry asked, surely a flying mount was more versatile and useful than a dire-horse.

"Ikan for a hunter. You not ready Harri."

"I've been practising my archery and…"

"Not ready." Ra'sar repeated. "Only those who pass their hunter trials may seek out an Ikran to bond with. Until then, you must master riding."

Pa'li are far larger than Earth's horses, closer to the size of an elephant, with bulging muscles that can accelerate at great speed, even through the thick jungle. In the wild, packs of over a hundred Pa'li could be found and despite their docile nature, if provoked could trample predators through their sheer strength of numbers.

The forest tribes such as the Omatikaya clan used Pa'li in everyday life as the common mode of transport to move about the forest floor. Despite not being about to fly like an Ikran, a dire-horse speed and endurance made them perfect to haul hunted game back to the tribe making them an essential part of Navi life.

Harry stood nervously at the edge of the clearing, his eyes fixed on the massive, muscular animal before him. The dire-horse snorted and pawed at the ground, its powerful body quivering with energy. Harry had always dreamed of riding one of these majestic creatures, and now, finally, he had his chance.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, trying to appear confident despite his trembling legs. The dire-horse seemed to sense his uncertainty and let out a loud whinny, tossing its head from side to side. Harry froze in place, his heart racing with fear.

But he knew he couldn't back down now. He had to prove to the other Na'vi that he was worthy of riding one of their most revered animals. He couldn't be the Olo'eyktan if he couldn't master an animal many Navi youth rode. He stepped forward again, slowly approaching the dire-horse.

The animal watched him warily, its dark eyes narrowed as it sensed his presence. Harry reached out a hand, trying to calm the animal with a gentle touch.

Harry ran his hand along the mount while whispering to the animal in Navi to try and calm its nerves. Fortunately for Harry, this Pa'li had been tamed by Ra'sar's clan and was more used to making the bond with Navi. When Harry could ride, he would need to find and tame his own wild dire-horse to pass this stage of the hunting trials.

The dire-horse snorted and pulled back, clearly sensing something about Harry that it didn't like.

Harry took a step back, trying to think of what to do next. He couldn't just give up now, not after he had come this far. He had to find a way to connect with the animal, to earn its trust and respect.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let go of his fear and allowed himself to be guided by the spirit of the animal.

Slowly, he reached out again, this time with a more sure touch. The dire-horse seemed to sense the change in him and let out a soft whinny, nuzzling his hand. Harry smiled, feeling a sense of joy and excitement well up inside him.

Joining his neural queue to the animals in Tsaheylu, Harry felt the rush of new sensations as he found himself experiencing the world from the Pa'li's perspective. The scent of the ground, the liquor sweet nectar of nearby plants made his lips water and the powerful leg muscles ready to run.

Using a hand to get a firm grip, Harry climbed onto its back. He placed his feet on its back legs and hugged his face close to its neck ready to ride.

"Harri… What are you doing?" Ra'sar looked at his friend puzzled, even children had better posture for riding than that.

Harry glanced at his friend, who had also mounted his own Pa'li. Ra'sar stood more upright with his feet pressing the animal's flanks.

Cough.

Harry corrected his posture and imitated his younger friend. He had spent so long riding ilu's that his body automatically assumed the position used in the water. Feeling more comfortable, Harry tried to control his mount.

'Walk'. As soon as the thought was formed, the Pa'li bounded into a gentle trot forward. He had never ridden horses during his time on Earth, it being an antiquated idea to his human mind, but the technique was simple enough. As the pair moved around the clearing, Harry increasingly felt more in tune with the dire-horse movements. He was able to flex and move in time to ease the burden on his mount and not just sit like a bag of potatoes on its back.

"Good Harri! Follow me and let's see how well you can ride at speed!"

Ra'sar took off in the great jungle, quickly obscured by hanging vines and trees.

'Follow,'

With a powerful burst of energy, the dire-horse launched itself forward, galloping through the clearing at a breakneck pace. Harry whooped with excitement, feeling the wind rushing through his hair as they flew across the landscape.

For a moment, he forgot all of his doubts and fears, lost in the thrill of the ride. He was one with the animal, moving as one being through the wild and beautiful world of Pandora.

He had done it.

He had ridden a dire-horse, and in doing so, once one step closer to becoming a hunter and earning the respect of the other Navi clans. He knew that this was just the beginning of his journey, but for now, he was content to bask in the joy of this moment

The jungle blurred past him with myriad shades of green. Seeing a fallen tree ahead, he thought 'jump' and the dire-horse soared through the sky with a single leap. The landing barely slowed the animal, as its front two legs absorbed the impact and the other four were already accelerating it forward.

He could see Ra'sar form just up ahead. Feeling confident in his riding skills, Harry urged his mount faster. The Pa'li was only more pleased to oblige, effortlessly accelerating while still dodging left and right to miss the thick trunks of the trees. It raced forward, going far faster than Harry had intended. Griping the harness around its neck tightly, Harry fought to remain seated.

Approaching quickly, Harry could see a large bush filled with thorns that dripped purple ooze. Walking Death! It was one of the most poisonous plants humans had found on Pandora, a single scratch could kill a human or Navi in minutes if the antidote wasn't administered.

Urgently pulling his mount to the side, it responded with equal panic. The movement was completed so rapidly that Harry wasn't able to maintain his grip. Harry was flung off the Pa'li's back and sent flying directly toward the Walking Death plant.

Hitting the earth, his face sliding through the moist soil until he stopped. Slowly looking up Harry could see a large thorn mere inches from his face. Retreating with the utmost care, Harry moved away from the plant and silently thanked Eywa for his salvation.

Ra'sar chose that moment to return, laughing at his friend who was now covered in mud and soil.

"Riding much easier if you stay on the Pa'li Harri."

"Where were you? I lost your trail on that last leg." Harry replied, deciding to ignore his friend's comments. Who said Navi didn't understand sarcasm?

"Ahh I heard some noise so I went to investigate. Follow, I will show you."

Mounting his dire-horse again, Harry decided to take it slower, not trusting his luck to hold if he had another accident. Ra'sar led Harry through the jungle, off the main track to a small clearing in a group of nut trees. Harry pulled back on the reins, slowing the dire-horse to a stop. He dismounted, separating the bond and tried to not let the change disorientate him.

Before the pair was a small group of Navi. They were two families, who had made shelter under one of the trees. A quick count gave him one elder, three adults, two children a similar age to Turo (about 8/9 years old) and one infant that was sleeping in her mother's arms.

"Who are they?" They weren't close to one of the nearby tribes so Harry wasn't sure why a family would be staying out here in the wild.

"They are wanderers. Those without a tribe to call home."

Two of the adults and the elderly Navi approached the pair.

"Oel ngati kameie" (I see you) They each in turn offered their respects and greeting, first to Harry and then to Ra'sar.

Harry returned the greeting, the first time he was honoured first over another Navi.

"Why are you here?"

Harry could feel their eyes rest on his new tattoos, the ones that symbolised his leadership of the Tawsemka clan.

"Great Olo'eyktan, we humbly seek zongteseng (Refuge)."