Chapter Text
And after watching Jake succeed, Desmond felt the familiar anticipation building in his chest.
“Next!”
Tsu’tey turned toward the remaining hunters.
A young female warrior immediately stepped forward, barely containing her excitement. She crossed the ledge with determination and disappeared into the nesting grounds.
Desmond watched from the edge.
One by one, the hunters went through the trial.
One by one, they returned with new bonds.
Some emerged laughing. Others looked stunned. A few were practically glowing with pride as their newly chosen ikrans followed them from the nesting grounds.
Eventually, only Desmond remained.
Tsu’tey looked toward him.
Desmond grinned.
“Saved the best for last, huh?”
Desmond removed his bow and held it out.
Tsu’tey accepted it carefully this time, his fingers brushing for a split second before he looked back at Desmond.
“Go.”
There was no teasing in his voice.
Only encouragement. Desmond nodded. He stepped into the nesting grounds.
Immediately, his entire demeanor changed.
His knees bent slightly. His shoulders lowered. Every movement became deliberate. Focused.
He activated Eagle Vision.
The world shifted.
The ikrans around him glowed with their strange supernatural outlines, but none carried the particular colors he was searching for.
No gold. No blue. Nothing.
Desmond continued forward. The ikrans watched him. Several tilted their heads. One chirped curiously. Another shuffled closer before stopping.
They were interested. Very interested. But none approached. Desmond kept walking.
His instincts prickled. He could feel eyes on the back of his neck. A smile slowly spread across his face.
“Found you.”
He ducked. At the exact same moment, he rolled forward. A blur of black and white swept over him. The ikran landed behind him with a furious screech. Desmond came up onto one knee. His grin widened.
“Well, hello.”
The creature turned.
Black and white skin. Sharp eyes. Powerful wings. And on its forehead was a familiar shape. An unmistakable eagle-like marking.
Desmond stared at it. The ikran stared back. Something clicked. Not just recognition. Understanding.
As if some part of them had already known the other was coming. The ikran lunged. Desmond dodged. He darted left. The ikran followed. He moved right. It mirrored him. Neither seemed particularly interested in actually hurting the other.
They were playing. Testing. Dancing around one another. Desmond laughed.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
The ikran gave an excited screech. Clawing at the ground bobbing its head.
“Oh, I see how it is.”
The creature lunged again. This time, Desmond went toward it. He jumped. His hands caught the creature’s neck, and he swung himself around its side.
His queue connected with the ikran’s. The world seemed to disappear. For one brief moment, there was nothing but sensation.
Wind. Sky. Strength. Trust.
A heartbeat that wasn’t his own.
Then peace.
The ikran settled beneath him almost instantly. Its wings folded. Its head lowered. The bond was complete.
Behind him came a cheer.
Tsu’tey had abandoned any attempt at looking dignified. He was grinning.
“Desmond!”
Desmond looked toward him, laughing himself. Tsu’tey hurried forward.
“Finalize your bond!”
Desmond’s grin became positively wicked.
“Fly?”
Tsu’tey nodded.
“Fly!”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”
Desmond turned toward the cliff. Then jumped. Straight off the edge.
“DESMOND!”
Tsu’tey shouted behind him.
Desmond dropped. The ikran folded its wings against its body. They plummeted. The wind screamed around them. For several breathless seconds, there was nothing beneath them but open air.
Desmond flattened himself against the ikran’s back. Then he gave the command.
Up. The ikran responded instantly. Its wings snapped open. It pulled upward with tremendous force.
They shot toward the sky. Higher. Higher. Higher. They passed the nesting grounds and climbed into the open air above the floating mountains.
Desmond laughed. The ikran gave an enormous cry of triumph. Desmond leaned with her. She banked. He shifted. Together they spun through the air. The maneuver was effortless. Natural.
The ikran seemed to understand what Desmond wanted before he even gave the command. She rolled. Dived. Climbed. Then spun elegantly through the clouds. Desmond couldn’t stop laughing.
“You like this!”
The ikran chirped joyfully. They swept back toward the nest.
Tsu’tey was waiting. Desmond lifted one hand.
“I see you.”
Tsu’tey’s face broke into a joyous grin.
“I see you!”
He immediately mounted his own ikran. With a powerful beat of its wings, Tsu’tey’s ikran launched from the cliff. Within moments, the two were flying side by side.
Desmond glanced over. Tsu’tey was laughing. Actually laughing. Desmond smiled.
Then he pushed his ikran into a sharp turn.
Tsu’tey followed.
They climbed between two floating rocks before diving through the gap between them.
The wind rushed past Desmond’s face.
He shifted his weight.
His ikran responded.
They rolled.
Spun.
Dropped beneath a rock formation before shooting upward again.
Each maneuver brought another delighted cry from the creature beneath him.
Their bond was almost intoxicating.
Desmond could feel her excitement as clearly as his own.
Then they spotted Jake and Neytiri ahead.
Jake looked over.
His eyes widened.
“Desmond!”
Desmond laughed as they pulled alongside them.
“You’re made for this!”
Jake’s face was practically glowing.
“It feels like it! This is amazing!”
Desmond grinned.
Jake looked at him.
Then at the open sky ahead.
A competitive spark appeared in his eyes.
“Race you!”
Desmond’s eyebrows shot up.
“Oh, you’re on!”
Both ikrans surged forward.
They raced through the floating mountains.
Jake took the lead.
Desmond laughed and leaned forward.
“Come on!”
His ikran accelerated.
They weaved between enormous chunks of floating stone.
Jake laughed somewhere ahead.
Then Desmond spotted a narrow opening.
It was barely wide enough.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Let’s go!”
His ikran tucked her wings tightly against her body. They shot through the gap. For a heartbeat, everything disappeared. Then they burst through the other side. Desmond threw his head back.
“YES!”
His ikran answered with an ecstatic cry. Jake whooped from nearby. Neytiri shook her head, though Desmond could see the smile on her face.
Eventually, the four returned to the roost near Hometree. The ikrans landed gracefully. Desmond slid from his mount and remained connected to her.
He ran one hand along her long neck. The ikran lowered her head. Desmond reached up and gently rubbed the side of her face. She leaned into his palm. Desmond smiled.
“A strong ikran needs a strong name.”
The creature gave a soft chirp. Desmond looked at the eagle marking on her forehead.
“Aquila.”
Her eyes closed. Desmond felt her contentment through the bond.
“Thank you for choosing me, Aquila.”
Aquila answered with a soft, pleased trill. Desmond rested his forehead against hers.
The Olo’eyktan-in-training dismounted next to him, securing his ikran before turning toward Desmond.
A broad smile crossed his face.
“You did well.”
Tsu’tey stepped forward and clasped Desmond’s forearm in the traditional gesture of congratulations.
Desmond returned it.
And then he looked up.
Their eyes met.
Something strange happened.
Desmond couldn’t quite explain it.
The warmth that spread through his chest had nothing to do with the exhilaration of flying. It was softer than that. Deeper.
For a moment, the sounds of the forest seemed distant.
He simply stared into Tsu’tey’s eyes. And felt, safe. The realization caught him completely off guard.
Desmond’s face grew warm. He quickly released Tsu’tey’s arm and looked away. What the hell was that?
He had thought he loved Lucy once. At least, he had thought that was what love was supposed to feel like. But whatever this was… It wasn’t the same.
Desmond glanced back at Tsu’tey. The other man was already looking at him. Desmond’s face grew even warmer. His ears flicked back in embarrassment.
He looked away again.
Okay. That’s new.
“What is her name?”
Desmond looked toward his new companion.
“Aquila.”
The name left his mouth strangely.
The joy he’d felt moments before faded into something quieter. Almost grief. Tsu’tey noticed.
“Aquila?”
Desmond nodded.
“It is a name used by my family for partners such as her.”
He reached out, running his hand gently along Aquila’s neck.
“Though, more fondly, it was the name of a ship.”
Tsu’tey tilted his head.
“A ship?”
“A very large vessel that traveled across the sea.”
Desmond smiled faintly.
“And Aquila is also the name of one of the brightest stars near Earth.”
Tsu’tey looked toward the sky.
“A star.”
“Yeah.”
Desmond rested his hand against Aquila’s cheek.
“Aquila seemed fitting.”
Tsu’tey considered the name for a moment before nodding.
“A worthy title, then.”
Desmond smiled.
“Thanks.”
Tsu’tey turned toward the branches leading back toward Hometree.
“Come. It is time for the evening meal.”
He started walking. Desmond followed. Tsu’tey reached back almost instinctively.
His hand moved toward Desmond’s.
Then stopped.
Tsu’tey stared at his own hand as though it had betrayed him.
Why had he tried to take Desmond’s hand?
His ears flicked nervously.
He quickly changed the motion, placing his hand firmly on Desmond’s shoulder instead.
“Come.”
Desmond blinked at him.
Then smiled.
“Right behind you.”
Neither commented on what had almost happened. Behind them, Aquila spread her wings. She launched from the branch and circled once before settling among the higher branches of Hometree.
Desmond paused. He looked back at her. Aquila watched him quietly. Desmond smiled.
“Get some rest, girl.”
The ikran gave a soft trill. Desmond turned and continued after Tsu’tey. He couldn’t shake the strange warmth in his chest.
Nor could he understand why, every few moments, he found himself looking at the warrior walking ahead of him.
After cleaning himself up, Desmond made his way down to the communal eating area, expecting a quiet meal.
He should have known better.
The moment he stepped into the gathering area, a small blue hand caught his.
“Big brother!”
Desmond barely had time to look down before the child began dragging him toward the others.
“Tell us everything!” the child demanded. “I want to hear about your ikran!”
Another child immediately appeared and grabbed his other hand.
“Tell us! Tell us!”
“When I grow up, I'm going to get an ikran too!”
Desmond laughed, allowing himself to be pulled along.
“All right, all right. I suppose I owe you a story.”
The children cheered.
He was deposited among them like a prized storyteller, and within moments he had an audience gathered around him. Desmond launched into the tale of his first encounter with his ikran, exaggerating certain parts just enough to keep the children hanging on every word.
“And then,” he said dramatically, “she decided that apparently the best way to introduce herself was to nearly knock me off the mountain by sneaking up behind me.”
A little girl gasped.
“She almost killed you?”
“Almost.”
Desmond grinned.
“But I survived.”
He continued, describing the moment his ikran had finally taken to the sky with him. When he reached the part where the creature had soared over him, he reached out and tickled one of the children sitting beside him.
The child shrieked with laughter and tried to squirm away.
“And then she flew right over my head!”
Desmond swept his hands dramatically through the air.
“Like this!”
The children erupted into giggles.
“What about Jake and his Ikran?”
“Yes tell us!” the children cried
Desmond laughs launching into the tale leaning forward hands gesturing wildly.
From nearby came an unimpressed click of the tongue.
Desmond glanced over.
Tsu’tey was standing a short distance away, arms crossed over his chest.
“That is not how Jake Sully received his ikran.”
Desmond blinked.
“Oh?”
Tsu’tey stepped closer.
“I saw it.”
The children immediately turned their attention toward him.
Tsu’tey sighed, clearly realizing he had been dragged into the story.
“He did not simply walk up and bond with the creature as Desmond claims.”
“I never said that,” Desmond protested.
“You made it sound impressive.”
“It was impressive.”
Tsu’tey gave him a flat look.
Then, to the children's delight, he began recounting Jake's experience from his own perspective, correcting Desmond's embellishments whenever he thought they went too far.
Across the communal area, Jake looked up from his meal.
“That is not what happened!”
The children dissolved into laughter.
Desmond covered his mouth, trying not to laugh as well.
Jake pointed accusingly across the hall.
“Don't encourage him!”
Neytiri, sitting beside Jake, merely smiled into her food.
Tsu’tey finally sat beside Desmond, apparently deciding that arguing from across the room was too much effort.
Their knees bumped together.
Neither moved away.
Desmond glanced sideways at him.
There was something different about Tsu’tey tonight.
He was still proud and intimidating, still carried himself like a warrior who expected everyone around him to keep up, but there was a gentleness there that Desmond rarely got to see.
He watched Tsu’tey patiently answer a child's question about his ikran, even when the question was repeated twice.
Desmond smiled.
He nudged Tsu’tey lightly with his shoulder.
Tsu’tey turned his head.
For just a moment, their eyes met.
A faint flush crept across Tsu’tey's cheeks.
Desmond's smile widened.
Tsu’tey immediately looked away.
Desmond wisely decided not to tease him.
Yet.
“So,” Desmond said, settling back against the tree. “What's the next step?”
Tsu’tey hummed thoughtfully.
“The next step is a show of strength. you will join a hunt abroad your Ikran, after that is the Uniltaron.”
Desmond's expression became more serious.
“The dream hunt?”
Tsu’tey nodded.
“You must first catch the creature required for the ritual. Then you will take the toxin and enter the dream.”
Desmond listened carefully.
“You will receive a message from Eywa,” Tsu’tey continued. “But the path is not an easy one. Many who undertake the Uniltaron do not return.”
The laughter around them seemed to fade into the background.
Desmond nodded slowly.
“And after that?”
“You will rest for several days.”
Tsu’tey paused.
Then his expression darkened.
“Afterward, you will undertake the trial alongside…”
He grimaced.
“JakeSully.”
Desmond immediately burst out laughing.
Tsu’tey looked offended.
“What?”
“He's not that bad.”
“He is unbearable.”
“He's getting better.”
“He is still unbearable.”
Desmond shook his head, laughing.
“You know, the two of you are actually pretty similar.”
Tsu’tey looked at him in horror.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“You are.”
Tsu’tey made a sound somewhere between a groan and a gag.
Desmond laughed even harder.
Across the eating area, Jake glanced over.
“What are you two laughing about?”
“Nothing!” Desmond called back.
Tsu’tey muttered under his breath.
Desmond leaned against his shoulder for just a moment, still grinning.
Tsu’tey stiffened.
Then, slowly, he relaxed.
And didn't move away.