Chapter Text
When Tsu’tey te Rongloa Ateyitan first laid eyes upon the alien called “Jakesully”, he had been sure that Neytiri had somehow misinterpreted Eywa’s will. How else could this have come to be? Eywa would not ask that a demon like Jakesully be spared. She knew as well as the Na’vi that Sky People were treacherous at best, and a poison to the people at worst. He claimed to be a warrior, but that only cemented Tsu’tey’s mistrust; what purpose did a warrior have among the Omiticaya? He would betray them.
At Tsahik Mo’at’s will, Tsu’tey had stilled his bow. He did not trust this creature, but he would not stray from the Tsahik’s command. Neither would he allow the threat to wander unchecked; Neytiri was skilled, but she believed him to be of Eywa. She would be blinded by this. He would not allow any oversights when it came to this creature- he would never again allow their people to be harmed by them when mere diligence could prevent it.
He watched Jakesully, finding reasons to intrude upon his lessons. The demon was clumsy; he seemed to have difficulty managing anything. Eywa’s eyes, the alien can’t ride a pa’li without making a mess of himself!
But the more Tsu’tey watched Jakesully, the more intrigued he grew. The sky person was extraordinarily ungifted, but tenacious beyond Tsu’tey’s expectations. Most of his kind seemed detached- with the People, but only while it was convenient. Jakesully...seemed to revel in his time with the People. He had no skill, but at no point did he throw up his hands- at no time did Tsu’tey find himself doubting Jakesully’s resolve.
As much as he wanted only to hate the man called Jakesully, he found a begrudging respect budding within him for the alien.
As time passed, Jakesully seemed to become more and more a part of the Omiticaya. He heard the tales at night- Jakesully had made his first clean kill, he was nearing readiness for his ascent of iknimaya. Would an ikran choose him at all? Or would his alien scent warn them off? Tsu’tey couldn’t help but smile as he imagined the tanacious man making an attempt to chase one down- to try and force a pairing. The idiot would surely die.
***
Tsu’tey and Neytiri began their ascent of the mountains. Jakesully moved with an odd sort of grace, stepping in front of Neytiri as she gestured for him to begin the climb. Tsu’tey motioned for his own fledgling hunters, and watched with no small amount of pride as they scaled the sky mountains.
Tsu’tey followed behind his wards, but his eyes sought out Jakesully. He squinted as the man stumbled, nearly missing a vine. His heart gave a strange twist, but he quashed it with bitter thoughts.
Fall, sky-demon. Eywa did not choose you, she would not favor an alien like you over her own People.
As Jakesully slipped further, Tsu’tey caught himself from lunging forward to help the shorter na’vi-
He isn’t na’vi.
Tsu’tey growled softly at his own fumble, eyes following Jakesully as he righted himself and continued upwards.
If he succeeds, Tsu’tey wondered to himself as they neared the top. Will he truly be welcomed into our clan?
With any other person it wouldn’t have been a question at all. But Jakesully wasn’t a person, he was a vessel; he was not born in that body he wore, and he did not really live in it. Could a person like that be welcomed into their clan?
If any sky person is able, it’s him.
Tsu’tey surprised himself with the thought. He blinked, and nearly stumbled as he tried to comprehend what he’d thought. Then he let out an annoyed huff and dismissed it as empty kindness.
He was finding it increasingly hard to parse his feelings around the shorter, five-fingered alien.
A part of him mistrusted the man and wished for nothing more than his demise, certain that Jakesully could bring nothing but darkness to their People.
But another part- a slowly growing part of him- wished to praise man for his improvement. Wished to hunt with him, to see and be seen by him. Tsu’tey quieted these thoughts, instead focusing on his own hunters, pride welling within him as they moved confidently towards their place in the clan.
***
They crested the peaks, the ikran’s nesting place coming into view. The sky and ground alike was a flutter with iridescence and danger; making a bond with an ikran was dangerous, were you not prepared. And even then, there were risks.
“Jakesully will go first.”
He smirked, challenging the self-proclaimed warrior to prove his worth; to prove he knew enough on his own to manage this challenge without watching the others first-
Neytiri moved out first, leading Jakesully. Tsu’tey’s smirk was replaced with a scowl, will she hand-guide him through everything?
She whispered words to him, too fast in the alien tongue for Tsu’tey to hear. He curled his lip, frustration seeping into his poise. His two novice hunters shifted nervously, eyeing the ikran with no small amount of trepidation. He spoke softly to them in their people’s tongue as Jakesully approached the nesting ikran. “You have both learned well, you have nothing to fear. Focus.”
He found himself a little annoyed at their anxiety; Jakesully was doing it, surely they must know that if he was ‘worthy’ of coming to make the bond, they would know themselves to be twice as worthy?
But he couldn’t explain that to them, most of the clan liked Jakesully well enough, and while Tsu’tey fostered disrespect for the alien, most of the clan did not.
So Tsu’tey turned his attention back to Jakesully, watching with no small amount of curiosity as he charged out towards the groups of ikran.
A number of them fled, but, to Tsu’tey’s mild surprise, one of them seemed to invite Jakesully’s challenge.
Tsu’tey watched with a critical eye as Jakesully fumbled about it. His form wasn’t sloppy exactly, but neither was it ineffective. For a moment, he nearly had the bond formed but-
The ikran’s head slammed upwards, knocking Jakesully from it and hurling him towards the edge of the cliffs. Again, Tsu’tey held back an impulsive lunge to help; interfering in the trial was taboo. Though even if it hadn’t been, why would Tsu’tey have wanted to help at all? Jakesully was an alien- and beyond that, he was an utter fool. Why move to help him?
Tsu’tey pursed his lips and watched as Jakesully recovered, then leapt back towards his ikran, straddling it with his legs and forming the connection.
Tsu’tey let out a sigh. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath. Jakesully moved close to the ikran’s head, whispering something before Neytiri urged him to take his first flight, following him soon after as he learned to fly in the same way he learned everything else.
Clumsily.