Work Text:
In the years of peace after the humans left, Jake was often pestered for stories about being Toruk Makto by the children of the clan. When the storytellers of the clan sang of the battle in the mountains they spoke of a brave, stoic, powerful warrior who tamed Toruk and led them to victory. The children would spend the next few days looking at him with awe on their faces. They whispered about him when he wasn’t looking. He knew that they imagined that when he tamed Toruk he was thinking of the good of the people, probably something heroic and intelligent.
But honestly? The only thing he could think at the moment was ‘Oh God, this had better fucking work or we’re all dead.’ Then he jumped, and wondered if he would fall until he became a blue splat on the ground or simply get eaten, and how hard Tommy would laugh at him when they met in the afterlife.
The way Neytiri talked about Toruk Makto reminded Jake of the mythic heroes from Ancient Greece. He and Tommy loved those stories, reenacting the Trojan War in their grandparent’s yard and imagining themselves as mighty heroes. Jake always liked the story of Alexander the Great, who created the largest empire in the world before age 30. Toruk Makto was something special to the Na’vi, someone they could look up to and tell their children stories about during hard times.
He had no idea how they acquired the massive skeleton in Hometree, but the room reminded him of the natural history museum in Cleveland. His grandparents took them to the museum every summer, and they always went straight for the dinosaur exhibit. Walking through a room filled with the bones of massive creatures, he imagined living in a world of fearsome monsters. His favorite, like any other 10-year-old boy, was the T-rex. Tommy, on the other hand, preferred the paleobotany section. When Jake would become transfixed staring at a skull with teeth bigger than his forearm, Tommy would wander off to look at the plants.
On one particular afternoon, Tommy decided to stay. New reports had come from Pandora. The broadcasters had shared stories of a moon inhabited by huge creatures, comparing them to dinosaurs. Jake has been fascinated by the reports of pterodactly-like creatures that the natives apparently flew. Tommy cared more about the news that scientists were travelling to Pandora to study the world. Standing in front of the T-rex, Jake had asked Tommy if he would want to live in a world with dinosaurs. After a long moment, Tommy had smiled, and answered that he would only go if Jake came with him.
But Tommy died in an alleyway all alone, and Jake was recruited to go in his place. By that point, he honestly didn’t think about dinosaurs. He just wanted to fulfill his brother’s dream and get his legs back. It all came back to him when Neytiri brought him to the Toruk skull. He had achieved what they dreamed of as children. He had flown in the air on the back of a banshee, learned to fight like an ancient warrior. Everything was good, except for the gnawing guilt in his stomach reminding him of what the humans wanted to do, and that he was complicit.
Becoming Toruk Makto was probably the stupidest decision he’d even made in his life, and that was after joining the Marines and agreeing to travel to a hostile alien planet. It worked out in the end, but it was a massive gamble, and he’d never had very good luck. But he was willing to do whatever it took to show Neytiri that he wanted to be with her and her people, and that he would protect them at the cost of everything he had ever known. This body and this life may not have been intended for him, but it was his. Neytiri had chosen him. So he jumped.
Flying with his ikran, who Jake had decided to name Bob just to see the look on Neytiri’s face when she found out, was easy. He felt like an extension of his body, like they were flying together and he wasn’t just the rider.
Toruk was a whole different beast. Toruk was the king of the sky, powerful and fearless, but he was still a living creature made by Eywa. When tsahelyu was made and Toruk’s rage faded, Jake found himself existing in complete harmony with another warrior. He respected Toruk, and felt that returned.
As they flew toward the Tree of Souls, Jake asked what he should call Toruk, if he had a name. Toruk didn’t communicate in words, but sent the meaning of his name - the moment, after a sharp dive toward your prey, when you flap your wings and pull out of free fall back into the air. Jake responded with the moment he felt most like himself, and the reason why. He shared that he signed his life away to the Marines looking for something to fight for, the moment when the bullet hit him and he fell, blacking out before he hit the ground. Then he shared the first time he ran again in this body, this new body that finally started to feel like home when he screwed it up. Toruk shrieked, climbing higher before turning in a spiral. He could feel his own fear and hope amplified, the righteous anger that would bring them to victory at any cost.
When the battle ended, Jake was back in his much smaller human body. The pods kinda worked with a mask on, besides the raging headache and time limit. It was enough time to make the rounds, check on the wounded and make sure Neytiri and Mo’at had things handled. It was enough time to find Tsu’tey, to say goodbye and realize that this was all on his shoulders now. He continued to ride Toruk as they sent the other clans home and dealt with the humans. It was quite helpful to have a very large predator staring down at the surviving members of the military as they were moved to the ships to go back to Earth.
Jake hadn’t expected Toruk to stay when the fighting was done. A week after the battle, they both knew it was time to go. They flew up into the mountains, perching on one of the floating rocks to watch the sunrise. Jake took a moment, before he disconnected, to send his gratitude, and share the grief of so many of Eywa’s children lost.
Jake disconnected, and stepped back. He waited for Toruk to fly away, but he hesitated. Toruk turned toward Jake slowly, waiting until Jake leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. Jake thought of the last time he saw Tommy alive, when he was still in the hospital and Tommy was training for Pandora. He thought of Tsu’tey flying into battle. He’d lost two brothers, and letting Toruk free meant walking away from his soul brother. Toruk seemed to know what he was thinking, and Jake could feel the response.
It’s okay. We had our time together.