Chapter Text
For the first time in actual years, Eywa can finally just... breathe. The Sarentu, The Zeswa, The Aranahe, the Kame'tire, So'lek. They can all finally breathe. Though the rest of Pandora still choked under the RDA, all victories counted for something.
Atehä & Ri'nela were getting themselves ready for travel to the Upper Plains, to tell the Zeswa of the attacks from the Mangkwan & the RDA, with Nor, Teylan, & and Rasi ready to head to the Clouded Forest to tell the Kame'tire the same news. So'lek was... tired, to say it in the simplest possible terms. His body ached and bruised, head throbbing, and heart racing, but he finally felt something akin to peace in ones self. He sat there on his reflection mat in his camp, his eyes closed with his steady, deep breathing, his tail resting calmly on the ground behind him, and his ears twitching at every little sound he could hear. He couldn't remember exactly how long he'd been in the one spot, but long enough his legs had since lost feeling in them.
In that quiet moment of his self-reflection, he remembered everything from the day his life was changed into the one thing no one could ever truly prepare for. He thought back to the day of Ayram Alusìng, whenever Jake Sully- or by then, Toruk Makto, had called upon the all clans to join in the fight against the RDA. He fought with such fierceness, which at the time unlikely So'lek. He defended his people. He flew fast on his ikran, Mamante. Even with his quick actions, and even quicker thinking, he watched many of his clan fall to their deaths, and yet if you were to ask, it hurt him the most to watch his mentor, Wawen fall by the Sky People's weapons. The days following after Ayram Alusìng, he dug endlessly under the Tree of Voices, burying all those of the Trr'ong Clan he could find, gracing many of them on their journeys back to Eywa.
So'lek remembered the day he had met what remained of the Sarentu, and something small in his heart ached for them in understanding, of knowing the feeling of being the last of a dead clan. Yet there was one in particular that made him stop- really stop- Atehä, she said her name was.
"Oel ngati kameie.*" So'lek with a calm timbre to his voice, knowing she was still waking and confused, after being in cryosleep for nearly two decades.
He remembered seeing the most of himself within her over the others, that confused and lost look in her eyes masking the determined blaze in the back.
- - - - -
His ears perked up a little extra just then when the firm beating of ikran wings came from the mouth of his camp, and something almost like a graceful smile slightly touched his lips. Finally, his eyes fluttered open and his ears shook slightly as he stood, stretching out the ache from his legs, before turning and walking forward to greet Atehä.
"Zola'u*, Sarentu."
Atehä turned her head to give him that look that said 'really?' without the words needing to be said. So'lek shrugged gently, watching her pull something from the back of her ikran, Telisi, a little woven box, the size of one of his hands. He gave her a curious look, she just smiled at him and motioned to the box in his hands.
"It's nothing to be scared of So'lek. Just yovo fruit. Ri'nela and me found some the other day, and I remembered how you said a while back that you'd been wanting some. He pulled back the woven lid, looking down to find almost a dozen of the purple, scaly appearing fruits, all perfectly ripe and ready for eating. Something about the small gesture made So'lek's heart pound just a little harder for a very quick second. He let out a small approving sound as he put the lid back in its place, setting the woven box aside, out of the sun to enjoy later on.
"What is the purpose of your visit this time, Atehä? Very few times you have come to see me without asking something of me."
Atehä just stared at him for a moment with a smile, her deep golden eyes almost glittering in the sunlight, the paint of various colors decorated across her deep blue skin. So'lek's eyes softened looking at her like they usually did, as Atehä had that effect on him, even from their first days together. "I've been talking with the others." She began.
"We want to prepare a sort of... ceremony for you. Following the Sarentu traditions, we wanting to formally welcome you as a one of us. An official Sarentu."
At her words, So'lek's eyes grew slightly wider, his tail halted its happy swaying, his ears folded back against his head, and his heart started to hammer a little faster in his chest. Wawen had taught So'lek many things in their time training together, yet he never taught his pupil how to go about something like this, something so forward and so strong. It was silent for a long while between Atehä & So'lek, longer than either of them had expected, and long enough to make the Sarentu before him grace with a nervous little half-laugh. It was only that sweet, gentle sound that had somehow managed to bring So'lek back to the current moment, not realizing the very faint purple color that had taken to blushing his cheeks, and if Atehä noticed, she saved him the embarrassment of saying anything.
"...So'lek? Will you go?"
He looked at her with a softness in his eyes that was almost foreign to himself, knowing that Atehä was probably the last and only na'vi he wanted to disappoint- accidentally or not.
"Tsal lu hiyìk*... to be welcomed into another clan. Especially after what happened to mine during the battle of the Hallelujah Mountains."
Atehä tilted her head slightly, offering a gentle nod at his low words, catching to the faintest shiver in his voice, a shiver that was filled with years of longing for something he could not have back. She knew how he felt all too well, even when she was trying to rebuild her own clan. It is harder to move on when you are truly the last living survivor of the Trr'ong clan, of which is why Atehä felt the urge to induct So'lek into the Sarentu.
So'lek cleared his throat, his eyes still kind for the woman in front of him, as he gave her a small but reassuring nod. "I accept the kindness you gift to me ma'eylan*. I will follow you towards wherever this ceremony is to be held."
Atehä jumped slightly on her feet, paired with a joyous trill in her throat, her hands clasped together as if offering a quick prayer of thanks to the Great Mother. She slipped past him into his camp, digging through the things that Priya and Anqa had dropped off some while ago, pulling out a single wrench modified for na'vi hands, and tucking into a secure loop on her loincloth.
"We will get you ready when we get there, but to just let you know- thanks to Rasi- we will be dressing you in traditional Sarentu fabrics and paints. Ri'nela insists very strongly on it. Now..." Atehä trailed off, stepping to the edge of the landing beside her ikran, eyes surveying the land beneath her, for reasons unknown to So'lek.
"Care to make it a race?" Her eyes lit up at the question, and So'lek's own eyes widened just the tiniest bit with a happy surprise, his tail flickering behind him.
"Who all will be there?"
"Not many." Atehä was quick to reassure him. "The Sarentu of course. Some from Aranahe, Zeswa, and Kame'tire. Even some of the Ke'awa as well. But it won't be crowded. Now come on! We'll be late!"
Atehä took a few steps back, before sprinting forward and launching herself off the ledge, the sound of her calling her ikran coming a split second later. So'lek was quick to follow on Iley, the wind rushing all around him and through his hair, trying to keep close to Atehä, without tiring Iley's strength of course,
Atehä laughed at his cautiousness, the almost musical sound carrying back to So'lek's ears, making his heart feel lighter. "Are you scared of losing back there, So'lek?! It feels like you're just a big, scared-"
"Do not say it, Sarentu." So'lek warned her, but his voice held own a playful light tone, that he was sure only Atehä had ever heard.
"Chicken! Scared chicken!" Atehä shouted, mocking him with an imitation of chicken noises, and then her own laughter. She sped forward on Telisi, the winds whistling and whipping all around them, as So'lek pushed Iley faster to catch up to the pair infront of them.
- - - - -
So'lek had let Atehä win the race this one time, just because only she knew where they were going, he told both himself and her. Atehä gave him a knowing little smile as they had landed their ikrans together, before waving a hand to motion for Rasi & Ri'nela to come over. When they did, Ri'nela held a set of traditionally patterned Sarentu clothing, & Rasi smiled at him with a very strong, proud smile.
"I have seen many things in my time ma'eylan... and I am glad that I get to see the Sarentu be reborn. I am glad that you will be a part of it."
So'lek accepted the fabrics from Ri'nela, watching her and Rasi walk away, therefore leaving him alone with Atehä. They looked on for a moment, seeing all of their na'vi friends that had gathered to watch the ceremony take place. Warm lights lit a path up to the tarsyu, the flower still folded up- encased and waiting. Many of their friends line the path, and for a moment, So'lek had almost wished that the surviving members of the Resistance, like Anqa and Priya could be here to see such a momentous occasion.
Finally, he turns to look at Atehä, who now held two wooden bowls of different colored paints in each her hands, a little smile on her face as she used her head to point towards a more secluded area for the pair to go to, so So'lek could redress in peace. Atehä lead the way until she was sure that there were no prying eyes, and she set the two paint bowls down on an upturned root, before she walked towards the tiny little pond and sat facing it, her back to So'lek.
"I will not watch you until you are done. I only followed for after."
So'lek's ears went flat against his head for a moment, and his cheeks warmed a vague purple color, but he was quick to redress himself in the Sarentu weavings and fabrics, soft on his skin. He took his own clothes and set them aside by the paint bowls, before quietly letting himself move forward to sit beside Atehä. They sat side-by-side in a comfortable silence, staring out upon the Kinglor Forest, still damaged and burned by the RDA & the Mangkwan, the Aranahe Hometree still crackling with smoke in the far distance.
"I was never exactly scared when Bukowski had me. I knew you'd be the one to save me."
Atehä began, her voice a careful whisper as she stared forward, not daring to yet make eye contact with So'lek, as her fingers gently brushed over the beads of her mothers songcord wrapped around her wrist.
"I was only scared when Ri'nela and Teylan had told me you did not leave Hometree. That you had stayed to fight Wukula. It only scared me because of the uncertainty it left of if I'd ever see you again or not." Only then did she turn her head, their eyes meeting in a careful, meaningful gaze. "I am glad you survived So'lek."
He stared, his guard dropped in that moment, and finally he was no longer the Dog Tag Warrior or some na'vi where the only stories of him may have been horror stories. He was just So'lek. So'lek te Elusa Kiro'itan. So'lek of the Sarentu Clan.
Atehä stood to retrieve the paint bowls, looking back at So'lek and nodding her head, a kind smile on her face once again. "Come. It's time."
He nodded wordlessly and stood, his long legs carrying him forward until he stood in front of Atehä. Her fingers dipped into the paint, dragging gently along his cool skin, spreading the paint in patterns from old Sarentu ways, and a little bit from every clan they'd run into during their journeys. She stared up at him slightly, her wide golden eyes moving across his face as if taking note of every single feature, and especially the scar that ran across the expanse of his left cheek. She sighed soft, her fingers dipping into the white paint one final time before moving just under his left eye to gift him with his own Sarentu symbol.
"If you see my mother... she will love you."
Together, under the warm and glad gazes of their friends and those they've learned to call family, Atehä guided him up the path to the tarsyu, adorned naturally with tana'ring which was a welcome sight, making So'lek feel more at ease. Upon reaching the tarsyu, So'lek was surprised to see Nor there, giving him a welcoming look.
Ri'nela have a simple nod when So'lek stood beside her, looking to her right to give a similar nod to Atehä, before she began to speak. "We have all walked a winding path to be here. Full of loss and conflict. The story of the Sarentu was interrupted, our voices hushed. But we refused this silence, and now the clans tell our stories - as we have just told yours, So'lek. And it is clear our threads have become entwined. Together, we are Sarentu. Together, our clan continues."
Then, with the affirmative silence after Ri'nela's strong words, So'lek reached out and carefully took hold of one of the tarsyu stamens, and taking his braid in another, before making tsaheylu, and letting a cool calm blanket over his entire being.
- - - - -
The celebration was small, in terms of typical na'vi celebrations. Laughs were had, jokes were shared, and new stories told as well as old, and in that moment, life had finally begun to make some sort of sense for everyone. So'lek had been enjoying a serving of fresh hot food, whenever a gentle hand belong to Atehä had clasped around his bicep, a shining look in her eyes, that he knew what they asked of without words needing to be said.
He took a sip of zakru milk that Minang and Nesim had been kind enough to bring with them, the chilled liquid cooling down his throat and he rose to his feet, following behind the Sarentu. Their walk back up to the tarsyu was much more quiet this time, but not uncomfortable or weird, just... them.
"You were one of the first faces I saw coming out of cryosleep." Atehä began, her voice full of recollection of past memories. "You and Alma. Of course I was put off by you at first, because I knew nothing about you until I had to fetch you that dapophet pod." She said with a soft little laugh, her hands busy with her mothers songcord, a nervous little habit of hers.
"As I have spent more and more time out here in Pandora, with the Resistance and other na'vi- relearning the ways of the Sarentu and learning the truth about my people... you were always there, So'lek. And when I was by the RDA, I knew you'd be there, and I knew you would never give up without a fight."
So'lek nodded in agreement, staring at her with a soft smile in his eyes and a knowing of where this may possibly end between them. "I could never let myself give up so easily. If I had died, I did so knowing I tried for you."
Once more, it was silent between them for a long time, longer than other times before, with Atehä's hand slipping behind her briefly to pull her braid forward. She turned to look at So'lek, her eyes eager and scared as she hesitantly held up her kuru a slight bit, clearing her throat. "Oe ftxey nga. Nì'aw nga, zun nga will ftxey oe nìhawng.*"
So'lek was taken aback, not in the way of disgust or fear, but in... relief. Relief that Atehä had felt the same way for him, as he did for her. He stared at her for a while, and further understanding why she had chosen this spot of all else. It was the most perfect, and beautiful mixture of the both of them. The tarsyu, and the tana'ring, in one union together.
In return, So'lek raised his braid, the tendrils of his kuru already out, as if eagerly sensing what he wanted, and when he spoke, his voice was the softest it had ever been, a low rumble warming in Atehä's heart. "Oe new nga kop.*" He stepped forward to close the distance, his head turning to look slightly down at Atehä with such raw, soft affection, his free hand coming up to gently cup her face.
Their eyes locked together at So'lek initiated the tsaheylu, sending a soul-deep shiver through their bodies, their pupils blowing wide at the connection between the two of them. Atehä's heart once rapidly beating faster than she realized, and So'lek's having started to pick up its pace, now beat as one, their souls intertwining and leaving traces of the other. The wind blew a little harder, sending tana'ring petals fluttering around them, and the pink glowing pollen from the tarsyu sticking to their skin. It was an electric feeling, shivers running across their skin. Atehä could muster the courage to meet So'lek's intense gaze, choosing rather to focus on the deep thrumming in her chest, feel the connection from the tsaheylu, feeling what So'lek felt. Now with both hands gently holding either side of Atehä's face, using one thumb to hook gently under her chin to tilt her head up, letting their eyes meet, feeling another electric shiver running through the tsaheylu. Her ears flickered slightly and her cheeks gained a slightly purple hue, his own cheeks gaining a similar tone.
"Oel ngati kameie, my tìyawn." So'lek started to break the silence, the thumb under her chin now back to gently rubbing against the soft skin of her cheek, seeing her on a deeper level than ever before, knowing that above all else, this was the one choice he knew he had made right on.
"Oel ngati kameie, ma'So'lek." Atehä returned, leaning forward to press a cautious kiss to his lips, of which he was immediate to return.
The Sarentu had returned, stronger than ever before.
- - - - -
Oel ngati kameie = I see you
Zola'u = Welcome
Tsal lu hiyìk = It is strange
Ma'eylan = My friend
Oe ftxey nga. Nì'aw nga, zun nga will ftxey oe nìhawng. = I choose you. Only you, if you will choose me too.
Oe new nga kop. = I want you too.
Oel ngati kameie, my tìyawn = I see you, my love