Starting New

I was really hoping to get a few more reviews for this story. I've worked really hard on it and have several more chapters to come. Please leave a review. It's really good, positive encouragement for me and only takes a second. And thank you to those who did take the time to review. I really appreciate it!



Chapter 6



Mo’at had taken me deeper into the forest the following day. She brought me to a valley where unusual plants grew. My first thought was to run, jump, and gather those amazing, un-researched plants and take them back to study them. Mo’at simply shook her head and took my wrist and guided me to a large tree with completely blue leaves that swayed and touched the ground similar to a weeping willow found on earth.



“Sit,” She instructed in English.



I followed her heed and joined her on the ground.



“I show you. Make tsahaylu with this tree,” She said.



I raised an eyebrow, thinking it was extremely strange to make a bond with a tree. Jake had told me about the Tree of Souls and how our memories are gathered there, but this was not a Tree of Souls. I faltered for a moment. It would be the first time bonding to anything. Mo’at attached her braid to one of the many glowing, pulsating roots at the tip of the tree and closed her eyes.



I lifted my braid, looking again at the unusual tendrils attached to the bottom. I let them attach to the root and I inhaled deeply. I suddenly saw color fly by my eyes and felt…feelings, an intense amount of emotion. I felt sadness, hope, and a certain desire to teach come flying at me at once. I pulled away, overwhelmed by the emotions I found there. She placed her hand upon my own and shook her head.



“Do not be afraid,” She said, reverting to Na’vi, her eyes upon me, “I feel your fear Normspellman. I feel many things. Many feelings.”



“What is this tree? Is this a Tree of Souls?” I asked, already knowing better.



“No, this is Tree of Trust,” She said, “This tree shares feelings. This tree is swotu, a sacred place. What you feel are my emotions—no one else’s. This is how it is different from the Tree of Souls. The Tree of Souls contains memories, but these are feelings.”



“This is strange,” I said and looked at her, feeling a sudden emotion coming up higher, “You are…reluctant about something. You are…”



“Very good Normspellman.”



“You feel it is almost your time.”



“Yes, my end of life is near. I am not reluctant about dying. I am reluctant about leaving you so soon. There is so much for you to learn.”



I shook my head slightly, pulling my braid away from the tree and pulling it back over my shoulder, “Why haven’t I heard of this tree before?”



“Not all Na’vi know of it. If all knew of it, nothing would be private. Everyone would know everything. It must be kept secret, Normspellman. It is secret of the shaman and can only be shared with their mate.”



“What are you telling me, Mo’at?” I asked, sensing much more to that statement.



She smiled serenely and pulled her own braid away, petting it slightly and putting her slightly bony hand on my shoulder, “You already know.”



I didn’t already know, actually. I assumed that she wanted me to be shaman. I wasn’t sure why she had to hide her true meaning though. Everything she said seemed to be in a jig saw puzzle. She had been teaching me the last few days about ways of a shaman. She showed me their herbs that they used as medicine. We spoke much about Eywa and the gift of life. I was beginning to have more and more respect for the Na’vi as the time went on. I was learning so much more than I could have imagined.



Mo’at’s rather foggy descriptions left me in the dark. We had gone back to the clan in a comfortable silence. Jake was already there. He had his back to me and was working with the other hunters to bring in a fresh kill.



“Wow,” I said, admiring the huge animal that had been hit with a bow, “Somebody has good aim.”



Jake turned around and grinned, “Norm! Good to see you…and that good aim was me.”



“Really?” I said, impressed, “That’s really something.”



The animal they had killed was lying hunched over with a yellow bow stuck out of the side. It was navy blue with stripes and sharp outer skin for protection.



“They’re fast,” He said with a nod, “I almost didn’t get this one.”



The women had started to cut open the animal and prepare the meat already. They didn’t like for any of it to be wasted and expected all edible parts of the animal to be eaten.



“So, did Mo’at take you out today again?” Jake asked, while we were eating.



“She showed me more plants,” I lied, knowing I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about the tree for their own safety.



“She knows a lot of plants,” Jake replied, stuffing another piece of meat in his mouth and wiping his forehead, “I think I’m going to go take a swim. Care to join me?”



I agreed to accompany Jake for his swim. I followed him quickly through the forest, weaving along the thick brush and then across uneven branches. He moved extremely fast and I had a difficult time keeping up.



“Come on slow poke!” I heard him laugh from further up.



He turned around briefly, hanging on a loose vine and looked at me, “You need to get out more or you’re going to put on weight.”



He touched his stomach and imitated a fat person. He doubled over laughing at his own antics and I finally caught up, struggling to catch my breath. I paused, putting my hands to my knees and shook my head once.



“Na’vi…don’t….get….fat,” I managed to say, finally straightening up.



“Heh, we’ll see about that,” He laughed again and beckoned me with a wave of his hand, “Come on, follow me!”



I rolled my eyes and went on running. I could hear his footfalls somewhere farther along this particular tree and watched the whiz of colors pass by me.



“Catch me if you can!” He taunted.



I suddenly became caught up in the moment, watching his braid whip back and forth and his tail leverage for balance. He was still laughing at me, but it held no malice, only happiness. I could feel my stomach muscles clenching and leg muscles tightening as we ran deeper into the forest.



When I finally did catch up to him, it was only because he had stopped and looked out at a glistening lake. The sun shined brightly upon it and it sparkled in the light. He had to jump down a bit to get to it and was already starting to walk knee deep into the cool, inviting waters. I followed him, pushing him around and he just continued to laugh.



“Caught you,” I said, grinning and gave him a little push into the water.



He casually wrapped an arm around my neck, forcing me farther into the water and then splashing me. His smile changed from giddy to serene a moment later and the grip on my neck turned less rough and more gentle. I felt the skin of my upper back tingle as his fingers grazed my neck. He leaned closer, his other hand on my chin. He lifted my head up slightly and closed in on the move just as quickly, I felt his breath hover close to mine and his lips grazed mine. I shook out of my momentary trace and took an awkward step back, almost falling backwards into the water.



“Jake-”



He pulled back immediately, noticing my hesitation.



“…Skxawng-”



Jake put his hand over his temples and shook his head frantically. I ran my mind through the Na’vi dictionary and quickly came to the conclusion. I took a sudden step forward and put my hand on his chest, giving him a rough push.



“Don’t call me a moron! You’re the one that kissed me. I didn’t ask for it!”



He gave me an odd look.



“I didn’t call you a moron. I called myself a moron,” He sighed and rubbed his neck shyly, “I’m sorry Norm. I don’t know why the hell I did that. I’m the skxawng, not you. I don’t know what I was fucking thinking.”



He cleared his throat and looked away, clearly embarrassed. I furrowed my brows and suddenly it hit me like a ton of bricks. This friendship that we have was clearly turning into something much more. I wasn’t sure if it’s what I wanted, but whatever it was felt right. I felt closer to him than I had to any other person in a long time. We were both silent for a moment, trying to process current events. I finally came to a conclusion.



“I wasn’t complaining.”



“You weren’t?”



“I was…surprised, to say the last. I didn’t think…I’m not sure what that even was.”



“It was a kiss.”



I rolled my eyes at his dumbness.



“You are a skxawng,” I said with a little smile. I sobered a moment, “Was that a mistake or did you mean to do that?”



He paused, clearly thinking, “I wouldn’t call it a mistake. It just sort of—happened.”



I took a step forward, my arms grazing the water. I lifted one hand and put my hand on his cheek. I looked deep into his large golden eyes and put my other hand around his back, pulling him closer. He looked confused, but allowed it.



“What if it were to happen again?” I asked.



He sputtered for a moment, trying to find an answer, but clearly not finding anything. I closed the short distance between our mouths again and deepened the kiss that had been lost only moments before. The moment we kissed it felt right. There wasn’t any hesitation. The confusion came later. But, for this moment, I was just lost in bliss. He cupped the back of my head, pulling me closer and our chests pressed together. He moaned softly and I closed my eyes. It was over a moment later.



We paused and pressed our foreheads together.



“I feel more comfortable with you than I have ever felt,” Jake whispered.



“Is this what you want?” I asked him, putting my head up and sucking on my lip.



He leaned over and kissed me again. I knew I wouldn’t need any more answers to that question.