Chapter 12: Chapter 12
The young Navi boy had cried his heart out until he blissfully fell into a deep and restful sleep. Harry scooped up the boy and placed him in his bed, not having a spare as company were not expected.
Morning light filtered through the glass causing the first guest of the island to gradually open his eyes into wakefulness.
Harry was by his side, offering a plate of chopped fruit and undersea plants he had previously harvested.
The Navi took the plate, looking quite unsure of what to do with it. Harry's easy smile at least made him feel safe.
Taking a cautious bite, his body soon remembered how long it had been since his last meal and quickly scoffed the remaining down.
Harry took the plate before it ruined his sheets. Getting juice out would have been a nightmare!
"I think it's time for introductions." Harry started. "My name is Harry." He said using his hands to indicate himself. "Fyape syaw fko ngar?" (What are you called?)
The boy seemingly ignored him, instead far more interested in examining this alien environment he found himself in. Trying to stand, he noticed one of his legs was encased in a hard material, not letting him move it at all. His nails gripped the edge as he tried to rip himself free.
"Ftang!" (Stop) Harry reached out to prevent him from undoing all his hard work, but all he got was a shove to the side as the child attempted to limp away. Running straight to freedom and the beach.
Bang!
The Navi had run straight into the glass wall that surrounded his resistance.
Lying dazed on the floor, Harry's face leaned over him and offered his hand. Pulling him up he showed him how to open the doors and go outside, a barely concealed laughter on his lips.
The Navi youth quickly shuffled outside, awkwardly due to the cast. Trying to stay distant from the stranger that might have saved his life but also might be keeping him captive.
"What have you done to me? Take it off. Now!"
"It's to help you. Your bones, they were broken, that is making sure they heal straight. Take it off now and you might walk with a limp for the rest of your life." Harry tried to explain. He tried to introduce himself again and return to happier topics. "Harry" He again touched his chest to indicate himself.
The youth stood taller as if trying to intimidate Harry with his name. "I am Ra'sar. I demand freedom from this shell."
Harry looked at him quietly for a moment, trying to come to a decision. If he had been on Earth, any injury such as this would have needed several days of observation and medical checks before being allowed out. However, he was no longer on Earth. He was on Pandora, and Ra'sar was no human.
Harry finally nodded his head. "So be it. Follow."
Without looking back Harry led Ra'sar to his infirmary. It wasn't fully set up, but enough to remove a cast. Wheeling a metal table around he patted it and instructed the youth to lie down. The Navi's suspicious eyes followed his every move. The easiest solution was a cast saw, which was perfectly safe against skin, however he doubted that his patient would sit still enough if he brought over anything that looked like a threat.
Instead, he took out a device that looked more like a pen. Leaning other the plastered leg, he activated his portable laser to burn through the cast. It was a quick procedure last under a minute until a clear cut extend from thigh to ankle. Using his hands to crack open the cast and reveal the blue skin beneath.
Finally free, Ra'sar tried to stand up but was pushed back down by Harry's much larger hands.
"I need to check it. Wait." The boy didn't refuse but responded with a hiss.
Pulling over his scanner, he took several images of the leg. Amazingly the bones were virtually healed. A single night was enough for the miraculous properties of the fruit to fully repair bones. The wound where the bone had penetrated his skin was still marred, but more like an old scar rather than a recent injury.
"It's all good. You can stand now."
Hardly needing the instruction, Ra'sar jumped to his feet and began testing his bones by hopping from foot to foot.
"My bone was broken. How?" Now no longer restrained, the inquisitiveness of youth finally surfaced.
Harry smiled sadly, not happy to be reminded by what had to give up in order to heal the strange native. He reached to a nearby monitor and pulled up an image of the Tra'vre.
Ra'sar froze. He recognised the fruit.
He had seen elders and honoured warriors be given such a blessing before. It was one of the highest honours and rewards in a tribe for the elite Navi. The fruit were rare and couldn't be cultivated, only chanced upon in the vast expanse of forests by the will of Eywa. They could not only heal injuries but to the Navi, it was much more. The Tra'vre would strengthen the body and give longer life allowing the greatest stewards of the tribe to defend the people for longer.
Those who had tasted the Tra'vre were no longer simple Navi. They were blessed by Ewya. They were the honoured Txarem. Txarem was a more literal translation of bone, and those chosen few were now the bones of the tribe. An essential foundation to its strength.
Harry was fascinated as Ra'sar explained the history and importance of the Tra'vre to the tribes.
"Does that mean you are now one of the Txarem?" Harry questioned.
Ra'sar shrugged his shoulders, unsure of the answer. "I ate the fruit, yes. But I wasn't given it by the Olo'eyktan. They are meant to be chosen by Eywa."
Harry thought for a moment a rubbed his chin. A habit ingrained in him from his human days when he had facial hair. "Eywa acts through all things, animals, plants, weather, people. Yes?" With a confused nod, he continued. "Then I chose you. If Eywa is with me, that means she chose you too? Right?"
The crooked logic at least made R'sar smile before shaking his head at the stupid alien. "You know nothing Harri."
"Come let's give you the royal tour." Harry quickly changed the subject and took the youth by the hand to guide him through his home. As he went, Harry took great pleasure in pointing out all the little details that a native Navi hadn't experienced before.
"And here is the desalination plant. I made a pipe that runs to the ocean that feeds the salty water here. Then it takes the salt out leaving clean drinking water. Here, try some" Pulling a tap, he gave Ra'sar a glass.
Looking at it with puzzlement, the Nazi placed it back down without tasting. "Harri, even babies know salt water bad. Drink from the water that falls from the sky. Much better." Ra'sar offered in a helpful mood before looking ahead for the next stupid idea the sky-people had gotten wrong.
Choosing to not enter a scientific debate with someone far beneath his age, he continued the tour, eventually leading him outside to the fields of crops that had just started sprouting.
"Your home is strange Harri." Ra'sar commented, not sure why sky-people felt the need to have so much stuff. Eywa provided all they needed, and they saw no reason to take more.
Rasar turned and looked toward the distant coastline of the mainland. His tribe was out there, over the vast body of water. He wouldn't be able to swim that and he didn't think he could find another Ikran (Banshee) to tame on this remote island.
"Harri, I want to return home. To the tribe."
Harry nodded. "I can take you back." The hopeful glint returned to Ra'sar's eyes.
"When?" He demanded.
"A few days." At the sign of outrage, he explained. "Look out to sea. That's a storm incoming. The winds could swat my plane into the ocean and then we'd both be in trouble."
As if on cue, lightning crackled in the distance and the dark clouds overhead broke open to release a flood of rain on the pair.
"Come let's get inside." Harry guided the youth into his home and out of the weather.
With another look outside, Ra'sar turned to his host and kindly suggested, "At least you'll be able to collect some clean water Harri."
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Bang!
Strike!
Slash!
The blue form rocketed around the training room fighting the droid with a smile permanently plastered on his lips. A foam knife in each hand.
Harry stood to one side watching Ra'sar with mixed feelings. Seeing a true native Navi fight was extremely helpful to him, he had already identified several errors in his movements that he could improve upon. Alternatively, Ra'sar was getting very close to beating his record. A child. Not that Harry would ever admit it to the youth.
They had been stuck on the island for two days. The storm still raged outside, but his recent scans showed it was starting to slow. He could hear the waves crashing against the shore in a continued assault. His ocean defence plan having very little impact on Pandora's great waves and would perhaps need to explore different options.
Ra'sar had been very difficult with repeatedly trying to convince Harry to take him back. All the distractions that Harry offered that worked so well with human youth seemed ineffective. Ra'sar had no interest in movies, books, cooking, games and was very confused by human music. The only thing of Harry's that seemed to hold his attention was the training room.
Ra'sar had spent several hours abusing and being abused by the training droid. Even when Harry switched the programme to use more human martial arts, Ra'sar was able to quickly adapt and even incorporate some of the moves and techniques into his own fighting style.
Genius. Harry thought.
Ras'ar had invited his host to join him several times, but Harry had refused as politely as he could. Despite being far larger, physically stronger and more experienced, Harry was confident all that awaited him would be an embarrassment.
"The storms starting to break. A few hours and it should be clear enough to take you home." Harry called over when a particularly violent bout had concluded. Ra'sar, who was lying on the floor quickly sprung up, his eyes wide with joy.
"Then I must train Harri! Ra'sar be best hunter in tribe. That will show them!"
With renewed energy, Ra'sar continued. Harry eventually had to walk away and busy himself elsewhere.
Ra'sar had just completed the level that he had been stuck on for the last week.
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The two blue forms strapped into the plane and took off. The last remnants of the storm still howling, but not enough to do more than shake his transport.
Hissing at the strap over his chest, he turned to the strange alien to give him more advice. "Plane no good. Friend Harri should find Ikran. Much better."
Harry could help but let a small smile play on his face. He was going to miss Ra'sar and his not very helpful comments. "I haven't…" He struggled to remember to correct word, so instead just held his brain and showed the strange pink tendrils that connected to his nervous system. The doctors at the mining base had called it a neural queue.
"Tswin?" (Neural queue) Ra'sar offered. Then his jaw opened with an understanding of what Harry was saying. "Harri not form Tsaheylu? (The bond) Ever?" Now he really looked at Harry as if he was an alien. Ra'sar had formed the bond many times with all sorts of Ewya's creatures ever since he was a child. Harry was grown, yet had never experienced a key aspect of Navi culture. "Why?"
"I wouldn't know where to begin. Tsaheylu isn't something the sky-people know much about." Ra'sar just shook his head, mentally scolding the sky-people for their stupidity.
Trying to find a topic that he wouldn't be further shamed for in from of Ra'sar, Harry brought up another unanswered question.
"How did you end alone in the forest anyway? You look a bit young to be taking your hunting trials."
Ra'sar looked away guiltily, instead looking at the ocean blurring past their under their feet. With a final look at Harry, the person who had saved him and blessed him with a Tra'vre, he spoke his truth.
"I…I was not allowed to join this season's hunter trials. I was going to prove I was ready. I did prove I was ready! I tamed an Ikran. If only the Toruk didn't find me." His head lowered as remembered his fallen bond-mate. Ra'sar had earlier tried to explain that when bonded, they feel everything. That meant when his precious Ray'na had been killed, the young boy had felt it. All of it.
"I bet your parents will be pleased to see you safe. They must have been very worried."
"Ra'sar is alone." He admitted silently. Harry took a few moments to translate in his head.
Alone. Ra'sar was an orphan. He remembered a chapter in Grace Augustine's book that explained that tribes were hierarchal. Orphans were cared for by all, but they represented the lowest standing in the tribe until they were recognised, such as by becoming a hunter. Those who didn't were often marginalised or left to become wanderers. The perennial travellers with no fixed home to return to. Cut off from the ancestors.
Harry, with a sudden burst of parental affection, reached over and squeezed Ra'sar hand.
"Never alone" Rasar smiled and wiped the tears that had been starting to form in his eyes away.
"Yes. Never alone."
Harry was about to continue and even offer to host the youth, who he was getting increasingly attached to, so he could be there for him, when Ra'sar cut him off in a chipper tone.
"Eywa is with us all. Never alone."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone