The forest was never silent.
Even in the depths of night, its whispers breathed life into the air—the rustle of leaves, the faint call of a distant ikran, the thrum of unseen creatures. But that night, something was wrong.
The forest held its breath.
I stood at the edge of the clan's borders, senses sharpened beyond mortal limits. My hearing stretched far, catching sounds no Na'vi ear could. My vision pierced the dark as though it were day.
And what I saw tightened my jaw.
The Sky People.
A patrol of AMP suits lumbered through the brush, their massive steps crushing roots and ferns without care. Drones buzzed overhead, scanning with red beams that seared the night. Human voices crackled through radios.
"Sector Three clear. Move to gridline seven."
"They're here," I muttered.
Neytiri appeared at my side, silent as a shadow. Her bow was already drawn, eyes narrowed in fury."They come too close to Hometree. Again."
I placed a hand on her arm. "Not yet."
She hissed under her breath. "You would have us do nothing?"
"Not nothing," I said calmly. "We watch. We learn. We strike when it matters."
Her glare burned, but she lowered the bow. Barely.
The AMP suits marched on, their pilots laughing over comms, their arrogance thick as smoke. To them, this world was not alive. It was land to be tamed, resources to be stripped.
My fists clenched.
I could end this patrol in a heartbeat. One strike. One breath. One scream across the sky, and they would never dare return.
The thought lingered like a blade against my throat. But Mo'at's voice echoed in my memory:
"Strength like yours corrupts. It kills. It destroys. Show the forest you are more than a weapon."
So I remained still.
Hours later, when the Sky People finally turned back, Neytiri exhaled, her fury contained but not extinguished."You are strange, demon. You have the power to crush them, yet you choose patience."
I met her gaze. "A storm doesn't strike at every tree. Only the ones that need to fall."
She tilted her head, studying me anew, as though glimpsing something beyond brute strength. She said nothing more, vanishing into the shadows.
But when I returned to Hometree, Tsireya awaited me.
She stepped forward, her bioluminescent markings glowing faintly under the starlight."You heard them, didn't you?" she asked softly.
I nodded. "Every word."
"Then it begins," she whispered. "The Sky People will not stop. They will return, stronger. And when they do… you will have to choose."
Her words cut deeper than Neytiri's blade ever had.
Because I knew she was right.
And in the silence that followed, the forest shivered—not with wind, but with warning.