May 12, 2154

Neytiri showed me her mountain banshee, which the Na'vi call ikrans. What a fierce and magnificent creature… reminds me of the dragons that I would read about in fantasy novels or the ancient Pterodactyl flying across the Cretaceous Period. Neytiri is clearly proud of her mount, which she fondly calls Seze. She explained to me that an ikran only had one rider for its life once the bond was made, unlike a Pa'li. Mount and rider chose each other… however that works. I must have looked as excited as I felt, because when I asked when I would get a chance to choose one, Neytiri smiled this annoyingly knowing smile and answered simply, "when you are ready."

Then with a cry, she mounted and flew into the air, clearly happy and carefree. I watched transfixed on the sight. Damn that looks like fun. She teased me by directing Seze into a swooping flyby, and I ducked just out of instinct.

Beneath his entry he had sketched an ikran. It indeed looked like a cross between a dragon and a pterodactyl, with a wide wing span from the spine to the edge of the page. There was light shading work with colored pencil done over the graphite, the bright greens and blues reminding her of animal color schemes that she might have seen on the rare jungle creatures of Earth. Bright for a clear warning of danger, but soft enough so that she knew that they weren't the most dangerous out there. Mrs. Sully grinned and looked at Neytiri's drawing again. Happy and carefree as she rode with the wind, Jake had captured it perfectly.

Mrs. Sully took out a video log of Jake's of a later date and pushed it in the television. Her son appeared in front of her, his blue eyes showed clear exhaustion. Jake looked behind him and spoke to an older woman with bright red hair looking through a microscope.

Do I have to do this? I need some rack.

The read head looked up from the microscope and scowled. No now, she ordered when it's fresh.

Yeah yeah… Judging by her son's look, Mrs. Sully was guessing that the woman was Dr. Augustine. Jake turned back to the camera. The days are starting to blur together. The language is a bitch, but I figure it's like field-stripping a weapon. Repetition. Repetition.

Only Jake would make such an analogy.

Neytiri has a nickname for me...skxawng, which is Na'vi for moron. But her attitude is slowly improving towards me; I haven't gotten so many glares or annoyed hits in the forehead as often lately… and those are mainly in the language lessons.

Mrs. Sully gave a soft chuckle.

Norman's attitude has improved lately too… It's good he's back on board, but he thinks I'm a skxawng too.

Another chuckle. The video log goes blank; short and simple as always. Mrs. Sully returned to the journal, where she knew there was plenty more information. There was yet another Na'vi vocab list:

Seyri – mouth

Ontu – nose

Mikyun – ears

Nari – eyes

Ireiyo – Thank you…

Mrs. Sully skipped to the main entry.

May 14, 2154

My feet are getting tougher. I can run farther every day. I have to trust my body to know what to do… with Neytiri it's learn fast or die. I'm running 30 meters above the ground in the trees, trying to keep up with her. It's insane how graceful and fast she is. And she even leaped off the canopy only to have the forest slow down her fall. She looked up at me once she made it to the ground, clearly ordering me to follow her. So like the insane person I am, I did. And it wasn't at all as graceful and efficient as Neytiri's fall, but hey what an adrenaline rush. I wasn't quite sure if Neytiri's surprised expression towards me was surprise that I survived or surprised that I even followed her in the first place. But on the bright side, I think her scare tests are over. She now knows that I'm not going to give up anytime soon and it takes more to get rid of Jake Sully. And strangely enough, she seems to respect that. I certainly got a look of approval at least… very rare with her. So now Neytiri knows I'm willing to know and navigate the land, whatever it takes. Because as far as I'm concerned, I'm a cripple in a box; what have I got to lose?

Mrs. Sully's face fell with that last statement; oh Jake…

Neytiri doesn't know that though. She hasn't asked about my human life and I haven't offered to inform her about it. She's just beginning to warm up to me; why strain it with my disability that doesn't affect her?

She'd accept it though, Mrs. Sully was certain of that. In fact, it might explain a few things to her… she didn't know. Mrs. Sully just wanted to have someone make Jake realize that he didn't have anything to be ashamed about, least not because of that.

May 15, 2154

I keep staring at the photos of the English school Grace had. Something happened there; I know it. When I saw it the first time out, there were bullet holes in the wall. There was a shooting obviously but why?

The one in particular that is haunting me is the one of a much younger Neytiri with an older Na'vi girl which I know has to be Neytiri's sister. Grace mentioned her very briefly, when I first got into the clan. When I said that I didn't meet this sister, Grace had muttered in low voice, She's dead. She didn't mean for me to hear her but I did. Is it too big of a jump to think the two are connected? I can still remember Neytiri's distrustful – and now I realize hateful – gaze on me when we first met, when she saved me from those viper wolves. She had been hurt badly because of humans… is this why?

Every time I have tried to talk to Grace about it, she changes the subject. I don't dare ask Neytiri – I know from experience that it didn't do any good to talk about your sibling's death unless you want to.

Her mind went blank. Mrs. Sully had to read all that again before she could take in Jake's thoughts and suspicions. She had to put it down and close her eyes to gather back her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she saw that there was yet another entry…

May 20, 2154

I sweet-talked Mo'at into giving Norm and Grace a hall pass. Now Grace even makes me coffee before link every morning.

On the training side of things, I'm learning to read the trails, the tracks at the water-hole, the tiniest scents and sounds. It's amazing what a footprint will tell you.

Neytiri showed me so much today: A herd of Stumbeast was at the water—hole, with their young protected in the middle. A mother viper wolf with her nursing young, with one feisty cub trying to get out of a tongue bath. A newly born hexapede, trying on its six wobbly legs in an attempt to stand for its first time. So many strange yet wonderful creatures, alien yet familiar.

The next few journal pages were drawings. Beautiful colored drawing of alien yet familiar creatures that Mrs. Sully could only begin to imagine…

May 21, 2154

I sometimes have no idea what Neytiri is talking about. Like today for an example, she's just standing still in the middle of the forest, except for her ears which are moving with a life of their own.

"When you hear nothing, you will Hear everything. When you see nothing, you will See everything."

Or that's what Neytiri said. Sounds backwards to me… like some paradox that I haven't been able to understand yet.

The next journal entry was even shorter.

May 24, 2154

Oel Ngati Kameie. It translates into "I see you." But to the Na'vi this has greater meaning then just physically seeing, it means "I see into you; I see your soul."

I have no clue exactly what that means, but it keeps coming back to me. Like an annoying truth waiting for me to understand it.