Disclaimer –The author of this fan fiction does not, in any way, profit from the story and that all creative rights to the original characters belong to the creator(s) of the movie, Avatar (2009).
Summary – Sequel to "Starting New". Norm has a dream that foretells of a disaster for the Omaticaya tribe. It is up to Jake, Norm, and their new tribe to save the very clan they were exiled from. Norm/Jake Slash
Author's Note: So, yeah, this is kind of overdue, but I finally got into writing it again and thought "Hey! Why I ought to just post this!" Hope you enjoy. Make sure you read the first story "Starting New" before you read this. Oh, and Jake/Norm FOREVER!
Chapter 1
There was fire everywhere—hot, smoky fire. The smell wafted into my nostrils and I coughed. I staggered, calling Jake's name and desperately searched for him. I walked around a giant, new tree, over ashes and around burning logs. Na'vi were screaming around me in terror. Women were dragging children and men tried to fight back with their weapons.
I suddenly realized that fire was not the only enemy. The humans were here. I could barely make out their helicopters in the air. I could hear them shouting in English. They had guns, but not ordinary guns. They were using them to sedate Na'vi—to take them prisoner. There was a female Na'vi close to me who looked to me in fear. She looked relatively familiar and I studied her scared face. It wasn't just any female Na'vi, it was Ni'nat from the Omaticaya tribe. I told her to run, but she wasn't fast enough. Her golden eyes suddenly fogged over and she fell onto the ground harshly. A tranquilizer dart hung off the back of her shoulder. I looked at her prone body wide eyed and ran and ran.
There was no one that could help me. They were all too busy trying to help themselves.
I woke up struggling for breath. I heaved in several times and had jumped up. Jake flinched and looked at me wide eyed. I closed my eyes briefly and shook my head.
"What's wrong? You alright?" He asked me in our new language, Leomatican.
I looked into his familiar bright golden eyes and turned my head to look around. I was in our dwelling. I was safe. I swallowed once and took in another breath. It was just a dream—a nightmare. I rubbed my eyes and thought back to the horrendous nightmare. It had seemed so real. How could I have come up with such horrible circumstances for a dream?
"Norm?"
"I had a nightmare," I said and he wrapped an arm around me. I shook my head once, "It felt so real, Jake. I thought…I thought it was really happening."
"Tell me about it," He said, pulling me back down next to him on the hammock.
I heard the rain pouring down outside of our dwelling. Some landed on our small cliff and some went straight down into the sea. It had been raining for three days straight. The splattering of the raindrops on our roof shook me out of my sleep. I pulled our blanket closer around us and considered telling him about the dream.
"I don't know if you're going to want to hear about this," I said, leaning closer into him and pressing my face close to his neck, "I've never had such a vivid dream before."
"Tell me," He repeated.
I paused and began, "There was a fire—here on Pandora. Everything was in flames. That's how it started. Then the humans came. They were chasing after Na'vi. They were trying to take people prisoner. Why would they want to take us prisoner, Jake? What do they want from us?!"
"Norm, it's alright. It was just a dream."
He put a calming hand around my shoulder and pulled me even closer to him. I relaxed in the embrace for a while and rethought the dream. I wanted to believe that it was just a dream. I wanted to believe that it was just my mind playing some evil trick on me.
"I don't think it was just a dream, Jake."
"What do you mean? You think it's some kind of sign?"
"Mo'at told me once that she sometimes had dreams of things to come. What if this is our future?"
He shook his head, "It was just a dream. It's not like you dreamt about anybody specifically, anyway."
I paused and looked at his large yellow eyes, "But I did! I was there and the woman…I knew her. It was Ni'nat."
"What?"
"Now why would I dream about Ni'nat? I barely knew her. She was a stranger to me while I lived with the Omaticaya. I think this dream means something Jake. I can't just let it go by. What if something horrible is going to happen?" I demanded to know, sitting up slightly and leaning on my elbow, "I can't just ignore this."
"But the likelihood that something like this would happen is so small."
"There were other Na'vi there, Jake. It wasn't just me and her. I could see blue people. I could hear their screams. I just couldn't see their faces. We should tell Ala'kan."
I threw the blanket off of me and jumped out of the hammock so fast that I almost fell on my face. Jake followed after me a moment later as I ventured out into the cool rain. He put his hand on my shoulder to stop me before I started heading up the rocks. I tried to shake him off. It wasn't too early to tell him. The sky was starting to lighten, even though the rain would not stop.
"Jake, we have to tell him! He should know!"
"You're going to scare him to death. Ni'nat is his sister. If you go in there and say that she's going to be held hostage by a bunch of demented humans then-"
I shook his hand off and continued, wiping away beads of rain gathering on my forehead and onto my cold arms, "I don't care Jake. I had this dream. Not you! It means something!"
"But you know Ala'kan! He's going to want to gather up everyone and go after them. We can't just-"
I turned around swiftly and he about ran into me. I shook my head and grabbed his braid, yanking his head slightly and pulling the queue towards my own, "Do I have to show you?"
He just made a face, but I let the tendrils connect. His eyes dilated quickly and his face changed from slightly annoyed to horrified only seconds later. I showed him images of the fire and of the Na'vi being so roughly shot with the darts. I showed him Ni'nat's horrified expression and then her fall. I showed her the other Na'vi who were running, running desperately from their captors.
He put his hand to his head and pushed his hair away from his forehead, "That was…that was…."
"We have to tell Ala'kan."
This time he didn't stop me. He followed close behind me as I practically ran over to the olo'eyktan's dwelling hut. It was slightly larger than the other clan members, but not too elaborately decorated. I didn't bother with knocking. I approached the leather and wooden dwelling and pushed the curtain of beads in the doorway aside. I went inside and let my eyes adjust to the lack of light. I had half expected him to already be awake, but it must have been even earlier than I had guessed. Ala'kan was fast asleep in his hammock. He was lying on his back with one arm flung over his head and the other wrapped tightly around his mate, Telan. A thick blanket of warm animal hide was thrown over the two of them. Telan was lying face down on his mate's chest and a partial expanse of his buttocks and tail were on display where the blanket had slid off of him.
"Ala'kan…" I said, not really wanting to disturb his privacy, but knowing it was important. He didn't even stir, so I said it a little louder, "Ala'kan!"
Telan was the one who finally looked up at me. He twitched slightly and scowled, reaching down to pull up the rest of the blanket.
"What do you want?" He asked in a high whisper.
"I need to speak with Ala'kan. It's important. Please wake him and tell him to meet with me," I said with a slight nod and stepped back outside their hut.
Jake was waiting out there for me with a wry grin on his face, "You have some balls to go into the chief's hut and demand his presence."
I managed to look a bit bashful, "I just feel that it's important."
I heard some commotion in the hut and Ala'kan made his appearance a moment later. He looked concerned and probably took it seriously when I asked for him so early in the morning. Jake and I had been living with the Leomatica for over a year. I had never been so adamant in speaking with him before.
"What is it, Norm?"
"Thank you for…coming out so quickly. I apologize for waking you so early, but I had a dream. I think it's a sign."
Ala'kan looked around at the rain that polished the grass and trees. He looked at me and nodded, "Come with me. Let's go somewhere dry."
He led Jake and I to the cafeteria where we eat the majority of our meals. The three of us sat down on the floor in a small circle. Ala'kan ran his hand through his dark hair and fingered the feathers hanging from his neck.
"What did you see in this dream of yours, Norm?"
I quickly told Ala'kan about the fire. I told him how it was everywhere and it was close to impossible to breath. I told him how I had felt my eyes water from the smoke. I told him about the Na'vi who were so desperate to get away from the humans. I explained how I could hear their screams of terror. I told him of the woman who had fallen to the ground so close to me.
Ala'kan's eyebrows rose and he shifted from side to side. Jake nodded encouragingly, so I continued.
"The woman was Ni'nat."
"Ni'nat?!" He demanded to know suddenly, his expression completely changing.
I nodded, "I know it's hard to believe, but it all seemed so real. After seeing Ni'nat, I woke up. I don't think I could have taken seeing anymore."
"And you think this is some kind of sign?" He asked, especially concerned after hearing about his sister from the Omaticaya tribe.
I nodded, "I think Eywa sent me this dream as a warning of what's to come. She wants me us to help prevent the attack, if possible. I wouldn't tell you this unless I was absolutely certain. You must believe me."
He looked at me for a while and said, "You have been honest with us so far, Norm. You have excellent healing abilities. I wouldn't be surprised if Eywa has gifted you with the gift of foresight as well. But, do you think this can be prevented?"
"I don't know. I don't even know if it's real, but it seems like it. I just couldn't let it go. Jake didn't believe me. I had to make him believe me. I showed him."
"You made tsahaylu?" Ala'kan asked.
"Yes, it was the only way to make him believe."
"And you saw what he saw, Jake?" He asked, looking at my mate.
"Yes, I was shocked. I didn't expect it to seem so…vivid. What he said was all true," Jake admitted.
Ala'kan closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. He exhaled a breath and his bright eyes opened and looked at me.
"I cannot make tsahaylu with you, Norm. It is not the way of our people, especially since we are both already mated. But, there is another way you can show me what you saw."
Ala'kan took us both on a short walk further up the mountain. We followed him and as I climbed higher I suddenly realized where he was going. There was a Tree of Trust on the top of the mountain. It was the same tree that we had our bonding ceremony at. It was one way we could make a connection through Eywa. When we arrived, the large blue tree swayed in the wind and rain. I wiped off some rain droplets and followed Ala'kan to the tree. He took his long braid and allowed the tendrils to attach to the leaves.
"Show me, Norm."
I paused, a little unsure, but nodded. I allowed my queue to connect. I showed him the fire, the abductions. I showed him the angry humans with their tranquilizers. I showed him Ni'nat. He pulled away the queue after a moment or two and looked at me sternly.
"We will go on Toruk," He said and looked over at Jake, "Go wake the warriors."