Neytiri blinked a few times and reached up to rub her eyes. Her night was very rough and uncomfortable, so she would have slept longer if Jake's presence hadn't scared her half to death. When she finally came to her senses and remembered that he was there to stay, Neytiri laughed to herself. He sure was taking his time to wake up. Jake was still there, he was breathing, alive. On any other morning before this, he would have left overnight, terminating the link that connected Jake's mind to his Avatar. But now, as a true Na'vi, he could sleep through the night and awake in the same body.

When the time came, Jake opened his cloudy eyes and yawned, taking a few seconds to wake up completely. Neytiri, who had already been awake for some time, smiled, "Sìltsan rewon."

"Nga nìteng." he stretched his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest. Neytiri sighed and cuddled up to him. "Why can't we just stay like this forever?" she asked, "We have so much ahead of us, and, it would be nice to just, you know, escape."

Jake ran his fingers over Neytiri's un-braided hair and smiled. He was about to say something, only to be interrupted by Neytiri groaning. She quickly threw a hand on her forehead and started to breath heavily. Jake now realized that her whole face was beaded with sweat and her eyes were distinctly bloodshot. Even if she had spent the whole night in distress, he probably wouldn't of noticed, he had slept so heavily. With any fatherly instincts he had, Jake wiped some sweat off of Neytiri's forehead and placed his hand on it.

"Wow, that's defiantly a fever." he smiled, "I'd suggest we'd go see a healer as soon as we can. Didn't you say something about a family member being a medicine woman?"

Neytiri nodded groggily, "Yes, my Aunt Koka." She blinked tiredly and sat up, Jake did the same. "Please do not worry about me, Ma Jake, I'll be-" then, unanticipatedly, she began to cough like the night before. But only this time, it was obvious that the stress was centered around her throat.

"No," Jake helped her off of the cot, "You're coming with me." Once he was standing with her, he held her stiffly by the shoulders.

By the time Jake found Koka, Neytiri's condition had gotten much worse, as she was coughing up blood. This had caused Jake to go nearly mental trying to hold her still. Koka was a stern looking woman with tight lips and skinny arms. She was undoubtedly Mo'at's sister, the two shared the same piercing stare.

"Hello, Olo'eyctan, what seems to be the problem?" Her uninterested monotone made Jake very upset. He tried his best not to yell as he spoke. "Your niece, she's been coughing like this since last night. I don't know of anything that could've made her sick. She was just fine a few days ago."

Koka nodded and turned to the side, commanding in a voice that reminded Jake of a teacher he once had. "Txala, come over here!" A teenage girl a few years younger than Neytiri, who was before sitting on the ground mixing pastel colored liquids in a pot, stood up and placed herself next to Koka.

"Please!" Jake begged, "I don't know what's wrong with her, just... please do something." He was still holding up a struggling Neytiri, who was trying her best not to collapse.

The two women pondered a bit before Koka snapped her finger and turned to whisper something in Txala's ear. The girl nodded and took off to find something. She returned a few seconds later with a vile filled with an oddly colored liquid and handed it to Koka, who then ordered Neytiri to sit. When she was finally able to stable herself on the ground, Koka put the container in Neytiri's hands. Still struggling with herself, the young princess lifted the vile to her nose but immediately pulled it back.

"You want... *cough* me... *cough* to drink... *cough* that?" she stuttered, trying to hold her hand steady. Koka nodded, "It's what you need to get better."

Neytiri took a deep breath and reluctantly took the vile to her lips. She quickly poured the cloudy mixture into her mouth and swallowed. As if prepared for her reaction, Koka placed her palm directly on Neytiri's lips as she cringed her eyes in disgust.

Once Neytiri's eyes showed no sign of stress and her shoulders relaxed, Koka removed her hand from her niece's mouth and asked, "How do you feel?"

Meanwhile, Txala tip-toed over to Jake and handed him a device that looked like the Na'vi equivalent of a thermometer. "Please, don't mess with it much." she said.

Jake tried his best to be careful with the instrument, "Okay, what is it for?"

"Well..." Txala hesitated, "Just...uh... you know those Skypeople devices that are used to take temperature?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's like one of those, but it tells us something different. Sometime within the next few days, have Neytiri stick this under her tongue for about two minutes. And, if the stick part changes to a red-orange color instead of it usual green, come and see me."

"And then what?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes."

Shrugging, Jake walked over to Koka for a diagnosis.

"She is fine. It's nothing too major." Koka nodded. A sigh of relief came from Jake as he held his mate tight in his arms. The medicine woman continued, "She was only coughing because of a chemical she breathed in during the battle. You see, sometimes fire reacts with certain flora to creating a orderless, sickening gas. The medicine we gave her will clear up any problems, but it might be best to keep a close eye on her."

Neytiri gave an annoyed sigh as she blew a few strands of hair from her forehead. Jake laughed in his head, she was still such a teenager.

On their way back to the center of the Omaticaya's base, Jake once again addressed his plan.

"I was thinking, you know... if you want to talk to your mother about moving the clan into another Hometree. But... I mean... we won't be able to replace the old one, but if we are going to relocate... it... uh... should be soon."

Amused with Jake's clumsy words, Neytiri said in her stuffy voice, "You already said that!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, last night you skxawng!" she laughed.

Jake rubbed his eyes, "Oh yeah, I'm sorry."

"Is... something wrong, ma Jake?"

"I dunno. Ever since we left your aunt's, something's been on my mind. It's not my concern for the future or anything. It's almost like I'm feeling this way because I forgot to do something, or there's something I was supposed to do."

"Could it be because of the thing Txala gave you?" Neytiri referred to the device in Jake's left hand.

"Probably not." he laughed, "I don't even know what it is."

"Did she give you instruction?"

"Yeah," he said, holding the instrument up to his eyes, "She wants you to suck on this for two minutes sometime in the future."

Neytiri opened her mouth to say something, but soon her voice changed from a slight giggle, and then to a bashful laugh.

"You would to, you little pervert!" Jake shook his head and grinned. This was just another side of Neytiri he had never seen. In fact, when he first arrived on Pandora, he had stereotyped the Na'vi as humorless tree-huggers who spent all day praying. Now that he was one of them, Jake was never more happy to be proven wrong.

"You know," Neytiri said later, "Txala is the only person in our clan with any knowledge of Skypeople medicine."

"Really? How did she learn?"

"While the rest of us girls were learning to hunt and ride, she studied with Skypeople scientists and they taught her about they're remedies and such."

"That's pretty cool." Jake smiled.

"Yeah. She is one of the very few people in our clan who aren't disgusted by Skypeople technology."

"Are you?"

"I don't trust any of it, in all honesty, it scares me."

"I can understand why." Jake assured Neytiri that her fear didn't make her any less of a warrior. "What do you say about going to your mother to tell her our plan?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Neytiri replied.

It was about noon when Jake and Neytiri where able to talk to Mo'at. As they were walking towards the center of the base, Jake assessed the situation and turned to his mate. "It must suck." he said, noticing Neytiri's calm tone.

"What does?"

"You have to wait in a line to see your own mother. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Maybe, but she needs to do her job, the clan would be lost without her."

"Has it always been that way?"

"As far back as I can think. It was always Sylwanin..." Neytiri paused, "who was there for me. Did you always talk to your mother?"

"No, not really."

"Why not?"

"Before she left, my mother was a nightmare."

"What do you mean by... she left?"

Jake sighed, "When I was younger," he began, "It was just me, my mom, my dad, and my brother Tommy in a small apartment in Detroit. My mom, Lydia, worked as a bartender and usually spent the nights getting drunk. My dad, Trevor, worked as a checkout clerk for a grocery store. We were able to keep up a decent lifestyle, but we were never happy. My mom like to take out her drunken anger on all of us, especially my dad. So many times, I just wanted to run away from home. But I never did. Dad needed me and Tommy's support, it was all that he had. But one day dad came home more depressed than usual. He lost his job. The company he worked for ran out of business and was shutting down. Me and Tommy took the news well, but my mom didn't."

Jake closed his eyes as he let all the painful memories, once forgotten, sink back into his mind, "I still remember her voice. Cold and angry. She said, 'You impossible man! Why is it I doing all of the work? Why am I the only one capable of holding a job? I can't take this anymore! You're on your own.' And then she stormed out the door... I never saw her again. I heard every now and again that she started a career as a professional stripper... I don't even know what that is! But after she left, the three of us barely got by. Dad was always trying his best to get a new job, but he was never successful. Me and Tommy spent hours working for other people to help dad get by. My parent marriage was a wreck, it really was. They never really loved each other. Plus they were young." Jake inhaled and exhaled loudly and rested his head on his hands, staring into nothing. Neytiri, with the look of utmost concern on her face, rested her head tenderly on Jake's shoulder and asked, "I guess then we should bring the true meaning of happy marriages back into existence."

He nodded, "Yes, I think that's a great idea."

Neytiri smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her face against his face, symbol of her eternal loyalty and love for Jake. "What happened to your father?" she asked.

"He was killed in a subway accident."

"What is a subway?"

"An underground train."

"Oh, so like an ikran?"

"Yeah, except everyone rides one and it isn't an animal."

Before Neytiri could respond, Mo'at came out from behind a curtain and looked at them. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, mother." Neytiri said.

"Are you sure, I heard from my sister that you weren't doing well."

"I'm fine," she reassured, "Auntie Koka gave me some medicine. It was just a bit of a head cold and a throat infection."

Deciding to take her daughter's word for it, Mo'at sat cross-legged in front of the pair and said, "Well then, what is it you need."

Jake took a deep breath and began to tell his mother-in-law about his plans to relocate the Omaticaya into another Hometree. All the while, Mo'at listened attentively, taking what he said seriously.

After his explanation, Neytiri seemed to be nodding off, her eyes sulking with exhaustion.

"I think we might have to do this before things change permanently," Jake shrugged.

Mo'at nodded, her eyes closed, "They already have changed forever, I'm afraid."

"I know, but I just want to keep things from getting any worse." he replied. "Oh, and, before we go, me and Neytiri want to propose something else." he used his elbow to wake up Neytiri, who blinked a few times to get back into reality. "Oh, yeah, Jake and I want to have a wedding." she blushed.

Mo'at almost laughed, "That Skypeople tradition?"

"Pretty much." Jake smiled.

"Well... what were you planning?"

"I don't know." said Jake, "Back on Earth, everyone wore their nicest clothes, so I guess we can tell the weavers.

The conversation about the wedding ending up taking longer than any of the three had initially planned. Either way, they came up with a ceremony located at the Tree of Souls. The whole Omaticaya would attend along with all the Avatars and scientists. Mo'at promised that she would learn what to say so that she could be the one to help tie the know. The celebration would then move to where ever the Omaticaya decided to reside at that point for dancing and dinner. Once again, a promise was made by the tsahìk that she would find the best musicians and singers to preform at the dance. As for the meal, yerik and tailong meat along with a medley of teylu and fruit-flavored drinks.

"I will let the weavers know of your requests." Mo'at said later, "I want this event to be special, you have no idea what it means to me."

"What do you mean by that mother?" Neytiri twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

"Well, you know I love you daughter, you and Jakesulli, both. I want nothing but the best for you. But I feel that this ceremony will bring our clan to understand the love between you two a bit more... considering that Jakesulli has five fingers."

Jake smirked and softly took Neytiri's hand. "We trust that you will make this event very special, Mo'at."

"Please," she smiled, "Call me mother."

Neytiri's face fell into a look a pure happiness, which Jake duplicated, "Alright, ma'sa'nok."

As the two stood up to leave, Mo'at remembered something and quickly caught up to them. "Would you mid terribly bringing Tanhì to me?"

"Why do you need to see her?" Neytiri asked.

"You'll see."

Jake and Neytiri found Tanhì in a nearby riding yard, stroking the neck of a direhorse. Her eyes were gently closed as she whispered, "Siltsan, siltsan."

"It's a curious thing, isn't it?" Neytiri said, "She's so strong. Even though so much has happened to her in the past month, she has the will to move on. I really admire that."

As they approached the girl, without turning around, she said, "This was daddy's horse. He used it to lead a troop of warriors into battle. That girl Tìngay and the Skyperson Norm fought by his side."

She turned to face them, smiling, "Is there something that you need?"

Her eyes told the story of her life. Wide and curious with innocence, delicately handled with glistening sorrow. Her fluttering eyelashes smile and giggled with the seems of a girl who never lost her parents to a war. The girl at the fire pit.

"The tsahìk wishes to see you." Jake said eventually.

Tanhì shrugged and skipped along as Jake and Neytiri lead her to Mo'at.

When they got there, Tanhì walked up to Mo'at, rocking back and forth eagerly on her feet.

"I trust that you know why you're here." the tsahìk said.

"Uh... actually, I don't."

"Well," Mo'at began, "Because you are only 10 years of age, I do not expect you to be able to take care of yourself. I know a woman in our clan who would be very happy to take you in until you're finished growing up. You see, she was very sick and never able to have a child of her own. And she recently lost her mate in the war. I hope the two of you will get to know each other well. Are you okay with this, dear?"

"Of course. Honestly, I do really miss having someone there for me." Tanhì blushed.

"Okay than, my darling, I'd like to introduce you to Kyrinä."

The woman that approached the group was immediately recognized by Jake and Neytiri. Not by the clothes she wore or her face, but the choker she wore around her neck.