“Besides bringing their war and causing trouble, now they come with two pink skins,” Aonung complained. Only two days had passed since they defeated the humans. Spider had adapted surprisingly well to Na’vi life, but the other one… she was far too human for creatures over two meters tall.

Jake’s wife, Neytiri, and the Metkayina clan did not agree with sheltering two invaders. Especially Neytiri, who had lost her son only days ago. Her children no longer followed the rules and traditions as before; they were different, and that hurt her. She hated the human side she saw in them, and even more, she hated having two humans among her people.

Jake, however, felt something else despite the pain. It was not that he did not care about his son, but now he had his old colleague’s daughter nearby. Neytiri might not remember him, but that pink-skinned girl was the daughter of the man who helped Jake when he was still human, the one who supported him without judgment and gave him hope in his darkest days as a marine.

She had the same joy, the same spark, and a natural charm that brightened the air around her. It was no surprise. She was eighteen, kind, polite, and lovely. Jake understood the clan’s distrust, but he knew she was not a threat. She was help, just like her father once was. Even in his Na’vi body, Jake remembered his friend’s last letter. He had promised to protect her. And now that he had found her, he would not let anything happen to her. To him, she was already like another daughter, part of his family, even if her skin was not blue. Like Spider, she slowly became part of the group, especially with Kiri. Girl things. She did not wear a loincloth; instead, she preferred flared pants at the hips. At least she respected the pearl bras, though she was still, without a doubt, very human.

Aonung merely tolerated her. He made all the faces he wanted, but for his sister, he spent more time with the “freaks” than he liked. And the interest… appeared sooner than he expected.

Rotxo, on the other hand, fell fast. Too fast. He fell for the pink-skinned girl the way the sun sinks into the sea at sunset, deep and without resistance.

A quiet tension grew between the two best friends. It was not an open competition, nor loud jealousy, but both knew something had changed. Neither of them would break their friendship for her. Besides, it was far more likely that the girl would be interested in someone from her own species —Spider, for example— than in two awkward fish-tailed aliens.

“Hey, monkey girl,” Rotxo called clumsily when he saw you alone by the shore. It was not bravery. It was because Aonung had stupidly revealed their hiding place while they watched you like idiots.

“You’re very rude to the pink skin, Rotxo,” Aonung said with poor disguise and even worse wording. “Good morning, shorty.”