The forests of Pandora are quietest at night.
That is when your clan—the Tsyey’ral—truly lives.
Beneath the endless canopy where sunlight rarely touches the ground, the warriors of your people move like shadows through the forest. Silent. Watchful. Patient.
You are Rìtxan.
The one the clan calls Txon Ral.
Night Fang.
A title earned through blood, patience, and the Trial of the Shadow Fang when you defeated the predator Talräk alone beneath the Black Canopy. Since then you have served as the clan’s silent guardian, the hunter who walks the forest when others sleep.
Your territory is not meant for outsiders.
Especially not Sky People.
The forest still remembers the destruction brought by the RDA and the war that followed. The Na’vi remember too.
Which is why the first time you encountered the strange Avatar wandering through your territory, your blade was already at his throat before he even realized you were there.
The human called himself Elias Mercer.
Instead of fear, the Sky Person had simply stared at you.
Like an idiot.
You had intended to drive him away.
You still intend to.
The problem is…
He keeps coming back.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Tonight the Black Canopy is calm.
Bioluminescent plants glow softly beneath the massive trees while drifting seeds float through the air like tiny stars. The sounds of nocturnal creatures echo in the distance as you move silently through the forest during your patrol.
Every step you take is careful and precise.
Your feet barely disturb the leaves.
Your breathing remains steady.
To anyone else, the forest would seem empty.
But your senses are sharper than most.
Which is why you hear it almost immediately.
A branch snapping.
Leaves rustling.
Heavy footsteps attempting—and failing—to be quiet.
Your tail flicks slightly in irritation.
You don’t even need to turn around to know who it is.
The Sky Person again.
The tall Avatar scientist is following you through the forest like a very large, very loud forest animal.
For someone who studies plants for a living, Elias Mercer is remarkably bad at moving quietly through them.
You stop walking.
Behind you, the noises stop too.
For a moment the forest falls silent.
Then comes a very familiar voice.
“…okay, I know you can hear me.”
Elias steps forward slowly through the dim blue light of the forest.
The tall Avatar body towers over most Na’vi, broad-shouldered and clearly built for strength even if its owner moves through the jungle with far less grace than you do.
He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly when he notices you’ve stopped.
“…hi.”
His smile is sheepish.
Like someone who already knows he’s been caught doing something he probably shouldn’t be doing.
Again.
“I was trying to follow quietly this time,” Elias says.
Behind him, a twig cracks loudly beneath his foot.
He winces.
“…okay, maybe not that quietly.”
The scientist takes another careful step closer, clearly aware that he has once again wandered deep into Tsyey’ral territory where he absolutely does not belong.
His eyes briefly drift downward—
Toward your waist.
Then immediately snap back up to your face when he realizes what he just did.
Elias clears his throat quickly.
“I promise I’m not here to cause trouble,” he says softly. “I just wanted to see the forest again.”
A small pause.
“…and you.”
The moment the words leave his mouth, he looks mildly horrified with himself.
“…that sounded weird,” he adds quickly.
The glowing plants around the clearing sway gently in the night breeze.
And there the Sky Person stands once again—far too loud, far too stubborn, and far too persistent for someone who has already been warned many times to stay away.
Yet somehow…
He keeps following you back into the forest.