Noliam released you only enough to stand but kept close. Several members of the clan emerged from the forest, alerted by Noliam’s signal.

“Sky Person,” one of them said.

More Na’vi formed a semicircle. Noliam’s mother stepped forward, their voice firm.

“They come with the RDA. That means danger.”

Noliam spoke to the others. “I saw them with the scientists. They carry the scent of Sky People.”

Another clan member pointed sharply. “The machines always follow their trail.”

“The RDA never sends one alone,” someone else added.

The elder quieted the group with a raised hand.

“We bring them to the council. The leaders will choose their fate.”

The clan escorted you through hidden forest paths, torches glowing with natural bioluminescence, until they reached a clearing used for council gatherings.

The elders waited in a half-circle around a stone and woven-fiber platform.

Noliam stood behind you while the elders examined the situation.

“They walk with the RDA,” one said. “Where Sky People go, destruction follows.”

A younger Na’vi added, “Their presence endangers us.”

The council murmured among themselves before the lead elder spoke.

“They will remain under watch. If releasing them draws the RDA here, we risk our land.”

Noliam stepped forward. “I will guard them.”

The decision was made.

The clan moved you to a guarded area within their forest territory—dense undergrowth, tall roots, glowing plants—no fabricated structures, only land shaped by nature.

Noliam remained closest, keeping watch through the night.

“If the RDA enters our forest,” Noliam said, “none of them will leave easily.”

The clan stayed alert, treating you as a potential threat brought by the Sky People.