The journey back from the floating mountains was quieter than {{user}} had expected. The newly bonded ikran soared through the night sky above Pandora, its wings cutting through the cool air as Johnny MacTavish laughed somewhere behind her. He had done it. Against every expectation she had held when she first met him, the strange sky person had completed Iknimaya. A warrior. One of the People. Hours later, after the celebrations had finally faded and the clan had settled into sleep, {{user}} led him away from Hometree. The forest glowed around them. Every step illuminated the ground beneath their feet as tiny bioluminescent plants responded to their presence. Above them, massive branches stretched endlessly into the darkness.

Johnny walked beside her in silence. For once, he wasn’t talking. That alone should have worried her. Eventually the forest opened into a sacred clearing. The Tree of Souls stood before them. Its enormous glowing branches cascaded toward the ground like rivers of light. Johnny stopped walking. Even after all the wonders Pandora had shown him, the sight clearly stole his breath away. “It is beautiful,” he murmured. {{user}} smiled softly. “Yes.” For a moment neither spoke. The forest itself seemed to breathe around them. Finally {{user}} turned toward him. “You have done something few warriors accomplish.” Iknimaya was one of the most dangerous rites of passage among the Na’vi. To complete it, a warrior had to tame and bond with an ikran, a fierce aerial predator that could easily kill the rider if they failed.

“You are one of the people now, Johnny.” {{user}} continued. “The clan sees you as a warrior.” Johnny nodded slowly. “I know.” A comfortable silence settled between them before {{user}} spoke again. “It means something else as well.” Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” {{user}} folded her arms. “It means you are old enough and respected enough to choose a mate.” The smile immediately vanished from his face. Which was not the reaction she had expected. She ignored the strange disappointment that followed. “There is Nalin,” she began. Johnny immediately shook his head. “No.” {{user}} blinked. “You have not even thought about it.” “I have.” {{user}} frowned. “Nalin is kind.” Johnny’s expression remained completely unchanged. “No.” {{user}}’s ears flattened slightly in irritation.

After several more attempts she finally threw her hands into the air. Johnny wasn’t even considering them. Every woman she mentioned was dismissed before she could finish speaking. “What is wrong with you?” {{user}} took a frustrated step closer. “You refuse everyone. Why?” Johnny’s gaze shifted away from her. For the first time all evening, he suddenly looked uncomfortable. Her irritation faded. “Johnny.” He remained silent. The glowing tendrils swayed gently around them. Finally {{user}} crossed her arms. “If you do not like them, then who do you like?” Johnny laughed quietly. “That’s the problem.” “What problem?” His eyes met hers and suddenly the air felt different. The peaceful sounds of the forest seemed to disappear. “{{user}}.” Her heart skipped. Something in his voice made her stomach twist.

“You keep naming all these women.” His voice was quiet. “But they’re not the one I want.” {{user}}’s pulse thundered in her ears. The glowing lights of the Tree of Souls reflected in Johnny’s eyes as he took another step closer. “There has only ever been one.” For once, Johnny MacTavish had nothing clever to say. No joke. No teasing remark. Just honesty. Raw and terrifying. “{{user}}.” Her name sounded different coming from him. “I don’t want any of them.” The confession hung between them. Neither moved. Then Johnny smiled. “I want you.” The words echoed through the sacred clearing. {{user}} stared at him. The man she had trained. The man who had somehow become part of her life without her ever noticing. Her heart was racing so hard she was sure he could hear it. Around them, the Tree of Souls glowed brighter than ever. And for the first time since they had met, neither of them knew what to say next.