Thread: A Dire Time of Need [Temp & Rave]

Mak'to didn't really live the simplest of lives, though rarely any Na'vi did, not in the last few years anyway. Still, in comparison to most Na'vi clans and their young adults, he was having a particularity complicated and difficult time. The moment he was born, it was decided that he would be a rider, a hunter, destined to defend his people. Hell, his Na'vi name literally translated to 'Rider'. It wasn't a fate he could escape, nor did he want to. Some people would crumble under the pressure, to decide to avoid it in search of their own paths on Pandora, yet luckily for Mak'to, his personality turned out to match his name sake rather well. Almost too well. He was that one Na'vi that crossed borders when everyone else turned back, the one Na'vi that climbed higher than he was told to climb in their training And fell on his ass a few times because of it.. It seemed that the more dangerous the activity was, the more risky and thrilling, the more Mak'to was drawn to it. On a planet like Pandora, having a personality like that means you're a walking death sentence, and Mak'to knew that from the bottom of his heart. Yet still, he could not simply change who he was or how he acted. It really says something, when you feel bored on a Planet like Pandora, where everything is interesting and every corner something wants to kill you. Nevertheless, he did find himself so. He always watched his father and the other riders of their clan spring upon their direhorses and go hunting, or ride into battle with other clans. He dreamed of joining them, dreamed of seeing what he was being prevented from seeing across those borders. There were rumors, of corse, of monstrous green humanoids living on the other side,trying to steal our rivers and kill our children. Now, most would be afraid to venture out and try to find what exactly was going on, yet Mak'to could not wait another moment to find out. Luckily for him, this was his time. It was time for his clan's rite of passage, where a young adult ventures out with his Dire Horse into the jungles of Pandora, alone with his animal, for a whole year, to strengthen the bond between beast and man and follow the great chief's footsteps, who according to legend, spent a century out in the wilderness with his horse, uniting Na'vi into forming this very clan. If a Horse came back to the camp without it's Na'vi after forming the bond, the worst is assumed about its rider. If the rider comes home without his dire horse, it is assumed that the horse is killed and that the rider has failed in his rite of passage. The failed riders were reduced to gatherers of berries, and genrally looked down on to by their clan as un-worthy and weak, allowing their animal to die in the jungle and returning with head tucked between legs in shame. It wasn't the simplest of rituals, it wasn't the safest, but this was Pandora and to be strong, you needed to be forged through battles. It had been a couple of months already since Mak'to and his horse, Syikta, had ventured out into the wilderness. Mak'to was flexible and strong enough to handle most of the animals in the near vicinity. The Na'vi stood at an impressive 10 feet, 6 inches, taller than most creatures with exception of a few. He was built like an agile tank, muscles throughout his body to put force beneath his movements, yet not bulky and fat to hinder them. Unlike most who return with no armor and venture out with no armor, Mak'to would skin and eat the animals his hunter, and to avoid wasting a single essence of their body, he would use and forge their bones with fire into pieces of armor that he would wear upon his body, protecting him from scratches and bites from smaller animals. His weapons were tribal, a long spear of bone with a jagged, sharpened dagger at the very end of it. Two dirks at the side of his belts, which were simply the large, canine teeth of a Thanator. Yet these weapons weren't helping him so much now. The sound of bellowing, deep cries sprang his attention from the tree he was perched on, and a snarl escaped his lips. He knew that sound all too well, and that very noise came from Siykta himself. Something wasn't right, no. The Direhorse did not simply bellow and scream to alert its position to attackers. Something was wrong. He leaped from tree branch to tree branch, swinging across vines in a heated rush as his canines flashed and his lips opened to let out aggressive, threatening calls that echoed throughout the forest. His suspicions were correct, as upon landing on a branch near the scene, he saw Siykta trapped within a net, suspended from the ground as humans surrounded it. Humans. He'd heard of them, even seen a few in passing, but he had always thought that his clan was concealed enough within the forest that they would not be discovered. It seemed that Mak'to had ventured beyond borders yet again. The Na'vi gripped his spear and snarled loud enough to be noticed, only to let out further war cries as he jumped from the tree and with one swoop, swung his spear to instantly knock out one of the humans cold with its butt. The situation wasn't favorable, as the humans suddenly surrounded him with their weapons pointed at him. He snarled even more, knowing that communication was not an option here. He held his ground, flexible legs lowering him to the ground in a semi-crouched position with spear in hand, ready to go out in glory before the human finally spoke. He was weary, waiting for something, and it was only then that Mak'to noticed that they were not alone in this forest. A second later, his suspicions were confirmed, and without a second warning a gruff yet feminine voice screamed in their native tongue for him to shut his eyes. His instincts had him follow the command, and in a second he hid his eyes against his arm as a loud bang flashed into the ground and a ringing in his ear started to grow. It took him a few seconds to re-adjust to what just happened, before he realized what had happened. His vision was blurry, just slightly, not to make out the color of his rescuer, only that she had just freed his horse. Now was not the time to think, it was simply the time to act. He sprinted to his freed horse and jumped upon its back, instantly forming the bond. Without a second thought, he swung his long arm and gripped the woman's own, flinging her up in a whip like motion to his front and pressing his chest into her back to hold her in place. RIDE SIYKTA He ordered in their tongue, before the Direhorse took off into the jungle and away from every human in sight. It was then that his vision finally came to its natural sight, and when he pulled his head back lightly, he saw who had helped him. This...Na'vi...she was...she was what the rumors were about. Her skin was an emerald green so dazzling that he lost himself in it for a moment. She was shorted...but slimmer...more, elegant. Her eyes were as blue as Pandora skies, her figure was as strong and feminine as the strongest of Na'vi shamans back in their clan. You... He paused again, his Direhorse stopping in place when they were finally out of sight. You are...Eywa?