I've aimed to be more spiritual in Aleyx's interactions with the creatures and the environment in Pandora. It was something I used before the rewrite, but I didn't delve into it deeply enough. And sincerely, I like this change more, especially regarding the initiation rite.
By the way, did you know that Kiri tamed her own Ikran at a very young age, in a way unusual for the Na'vi: simply by asking it to be her friend instead of using the banshee-catcher? And that this led Jake to consider Kiri a "weird" girl?
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The initiation rite, an event that every Na'vi of the Subaiya clan had to undergo, was a step toward becoming a hunter of the tribe—a respected member capable of protecting and providing sustenance to the clan. It was a great honor for the clan; the possibility of being of help to the clan was an immense happiness, something every Na'vi was willing to be.
But I also knew that the initiation rite was only performed when one was ready, and that was decided by the Gulkan, or mentors—they were the tribe's veteran warriors, to whom a certain number of young people were assigned to train them in the Subaiya way.
And once the Gulkan saw that the Na'vi was ready, he would speak with the Tsahìk, and after a meeting with the Tsahìk, the young Na'vi would be taken to the Ayram alusìng to claim an Ikran as his own, with which he would fly for the rest of his life unless one of the two died.
"Mother, but Ateyo hasn't completed the training; there are still several things left to learn," I said to my mother, who remained standing in front of me. Me'ra, my mother's Selìk, was also with her, standing just a few meters away, watching me attentively.
And as if it were a signal, Me'ra approached me with firm and determined steps, but with the aura of a mother, making no sound at all as she reached me, circled me, and then positioned herself in front of me again, she spoke: "The Great Mother has chosen you; you have a greater purpose than you can imagine. Your path is long, but full of choices, and that path begins now." With a series of sounds, Me'ra communicated with me, leaving me confused. Did my arrival in this place come loaded with actions I had to fulfill? Brought to Pandora for a purpose I didn't understand but was supposed to fulfill.
"And what is that purpose? Any hint of what I'm supposed to do?" I asked, while making hand signs, as if communicating in sign language. It was something surprising to see and witness—communicating with a non-human species, or at least not Na'vi, and even more so with animals; it was unheard of, something that could only be seen in Pandora.
"That will be something you'll have to learn on your own, but do not fear; the Great Mother will guide you." That was the simple response I received from Me'ra, which made me sigh. "My decision is made; you will go with the young people that Ateyo will take to the Ayram alusìng, and you will become a hunter."
I wanted to protest, but I knew that would only lead to a dead end, and my mother wasn't speaking to me now—she was speaking as the Tsahìk, and her word was respected. "Once you become a hunter, you must start looking for a mate. Think, decide. Once you choose her, you must present her to your father and me; she will have to begin her training as Tsahìk, so you only have one year. Decide. If your father and I see that she is not the right one, we will find one ourselves."
A mate—what joy. Since when had we gone back to the Victorian era? However, outwardly, I simply nodded. At least I could choose; I just had to do it well. My mother agreed, and gazing with tacit contemplation at the Angtsìk behind me for a few seconds, she turned and left.
She didn't ask, didn't make any comment; she simply left, but not before giving me a look as well. And though this body was young, my mindset was not, and I understood that she was giving me space and time to tell her myself, and I appreciated it immensely.
"Well, my friend, it was a pleasure to meet you, but I have to go; I'll be back later," I said to the big guy behind me, while gently passing my hand near his jaw, with the Angtsìk huffing as he moved his ears.
Once the farewells were done, I left my new big friend to return to the herd while I walked away thinking. This encounter gave me brief answers. While I hadn't fully understood what makes me special, I had made some progress.
Clearly, looking the creature in the eyes and saying the word "obey" meant something, since that's how I was able to bond or make some kind of connection with Fang and with Thanos, as I named the giant Angtsìk. That was already a great advance; more investigation would be needed to know how to make better use of this. Could I achieve the same by saying the word "obey" without needing to look the target in the eyes? Or would it also work if I said the word mentally? These were unknowns I would have to resolve later.
For now, I would go prepare for my initiation, but now, at least, I felt more confident when facing an Ikran, especially one that wanted to kill me.
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"You stay here, Fang; you can't come with me. Where I'm going, you can't come. Once I do what I'm going to do, I'll come back, okay?" I said to Fang, having arrived at the Ayram alusìng after a three-hour ride. Ateyo, my Gulkan, had told me and the other seven young people who came with him to leave our mounts at the place where the path ended for the Pa'li.
From there, it would be up to us to climb Iknimaya, the Stairway to Heaven, to the home of the Ikran. Fang purred, and I could see he didn't like the idea of leaving me alone, but he had to. "I won't be long, okay?"
"Aleyx, we're leaving," Ateyo's voice made me look back, where he stood in front of the other young people, so slinging my bow over my right shoulder, I approached Ateyo. "Kids, today you stop being children; you become hunters. And once that happens, you can continue training to become warriors, but that will only happen if you manage to tame a Txumre'. But anyway, let's focus on this first."
I'm not entirely sure how things were in the other clans; however, in the Subaiya clan, a member could rise to several things, each with different difficulties and responsibilities. They ranged from gatherer, hunter, warrior, and Rizak—the latter being the highest title in the clan, since it meant you had become a Palulukan Makto, and with that, guardian of the Olo'eyktan and the Tsahìk. And most importantly, guardian of the Tree of Souls.
"We'll climb first; we have to go up to reach the higher parts. Once that's done, the mountain itself will give us a boost." Without saying more, Ateyo took the lead, starting to climb the moss and small floating rocks.
The ascent was a bit tense, and when we reached the top, my fingers were protesting a little, but once we were at the summit, the view made all the effort worthwhile. The wind blew quickly but with the calm of a familiar touch, drying the scant sweat I might have secreted. Flocks of Ikran flew in the distance, diversifying with the canopy of the mountains.
"On my signal, we jump," Ateyo directed us, while an Ayram alusìng passed in front of us, with its thick vines hanging from it. "Now!" With the signal, Ateyo jumped, grabbing one of the vines and starting to climb it, with the young people and me following his example.
The climb was challenging, but with the end of the destination appearing, shortly after, we all climbed into a grotto. With the echo of the Ikran's growls resounding in the rocky chamber, a reminder of our purpose in the place. And once we emerged from the grotto and the light hit my eyes like strong spotlights, I could see the home of hundreds of roaring Ikran, flying from all directions, their vibrant green, blue, and purple fur reflecting the sun like jewels. It was a wonderful sight.
Ateyo, the hunter/warrior and leader of the initiation, approached the group of young people, who were now ready to begin their initiation ritual. "Aleyx, you go first; show them how the Olo'eyktan's son does it," Ateyo announced. He didn't say it with malice; rather, as the future Olo'eyktan of the clan, I had to demonstrate the strength and impetus needed to hold that position, and one way to show that strength was to take the lead in this.
So I wasn't bothered, but nodded respectfully and removed the bow from my body, leaving it on the ground, while taking a vine made from Snarkle skin—a two-headed snake species—and walked toward the group of Ikran in the mountain clearing.
Upon my arrival, many Ikran launched themselves off the precipice, leaving the place, with others complaining and growling but showing reluctance to approach me. But in the midst of them all, one caught my attention. He didn't growl, didn't show his teeth, nor did he bristle to appear more threatening.
Instead, he stayed watching me attentively, almost as if something about me caught his interest, and that's when I knew he was the one.
For a moment, I thought about using my gift to claim him for myself, but I wanted to earn something through my own effort. However, it seemed the Ikran had other plans; he walked toward me with caution but curiosity, like a dog seeing its master after years of lost contact—at first cautious, curious, but with a certain familiarity between us that suggested an ancient, very familiar closeness.
And so it was. As my surroundings faded away, leaving only me and the Ikran, the two of us fell into a trance, with a play of gazes, sounds, and signs. I didn't know if this was the method for bonding with an Ikran, but it didn't matter, because it was like seeing a friend from years ago.
"I'm Aleyx; I'm here to get an Ikran—a friend, a companion. Do you want to be it? Be my friend?" I didn't know if it would work; I only knew the words came out unforced from my throat, as if imposed on me. And in a twist of fate, though not surprising, the Ikran extended his neural queue to me, and with it, his permission to make Tsaheylu with him.
Without wasting time, I took my neural queue and made Tsaheylu with the Ikran, and a strong sensation ran through my body. But among them, one feeling grew larger, and it was the shared happiness of finding a companion, a... "friend." With that, my initiation rite to become a hunter was complete.