A Dire Time of Need [Temp & Rave]

[Temptationist]

"A Dire Time of Need"
Avatar-based Roleplay

Name: Z'tari
Pronounced: [Zih-TAH-ree]
Status: Dishonored Princess
Species: Ku'ra
Height: 8 foot 2 inches
Age: 26 years old
Region: Norther mountains/forests
Clan: Woritani (largest Ku'ra clan)
Tsaheylu-Bonded Animal:
An Ukta native to the Northern forests​

As a child, I never would have imagined what could have become of my family now. I was a princess. I grew up dreaming of the day I could finally have my saw around the council table - to give my two cents and to have an active part of leading my community and my people. But looking at my reflection in the water, now, I am nothing like the person I thought I would become. I resented my family, and I resented the council even more. To add to my dismay, I even detested my people - what they had become. Bitter, cold, and unforgiving. I spent one day in council, and it was already apparent that all they could focus on was keeping the Ku'ra and the Na'vi separate - and what kind of punishments they would enforce to all trespassers. It was a kind of outdated mentality that need to be left in the past - so that at a dire time of time, like that of the human war, our species could merge together. It was the only hope we had left if we wanted to save our lands, and rid humans from our planet. But instead, all my kingdom could focus on was past, and not the present - and even less the future.

I had spent most of my childhood roaming off and getting into trouble anyways, so once I entered my adult years and slipped further and further from my family, I resorted to the same old ways. I didn't like my people, and for the most part, they didn't like me. I was known as the disgraced fall from the throne, but none of that seemed to bother me. It didn't bother my mother, either, but my father - that was a different story. Having failed to marry me off 5 times, he finally gave up and now, tried to pretend like I didn't exist - even though I still lived in my family's palace.

Today was no different. After hearing an argument between my mother and my father over my "troublesome" ways, my siblings scoffed at my presence so I took it as an invitation to leave. And thus, I went to the only place I knew I belonged. Among the forest mountains I called home. Among the nature, the animals, and all things that couldn't insult me, talk back to me, or tell me what to do. That is where I liked to be. Completely frustrated with my siblings, I had mistakenly roamed a little too far. Since the forest soothed me, I became too fixated on getting as far away as possible, that I found myself in a part of the land I didn't recognize. I wasn't lost, at least, I didn't admit that. I was just... momentarily delayed. But then I smelt it. I smelled that unmistakable scent. The scent of a human.

A normal Ku'ra would run. They would follow the nearest path away from the fiends - but not me. I was cursed by curiosity and it always lead me to danger. Following the smell, it became obvious I was nearing a camp - some sort of establishment where there were lots of them. A normal Ku'ra wouldn't know what that smelt like, but because I had already ventured through many of them, I was accustomed to the odor. Soon I could hear them, but I knew they couldn't hear me. Being a smaller Northern species, I was a professional at climbing without making a single peep. I was a creeper. Someone who enjoyed to spy on people without them knowing. But this time, I couldn't just watch at a high distance, hiding in the trees - a Direhorse was in need. The animal was in a trap - one set by the humans. As I descended from the branches, I decided to set a distraction. Taking full advantage of my swift movement and vocal talents, I trashed through the trees making various menacing animal noises. All that could be heard was the sound of quick shuffling and ruffled imminent growls.

"Hold your fire!" A soldier commanding. Although there were four of them standing around the trapped Direhorse, they were not firing. Not yet. They held their ground, pointing the gun towards a Na'vi - who, to them, was pretty much defenseless since he was only armed with tribal gear. They all looked above them to the leaves that came falling to the ground. Something was up there in the trees. It was moving furiously and it was moving loud. All they could do was wait and listen.

Suddenly the trees grew silent. In native Na'vi tongue, I shouted, "SHUT YOUR EYES!" Right after, I threw a stun grenade to the ground, and within less than a half a second it went off - sending out a huge blast of light and a high pitched noise. The soldiers fell to the ground, their eyes, ears, and mind disoriented from the flash. Because the Ku'ra and the Na'vi were a larger and physically stronger species, the noise wasn't all that disorienting. It was uncomfortable, but not disabling.

Now was the time to strike. I threw myself from the trees and landed on the branch that hosted the tree spring noose trap which held the Direhorse. In one quick swipe of a dagger, the rope breaks and the trap falls apart - releasing the animal.

 

[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?"

 

[Temptationist]

Species: Ukta
Region: Northern Mountains
Wingspan: 18.5 meters
Name: Tsam'tirea [Ts-ah-mm 'tee-reh-ahh]
Name Meaning: War Spirit
Nickname: Tsire [Ts-ee-reh]​

I spent less than a handful of seconds on the ground after I jumped from the branch - in hopes of defeating the snakes that invaded my land. But I didn't reach those snakes. Something reached me; reached FOR me, and grabbed me by the arm. Like a Prolemuris swinging for a sweet fruit - I was up and off the floor within seconds, and into the arms of the Na'vi on his bonded stallion. My eyes instantly widened as the mystery man called forth for his direhorse to ride. "No-no-no-no-no!" I jittered under my breath before I lost it as the animal jet forward. I squealed at the galloping speed, clutching the arms of my kidnapper with a look of a terrified child.

As the direhorse came to a halt, I threw myself off. My body flopped over like a child being flung off of he or she's first banshee. Dismounting the animal, I nearly fell right over. My knees wobbled, but my pride forced me to straighten my posture and hold myself as straight as possible. Though, my shaky self came a far cry from looking graceful. It was only obvious by the way I grasped for the sturdiness of a nearby tree to keep myself from falling over - either I was deathly afraid of humans (which was unlikely granted I had worked so hard to distract and stun them) OR... I was afraid of riding direhorses.

It only took me several moments to regain my fearless posture and return to normal. I took a deep breath and gave the Na'vi the deepest death stare. My eyes bounced; looking at the Na'vis large figure up and down. Though, this wasn't a flattering version of checking someone out. This was the "who in the darkest part of Pandora do you think you are?" kind of despising eye glare. I was not amused, but that dismay turned to an expression of weirded-out confusion as he swooned at my sight and referred to me as the great Mother.

"Uh..." I hesitated, my eyebrow raising as I peered at him like he was a neurotic skxawng (moron). "No...?" I hesitated to even reject his deranged notions - unaware of who he was or what he was capable of. I had seen the Na'vi before, and only met a handful of them when I was really young - but never spoken to one. "I am... Woritani" (Woritani is the largest and most well-known Ku'ra clan). "And you are way out of my league."

I gave a bit of a charming grin before leaping for a tree branch. Within seconds I had already sprouted from 10 feet to 30 feet off the ground. High in the trees, I called to him in a condescending tone. "Leave, trespasser. I was trying to save the Pa'li (direhorse), not you..."

I stood at 8 feet 2 inches, my poise strong as I leaned on leg up against a branch among the tree. Cupping my hand over my mouth, I released a cawing call which echoed lightly throughout the forest. There was only a moment of silence before the sound of an animal returned my call. I continued to coo with the animal back and forth - we were talking to one another - though the animal could not be seen - only its voice heard in the distance. Grinning, I took a deep breath and released not an animal-like caw, but a chant - a call made up of a string of beautiful vocals. My voice resonated in an echo throughout the woods for a couple seconds before it quieted.

Several seconds later, the bright sun that beamed through the breaks in the trees darkened as the wings of a large animal engulfed the perimeter. Something was coming. Something big. There was a piercing screech that came from the animal before it's massive claws plunged into the soil feet from the Na'vi and his horse. Lightly swaying it's wings - but keeping them out and open - it turned it's screech to a soft, rolling coo (like that of a human pigeon). It's eyes instantly turned to the Na'vi, twitching it's head as if it debated whether to attack, or to ignore the creatures before him. Just as it moved to take a step forward - still with it's wings open tightly - I dropped from the branches to land slickly on my feet and hands. With my back to the Na'vi, my tail swayed lightly as I looked into the bright olive-colored eyes of the northern flying creature before me, known as an Ukta.

"Steady, Tsire..." I held my hands up and moved from my crouching position to that of a standing one. He was in a pre-attacking position. One that was territorial and potentially dangerous. Despite my efforts to calm him, the Ukta could only stay focused on one thing - and that was the Na'vi - who by the look in his eyes, he saw as a threat. The Ukta started to make a sharp clicking noise. "Tsire..." I repeated, "Steady, my Tsire..." My voice was soft, one that was comforting and smooth. Despite this, I slowly poked my head over my shoulder to look at the Na'vi behind me. "Don't move, or he'll spring. He sees you, Rider." I was almost at a whisper - one that could nearly hypnotize in it's carol. I moved my head to face the Ukta, but I continued to speak towards the male Na'vi. "He sees you are strong, and he wants to be stronger." I brought my hands to the creature's beak, despite it refusing to remove its eyes from the Na'vi. As I pet the bird's beak, I returned a delicate cooing-purr before rubbing my forehead against the side of his face as I pulled for my Tsaheylu and made the bond. The Ukta finally drew back - retracting it's massive wings to a folded position and shifting his focus to me to return the affection.