Alva pushed herself up to the top edge of the cliff she was hanging onto, making sure to press herself as closely as possible to avoid getting seen by the Na'vi hunters that were coming after the first party. She was forced to take a small swim to get to the other side of the lake to avoid the Na'vi. She was shivering in the gentle breeze that caressed her wet body, the warm water laying just a short fall beneath her called after her but she ignored the allure.

Her eyes were wide as saucers and her jaw had dropped to the ground. She was at the hometree of the Omaticaya, she had actually managed to sneak past them and into their homes. Her chest puffed slightly and suddenly the cold didn't bother her as much anymore. There weren't as many bioluminescent plants here as before but the ground still lit up, which made it harder for her to sneak after them if they could see her footprints. Nonetheless she was determined to take a step further and make it into the hometree and watch over Jake, who she was going to take care of before knowing that Eywa had given them a sign about him. Alva suspected that they were going to have some sort of a trial and then determine his fate, for both of their sakes she prayed to Eywa that they wouldn't kill him. It would be hard for her to explain why she didn't try to save him, and she would feel guilty that she was part of the reason he lost his avatar.

Just as she had imagined during the helicopter ride, this tree was bigger than anything she had ever seen in her entire life. It towered over everything else she could see, the pa'li who towered over the Na'vi looked like little specks of dust compared to the great width and height of the hometree. It was supported by mangrove-like roots that twisted around the base. She could just barely see the crown of the tree from her position but it still managed to stun her. Grace's books told her that the hometree was actually several trees of the same kind that had grown together but it was hard to believe once you saw the tree in person. She couldn't tell where one begun or ended.

The last pa'li riding Na'vi rode past her and she took that as her cue to begin the last step to getting into the Omaticaya hometree in which Jake was being held. Alva took a deep breath, her lips curling up at the thought of finally walking among them as one of them, even if it was just pretend on her part. She would have to stick to the back or they would recognise her as not one of the clan members, hopefully she could pull it off or she was going to have a lot to explain and possibly be killed.

She grunted and pulled herself up over the ledge of the now muddy ground. Her clothes were dirty beyond recognition which was good, that way the Na'vi wouldn't notice the human fabric or print on it. For once in her life her being dirty was going to help her. Her first step was shaky but after a few tentative steps it stopped and her steps became the confident walk that she always had. Her tail flicked behind her and her dots beamed stronger, especially the ones on her face. The coloring of the area around the hometree was all various shades of blue, her favorite color.

Alva skipped down to the trail, not even attempting to hide anymore. None of the Na'vi would suspect she was a dreamwalker because of several reasons: one being that dreamwalkers were forbidden there, two being that she acted like them and was hiding her hands so they wouldn't see her extra finger. She could vaguely see the Jake and his captives running at the end of the trail and into the hometree.

She continued her skipping with her fingers tucked into the waist of her muddy shorts while humming an old Na'vi melody she had learnt during her training. The natives that stood around the trail looked at her for a moment and then looked away, muttering about her being odd. The looks they gave her was like those you give your neighbor that you faintly recognise but still find weird.

The closer she got to the hometree the louder she could hear the chattering of the natives, and could even see the outlines of the crowd that were standing about in the hollow entrance of their home. She gave a low whistle, this would be her ultimate test. Muddy or not, she had to stick to the shadows and not talk to anyone. Her poor na'vi would immediately blow her cover if someone talked to her or she had to talk to someone.

Alva jogged the rest of the way, she wanted to blend in with the crowd before they centered too much around Jake. She wiped her hands down her body to try and get rid of some of the mud that painted her blue skin in brown and green. She was almost there now, her steps quickened and heart pumped faster. This was it. All or nothing.

Her fast steps slowed down to a brisk walk when she was just by the entrence and she slipped in to the side of the biggest gap between roots. Her head nodded and bowed to some of the villagers who greeted her and she threw some smiles at the children who grinned at her. She could see Jake now, he was being herded towards the front of the hollow, a Na'vi held him by his tswin. Her scalp itched at the bare thought of someone grabbing ahold of hers and threatening it with a knife that sharp.

She had dropped any objects she carried that were of human design way back, almost immediately after running away from Grace. All she had on her person was her clothing and jewelry, who was surprisingly still on her. The natives gave her some weird looks when they saw how much jewelry and decorations she had on but she just let them all glide off her, though her tail lifted almost like the hackles would on an agitated cat. Most of their attention was on Jake, a fact she was grateful for because she wasn't sure she would ever be able to do something like this if their attention wasn't focused on the anomaly that was Jake Sully.

Alva slipped past several of the Na'vi and stood near the front of the crowd but far enough back that she wouldn't be given any attention by the higher ups. Her eyes were drawn to Tsu'tey as soon as she stopped moving, he was talking to the Olo'eyktan, probably informing him about Jake. The clan leader had a shoulder covering that consisted of some kind of feathers or fabric in different colors that gave him the impression of even wider and stronger shoulders. His hair was long and braided into individual braids, some of which were tied up in some kind of bun and some that hung down his back, it was all held back by a headpiece with a bone-like decoration that Alva briefly saw hanging down his forehead.

Her wrist begun shaking but no sound came from her bracelets that were trapped beneath a thick layer of mud. Her dreamy looking eyes widened slightly but she took a few calming breaths that made them get back to the normal size. Her eyes were drawn to Tsu'tey's chest, which was strong, toned and filled with shining dots. The patterns calmed her down as she traced some of her own while counting his.

"" She heard the Na'vi who had saved Jake from being killed by Tsu'tey greet someone. In response to the voice the Olo'eytukan turned around with a disapproving look already plastered on his face. "" She continued and made the traditional sign to what appeared to be her father. That would make her... Alva's eyes widened in amusement and a smile tugged at her face. Jake's savior was Neytiri, the daughter of the leader of the Omaticaya.

The Na'vi leader walked down the steps to his daughter with his eyes firmly locked on Jake, who stood behind Neytiri. He scoffed slightly at the sight of him and Jake in return forced a small smile on his face and then nodded at the man he recognised as the leader. His years as a marine had given him the experience and knowledge to point out a leader of a group after just a short while, and the Olo'eytukan was definitely the leader.

"" The leader begun once he had inspected Jake some. "" He asked his daughter with the question hanging tensely in the air around them. Alva pressed herself closer to the front but still stayed behind some other natives.

""Neytiri defended herself and pointed her fingers to her her upper ribs, emphasizing that she was going to do it. "" She told her father almost defiantly in terms of tone but kept her head low and submissive.

"" He scolded her and Alva could almost feel the underlying pain in his voice.

"What's he saying?" Jake asked Neytiri in a soft voice after shrugging his shoulders. His clothing was ripped and he had dark circles under his eyes that made him look utterly exhausted.

"" The Olo'eytukan continued his little speech that had all of the natives attention, the last sentence a clear mocking that many natives chuckled at. Alva couldn't help the amused giggle from slipping out and it filled the air along with the other. Even Tsu'tey chuckled at the clear insult, and Alva thought he looked much better this way, happy and without a frown.

"Hey, what's he saying?" Jake tried again, he had a feeling they were laughing at him and he didn't like it.

"My father is deciding whether to kill you." Neytiri translated, her good pronunciation surprised Alva. She had expected broken english and a thick accent, maybe the Na'vi woman had gone to Grace's school before it closed down.

A Na'vi pushed Alva slightly in an attempt to get past her but she shoved him back with an annoyed hiss, making sure to keep her hands still hidden. Her tail flared behind her and her ears flattened against her head. The Na'vi glanced at her and then backed off.

"Your father. It's nice to meet you, sir" Jake murmured and approached the leader with his hand outstretched in what he expected to be a greeting. Alva snickered at him when she saw the movement.

Alva sniggered when all of the Na'vi jumped towards him with matching hisses flying from their mouths. The one who caught her eyes the most, was Tsu'tey who lunged towards Jake with his mouth open, showcasing his sharp, elongated canines. A Na'vi besides Jake put a knife against his throat and another a hand to keep him away from their leader.

Among the chaos a strong, husky but yet feminine voice boomed in na'vi. Alva couldn't understand what exactly she was saying but even she felt the need to stand down and calm down. Her eyes snapped to where a new figure walked down the spiral stairs that stood in the middle of the hollow. She had a kind of long, red and pink poncho like clothing that fell over her torso and blended with her loincloth. She had a headpiece on that connected with the object hanging down her breasts that had a knife attached to it. Her tswin was braided into the hanging piece and the rest of her hair was short, braided and fell down her shoulders.

"" The new Na'vi demanded with authority clear in her voice as she walked down to where Jake and Neytiri stood. Her face was blank and unreadable.

"That is mother. She is Tsahìk. The one who interprets the will of Eywa" Neytiri explained to Jake with her head bowed down. Alva noticed that Neytiri avoided looking directly up at her mother who was inspecting Jake much like her father had.

"Who's Eywa?" Jake asked and Alva snorted with wide, shocked eyes. She couldn't believe that Jake didn't even know who that was, it was impossible to avoid. Or she thought it was, but Jake proved her wrong.

The Tsahìk walked behind Jake, lifted up his heavy braid and then let it flop back down. She was inspecting him closely. Next she grabbed his tail and swung it around her hand before she let that flop down as well. "What are you called?" The matriarch asked Jake with a heavy accent to her otherwise good english.

"Jake Sully"

The Na'vi woman reached up and pulled the knife from its holster and pricked him with it in one of his wounds. He grunted but made no other moves. The Tsahìk brought the thin knife knife, or rather pointy stick, to her mouth and tasted the blood she had taken.

"Why did you come to us?" She asked Jake loudly. So loud that her voice echoed in the crowded hollow.

"I came to learn" Jake responded in a soft voice. His voice spoke of his exhaustion and Alva almost felt bad for him if it wasn't for the fact that he got to be with the Na'vi without hiding and had gotten a sign from Eywa herself.

"We have tried to teach other Sky People. It is hard to fill a cup which is already full." The Tsahìk spoke, her voice now much softer and quieter. She was still staring right into Jake's eyes.

Jake bristled slightly and Alva almost laughed at the statement. Jake didn't even have a cup yet, so it was impossible that his could possibly be full. "Well, my cup is empty, trust me." He let a small grin show on his face. "Just ask Dr. Augustine. I'm no scientist"

Alva nodded, but neither was she. She was almost less of a scientist than Jake was, but she knew other things that they didn't. The avatar zoned out from the conversation that was happening in front of her and instead daydreamed about exploring the forest outside of the hometree, or how it would feel to be one of the people. A dreamy smile grew on her face and her eyes became unfocused as she retreated back into her mind.

She was brought out of her thoughts at the loud snarl of annoyance that suddenly broke the quiet air. Alva shook her head slightly and tried to understand what was going on, but the spoken na'vi was hard for her to understand.

"It is decided. My daughter will teach you our ways" The Tsahìk told Jake, which surprised Alva. They were going to teach him? She had expected them to let him go free or at least rough him up, not that they were going to teach him their ways. A small speck of envy grew in her mind but she quickly pushed it down with a wave of happiness for him. She would never let herself fall victim to envy, much less over one of her friends. "Learn well, Jakesully. Then we will see if your insanity can be cured."

At the last sentence Alva let out a sound that was a mix between a cackle and a giggle, his human insanity would be easy to cure. She could see it in him, the urge to be free just like this opportunity would give him. She wondered what would happen if she revealed herself now to them but she shook her head and pushed the thought away. No time for such thoughts.

That was her cue to leave and she turned around and pushed her way through the thick crowd of natives, making sure not to step on anyone or push into them too hard. Her heart felt light and filled with joy, somehow this just seemed like the beginning and that Jake's training was the key to her and his freedom.

Once she got out from the hometree she scouted the area and spotted a big tree, smaller than the hometree but still big enough to comfortably sleep in without being detected by any early-rising natives.

Alva jogged over to the tree that had several glowing mushrooms and vines on it that would make the dark night a lighter place for her. It took maybe two or three pushes and jumps for her to reach the hollow in the tree that she was planning on sleeping in. She could almost hear Grace's scolding about her choice in hiding, but it's not like there's any safer place around. The avatar wasn't even supposed to be there, Jake had been the only exception since the school closed and she highly doubted that they would let her stay there.

She crawled into the hole in the tree and comfortably stretched out in the small hollow. Though the height of it was low she could still lay outstretched without bumping into the other side of the tree, which she considered a win. Plus, the small height of it would better hide her from predators and natives.

She chuckled breathlessly at the situation she was in but she had no regrets at all. She was more than happy to be where she was, and she thanked Eywa that she had allowed Alva to get there without much trouble. No, Alva would never be able to live the same way behind bars, not when she had experienced freedom.