Dedicated to my beloved friendo who turned 18 a little while ago. Congratulations, ily, and you're now an ancient being of writing. Honestly this is not one of my finest action scenes but I feel like it's good enough.

The flowers she held in her hands fell to the ground when she heard the words tumble out of his mouth. Like a dark storm it soared across the crowd of Na'vi and then to her. Alva felt all her hard work crumble to pieces around her, the foothold she had made in the clan be erased and the anger of the natives around her. She had deceived them and they were none too pleased.

The bouquet that she had collected with some of the children fell to the ground. Pink, purple and blue petals spread around her feet. Alva folded her hands over her stomach and refused to let her eyes fall. She fought against her mind's desire to drift away.

She could feel Eywa warning her. In the wind she heard the soft spoken words and in the eyes of the natives she could feel their distrust, anger and disbelief. The sudden silence around them as she walked into the first hollow of the kelutral was deafening. The only thing that anchored her to the present was Tsu'tey, but even he was antsy.

A sudden softness around her made her eyes flutter shut and a delirious smile grow on her face. Suddenly as she felt the comfort of the goddess' arms around her the present didn't seem as bad, surely Eywa would not let anything happen to her that was not meant to be.

"" The Na'vi standing in the middle of the large crowd asked her in a smug voice. His shoulders were relaxed, his head tilted high and a smirk on his thin lips. Alva saw the smug pride in his eyes and also the flickering they did towards her teacher, his cousin.

Alva clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and with a simple voice replied: "."

The Na'vi man let out a triumphal shout and spread his arms up to the sky. "." Shadows danced on his face from the fires around them. His golden eyes met hers once more. " ."

She wrinkled her nose and brushed a lock of her hair over her shoulder. "" Her face was twisted up as if she was offended, but Alva would not let herself succumb to those treacherous emotions when the aura of a fight was filling the air. ""

A piece of something dark and twisted that she had long since buried shifted down in its cage. The threat around her wasn't a joke, and even she felt his hostility towards her. ""

"" Tir'äya asked incredulously and took a step back. ""

Tsu'tey took a step forward and without looking at her even once, as he had not done since she walked into the kelutral. ""

Tsu'tey's cousin scoffed and tilted his head to the side with a scowl on his face. His lips turned down in disgust as he leered at them. ""

Before Tsu'tey could respond, Alva swooped in. "" She declared strongly with fierce eyes. She would not bring Tsu'tey down with her. He had worked his entire life to get where he was in the clan and she would never do anything to harm him. ""

"" The cousin commented with a sneer on his face that made his chubby cheeks stand out. "" He strode forward with his bow held up in the air as his words turned into a shout which urged the other Na'vi to chant, scream and yip with him.

Alva stared at him blankly, not giving anything away to him or the loud crowd of excited onlookers. She knew the day would come, the day she would be forced to reveal herself, but she thought she had more time. Sooner or later all lies, no matter how carefully woven or how beautiful they are, always catch up to you.

"" She said with an upturned cheek and tense posture. Her eyes briefly flickered to Tsu'tey but he gave her nothing but a glare and a huff. Her heart beat faster in her chest and her hands turned cold and clammy. The usual.

Tir'äya grinned, something that looked so similar to his cousin that it was eerie. "" He called out to the spectators, who yipped in response. "" He laughed and shoved his bow into the arms of one of the hunters beside him.

"Let's dance." Alva whispered to herself weakly. A feeling of hopelessness grew within her as she looked at her opponent. The Na'vi were all full of strong, defined muscle that flexes with every movement. Walls of muscles and strength, that's what they were. That's what Alva was not. Her body may be of the Na'vi appearance, thought less muscular, but her mind was not. Her mind was that of a still weak human trying to fit in a cruel world not meant for her. Alva would make herself fit in, by all means necessary.

She cracked her knuckles, fingers and wrists before adjusting all decorations she had adorned herself with. Surely some of them could come in handy.

Time seemed to slow down when she heard his battlecry, a sound that made her toes curl and a shiver rush down her spine. She imagined it was the sound he made right before making a kill, the sound being the last thing you heard before the sweet release of death claimed your soul and body.

Alva exhaled, the sound loud in her ears, before she too took a step forwards and into the path of the warrior. His steps shook the ground. She smiled at the sky before facing him, having accepted her fate.

Her eyes fell shut and her arms spread wide, only to be curled to her body as she danced to the side just as he lunged at her. Alva felt the rush of air he left behind. She was no fighter, she was a dancer. And dance she would do.

He recovered quickly and swung back around. This time she wasn't fast enough to avoid the fist he aimed at her stomach. It hit her fast and hard, knocking the air out of her lungs and making her eyes open with a painful whimper. This time he was the one that danced away from her, his movements so graceful she was almost jealous.

Alva huffed before forcing herself up from where she had fallen down on one knee. Her knees were shaking but she was determined. Mind over matter, if she convinced herself that she could do it then she would.

The Na'vi around them cheered eccentrically and closed in on them. The area grew smaller and the warrior came back around towards Alva. This time she was prepared for his blow and jumped back just before he could land it in her vulnerable stomach. Instead he used the momentum of his punch and instead hit her in the chin with a straight uppercut.

Blood flowed from where she had bit her tongue. It tasted of metall and humiliation. Her eyes teared up at the sharp pain and the feeling of her own blood slowly dripping down the side of her cheek from the split lip was barely noticeable through the thick fog of pulsating pain.

The crowd exclaimed loudly and she heard his laughter around her.

"" He hummed and looked down at her. "" Tsu'tey's cousin hissed at her and forced her chin up so she could meet his infuriated eyes. They burned through her resolve. She looked away but not before she pushed his hand away from her.

"I am not weak." She muttered in a tone that bordered anger. Alva spat blood at the ground right by his feet and smirked up at him with blood coating her white teeth. Her head spun with all the voices of people that have called her weak; Grace, Norm, Jake, Tsu'tey, her family, her friends, all of them echoed and screamed at her.

Alva stood up straighter, looked around her once and saw that the crowd was still cheering as loudly as before. Now she could see that they did not only cheer for him, no. She saw her friends there, she saw her aunt, and she saw Jake with his teacher. He nodded at her and mimicked punching someone. She smiled.

The dreamwalker shook her hands softly before bringing them up to her chin. Her breathing was shaky but still strong.

He was standing still, just watching her. Alva stared back at him defiantly and took a few steps forward. She looked him up and down before she in one quick move pushed her tiny fist into his stomach. Alva felt her hands hit the hard muscle of his stomach, and she felt the flinch that rushed through him. She grinned.

Tir'äya snarled and pushed her away. ""

His eyes darkened. Alva shivered and all courage she had before melted away like an ice cream would under the harsh sunlight of summer. Her legs shook and her breathing turned shallow.

He stalked her, turned when she turned, lunged when she jumped back and crouched when she did. Everything he did was precise and hauntingly beautiful. If it was not directed at her, Alva would have marveled at how he moved, and maybe even compared it to how her Tsu'tey moved, but it was directed at her.

Alva shook her head and gritted her teeth before she rushed towards him. Her feet made indents in the soft grass and the villagers' cheers filled the tense air. She brought her fists up, they shook and the wounds on them stung.

He laughed and brought his own fists up. She glared at him, heat rising inside of her at the way he mocked her. A new sense of strength filled her. Alva connected her fists with his ribs. Once, twice, even three times before he pushed her away from him.

Alva breathed heavily but this time a smile was on her lips. She saw the way he favored his left side after her heavy blows, saw the way he hunched over, the way he wheezed before his breathing returned to normal. She saw it all, she had done that.

His steps sounded like thunder and his expression was pure fury. Maybe she had surprised him and now he was mad he had been hurt by a mere human playing a Na'vi. Maybe it was all a front and he was secretly pleased his cousin had not taken a weak student under his wing.

She took a step backwards when he came too close but he grabbed her arm tightly before she could escape him once more. Alva gasped and looked down at his hand. The skin under his hold paled and ached as he pressed down on it. Without a doubt the skin would be bruised tomorrow.

Alva giggled through the heavy feeling in her head, through the pain rushing through her body and the exhaustion that just hit her like a train. She was proud of herself for what she had done, and hoped that he was too.

"" Tri'äya hissed his words in a whisper only for her ears. His lips tugged upwards but it was not a good smile. It was a smile that promised pain.

Alva giggled once more and let her head flop back. "" Her words were more of a punch to his stomach than her actual punch was. Her words were perfect na'vi and his eyes widened in shock before they hardened again.

"You will regret it. I can promise you that, Al'va." His words were cold and meant to hurt her but she could see in his face that he was impressed and maybe even a bit proud. It was not something that was obvious, maybe he wasn't even aware that he was showing it. Alva saw it in the way his eyes creased, the way his head tilted and the way his face wasn't hard enough for the facade he had.

She shook her head and placed a hand on his. "" She breathed out and let her eyes fall to Tsu'tey.

He had been watching her during the fight with attentive eyes. They were wide enough for her to see his worry, and she smiled reassuringly at him. They both knew this was not a fight she could even dream about winning.

Right before his fist connected with the side of her head she winked at her teacher and let a wide, happy smile push through the grimace of pain. Alva would go out smiling. And so she did, immediately after his fist hit her already aching head, she was out like a light. All that could be heard from her before the body turned limp was a soft exhale.

Alva may not have won the fight but she had won something else instead.