AU Notes: The time-line will be hard to follow if you look at the one established in the movie/movie notes, so I would advice you to just go with the flow.

I am also establishing that during 'child/teenage' phase the na'vi grow super fast, and it slows down to an almost human rate when they reach majority (18y). Also the ages in this story might differ slightly to adjust for certain events to have taken place.

PS: I made everyone like 2 years older as originally Neytiri could have mated and have a baby at 16y as she was 16 when she passed her tests.

Also question to all of you: should everyone have an ikran or only the hunters/warriors?


Chapter 1: Sky people

There she was walking through the rubble and the dust. The entire landscape around her was nothing but a grey ash tone. It was impossible to see the blue and pink of the original plant life. But as weird as it sounds she was actually very glad that the ash and dust made it hard to see, because the bodies of her people could be found all around. It was hard to remember exactly what happened.

It had been a day like no other. She woke up in their village made from the most beautiful huts. They used a bamboo like tree to create them, but this wood was a very dark brown almost black. This was perfect to disguise them from the land predators as unlike their tree dwelling cousins they had a greater connection with the ground. Living on the ground as well as in the heart of the jungle had given the Anurai clan the reputation of being one of the fiercest clans. Their totem was also the palulukan, the most dangerous animal found on land. The strongest and headstrong warriors of the clan could reach the status of palulukan makto. It was very hard to bond with a palulukan and warriors often got killed trying to bond with one that did not want them. But once bonded the palulukan were one of the most loyal creatures.

After eating with the clan her family started their daily chores. Her father was the leader of the clan and one of their strongest palulukan makto's. He had known his bounded palulukan since it was a pup as it was the son of one of the other bounded palulukans of the clan. Her mother was one of the main healers of the clan. Since an early age her mother had found her calling within the healing arts and quickly became the head healer of the clan.

Amarali on the other hand was being thought to be the next Tsahik. As the next Tsakik and leader of the clan are chosen more based upon ability and less upon heritage the Tsahik and leader of the clan are not often required to be a mated couple.

At an early age it was discovered that Amarali had a unique connection with Eywa. As a small child she would often have dreams showing her images and feelings of the will of Eywa or sometimes even warnings. With growing older she would sometimes be able to directly talk to Eywa in the right circumstances. This was not unheard of but still extremely rare. As such the current Tsahik had taken Amarali at an early age to start training so she could one day take over. In her spare time she would help her mother with the sick people learning the basics within the healing arts.

"Are you ready to start for today?" Soengo asked when Amarali arrived at the hut for her Tsahik lessons. The hut was quite soberly dressed with only a few trinkets here and there allowing an atmosphere of calm and peace to fall over the place. Taking a seat on a woven blanket on the ground Amarali went to sit in a meditation position holding out both of her hands.

"Good, we can start for today," said Soengo taking a seat across Amarali, also in a meditation position and laying both her hands on top of Amarali's. Both closing there eyes they allowed their mind to drift hoping to feel the connection with Eywa.

After a couple of hours Soengo and Amarali opened their eyes again, coming back to the real world. While the connection to Eywa was there, for some strange reason both of them could not make any connection. This had happened before when Eywa was not willing to make a connection so Amarali and Soengo were not too worried.

Taking a break both went to the midday meal to regain some of their strength. The rest of the day Amarali spend playing with the other children of the clan, enjoying being a child. It was almost time for the evening meal when it happened. The first warning were the warriors coming back in utter panic. Warriors on the back of their pa'lis and for some their palulukans screaming and with extreme fear on their faces.

What happened next is still quite vague and with the panic that was going on at the time not so clear. Amarali just remembers the warriors screaming that the sky people where coming and not even a minute later the world blowing up. She remembers her mother grabbing her and hiding her away in a very small hole within a tree.

"Whatever happens, whatever you hear do not move and do not make a sound, I will come to get you after," her mother told her before leaving. She could hear the sky people coming into the village and then she could hear this loud noise going over and over again and again while she could hear her people scream. Trying to close her eyes and covering her ears, Amarali could do nothing but pray to Eywa for it to be over.

Amarali could not remember how long she remained inside the tree. Long after the noise stopped and the forest became darker she decided to move. While she was still considered a child by the Na'vi, she knew that her mother or father were not coming back. Walking through the rubble and the bodies she cried out to Eywa hoping for someone to hear her and come.

After crying, screaming and just laying in the rubble Amarali got up. If she wanted to survive the night she had to find somewhere to sleep and she refused to do that at a place that now held so many awful memories. After stumbling around for some time she found a tree hole in the top of one of the trees. Deciding this was her best bet for the night Amarali climbed inside, thinking about her parents and all she lost Amarali eventually fell into a restless sleep.


Note:

I know this is short but this gives a small intro into the past live for Amarali. Next chapter we will see her journey through Pandora guided by Eywa.