Kino flattened his ears to his head, half to shelter them from the rain, half instinctual. He held back a lound, oud hiss that he wanted to spray onto Jack, but what would that accomplish? At best, one pissed of Dreamer to tell the lot of his Dreamer friends to wipe out the rest of the Na'vi. AFter a moment, he released a sigh he hadn't relized he was holding. He loosened his hug around Anni and lowered himself into a crouch again, wrapping his tail around his toes like a cat. His jet black hair stuck heavy to his face, and he flicked it out as to see better. He eyed Jack, pondering something....

With Kino no longer holding her, Anni wrapped her arms tight around herself. Tears streamed down her face like the rain, and she was thankful that it was hard to see. She struggled to keep her breathing even around the lump in her throat and the emotion in her chest. Every time this sort of thing happened, it got worse. As much as Anni had wanted Jack to become Na'vi, she felt very torn. She was being acsepted into the Na'vi and her training was almost complete. But, she was also part of Jack's world, part of the problem. She was still human, and whenever she lay her Avatar to sleep, she awoke in a lab. The few hours she spent out of her beloved dream she spend eating, sleeping and reading. Tonight, however, would be different. Even if she was just part of the research team, she could do something. She was no longer part of the millitary. She was, in heart, Na'vi. Tonight, when Anni lay her Avatar down, she would spy upon the military forces. What were they doing?

Kino was thinking of similar outlooks. If Anni tracported between human and Na'vi interactions.... His eyes turned to ice on Jack.  If he, too, was truely human in Na'vi skin, he was allined with them. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing and next time he would bring the whole pack. His cry was threataningly low, but rather quiet, barely above a whisper. Yet, besides his eyes and the occasional swish of the tail, he keep a rather cool, even composure. He blinked slowly, never daring to let Jack out of his sights. "Speak your pourpose, Dreamer. WHy have you come?"

In an instant, Anni understood Kinomi's meaning. She bit her lower lip so hard it began to bleed. The blood tasted matalic and it was hard to ignore. She forced blue- amber eyes onto Jack, tears rolling down like rivers now. She knew where her heat lay, but Jack.... Jack was just another trigger happy marine. She looked away slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground. In the lowest voice, so low even Kino didn't hear, she whispered, "I thought you were better...." She made a few slow strides back South, the way they had come. She wanted no more to do with him. Let him go back! She cried soundlessly. Let him be the trader he always was! She began to run back to camp, unsing a large hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. She dissapeared around the bend within two secconds. Dispite her clumsiness, Anni had always been fast.

Kinomi was standing now, flicking his tail. He may have been shorter than Cyvati, but he was taller than Jack. His eyes narrowed into hard, unmoving gold spheres, but he said nothing. He waited, rather impatiently for Jack to reply in words of actions.

((Lol. Sorry I haven't been on all day.))

 Jack took a step back,"Look, I am just here because I wanted to come and explore! This world has so many things to be found! So many mysteries and wonders!" Jack said excited. He then looked around dissapointed,"Too bad I didn't get that far in my adventure."

 "You-your just like a five year old! Do you see anything that is going around you right now?" Aurora asked looking at Jack.

 "Yes and you are just like a grown up! Boring and going by the rules!" Jack snapped back.

 "Do you know who I am? I am the one who saved you three times already!" Aurora hissed.

 Jack rolled his eyes,"I can take care of myself!" 

Kino grabbed Jack's shoulder. "No, Dreamer! You cannot! You will betray us all to your race! Do you know nothing about the war that has p*censored*ed over the remaining few?" Kinomi bared his teeth at him. "You know nothing! Child... Aurora's right, ya' know?"

He sighed, clenched his teeth, and released his grip on Jack's shoulder. "When Anni returns to her senses, she will be out for your blood in both of your worlds." His tail flicked with a vengance of its own, releiving him of some of the water the continued to poor onto him. He had to also pin back his ears and flick his head to the right in an attemot to shift the thick black curtain of wet hair around his eyes. Within a couple secconds the weight of the water caused to locks to slip back to his face anyway.

"You're no different from the others, Jack. How disapointing."

 Jack's ears layed flat on his head,'You know nothing about me! How dare you!" He yelled. He turned around and ran into the forest not caring if the others followed or not. He closed his eyes as tear fell down his face mixing with the rain. He stopped and sat down in the mud looking around. He had no idea where he was right now and didn't really care.

 Aurora hissed,"I am tired of this. Let him go and get lost in the forest tripping over his tail." She walked. She saw Anni,"Are you okay?" She asked Anni.

((I could have swore I replied to this... I feel horrid.))

Anni had rested herself in a tree, not all that far from the group. Her long stripped ears whre pined back against her head, and she held her legs close so she could rest her head on her knees and wrap her tail around her feet. Her hands covered her face, which was now soaked with tears of her own. She bit her lip so hard, it had begun to bleed, but it kept her sobs quiet, so she bore the pain. Her hair drapped in a vail over her neck and shoulders, the long braid hanging over the side of the branch she sat upon. She sat there, sobbing, perfectly balanced as the rain swept down upon her. She she heared Aurora's voice, she held her breath and tenced. She wasn't sure she wante to talk to anyone, and even if she did, if she could. She sniffed quietly, then licked the blood off her lower lip.

AFter a couple miserable, silent secconds, she lifted her face to Auroura. She had an elagance, Anni relized once more. IT was that same, wonderful beauty all the Na'vi shared that shone through and had given Anni hope when all the world was gone. In the past years she had spent with the Na'vi she had longed to be acsepted, and though she still wasn't a huntress, she was happy with them. If home is where the heart is, Anni thought to herself. Then I should be happy here....

She tried to smile to Aurora, but it was wan. Embaraced, she turned away again. Over her left shoulder, she ignored the lock of hair that caught on the tree trunk behind her. Jack was running far below, heading South- Western -ish. She blinked the tears from her eyes, then turned back to Aurora. "I'm sorry," She whispered. "But," Her voice got a little stronger: "But we're part of eachother's worlds.... I have to... help?"

She wasn't sure, exactly what she had to do, but she had to do something. Jack running off into the forest wasn't going to help anything, and he'd likely get himself killed. In a single bound she lept from the tree and akwardly landed on the path below. In another single motion, she caught herself, stood, and began running after Jack.

 Aurora shivered. The cold rain dripped down her shoulder and on to the wet muddy ground. She turned around and walked over to her father,"Father, they have moved closer. What should we do?" She asked.

 Her father looked sad,"We need to fight back. We need to show them that they won't get ridof us that easily." he sighed.

"Jack! Jack?" Anni was running in the direction she had seen him go, but the rain was making him more difficult to track him. She prayed it would let up soon. She shivered and flicked her tail. Eventually she would have to call it in for the night and return to her life with the other humans for a few hours. She was wet and very cold, and she would give seemingly anything for a hot bowl of soup and a warm bed; However, for the moment, finding Jack was a top prioraty. Anni was high in the research team, and she knew that the athourities wouldn't listen to anything she said. They would only lecture her about how Jack was abusing and destroyed his Avatar... blah, blah, blah, off to destroy more forest. It was horrid.

Anni shivered, more against the thought of how sick her birthrace was than the cold. "Jack!" Tears where flowing now, and Anni began to question her feeling for Jack. While she wanted to strangle him, she also knew that wasn't right and his intentions where rather honorable. "Jack, please... I need your help.... "Common Jack, answer me!"

Her voice eched through the trees, and Anni gave way to her emotions as hopelessness waved over her. Tears flowed like the rain from her eyes, and she trembled violently. She crossed her arms over her chest as if it would warm her soul, then took another step. She knew where she was, but was she ment to be there? I don't belong anywhere.... Dispair eched in her last cry: "JACK!"

~

Kinomi was only paces behind Arora. He knew Anni better, and wouldn't be at all surprised if she was running blindely through the forest. The only question was if she was looking for blood or to give an appology. What had she called her condition? Bipolar? Something like that; It was one of those words that Kino never really got the hang of. Language had never been his strong point.

On his leasurely walk back to the main camp, he p*censored*ed one of his younger pupils in a tree. Kino, still rather upset by the day's morning, and shouted for the child to make a hasty return. He flicked his tail and bared his teeth as a sign for athority before the youngling scampered in the direction he had come. Kinomi shook his head. The youth this generation had brought so often failed to see the danger the Dreamers brought. Every day there where more of them, and only very few, like Anni, where for the better cause.

"What a horrid thing," He said to himself in Na'vi. "That out children's children are still fighting off a war that is yet to be ours." Kino thought of his parents, sibling, and all the others whom had died in the previous war. And yet, it was still not over. The rest of the journy to camp was dilibrately slow and quiet as he, for the countless time, morned for those lost.

 Jack turned around hearing someone calling his name. He started to walk towards the sound when he saw Anni. He kept on walking towards her wondering why she was crying.

 "Yes, it is very sad." Aurora said, "We should go try to help Anni. She could get into trouble, and I don't trust that human." She hissed in Na'vi.

((I thought this had died! oh well I am glad it didn't.XD))

Anni whipped around as her keene ears heard breathing, then footfalls nearby. At first, she thought it was Kinomi, and she ignored it. After a second, thought she turned, ready to start screaming at her native brother. She opened her mouth and pinned back her ears, then relized it was Jack. Her gape faded and she ran into him, holding him close to her. She trenbled, swallowing her pride as she sobbed into his Avatar's chest. He was several measurments taller than she was. (Anni had always been rather short.) She drapped her arms over his neck and forced herself to breathe. It took her several moments, mabye even minutes. Finally, she pulled away from him and whispered, looking at the ground, "I'm... sory, Jack." She chocked on a lump of emotion in her throught, not sure what it ment. She kept her eyes on the ground. "I appologize for both the actions of myself and that the Na'vi."

She forced to look up at Jack's face. Deeply embaraced, she held her face and turned away again. "You... You and I are part of the same world, neither Na'vi or human anymore. Well, no, that's not true." She looked up at Jack, forcing herself to stay locked this time. She was thankful that through the Na'vi complection, he couldn't see the blood rising to her face in a blush. "You. You can still go back. But," She lowered her hands from her face and laced her fingers before her body. "But you have to choose a side. You can't wander between the humans and Na'vi forever. This is war, Jack. We have to stand somewhere."

She took another deep breath, ingoring the fact that it was still hard to breathe and tears where streaming down her face. "I stand with my heart- with the Na'vi. Will you join the humans and continue wreking our home, or will you join us?" She offered out her right hand as if to lead him somewhere. "Please, Jack. Join us."

Tears streamed in a heavy flow, making Anni's face hot. She bit her lip and whipped her face with the back of her left hand, keeping the other outstreatched twards Jack.

~

Kino nodded in nutural agreement to Aurora's statement. He flicked some rain water off of his tail with a swish. Then he said: "Nor do I, but I trust Anni." He paused, tring to picture Anni and Jack alone in the forest of Pandora. "Than again.... She could very well be after his blood. I have a feeling that she'd be able to hold her own against him without weapons."

Deciding that he didn't want to feel responsible for any possible blood on Anni's paws, Kino sighed, shood the water once more from his face and hair, and rolled his shoulders twice before bounding into a tree and climbing to the summit.

The clouds above where begining to lighten. He knew not what that may mean on Earth, but on Pandora, it ment that the storm was almost over if he could live through the lightning. The storm's worst point was always right before it ended. Taking his eyes from the sky, he scanned the ground, flicking his tail in annoyance at the heavy flow of water. After a minute or two, he lept down before Aurora again.

"The storms almost over. If we're going to move, we best move now. I think Anni went there," He pointed Southwest. "But it's a little hard to tell. If we're going, we should start there."

 "Okay lets go." Aurora said. She started to walk trying to track down Anni which was almost imposible.

 Jack looked at Anni, "I didn't know that they were distroying your homes. They made it sound like they were the good people and I believed them....I don't anymore. I will join you and your people and I will try to learn the best I can even though I am use to the way of humans." Jack said. He felt like a fool for beleiving the humans.

Anni smiled and took a few steps closer, wrapping Jack into a a hug as strong as she could muster. The flow of tears slowed, becomeing more joyous tan fearful. She trembled against the rain and pressed herself against Jack's chest once more before pulling herself away. She was lowering herself from the hug when lightning lit up the sky and thunder roared deafaningly above them. Anni gave a low sheik and held Jack before becomeing deeply embaraced as the deaffaning sound subsided. She pushed herself away and grabbed Jack's hand in her's. The tears had come to a stop now, the last few salty drops brimming over. She stood strong now, her knees locked like a warrior.

"'Common," She urged, tugging lightly on his hand. "The storms aren't like this on Easrth. We gotta go." Shw gave another tug on his hand, then took a small step East. Or rather, what she thought was East. She flicked her tail in annoyance. No, she'd been here for years, she wasn't getting lost now. She whipped her head around. Lightning cracked above her and Jack, giving the forest an odd illumanance. In that flash of blinding light, Anni saw a familiar landmark.

An old cave, barely tall enough for a vative Na'vi to stand in lay just to her right. It was deep and mostly dry. Anni remembered the last storm she had endured. It had been worse than this one, and every Na'vi had scrambled to the caves to keep warm and dry. The whole clan had stayed in their shelter for about two hours before the clouds began to clear. She gave a friendly tug on Jack again as she changed corse and made way twards the cave. Thunder roared like a hidious beast above the pair.

~

"The storm's almost at it's peak," Kino whispered to himself. He glanced a wayward look tward the sky and shivered. He prayed to the Godess that Anni was okay. Her anger often got the better of her, and it was hard to tell what she might do. Anxious, he moved a little faster.

 Aurora followed worried about Anni and Lack. mostly Anni though.

 Jack ran over to the cave. The lightning lit up the sky again almost blinding him. He didn't like storms for he had grown up in an area where they didn't happen too much. 

Anni was close behind Jack, lingering for but a moment more in the cool rain that Pandora didn't get often. Once inside, she lingered near the entrance before walking further in. Being so short, she had plenty of headroom. Once quite a while in, Anni sat down and began to ring out her hair, being extra careful with the braid so that she wouldn't break her bonding strands. After a quiet minute, when the only sounds echoing though the cave where rain and thunder, Anni began to hum a low tune, swishing her long tail to the beat. She had never been confident in her singing voice, and kept the tune low and to herself.

Anni thought about her friends, the other Na'vi. She couldn't do much to help them or alert them of her and Jack's presance. There wasn't much to build a fire, and the ones she could manipulate were soaked to the core. She sighed, never breaking her rythem. She turned her back to the cave as if to shut out the chill that drafted inward.

Dispite the defaning crashs and roars outside, Anni was thankful that the lightning was bright enough for her to comfortably see. Her eyes where not near as keene as a native Na'vi's and her small luminecent marks where throwing off her depth perseption.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about it. She looked over her right shoulder, where Jack was. "Kinomi will probably be looking for us. Aurora, too. Please try not to engage in quarreling. We cannot have our force rotting from the inside out."

She gave a wan smile then turned back and continued the melody to herself.

~

Kino launched himself from tree to tree now, nearly touching the blinging strips of lightning two or three times. Finally, he decided that the trees where no longer safe. It was slower to travel on the ground, but it's have to do. In a bound, he hit the muddy ground. He almost slipped, and he had to straiten nearly his whole tail to balance himself out again. After having wasted a moment, he stood and walked a few stepps in every direction, looking for tracks or some sort. A few paces south, he found what he was looking for.

Two seprate tracks, one much larger than the other, had intersepted a few feet ahead of him. Close to him, he could tell that the two figures had stepped close together, driffted apart, together, and apart again, heading off in another direction.

Kinomi took a few more stepps. The prints where nearly washed away, but being alone wasn't safe, either. She stood tall, swishing his tail as he waited for Aurora to catch up with him and share his discovery.

((EDIT: This post was never here.... look on zeh next page....))

((Gah! Late post.))