Spyglass at Hometree, Sonoma County, California,

These are the ruins of Mangkwan Hometree. The Ash Na'vi went through the same thing Omatikaya did but it wasn't the aliens who took their home from them. It was a natural disaster. They lost their connection to Eywa and they felt abandoned because it must've felt like the world has turned on them.

“[The Mangkwan] had a natural disaster befall them, and that sort of helped shaped their culture,” he says.  “So much of the world of Pandora is rich and vibrant and full of life — this is just the exact opposite.” It wasn’t always that way though – the centre of their village used to be a gigantic hometree, now standing just as charred remains. “They used to live not too dissimilarly to the Omatikaya from Avatar 1,” Cole teases.

Chapter 24

Tsu'tey x OC (Avatar Driver)

Words: 2.441

This is a story of love and war. Of sacrifice and hope. Of two souls finding each other in a world that threatens to tear them apart. 

Summary - Chapter-index

The tension in the air was thick, suffocating, as the sounds of the massive machines that followed Colonel Quaritch grew louder. The Na'vi had retreated into the shadows, their weapons ready, every fiber of their being tuned to the imminent threat that was approaching. It wasn't just the sound of the machines that had their hearts racing—there was something far more dangerous in the air. The Colonel was close. Very close.

The voice of Colonel Quaritch echoed through the trees, his words dripping with contempt. "Get lost, you filthy animals," he barked, his words laced with venom, as if he were addressing a mere nuisance. The sound of his voice alone sent a chill down Seraphina’s spine. She knew the hatred he carried for the Na'vi, and now, it seemed, it was all coming to a head.

"Go back to your precious little homes," the Colonel continued, a cruel mockery in his tone. "I know you don’t want to die. But don’t worry—I will gladly help you find your way out." The weight of his words hung heavily in the air, causing every Na'vi present to brace themselves. The Colonel, with his cruel smile and thirst for violence, was here for one thing only: destruction.

But then, as if to add insult to injury, his voice turned cold, his words like daggers aimed straight for the heart of their unity. "I have Jake Sully to thank for all of this. He gave me all the information I needed to track your pathetic little tribe down. You can thank him for all this fun, because the only reason you’re still standing here is because of his stupid, traitorous little blog."

The words hit like a blow to the chest.

Seraphina’s heart froze in her chest as her gaze immediately flicked to Jake. Her breath caught, her chest tightening as the shock of the revelation slammed into her. His blog? What was he talking about? How had Jake betrayed them all?

Jake, who had been standing resolutely, as though bracing for what was coming, suddenly looked like the very ground beneath him had been torn away. His face went pale, the color draining from him. He stood frozen for a moment, his mouth slightly open, as though trying to find words, but none came. His wide, confused eyes met Seraphina’s, and she could see the mixture of fear, regret, and sorrow in them.

"Jake…" Seraphina whispered, her voice trembling as she took a step forward, the weight of the truth bearing down on her. Her eyes searched his, desperate for an explanation, for something that could make sense of this. "Is it true? Did you… did you really give him information about us? About the Na'vi?"

Jake’s face twisted with emotion, his mouth opening and closing as if he couldn’t find the right words. He looked over at Colonel Quaritch, then back at Seraphina, the pain in his eyes almost unbearable. "I never meant for it to go this far," he said finally, his voice raw. "I never knew what he was going to do with that information. I thought it was just… just some stupid thing, just a way to get the research out there. But now…"

His words faltered as the full weight of the situation hit him.

Seraphina felt her heart shatter into pieces, the truth hitting her like a wave of betrayal. Her trust in Jake, in everything she had believed in about him, was shaken to its core. She wanted to scream, to rage at him, to ask him how he could have been so naive, so careless. But she didn’t. Instead, she stood there in the silence of the moment, her mind racing, unable to comprehend what this meant for them all.

Tsu'tey, who had been standing behind Seraphina, his hand firmly resting on her shoulder, spoke up in a low, dangerous voice. His tone was filled with barely contained fury. "You’ve put us all in danger, Jake Sully," he growled, his eyes narrowing with distrust. "Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve led them straight to our doorstep. You’ve betrayed everything we’ve fought for."

The words cut deeper than any blade ever could. Seraphina couldn’t help but feel the sting of truth in them. Tsu'tey wasn’t wrong. Jake had, in a way, exposed them all. And the Na’vi would suffer for it.

The Colonel’s voice broke the heavy silence again, his words filled with malicious glee. "What a beautiful sight," he sneered, his tone mocking as he watched the Na'vi standing there, stunned by the revelation. "All this for a traitor. You’ve got no one but yourselves to blame. Jake Sully sold you out. And now it’s time to end this little fairy tale of yours."

Seraphina’s mind was spinning. It was one thing to face the humans as enemies, but it was a completely different beast to learn that the very person who had fought beside them, the one who had shared in their struggles and their triumphs, had given away the most precious secrets of their people.

She took another step toward Jake, her voice trembling with a mixture of confusion and hurt. "Jake, how could you?" she whispered, her heart aching with the weight of it all. "Why didn’t you tell me? We were together, fighting side by side, and you kept this from me? From all of us?"

Jake opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out at first. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he muttered, "I thought I could make a difference. I thought I could help… help the humans understand. But I didn’t realize how far they’d go. I didn’t know it would turn into this."

But Seraphina couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. It wasn’t just the betrayal she felt; it was the weight of everything that was about to happen—the destruction that was coming, and the lives that would be lost. The people she loved. The life she had fought for.

As she wiped away a tear, she turned away from Jake, unable to look at him anymore. "We have to stop this," she whispered, her voice broken. "We have to save the Hometree. We have to stop the Colonel."

The Na'vi around them prepared for battle, the tension mounting, and Seraphina felt the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. This fight wasn’t just for survival anymore. It was for everything that they had fought for, everything that had brought them here—their connection to Eywa, the love they had for each other, and the future they had dreamed of together.

Neytiri's heart pounded in her chest, a fierce and crushing pain building inside her. She had chosen Jake. She had loved him, trusted him, believed in him with all her heart. But now, standing before her, was the man she had given everything to—betraying her, betraying her people.

The realization hit her like a storm, knocking the breath out of her. How could he? The words echoed in her mind, over and over again. She had believed in their bond, in their shared fight, in the love that they had cultivated between them. But this? This was beyond anything she could have imagined.

Her gaze turned cold, and without a word, she stepped back from Jake, distancing herself physically and emotionally. His eyes—those wide, apologetic eyes—tried to hold her gaze, tried to make her understand, but it was too late. Nothing he could say would undo what he had done. He had chosen his side. And in doing so, he had chosen to betray the Na'vi, to betray her.

Neytiri's hands trembled, but she clenched them into fists, not allowing herself to show any further weakness. She had to remain strong—for the people, for her clan, for everything she believed in. She wasn’t going to let Jake’s actions tear apart what was left of their world.

Just as the weight of her heartbreak began to sink deeper into her soul, the unmistakable sound of the Colonel’s orders pierced the silence, sharp and final. The air around them seemed to freeze for a moment, before the first canisters of gas came raining down onto the Hometree.

The Na'vi scattered in panic, their cries of distress filling the air. The gas, thick and pungent, began to cloud the once clear skies, drifting down like a toxic fog, suffocating the sacred land. Neytiri’s stomach twisted as she heard the frantic shouts of the people she had sworn to protect. The Colonel had made his move.

Without hesitation, Neytiri’s instincts kicked in. She turned on her heel, her face hardening with resolve. She was a warrior, and no amount of betrayal was going to stop her from fighting for her home.

"Get to the roots!" she shouted to the nearby Na'vi, her voice a sharp command that cut through the chaos. "We must protect the heart of the tree!" She wasn’t going to let this destruction be the end of them. Not today.

Neytiri looked once more at Jake—this time, her gaze held no softness. She felt nothing for him anymore. The trust had been shattered beyond repair. He had chosen his side. Now, she had to protect her own.

As she dashed toward the roots of the Hometree, a heavy weight settled in her chest. The sight of the gas descending in thick, suffocating clouds only drove her to fight harder. They can’t take this from us, she thought, her breath coming in short gasps, her hands gripping her weapon tightly. Not now. Not ever.

And yet, in the back of her mind, a single thought lingered, one that she couldn’t escape: How could Jake do this? How could he betray us all?

The chaos around Seraphina was deafening. The sounds of the Na'vi’s battle cries were drowned out by the screeching metal of the human machines, their heavy guns roaring with relentless fury. The Na'vi fought valiantly, each one giving their all, but it quickly became apparent that they stood no chance against the superior firepower of the humans.

Seraphina’s heart twisted in her chest as she watched the Na'vi warriors engage with the massive machines. Their arrows barely made a dent in the armored hulls of the human vehicles. The courage, the passion, the determination of her people was shining brightly, but it was being swallowed up by the sheer strength of the human force. She had never felt more helpless, more powerless.

She pushed her way through the chaos, her mind focused on one thing: finding Tsu'tey. She couldn’t lose him in this madness. As she spotted him, fighting fiercely alongside the others, her breath caught in her throat. His eyes met hers briefly, and she saw the determination, the protectiveness in his gaze. But there was something else too—an overwhelming sense of fear.

They couldn’t win this fight. Not this way. She could see it in his eyes, too.

She rushed toward him, fighting her way through the melee. When she finally reached him, she grabbed his arm urgently. "Tsu'tey!" she called, her voice strained. "We have to retreat! We can’t fight them like this. We need a plan. We need time to regroup."

For a moment, his face was full of defiance, his jaw clenched, his fists tight at his sides. He wanted to fight. She could see it. He wanted to protect his people, his home, and her. But as his gaze flicked to the destruction unfolding around them—the fireballs soaring through the sky, the massive machines crushing everything in their path—he knew it too. They stood no chance here, not now.

Reluctantly, he nodded. "You're right," he said, his voice strained but resolute. "We need to get everyone to safety. The battle is lost for now."

Together, they moved swiftly, helping the last of the Na'vi to retreat to the safer parts of the forest. The sounds of the battle—the crackling of fires, the cries of the wounded, the deafening roar of the machines—filled the air, and yet, amidst the madness, Seraphina couldn’t help but notice the stillness of the land around them. Pandora, she thought desperately, it’s all being destroyed.

She could feel the tears welling up, a silent ache building in her chest. Her home. The Hometree. Their lives. They were all being torn apart, burned to the ground, reduced to ash. A thick tear slid down her cheek, but she wiped it away angrily. This wasn’t the time for weakness. Not now. Not when her people needed her.

But as she looked back one final time at the Hometree, a massive fireball erupted in the sky. The tree shuddered under the blast, its massive trunk shaking. She watched, heart breaking, as the fire spread across the branches, the leaves turning to embers. The sacred tree, their symbol of life and connection to Eywa, was engulfed in flames. The Na'vi’s very soul was burning.

Her breath hitched, and a quiet sob escaped her lips. She tried to hold it in, but it was impossible. The weight of everything—the loss, the betrayal, the destruction—came crashing down on her all at once.

Tsu'tey’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her close, his strong presence offering her some solace in this moment of pain. She buried her face in his chest, feeling the warmth of his body and the steady thrum of his heartbeat, trying to find something—anything—that would anchor her in this nightmare.

“We’ll rebuild,” Tsu'tey whispered softly, though his voice was tight with emotion. “We will fight. We won’t let them destroy everything. We still have each other.”

Seraphina clung to him, her fingers digging into his shoulders as the flames lit up the night sky. She didn’t know how, but somehow, she believed him. They would rebuild. They had to. For their people. For Pandora. For everything they had lost.

But deep in her heart, she couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing would ever be the same again. The world they had known—the world that had felt so safe, so full of life—was gone. And in its place, there was only fire, smoke, and a future uncertain.

And yet, even as the ashes rained down, there was still a flicker of hope. A flicker of resistance. The Na'vi would not go down without a fight. She would not go down without a fight.

Seraphina wiped the last tear from her cheek, her resolve hardening. The battle was far from over. And she would make sure that the Na'vi, her people, her home, would never be forgotten.

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Above him, Hometree breathed in the low light of the morning.

Jake had been awake a long time — long enough that he had watched the dark thin into the gold of the new sun cutting through the canopy branches.

The soft respiration of Hometree moved around him, woven through with the collective breath of the clan: dozens of bodies suspended in the dark, the slow rise and fall of the Omaticaya asleep.

Even now, with him coming apart in the dark, hands closing around the pieces of himself before they could slip — the clan breathed on around him.

Nothing has changed.