(Tsu'tey's POV)

"Will you teach this crazy woman?" Alva giggled and scratched her cheek. Her neck was numb but blood was still steadily flowing out of it, not yet fatal but would be a pain in the coming days.

"Yes" He uttered the word, his eyes still wide with surprise and his breaths shocked and shallow. Everything in him shook, his hands more than anything, and he was still sweating from the display. Tsu'tey's heart was racing in his chest, almost painful at this point.

The dreamwalker giggled, making Tsu'tey give her a funny look as he had never met someone who would smile, laugh and giggle after digging themselves in the neck. His hands shook, his whole body vibrated as he took a step towards her. His head spun and eyes unfocused. Never had he seen a human or Na'vi willingly harm themselves like that, as necessary as it was, she had proved her loyalty to them, and him.

"Alva" He muttered, his voice thick. "Don't move", Tsu'tey ordered her when he saw how she swayed with every breath. Maybe she had dug deeper than she thought and cut things she shouldn't have.

"I'm painting, 'Sey" She whispered, her arms swaying at her sides with scarlet red dripping down and forming small puddles wherever they hit. "Isn't it beautiful. Come paint with me", Alva giggled and stretched out a bloody hand towards him with shining eyes and a twitching grin. "We'll make the prettiest painting, so pretty that even Eywa will marvel at it"

The warrior sent her a strange side-eyed look and took one more stride forward, slowly making his way to the wounded dreamwalker. She didn't seem to notice her condition at all, none of the severity or pain anyways. Alva had her chest puffed in pride and her eyes stared smugly at him because of her victory over him. Tsu'tey had to admit that he had grown less reluctant to teach her with each passing day, her constant appearance and evident difference from the humans, coupled with her spirituality and odd manners, and was more testing how long she would keep asking until giving up. He wouldn't want a student who wasn't determined or ambitious.

"Don't do that." Tsu'tey growled at her when her hand went to the back of her neck to get more 'paint' for her painting. "We need to get you to healers." He continued, glaring at her when she didn't even seem to hear him, much less see him. Her eyes were cloudy and vacant.

Alva nodded and took his outstretched hand slowly, her hand shaking and wet from the blood on it. Tsu'tey grabbed it and squeezed her hand. "" He muttered as he looked down on her. "", Tsu'tey muttered to himself in his native tongue.

"I don't speak na'vi, y'know, too much work and I thought whatever, I'm never gonna meet any of those aliens anyways" Alva was delirious. "But I was so wro-", her words were interrupted by a jaw-aching yawn that made her eyes water. "ng... I met you, didn't I? My alien teacher."

"." He commanded her, collecting her bloody body in his arms and walking out of the room. Her form shook against his strong chest and left behind streaks of dark-red blood that would crust and disappear but the memory of it would remain.

Alva snorted and nuzzled into his collarbone. "My granny used to tell me not to sleep when I injured my head, or I'd never wake up." She stared up at him with teary eyes, either from the pain catching up or the memory of her 'granny', Tsu'tey wasn't sure. "I'm a dreamwalker, if I go to sleep I'm waking up as a human again"

The warrior bristled and shook her. "Then no sleep for little demon, Ngeha is eager to meet you", he told her and took the first steps up the stairs, ignoring the bewildered looks his fellow Na'vi shot him and the bloody figure in his arm. "We are almost there, and then we will talk about training."

The dreamwalker sighed before her eyes threatened to flutter closed. "You will be the best teacher, I know you will. There's a reason I chose you"

Tsu'tey's chest puffed at her declaration, feeling proud of being the obvious pick from even a clueless dreamwalker and her seeing that he is absolutely the best at what he does. It flattered his ego to know that his skills were so obvious that she had picked up on them and decided to nag him until he trained her.

"We will see", he told her before hoisting her up to keep her from hitting the higher steps as he leaped up the steep stairs smoothly and gracefully. His hands weren't shaking as badly anymore and her comforting weight in his arms reminded him that she hadn't died, yet. "Do not sleep or I will not teach you"

Alva gasped and weakly slapped his arm before tracing some of the white spots there with a concentrated look on her face. "Don't say that." She whined and moved over to the spots a little bit higher on his bicep. "I worked hard for that"

He frowned when he caught sight of the extra finger on her hand, still not over her status as dreamwalker and 'demon'. Nevertheless he would still teach her because of the determination, bravery and admirable qualities she had. Tsu'tey was going to try and look the other way of her human nature. He didn't respond to her words but instead focused on which of the openings led to Ngeha's healing room on the third floor.

The Na'vi pushed aside the beads that acted as a drape, and walked inside the light hollow. There were multiple holes in the wall in front of him that led small dots of bright rays of light dance on the carpeted floor and bland walls. A hammock hung in the left corner and a big, crowded desk placed in the left. In the middle of the room was a big table made out of strong wood and tied together with a special kind of vine and mud that sealed it.

"" A throaty voice exclaimed, making Tsu'tey jump a bit but not as much as he would have pre-training. " "

"" Tsu'tey shifted Alva to hold her with only one hand and messily did the appropriate gesture and bowing his head slightly. He looked at her, it had been a long time since he had last spoken to the old Na'vi woman but she looked the same as he remembered; tall, a dark blue with splotches of light blue on her arm and across her chest, a black, chiseled bone pierced through the bridge of her nose, wild and untamable hair with strands of greys and whites growing from the top, and lastly-- a small necklace that rested at the bottom of her throat that had a big feather that was vibrant pink and with strands of grassy green in it-- a gift from her deceased mate Atxa.

Alva was still in his arms, staring at the impressive woman in front of her. Tsu'tey placed her on the table and firmly tugged her hands away from where they had clenched on his necklace. Her fingers were coated with dried blood that made flakes off them rain down to the floor.

"" Ngeha asked, stroking a finger down Alva's soft cheek. ""

"" Tsu'tey responded and brushed off the blood on his chest before drying his hands off on the material Alva was laying on. ""

""

He shook his head and gently coaxed Alva to turn her head to the side, her head being so far up the clouds she probably didn't even know he was there. ""

Ngeha tilted her head and ghosted her finger over the deep wound glaring at the both of them, proof of the lengths the human beneath them would go to. "", she told him and then shot him a look when he tried to deny it. ""

Tsu'tey didn't answer Ngeha, his silence speaking louder than any words could. Alva unconsciously twisted the bracelet on her left hand and the two Na'vi stared at the human as the motion produced light sounds of jingles, in a melody they had never heard before. Together the pair gently turned Alva so she laid on her stomach before Ngeha swept her hair to the side and observed the self-inflicted wound there.

"" Ngeha demanded the answer as blood angrily pooled up when she touched the edges of the uneven wound.

"" He explained to the older Na'vi with a bit of shame on his face when he saw the scolding look on her face. ""

r" Ngeha spoke before turning to her desk and grabbing a brown jar with a green salve in it that had brown flakes in it. "

"" He offhandedly responded and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

""

---

BACK TO ALVA POV:

"Jake", Alva sang out as she bounded over to where he stood talking with some of the natives. "I did it."

"Did what?" He responded with a confused shake of his head. "What is that on your neck? Did you fall or something?"

"I convinced Tsu'tey to be my teacher. Isn't it fantastic, can't you hear Eywa roar in happiness and the ikrans croaking songs of my success!" Alva giggled and twirled a curl around two of her ringed fingers. "Got the tracker out of me too, killed two birds with one stone"

He looked at her wearily. "How did you get out the tracker?"

"Easy peasy", she breathed out. "I took a knife and cut it out. Ngeha patched me up, look", Alva turned around and showed Jake the bandaged wound that had spots of blood shining through.

Jake shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder before bending down to talk to her. "Alva, that's dangerous. Don't hurt yourself."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child, you won't like me if you do", Alva had a bit of venom to her otherwise happy and relieved tone. "I did it for me, I don't want them to track me like I'm a wild beast. You they let walk free without any further action but me they track and try to shove in a cage. What makes your freedom worth more than mine?"

"Woah Alva" Jake put up his hands and gave her a weird look. "Your freedom is worth as much as mine. It's just that they trust me a bit more not to do anything stupid"

"You rushed towards an angtsìk and then ran away from a palulukan." Alva deadpanned and gave him a 'are you serious look?' "And I wouldn't have to do this if they didn't try to control me", she defiantly smiled and gave him a toothy grin. "And I would do it over and over again if it meant I'd be free"

"Maybe this is why they don't want you out here. You were bad before but look at you now, your eyes are so dull and far away I doubt you're even in there anymore" Jake spoke up defensively, dropping his hand from her shoulder and standing at his full height. "This is why they all worry, Grace, Selfridge, all of them. You can't be alone like this"

"I freed myself." Alva told him with a bright smile and a twirl of her rings. "You're my friend Jake, so I'll forgive you. So will Eywa but she's a bit protective of me", the airy and dreamy voice was back and Alva sighed internally in relief that she could take a step back.

"You're my friend too, but listen, take care of yourself" He advised her before nodding and leaving her behind.

"It's rude to walk away from someone like that", Alva states after he's out of hearing range, her mind already plotting her next prank and how to get him to respect her. It would certainly be easier than it had been for her to gain enough of Tsu'tey's so he'd teach her. Alva finishes her sentence with a pointed shake of her wrist that beat the tune he'd hear just before he got pranked by the woman he claimed wouldn't make it on her own.