Post by Delta on Jan 1, 2010 1:04:02 GMT -5
((
its been a loooooong time since I've done a bio. And, naturally, I seem to have forgotten how to keep 'em short. So, [asian accent]forgiveness please[/asian accent] *bows*))
Name: Tsko'tirea'raiko ((Rai or Raiko))
Age: Thirty-Four
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Hetero
Race: Na'vi
Tribe: Aylukana
Password: Sent
Mount: Ikran
Tsteu'txe'lan, or Lan for short, is a fine example of his Ikran stock. The tip of his snout is colored with a splotch of blaze orange that flows back to the area of his head that resides just behind his eye, and from there the bright orange dims to a duller tone throughout his body. This dull orange is broken up by the splotches and streaks of black that stripe along Lan's body, making him look something like a winged tiger from Terra. Additionally, stripes of a light brown hue streak there way along Lan's torso, breaking up the intensity of his orange skin even further.
The tiger striped mountain banshee is also a very large one for his stock, even in his rookery of Mons Veritatis. While most Ikran have a wingspan of nearly fourteen meters, Lan has a wingspan of nearly fifteen. His size does not denote his ferocity, however, as the large repto-avian creature has been known to be warm, kind, and even affectionate. In battle, however, Lan is a fearsome combatant... even without his na'vi rider.
Two glittering arctic blue sapphires hang in the white pools that are set into his head, starkly contrasting the ever shifting orange hue of the skin next to them. His eyes are, perhaps, the best and rarest part about the large creature. The repto-avian has a few scars marring his skin, somewhat solidifying the predatory majesty that looms about him. The first set (and most notable) of scars is from a rather nasty encounter with a great Leonopteryx that nearly ended both he, and his rider's lives. They take form in two pairs of long claw marks that scrape down the length of his body, starting at the area just past his shoulders and ending just before his torso ends. The rest of the scars are various nicks, cuts, and scratches from fights that his rider got them into in the past.
Physical Description:
Height: 10'9"
Eye Color: Yellow
Raiko, plainly put, is a fine example of the na'vi breed. He stands at just over ten feet and nine inches, and underneath that rippling azure skin lies muscle that is pulled tight like the sinew on a ballista. The tall Na'vi is not unlike most of his stock, however, his form still holds narrow hips and broad shoulders. The man's face is narrow, and high cheek bones hold glittering yellow jewels set in his eyes. His hair is cut in something of a high and tight, save the queue, which hangs down to waist level.
His clothes are fairly simple, if they could even be called that. As he wears little more than a loin cloth. Anything more would be well out of the Na'vi's technological capabilities, and downright unreasonable... considering the hot and humid clime of Pandora's planet-wide forest. Rai's skin is riddled with more than his fair share of scars, each one a badge of stupidity or bravery. Most of the time both.
The first set of scars resides on his chest, and they take the form of three long diagonal claw marks that carve across his left pec, right to left. These are a token of his idiocy, luck, and skill, as he earned these by defending his sister from more-than-a-few wild forest Ikran. He ordered Lan to zig when he should have zagged, and earned three claws slashing across his chest because of it. Another few inches and it would have hit his jugular artery. The next scar that marrs his flesh is also one that constantly reminds him to be wary of the forest and dominates his face. It starts at the far left of of his head and cuts a near-straight angle down to the right corner of his chin.
He earned this after being jumped by a pack of viperwolves while out hunting. The na'vi was barely a new hunter, and was being far too loud for his own safety. He narrowly escaped with his life.
Personality:
Layered. That is the best word that could describe the tall and menacing na'vi man. Cold and distrusting are the best words that describe Rai's outward disposition towards the sky people. While, granted, he is a member of the Aylukana tribe... that doesn't mean that he enjoy's the sky people's presence on his homeworld. However that doesn't mean that he isn't willing to give the pink skin's a chance at redemption. Not every single Na'vi is good, therefore not every single sky person is bad. The legendary Jakesully was originally a sky person, as well.
Just as cold and distrusting are the best words that could describe his disposition towards sky people, warm and playful are the best that describe his actions towards other Na'vi. Children especially. The man simply adores children. One would never believe that the giant scared man could act so playful and warm towards anything, but when a child is in the area... he simply turns into a big blue kitty cat.
Women. Rai views them as something to be protected, and kept from harm at almost all costs. He has even been known to act respectful towards the pink skinned sky women, and on one occasion protected one that stumbled through the forest like an ignorant child.
Family. To Rai family is, by far, the most important thing in his life. This was a feeling that was cultured up from his younger years, where he had to take care of his siblings and his grandparents. His sister too, of course. The warmth and kindness within the man's heart is finally allowed to reveal itself in the presence of those who he values above all else. Its rare for the man to ever raise his voice above a soft tone when speaking to his family, and the only other being that is allowed to see his darkest moments is his twin sister, Taliyani.
Talents:
Hunting: Living in the deep depths of Pandora's forests breeds far more than toughness within a man's heart. Rai has been plunged into the forest for nearly three and a half decades, and during that time he's learned much of the ways of Eywa's land. He can move through the foliage like a shadow in the night should he choose to, unnoticed by most of the wildlife. The man has learned how to track the movements of any manner of animal based on the slightest hinting, be it; droppings, foot prints, and even the position of the ferns and leaves a large animal has passed through. Put simply, if its possible to track... he can follow its footsteps.
Combat: While the teachings of disciplined Na'vi combat may not teach one how to shoot the hairs off of a fly at thirty paces, or defeat the mightiest of beasts with a spear, it does give one the tools to achieve such greatness. Raiko has such tools, and despite the fact that he hasn't grown to such a deadly proficiency, he has become incredibly skilled with all manner of Na'vi weaponry. The shaft of his spear has grown like an extension of his arms, he knows the grip of his dagger like the back of his hand, and his bow shoots far and true. Be it on the back of Lan, a pa'li, or on his own two feet. Indeed, he has grown into a capable guardian of his people.
Big Daddy: Innocents. The large man has the natural urge to protect them at all costs, be them animal, sky person, or na'vi. Should anything attempt to damage one of the objects that he considers innocent, pure, or good... he reacts most harshly to protect it. This fact effects him doubly so when its applied to a na'vi child, or a younger sibling. Even his twin sister, Taliyani, who is but a few minutes younger than himself. Attempting to harm any of these things is generally the last thing that one does, for its not long after that they have a ballista-arrow through their chest.
History:
March 15, 2152. The ides of March. The date didn't bode well for the people of Earth, as it was the day that the first emperor of Rome, Julius Caesar, was assassinated by the members of the Roman senate. On this same day of the year a pair of na'vi were born, the first to come out of their mother's womb was Tsko'tirea'raiko... and the second was Unil'tirea'taliyani. The children of spirit. It was an odd thing to name their children, but the circumstances surrounding their birth were anything but normal.
Two proud warriors of the na'vi forest clan, Mise’nahi and Tsu’rurok, had dreamed of the two bouncing babes since their first mating. The mated pair had believed that it was a sign from Eywa herself, and that sign was that they fledgling family would have a long and happy life together. Unfortunately, however, there was a force that not even Eywa could have expected the power of the Force that had arrived on the na'vi homeworld.
The Humans.
It was their arrival on Pandora that threw a gigantic monkey wrench into the lives of the little family, which had grown by two more since the birth of Rai and Liyani. Jai'taw'rurok was the third outside of his mother's womb, and he quickly proved to be a hot headed little critter. The fourth and final child to crawl out of his mother's belly was Tsteu’tanhi... that one proved to be considerably calmer than his slightly older brother. Raiko and Jai played often during their younger years, and soon enough the two grew nearly inseparable. That was well after the tiny family was shattered, however.
It was a few scant days after Raiko and his twin turned four years old that the newest Toruk Makto arrived at Aylukana's home tree. They spoke of the treachery of the sky people, and how they needed to push them off of the lands of the Na'vi. Illiane, Raiko's grandmother, begged his warrior parents not to ride out to meet the sky people... but Nahi and Rurok refused to listen. There was honor, and the sky people had to be driven off of Pandora. Eywa was in danger so long as they were allowed to linger.
Rai sat at the edge of the entrance to hometree every day, waiting for his sa'nu and sempu to return. The only few times that the boy ever left the entrance to hometree was when he was forced to, or when his grandmother took him to the tree of voices to pray for the safety of his parents. Only a scant few warriors of the Aylukana returned, and his parents were not among them. There isn't a word in na'vi, or the many languages of the sky people to describe the sadness that coursed through the boy's heart at the moment that he realized that his parents had died.
Minutes turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. Soon enough, the gaping hole in the little boy's heart was mended, as time healed all wounds. Though his heart never healed back the way it was before his parents died. Eventually, a year turned into a decade. By then he was an apprentice hunter, and often took sojourns out into the Pandoran wilderness with the group he was learning with.
He loved it: the forest. The animals. The incredible amounts of life around him. The boy absorbed every last morsel of information like a dry sponge would take in water. Tracking, archery, stalking, he learned so much during this time. He'd barely turned sixteen when the man teaching him sent him out on a solo hunt. The boy returned less than a full day later, a slain hexapede in tow.
Raiko was a hunter of the Aylukana clan, and Taliyani was not far behind. He was a man.
But Rai wanted more than to just be a hunter: he wanted to become a warrior. The man soon began his training in the ways of disciplined Na'vi combat. He trained until the spear was more than a mere shaft with bone at the end, and became an extension of his hand. His bow became more than a simple arch of wood from hometree, and became an object that he devoted his life to. The dagger soon ceased to be a bit of curved bone, and became a claw on his hand. One that was sharp, and could rend the flesh of any creature.
After four years of training, the boy was taken to the mythic Iknimaya for the ancient ritual of ascension. It took him hours to scale and cross the narrow pathways between the incredibly large floating slabs of stone, and the journey was as treacherous as it was physically exhausting. But, eventually, they had made it to the rookery used by the Aylukana people.
Rai, of course, was the first one to go. It didn't take particularly long for the young Na'vi to choose his Ikran. Fortunately, that Ikran chose him as well. Slowly, the boy inched his way towards the great creature... as he was easily larger than most of the creatures that were roosting in the nest. His vision was focused on the tiger-striped creature who sat on the edge of the cliff, and he didn't allow the other fleeing Banshees to sway him from his goal.
His stance tensed and grew notably hunched as he neared the creature. Suddenly, and in a flash of movement, the large Ikran lunged towards Rai, hoping to catch the big Na'vi in its razor sharp jaws. Raiko may have been a big Na'vi, but he certainly wasn't a slow one. He quickly jinked his body to the left, throwing the bit of rope around his jaw and launched himself atop the massive creature.
Struggle. Was it one? Oh yes. The tiger striped Ikran flailed itself around, trying to throw the foreign thing off of its back. Unfortunately for the creature, Raiko threw his massive legs around the snout of the fish faced repto-avian and squeezed towards his thighs. His powerful legs kept the creature pinned until he forced his queue into the stalk on the creature's head, and the powerful tshaylu was made.
Rai's new Ikran calmed considerably almost the instant that his queue met with the Banshee's stalk. The Na'vi could feel the creature's heartbeat, he could hear his thoughts, and he could sense everything he could sense. It was a bond unlike any he'd ever make again, save one. But that is not until much later.
Rush.
That is the word that could best describe the feeling within the man's heart as he partook in his first flight with his new Ikran. It was the first of many. Over the course of the next few years the man would fly with his Ikran whenever it was possible. Often times he would race through the skies with his twin sister, and sometimes take his younger brothers around the skies large forest. But, despite this, he found himself flying solo in the wild blue skies above hometree. Raiko found that he enjoyed the solitude at times, as it gave him time to think without a grandmother constantly nagging him to find a woman and start a family.
There was just something... off... about all of the women in Aylukana. Most of them were fine, yes, but he just couldn't seem to connect to any in the manner that is required. That wasn't anything against him, or them, he had simply been a little too picky. But then its hard to be picky when you have no clue what you really want. Raiko just assumed that the right woman would... feel... different to him upon their meeting. Perhaps he was right.
The coming years were filled with all things... heartache at the loss of his grandfather and the bittersweet happiness of his Tsteu'tanhi's mating and subsequent move to the Rokure tribe in particular. But the most peculiar, however, was the return of the sky people. At first, the now twenty nine year old Raiko was filled with anger, and wanted nothing more than to exact vengeance on the sky people for killing the parents he barely knew. But, thankfully, that did not happen.
Every so often those yellow eyes would see their massive stone ship in the sky, when the light allowed. Despite his earliest thoughts, the man soon cooled his mind to something more akin to distrust rather than pure hatred. It was his sister who convinced him of this, and her words were ever wise. She told him that not all Na'vi are good, therefore not all sky people could be bad. It was simply impossible for it to be any other way.
Raiko wanted to hate the Sky people, but even he needed a legitimate reason to hate every single one. Just because a Thanator kills his friend, it doesn't mean that he has to hate all Thanators. Quite the opposite, in fact, Eywa would tell him that it was simply her way of taking back the borrowed energy. There was no way for his friend to have lived past that point, even if the Thanator didn't slay him.
So, reluctantly, he released them from his hatred... and judged each one he met as if he was dealing with a fellow Na'vi. Though he still refused to afford them the same level of trust that he would normally give to another member of his species.
Five years later, Raiko finds himself at the age of thirty four, and a guardian of the forest. He stands ever vigilant, always watching the sky people... and should they attempt to repeat what they tried three decades ago... he would be the first to ride out on Tsteu'txe'lan to stop them. Just like his parents did all those years ago.
RP Sample:
Raiko could feel it. Raiko could smell it. Raiko could hear it. Everything that the Forest was, all of its creatures, its essence... Eywa. He loved delving himself into the deep wilderness of the planet-wide forest that was his home. He'd often travel far, well away from Hometree, or any other form of civilization for that matter, for the simple goal of achieving solitude. The large Na'vi's mind thrived in his aloneness, and each second of being truly alone to himself was as precious as the unobtainium below his feet. Solitude was not the purpose of this sojourn out to the wilds, however, the man needed to gather food for his clan.
The large Na'vi moved slowly, and almost completely without knowledge of the meaning of haste within his mind. The tip of his toes slowly moved to touch against the soft dirt of the forest floor, then allowed the rest of his foot to rest against the ground. So he repeated this form of step thousands of times, and from tree to tree until he came within range of the Yerik that was barely forty meters away.
A soft breeze caressed the man's welcoming azure skin as he knelt down behind a thick tree, which cut him out of the ten legged creature's line of sight. Massive shoulders heaving up and down slowly marked the man's focus shifted to the world around him. Nature. The soft sounds and scents from the forest lapped at his senses, simply begging him to stand up and wander around it like a child. Alas, he could not... lest he wanted to lose his quarry.
His head wagged back and forth ever so slowly, throwing off the unnecessary distractions so that he could focus on the shot. Raiko's left hand moved towards one of the long hunting arrows, and a pair of fingers gently laced around the wooden shaft as it pulled the weapon away from the front of the weapon. One of Rai's felinesque ears angled itself in the hexapede's general direction, ascertaining the movements of the ten legged beast as best as it could. After he was satisfied, he allowed his arrow's knock to latch onto the string of his bow with a satisfying, but inaudibleclick!.
After taking a few brief heartbeats to collect himself, Raiko's fingers rested against the sinew shortly before pulling it back to its full draw, yet the arrow's head still pointed at the ground. Slowly, ever so slowly, did the Na'vi round the tree to reveal the hindquarters of the Yerik. With each inch revealed, the man brought his bow up just a little further, until the "sweet spot" could be seen.
It was simple, really. The "sweet spot" on an animal is the point at which the projectile can go through the heart and both lungs. It was, by far, the cleanest and most painless kill one can make while hunting and generally damages the least meat. The shot was very coveted amongst hunters for that very reason.
Raiko aimed in, pointing his arrow just below the torso of the creature. After a few moments of silent concentration, the muscles of the man's fingers relaxed. The bow string instantly released and launched the arrow forward at amazing speeds, the only sounds that gave it away was the twang of the bow and the hiss of the arrow as it flew through the air.
The hexapede dipped down in preparation to launch itself away, thus putting its sweet spot directly in the path of the spinning arrow. A small smile creased the man's lips as he saw the arrow sink into the animal's soft blue flesh, piercing its heart and lungs. It launched itself forward in a flash of surprise and speed, the only thing that managed to drive it was the instincts that should have saved it. But the combination of neuro-toxin, copious amounts of blood loss, and its lungs filling up with blood brought the animal down less than twenty meters away from its original spot.
"Thank you, my tsmukan. Your sacrifice shall not be in vain," he half prayed, half mumbled to himself as he shot up and hurried over towards the now cooling creature. This was always the hardest part of hunting in his opinion, knowing that you are the reason for another's death. It hurt him slightly every time, but it was a necessary pain, "I'm sorry, but it was a necessary death. I can only pray to Eywa that I could not have made it more painless."
Next up: Gutting the creature for easy transportation. Fun fun.
its been a loooooong time since I've done a bio. And, naturally, I seem to have forgotten how to keep 'em short. So, [asian accent]forgiveness please[/asian accent] *bows*))Name: Tsko'tirea'raiko ((Rai or Raiko))
Age: Thirty-Four
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Hetero
Race: Na'vi
Tribe: Aylukana
Password: Sent
Mount: Ikran
Tsteu'txe'lan, or Lan for short, is a fine example of his Ikran stock. The tip of his snout is colored with a splotch of blaze orange that flows back to the area of his head that resides just behind his eye, and from there the bright orange dims to a duller tone throughout his body. This dull orange is broken up by the splotches and streaks of black that stripe along Lan's body, making him look something like a winged tiger from Terra. Additionally, stripes of a light brown hue streak there way along Lan's torso, breaking up the intensity of his orange skin even further.
The tiger striped mountain banshee is also a very large one for his stock, even in his rookery of Mons Veritatis. While most Ikran have a wingspan of nearly fourteen meters, Lan has a wingspan of nearly fifteen. His size does not denote his ferocity, however, as the large repto-avian creature has been known to be warm, kind, and even affectionate. In battle, however, Lan is a fearsome combatant... even without his na'vi rider.
Two glittering arctic blue sapphires hang in the white pools that are set into his head, starkly contrasting the ever shifting orange hue of the skin next to them. His eyes are, perhaps, the best and rarest part about the large creature. The repto-avian has a few scars marring his skin, somewhat solidifying the predatory majesty that looms about him. The first set (and most notable) of scars is from a rather nasty encounter with a great Leonopteryx that nearly ended both he, and his rider's lives. They take form in two pairs of long claw marks that scrape down the length of his body, starting at the area just past his shoulders and ending just before his torso ends. The rest of the scars are various nicks, cuts, and scratches from fights that his rider got them into in the past.
Physical Description:
Height: 10'9"
Eye Color: Yellow
Raiko, plainly put, is a fine example of the na'vi breed. He stands at just over ten feet and nine inches, and underneath that rippling azure skin lies muscle that is pulled tight like the sinew on a ballista. The tall Na'vi is not unlike most of his stock, however, his form still holds narrow hips and broad shoulders. The man's face is narrow, and high cheek bones hold glittering yellow jewels set in his eyes. His hair is cut in something of a high and tight, save the queue, which hangs down to waist level.
His clothes are fairly simple, if they could even be called that. As he wears little more than a loin cloth. Anything more would be well out of the Na'vi's technological capabilities, and downright unreasonable... considering the hot and humid clime of Pandora's planet-wide forest. Rai's skin is riddled with more than his fair share of scars, each one a badge of stupidity or bravery. Most of the time both.
The first set of scars resides on his chest, and they take the form of three long diagonal claw marks that carve across his left pec, right to left. These are a token of his idiocy, luck, and skill, as he earned these by defending his sister from more-than-a-few wild forest Ikran. He ordered Lan to zig when he should have zagged, and earned three claws slashing across his chest because of it. Another few inches and it would have hit his jugular artery. The next scar that marrs his flesh is also one that constantly reminds him to be wary of the forest and dominates his face. It starts at the far left of of his head and cuts a near-straight angle down to the right corner of his chin.
He earned this after being jumped by a pack of viperwolves while out hunting. The na'vi was barely a new hunter, and was being far too loud for his own safety. He narrowly escaped with his life.
Personality:
Layered. That is the best word that could describe the tall and menacing na'vi man. Cold and distrusting are the best words that describe Rai's outward disposition towards the sky people. While, granted, he is a member of the Aylukana tribe... that doesn't mean that he enjoy's the sky people's presence on his homeworld. However that doesn't mean that he isn't willing to give the pink skin's a chance at redemption. Not every single Na'vi is good, therefore not every single sky person is bad. The legendary Jakesully was originally a sky person, as well.
Just as cold and distrusting are the best words that could describe his disposition towards sky people, warm and playful are the best that describe his actions towards other Na'vi. Children especially. The man simply adores children. One would never believe that the giant scared man could act so playful and warm towards anything, but when a child is in the area... he simply turns into a big blue kitty cat.
Women. Rai views them as something to be protected, and kept from harm at almost all costs. He has even been known to act respectful towards the pink skinned sky women, and on one occasion protected one that stumbled through the forest like an ignorant child.
Family. To Rai family is, by far, the most important thing in his life. This was a feeling that was cultured up from his younger years, where he had to take care of his siblings and his grandparents. His sister too, of course. The warmth and kindness within the man's heart is finally allowed to reveal itself in the presence of those who he values above all else. Its rare for the man to ever raise his voice above a soft tone when speaking to his family, and the only other being that is allowed to see his darkest moments is his twin sister, Taliyani.
Talents:
Hunting: Living in the deep depths of Pandora's forests breeds far more than toughness within a man's heart. Rai has been plunged into the forest for nearly three and a half decades, and during that time he's learned much of the ways of Eywa's land. He can move through the foliage like a shadow in the night should he choose to, unnoticed by most of the wildlife. The man has learned how to track the movements of any manner of animal based on the slightest hinting, be it; droppings, foot prints, and even the position of the ferns and leaves a large animal has passed through. Put simply, if its possible to track... he can follow its footsteps.
Combat: While the teachings of disciplined Na'vi combat may not teach one how to shoot the hairs off of a fly at thirty paces, or defeat the mightiest of beasts with a spear, it does give one the tools to achieve such greatness. Raiko has such tools, and despite the fact that he hasn't grown to such a deadly proficiency, he has become incredibly skilled with all manner of Na'vi weaponry. The shaft of his spear has grown like an extension of his arms, he knows the grip of his dagger like the back of his hand, and his bow shoots far and true. Be it on the back of Lan, a pa'li, or on his own two feet. Indeed, he has grown into a capable guardian of his people.
Big Daddy: Innocents. The large man has the natural urge to protect them at all costs, be them animal, sky person, or na'vi. Should anything attempt to damage one of the objects that he considers innocent, pure, or good... he reacts most harshly to protect it. This fact effects him doubly so when its applied to a na'vi child, or a younger sibling. Even his twin sister, Taliyani, who is but a few minutes younger than himself. Attempting to harm any of these things is generally the last thing that one does, for its not long after that they have a ballista-arrow through their chest.
History:
March 15, 2152. The ides of March. The date didn't bode well for the people of Earth, as it was the day that the first emperor of Rome, Julius Caesar, was assassinated by the members of the Roman senate. On this same day of the year a pair of na'vi were born, the first to come out of their mother's womb was Tsko'tirea'raiko... and the second was Unil'tirea'taliyani. The children of spirit. It was an odd thing to name their children, but the circumstances surrounding their birth were anything but normal.
Two proud warriors of the na'vi forest clan, Mise’nahi and Tsu’rurok, had dreamed of the two bouncing babes since their first mating. The mated pair had believed that it was a sign from Eywa herself, and that sign was that they fledgling family would have a long and happy life together. Unfortunately, however, there was a force that not even Eywa could have expected the power of the Force that had arrived on the na'vi homeworld.
The Humans.
It was their arrival on Pandora that threw a gigantic monkey wrench into the lives of the little family, which had grown by two more since the birth of Rai and Liyani. Jai'taw'rurok was the third outside of his mother's womb, and he quickly proved to be a hot headed little critter. The fourth and final child to crawl out of his mother's belly was Tsteu’tanhi... that one proved to be considerably calmer than his slightly older brother. Raiko and Jai played often during their younger years, and soon enough the two grew nearly inseparable. That was well after the tiny family was shattered, however.
It was a few scant days after Raiko and his twin turned four years old that the newest Toruk Makto arrived at Aylukana's home tree. They spoke of the treachery of the sky people, and how they needed to push them off of the lands of the Na'vi. Illiane, Raiko's grandmother, begged his warrior parents not to ride out to meet the sky people... but Nahi and Rurok refused to listen. There was honor, and the sky people had to be driven off of Pandora. Eywa was in danger so long as they were allowed to linger.
Rai sat at the edge of the entrance to hometree every day, waiting for his sa'nu and sempu to return. The only few times that the boy ever left the entrance to hometree was when he was forced to, or when his grandmother took him to the tree of voices to pray for the safety of his parents. Only a scant few warriors of the Aylukana returned, and his parents were not among them. There isn't a word in na'vi, or the many languages of the sky people to describe the sadness that coursed through the boy's heart at the moment that he realized that his parents had died.
Minutes turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. Soon enough, the gaping hole in the little boy's heart was mended, as time healed all wounds. Though his heart never healed back the way it was before his parents died. Eventually, a year turned into a decade. By then he was an apprentice hunter, and often took sojourns out into the Pandoran wilderness with the group he was learning with.
He loved it: the forest. The animals. The incredible amounts of life around him. The boy absorbed every last morsel of information like a dry sponge would take in water. Tracking, archery, stalking, he learned so much during this time. He'd barely turned sixteen when the man teaching him sent him out on a solo hunt. The boy returned less than a full day later, a slain hexapede in tow.
Raiko was a hunter of the Aylukana clan, and Taliyani was not far behind. He was a man.
But Rai wanted more than to just be a hunter: he wanted to become a warrior. The man soon began his training in the ways of disciplined Na'vi combat. He trained until the spear was more than a mere shaft with bone at the end, and became an extension of his hand. His bow became more than a simple arch of wood from hometree, and became an object that he devoted his life to. The dagger soon ceased to be a bit of curved bone, and became a claw on his hand. One that was sharp, and could rend the flesh of any creature.
After four years of training, the boy was taken to the mythic Iknimaya for the ancient ritual of ascension. It took him hours to scale and cross the narrow pathways between the incredibly large floating slabs of stone, and the journey was as treacherous as it was physically exhausting. But, eventually, they had made it to the rookery used by the Aylukana people.
Rai, of course, was the first one to go. It didn't take particularly long for the young Na'vi to choose his Ikran. Fortunately, that Ikran chose him as well. Slowly, the boy inched his way towards the great creature... as he was easily larger than most of the creatures that were roosting in the nest. His vision was focused on the tiger-striped creature who sat on the edge of the cliff, and he didn't allow the other fleeing Banshees to sway him from his goal.
His stance tensed and grew notably hunched as he neared the creature. Suddenly, and in a flash of movement, the large Ikran lunged towards Rai, hoping to catch the big Na'vi in its razor sharp jaws. Raiko may have been a big Na'vi, but he certainly wasn't a slow one. He quickly jinked his body to the left, throwing the bit of rope around his jaw and launched himself atop the massive creature.
Struggle. Was it one? Oh yes. The tiger striped Ikran flailed itself around, trying to throw the foreign thing off of its back. Unfortunately for the creature, Raiko threw his massive legs around the snout of the fish faced repto-avian and squeezed towards his thighs. His powerful legs kept the creature pinned until he forced his queue into the stalk on the creature's head, and the powerful tshaylu was made.
Rai's new Ikran calmed considerably almost the instant that his queue met with the Banshee's stalk. The Na'vi could feel the creature's heartbeat, he could hear his thoughts, and he could sense everything he could sense. It was a bond unlike any he'd ever make again, save one. But that is not until much later.
Rush.
That is the word that could best describe the feeling within the man's heart as he partook in his first flight with his new Ikran. It was the first of many. Over the course of the next few years the man would fly with his Ikran whenever it was possible. Often times he would race through the skies with his twin sister, and sometimes take his younger brothers around the skies large forest. But, despite this, he found himself flying solo in the wild blue skies above hometree. Raiko found that he enjoyed the solitude at times, as it gave him time to think without a grandmother constantly nagging him to find a woman and start a family.
There was just something... off... about all of the women in Aylukana. Most of them were fine, yes, but he just couldn't seem to connect to any in the manner that is required. That wasn't anything against him, or them, he had simply been a little too picky. But then its hard to be picky when you have no clue what you really want. Raiko just assumed that the right woman would... feel... different to him upon their meeting. Perhaps he was right.
The coming years were filled with all things... heartache at the loss of his grandfather and the bittersweet happiness of his Tsteu'tanhi's mating and subsequent move to the Rokure tribe in particular. But the most peculiar, however, was the return of the sky people. At first, the now twenty nine year old Raiko was filled with anger, and wanted nothing more than to exact vengeance on the sky people for killing the parents he barely knew. But, thankfully, that did not happen.
Every so often those yellow eyes would see their massive stone ship in the sky, when the light allowed. Despite his earliest thoughts, the man soon cooled his mind to something more akin to distrust rather than pure hatred. It was his sister who convinced him of this, and her words were ever wise. She told him that not all Na'vi are good, therefore not all sky people could be bad. It was simply impossible for it to be any other way.
Raiko wanted to hate the Sky people, but even he needed a legitimate reason to hate every single one. Just because a Thanator kills his friend, it doesn't mean that he has to hate all Thanators. Quite the opposite, in fact, Eywa would tell him that it was simply her way of taking back the borrowed energy. There was no way for his friend to have lived past that point, even if the Thanator didn't slay him.
So, reluctantly, he released them from his hatred... and judged each one he met as if he was dealing with a fellow Na'vi. Though he still refused to afford them the same level of trust that he would normally give to another member of his species.
Five years later, Raiko finds himself at the age of thirty four, and a guardian of the forest. He stands ever vigilant, always watching the sky people... and should they attempt to repeat what they tried three decades ago... he would be the first to ride out on Tsteu'txe'lan to stop them. Just like his parents did all those years ago.
RP Sample:
Raiko could feel it. Raiko could smell it. Raiko could hear it. Everything that the Forest was, all of its creatures, its essence... Eywa. He loved delving himself into the deep wilderness of the planet-wide forest that was his home. He'd often travel far, well away from Hometree, or any other form of civilization for that matter, for the simple goal of achieving solitude. The large Na'vi's mind thrived in his aloneness, and each second of being truly alone to himself was as precious as the unobtainium below his feet. Solitude was not the purpose of this sojourn out to the wilds, however, the man needed to gather food for his clan.
The large Na'vi moved slowly, and almost completely without knowledge of the meaning of haste within his mind. The tip of his toes slowly moved to touch against the soft dirt of the forest floor, then allowed the rest of his foot to rest against the ground. So he repeated this form of step thousands of times, and from tree to tree until he came within range of the Yerik that was barely forty meters away.
A soft breeze caressed the man's welcoming azure skin as he knelt down behind a thick tree, which cut him out of the ten legged creature's line of sight. Massive shoulders heaving up and down slowly marked the man's focus shifted to the world around him. Nature. The soft sounds and scents from the forest lapped at his senses, simply begging him to stand up and wander around it like a child. Alas, he could not... lest he wanted to lose his quarry.
His head wagged back and forth ever so slowly, throwing off the unnecessary distractions so that he could focus on the shot. Raiko's left hand moved towards one of the long hunting arrows, and a pair of fingers gently laced around the wooden shaft as it pulled the weapon away from the front of the weapon. One of Rai's felinesque ears angled itself in the hexapede's general direction, ascertaining the movements of the ten legged beast as best as it could. After he was satisfied, he allowed his arrow's knock to latch onto the string of his bow with a satisfying, but inaudibleclick!.
After taking a few brief heartbeats to collect himself, Raiko's fingers rested against the sinew shortly before pulling it back to its full draw, yet the arrow's head still pointed at the ground. Slowly, ever so slowly, did the Na'vi round the tree to reveal the hindquarters of the Yerik. With each inch revealed, the man brought his bow up just a little further, until the "sweet spot" could be seen.
It was simple, really. The "sweet spot" on an animal is the point at which the projectile can go through the heart and both lungs. It was, by far, the cleanest and most painless kill one can make while hunting and generally damages the least meat. The shot was very coveted amongst hunters for that very reason.
Raiko aimed in, pointing his arrow just below the torso of the creature. After a few moments of silent concentration, the muscles of the man's fingers relaxed. The bow string instantly released and launched the arrow forward at amazing speeds, the only sounds that gave it away was the twang of the bow and the hiss of the arrow as it flew through the air.
The hexapede dipped down in preparation to launch itself away, thus putting its sweet spot directly in the path of the spinning arrow. A small smile creased the man's lips as he saw the arrow sink into the animal's soft blue flesh, piercing its heart and lungs. It launched itself forward in a flash of surprise and speed, the only thing that managed to drive it was the instincts that should have saved it. But the combination of neuro-toxin, copious amounts of blood loss, and its lungs filling up with blood brought the animal down less than twenty meters away from its original spot.
"Thank you, my tsmukan. Your sacrifice shall not be in vain," he half prayed, half mumbled to himself as he shot up and hurried over towards the now cooling creature. This was always the hardest part of hunting in his opinion, knowing that you are the reason for another's death. It hurt him slightly every time, but it was a necessary pain, "I'm sorry, but it was a necessary death. I can only pray to Eywa that I could not have made it more painless."
Next up: Gutting the creature for easy transportation. Fun fun.
