The "disappearance" of Hometree left profound, far-reaching scars on the Omatikaya clan. It was not merely the loss of a physical sanctuary, but the absolute collapse of their spiritual pillar. Under the leadership of their chieftain, Eytukan, the entire tribe, carrying a crushing shroud of grief, began their arduous migration toward the legendary Sacred Mountains, desperately hoping to find a new homeland where Hometree could take root once more.
Jake Sully chose to march alongside Neytiri and the rest of the clan. Driving his Avatar body with his human consciousness, he exerted every ounce of effort to assimilate into this traumatized community, yearning to be truly accepted.
However, the forced "removal" of Hometree remained like a poisoned thorn dipped in suspicion and rage, driven deep into the hearts of many Na'vi—and the wound was rapidly festering. Even though Jake had successfully passed the adulthood trial by taming his Ikran, proving his bravery and earning formal acceptance into the clan, his unalterable nature as a "Sky Person" became glaringly conspicuous and deeply unsettling within this volatile, grief-stricken atmosphere.
The militant young warriors led by Tsu'tey harbored the most intense resentment. They no longer bothered to veil their animosity toward Jake. Whenever Jake circled above the migrating column on his Ikran to maintain a scouting vigil, Tsu'tey and his followers would cast gazes as cold as daggers, deliberately turning their faces away with contemptuous snorts.
During the distribution of game and water at the temporary camps, Jake was invariably relegated to the back of the line, receiving only the most meager, ordinary portions. Whenever he attempted to participate in the warriors' tactical deliberations, the conversations would ground to a sudden halt or be clumsily steered to another topic. An invisible barrier effectively cordoned him off from the rest of the tribe.
It was not just the militants. Even ordinary clan members who had previously maintained a neutral stance couldn't help but subconsciously link the loss of Hometree to Jake—the "Dreamwalker who brought change."
Whispers rippled covertly around the evening campfires and along the sunlit jungle trails:
"Ever since he arrived, everything has changed—and then those special Sky People appeared right after."
"Eywa guided us to accept him, but what was the result? We lost our most sacred Hometree. Is this truly the will of Eywa, or did we misinterpret her signs?"
"His skin is blue, but his soul remains that of a Sky Person. Can we truly trust a Dreamwalker with the blood of the Sky People flowing through his veins?"
These rumors spread through the migrating column like an invisible plague, eroding what little fragile trust remained. Some Na'vi children, acting on the subtle cues of their parents, would timidly hide behind their elders whenever Jake approached, as if he were an omen of misfortune.
Jake felt this pervasive ostracism and deepening estrangement acutely. Looking at the lingering sorrow in Neytiri's eyes and hearing the faint, elusive accusations floating into his ears, his inner world dissolved into a complex tempest of emotions. There was the grievance of being misunderstood, an unventable rage, and a rapidly intensifying self-loathing and rejection of his own human identity.
He believed it was the raw greed, brutality, and perfidy of humanity—or at least the RDA—that forced him, someone who genuinely desired to become one with the Na'vi, to shoulder a crushing, unearned original sin. Every cold glare and deliberate evasion carved a fresh wound into his heart, driving him into deeper disillusionment with the human faction. It made him all the more desperate to sever all ties with the Sky People, completely immerse himself in the Na'vi world, and vindicate his worth and loyalty.
Neytiri saw his dejection and torment clearly. During a brief respite along the trail, she approached Jake, who sat staring blankly on a massive buttress root, and quietly took a seat beside him.
"You hear those voices, and you feel those stares, don't you?" Neytiri's voice was soft, laced with deep understanding.
Jake nodded bitterly, avoiding her eyes. "They're right, Neytiri. I came from there—from the people who took your Hometree away."
"No, Jake." Neytiri reached out, gently placing her hand on his arm, her touch radiating an anchoring, soothing warmth. "Eywa guided our paths to cross and led us to accept you for a reason. Your heart and your courage have nothing to do with the race you were born into. Tsu'tey and the others... they are blinded by fury and grief. They fail to see your resolve to protect the forest alongside us, and they ignore the efforts you've made to safeguard the clan."
She gazed out at the mournful faces of her people within the column, her tone deepening. "Change is always accompanied by pain and doubt, especially after we have lost so much. Trust requires time, just as vines must slowly wind themselves around a great tree. You cannot expect them to completely forget the... complexities you brought before their wounds have even begun to heal."
"But what am I supposed to do?" Jake raised his head, his eyes clouding with confusion and internal struggle. "I feel like no matter what I do, I can never wash away this Sky Person skin."
"Be yourself, Jake," Neytiri locked her eyes onto his, her tone unwavering. "Let your actions speak, not your words. Continue to master our ways, honor the forest, and listen to the whispers of Eywa. True acceptance isn't begged for; it is earned. I will stand by your side, and my father, Eytukan—he is watching too. The scales in his heart simply require more weight."
Her consolation was no hollow encouragement; it was grounded in a clear comprehension of the tribe's political reality and Jake's fragile predicament, offering him a thread of hope while acknowledging the grueling road ahead. Neytiri's guidance acted like a gentle breeze, temporarily scattering some of the shadows clouding Jake's mind, but the icy stares and heavy estrangement of the clan could not be dissolved by a few comforting words. The currents of his internal conflict and his rejection of his human identity continued to churn beneath the surface.
The migration route was far from an easy path. The Omatikaya clan had resided around the Hometree sector for generations and was not entirely familiar with the more distant geography. A few days later, they entered a profound, shadowed valley surrounded by towering, jagged crags.
Though the vegetation here remained dense, the air hung with an unsettling, suffocating silence entirely unlike the familiar rhythms of the jungle. Even Neytiri's brow furrowed slightly as she instinctively drew closer to Jake's side.
Tragedy struck just as nightfall blanketed the valley.
A scouting and night-watch element comprising five highly experienced hunters failed to return to camp on schedule. When Eytukan dispatched a larger detachment to sweep the area, they stumbled upon a spine-chilling spectacle in a jungle clearing not far from the encampment.
The corpses of the five Na'vi warriors had been subjected to a meticulously humiliating and brutal treatment. Their powerful blue bodies had been cleanly stripped of most of their skin, exposing the dark crimson muscle tissue beneath.
Even more horrifying, their skulls and entire spinal columns had been extracted with an eerie, terrifying precision, completely vanished without a trace. The mutilated remains were suspended upside down from thick branches by resilient vines, swaying slightly in the midnight wind like some twisted, malevolent sacrificial ritual.