After the last visit that they set out on, the date for the play was set.

The group consulted with the clan leaders about their idea of the play, or to be precise "acting story" as the na'vi commonly knew them, to be set on the next celebration that the Anurai clan would take part in. Both clan leaders were thrilled to hear their plan and told them about their main celebration that was arriving soon. It was the annual celebration of the thanator homage ritual, which consisted of scavenging an area where many bones were laid out after the animals have died a long time ago. With these they reconstructed an extremely large totem of the thanator, their main revered creature, made out of the bones of such creature and other materials to be displayed in the center of the village. As shown to them, the na'vi were halfway done making the spine and the head. All that was left were the tail and legs so that it could be fully complete. Once it was done, the clan leaders said that they would celebrate with music, dancing, food, drinks, and lastly, storytelling.

That's where Asim and his friends came in.

To start first, the tsahik would be the one in charge of retelling how the clan came to be, the emergence of their main creature, the thanator, the battles which the clan and their leaders, Rai'uk included, and how the clan experienced change and peace. Next was how the clan almost suffered complete extinction because of the humans (thankfully the tsahik choosing not to use the humans present in this part) and how Layontsin came to them and helped protect them from the humans. Layontsin has done this part several times before, the clan leader said, so it was not to worry about her own part she would play. And then finally came the part where Asim and his friends have planned to take part in. Asim and his group gathered with the clan leaders and a few other na'vi to discuss how they would take part in the final stage of the play. Mainly how the story went when the group first met the Anurai clan by means of Asim's awakening. They also showed the few things they planned to use like the training ammunition and the small paper woodsprites for added effect. The na'vi were impressed that the humans were able to mimic the shape of one of their sacred creatures with simple materials, earning their approval. Now the thing that needed to be done was make sure how each would play their own part in the story, and most importantly how the story went. "I admire how much all of you have done to make this next celebration more different than the previous ones. And more exciting." Rai'uk, the clan leader, said to them with sincere thanks, seeing that he and the tsahik were happy about this. "We all gave it much thought, and couldn't keep it to ourselves. We want to become closer to the clan." Asim said to them, to which both na'vi clan leaders nodded in approval.

Once they have finished discussing the play that will take place in the celebration, the na'vi left them to attend to other things.

Now it was Layonstin's turn to be told what will take place soon in the even, as she was currently not present in the village. The clan leader told Asim that she was definitely out in the forest hunting for prey, and that it would be wise to wait until she was finished. "Why not? She knows me now." Asim asked the clan leader. "She doesn't like having her meal interrupted." Unil'tingai said to him, her tone serious in warning. Asim took this warning to heart and nodded, now going back to the chopper to pick up something. Mikhail accompanied him while the rest of the group stayed with the na'vi. "I'm assuming that you are after the flower pot you brought along?" Mikhail asked as both walked through the forest. "Yeah. And I am not leaving without first giving her it" Asim said, making his friend chuckle. "That's my man! Now go and complete your mission" Mikhail complimented, swatting Asim on the back with his hand and making him jump. They soon arrived at the chopper and Asim went into the cargo bay, heading straight for the pot that was strapped safely against one of the walls. "You know, you could have just carried it by hand." Mikhail said as he observed Asim unstrap the restraints on the flower pot. "Safety precaution, in case it slipped from my hands" Asim replied as he got the pot with flowers free and climbed out of the chopper. "Whatever you say" Mikhail said with a shrug as Asim sat down on the grassy ground. "Now we wait." Asim said, Mikhail nodding and sitting next to him to wait.

***

They nearly waited the entire rest of the afternoon when impatience started to set in.

Asim continued to hold the pot in his hand, while Mikhail maintained his weapon. "What's taking Layontsin so long? She should be returning or be searching for me when the clan leaders informed her, right?" Asim asked to himself, his feet twitching with unnecessary anxiety. "She could still be hunting for prey. It's not like she finds prey easily and would bring it back near here." Mikhail said with a shrug, still maintaining his weapon. Asim sighed and frowned, looking down at the pot had the flowers which he held. He waited for a short moment when the feeling of impatience came back at him, and he made up his mind. "I'm going to find her." Asim said finally before starting to get up to his feet. "Wait. You heard what the clan leaders said. Not to approach her while she is eating." Mikhail said, setting down his weapon and going over to him. "I know that. I'm...just going to see where she is and watch from afar. Call it gut feeling, just to see if she is okay." Asim said to his friend. Mikhail thought for a moment before sighing and nodding. "Alright then. I got your back" he said, smirking. Asim smiled and thanked him before walking into the forest once more with Mikhail beside him.

They traveled around the Anurai clan territory, far from the outskirts of the village, in search for the anthro thanator. Both made sure that they didn't wander off too far towards other na'vi tribe territories or places that had visible signs that it was dangerous to overstep. Still, there was no signs of Layontsin being nearby or that she was situated in one single place. "This is pointless. I think we have gone in circles already. We should be on our way to meet up with the others to go back home." Mikhail said from behind Asim, huffing and panting as he wiped off the sweat from his head. "We are close. I think I can feel it." Asim said as he pressed on., still carrying the pot with flowers. "You already said it so many times hours ago." Mikhail protested as he continued walking with him. "No. This time I feel it." Asim said, and he was certain that it was true. Whatever new skill that was given to him thanks to the breathing ability, the tug in his chest let him know that he was absolutely close. "Let me guess. It's another one of those visions you had?" Mikhail asked, making Asim turn around and frown a bit to him. "No. That was just a nightmare. This is completely different. An added intuition, let's say." Asim said to his friend before continuing the search.

Moments later they found the anthro thanator as she was eating.

Asim made had signs to get down low and start approaching as he had eyes on Layontsin. Like the clan leaders have said, she was currently feeding on an animal she has caught as prey. A small hexapede it seemed, and Layontsin had already eaten half of its flesh. The clawed hands and the mouth from the anthro thanator were smeared in blood, meaning that she had caught this prey not long ago. She paused in some times to raise her head up and look around, her crest plates and quills faring as she scanned around her to make sure nothing was going to attack her or steal her meal. Normally Asim and Mikhail would not be fazed by seeing so much blood smeared all around in one place, but here it hit different as it made a chill go down their spine. Asim shook the nervousness aside and decided to wait with his friend behind the foliage, until Layontsin were to finish and return from her cautious and probably aggressive-ready state. Unfortunately one of them accidentally stepped on something that made a loud crunching noise when they wanted to get their feet comfortable. Which resulted in Layontsin moving her head quickly towards the sound and snarl, taking off her spear from her back and being at the ready. Realizing that they were discovered, Asim had no choice but to reveal himself before she attacked them. "Mawe, Layontsin! It's me!" Asim shouted as he raised his hands up, Mikhail hiding behind a trunk.

The anthro thanator hissed at them, ready to impale him with her spear, but then she stopped as she realized who it was. "Asim?" Layontsin asked, lowering her spear and setting it aside as she calmed down. "Yes. It's me. Sorry for intruding in your meal." Asim said, looking down at the ground in an apologetic manner. "What are you doing here?" Layontsin asked, moving away from her prey carcass as she cleaned her clawed hands with her tongue. Asim went towards the anthro thanator and started to explain why he was out here. He explained her about the celebration that would soon take place at the village, and she immediately recognized it. "Ah. The annual festive. Yes, I know it. I assume you all will come by to celebrate it too?" Layontsin asked, smiling as her tail swished behind her. "That's right. We will come. And you will also play a part in a storytelling that involves you, me and my friends." Asim explained, gesturing to her, himself, and then in the direction of the village. "Really? Which is it?" Layontsin asked, curious about this new thing. "I'll explain it while we go to the village." Asim said. Then he looked at the carcass that Layontsin was eaten and then back at her. "Sorry to have interrupted your meal." He said to the anthro thanator. "No need. I was already finishing." Layontsin said to Asim, making him sign in relief. "Okay then. Let's go." He said, moving his head in a gesture to start walking. Then Asim turned to where Mikhail was hiding and let him know that it was alright to come out. When Mikhail came out from the foliage, he went over to Asim and asked him about the proposal. "Don't worry. I'll give it to her halfway to the village." Asim promised as they began to follow Layontsin back to the na'vi camp.

As he promised to Mikhail, he prepared to start with the proposal once they reached halfway to their destination. But then Asim started to feel doubt about how Layontsin would react to what he would show. "What if she rejects it?" Asim asked Mikhail, whispering to him as he slowed down so they were out of earshot from the anthro thanator. Mikhail frowned and suddenly swatted him on the back of his head, making Asim flinch. "Are you getting cold feet now? You are a super soldier for gosh sake! Go on and confront her head on!" Mikhail hissed, suddenly shoving Asim forwards to make him trip and fall. He fell down, grunting as he impacted the floor and gaining the attention from Layontsin. "Asim! Are you alright?" Layontsin's voice asked, Asim feeling that the four hands from the anthro thanator came to pick and hoist him up. "I'm fine" he said, being set down by Layontsin as he brushed off the dirt and leaves coated on his suit. Asim glared at Mikhail behind, who in return mouthed "Go on" as a sign of starting the proposal. Making up his mind, Asim grumbled to himself before looking back at Layontsin with a calmed face. "Oh. Now that I remember, I wanted to give you this" he said, reaching back to his back pocket and pulling out the small pot with flowers before kneeling down. The anthro thanator tilted her head at it when she laid eyes on the flowers. "What is this?" Layontsin asked. "It's a gift, for you." Asim said, using the word "offering" in na'vi to replace "gift" in his spoken language. The anthro thanator's eyes widened a bit when she gazed upon the blue flowers he offered her, reaching out to gently take the pot that contained the flowers. "It's...beautiful. Thank you." Layontsin said, smiling as she nuzzled Asim's head with her snout before giving it a slimy lick. Asim felt himself more flustered when she gave him the same gesture of affection like last time, feeling as if a great weight has been taken off his back. "I will take it some place worthy" the anthro thanator said as she turned around and continued walking, carrying the pot with flowers in one of her four hands. Asim watched her go, not moving from where he stood as he touched his forehead, and then looked back at Mikhail. He clenched his fist and grinned widely, saying "You've done it!" silently. Seeing this made Asim give a sigh of relief, which was later interrupted with Mikhail patting his shoulder and gesturing him to continue walking. "Now the rest is up to you and her." Mikhail said with a proud smile while they walked towards the Anurai clan village.

Those words made Asim feel more relaxed, and made him think that maybe things will certainly get better.