Kamun te Tskaha had flown over these forests many times, but he never stopped paying attention to what lay below. From the air, the canopy stretched wide and dense, broken by patches of colour where flowers clung to branches. His ikran, Vayul, moved smoothly beneath him, responding to every shift of weight without effort. Kamun scanned the forest floor out of habit, watching for movement, danger, or anything out of place.
That was when he saw it.
Near the roots of the Tree of Souls, something small moved.
Kamun slowed Vayul immediately, circling once before guiding the ikran down. As he descended, the shape became clear. A Na'vi infant lay wrapped in moss and vines, barely moving.
The child was alone.
Kamun dismounted carefully, feet sinking slightly into the damp ground. He crouched beside the infant and studied him. The child's skin still carried the faint glow common to newborns. His breathing was steady. His eyes were open, unfocused, taking in light and movement without understanding.
There were no signs of anyone else. No footprints. No tools. No trail leading away from the clearing.
Only the forest. And the Tree of Souls.
Kamun swallowed. "Eywa," he whispered.
The child's chest rose and fell, calm and unafraid. Kamun could feel it then, faint but unmistakable. A connection. Not loud or overwhelming, but present. The kind of presence that made him hesitate, made him think twice before acting.
He reached down and lifted the infant gently. The child's fingers closed around his thumb without hesitation.
Kamun looked around once more, searching for answers, but the forest gave none.
"This child does not belong to any family," Kamun said quietly. "But he belongs to Eywa."
Vayul shifted nearby, sensing the change in Kamun's mood. Kamun secured the infant against his chest and mounted his ikran again.
"You are safe," Kamun murmured. "Eywa led me to you."
The flight back to Home Tree was steady and uneventful. Kamun's thoughts stayed with the child. How had he been brought to the Tree of Souls? Why had Eywa placed him there alone? Kamun did not have answers, but the child was alive. That mattered more than questions.
When Home Tree came into view, Kamun guided Vayul down near its base. The great tree stood as it always had, solid and familiar. Ilara emerged from the shade as he landed, her expression shifting from curiosity to concern when she saw what he carried.
"Kamun," she said. "What has happened?"
Kamun dismounted and stepped toward her. "I found a child," he said. "At the Tree of Souls. Alone."
Ilara took the infant carefully, holding him close as she examined him. Her healer's gaze moved over his skin, his breathing, the faint markings beginning to form.
"He is Na'vi," she said softly. "Completely. But there is something… different."
Kamun nodded. "I feel it too. The forest recognises him."
The child stirred, small fingers curling into Ilara's braid. She softened immediately.
"We can't leave him where he was," Kamun said. "Even the Tree of Souls cannot protect him forever."
Ilara traced a finger along the child's cheek. "Then we will care for him," she said. "But carefully. The clan will need to understand what Eywa intends."
Kamun placed a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever his path, we will protect him."
The child pressed closer into Ilara's arms, calm and quiet.
Ilara looked down at him and nodded. "Then we begin. Together."
Kamun let out a slow breath. Beneath Home Tree, with the forest alive around them, a new life had entered the clan. One without answers, but not without purpose.
Kamun looked at the child once more and spoke softly.
"Welcome home, Nessudle."
(MAR, Btw, in lore Kamun is Eytukans father, yet the mother is not really stated, so I gave her a name. Btw Eytukan is Sylwanin and Neytiri's father.)