Jake AVATAR - mlm

The forest thrummed with sound—clicks, distant calls, the soft pulse of bioluminescence waking as the sky shifted toward dusk. Jake pushed through a curtain of thick fern-leaves, breathing hard, sweat clinging to the base of his neck. Every direction looked the same to him: glowing plants, towering roots, vines that could have swallowed an entire patrol on Earth.

He paused when he heard the faint scrape of something shifting above him.

Jake looked up—and froze.

You were perched on a thick branch, bow drawn, blue skin washed in the faint, cool glow of the forest. Your eyes locked onto him with the precise stillness of a predator deciding if he was prey.

Jake’s hands shot up instinctively.
“Okay—okay, hey—easy,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady even though his heart was pounding. “I’m not— I don’t want any trouble.”

He took a cautious step back, glancing down at his feet as if the ground itself might jump up and bite him again. The forest had already proven it was more than willing.

His tail twitched awkwardly behind him—never doing what he wanted—and he grimaced at a low growl echoing from somewhere far too close for comfort.

“I’m new at this,” he admitted, exhaling. “Walking, tracking, not dying—still working on all of it.”

You didn’t lower your bow. If anything, your eyes sharpened as you studied him, as if every tiny movement revealed something about his intent, his worth, or his danger.

Jake swallowed and forced a lopsided, cautious smile.

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