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36.

Grace looks to the west. The sun setting behind alien trees.

GRACE:

Sh*t.

TRUDY:

Sorry, Doc. He's just gonna have to hang

on `till morning.

GRACE:

He's not going to make it till morning.

Grace stares into the dark forest as the Samson banks hard,

thundering away toward the setting sun.

CUT TO:

EXT. RAINFOREST - NIGHT

LONG LENS-- POLYPHEMUS. The giant planet rises behind the

black trees.

Jake's got a new problem. He sees shapes moving with liquid

grace in the NIGHT shadows behind him. He is being stalked by

a pack of VIPERWOLVES.

Jake catches only glimpses -- a glint of eyes, a slinking

black movement -- then nothing. Darkness.

TIME CUT -- TIGHT ON Jake's hands as he knots his T-shirt

around the butt end of the spear.

ANGLE ON THICK SAP trickling down a tree-trunk. Jake jams

the makeshift torch into the sap, soaking the shirt with it.

A WATERPROOF MATCH from his survival kit lights the torch.

The torch creates a pool of light surrounded by pulsing,

leaping shadows. Jake turns warily as he moves along the

trail.

Behind him are several pairs of reflective green EYES.

Another pair flanking him beside the trail. Black-on-black

SHAPES which seem to flow like liquid.

He looks up -- sees one cross a limb overhead. Another on

his opposite flank.

Then a hideous sound, like a hyena's psychotic LAUGH.

The VIPERWOLVES can run like a dog and climb like a monkey.

They are hunting Jake from the ground and the trees.

37.

JAKE RUNS by torch-light, on the edge of panic. He reaches a

steep banked stream and -- without thinking -- runs across it

on a horizontal trunk --

-- and STOPS DEAD on the other side. The torch illuminates

GREEN EYES cutting ahead of him across the trail. The

viperwolves have him encircled.

The psychotic BARKS become more intense as they signal each

other, getting excited. ONE MAKES A RUN at him, angling on

his legs from behind but --

JAKE WHIRLS, jamming the torch in its face. It yips and goes

past, but ANOTHER moves in --

He jabs it with the business end of the spear and it SNARLS,

retreating, baring its fangs.

Now half a dozen are circling him in the open, and he sees

what he's up against. The VIPERWOLVES are six-limbed with

shiny chitinous skin, their paws leathery BLACK HANDS.

Intelligent eyes. Glistening black teeth in dead white gums.

Jake realizes that he is making his final stand. He whirls

the torch in an arc, keeping them at bay --

And feels a rush of adrenaline. It goes through him like a

lightning bolt and the fear is gone.

JAKE:

(SCREAMING)

I don't have all goddamn night! Come on!

Come on!

With snarls and a blur of motion THEY ATTACK.

Jake CRACKS the spear down on one, then SPINS as --

ANOTHER LEAPS at him and he plants the spear in it, striking

true, but --

Its momentum wrenches it from his hands, and the torch goes

flying. Left in semi-darkness, Jake draws his KNIFE as--

A WOLF LUNGES, sinking its teeth into his arm. He YELLS in

pain and fury, SLASHING with the knife which --

CUTS deep into the beast's shoulder and it lets go.

JAKE SPRINTS, trying to escape, but a snarling viperwolf

leaps, GRABBING him by the ankle with its fore-hand. Jake

tears away, sprawling, SCRAMBLING to get up as --

38.

THREE WOLVES charge at once. The nearest LEAPS at his throat

just as --

THUNK!! -- an ARROW appears in its chest.

The wolf lands on him, already a dead weight. He pushes it

off in time to see --

A BLUE AMAZON emerge from the trees, nock another arrow, draw

and FIRE in one fluid motion. AN UNEARTHLY YOWL as another

wolf falls.

NEYTIRI LEAPS right over Jake, and CRACKS her bow down on the

skull of a circling wolf.

ANOTHER SPRINGS at her and she drops under its weight, but

rolls, coming up on top of it with a knife in her hand.

Her knife FLASHES down, buried to the hilt in its chest.

SNARLING, a wounded wolf attacks Jake, and he KICKS it away,

but --

It SPINS and leaps back onto him, and Jake barely catches its

throat in time to keep the SNAPPING JAWS away from his face.

MEANWHILE Neytiri swings her bow in a big arc, CRACKING IT

across the heads and shoulders of two remaining wolves.

NEYTIRI:

Rrreeyaaah! Hyaaaah!!

The wolves slink and circle, yelping as the bow whistles past

them. Finally they break and run, with Neytiri chasing and--

They bound away through the foliage as she SHOUTS after them--

NEYTIRI:

Raaaarrrr!

Jake has his adversary pinned and is choking it with all his

weight. Finally it stops thrashing. Panting, he releases it

and looks up at --

NEYTIRI. Her tail LASHES as she scans the forest, listening

to the fading YELPS of the wolves. Satisfied the attack is

over, she turns.

She regards him coldly for a second, then walks past him.

Neytiri picks up the torch and extinguishes it in a stream.

JAKE:

Wait, don't --

39.

Jake blinks around at the darkness -- realizing he can still

see. In fact, with the blinding torchlight gone, the forest

is transformed.

The jungle has come alive with BIOLUMINESCENCE -- spots and

patterns, ghosts and galaxies of blue-green light.

Jake scrambles to recover his spear. Neytiri kneels beside --

A DYING WOLF. It's CRIES are pitiful. It paws the air,

trying to raise its head. She pulls her KNIFE from its

chest.

NEYTIRI:

(in Na'vi)

Forgive me, my brother.

She cuts its throat, ending the pitiful cries. She touches

its head gently, regarding it with sadness.

Neytiri wipes the knife and returns it to the sheath at her

waist. She crosses to another slain wolf and kneels, pulling

the arrow from its heart.

JAKE:

Look, um, I know you probably don't

understand this. But -- thanks. Thank

you. I owe you.

Neytiri ignores him, assuming a prayer posture over the dead

animal.

NEYTIRI:

(in Na'vi)

Forgive me. May your spirit run with the

Great Mother.

JAKE:

I would have been screwed if you hadn't

come along --

She rises and walks away without looking at Jake.

JAKE:

Hey, wait. Wait! Where you goin'?

He crashes through some plants, catching up to her.

JAKE:

Slow down a second will you. I just want

to thank you for killing those --

He makes the mistake of grasping her shoulder and --

40.

WHACK! She WALLOPS him upside the head with her bow in a

fierce backhand swing, laying him out flat.

He looks up to see a FURY standing over him. A Fury who

speaks English -- accented, halting, angry English.

NEYTIRI:

Don't thank! You don't thank for this!

This is sad. Very sad, only.

JAKE:

Okay, I'm sorry. Whatever I did -- I'm

sorry.

She gestures at the bodies of the viperwolves.

NEYTIRI:

All this is your fault! They did not need

to die.

JAKE:

They attacked me. How'm I the bad guy

HERE--

She silences him with the tip of her bow at his throat.

NEYTIRI:

Your fault! You are like a baby, making

noise, don't know what to do. You should

not come here, all of you! You only come

and make problems. Only.

Jake gets up, slowly, facing her.

JAKE:

Okay, fine, you love your little forest

friends. So why not just let them kill

my ass? What's the thinking?

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