It's one thing to find Toruk; it is quite another to mount the creature, make the bond with it, and ride it! Sheer madness! No Na'vi has ever even dreamt of doing this!

In order to catch an Ikran, even one the size of Toruk, one has to lasso it. This catcher is fashioned from the highly durable leaves of the Razor Palm Tree and weighted at one end by stones. Mastering the art of the Ikran catcher has become an indispensable skill. The Ikran catcher is also an integral piece of a highly dangerous rite of passage where a life-long bond is formed with it. This creature is an airborne predator that lives in Pandora’s mountainous territory.

The catcher was invented by Taronyu, an Kekunan clan legend. He was the first to successfully form a bond with a wild Ikran he named Rotalyu. Each day, Taronyu would look to the sky to admire the soaring beasts. A deep desire to someday fly among them stewed inside him. With each tremendous flap of the wing, Taronyu was drawn to the graceful creature. He believed someday the Ikran and Na’vi would move through the sky as one. And he wanted to be the first to do it. How to catch the wild creature was the challenge. Taronyu went to work. Braiding durable leaves to form a tightly wound rope, he fashioned a lasso to secure the beast’s neck. Three long strands weighted by rocks would knock the beast on its head with no long-lasting harm. Climbing high into the mountains, Taronyu relentlessly studied one specific Ikran for eight days. On the eighth day, with four flicks of the lasso, the catcher caught the snout and soon the beast fell calm. Taronyu triumphantly returned to his clan on the back of Rotalyu and earned the title of Ikran Makto (Banshee Rider).

Guided by the Clan Chief of the Kukunan, Ralu, Entu, and Tsyal climb up to the Floating Mountains. As they cross a rope bridge, Ralu blows into the Palulukan bone to attract Toruk, who responds right away, looming in the sky above. But the force of the massive scarlet and yellow striped predator's wings in flight makes the bridge shake violently; Tsyal barely manages to chase Toruk away with her Tranquil Seed. As the bridge comes apart, Ralu is badly injured in the fall and is forced to entrust Entu with his vital mission. Young Entu immediately takes off in pursuit of Toruk.