Water glittered in hues of orange and pink as the suns ascended over the almost utopian island of Mata Nui, warm light gently bathing the lily lads and huts that comprised Ga-Koro. All was quiet, save for the soft lapping of waves against the beach. Boats of varying sizes floated idly at the dock, waiting for the dock workers to set about the business of the day. All in all, the village was the epitome of peace and serenity.
Given that the island's seventeen year old Chronicler, Takua, was in town, that peace wasn't likely to last long. Ever since the boy had befriended at least one person in every village, as well as an abnormally large Ussal he liked to ride around on, it became common knowledge that the wander-lusting youth would never just pick somewhere and settle down. For the first while, Turaga Vakama had been content to escort his adopted nephews – Takua had insisted that he wanted to be Jaller's brother instead of his cousin, and both adventured until Jaller joined the Ta-Koro Guard – around the island, though it soon became clear that he was needed at his village more and as such it fell to others, such as Kapura, to make sure the boys made it safely until they were old enough to make the journeys themselves.
Nowadays, Takua tended to drift wherever he pleased, his curiosity getting him into all manner of strange and wondrous adventures. And, of course, all manner of trouble as well. It was no great secret to anyone in Ga-Koro, for instance, that Macku and Hewkii constantly made attempts to sneak off and meet with each other whenever Takua came to the water village. Sure, Hewkii could easily just visit Macku whenever he wanted to, and that was perfectly fine, but the problem came about when Macku wanted to do the same. Nokama was still fiercely protective of her village thanks to the Rahi and Bohrok attacks, and had grown to severely worry whenever anyone left it on their own. Add Macku's stubborn nature and Takua's knack for mischief, and the Turaga had a one-way ticket to a major headache. Sure, she trusted Macku well enough, and Takua wasn't really that bad of a person, but the danger that pair could get into was too great for Nokama to ignore.
Luckily for the two escape artists, Macku was an early riser and Takua had spent the night at her house. Not quite so luckily, Takua was also a heavy, and late, sleeper.
It was this fact that left Macku standing over the seventeen year old Chronicler while he slept, a frown etched solidly on her face. So far, she had tried talking at him, shaking him, prodding him, and even sitting on his legs, but nothing had quite been enough. She had a plan now though, and as she lifted her bucket and shifted her hold on it, she muttered in mild frustration. "If you scream and make the whole village mad, it's not my fault. Because we had a plan!"
To say Takua enjoyed his watery wakeup call would have been a bold-faced lie. With a yell that could wake the dead, the seventeen year old Chronicler launched into a sitting position and stared wide-eyed around the room for a moment, only really focusing on Macku when the initial shock started to wear off. "M-Macku!" He yelped, spluttering and shaking his head to move his sodden hair from his face. "Rude!"
The nineteen year old smirked vaguely, a hand on her hip as she stared down at him. "So is sleeping in when you've made plans with someone." She then turned and headed for the doorway, setting her bucket down beside it and glancing back over her shoulder. "Come on; if we're getting outta here before Turaga Nokama catches us, we've gotta get moving."
Even in the early morning hours, Ga-Koro's waters glittered like a beautifully polished sapphire, reflecting elegantly rippling light onto the lily pads and homes upon them. Normally Takua would've taken time to dawdle along and enjoy the last moments of sunrise, but the chill nip of water against his frame was all too clear a reminder that being a slowpoke was unwise, especially now that he'd more or less proven himself as an apt alarm bell. He could dawdle and enjoy the scenery soon enough though; the boat he and Macku had managed to snag the previous evening was just on the other side of the next lily pad. It was a small vessel, just a two or three person canoe, but even with its general lack of size the two who aimed to use it had to be careful with where they moored it; too close to Macku's house and everyone would know they were going to sneak off the following morning, too far and any early risers would have a greater chance at stopping them en route to it.
"Rahi bones..." Macku grumbled, pausing a moment to glance across the village toward Turaga Nokama's house. "Takua run! She's coming!"
A quick glance told the Chronicler all he needed; Nokama was, in fact, on her way by now, and looking less than impressed. That could only mean one thing; the Turaga was definitely onto their scheme, and was fully intending on trying to stop them.
Takua couldn't help but start laughing as he and Macku made a run for the boat, their footfalls sounding oddly wooden on the lily pad beneath them. "Go Macku, go!"
The nineteen year old laughed with him as she sped onward. "Believe me, I'm running! Just don't fall behind!"
Needless to say, most of Ga-Koro was onto the scheme by now, and as the escapists raced along, the cheers of some of the more playful Matoran reached their ears. It also led to Takua – in about of cheekiness – blowing a kiss to one of them on his way by, grinning like a loon as the recipient flushed and giggled at him whilst shaking her head.
Soon the escape boat was in sight, Macku's best friend, Hahli, already untying it for a quicker departure. "Go go go! Turaga Nokama is almost here!"
Macku and Takua all but threw themselves into the canoe, the force of their landings pushing it away from the lily pad and well out of arm's reach. This proved to be a good thing too, because as they sat up and lifted their paddles, Nokama reached the edge of the plant-based platform behind them, puffing quietly and frowning at the pair she had failed to capture. "You two better stay out of trouble, I mean it!" She shouted, brandishing her trident at the escaping teenagers. "I don't want to hear ANYTHING about mischief while you're away!"
Macku grinned back at Nokama, waving as she piped loudly. "Don't worry, Turaga! If we get into trouble it'll be Takua's fault!"
The thirty-nine year old sighed in blatant frustration. "That's why I'm worried!"
Takua merely laughed and waved over his shoulder before he and Macku set off for the shoreline. "She worries way too much." He commented cheerfully. "What kind of trouble could we possibly get into?"
Macku shrugged. "I dunno, Takua. All the peace we've had is almost concerning. Like something big is going to happen and we don't know when it will start."
The younger Matoran shook his head. "You're starting to sound like my uncle; he's always saying something dark and spooky is going to turn up. We've got Toa for that though, and they've never failed us before. Now cheer up; Hewkii's gonna be super stoked about that Kolhii tournament that's been planned, and he's gonna tell you who play's for Po-Koro. That's super important info for you and Hahli."
Even with this cheery diversion, however, the Chronicler couldn't help but wonder how accurate Macku's worries were. It had been quite some time since a major disaster happened, and there always seemed to be something big after years of peace. Just what that big something was, he had no idea, but the longer the peace was, the problem seemed to be. Still though, Turaga Vakama hadn't had any visions or strange dreams, so Takua wasn't too concerned. Things were peaceful for now, and that was the important part.
However, when Takua glanced at the shore again, he saw a figure shrouded in dark cloth watching them, glowing red eyes fixed on their steady approach. Takua blinked, but even as he did so the dark man disappeared without a trace. A shudder trembled down the Chronicler's spine.
Maybe things weren't so peaceful after all...