Author's note: A curious AU, a more than interesting idea in the strings of the song "Something Wild" by Lindsey Stirling, "The Sun Song" by Michael Tolcher and the gorgeous movie "Lucky and Zorba" along with a good peek through the pages of the art of Moana and scrapped materials. Several ideas won't exactly follow the movie but this is an AU, right? Let's get wild!


1. The Sun Song

"One more beginning for as long as it lasts

A new day for the living all forgiving of the past

A heavy foot steps to the dark unknown

This is a mystery

No security of home"

The storm had been all night howling over the ocean like a furious beast. The waves washed the forgotten island until they finally found what they were looking for and push it over the white sands. That uncharted place could have been a wonderful place for a tribe to inhabit but the gods had other plans and so, it had become a paradise prison, a golden cage for a once golden champion. Maui, the demigod of wind and sea, shape-shifter and hero was now the inmate of the most beautiful place on earth. Every time he tried to escape, a storm would wash him back. It was quite an irony for many of the deities for it soon be a bit of dull. The only inhabitant of the rock was persistent and for over a thousand years, he tried to get away over and over. That night was no different. He had gotten far thanks to his magic hook but no matter, he was again at the shores of his cell without walls.

Maui blinked. A few sun rays were now going through the clouds and revealing that the worse was over. He wanted to bang every single rock of that island but he was tired to do so. To insure that the demigod couldn't get away from his prison, even with his hook, the gods had limited his powers and now he got tired faster. They surely loved to piss him off and all because he had tried to help the humans. Well, anyway. Their loss, not his. It wouldn't take long for him to come up with another plan. Until then, he could rest and wash at the waterfall. Gods! Now he was going to be itchy from the sand for weeks! Urgh! Hu? A small sound had just reached his ears. A bird? It sounded more like a small dog or a mouse. Now where was he…? Ah, yes! He was going to pee in… Again? It surely sounded scared. Maui followed until he found a basket made out of palm tree fiber near the shore. Inside there was a small bundle covered with a tapa that kept on moving. The demigod slowly bent down and moved the strange object. His heart almost stopped when he discovered it was… a toddler, a little baby girl! A two-year old who was hugging her knees. She seemed pretty scared and confused. Maui blinked angrily. How had she…? A thunder answered in the distance. Oh, shi…! In his new attempt of escaping, he must have gotten a ship into the storm and she probably felt overboard. The poor thing! She was a lot like him, lost at sea when he was little.

Maui wanted to calm her down and hug her but then reality dawned on him. He was on an important mission: getting out of that infernal place and she was too little to survive on her own. He was a demigod; he could survive anything but not her. She was done for. The very thought made him mad so Maui sat down to consider all the details. Perhaps he could try flying to take her home? Nah! The storm would wash them both and the kid might drown. Whale? Not a fat chance. He could swallow her by accident? Shark? Hmm…

Ignoring Maui's musings, the little girl opened her eyes. The storm was finally over and the waves had washed her back to shore. With a bit of luck, she was back home and all she had to do was walk to the village to wait for Mum and Dad. Granma would be very happy to see her. It took her a month to convince Dad to take out at least one of the boats for a long trip. The girl wasn't sure if he would be angry but he would surely be happy to see her. The toddler moved until the basket felt and she was free to start walking. She didn't recognize the place at first but was sure that behind the bushes was the road to the big house so she started walking ignoring the big man who was speaking to himself. She had to hurry to find her parents.

The demigod was still immersed in his thoughts when he felt a familiar tug in his skin. His tattoo version seemed troubled. Maui groaned.

"What is your problem, Mother Hen? Lost your hook?" grumbled his host. His mini double frowned and pointed in direction of the basket. "You mean the kid? She's fine, dum-dum. She's resting. What I need now is to think of a way to get her home and by doing so, escape this stinky island" he was still at it. "That girl is now as much in trouble as we are or worse. We need to get rid of her" Mini-Maui insisted. "Why don't you get it, you tiny brain? The kid is over…. There" the basket had fallen and the tapa was empty. "…" Maui could tell his tattoo was now giving him a look of 'told you so' grin but he had no time for that. "Gimme a break!" the demigod got up and started following the tiny tracks in the sand until they reached the jungle. He could hear her giggling among the woods so he turned into an iguana and followed. Maui was still tired of all his failed escape but he had no choice. Through the woods and the bushes, it didn't took him long to find the little girl who seemed to be looking for her village. Perhaps she had mistaken her island with his, Maui wasn't sure. After a few minutes, the girl seemed distressed. She couldn't find her parents or her dear Grandmamma. Where was everybody? Someone stepped on a twig. The girl opened her eyes wide but instead of a human being, it was a huge bird that scared the lights out of her. She felt in the ground in panic and started crying. That does it! It only took Maui two seconds to jump before her and scare away that feathery brute with his best warrior face. Hu! Serves you right, you overgrown chicken! Ha! Hu? The poor girl was still crying so the demigod had to forget about his proud stance and gently picked up the child with one arm. She buried her head in chest as they walked back to the beach where Maui put her back in the basket before heading for his home, in a safe and nearby cave. "It's all right, doll face. Don't you cry. Bad bird's gone. C'mon" he gently brushed her tears away. "There, there. See? Is just you and me now" he smiled and the girl calmed down. She blinked. It was the fisherman who talked to himself, not her Daddy although he looked a lot like him. The man was really big but his voice was nice. The girl was still scared but felt a little safer with the stranger. "I won't hurt you, I promise. Now, what is your name, little one?" Maui left his hook on a corner.

"Momma says Little Minnow" she answered and Maui knew that was a nickname. "Papa and Granma call me Moana"

"Moana. Great name. I'm Maui" the man smiled. The kid took a good look at him. The hero from her favorite stories was called like that. Could it be really be him?

"Moaui…" she gave it a try. Too many vocals for a child. "Maaa…"

"Maaauui" the man tried to help.

"Maaaooo"

"Maaaa…"

"Mo" Moana determined. Shorter and easier. If he was not really her hero, then the stranger wouldn't be using a name that wasn't his. If he was, no harm was done.

"No, Maa"

"Mo"

"Maui"

"Mo" the girl smiled. The demigod sighed. His tattoo was really enjoying himself.

"… Very well, Mo it is" no sense in arguing. "Little Minnow" Maui pointed at her. "Mo" he touched his chest.

"Yes" she nodded. The child then noticed the living tattoo who was waving at her and she giggled. "Little Mo" that caught the inky Maui by surprise.

"Hehehhehee. You said it" the hero smiled. "Now, Minnow. I need to know your Mom and Dad. Where do you live?"

"Island!"

"Ok. It's an island. What's its name?"

"Maotuni" she was still learning to pronounce it.

"… Not a clue. Is it big or small?"

"Big! Big mountain"

"Ok. What is the name of your Dad?"

"Tui"

"And Mum?"

"Sina and Granma Tala"

"Ok, great. At least we have something. Were you in a ship?"

"Papa want no but Granma say him yes"

"… Ah-ha. What else?"

"We sail big sea. Black cloud. Ocean angry"

"And you felt, right?" Maui went quiet and so did she. After a few seconds, the demigod huffed and spoke. "Kid, listen. I really want to help you. I like you, really, but this place is dangerous"

"Why?"

"Storms and dangerous animals as well as a thousand more things. You have to eat, little one. I can take care of myself but not of the two of us. I can't be always there…" Mini-Maui nudged him stopping him from finishing the sentence.

"You are going away?" she was about to cry.

"No, no, no! Of course not. I'm going to take you to your parents but I need you to stay close to me all the time, understand?"

"…" Moana nodded.

"Good. Now we…" thunder and lightning crashed outside the cave. The child whimpered in fear and looked at Maui like a helpless puppy. She was still freaking out from the storm of earlier so Maui had little choise. The demigod gently scooped her up and held her close to him. It was really dark outside so Maui extended the tapa and using it as sheet, covered them both. It was late and they needed some sleep. Moana rested on his chest, listening to his hearbeat and he got lulled by her soft breathing. They would see things through in the morning. What Maui didn't knew was there was a green shine inside the basket and he hadn't been the only one to see the kid getting to the island.


A more tender story in my Moana list but not less adventurous.

How will Maui take care of the little Chosen One?

The island of the demigod is larger in this story and he still has his hook. Danger lurks in paradise.

More to come…