(A/N: Just need to get a break from my writer's block and my other stories. So I made this. I do not own Moana, How Far I'll Go, or TMNT. I only own the plot, Dakota, and Jeralline. Feel free to suggest more songs.)
It was a sunny day in the village of the sea. The villagers were weaving their baskets, children were drawing on cloth using taro, while farmers husking and harvesting their coconuts and fishermen were coming back from the sea.
Villagers were strictly not allowed to cross the reef. And if you were a normal villager, you don't see the point of going to shore, so you just leave it. But if you're the Chief's daughter, things get though.
"Dakota, I've told you many times already," Chief Vienna said. "You aren't allowed to go to the shore!" Chief Vienna was the chief of the village.
The young toddler just cocked her head at her mother's words. She had been to shore many times but never knew the meaning of 'no'.
Chief Vienna groaned in response. She rubbed her eyes with her forearm stressfully. Everyday, she would find her daughter playing at the seashore. Her mother, Mama Garcia, keeps telling her that it's okay to let the child play at sea, so long as she doesn't cross the reef. But Chief Vienna wasn't having any of it.
"Mama?" the child chirped.
Chief Vienna turned her head to look at her child. The child had a smile on her face, making Chief Vienna chuckle. Although the child was stubborn, she still had a heart as soft as wet sand and positivity brighter than the sun.
Chief Vienna lifted the child from her underarms and rubbed their noses together. Discipline takes time. She remembered when she was just like that. Eating away all the coconuts from the husking grounds. She got over that at the age of five, but maybe that's all the time her child needs to learn.
"Time," Chief Vienna sighed, "That's all you need, Dakota."
- 7 years later -
Nine-year-old Dakota continued to run on the sweet green grass. She grew up to be a beautiful brunette with brown eyes with cheeks so cute, you could just pull them off, and hair so smooth you just want to brush it all day long.
She ran behind a coconut tree and panted. She peeked past the tree to check if something was still there. She exhaled when there wasn't. Not a moment too soon, something popped from the top of the tree. That something let out a loud scream that scared the poor child. Dakota fell back and panted hard.
Her pupils were small in fear and she could feel her irises following. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could almost feel it jump out of her chest.
"Dakota!" She heard. She calmed down and she and the thing turned to see four kids running their way.
Yes, you heard right. 'Their.'
"Mikey, get down form there," one boy commanded. The boy had black hair and sapphire blue eyes.
The kid that scarred Dakota, AKA Mikey, jumped down on his feet. He had brown hair and baby blue eyes.
"You okay, D?" A girl asked. She had red hair and baby blue eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Dakota replied as she got up with the help of the redhead, April.
"Hey, look!" A boy with a gap in his teeth said. He had brown hair and red brown eyes. He pointed to shore, there sat a few shells.
"So what, they're just shells," another boy scoffed. He had brown hair and emerald eyes.
The other boy, with a gap in his teeth, Donnie, just ignored him. "Hey, let's go get some!" He suggested.
He was responded by several dialogues of agreement, except for the grumpy one, Raph.
Everyone raced for the beach and it wasn't long until everyone was picking shells.
"Mom's going to love these!" Dakota exclaimed.
"Oh, these will be great for my necklace," April said.
"Pretty," Mikey said.
Then something caught Dakota's eyes. She turned to her right to see a sparkly sky blue shell in a distance. Her mother loves blue. She loved it so much that the village did their best to make a blue dress for her marriage. Dakota decided that that shell will go great with a necklace made of shells. It could go right in the middle.
Dakota looked back at her friends. She didn't know if she should go on her own or just get it some other time. Then she realized that if she took it some other time, it wouldn't be there anymore. So she took off,
She walked to the shell and was just about to take it when the sea washed it away.
"No!" She gasped. She sighed as she watched the sea only continued to splash.
She sighed and was about to walk away when she heard squeaking. She turned her head to see a seagull. Its wing was stuck under a rock and it was clearly stuck.
She saw the fear in the seagull's eyes and decided to help it. She walked to the seagull and removed the rock off its wing. The seagull moved its wing and flapped it. After checking, it left. Then Dakota saw a baby turtle hiding in a crack. Then it all made sense. The seagull got stuck trying to get a meal.
Dakota checked if there were seagulls then she reached her hand out to the baby turtle.
"C'mon, I won't hurt you. I'll just help you go to sea," she cooed.
The baby turtle seemed unsure, but it climbed onto her hand anyway. The baby turtle on her hand was a little heavy for her, but it was cute... Like her, although she would never admit it.
She then brought the turtle to the sea and it swam to freedom. Dakota smiled. It was getting late now. She was just about to leave when she heard the sea. She turned to see that there was a path leading to the blue shell she saw earlier. She then walked towards it and looking at the water as she went.
"Water isn't supposed to move like this," she wondered.
She then came to the shell and picked it up. She was about to leave when a shadow came over her. She looked up to see a tentacle-like shape that was made of water.
"Uh... Hi?" She waved. It was cool and all, but she really didn't want to be called weird like Mama Garcia. "Um... If you don't mind, I'll be going now."
Then the ocean, as she called it, soaked up all her hair and it came out in a wet bun and with a sea flower. It was messy but it was nice.
"Wow..." She said in amazement.
"Dakota!" Her friends called.
Dakota turned to go but the ocean undid her bun and sent her on her way. Dakota met with her friends on shore and showed them the shell. Eventually, they had to go home. Dakota took one last look at the ocean. The gold orange sunset reflected in the ocean and made it colored gold. Dakota smiled at the beauty of the sea before walking away.
Ever since that day, she visited the sea at least once a day, no matter what her mother or anyone else says. No one supported her but Mama Garcia. Mama Garcia was one with nature. Every inch of it. So when Dakota told her about what she saw.
She said, "You were one with the ocean, you the ocean is one with you."
That was the last time Dakota talked to her before she passed away a few hours later.
- 9 years later -
"Mom do I really have to go?" An eighteen-year-old girl whined. She had unruly brown hair and emerald eyes.
"Yes, dear, you need to go," her mom replied.
"But mom, why can't you go on your own, like you always do?"
"Jeralline, dear, do you know what today is?" Her mom asked as she stopped fixing herself and turning to her daughter.
"The day I'm forced to go to the meeting with the Chief of the sea?" Her daughter asked sarcastically.
"No, today is the eighteenth birthday of Chief Vienna's daughter. Did you know that?"
"No," Jeralline deadpanned.
Her mother, Chief Everest, snorted. "Well of course it is. Today's the day she places her stone on the mountain of the sea. Today is also the day she'll meet the leaders of the other tribes and give the names of the new leaders. And as the new leader of the mountain tribe, you, Jeralline, are required to go to the meeting."
"Why me?" Jeralline murmured.
"Because you will be the new leader of the mountain tribe. Didn't I say that already?"
"I'm going to be a leader?"
"Yes you are."
"I'm going to be a leader!" Jeralline squealed.
In the village of the sea, Dakota had her arms crossed, her back slouched and her face in an unamused expression. Several girls dressing her for the upcoming festival.
"C'mon, straighten up, Dakota, today's the day you've been waiting for!" Her mother exclaimed excitedly.
"Why now? I still have many thing to do with my life other than fix roof leaks," Dakota replied.
"Oh, c'mon, it's great!"
"Mom, when I was fifteen, I fixed twenty-six roof leaks on twenty six different days, all leaking because they weren't built properly."
"Oh, c'mon, there's more to being chief than fixing roofs."
"No, there's none."
"Chief, are you ready?" A man asked.
"That's your cue," soon-to-be-former-Chief Vienna said.
Dakota sighed as her mother led her out the tent. The place was full of people. Dakota was nervous, mostly because she didn't like attention, another reason why she doesn't want to be chief. As she walked, she saw at the end of the long path and into a shaded platform stood her friends to be crowned leaders , namely Leo of the sprit tribe, April from the sun tribe, Violetta from the wind tribe, Tasha of the nature tribe, and Victoria of the fire tribe. There were also a few people she didn't know but she'll know soon due to the problems they'll have to face together.
Dakota and the others all stood tall on the platform, well, except for Jeralline. She was so excited for it that it was hard to keep her from bouncing.
The tribe leaders were crowned and each wore a headdress with the crest of their tribe. Dakota was last. But before her mother put the headdress on her she shoved the headdress away and ran off to who-knows-where.
Everyone began to panic. Especially the people of the local tribe. The loss of their heir is really getting to them. After ours of searching, there was still nothing. And due to sundown, everyone went to their homes and got ready for tomorrow's search... Except Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April, and Jeralline.
"Where do you think she could've gone?" Chief Jeralline of the mountain tribe asked.
"Any ideas?" Leo, now Chief Leonardo of the spirit tribe, asked.
Everyone thought for a moment. They've search the whole village, all nooks and crannies were searched. No Dakota. But Chief April of the sun tribe feared that she knew where her friend went to.
"I think I know where she could be," Chief April said fearfully.
At the seashore, Dakota sat on a log that was pretty much strong driftwood. She watched as the sun went down. She watched as the high tide lightly touched her toes.
In the bushes, her friends and Jeralline watched as she sighed and lightly splashed the water with her feet. Creating ripples and small waves.
"That kinda makes sense since she's a local," Chief Jeralline said.
"Are you kidding?" Raph hissed. "Her father drowned in there, she's not supposed to be here!"
"What do you mean? She's just here when she needs to think," Chief Jeralline concluded. She then became unsure when the others gave her looks. "...right?"
Chief April sighed. "She's been standing at the edge of the water, 'long as we could remember. Never really knowing why," she sang, "We wish...she could be the perfect daughter, but she goes back to the water. No matter how hard we try."
"I'll go talk to her," Chief Jeralline said.
"Good luck," Chief April bid as she and the others left for bed.
Chief Jeralline walked or Dakota and sat beside her. The two sat in silence with Dakota not even acknowledging Jeralline's presence.
"Um...hey," Chief Jeralline greeted, deciding the break the silence. "I'm Jeralline of the mountain tribe." She turned to Dakota and held out a hand. "Well, Chief Jeralline now."
"Dakota, of the sea tribe," Dakota said as she shook other's hand.
Chief Jeralline made herself more comfortable on the log by placing her left foot on her right thigh.
"So..." she started. "Why'd you run away?"
"I... I don't want to be Chief," Dakota replied.
"Well why not?" Chief Jeralline asked in bewilderment.
Dakota sighed. "If I become Chief, then I won't be able to visit the sea anymore."
Chief Jeralline scoffed. "Visit the sea? The sea doesn't need visiting."
"Yes it does."
"Oh yeah? Why?"
Dakot bit her cheek, not sure if she should reply or not. She then took a deep breath and replied, "I... I think it calls me."
Chief Jeralline blew a raspberry, "Yeah, right. The sea can't talk. You're better off in the village, where people can talk."
"I do what I want when I want to, Chief," Dakota said trough teeth.
"You belong to the village, Dakota, and I say you go back before your mother gets here," Chief Jeralline ordered.
"Leave me alone!" Dakota exclaimed as she got up and shoved Chief Jeralline. For a moment Dakota acted like the one she shoved was just Jeralline.
"Why won't you come back to the village then!?" Chief Jeralline retorted.
Dakota's eyes narrowed. "Every turn I take, every trail I track, every path I make, every road leads back," she sang as she stomped to Chief Jeralline.
"To a place you know where you cannot go," Chief Jeralline retorted as she sang and stabbed a finger on Dakota's forehead.
"But I long to be!" Dakota exclaimed as she sang. She gave Chief Jeralline another shove before turning to the sea. "See the line where the sky meets the sea? I calls me."
"But no one knows how far it goes," Chief Jeralline sang doubtfully.
Dakota ran to a nearby boat and got on it and grabbed the rope that was connected to the mast and leaned to the side with all her weight on the rope. "But if the wind on my sail on the sea stay behind me, maybe I'll know..." she sang.
"But there's just no telling how far you'll go," Chief Jeralline sang. She grabbed Dakota's hair and dragged her into the empty village. She grabbed Dakota's hand half way there. "You know, everybody on this island is all happy on this island. Everything is by design," Chief Jeralline informed Dakota as she sang.
Dakota's eyes narrowed. "I know everybody on this I island has a role on this island, but I choose not to roll with mine," she sang as she twisted her hand out of Chief Jeralline's grip.
The latter grabbed Dakota's sash and dragged her to the mountain on the sea. "You could lead with pride you could make them strong," Chief Jeralline sang as she showed Dakota the mountain that looked beautiful in the setting sun and rising moon. "You'll be satisfied if you play along."
"But I say no, so let me go," Dakota sang as she stomped out of Chief Jeralline's grip.
"Why can't you see?" Chief Jeralline asked as she sang. "I don't get it, Dakota. You could be leader of the tribe, you could be a hero, go down in history. So I don't understand why you just don't want to be the leader of your tribe!" she exclaimed
Dakota, who had started walked away, turned to Chief Jeralline and said, "Because I know my father isn't dead." Dakota turned to sea and ran towards the coast, Chief Jeralline on her tail. When she got to sea, she waited for the latter and pointed to the sea. "See the light as it shines on the sea?"
"It's blinding! And no one knows how deep it goes," Chief Jeralline sang.
"But it seems to me calling out to me, so come with me," Dakota sang as she pulled Chief Jeralline to a nearby boat. She pushed the latter onto the boat and began pushing it to sea. "I'll let you know," the boat started to move, making singing and working much easier.
"What beyond that line?" Chief Jeralline asked as she sang.
"We're gonna cross that line," Dakota replied. Then the boat was on the sea. She hoped on a started sailing. "See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me. So I'll need to know how far it goes. And if the wind on the sail on the sea stays behind me, one day we'll know how far we'll go!"
The pair crossed the reef and were off on their journey. Leaving Chief Jeralline's headdress behind, they went further and further from the island they knew, little did they know about the surprises awaiting for them...