Four year old Ulani was running away from a crowd of villagers that carried Pitchforks.

But no matter how fast she ran the villagers seemed to be gaining on her, she found her way to the top of a cliff and realized she was at a dead end.

She was going to be killed by the villagers pitchforks.

She backs up further toward the edge desperately looking for some possible means of an escape one that maybe she had missed.

But then she made a terrible misstep and toppled backwards falling into the depths of the sea.

The ocean swirled around her as Ulani tried to fight the currents that held her firmly in its grasp.

It carried her far from the island pulling her under many times. Ulani feared she would soon drown and be lost to the sea for ever but somehow with the thought of death in her mind she found a sense of peace.

But just as Ulani had relaxed and made peace with the idea the Ocean rose up and spit her back out onto dry land.

Ulani lay there for a long moment catching her breath before standing up ready to run if anyone saw her and decided she was a bad omen to them.

Walking through the island she soon discovered that she didn't have too much of that to worry about because wherever she was it was nothing but jungle and seemed to have no sign of any other humans.

Relaxing she went from looking out for people to searching for food and warmth.

She had been trying to jump for a large mango hanging from a tree which hung just out of reach, when she caught the delicious scent of fish cooking on a spit.

But she hadn't seen any sign of their being humans about. She thought to herself.

Fear enveloped her less they discover her and the saw her for the curse that she was.

But hunger, curiosity and being cold drove her toward the smell.

If it was a human maybe she could manage to talk them out of a fish without them noticing the curse she had been born with.

Crouching behind a large bush, peering through it she sees a particularly large man sitting by the fire turning the spit that held four fish a large fire going underneath it.

She rubbed her growling belly hungrily trying to figure out how to get one.

She thought back and remembered a pig that had gotten into the crops and stole some of the corn.

Watching him once more she waited for an opening sure there might be a way to steal it.

And then the man turned his back on the fish his attention on a pile of firewood standing not far away but his attention was no longer on the fish.

Deciding this was the only chance she sprang from her hiding place and had just reached for the fish when the man happened to turn back around and he spotted her.

Withdrawing her hand she quickly backed away intending to run away.

But the man put out his hand and smiled "hey, it's okay don't be afraid but what is that on your face?"

Afraid of this man she fell back on her butt and started wailing.

Maui took her in his arms and just hugged her rubbing her back.

The kind act brought a halt to the wailing and she gazed up at him with confusion.

"Why you being nice to me? My face is disfigured." she asked suspiciously.

He looked at the girl's face for a few minutes, it was a large purple blotch across her left cheek, it looked almost like a cross between a patch of fur and a permanent bruise.

"it's okay you see you are by far the most beautiful child I've ever seen, I think that mark just gives you character and adds to your beauty." he said kindly.

Now that she had stopped crying he sat down in front of his spit with her on his lap.

Taking a couple fish off the spit he tested the heat first but then gave them to the child.

"Here, take these and go home." he ordered setting her off his knee.

Ulani was too ashamed to tell this nice man that she had no home so headed back into the trees on her own with the fish.