Una-Nui at night is almost the same as it is in the day. It's still small, dry, and scarce, but there's this new kind of tranquility surrounding the shores when you look out at the village and see the warm red glow of fire lights and the smoke of many torches rising up to join the clouds above, barely visible. The stars above shine brilliantly, and as I walk through the huts I can hear Matoran discussing their meaning, tracking their paths, looking for omens of a better future.

Intrigued by the conversations, I look up myself, and I see the large twin moons, as well as dots of white, blue, and a single red one far off by the horizon. Then I heard something interesting: a Ko-Matoran was discussing with an Onu-Matoran about the fabled Spirit Stars, brilliant lights in the sky that signify the life of a Toa, the essence of heroes. Excited by this prospect, I look up to search for my own and my team mates'. After a while I stopped looking...the stars shown no brighter than they did before our transformation.

I walk back from the beaches to the village square, where a bonfire is accompanied by music and dance and all sorts of celebration. This didn't happen very often before my friends and I became the island's protectors, but tonight was a special occasion. Not only were they praising our saving the village from the Kikanalo earlier today, but they were also celebrating the end of the migratory season, where many of the more dangerous Rahi make their way from one edge of the island to the other. Novan and Ari had been tracking all sorts of herds since last season, and today marked the last of them to move. Now the village would be safe for at least another few months.

Although the village square isn't that large, I still had trouble locating Novan and the others through the fire and crowds of dancing Matoran. Wish I had Ari's mask, I thought to myself as I wandered around the square and its festivities. But, hold on...I see something out of the corner of my eye. It looked long and black, and appeared to have a tail...it looked like it was prowling. I turn my full gaze over to where I saw the creature, but in the darkness I could see nothing. I think nothing of it and move on again to finding the other Toa.

Eventually I come upon a larger hut than the others, an orange glow pouring out from the windows and open door frame. From inside, soft voices leak out. I approach the door and look inside, surprised to find Novan and Liala inside with Turaga Matao. Matao was engaging them in conversation about something, speaking words I could not make out. Actually, even engaging anyone in conversation for more than a few minutes is out of character for him. I stand in the doorway in hesitation, not wanting to interrupt anything important the Turaga might say, but yet I didn't feel easy about going back outside either...it felt like there were eyes on me or something. It didn't take long for Liala to look up and notice me, Novan soon after, making them lose their focus on whatever it was Matao was telling them. In mid-sentence Matao uttered some words of confusion and looked back, spotting me.

"Ah, Toa Ghar," said the Turaga in his low, icy voice. "How...nice of you to drop by."

"It's a pleasure, Turaga," I reply. "I was simply looking for the others, but I can see that you appear to be busy, so I'll just-"

I was making my way out the door when Liala cut me off by saying, "Oh, don't mind that, Ghar. Matao was just offering his advice on how to better handle any Rahi that may come by next season."

"You were? That doesn't seem like you, Turaga, offering up your...past experience," I say, looking down at the elder as he began to walk to other side of the hut, rearranging some items.

"I was a Toa once, you know," he replied. "Certainly a more efficient one than, well, whatever you call that fancy stunt earlier," he quips back, laughing to himself. "I would have just frozen them all and thawed them out on the other side of the island in a pen."

"Although I respect your opinions, I wouldn't call showing restraint and compassion a lack of efficiency, Turaga," said Novan. Looking at me he said, "In fact, I think we handled it pretty well!"

We both smile and then proceeded to bump fists, our usual sign of brotherly respect.

"You are still inexperienced," replied Matao, this time his voice becoming more directed and his tone shifting to a more serious one. "You must learn that sometimes showing compassion and not making the tough call can get you killed." He looked out the window towards the shore as he said this, his expression changing from his usual icy calmness to a grim look of regret and anger. "Experience has shown me that the less willing you are to realize that being a Toa is not all fun and games the longer you can live to become...well an old wise one like me."

I could tell from his half somber half sarcastic demeanor and the looks behind my fellow Toa's masks that there was some dissonance in Matao that he didn't wish to fully disclose. Now, however, wasn't the time to question him about it. I was just about to offer that my friends and I leave when something large and black leapt through the window onto Matao, knocking him into a corner and circling around the room at amazing speeds, knocking Liala, Novan, and myself to the ground. Just as fast as it had charged in, the creature that I must have spotted earlier speeded out the door, dragging Matao a few feet before ripping free his cloak and running off into the distance. The others and I made it out to see the thing disappear into the darkness ahead, remnants of the Turaga's cloak dotting its path. "What the Karzahni was that?" Novan asked, all of us out of breath and shocked at the sudden appearance of the creature.

"A Kavinika," answered Liala. "Dangerous things...aggressive. Where there's one, others follow. We've got to go after it," she insisted, helping Matao to his feet. "A Rahi like that shouldn't be here after the migratory season ends, and who knows what it may be going back to..."

"We can't go all at once, it's too fast and too many of us will scare it off," Novan replied, beginning to take command of the situation. "Liala, you and Ghar go after it; I'll take Matao back and look for Ari. If there are more of them out here, we need to be prepared to defend the Matoran."

"Right, let's go!" I said, running out into the black unknown, Liala falling into step with me. Behind us, Novan carries Matao back into the heart of the village. With any luck he can make it back in time before any more of the Kavinika show up. I could only hope that what we find wouldn't be just as dangerous...