Kora: Mata Nui

Chapter Two:

Water Spirits

It was the ringing stillness that woke him up. Denial, or 'Deni' as he liked to be called by family and friends, blinked at the sky far above him. For several long minutes he could think, just float on his back listening to under water sounds and wondering what had happened.

Slowly, he started to move, twitching arms and legs. Water sloshed up on Deni's face as a result and that woke him up fully. He righted himself to tread water, feeling the line on his ankle that connected him to his surfboard. Deni paddled over so he could hang onto the board as he stopped kicking and looked around.

He was in a sheltered cove of sorts... no not a cove, a small lake. The water tasted fresh to boot. Deni kicked and pulled himself up onto the surfboard before flattening out on it and starting to paddle again with his hands and forearms back to the closest beach. He must have really knocked his head good in a wipeout... They boy froze as his surrenders sank in.

...What had happened?

Deni had been on his first vacation with his, admittedly, 'hippy' like family. Three to four weeks in Hawaii and staying with cozens with unlimited surfing and diving (both scuba and free diving). Granted the diving included doing surveys for the research center. 'Hippy' his parents may be like, but they were some of the best marine biologists.

But this...this lake looked nothing like the islands he been on for the last two weeks. It was tropical yes, but no really a rain forest. After some poking around a and quick climb up a tree it proved that the surrounding area was more wet land. Deni counted four streams at least that were with in sight.

Yet what attracted his attention however was the sight of a towering dome like structure in the distance. Only able to see it thanks to the fact he was up in the highest branches of the tree. How Deni didn't see it on the ground when it looked to be almost the size of a small mountain he had no idea. There looked to be several different kinds of vines (different colored leaves) clinging on the sides of the place known as the Kini Nui, although Deni didn't know this tid-bit yet. What he did know was that this was most defiantly not Hawaii.

Deni scooted down the tree and sat down at the base of it, between two large root ridges, hiding him from sight mostly. Staring with wide eyes around him as it sank in that no only was he no where near home, bot also nothing looked familiar. From the texture of the tree's bark and sand, to the types and colors of ferns, bushing and assorted plant life were nothing like 'normal.' The boy, no older then thirteen at most by the looks of it, wrapped his arms around his knees as he had a good think to remember what had happened to him and how he had ended up where ever 'here' was.

The boy fiddled with a few shells that looked like they came from a clam. Deni vaguely remembered wiping out and being under water, unable to find out what was 'up' or 'down...' and then waking up in the water a bit ago. It wasn't much to go on.

Deni looked up, frowning as he stood. Blinking he turned around a few times in a somewhat dazed, confused state.

After a moment he stated off. Heading just to the right of that big temple, being drawn that way with out really knowing he was doing so. For a while he walked, dragging his surfboard along with him until he needed it.

That was a lot sooner then expected, Deni could and did walk through the streams easily enough. When he came to the river it was also just as easy to sit on the surfboard and let the slow moving water to the bulk of the traveling work. It was heading in the right direction, where ever that may be but it was right and he was going that way.

It seemed like a very good idea that he was on the water, nearly in the middle of the river way. Because there were some, well, rather scary looking 'monsters' on the banks. Some looked like animals, only were massive and clad in armor…yet the creatures barely gave him a look as they drank and left.

Time seemed pointless, like it always did when on any kind of water. It drifted like the river at a slow, hypnotic pace. The boy craned his head back as he stared up into some trees, the filtered light through the leaves making all sorts of patterns on anything under them. Deni was leaning back as well until he fell with a thump on the surfboard. Cross eyed with a fever Deni dropped off into a fit full sleep.

The surfboard continued to float along with its passenger. At least until a blue and silver hand came out of the water, the board stopping when the end ran into the palm.

Something... big was in the water. The hand was much bigger that any human hand, though slim it was still several times larger then a grown man's. The form in the water moved, rising up and out the giant, for that was what it –or rather- she was, stood in the river that barely came up to her armored chest. Aqua eyes flowed softly under a scuba-like mask. One of her hands lifted out of the water, the other holding the surfboard as she traced the side of Deni's face and neck with a careful finger tip.

"What are yoy?" The blue and silver, biomechanical being asked, "And what are you doing in my Suva?"

Still with careful, well, care she picked the human boy up, holding him almost in the crock of one arm. Toa Gali turned and looked up, automatically covering Deni with a protective hand but relaxed as she saw the hunched form of the Turaga, Nokama.

The elder was staring, surprised and a little stunned as the Toa came over, dropping her to her knees to be closer to Nokama's level. "That…Is a Kora."

Gali tilted her head, "A what?"