When Muses Live
Chapter Three:
Monsters, Snow and Shiny things
Kopaka had forgotten what a truly scare Matoran was like: Spasnedic and prone to much flailing around. This was also the first time in a long time that a Matoran was scared of him. That hadn't happened since Kopaka had first arrived and he was an unknown white giant.
He'd glimpsed the Ga-Matoran a few time in his Rahi hunt looking more than a little lost. So after chasing off said Rahi, Kopaka started looking for the Matoran. She was no great talent at hiding her trial, and the few time She was hopping on rock Kopaka got the impression it was for fun more than anything. He found even the most stern Matoran was prone to bouts of random playfulness in one form or another.
Kopaka back tracked the trail when it crossed, the fresher trail lead off in the directed of his old Toa canister (Kopaka had guessed right in thinking the Matoran would be attracted to it) so he back-tracked the original trial. At the end (or start depending on how one looked at it) was an odd, spherical pod, Kopaka dragged it well above the high-tide mark for Nuju to look at later. Then it was back to tracking.
Kopaka was right, the Ga-Matoran had gone to investigate the canister that he had arrived on Mata Nui in... and the girl somehow ended up in the canister, and being so small fallen into a nap, it was dark out and in a way much safer in the Toa canister than outside or it.
So Kopaka reached in, half climbed in really, planning on bringing the girl back up to Ko-Koro and if need be escort her to the capable care of his water-sister Gali. A few things were discovered at the same time, One: Ga-Matoran were lighter sleepers than Ko-Matoran and didn't like being woken up by a large hand picking them up. Two: Ga-Matoran not only had large lunges for holding their breath underwater, but could also be very vocal if need be. Three: This wasn't a normal Matoran. A Matoran for sure, Kopaka could sense that, but at first it looked like the poor girl had suffered a back injury like Pohatu that healed wrong. It wasn't, it was something else entirely.
Worried, but annoyed at the spazzing Kopaka pulled the oddly shaped Matoran within the shelter of his arms (he was now standing back up). Grasping part of the cloak, he used it to defuse his outline when out of the snowy regain, with one hand and wrapped it around her. This all took almost ten seconds from when the Toa reached down to using his cloak as an improvised blanket.
"That is enough." Kopaka said and was relieved that the girl stopped. Wide-eyed, stiff and clingy but hopefully calming down. "That is better. I would never hurt a Matoran little one."
The Ga-Matoran gave a squeak, in her position able to feel the words as much as hear them. Kopaka gave her the time to work up her nerve standing still until two green eyes warily peered over the edge of the cloak. After a moment of fixed, unblinking staring she said something that was muffled.
Kopaka Tilted his head slightly in interest, it almost sounded like the word 'Toa.'
'Holly craaaaaaaaap!' was the primary, and loudest thought in my head as I peeked out of the relative safety I was in. Well, I had to poke my new head out from between the cap/cloak edges to see where we were going. I lasted all of 6.3 seconds staring at the oncoming 'wall' of a storm before ducking back in the (slightly) warmer embrace of the Toa.
He chuckled, "It will not reach us little one."
I peeked back out, tilted my head to look at Kopaka's face as best I could from this angle. I gave another involuntary squeak as the Toa tightened his grip on me. I looked back to the seem to be white out at the same time Kopaka's chest expanded behind me as he inhaled deeply.
A high sound came from the Toa that was at first like a whistle but rose in tone and pitch to something as strange as it was full of an untamed power.
I shivered, and not just from the increasing cold the farther and higher we went. I watched as the avalanche looking blizzard that was about to hit us suddenly loose stream as if a switch was flipped to the 'off' position and spluttered. By the time it 'hit' us the once storm was once pathetic wisps of trailing snow and air.
Kopaka started walking as I sat there in his arms and gaped.
Now maybe I should explain a few things, the foremost is that I have a new body. Yes you heard me right: a new body. I had a new, partly (half) mechanical body. Oh, I had my freak out for sure, but it had been mostly mental. Physically I was clinging like a leach to a bleeder to Kopaka's forearm.
After a while I did calm down, I had to quiet trying to sort out why I was suddenly an 'odd Matoran' as I was called by the Toa. But a combination of still being dark, the rhythmic movement of the Toa walking and the 'curtain' of the cloak as well as the arms holding me gave a sense of security against the outside darkness.
Actually, the main reason I was putting a leach to shame was because not ten minutes after I was 'saved'/found a... well, I don't know what else to call it but 'monster.' It was big, bigger that Kopaka to give you an idea, and full of fangs and claws.
I'm not entirely sure of the details of what happened after our discussion-
("Holy cheese you're huge!"
"Yes I am."
"Why are you so big!"
"I am a Toa, and you are Matoran."
"...Did you know you have claws?"
"Yes, and so do you do little one."
"I do?"
"Yes."
"...whoa...")
-because Kopaka had thrust me back into the tube and flipped the cloak over that. Thus blocking out what little light there was. As the sounds of what had to be a fight went on outside, I scrambled around in the dark for something. Anything!
Ah-HAH!
I clutched a long seashell from the far back that had a pointy end, just as everything went still and when the cloak was removed I threw my shell. Said shell hit something white and bounced back into the inside of my table, it slid down to stop against my now dark colored and metal foot. I sighed, that was a fail.
"Not the most effective." The Toa's voice was deep yet soft at the same time somehow, just like before. He knelt down and one blue/white eye and a red optic look in on me.
I debated throwing the shell again but that would be pushing my luck. I squished as far back as I could with the shell between me and the white giant eased himself in part way. He should have blocked out the moon light but seemed to reflected it instead. The white almost glowing in the darkness...no wonder he had a cloak on, he must standout something horrid.
This time I wasn't swooped up like before (that was not a good way to wake up from a nap people!) but the large, claw tipped hand stopped short, palm up. I had the impression that he was offering this time.
"Come little one, I will bring you somewhere safe." Kopaka had said, and between being stuck in a tube with monsters outside and someone who was supposed to be a protector...
I scooted closer and let him pick me up. The size scale between the two of us was nearly staggering, I was like a child in his arms. He only had braced me against his chest with one forearm as the Toa swung his shield over and settled it with an audible 'click/clunk' sound.
I leaned forward as far as I dared and caught a glimpse of something large and shinny from something like crystal before the cloak came next, blocking out the night world and sudden chill.
When I got the nerve up to peek out for the first time I nearly fell but Kopaka (he'd finally said his name at this point) in a way that was disturbingly like how I used to hold my baby nieces.
This is when I found out I had funny legs, then started to realize other things. The strangest thing wasn't so much the changes but the fact that I hadn't noticed until about now-ish after the storm. I had been moving as if I had always been like I was.
This was more than a little strange, but when I dwelled on it to much it just made less and less sense.
Uhg-
Ooo... I see something glowing above me... heheheh...Shinny!