The next day

The boat shook a little as rode down the crest of a small wave, the slow descent making Moana's stomach drop a little as she held onto a rope that was connected to the mast. As much as she loved sailing, she had to admit this was one part she did not like. It was even worse when the waves would grow to a large size and then the boat would sail down them to a regular level of the water. Once, this had made her sick when she had gone exploring shortly on the ocean shortly after returning to Montunui and she spent the rest of that day and part of the following morning recovering. Since then, Moana had been trying not to go into choppy waters, and if she did end up there she would try and think of other things. Family, Montunui, the sea and its warmth against her skin, Maui and her travelling across the ocean-

Her thoughts drifted back to him. Maui. As the boat steadied, she let go of the mast and walked towards the front of the vessel, her brown eyes looking out at the great crystal blue expanse that stretched out all around her; glistening in the sunlight. It was as if she were searching for something, as if she were looking for her accomplice, her friend, someone who she even regarded as part of her family. Whilst she was not exactly doing something like this, dear readers, her thoughts were indeed recollecting the time they spent together. Meeting on the deserted island, sailing across the ocean, battling the Kakamora, outwitting the gigantic crab, Tamatoa, in Lalotai and then facing Te Ka, who was eventually revealed to be Te Fiti in her corrupted and angry form. All of this had been with her demigod friend, the one who she had helped, and who had, in turn, helped her.

All that is so long ago she thought to herself, resting an arm on the other as lightly coughed, looking up at the blue sky above them, losing herself in its beauty. Yet it feels like yesterday we were out here.

"Moana!"

The call made her jump a little. She looked over her shoulder to see Kakalina walking over with, as always, a smile on her face as she held a wooden object with string in her hand. Moana quickly put on a smile for the woman, greeting her friendly.

"Hey. How are you? Is everything alright?"

Kakalina nodded. "Yes. I was just showing some of your villagers the bow," she held up the object to Moana, it being a curved piece of brown wood that looked like a big C with a thin piece of string tied tightly to both of the open ends of the thing. "They're still very excited and have been practicing shooting sticks out into the ocean." She added with a giggle, and Moana too tittered, finding the idea of people playing with it as if it were a toy slightly amusing.

Truth be told, though, it had been something new for Moana and her people when Kakalina's group had showed it to them as they had never anything like it before. When it came to throwing anything sharp they just used their arms to hurl spears into the water or at any animals that they would come across on the islands, and if there was nothing sharp then they just used rocks. Kakalina showing them this 'bow' was genuinely intriguing for the people of Kalea, as if it were something bequeathed to her by the gods. Moana even heard one of the older women commenting on this, and she had to wonder if such a thing was possible. If so, then how did Kakalina, or even her people learn about it? Maybe they had done something to be awarded it, or at least learn how to craft it. Either way, maybe it was something Moana and her village could start investing some time in making once they got back.

The two women stood side-by-side silently for a moment, Kakalina gazing out at the ocean as Moana had done moments before. Though they had known each other for almost two days now and were on the same boat travelling to the group's island, they had not spoken much since they left this morning. Then again, maybe Kakalina had felt a little guilty about Moana and the talk she had had with her parents this morning. Though she did not hear what they were saying, the three, along with an adult woman and an adult man – these being Moana's chief assistants – had been speaking for about fifteen minutes and it looked like it had been heated. Moana had gestured forcefully in the direction of the boats, waved her arms around as if she were trying to wave a rope at someone, and even once had snapped something that was slightly loud and had turned a few heads in their direction. Her parents and the two assistants had made similar gestures, and Kakalina had worried it would descend into a full-blown argument. In the end, they must have cooled down and come to some kind of truce before walking back. Moana had hugged her parents goodbye and bade them good luck, climbed onto the boat and announced to the village her farewell for the coming days and wished them luck, swearing she would be back soon with the people from their island destination. Then they set sail and … well, here they were now.

"Well," Kakalina spoke up after a few moments, hoping to ease the tension. "It certainly is a peaceful day for sailing." She commented.

Moana nodded. "Yeah, it is." She replied, glancing around their location with a small smile. "And everyone is happy to be out on the water again, well … for the most part."

The two looked behind them at the deck of the large ship, seeing the various groups of people working or resting or looking out at the sea around them as they ploughed on through the water towards their destination. Moana's ship held about twenty-five, men making up seventeen in total and women the remaining eight. To the left of their ship was another of the smaller Kalean vessels, this being crewed by a further sixteen – divided half each into men and women. Trailing behind with two ropes tied to it, one from the deck and the other from the top of the mast, was the boat Kakalina's group arrived on. Two of the men were sitting in it, keeping it steady as they followed about forty feet behind the main vessel. Despite the work and activity, everyone was in a good mood, serenity almost literally filling the air and the wind blowing them in the direction the group had pointed them in.

Seeing everything calm and in no way tumultuous, Moana could herself feel at ease. One of the things she always feared was losing order and control, which could potentially lead to anarchy should something bad happen. Her father had taught her during her teenage years that having control of one's self as well as the village and its people would bring prosperity to them all and stave off any deep-rooted divisions. Right now, that was going to be necessary. She knew there was a little underlying tension with her people and Kakalina's. Hopefully it would all be sorted out soon and this underlying wariness would soon dissipate.

Of course, they were having to do this without the help of the ocean, as her parents had briefly pointed out to her yesterday. You see, dear readers, the ocean had chosen Moana because of her care of the sea, its creatures and, more importantly, her want to explore and discover. That was what humans had been doing long before and after the heart was stolen, only stopping because ships were being lost due to attacks by sea creatures. Moana restoring the heart and enabling Te Fiti to bring life back to the ocean had ended it, as she found out once when she went sailing and was surprised to discover that there was no ocean to save her or move her in the right direction. She even intentionally threw herself off the boat once or twice, but nothing happened. The ocean had not abandoned her, but now that she was a way-finder, she would have to sail around the ocean without the water to guide her. Maybe it was for the best, but still … it made her really sentimental to relive those times on her journey, to feel the ocean not only as water but as something more.

"Moana, may I ask you something?" Kakalina asked.

"Oh!" Moana said, snapping out of her thoughts as her accomplice spoke. "Um, yes. Sure. Ask away." She replied.

"Is it true that what everyone is saying about you?" she asked, nodding her head in the direction of the others on the deck. "That you successfully restored the heart of Te Fiti? And that you met Maui and the two of you endured many trials and problems?"

Moana paused for a moment, looking down at the floor at the moment and then out to sea once more. She was not surprised to have Kakalina ask her about this; she had even been expecting it for a while. Yet, as ready as she had for the eventuality to recall the tale, as she had done many times before, she found herself hesitant, even a little pointless. Part of it was because she had told this tale so many times before, and part of it was …

"D-do you mind if I tell you later?" Moana said, her tone a little neutral. "Sorry, I just don't feel in the right frame of mind right now." She added, looking back at Kakalina with a slightly down expression.

Kakalina noticed this and nodded understandably. "Of course, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to both you with it," she apologised. A pause hung between them, the silence pierced the sound of water hitting the boat and the chatter of the people on the deck nearby. An idea came to Kakalina as she held up the bow. "Actually, if you want I can show you how to use the bow. It might come in handy," she offered.

Moana seemed to perk up at this and agreed, walking over with Kakalina to the side of the vessel as her new friend explained everything to her. How to use it, how to hold it, how to aim etc. Moana took it all in, her mind drifting from Maui and their adventures.

"Ah! Got it!" Moana exclaimed to herself.

Indeed she had, for the most part. Moana had managed to fire her first successful tiny spear with the bow, after having spent much of the last couple of days trying it out. Kakalina had been eager to show and assist her, and had been gracious enough to tell the young chieftain 'good job', even when it was clear she had not made it work as well as she wanted. It was nice but Moana wanted to keep trying. So far today, she had been practicing for about an hour and had ended up drawing a crowd on onlookers, including Kale and Koa.

As she lowered the bow, Koa and a male villager walked over.

"Not bad, but you need to keep the spear more level with your cheek," he said, his voice a usual monotone. "And don't be afraid to look with both eyes. It's not gonna bite you," he added.

"Yeah," Moana agreed. "Guess I just need to practice a bit more. I'll get there in the end." She added with a hopeful tone.

"Best get on with it then," he said, tossing a small stick in his hands into the water before walking away to see what his brother, who was at the front of the ship, was up to.

When he was out of earshot, the male villager spoke up. "Well, he's certainly in a good mood. 'Mr Monotone',"

Moana giggled. "Yeah, maybe we should call him-" she deepened her voice in an attempt to imitate Koa's "'Mr Strong and Silent'" which made her and the villager chuckle. "But in all seriousness, he's a good one though," she added, going back to her regular voice.

Silence fell between them as she placed the bow on the floor and stretched a little. As much as she enjoyed it, using the bow for long periods of time made her shoulders a little stiff. So, she waved her arms around in circles to try and alleviate the stiffness.

"Hey, chief, can I ask you something?" the villager asked, his tone a little more apprehensive than before.

Moana picked up on this almost immediately and looked at him quizzically. "What is it, Kapono?" she asked the villager who had been a good friend of hers for the past two years or so, having grown up to be a handsome young man, one whom her mother often teased her about. "Is something bothering you?"

Kapono looked past her at Koa and Tama to see them conversing with a woman. Kakalina and Kale were out of sight, probably talking or resting as they had been up all night keeping watch to make sure they were going in the right direction. It was clear from the look on his face that he did not want to be heard, even by the other villagers as he looked at a small group of women sitting and chatting nearby, and another was kneeling down and had her hand in the water, enjoying the feeling of it run through her open fingers. Okay, they looked to be in the clear for the moment.

"Chief, do you … well, trust them?" he asked a little sheepishly. "I mean, don't you think that they are just pulling us on and trying to use us?"

Moana paused and took in his words. At first, she wanted to say no. How could Kakalina and her group even think of something like that? They had requested their help and were on a rescue mission to get back some people who were trapped on an island. Why would these people lie to them? What would they hope to gain from it?

But she quickly halted herself, thinking of the previous day when she had talked to her parents about this mission. Even then I felt like something was off. And there was always the chance that maybe something was. Maybe they were being duped, or at least not given the whole truth. If that was the case: what were they doing out here then? Were they on some kind of scouting run just to see if an island still had its people, or were they being led somewhere and never be seen again?

As she thought about it, Moana looked up at the boat that was still being tugged behind hers, seeing the same two men sitting on it, both looking at the main vessel. Moana had gotten to know their names as Afu and Tuala. The third one, the oldest of Kakalina's group, was called Matai. All three were very quiet and kept to themselves, often conversing away from the others when they had been on Kalea. Matai was the more open one and she thought he was okay, but Afu and Tuala were a different story. Moana had tried to talk to them, but they barely acknowledged her, answering her questions monosyllabically and without emotion, something that Tama had told her about and not to take it to heart as they had been that way even on their island. They preferred to stay in the boat, acting as if it were their home, barely moving from it. Matai was probably on the other boat, helping direct it and to keep it alongside the main vessel.

The others were, in her opinion, a little more interesting and exciting. As she had seen again for the umpteenth time over the last few days, Koa was a blunt one. He spoke his mind, caring little how others felt, and was a no-nonsense type of person. At first glance he would appear to be emotionally distant from people, wanting to prefer his own space. While that was partly true, Moana did see that he was also loyal and hardworking and often helped on something whether it was asked for or not. She had to admit that she liked that about him: he was a real 'strong and silent' type but had a good heart.

His brother Tama was mostly the opposite. Even though he often helped in things regardless of whether it was needed, he was a lot more cheerful than his younger sibling. Goofy and always up for a laugh, he was often easily excited, and tried to be positive even in the bleakest of times. Moana had spoken with him once or twice, and many of the villagers on the boat found him to be the one they enjoyed being around the most, often making them laugh. Moana even joked that when they returned to their island, Tama would probably end up staying with them and wanting to be the husband of one of the women in the village.

Kale, Kakalina's cousin, was a little like Maui in a way, the old Maui that is. He had a slight ego and did like to boast a bit about the things he could do. He also liked his food, often eating more than anyone else on the ships. But, he was also kind at heart and was invaluable in helping ready the ship for the journey, thanks to his strength. He was also quite intelligent, knowing a lot about various stories of the gods and their journeys and acts, and of the various creatures that were rumoured to roam the seas. He had even told the kids of Kalea a story about how one such creature, a huge sea snake, would terrorise the fishing boats, demanding that immense tributes of the sea creatures be given to him, lest he decide to start snacking on the humans. It was only by the power of another, much friendlier sea creature, a huge sea turtle, that the snake was vanquished, and the island's people could live in peace once again. Like Koa and Tama, Kale was also good at heart and someone she was proud to have with them.

Then there was Kakalina, the leader of this group, and the one who Moana had grown to like. She was kind, funny and she was also quite a curious one too; her personality mirroring Moana's own outlook on the world. They had talked a lot and gotten to know one another to a good degree. Moana had even helped show her how to measure the stars last night when they were at the front of the ship. Some of the other crew members, either happily or in a disgruntled manner, had commented that Moana genuinely seemed to enjoy being in the woman's company. Moana could not deny it, but … she felt that Kakalina was being a little … too nice.

It's like she's trying to hide something she had thought to herself last night.

She had, and still did put it down to it still being early days for them, that these feelings of insecurity would disappear over time and they would be close friends. Yet, Moana still reflected on the meeting when Kakalina had given a brief explanation of the island and almost flat-out ignored her inquiry into what was happening that made evacuating the people there so urgent, or even suggesting the possibility that no one was even there. Also, the woman seemed to be happy and bright around Moana and the villagers, yet discreet with Kale as if she did not want to be seen. Just this morning as Moana was waking up from her sleep, she had overheard Kakalina and Kale arguing in whispers about something. When they noticed her, they quickly went back to their normal selves and refused to discuss it with Moana, citing it was just, to quote: "A personal family issue."

It's obvious to anyone that it was more than that Moana mentally said to herself. But I can't force it out of her, even if she is on my boat.

There was no doubt to the young chieftain's mind that there was more to Kakalina and her group than meets the eye, and she had an anxious feeling that soon they would find out what it was.

"Moana?" Kapono asked her again after a few seconds.

Moana mentally hit herself to bring her back to the present and looked up at him anxiously. "I can't deny it's crossed my mind," she told him, her expression clear with concern. "Maybe we'll find out what it is when we get there."

Kapono gave her a displeased look, hoping that she would immediately pull the group aside and try and get some answers out of them. Heck, he would do it for her if she wanted: he was eager to know what they were up to. Starting something like that on the vessel, though, was not really the best idea. Maybe Moana's approach was best, even if he found it rather ridiculous.

"Chief!"

Someone called out from atop the mast. Moana and Kapono and everyone else on deck looked up to see a young man of about twenty-eight years holding onto the mast with one hand, and his other cupped around his mouth and looking down at her. When their eyes met, he pointed out ahead of them.

All eyes followed his arm and at once everything fell quiet, save for the occasional muttering and a gasp of shock. Moana mouthed something as she walked forward towards the front of the ship, Kapono and several others following close behind her as they looked on in amazement.

Before them was a grey wall, a sort of thick mist that seemed to rise higher than Moana thought possible into the sky like some kind of wall. Kapono looked left and right and saw, what looked like miles away, the wall slightly curving inward a little. So it's not stretching on forever. In front of him, Moana stared ahead, eyes transfixed on the greyness, the wisps of the mist hanging hauntingly over the edge of the water. Just looking at them made her, and no doubt the others on the three ships feel very uneasy.

"Moana," Kakalina's voice spoke up as said woman walked over, looking up at the grey wall that loomed over as they approached. "We're here."

Even though she did not believe in ghost stories, Moana had to admit that this was starting to feel like one. All around her was nothing but thick mist, so much so that she could barely see in front of the vessel. Even the back of the ship was largely obscured, the silhouettes of the crew there look like shadow people. As for the sound, it too was almost non-existent unless it was under ten or so metres from one's location. Normally this was not a bad thing as the lack of sound was relaxing, but here it was chilling, nervous, even downright nerve-racking. Barely any sound above that of the water lightly splashing against the side of the ship was audible, and all conversations elsewhere were muffled as if the people were talking with something clamped around their mouths. As for sunlight, not very much was breaking through, only enough to keep the world immediately around them lit up. It was as if this this place was doomed to be silent as well as hidden from the rest of the world, cut off and vacant of any form of life that would otherwise thrive in this sort of environment out on the ocean. It made Moana shiver as she nervously kept an eye on the other boats in fear that they would disappear into the mist, never to be seen again. For all she knew, maybe something was already watching them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Chief," came the voice of one of the women kneeling nearby and Moana looked to see her dip her hand into the water and shiver a little in response. "The water. It's cold."

"What?" Moana asked, surprised at the woman's answer.

"It's cold," the woman repeated. "And not just regular ocean cold, I mean actual cold. Like it's never even felt warmth before."

Now that made the young chieftain even more nervous as she stared ahead into the greyness again, wishing that her eyes could pierce the thick mist and see where they were going, hoping that they were not about to run into any danger. Silence filled the air, her heart beating slowly as if it were hesitant to move in fear that it would draw something to them. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes seemed to drag on into hours. Oh, where are we?!

Moana looked around and saw Kakalina standing near one of the men, her face holding a look that seemed to be a mixture of firm confidence, yet was also nervous. She walked over to the woman.

"Kakalina," Moana said, her voice seeming to be muffled by the mist as barely anyone around them turned at the sound of her voice. "Where exactly are we? I think we should turn around."

"No, no, we're on the right track," Kakalina informed her in as calm a voice as she could. "We should be there in a few minutes. We'll be out of this fog soon."

What?! The island was in the middle of this fog?! How the hell could they find it? No, why were they even living on this island? How could they be somewhere that had fog around it?! Suspicion rose within her, not just because of what she thought about Kakalina and her group but also the entire situation they were in. Moana was starting to think that this entire island travelling was just a ruse, a sham to get her and her people to go somewhere unknown, and therefore potentially dangerous.

"Look!"

All eyes looked ahead once again as sunlight began to shine through a growing break in the fog. The sight of it made the crews of the three boats shield their eyes for a moment as if it were the first time they had encountered such a thing. After a moment, all looked on and were astounded at what they saw.

About a mile ahead of them, stretching as far as the eye could see in both directions was an island, a huge island. Even from their position, it looked as if it were right in front of them. A long row of mountains stuck out from behind the tops of a long line of sheer black cliffs, the waves of the sea slamming against them with a vengeful ferocity like they would in a storm. To the far right was a break in the cliffs and a wide waterway that seemed to travel into the island's interior. On the left side were more cliffs and then a sudden end and a row of beaches with lush green jungle situated not far from them. Along the top of the cliffs and even up the sides of the mountains was more greenery, covered by a large but thinner layer of mist. High above the island was complete blue and the sunlight shining down from the sky above.

"This is it!" Kakalina said, her voice now excited at the prospect of seeing her fellow people again. "Moana, we need to head to the beaches. We'll be closer to the village there."

Unbeknownst to those on the boats, something high in the mountains, hidden from view by the distance and the mist, was watching them. Obscured by the jungle that covered the side of the raised ground, it observed the three tiny boats that turned towards the beaches. They were advancing as if unaware of where they were, unaware of what they were getting themselves into.

More of them had come, so more of them would soon meet a grisly end.

Skull Island was about to about to see bloodshed.