That voice. Calm, soothing, familiar. Like a memory of a loved one, or of a loved time in one's past suddenly being recollected to ease their fears. Moana had heard it, or more correctly had heard her before. And she had seen her too, many times before in fact. She turned and saw a blue glow in the mist, some twenty feet away from her. It slowly approached her, hovering just above the surface of the water, another whisper of her name emanating from it. Seeing it gave Moana a sort of binary reaction; it made her hair stand on end and a shiver run down her spine, yet it also seemed comforting, as if it were calling to ease her fears and pain of the last few days.
She watched as it approached, halting about ten feet from her, swirling and seeming to mix with the ubiquitous mist. Moana stared at it, sure that this was something alive and was staring right back at her. Then, to her amazement, she watched it shift and begin to form into something, some sort of human form. First came an array of orange and white in the part just above the water, then a layer of 'skin' that sprouted a pair of arms and a chest cloth. A neck followed and then finally a head with a pair of brown eyes, a crop of long, white hair that draped down her back and over her shoulders, and a smiling face that made Moana's heart leap with joy, a blue aura glowing like the light of an angel from heaven itself.
"Grandma!"
Before she knew it, Moana was in her arms, holding them tightly like one would a lifeline, burying her face into the neck, sobbing lightly with joy. She was here! The one who had always been a constant source of comfort, mischief, fun, wisdom, and courage for her, the one who had sent her to find Maui all those years ago, who had been with her and who had given her the strength to go back to face Te Ka (Te Fiti's heartless form) had come back. And Moana could not be happier.
Her grandmother smiled and wrapped her arms around her granddaughter, gently patting her back with one hand and rubbing her hand through her messy black hair with the other. Moana moaned, enjoying the feel of her grandmother's touch against her.
For now, there was nothing else but them, and only them. For this one fleeting moment, she felt that nothing else mattered, that the last few days had all been a horrible nightmare. 'A bad storm' to quote her grandmother when a toddler Moana had been terrified one night during a period of bad weather on Montunui, one that would soon pass and give way to bright sunshine again. Now, Tala was that sunshine, lighting up the darkness that had been all Moana had known here.
After a moment, Tala withdrew a little from her granddaughter, giving her another comforting smile.
"Now, there's the chieftain I know," She said, her voice still holding that strange way of being croaky, and yet having the flare of youth. "I'm glad you are safe."
Moana smiled, wiping away a tear with the back of her hand. "I've missed you, Grandma," she said.
"And I you, my dear," Her grandmother's face then fell a little and turned to sadness. "Though, I am sad that you have come here, sweetheart."
Moana's eyes fell, not wanting to see the upset gaze of her grandmother. Even though she had been with her on her great journey years ago and had been the one who had helped her restore life to the oceans, Moana knew that even Tala would never have wanted her to come here. Heck, if their roles were reversed and Moana were still alive and knew of this island, she would have done anything to stop anyone from coming anywhere near it.
This place was Lalotai in reality.
Tala placed her finger on Moana's chin and gently pushed it up, so they were looking at each other once more.
"Moana, what were you thinking in coming here?" she asked the chieftain.
Her voice was not in any way harsh or scolding, but was one of alarm, fear, terrified that her son's child, her own flesh and blood would perish here.
"I – I-" Moana began, but the words got lost in her mouth. Honestly, she felt embarrassed to tell her grandmother the reason for coming here. Oh, some people came to Kalea asking for help and I believed them and went along like the idiot I was. How would anyone live that down? "I came to help, grandma," she said after a few moments of silence. "I really tried. I really, really did!" she felt hot tears form in her eyes once again, hating herself for having to face this sort of thing again. "But I was so stupid, so careless that I didn't listen to my parents … and … and … the people here lied to me. And now … everyone's dead. And …" she paused to wipe tears away, not daring to look at the dry jade colour that still covered her hands. "And it's because of me."
Tala placed a comforting hand on her granddaughter's cheek, giving her a comforting smile. "What happened here was something you could not have known," she told her granddaughter soothingly, running a hand through her black hair once again. "Tragic, it is. And something to be aware of from now on, but you mustn't give up, Moana."
The ghostly form of her grandmother moved a step closer, resting her head against Moana's, the latter enjoying the touch as if some heavenly comfort was seeping from her deceased relative into her.
"I know that you are strong, and you will never give up on doing what you know is right." A pause. "But this is something which you cannot be a part of." Her voice turned graver, taking on a warning tone of advice, hoping for a less bloody future. "You must leave this island, and never come back."
Moana exhaled and nodded. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that something like this, whether she had had good intentions or not, was just simply inhumanely impossible to deal with. This was an island that gave Lalotai a run for what it was worth, a place of death, chaos, and terror where every living thing was something monstrous and most of them would be more than happy to chomp down on an unsuspecting morsel, be it native to the island or not. She was going to have to give up on this one.
And though she could not have known that this would be a death trap, she at least knew now that she had to stop anyone from coming back here. Nobody, not from Kalea, nor Montunui, nor even anyone else who happened to be out there on the waves, could ever learn about this place and come here seeking to explore or settle. It would be a death warrant, one that she would not even wish on her worst enemy.
Of course, various questions now ran through her mind. Most notable was probably the most obvious; how do I get off this island? All the boats that she had seen and/or used were likely destroyed, or at least damaged to the point where their being seaworthy was out of the question. Even if she was to somehow get out of here, there was the problem of getting back to Kalea. There was no food or water here, at least not that she knew of, and it could take longer than a few days to get back. Weeks, maybe even longer than that! Would she even survive? The ocean was a wonderful place, but it was not something to be messed around with. Even on her journey with Maui years ago, she had come to learn that it played by its own rules and had a nature she could not control, even when it was helping her.
Speaking of Maui …
"Grandma?" she asked her ghostly elderly relative. "What happened to Maui? What made him into … well, into …-"
"Into Kong?" Tala cut her off. Moana nodded. "Come over here," she said, taking her arm.
She led Moana further into the mist, the water going past her waist and up to her breasts. Then her collarbone, then her neck. Moana looked at her grandmother anxiously, wondering what on earth she was doing. Was she going to get her to swim or something? Or was something going to lift her out of the lake? Hopefully. The water was now just about her mid-neck level and she felt her legs instinctively kick to keep her afloat, yet her grandmother's form carried on, slowly sinking into the water, unperturbed by it as if it were not even there.
Finally, Tala stopped and turned to her granddaughter, her face calm and collected, her eyes silently reassuring Moana not to panic.
"Relax," she advised her, gently rubbing her hand. "But be prepared. It's going to be a lot to take on board,"
Before Moana could answer, she was sucked under the water, her grandmother's light going out the moment her head went under.
She could not breathe. Her arms became limp and lifeless like tree branches. She thrashed wildly, trying to get up to the surface, but there was no way up. No light, no marker, no grandma. Nothing! Her eyes darted around, praying for a way out. All around her the blackness seemed to creep up on her like another malevolent beast from this island, wanting to consume her, extinguish her life and end her meager existence. Moana panicked. Heart raced. She tried to kick up, but it seemed that up was down. Or was it left? No, was it that way?! Oh no! Which way do I go? I'm gonna drown!
Further she sank like some invisible hand was pulling her down. She tried to fight it, but it was hopeless. There was nothing she could do. She was done for. She tried to cry out. Grandma! Maui! Mother! Father! Anybody! Help me!It was then she heard it. A distant boom, one that sounded like one of the large drums from Kalea being beaten hard when it was time for a ceremonial dance. She paused, listening out for her, heart racing, fearing it was something coming to get her. BOOM! There it was again! She tried to pinpoint it, but the blackness was everywhere, and it seemed to come from all directions. BOOM! BOOM! A flash! Something purple flashed from her left, somewhere in the black mass around her. Moana focused on it, waiting to see if it happened again. Another flash, this time silent came from behind her and she spun round to look at it. Another came, this time she saw it happen. It was like lightning, yet she could not see any such thing within the cloud, and yet still it stretched out across the whole of it. What was this?
Another sound made her blood run cold and she felt like screaming. It was itself a scream, but one mixed in with a roar. The world around her shifted, soon being dotted with large, opaque silhouettes that were unmoving. They looked like rocks, giant rocks to be exact. A scream, a woman's, echoed out from nearby, followed by the cry of a man, and then another man. THUD! THUD! THUD! Something was running. She felt her feet touching ground and it was then she noticed she was no longer needing to hold her breath. She could breathe easily, yet when she did, it smelt of death and rotting meat. She wanted to throw up, but as she looked around trying to see where she was, she could see that it too seemed to come from the ubiquitous blackness that surrounded this place, a small world trapped within a bubble of blackness.
"Kakalina! Run!"
She looked to her right and saw, to her amazement, both out of familiarity and because it looked as if this place were at a time of night, someone run past her with, a look of absolute terror, sweat running down her face. Kakalina! She was still alive?! How?!
With the Skull Island chieftain was another woman who was clutching her arm and gasping in pain. Moana caught glimpses of blood. What had done that?
As if answering her questions, she saw one of the opaque forms fade away, revealing a large open area with another opaque form lying some distance away in front of her. She looked around desperately trying to find out where she was.
What is this place?!
"Hey, demon face!"
That voice. Deep and powerful and confident like no other. Maui! She looked over in the direction she heard it and saw him.
Standing about fifty feet away, large muscular body set with the legs apart, fists clenched, arms bent at the elbows, a snarled expression akin to a warrior about to go into battle, and hook in hand was the demigod himself. He bellowed out something, though it was covered by a rumble of thunder as another flash lit up the 'sky' overhead. Moana watched in awe, amazed that she was able to see her friend in his old form again.
Something thudded towards him. She looked and felt like screaming and running for her life. It was the same creature from before; the same body shape; the same sharp claws; the same snarl and growl; the same evil eyes that held a malevolence that rivalled Te Ka's or any other hellish demon she had heard about. It was Gowa, the demon monster that had killed Kakalina, and almost Moana too at the large lake near the centre of the island.
Gowa stepped towards the demigod, growling menacingly, baring her teeth and running her tongue over them. She was not afraid of this tiny creature, demigod or not. She was going to enjoy satisfying her hunger with his meat, and he had plenty of it.
"Maui! Run!" Moana cried out.
He did not respond. It was like he was even unaware of her entire existence to him; she was a mere spirit. A mere bystander of the past, yet unable to communicate with it.
She watched Maui, after looking to his side and saying something, though whatever it was Moana could not hear, grip his magic fishhook tighter, ready to lunge at Gowa. She, however, seemed to sense the move and let out a kind of growl with a nasty smile, sneering at Maui. Come on then, mortal. Attack me!
Maui did not hesitate. With a battle cry, he leapt at the demonic beast, hook raised high, ready to swing and deal a heavy blow to his enemy. With a snarl in reply, Gowa charged forward, claws at the ready to slash at her tiny opponent. Moana watched with terrified wide eyes. There was no way Maui could stop her; she knew first-hand how deadly this creature was! He was going to be mincemeat! She cried out to him to stop, forgetting that her voice would not carry to him, would not be heard by him, and would not have any effect on what was to happen.
What happened next, she could only describe as a flash. Was it Maui's hook? Or was it lightning striking right above her, or the two combined? She did not know. All Moana knew was that one moment the two were charging at one another, the next there was a loud CRASH and roar as two large shapes fell to the ground. She looked and saw Gowa's tail swing through the air as the creature it belonged to picked itself up, growling angrily as she saw its red eyes, glowing brightly like fire in the darkness, glare down at the other large shape, now about what looked to be a hundred feet in front of it.
Maui?
Gowa stomped forward, but was stopped by a shrill cry from somewhere at its feet. Moana looked and saw a small shape, about the same size as Maui's demigod form, but it was different. As though aiding in her curiosity, the form became more visible in the darkness and she saw it was a small creature with black hair all over its body, save for the hands and the face. It lay crouched low on the ground, a bloodied mess over its head that had coated some of its hair and it was bawling in terror at the top of its lungs, staring up at Gowa with a petrified expression, desperately crying out for something to save it. Gowa, on the other hand, curled her lips backward into a nasty smile, pleased that there was a tiny morsel for it to feast upon, and the screaming in terror just made it all the more pleasurable for her.
Oh no! It was a baby. A baby ape, and Gowa was … was going to …
"NO!" she screamed. She ran forward, but it was like she was forbidden to reach for it seemed to move further away the more she tried to rush over. "NO! Leave it alone!"
She had to save the poor baby! She had to! Oh, where was its mother and father?! Where was Maui! Oh, somebody had to save it! Somebody had to! Gods, please save it! Don't let it die!
No answer came. No help came. The baby was alone.
With one swift downward bite, a brief, but heart-wrenching scream of pain filled the air, before going quiet. Moana looked away, not wanting to see the poor creature's life be extinguished. When she looked back, she saw Gowa drop the baby on the ground, it being no bigger than her head.
Moana wanted to run out there. She wanted to get Gowa; kill her; gut her; rip her limb-from-limb, anything! Oh, that demonic monster deserved to pay. How could it take the life of a defenceless creature so callously? How could it?! Did it have no feelings or remorse for what it was doing?! Not even Tamatoa or other Lalotai monsters would do such a thing!
Gowa looked up at the other large shape in front of her, seeing it move at the same time a low sounding groan came from it. Snarling, she rushed forward and jumped onto the form, pinning it down and biting at one of the arms as it attempted to fight back. It succeeded in throwing Gowa off, but the demonic monster lunged again, catching it around the neck with one of its clawed hands and throwing it to the ground.
Moana watched the form push itself up, the face becoming more visible to her as if this place wanted her to see what had become of the demigod.
Maui!
As if it heard her thoughts, the ape looked up in her direction, their eyes meeting. Even though the two were now of different species and had no physical similarities whatsoever, they both held the same kind of terror and fear that Gowa had caused. Moana could see blood on the side of his head, no doubt the result of a cut from one of said monster's claws, and with the sounds of growling coming from next to the gigantic ape …
"Maui, watch out!" she cried.
Too late. A hand grabbed the ape round the neck and forced him down to the ground with a thud. The ape tried to fight back, but Gowa's claws dug into his skin. He felt blood flow. He felt as if his windpipe were being crushed like old, worn tarp. Gowa snarled mockingly at him. You fool! Did you think you could defeat me? Me?! I am the Alpha here! This island is mine!
She raised her claws and Moana's screams faded as the monster brought them down.
The next few moments were a blur as the world around the young chieftain was consumed by darkness again. She frantically looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the place again. She had to get back there! She had to get to Maui! She had to help him; he could not fight that monster on his own! Oh, what was going on?! Where am I now?!
As if answering her questions, a series of blue flashes erupted out of the darkness all around her. And if what she had seen before had been eye-opening, this was something completely different.
Blue forms came to be within the pitch blackness like something bio-luminescent. There were a series of … strange flat things with a huge base layer, and then another layer on top of that, and then another, and then another, and another – each one getting progressively shorter than the last. Around that one, more of the same appeared. They filled the never-ending blackness, growing in size and towering over Moana like mountains, probably even putting the ones on Montunui to shame. Though she did not know it, for the word did not exist in the vocabulary of her people, she was looking upon a sort of pyramid-like structure. Among these immense structures, she saw humanoid figures appear, many walking from place to place, some idle, others in pairs or groups. No sound came from them, but she could see their mouths moving in what was indisputably a conversation of sorts with one another. Seeing all this was just … well, overwhelming. Was this on Skull Island?
The images around her shifted once again, the tall buildings of this huge … well, whatever it was – she did not know the word for it – soon disintegrated into the blackness along with the multitude of people. Moana was consumed by it all again, standing in an everlasting void, no light or sound coming from any direction.
A blink of blue light appeared in front of her. Then more appeared, quickly filling the blackness once again, and began swarming around her like a cloud of fireflies in the glow of the night. She watched as they formed a series of … creatures? They formed a sort of circle around her, like some kind of art display. She could see heads and claws and large bodies, each one about the size of a small house that she would find on Kalea, yet even that was still big enough to be very intimidating. She saw one that looked like some kind of crab. No, a shrimp! She could see the huge claws that looked almost too big for its body raised in front of it, each one half open as if it were ready to snap her up and break her in two (it gave her a nasty reminder of Tamatoa when she and Maui had gone to Lalotai during their journey to restore the heart of Te Fiti).
The one next to that was even more of an eye opener. It was a huge bird-like creature, with its huge wings opened out in mid-flight. The face – long, beaked and with a pointed crest sticking out of the back of the cranium – was pointed down at the young chieftain, a pair of black holes on the sides where Moana presumed the eyes would be staring into her soul, making her shudder. She would hate to see this one for real, though given what she had seen here on this island she doubted it was going to be fake. This light show isn't for kicks! A brief shadow appeared next to this one. Something almost as black as this place; large and winged and ... three long necks with a head on the end of each one? What is that?
Another creature formed from the light nearby, this one also a flying one. Yet, there was something immediately different about it. It was like an insect, with large open wings that, unlike the pointed, scary looking ones of the first flying beast, were more curved and accentuated with some kind of patterns, each one interlocking with each other and forming an array of shapes. Moana had to admit that they were beautiful to look at, and if she were to see the real thing before her, they would be displayed with an array of colours that would put all the greenery of Kalea or Montunui to shame by sight alone. The body of the insect was quite long, with several long, sharp pointed appendages that she assumed were its legs sticking out along the bottom of the body. The front of the creature held a pair of black oval spheres – again, she assumed they were the places where the eyes would be located if it were there in its entire flesh and blood form – and a pair of antennae protruding from the space between the eyes, both curled backwards in a manner like a snake would when trying to remain invisible to any potential predators.
Another flash next to her. Moana looked and saw another creature, though this one was not a flying one. It was a two legged one and was immediately different in the fact that it stood like a small mountain before her. Her wide brown eyes followed the form up past the pair of thick, trunk-like legs to a huge body that she could see was covered in muscle and was accentuated with thick deep line, telling her that the skin must have been rock looking to a degree. A long tail lay on the ground behind it. A pair of huge, powerful arms hung down by the side of the creature's body, but the head was something both amazing and terrifying. It was like that of some kind of lizard. No, a dragon. No, a monster – maybe one from Lalotai itself, or possibly even somewhere even that place could never conceive. It was large with a pair of black eyes staring down at her as if it was looking down on a tiny life form that, though it did not regard much thought, was nevertheless something worth enough to garner some sense of curiosity. A large mouth was half-open below its snout and she could faintly see the rows of what looked like sharp teeth inside. From the back of the head and down the back, Moana saw huge rows of some kind of spires sticking out of the back of its body, going all the way to its tail.
She had no doubt this was something alpha, heck, probably even godly. Is it a god, something that my people have never heard of?! It might be possible; this island alone was proof of that.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when a loud screech came from behind her. She wheeled round and barely had time to scream before a huge mouth, this time with the teeth much more on display, came bearing down on her. She instinctively crouched, waiting for the coming bite that would squish her into paste, crush her bones and finish her off for good.
With a loud splash, Moana's head broke the surface with an almighty breath as if it were the first time she had ever breathed in her life. Coughing and spluttering, she pushed herself ahead, trying to keep her head above the water despite the lack of energy. She hoped that she was heading back towards the banks of the lake, feeling out with her toes as she forced herself on. Thankfully, she felt them touch solid rock and soon she was walking, or more correctly staggering, back the way she had come.
When she came through the mist, she saw a huge black form moving towards her. A large hand reached out and she reached out for it in return.
As they were within touching distance, the world turned black and all was silent.
