Lewa couldn't help but sigh in contentment as he lounged on one of the massive leaves that shaded part of his village. The last several years had been good to the Toa of Air; having no impending threats since the Bohrok Kal meant he could relax and enjoy life to his heart's content, as well as get past the fact that, during the times of serious danger, he had more or less been mind controlled. Twice. Even after so many years, the greyish smear along his jaw line betrayed the previous presence of a shadow-infected mask, something so horrible that even now he occasionally had nightmares about it. Not to mention the ridges of small bumps that encircled his eyes like scars, showing where the small barbs of a krana had hooked into his skin to make it that much harder to tear off. It had been, perhaps, one of the most harrowing experiences of his life, and it left him constantly uneasy whenever he recalled the feeling of having no control, only being able to watch helplessly as his body acted upon a will he had no desire to follow.

Lewa shuddered slightly and shook his head. This wasn't the time to be dwelling on such thoughts. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and all of Le-Koro seemed alive with activity. Not only that, but his brothers were finally beginning to remember they were actually related to him. Some more swiftly than others due to how little time they had actually spent in capsules thirteen years ago. Even Komari – the first of his brothers to be captured – was starting to slowly remember him.

Yes, it was definitely a good day, and the fact that the final match in the kolhii tournament was going to happen this afternoon excited him to no end. As it was, he and Turaga Matau had already made a bet against each other about who would win. Matau had put his money on Po-Koro, and had been quite confident that his choice was the obvious winner. He had a good reason for it too; Hewkii and Hafu had been playing for years, and while the Ta-Koro team was good and Macku was a veteran player herself, Po-Koro had a blatant edge over everyone else.

But Lewa knew better than to bet on the obvious. His whole life had been a blaring testament that underdogs should never be underestimated, and all he had to do was look at his own team to see it. Kopaka had been a terrified and traumatized orphan. Tahu was the child his parents had no time for. Gali's family was so normal and boring they were forgettable. Pohatu couldn't save his ailing mother from the illness that claimed her in spite of his frantic attempts and downright unhealthy overworking to pay for medicine. Onua had been a street kid since he was nine. Lewa himself had been the youngest child of six before he'd become a Toa. With a lineup like that, nobody could've had high hopes for their survival.

And yet they had proven to be more powerful and successful than anyone could have ever guessed. Instead of an inglorious crash and burn, the Toa Mata had risen to and surpassed every challenge they faced, regardless of the hazards that had gotten in their way, and now could all proudly admit that they were not only Toa Nuva, but had also earned it.

It was using this logic that led Lewa to put his money on Hahli and Macku. Besides, not many people could say that their little sister had made it to the 'big league', let alone the final match of the tournament, and what kind of sibling would he be if he didn't bet on his sister's team? Matau's widgets were as good as his, and Lewa already knew exactly what he was going to spend them on. A perfect little present for his perfect little sister. And something for Macku too of course. It would be wrong of him not to buy them both a congratulations present. Yes, he even had the presents picked out; two matching bracelets made from fancifully colored beads, each one wooden and carved with the utmost care. Lewa even had the foresight to get them set aside for him, just to be certain he could specifically get those two bracelets in particular.

"Lewa?! Where are you?!"

The Toa of Air perked up right away, recognizing the voice to be that of Hlahlu's. Ever since they had arrived from their exodus, the little Ga-Matoran had been living in Le-Koro, and over time Matau had been able to fully rebuild his relationship with her, as well as go beyond it. Now the pair were happily married, had two children, and a third child on the way. Needless to say, they were both very happy parents, and their children were as bright and energetic as could be.

"Coming, Hlahlu-Friend!"

Lewa wasted no time in sliding off his leafy perch, gracefully tumbling down to the walkway below and setting off toward Hlahlu, or at least where it sounded like she was. While her hair color – a beautiful shade of navy blue – was typically easy to spot amidst the sea of greens and light browns that made up Le-Koro and its populace, the fact that she was easily the shortest person on the island tended to make her harder to spot, and the general tallness of Le-Matoran only made it worse. Lewa had always found it amusing that Matau, the tallest Turaga second only to Nuju, had decided to marry who he personally believed was the smallest woman in the universe, though the Toa knew better than to poke fun at it, especially when the couple in question was so happy in spite of the differences between them.

It wasn't the only difference either. While Matau was still inclined to his pride – which had dwindled a bit since their arrival on Mata Nui – and occasional boasts, Hlahlu would blush even at the smallest of praises and refuse to admit she had done anything particularly noteworthy. Lewa had decided that, perhaps, it was for the best; this way Matau could bolster his wife's self esteem, while Hlahlu could ensure that her husband's never inflated too much.

"Lewa?!"

The good news was that she sounded like she was closer. The bad news was that she sounded like she may have been worrying about something.

The Toa activated his mask and drifted into the air so he could, with any luck, spot her more readily. Ever since he'd lost his wings, Lewa had struggled to find a way to reclaim his beloved flight, and it had been Onua who had suggested using his Miru in tandem with his air powers to more or less replicate the effect. In retrospect, Lewa owed his eldest Brother a great deal, especially after everything that'd happened since reaching Mata Nui and settling in. Perhaps he'd try to find something for Onua too...

There!

Lewa had caught sight of the Ga-Matoran he'd been looking for, pushing himself along until he was nearby, where he deactivated his mask and...

Thunk!

Groaning quietly as he picked himself up off the walkway planks, Lewa made a mental note to practice his landings sometime in the future. But at least Hlahlu knew where he now was, and soon the 5' tall woman was giggling up at him, albeit quietly. "I see you're still a bit clumsy." She teased. "Might want to fix that, lest you end up earning Matau's reputation from the days of old."

The Air Toa laughed at her words and shook his head. "I don't think I could claimsteal that from him, even with deliberate thoughtplanning." He replied. "Did you need something though? You were loudshouting for me."

Hlahlu nodded, fidgeting with her shirt sleeves a little as she replied. "Yes, actually. Mekoki and Kelvar ran off somewhere and I simply cannot find them. I'd track them down myself, but..." She looked down at herself, lightly resting her hands on the blatantly obvious baby bump she had.

Lewa couldn't help but grin. The 'Turaga tamer' – he had dubbed her this due to how readily she could keep Matau as in line as could be managed – had always been a fussy little thing, and having children only added to it. Before, she had been able to keep up with her youngsters without too much difficulty, but now that she was soon to deliver her third baby, Hlahlu simply couldn't keep up. "It's okayfine Hlahlu-Friend; I'll quickfind them for you and get 'em home safe."

She smiled almost sheepishly up at him. "Thanks, Lewa. I really do hate to bother you like this..."

"Bother me?" He repeated with a cheerful laugh. "Notnever! I'll quickfind them, just you sit tight!" With that and a cheeky salute, the twenty-seven year old turned and took off at a run, Hlahlu's giggles echoing after him. He had a guess – based on past episodes of kiddie catching – on just where the missing children may have run off to. As it was, little Mekoki absolutely loved birds no matter how big or small they were, and Kelvar – being the dutiful older brother that he was – always tagged along to make sure his sister would stay out of any seriously bad trouble.

The trick would be guessing which birds they were visiting. After all, the Le-Matoran did keep a fair few as pets and mounts. Usually the kids would end up playing with Kongu's gukko, but that was never a complete guarantee, given that Lewa's younger brother frequently went out and about, be it to deliver messages or simply for fun. Lewa just had to hope that Kongu wasn't out on a fly about.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what was happening, and the Turaga's children were nowhere in sight. Grimacing a little at this, Lewa turned and looked around for any sign of where they may have gone. Surely they couldn't be that far, right? Perhaps they were playing in the safety nets? Or even visiting Tamaru, or one of Lewa's siblings? Frowning a little and shaking his head, the Toa of Air set off again to scour the village for even just a trace of the missing children. He was bound to find them somewhere.

But he didn't. Even after recruiting several of the matoran to help him, nobody could find either of the children. Worry was setting in now, Lewa frantically going over every possibility of where Hlahlu's kids may have gone, and fighting to remain looking calm as he tried to organize his thoughts. He had checked every place Mekoki and Kevlar would normally go, twice even, and it was making him wonder just where he may have missed.

"ToaHero Lewa!"

He turned the moment he heard his name, semi-wild eyes alighting on Tamaru as he hurried closer, something clutched in his hands. "I just sawfound this in one of the lifts!"

To Lewa's horror, the height-fearing matoran held out a light pink ribbon, which was often used to hold Mekoki's hair back in a ponytail or braid. "Are you surecertain?" He asked lamely, reaching out to gingerly take the soft fabric from its locator.

"Evercertain." Tamaru replied, pointing toward the western lifts at the far edge of the village. "You... don't think they went into the deepwoods, do you?"

The Toa's gaze was fixed on the ribbon in his hands. "... I can't saytell..." He said quietly. "But I hope they didn't. Tamaru-friend, go find Hlahlu and tell her I'm going out to seeksearch. I'm not coming back until I wayfind them, or until someone finds them here in Le-Koro and lets me know. Understood?"

"Crystalclearly." Tamaru confirmed, tearing off to find Hlahlu without further discussion.

Lewa – satisfied as much as a worried Toa could be – turned his attention westward, racing along the lifts and leaping from the ledge with reckless abandon, only activating his mask when he was around ten feet away from a dangerous landing. If anything had happened to either of the children, he knew there would be no end of grief, his own included. They knew how dangerous it was out in the jungle! Why would they want to go out there anyway?!

Pok!

Lewa hit the brakes so fast he nearly did a header into the bushes. How had he forgotten about those?

Pok pok!

"Teehee! Kelvar it tickles!"

A surge of relief swept over him as the Toa breathed a long sigh. Of course the children would be down here and close by; there was a small colony of pokawi that lived almost directly under Le-Koro's trees. All it would take was a glimpse of the colorful little birds to entice a feather-loving child to try and find them. Unable to help himself, Lewa chuckled quietly as he made his way toward the sound of giggling children, gently pushing some of the underbrush aside and discovering a scene that he was sure could make even the coldest person smile.

No more than twenty feet away sat two children no older than six, presently quite surrounded by a flock of pokawi and both looking utterly delighted with themselves. Kelvar – a wild-eyed and untidy looking boy with messy, pale green hair – was laughing happily at his little sister, who seemed to be the preferred perch for the vibrantly colored rahi. One in particular – a lime green and lemon yellow one – had taken it upon itself to nestle down in Mekoki's wavy, strawberry blonde hair. IT was a mystery to all – including her mother – why the girl's hair was so unusually colored, given her heritage, but whatever the reason was, it apparently worked well enough to lead such a typically skittish bird to make a nest in it.

Pok!

Lewa started laughing, smiling broadly at the two children as they blinked and looked over, Kelvar beaming at him and waving. "Hellohi ToaHero Lewa! We found the birdies!"

Mekoki giggled, smiling gleefully as the pink and blue bird on her shoulder started playing with her hair. "They're so cute!"

"I can see that." Lewa teased, shaking his head at the scene before him. "But you two forgot to speaktell your mother what you were up to. She's all sadworried about you two running off!"

The pair blinked and looked awkwardly at each other, exchanging sheepish looks before extricating themselves from the pokawi flock. "Oops..." Kelvar mumbled. "Guess we oughta go find her then, huh?"

"Kelvar... it ain't leaving my head..."

Sure enough, the citrus-feathered rahi was refusing to get off Mekoki even when she stood up, something that had led the other ones to more or less scatter off into the undergrowth. The little girl looked hopefully up at Lewa, or at least as best she could with a bird nesting in her hair. "Can I keep it, Toa Lewa? Can I please?"

The twenty-seven year old was mildly surprised by the question. She needed to ask her parents for permission, not him. "Uh... surefine I guess?"

"Yay! I can't wait to show Mom and Dad! Let's go Pokki!" And with that, the little girl was off for the lifts, her brother right behind her and her pet warbling and pok-ing gleefully the whole time.

Lewa could only smile awkwardly as he followed after them, his relief at finding the children being replaced by an entirely new concern. What was Matau going to do about the new pet? And how likely would he try to smack Lewa for it?

"Maybe I should have dawdled..."