A/N: Hello, everyone! Let me start by saying that this story is a crossover of The Emperor's New Groove and Moana. The plot bunny for this has been tumbling around in my mind for over a year. Heck this idea's actually a combination of two old ideas I had back in 2019. In fact, this story will eventually be part of its own series. Once this is finished, I have both a prequel and a sequel planned based off those old ideas. But enough of my convoluted rambling about my brainstorms.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Emperor's New Groove or Moana.
So... without further ado, welcome to the first chapter of Moonlight On The Mountains!
She blindly stumbled her way through the burning forest, keeping her head low to dodge the flying cinders above. She held a damp rag to her mouth to keep the smoke out of her lungs. Her feet stung as she couldn't fully avoid the embers scattered on the ground. Still, she pressed on, making her way towards the clearing ahead.
'Just a little farther… almost there…'
But as soon as she reached it, she had to force her body to an abrupt halt, wobbling before falling backwards on the ground.
'Oh, no!' She'd almost run right over the edge of a cliff! 'NO! Now I'm trapped!' Below her, the face of the cliff inclined almost straight down into the open expanse of dark, churning water. Behind her, smoldering embers sprayed down to ignite the grass. The scattered flames leapt from tree to tree, slowly merging into a blazing inferno.
Then she heard something that frightened her more than the roiling water or the sizzling fire. That sound was an enraged voice which howled from within the combusting woods…
"DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!"
Chaca turned back to face the edge, staring down into the water. Instead of fear, it surprised and confused her to feel a sudden sense of peace and of... beckoning? The water seemed to calm itself a bit, almost as if it were waiting. Taking a step closer, she prepared herself to do something she never in a million years thought she would ever do.
More shouts rang out through the blaze behind her, seeming to get closer by the second. She didn't dare to try to make out what they were saying. With no more hesitance, she bent her legs, closed her eyes... and leaped off.
Chaca shot upright with a gasp. Flicking her gaze left, then right, she sighed in relief; she was safe in her own room. There was no fire, and all was peaceful. Yet she still didn't dare close her eyes for a moment, lest she see those horrifying images behind her eyelids. Scowling, she pounded a fist on her pillow.
'I hate nightmares. They make it impossible to sleep,' she mentally whined. She and her brother Tipo had always had "wild imaginations" as their parents put it. That was a great thing…during the day whenever Chaca, Tipo, and their youngest brother Yupi played make-believe. Now? Not so much. It certainly wasn't fun when that same imagination spiraled out of control at night and tortured them with scary dreams instead.
Chaca glanced up out the window. Twinkling stars dotted the night sky. From above, Chaca could see extra light filtering in, which meant the moon was rising high overhead.
'Oh, yeah, that's right; the full moon's tonight!' she remembered. With a grin the ten-year-old shoved off her covers and crept as quietly as she could down the ladder of the bunkbeds, that she and Tipo shared. She tiptoed to the bedroom door and opened it painstakingly slow so as not to cause it to squeak. Turning back slightly Chaca glanced over to see if Tipo was still asleep; he didn't stir. Satisfied, she continued to tiptoe her way out and downstairs, keeping a hand to the wall to guide herself in the darkness. When she reached the front door, she opened it as carefully and quietly as she did the bedroom door and slipped outside. She shut it behind her with a soft click, then trekked a short way downhill, with the moonlight illuminating her path.
Once she chose a perfect spot, she plopped down and lay back on the soft grass. She cradled her arms behind her head and gazed up in wonder at the vast starry canvas. By this point the moon was nearly directly overhead, its light drowning the visibility of some of the stars nearby. On any other night this would've frustrated Chaca, since she loved to try to recognize the constellations her parents had often pointed out to her and her brothers right before bedtime.
Tonight, however was different; the full moon never failed to captivate her. Heck, even on other nights she couldn't stay mad at the moon for long. It fascinated her the way it changed from curved crescent to half-lit to full to half-lit to thin crescent before disappearing completely only to reappear in its monthly cycle. Chaca swept her eyes around the countryside, admiring how the moonlight bathed everything in its silvery glow.
'Almost like sunlight,' she sleepily mused as she brought a hand up to cover her wide yawn. 'I should probably go back to bed. Mom and Dad would kill me if they found me sleeping outside.' But she stayed put, too sleepy and comfortable in her spot on the soft grass. The night air felt perfect, surprisingly mild, and crickets chirped a calming, steady chorus.
Chaca's eyelids drooped, and her breathing grew slower and calmer as the nighttime peace lulled her lingering tension away, her nightmare all but forgotten now. She was fast asleep before she could notice the unusual dark red shadow that started to spread over the moon.
