A/N - Okay, not the best Chapter title, but it was all I could come up with.
Soooooooooorry! I know, it's been forever since I last posted! My life has been so busy lately, that I've had zero time to work on this, let alone think! But Razoreagle k'Leshya gave me a hand, so here I am!
Also... my family just adopted another cat! He's a little kitten we're calling Scamper. Of course, our first and only other cat Sparks wasn't impressed... But Scamper is such a cuddly boy! In fact, even as I'm typing this now he's curled up on my chest napping! Of course, his table manners could use some work -_-'
Now, I have a pretty long reason for my long absence, so I'll put it in the bottom Author's Note. Now then, let's get onto the main event!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle. Only my OC and the current plot.
The sandy desert of Po-Wahi stretched endlessly towards the horizon, the warmth of the twin suns beating down. A single form trudged along, her white, blue and black form standing out against the brown surroundings. She stopped for a moment, sitting on a nearby boulder and pulling a canteen out of her sack. Taking a small sip of water, the girl then poured a small amount into her palm before splashing it on her face. She sighed in relief as the liquid cooled her hot, sweaty face, even if she knew it was only a temporary fix from the heat.
"Why did Onewa have Po-Koro built so far from any streams?" Emma wondered aloud to herself, glaring down the faint trail she was following. Then, her eyes softened a bit as she sighed. "Right, because the area reminded him of Po-Metru." Not to mention he's terrified of water — not that he'd ever admit that out loud.
After taking another sip from her canteen, the girl then closed it and put it back in her bag. Standing up, she then turned back to the trail and continued on her trek. Stupid suns… where are clouds when you need them?
However, not long later did her 'Danger Sense' begin to act up. Emma turned her head, and her face paled when she saw the massive brown cloud rolling towards her.
"Oh sh-!" Emma cursed, darting about wildly to find shelter from the incoming sandstorm. Unfortunately, she was unable to find any quick enough. Within moments the storm was upon her.
The girl coughed, her eyes tearing up as the sand stung them while yanking up her shirt to keep it out of her mouth and nose. Blinded and her exposed skin stinging from the sand, she stumbled around. Emma's free hand swung around wildly, trying to find anything. Eventually, her foot caught on something, and she went stumbling to the ground. Curling up, she felt fear well up in her chest. Was she going to be buried alive here, suffocating under the sand?
After what felt like forever, there was a sudden, more extreme gust of wind, followed by the sound of something skidding in the sand. Then, she felt large, metal hands gently scoop her prone form up. The words "Hold on!" echoed in her ears before the world suddenly shifted, and everything blurred. Squeezing her eyes shut, Emma felt her stomach flip even as she instinctively latched onto whoever was holding her. Her ears were filled with the roar of the storm and something else, then… everything stopped.
Blinking, Emma uncurled slightly, moving her head away from the silver and brown metal it had been pressed against. Staring around the barren walls of the cavern she was in, the girl's arctic blue gaze was drawn up by a faint, yet reassuring rumble. Orange and gold eyes gazed down at her, surrounded by a copper brown mask.
"It's much safer in here than it is outside." The Toa rumbled softly, a smile tugging on his lips.
Emma nodded a little dumbly, still rattled over what had just happened. "Y-Yeah…"
He set her feet on the ground, and the girl's fingers gently, if a little stiffly, unclasped from his armour. The taller form helped the girl stay upright when her legs nearly buckled, and he let out a soft chuckle.
"First time going that fast?" The brown Toa asked, a small grin on his face.
The word 'duh' popped into Emma's mind, but she was too overwhelmed to care. Instead, she made a mumbling sound, and slid down against the smooth cavern wall with groan.
After a couple minutes of calming her flipping stomach and battling the sudden yet faint vertigo, the girl looked over her left shoulder at the brown and silver form sitting near her. "Pohatu?"
Orange and gold eyes glanced over at her. "Yes?"
A smile flickered onto Emma's face. "Thank you. For the save."
The Toa grinned back, his chest puffing up slightly. "It's what I do." He preened.
Emma couldn't help it. She started giggling, amusement welling up in her chest. That giggling soon turned into laughter, and the laughter then became hysterics. Pohatu stared blankly at her, his shoulders slumping as he was not sure what to make of the sudden laughing fit.
After a minute, Emma's laughter died down into faint snorts, and she waved her hand. "S-Sor-rry-he-he!" She giggled out, forcing herself to take a deep, calming breath. "I… hehe… I d-don't know where that came f-from."
Pohatu simply nodded, not pressing any further — even though it looked like he wanted to. Maybe having Lewa for a brother helped with that…?
A comfortable silence fell over the two, only broken by the faint roar of the sandstorm outside the small cavern. While the Toa began to inspect his claw-like weapons, Emma rummaged though her sac. A small smile flickered onto her face when she pulled out a familiar container. Popping off the lid, her eyes lit up at the small, bumpy-rounded treats sitting inside. Reaching in, she pulled one out and popped it into her mouth.
As she chewed on the very tasty homemade treat, her eyes caught sight of the Toa glancing over. Mentally giggling, Emma finished with the one in her mouth and asked "Want one?"
Pohatu gaped at her, looking surprised that she noticed. Snickering, she grinned at him. "I have a friend back on my world who gets a similar look when she sees me with a yummy sweet." The girl then held one out to him, trying not to laugh as the Toa fumbled for it, obviously a little embarrassed for some reason. Maybe it was the fact he — a big, tough, powerful Toa — had looked like a small child does when passing a candy shop.
Giggling a little at the mental image, Emma put the container back into her sack and leaned against the wall. "So," she asked after a bit, glancing over at her companion, "why are you so far from Po-M—" she coughed "Po-Koro?"
If Pohatu caught her almost-slip, he didn't say anything to it. Instead, he subspaced his claws, leaning against the smooth stone. "Well, Turaga Onewa sent me to find you."
Emma blinked. "He did? Why?"
The Toa of Stone shrugged, placing his hands behind his head. "Wouldn't say."
The girl sighed, settling back. She had a sneaking suspicion her older stone brother was concerned about her, but was to stubborn to say it out loud.
Kolhii head… She giggled softly to herself, leaning back and mimicking Pohatu's position, only she crossed her legs casually while his were just splayed out.
"How did you meet the Turaga?"
The question was so out of the blue that it took Emma several seconds to process it. Then, it took her several more to figure out how in the world to answer without revealing too much.
"Well…" she started, taking an extra second to gather her thoughts, "For me — er, rather, in my world's time — it was six months ago." At the Toa's strange look she quickly said, "More than fifteen eight-days — I think." That had him nod in understanding, so she continued. "Anyways, there was some sort of electrical storm, and I got zapped here. The Turaga found me before the villages were fully built, and for the next few months here we got to know each other. I guess we just… clicked, you know?" It wasn't the full truth, but she didn't exactly lie either — just omitted a few parts.
Pohatu nodded, accepting the story.
Another silence fell over the two, until Emma decided to ask her own question.
"So, how did you and the other Toa get here?"
The sandy desert whipped past at breathtaking speeds, a blur unless you could look at one place long enough before it vanished from view. Emma clung piggy-back style on Pohatu's back, her legs gripping his torso tightly while her arms wrapped around his neck as tight as she could without choking the Toa. His mask glowed almost-gold in the early afternoon suns, his Kanohi allowing them to cover more distance in minutes that would have taken the girl a couple good hours walking.
Emma's hair was practically plastered behind her, and she had the foresight to put her hat inside the safety of her sack. Though despite the speed her companion was going at, it only felt like a soft wind. Was this what it felt like to use a Kanohi Kakama?
All too soon, they were stopping, and as Emma slid off the Toa she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping in awe. Domed huts of mud and rock littered the canyon interior, with more perched on the surrounding walls. Caves were mixed in as well, and milling about were several Matoran. Most were brown Po-Matoran, but here and there the girl could see splashes of blue, green, and the occasional red and black mixed in.
All in all, Po-Koro was a bustling and driving village just like the others. However, the main part of the Koro was focused around a marketplace, where she could see several craftsmen and vendors displaying their carvings, masks, and other nicknacks.
Of course, the normal hustle and bustle changed the second the Matoran realized their guardian had returned, and Pohatu was instantly swarmed. Emma took a few steps back, laughing softly as the poor Toa of Stone was pulled to his knees by rather excited looking children.
"Emma!"
Turning at the sound of her name, a wide grin split the girl's face as a familiar blue form ran up, followed by a brown one.
"Macku!" Emma laughed, not having seen her in Ga-Koro, and accepting the hug her friend gave her. Then, after letting the Ga-Matoran go, she looked up at the exasperated yet excited Po-Matoran who followed her. "Hewkii!" She happily accepted a hug from him. "It's great to see you guys again!"
Macku beamed, linking her hand with Hewkii's. "It's great to see you again Emma!"
The Po-Matoran nodded. "It's been so long…"
Emma smiled sadly, once again reminded that while she was still a kid, her friends here had grown up more then she had…
"Well, well, well…" a familiar voice tisked, "look who finally showed up. You certainly took your sweet time coming."
Despite her instinctive eye-roll, Emma couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Says he who needs a cane, po-ani."
She really should have expected the solid thunk to her head. Whining and rubbing her now-sore cranium, the girl glared at the shorter form. "Po-ani… that hurt…"
The Turaga of Stone snorted. Lightly rapping his staff on the ground, he said, "It was supposed to, you little smart-aft."
Emma whined again, grumbling under her breath. Onewa, with little patience, snorted again. "Oh, it wasn't that hard," he waved off her glare, "but if you want it to be…" a gleam enters his eyes.
The girl blanched, waving her hands wildly. "N-No! I'm good! No need!"
Grinning in triumph, the Turaga pulled her to her feet, and began to drag her along, muttering under his breath. Emma, not really having any choice — and honestly quite used to this — followed.
Behind them, the witnessing Matoran snickered while Pohatu stared with wide eyes. What on the island just happened?
The Toa was even more confused when the Matoran walked off as though is was completely normal.
A couple hours after arriving in the Village of Stone, Emma - who had managed to escape her brother — scowled as she stared at the lump of rock before her. The tan and black Po-Matoran sitting across the table chuckled. "Having some trouble my friend?" He grinned.
The girl glared, eyes narrowed into slits and a low growl rising in her throat.
Another Po-Matoran sitting nearby laughed. "Watch out Hafu! You know Emma has a temper!"
Hafu just chuckled, raising his hands in a 'surrendering' manner. "Yes, I know! However, I thought she said that she was 'an artist'." He chuckled, moving back to his own work with a grin.
Then the lump of stone bounced off of his mask.
The carvers sitting nearby all broke down into fits of laughter, while Emma crossed her arms and glared at the Po-Matoran now rubbing his sore temple. "An artist doesn't just mean being just a carver Hafu! Just because I'm not good at carving doesn't mean I'm not an artist!"
The tan and black Po-Matoran leaned back in surprise, not expecting the outburst. Everyone else nearby had stopped to look over at the yell.
There was a loud pause, like someone had just ripped all the sound from the room. Then, the girl sighed, running a hand down her face. "'M sorry, Hafu. I've just… been under a lot of stress for some time, and this did not help."
Hafu, thankfully, only smiled in understanding, reaching across the table and gently patting her hand. "I'm sorry as well, my friend. Now," he picked up the thrown rock, setting it back on the table, "how about I give you some pointers, hmm?"
Emma, relieved to have the situation defused, shifted closer to focus on Hafu's pointers as he carved away at his rock, then having her try to repeat it.
Thankfully, there was no other conflict that afternoon, and by the time the suns were setting, Emma had managed to carve a few, rough objects. One, she was very proud of.
"Po-Ani!" She cried out happily as her older stone brother hobbled in. "Look!"
The Turaga made a grunting noise, but he still came over. For all his tough, hard demeanour, Emma knew that deep down inside, he really cared. The girl happily presented to him the roughly carved multi-pedal flower. Onewa took it gently in his hands, inspecting it with a critical eye.
After a long minute, he smiled, gently handing it back. "Good job kiddo." He said, before gently ruffling her hat and hair.
Emma whined at that, but a grin remained fixed on her face.
Though she had enjoyed spending time with the carvers, Emma wanted to spend the next day doing something else — mainly, what the village was well known for outside carving.
Kolhii.
Watching the players run across the field, staffs in hand, was something to behold. Though the rules were still a little fuzzy for her, she knew that there were usually two players per team. But watching this group, she could see it was more of a free for all, as the stone ball — also called a comet — was flying every which way, with no real set trajectory.
It was a lot of fun to watch.
Leaning back with a sigh, the girl closed her eyes as she silently remembered the last time she was here.
"Come on Emma!"
"Pass the ball!"
"Incoming!"
"I got it! I got it!"
"Emma?"
She visibly jumped with a small squeak, smacking a hand over her chest in fright. Turning her head, the girl let out a small breath when she saw who it was. "Pohatu! You scared me!"
"I can see that." The Toa of Stone said, looking both surprised and amused. He then gestured to the spot beside her. "Is that seat taken?"
Emma shook her head, and shifted over a bit so he could sit. As he settled beside her, the Toa glanced over just as one of the players got whacked in the head with the ball, flailing comically and accidentally hitting another player in the face with his Kolhii staff. Both Toa — honorary and Nuva — let out a snort.
As the field dissolved into chaos with players shouting and fighting each other, the girl caught Pohatu's eye. "Do you want to deal with this or should I?" She asked, an exasperated look on her face.
The Toa sighed, getting up out of his seat. "Allow me." He then grinned.
He held out his hand… and the players scattered as the field suddenly erupted with relatively large rocks.
"Pohatu!" Emma yelped, fighting back a laugh. "That's not what I meant!"
The tall brown form just shrugged, a grin still on his face.
The girl then smirked, glancing over at the field. "Well, I'm not going to be the one to explain to Onewa why Po-Koro's Kolhii Field is now a mess."
Pohatu blinked, then blanched, only just realizing what he did. "Oh slag…"
Emma laughed and laughed as the Toa of Stone flew into an almost-panic, scrambling to fix the field. The six Kolhii players had now migrated to the stands, and sat clustered around the girl. The group watched with amusement as their stone guardian tried to undo the damage he did.
The stadium was dark, with the only light coming from the stars and from Bara Magna, which sat low on the horizon, casting an orange-y glow. All was silent-
Thwack!
A single form stood in the centre of the field. In her hands she held a short — for her — staff, with a hammer on one end, a scoop on the other. She held the hammer end up, swung-
Thwack!
The hammer impacted one of the balls lined up, sending it flying. It landed to the left of the hole-like goal, where several other balls lay — all outside the goal. She scowled, before shuffling over and lining up her next shot.
Thwack!
Again, a ball was sent flying, but it too landed short of the goal. The girl let out an irritated sound, slamming the hammer end into the ground. Her hands squeezed the staff part of it until her knuckles went white.
After a few seconds, the girl let out a loud yell and flung her staff across the stadium. "Damnit!" The staff slammed into the field's wall, leaving a small crack in it. She then slumped to the ground, fisting the dirt with tears in her eyes.
There was a moment of silence, then a brown metal hand rested on her shoulder. "Emma…"
The girl turned her head, surprise in her arctic eyes. "P-Pohatu…?"
The Toa Nuva of Stone smiled sadly at her, kneeling down beside her. He gently picked up another Kolhii ball, holding it out to her. "Let me teach you." He said softly.
Emma stared at him, eyes wide with shock. Then, a small, grateful smile twitched onto her face. Sniffing, she wiped the tears from her eyes. "O-Okay."
With that, the two stood. W hile Pohatu grabbed a spare, Emma moved to retrieved her Kolhii Staff. She blinked in surprise at the crack in the stadium wall, before making her way back to the Toa, dismissing it as just the rock being old.
By the time the twin suns were rising over the horizon, Toa and girl were darting across the field. Emma, with a grunt, smashed the hammer of her Kolhii Staff against the comet, sending it towards the goal. A blur of brown intercepted it, and took off the other way.
"Pohatu!" Emma yelped, skidding on the ground as she attempted to turn and stop fast. "Stop using your-!" She yowled as her feet slid out from under her, sending the girl sprawling across the ground.
The Toa of Stone skidded to a stop, before rushing back in another brown blur. Crouching besides her, he helped the girl up.
"Are you okay?" Pohatu asked, looking his friend over.
Emma nodded, before giving herself a shake. "Y-Yeah. I'm good. Wasn't expecting that, that's all."
The Toa sighed, before looking up as the suns' light began to peak over the cliffs. "We may as well head back. We've been here all night."
The girl nodded, and together they cleaned up the field before leaving.
…And ran right into an irate Onewa.
Busted… Emma gulped under her older brother's stare. "Uh… morning?" She half-squeaked.
The Turaga stared at them for a moment, before pointing his staff at her. "You, bed. Now." He then pointed his staff at the now cowering Toa. "You, stay. We are going to have a little talk."
Emma winced as she slinked off, faintly hearing the beginnings of a rant/lecture. Maybe they shouldn't have stayed up so late…
She yawned widely. Yep, definitely shouldn't have stayed up so late.
It was almost late afternoon when Emma emerged from Onewa's hut. Stifling a yawn, she blearily rubbed her eyes. Blinking, she squinted against the bright light from the twin suns, before she placed her cap on her head. Blinking again, though now her vision had cleared some, the girl winced a bit as her stomach grumbled.
However, before Emma could take a step towards the Koro centre, a brown blur came to a stop before her. "Good morning Emma." Pohatu greeted cheerfully.
The girl glared at the Toa from under the rim of her hat, brushing stirred up dust from off her shirt. "It's late afternoon Pohatu." She grumbled. "It would be morning if we hadn't stayed up so late." Whether she was mad at him or herself was debatable.
The Toa winced. "Right. Forgot that you are unable to go as long as myself or the other Toa without sleep."
The girl's glare seemed to darken.
Pohatu coughed, suddenly feeling very small under the glare. It reminded him far too much of Turaga Onewa's. "Well, if it makes you feel any better," he handed her a basket, "I saved some meat and berries for you."
Emma took the basket from him, opening it. The delicious smell of cooked meat wafted from within, and the glare disappeared completely.
"Thank you." Emma said, smirking at the Toa before disappearing inside the hut. Well, looks like she wouldn't have to wait for her food this time.
Pohatu watched as the curtains swished shut behind the girl, before sighing. He knew that the Turaga of the island had 'adopted' the girl as their little sister, but he had not expected her to act so similar to them. It was almost scary how she could so easily mimic them, yet still retain her own personality.
There is definitely something unique about her, Pohatu thought to himself, but strangely, also familiar. Her bright, arctic blue eyes… for some reason, they reminded the Toa of someone. But for the life of him, he could not recall who. The Toa of Stone did know one thing for certain — whoever Emma reminded him of, it was from before he and the other Nuva came to the island as Toa Mata. A time that we cannot recall.
Emma grunted as she hauled herself up the rock face. A yelp escaped her as her foot slipped, but she was able to catch herself.
"You okay?" Pohatu's voice wafted up from below her, where the Stone Toa was clinging to the rock.
"Peachy." Emma muttered under her breath, before calling down an "I'm okay!"
With that, the duo's climb resumed. Emma recalled briefly about how the Toa had approached her after her late 'breakfast', and asked if she'd like to go rock climbing with him. She had agreed excitedly, and out of habit had moved to grab her spear — only to remember that Onewa had confiscated it after her late night. So, instead she had grabbed a Kolhii Staff for 'just in case'. It rested against her back in her spear's sheath, a little heavier than what she was used to, but she managed.
Grunting, the girl hauled herself onto the top of the mesa. Turning, she then reached down to help pull Pohatu up.
Or, Emma would have, if the Toa hadn't leapt over her in a mid air summersault.
The girl tumbled back onto her bottom with a sharp yelp. "Pohatu!"
The Toa chuckled, raising from his landing crouch. "My apologies-" He yelped as a heel slammed into his armoured calf, sending him to the ground. His assailant was not without injury.
"YEEEEOOW!" Emma shrieked, grabbing her foot. "Ow ow ow ow oooooow!" Not smart not smart not smart!
The girl hopped around on one foot for a bit as the Toa rubbed his smarting limb. Neither noticed two pairs of glowing red eyes watching from an opening in the rock face.
"Well," Pohatu grunted, standing to his feet, "that was unexpected."
Emma groaned. "I know. Instinct kicked in before brain engaged." She mostly muttered that last part to herself, but the Toa still heard it.
"'Instinct'?" He asked, glancing over at her. "You've done this before?"
The girl snorted, gingerly placing her foot down. "Mata Nui, you have no idea." A memory of her giving Matua - when he was still a Toa - a solid kick to the shin flashed through her mind.
Pohatu opened his mouth to ask another question, when what sounded like a hiss-click sounded. The two froze, and turned slowly, like one would in a horror film, eyes wide.
From a break in the rock face, two large, insect-like rahi with large claws and equally large stingers emerged. Their eyes glowed an eerie red, reflecting off of their armour — one blue, the other purple. Their mandibles clicked menacingly, and their stingers dripped with poison.
The Toa of Stone slowly backed up, placing an arm out protectively in front of Emma's trembling form. "Nui-Jaga…" He near-hissed, a growl rumbling in his chest.
The girl was frozen stiff, trembling softly in terror. Why does it have to be Nui-J-J-Jaga?! Her greatest fear outside of spiders and heights: scorpions.
The two rahi hissed, clicking their pincers as they advanced. Emma flinched back when the blue one jerked forwards aggressively.
"It'll be okay." Pohatu murmured, slowly edging the girl back. "Nui-Jaga aren't very bright, and they're very slow. Just stay behind me, and- whoa!"
The brown Toa jerked back as the blue Jaga lunged forwards with surprising speed.
"I thought you said they were slow?!" Emma yelped.
"They're supposed to be!" The Toa yelled back, shoving the girl behind him as the purple one lunged forwards as well.
"So, are we going to fight, or run?" Emma asked, peeking around him. She really, really hated scorpions…
Pohatu glanced around. The two were on the top of a mesa, with no nearby ledges or cliffs to leap too. He cursed softly under his breath. "Fight." He answered, pulling out his claws.
Emma whimpered slightly, but nevertheless pulled out her borrowed Kolhii Staff. As good as she was a fighter, she wasn't ready to face a pair of giant bio-robotic scorpions. But as the two rahi advanced, she took up a defensive position: she was fighting these things whether she wanted to or not.
The girl barely had a chance to bring the staff up before the blue one pounced on her. It's mask-like claws clamped down on her staff, mere inches from her face. Emma grunted as she pushed back, trying to keep the scorpion off of her. The girl could hear the sounds of fighting nearby, so she knew that calling for Pohatu's help was a no go. Squirming, she managed to get her legs under the Jaga, and with a yell launched the bug off of her.
The urge to pounce on the scorpion rose within her, but Emma shook it off. Instead, she charged the stunned rahi, slamming the hammer end of the staff into its side. It screeched angrily as it tumbled, before catching itself. Glaring at her with red eyes, it let out a hissing-screech, waving its stinger rapidly.
Emma jumped back with a curse as droplets of venom splattered the ground where she had just been standing. "Alrighty bug," she snarled, having had enough already, "bring it on!"
The two charged each other.
Pohatu grunted as the purple Nui-Jaga sent him sliding back. Snarling, he slammed his right claw weapon into the ground, and a stone pillar exploded out from under the rahi. But it flipped in midair, landing back on the mesa on its legs before charging again. The Toa repeated the same action three more times, but each time the scorpion dodged.
Barely dodging a stinger to the chest, Pohatu swung his claw-weapon. The Nui-Jaga screeched as the attack hit, sending it flailing onto its back.
Panting, the Toa stood up, only to grunt in pain as the scorpion slammed into his chest, knocking his tools from his hands. Claws dove for his face, and Pohatu flung up his left arm in defence. Gritting his teeth against the pain of the pincers biting into the hide around his armour, the Toa of Stone slammed his other fist into the Jaga's abdomen. The scorpion screeched, but clung on stubbornly. Pohatu kept slamming his fist into the purple rahi over and over, till it finally let go with a gurgling screech. It weakly hopped back a few feet, hissing at him.
Suddenly, it stiffened, glowing red eyes staring around the brown Toa. Pohatu barely had time to react as a sharp cry of "DUCK!" rang through the air. The blue Nui-Jaga soared over his head, slamming into its purple companion. Glancing behind him, the Toa of Stone could see Emma's form heaving in air, arms outstretched from throwing the scorpion.
"Nice lob." He panted out as the girl came up to join him, having reclaimed her Kolhii Staff from where it had been laying on the ground.
"I've had some practice." She said, getting into a defensive position. "So, got any idea on how to beat these things?" Emma asked, watching as the two scorpions untangled themselves.
"Well, normally they could be tricked into attacking their own reflection, but since these two are working together…"
Emma grimaced. "So, in other words they aren't stupid?"
Pohatu nodded.
The girl cursed softly under her breath. "Wonderful."
The two rahi had finally found their footing, and hissed-clicked at the two. As the two pairs circled each other, the Toa noticed several smooth looking stones out of the corner of his eye. "You remember that move I tried to teach you last night?"
Emma snorted, not taking her eyes off the bugs. "Which one? The one where I crashed into the wall, or the other where I ended up eating dirt?"
"The one where you almost took my head off." He answered dryly.
"Again, I'm sorry." Emma apologized, before it clicked. "Wait… you want to try it on them?"
Pohatu's brow rose. "You have a better idea?"
Not having one, the girl agreed. "Let's do it."
With that, Pohatu charged forwards towards the Nui-Jaga using his Kakama. The two rahi reared back in surprise, before trying to catch him as he sped past. But the Toa was too fast, and he raced around them in a tight circle, leaving the two scorpions disoriented. Before they could recover, a sharp cry of "Bonzai!" echoed out, and a large round stone smashed into the blue Jag's head. As it fell to the ground, there was another cry before a second stone smashed into the side of the purple one.
Emma grinned as she stood from her landing crouch, Pohatu sliding up beside her. "Nice shot." The Toa praised.
"I was aiming for you." The girl admitted with a wry grin.
Pohatu spluttered, before letting out a laugh. "Well, then it looks like your aim needs improvement!" He chuckled, clapping the girl on her back.
Emma snorted, opening her mouth too retort, only to yell in surprise as she was suddenly and rather roughly shoved to the side. Her exposed skin scrapped against the rough stone of the mesa, her body flipping over itself until she slid to a stop on her back. A groan escaped her lips as she lay there for a moment, her new scrapes stinging. Then, the girl sprang to her feet as she quickly realized who pushed her.
"Pohatu!" Emma screamed, staring in horror at the stinger lodged into her friend's back. A stinger that she realized had been going for her's…
The Toa of Stone gave the girl a weak grin, before collapsing. The purple Nui-Jaga screeched victoriously from behind his prone from, its tail waving about like mad as it click its pincers.
Emma's vision turned red as she roared angrily, before charging forwards. With all her strength, the girl slammed the hammer end of her Kolhii Staff into the rani's side. There was a sharp crack upon impact, and the Nui-Jaga screeched in agony as its side was torn open. Its shattered body went sailing into the air, and disappeared over the edge of the mesa.
The girl panted heavily, staring at where it disappeared over the edge. Then, she sunk to her knees as her energy waned. "P… Pohatu…" Her voice rasped, and Emma forced her aching body over to the downed Toa.
Pohatu lay on his front, his breath coming in ragged gasps, the Jaga stinger lodged into his lower back. Grasping the stinger Emma grunted, but with a hard yank was able to pull it out. Tossing the stinger to the side, the girl pulled his arm over her shoulder, forcing herself to her feet. The Toa was like a dead weight, and she forced herself to ignore how pale his mask looked. Making her way over to the edge, Emma tried not to think about how she was going to get them both back to Po-Koro safely. All she thought was that she needed to get Pohatu back, and that she needed to do it now.
So, with his heavy form half-slung over her shoulder, Emma began her long and treacherous descent down the mesa.
Onewa tapped his staff impatiently on the ground, glancing up the slowly rising form of Bota Magna every now and again. The twin suns had long since set, the stars shining brightly overhead.
They were supposed to be back ages ago. The Turaga of Stone thought to himself worriedly. They know how dangerous it is at night in the desert.
Though Onewa was not known for being 'soft', that didn't mean that he didn't have a heart. He cared for each and every Matoran in his village, whether they be of stone or other. And while he was known for his sharp tongue, he only used it when necessary. Mainly, when one of his villagers was in trouble for something. But, he only did it because he didn't want them to make the same mistake twice.
Something came into view on the horizon, and Onewa lurched forwards in shock as the form came into view.
Emma trudged towards the village, Pohatu's limp form half-slung on her back and shoulders with his legs dragging on the ground. Her borrowed Kolhii Staff was being used as a crutch to help support her. Even at a distance, various small cuts could be seen on her slim yet dust covered form.
"What happened?" Onewa hissed in worry, eyes flickering across the two forms.
Breathing heavily, Emma gasped out. "Nui-Jaga attacked us… a-and Pohatu got hit by a stinger. And-"
The girl suddenly sunk to her knees, the Toa's limp form sliding off her shoulder. Onewa gently caught Emma's overheated and exhausted frame, and started shouting for the village healers.
It was the next day that he found her. She was sitting in the stands, arctic eyes focused on the game below. She barely twitched as he sat besides her.
"I hear that you carried me all the way back." Pohatu said after a moment of silence.
Emma weakly shrugged, keeping her eyes on the field below. "You were the one who took a Nui-Jaga stinger for me. I-It was the least I could do."
Glancing down at her, the Toa was surprised to see tears forming in her eyes. "Emma…?"
"T-That stinger was meant for me…" she whispered, "you n-never shoulda taken it… y-you weren't supposed to get hurt…"
Pohatu gently wrapped an arm around the girl, gently holding her against his side. Her form shook with repressed sobs as he comforted her. "It's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. We're both okay."
"B-But-! I-I-!" Emma choked out, tears trickling down her face.
The Toa Nuva of Stone gently wiped the salty liquid away with his thumb, rubbing her arm. "No buts. We're okay."
Emma buried her face into his armoured side, clutching his torso. Pohatu moved his hand to her back, gently rubbing it in a manner similar to how he saw a mother comfort her child.
The two sat there long after the game ended, with the larger reassuring the smaller that everything was all right.
The desert was hot, but she was used to the heat by now. So, she continued to trek on.
Emma had long since left Po-Koro, now making her way to the next village. She had said farewell to her brother and friends before leaving with a restocked sac — and, of course, her spear.
Suddenly, she stopped at a noise from behind her. Turning, the girl watched as what appeared to be a small dust cloud raced towards her. It stopped just short of her, revealing the taller form of Pohatu.
"Almost missed you." He chuckled, grinning down at her.
Emma had to laugh. Only the Toa with the Mask of Speed could say that. "Well, since you weren't there when I left, you almost did."
The Toa of Stone laughed as well, gently patting her on the back before ruffling the hat on her head. The girl whined in protest, swatting at the offending hand. "Po-hatu!"
Pulling back with a chuckle, the Toa crouched before her. "Well, I did need to grab something." With that, he reached back, and pulled out a long staff out of his subspace. "Made specially for you by the carvers."
Emma gasped, taking it from his arms. "A Kolhii Staff?"
Pohatu smiled as the girl ran her hands over it, examining it. It was much longer than the Matoran sized ones, with a slightly larger scoop and hammer. As she turned it over, she noticed some writing carved into the staff. Four Matoran letters, spelling…
"My name…" Emma murmured with surprise, running her thumb over the letters.
The Toa laid a hand on her shoulder, while holding out another holster similar to the one holding her spear — made specifically for the staff. "Well, of course. The staff is yours."
A grin made its way onto her face as the girl took the holster and hooked the strap over her left shoulder, opposite to the one over her right. Then, after placing the staff in it, she suddenly launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his torso in a hug. "Thank you!"
Pohatu chuckled, gently hugging her back.
When they pulled apart, he smiled down at her. "Now, how about a lift?"
Emma smiled widely, showing her teeth.
Soon, the two were racing across the desert, whooping loudly from the thrill. Ahead of them, the towering rocky mountains rose before them, hiding the Region of Earth below it.
"Again, you somehow manage to beat the odds, little organic." Makuta rumbled to himself as he stood in his dar, underground lair. "But now you are going underground into the darkness. I wonder if you can handle it?"
The monster turned to his kneeling servant. "Prepare my rahi for her arrival."
"Of course, Master."
A/N - And finally done! We end on another almost-cliffhanger! Any guesses to what the rahi is/are?
Wow… it took quite a bit of time to write, didn't it?
Well, after the car accident I was in, I managed to heal enough to really do my job at the bike camp. And because of that, I was coming home everyday wiped. Not to mention all the sunburns…
Outside of all that, I started my second year of university at the beginning of September. That now means homework, such as writing assignments, lab reports, reading textbooks/studying, etc. So, yeah, I'm gonna be busy.
Now, I got a PM saying that this story seems different from the previous book, and that the only similarities are in the series or my character. I wanted to address this, and I won't be naming names (don't worry Raz, it's not you!).
Okay, I do actually get it, but I still want to explain some of the plan I had from the beginning.
So, when I started all this, I've had a few changes in my original plans when A) it wouldn't work B) I had a better idea and C) I just didn't like where the original plan was going. Also, as you can see, my 'story style' as it's called, has changed. I may go back and update the previous book when I have more time.
Any ways, the reason why this plot is different is because, well (I honestly thought this would be kinda obvious, but oh well…) this is set in a different set of circumstances.
Let me say it simply: Emma is exploring her 'second home' after being gone by their time 1000 years, and of course Makuta's on her tail. Each of these chapters is being portrayed as 'separate' — as in whenever she visits a village she is doing/seeing/experiencing different things. Each of the Koros work/function differently, each with their own unique inhabitants.
And again (I've said this way too many times) Emma is well known around the island… because of being there in the past as their 'first Toa'. So there will be some that respect her like that, and others who see her more as a 'childhood friend' come back.
Of course, for poor Emma it was only about six months (Sept to Feb) so this is a big shock to her. New/finished villages, passed friends, grown-up friends, and of course new protectors who had no idea about how close Emma was/is with their people. Reason being the Toa Mata/Nuva were never really told of her was because how Emma 'left' was still a sore subject, as — if you have read my previous book — she left under 'less than ideal' circumstances.
Not to mention the Turaga have a certain 'Toa protectiveness' that latched onto Emma and they now consider her their 'little sister'.
So at first, Emma was a poor young pre-teen thrown into the mist of a crazy coup and literally had no other option then to stay with the group she was with — who she also thought were cool as they were her version of 'superheroes' from watching the films. Those 'heroes' then became something of a family to her, but then she was taken away — again, in a 'not so ideal' way. Now, she has come back — again, doesn't know why or how — but is taking the opportunity to reconnect with those she had gotten close to in the past.
So yes, while the series is still under the same name and a similar OC, that's not the only thing 'connecting' the books. The dynamic between a lot if the characters has either evolved, changing, or is being formed.
Also — so I cover all my bases — sequels to some series are different from the original. Take, for example, Pokemon. It's changed a lot though the years, but still revolves around the same two characters, with call backs and what not to previous seasons. Every episode — every season — is unique, though some bear similarities. But all throughout the series the main characters are growing and changing, some noticeable, some not (I'm not including the change from Kalos to Alola. That was actually kinda terrible), but the changes are there.
But so are the consistencies. So yes, different style, different plot, but in the end it will all come together and make sense.
You guys didn't actually think that I would give everything away right away, right? I love suspense, so saving plot-twists, reveal of secrets, etc are necessary. Otherwise, the plot would be so boring you wonderful readers would conk out a quarter of the way through.
So, I hope now that everyone has a better understanding — and no, I won't give anything away. Nice try JustAFemaleGeek.
Also, special thanks to her, GoldenDragonKight, and Razoreagle k'Leshya for their wonderful suggestions on the next chapter's title. They were all so good, I decided to combine them! Thanks you guys, I really needed the help!
Until next time!
Next Chapter - Facing Her Darkest Fears