This time, Moana had her whole village to see her off on her newest adventure. With her goodbyes, she opened the sail, and the winds pushed her forward. She looked back on Motonui and then turned to face the horizon. She was now feeling excitement for what was in store for her on this journey.
She began to think about the dream again and remembered a little detail; the stars she needed to follow in order to find her destination. The stars from her dream seemed to glow individually to grab her attention. When she saw them, she was able to chart the map to her destination.
Three days passed, and soon an island peeked over the horizon, it was a new one. She somehow missed it on past voyages, and she wondered if this island had a village that had recovered from the Darkness?
She docked her boat and looked around. No buildings in sight, though there was evidence of a village here. Stone foundations, scattered palm fronds, abandoned boats, and decaying traps and ropes.
"This can't be right, why would Fetia guide me to an abandoned island?" She asked herself. With the daylight fading, Moana quickly lit a torch and looked around. There didn't seem to be any evidence of life, with the exception of any animals that would be thriving in the tropical forest.
"Hello?" She called out, wandering into the overgrown village. Suddenly she spied one house that was clearly in better condition than the others. She walked forward to investigate, continuously glancing around for anything that might sneak up behind her. She didn't step inside, but there was evidence of someone living here.
"Hello? I mean no harm!" She called out again. She heard something behind her, and when she spun around, she came face to face with a boy, who was a mess.. Half tamed hair, roughly cut at the nape of his neck. A dirt stained tunic and belt, with signs of repair needed.
He had a tattoo on his right bicep, and his dark brown eyes were glinting in her firelight. The two stared each other down, one holding a torch, the other a weapon that could cause damage.
"Don't make me use this!" They said in unison. This made them stop.
"Lower the club, I'm not going to hurt you," Moana said calmly, lowering her torch to show she wasn't a threat. Huffing slightly, the boy lowered his weapon and he gave her a once over.
"Who're you?" He demanded, glaring.
"I am Chief Moana of Motonui, I was sent by the Goddess of Stars, Fetia to find this island, and rescue a boy who needed my help." The boy blinked at her, processing her words, with an understandable look of disbelief.
"You… were sent by a goddess?" He almost wanted to laugh, but held it back. Moana nodded.
"Yes, and what's your name? Is this your island?"
"I'm Keoni… and yeah, this is my home, or what's left of it…" He walked down an old pathway of the village, and Moana followed him.
"The Darkness swallowed my village, and we were forced to abandon everything," He looked around sadly as if recalling what it looked like when it was lively, "we tried to leave on what we had of boats, but a storm hit us… and I was knocked off the boat and sent right back here, and I've had to survive on my own ever since…"
"Oh… I'm so sorry, that's awful…" With the night becoming darker, Keoni led her back to the home he'd built.
"You've sustained yourself all this time?" Moana asked as Keoni cooked them a meal over the fire.
"The best I can… I taught myself how to do a lot of things… hunt, fish, cook, all that stuff."
"I'm impressed, I couldn't imagine having to live alone for that long." He rubbed his face, and she could see dark circles under his eyes, even with the lack of light. He looked so tired.
"I appreciate the sympathy."
"I mean it." Together the pair ate in silence, but after a few minutes, Keoni decided to ask her more questions. After all, she was the first person he'd seen in years, and her quest seemed outrageous, but intriguing.
"So… why'd the goddess of the stars send you all the way here?" Moana looked up.
"Oh, well, she kept giving me this dream for days, about a broken family, and that I needed to save the boy. Other than that, I have no idea. But… since she sent me to this island, I guess you're the boy I need to save." There was an awkward pause.
"I-I'm, flattered?" Keonin laughed awkwardly, raising an eyebrow, "but… I'm also grateful… I haven't seen another person in so long, I thought I was going to die alone and insane."
"I won't let that happen, I'll take you back to my home island, and we can work on getting you back into the swing of village life, how does that sound?" Keoni grinned.
"That… sounds wonderful." Keoni became overwhelmed with the idea of being a part of a village again, and he already felt that he was going to eternally thank Moana for her offer.