Moana awoke the next morning to the sound of something being dropped near her. When she opened her eyes, she saw a large fish had been placed in front of her, and Tamatoa looking at her like a proud cat that just brought home a kill.

"Breakfast." He proclaimed confidently, holding up a clawful of more fish to show he had some for Maui, too. Whenever he got up, that is.

Moana immediately sat up, surprised and impressed. She glanced at Maui to make sure he was still asleep before turning back to the crab. "You went into the water yourself?"

"Of course. Piece of cake." Tamatoa answered, grinning smugly. Well, not entirely a piece of cake. Going into the ocean without her was nerve-wracking at first, and he went no deeper than he needed to for the prey, but she didn't have to know any of that.

Moana grinned as well, proud of the crab. "See, the water's not so bad, is it?"

"Yeah, yeah, you were right." He chuckled with a casual eye-roll. The crustacean then walked over to the snoring demigod, Moana noticing that he seemed to be limping more than usual. The crab held his catch over Maui, then dropped the pile of fish on him. "Rise and shine!" He exclaimed as he did so. When Maui shot up with an expression of drowsiness and confusion, Tamatoa snickered jokingly, "On second thought, forget about the 'shine' part. You'd pale in comparison to me, so what's the point?"

Maui raised an eyebrow, confused but also amused by the crustacean's oddly chipper attitude. "Well, looks like somebody woke up on the right side of the bed. About time."

"Pfft. At least I actually got up." Tamatoa replied with a smirk. He then reached over to his back, picking up Moana's carrying pole that he had borrowed and placing down in the sand between Maui and Moana. Apparently the crab had done more than just gone fishing, as the baskets were filled with coconuts, fruits, and other varieties of foods from across the island.

No wonder he was limping so much. He must have walked much farther than he should have to get some of these.

"That's a lot of food. What's the occasion?" Maui queried, raising an eyebrow at the crab again.

Tamatoa shrugged slightly as he laid down next to the pair. "It's the least I could do, really. I should be repaying you two in a far more significant way, but at least this is a start."

Moana blinked, both her and Maui surprised at how the crab was behaving right now.

"Tama, this is very nice of you, but… you know you don't owe us anything, right…?" Moana said, not wanting him to think he had some sort of debt to them.

"Hmm. If you had told me that a few weeks ago, I would've agreed with you." He figured, brushing his claw through the sand. He was quiet for a moment before continuing to speak. "… But I'd like to think I've learned a few things since then. Please, let me at least try to pay you back for your kindness."

"Hmm… Okay. But on one condition." Moana stated, holding her head up high. She pointed at the crab's healing side, then continued, "Don't push yourself so much. You'll just hurt yourself more."

"Heh. Okay, fine." Tamatoa agreed. "Glad we've reached a compromise."

It was after that morning that things really started improving. Not only were Maui and Tamatoa getting along swimmingly (pardon the pun), but the crab was definitely starting to get his cocky attitude back; though there was something different about it, now that he had people to care about. He wasn't quite so overbearing or narcissistic, and just seemed to have a more pleasant atmosphere about him all-around. Sure, he wasn't acting completely like his old self, but Moana took that as a good sign. After all, she didn't want to be considered seafood again, and the change that Tamatoa has been going through has definitely been a positive one. That much was undeniable.

On a day like any other, Moana and Maui had been cloud-watching from the sand, their weapons leaning against a tree near the edge of the beach. Tamatoa had gone a little ways into the sea to retrieve some fish, leaving them alone on the shore.

He never would have expected that choice to have been such a terrible mistake.

"Hey, that one looks a little like Pua!" Moana exclaimed, pointing to one of the fluffy clouds.

"Ha, yeah right." Maui laughed, "Looks more like Drumstick to me."

"Whaaat? They look nothing alike!" Moana giggled, nudging the demigod. "It's definitely Pua!"

"Well, that one definitely looks like a bird." Maui commented, gesturing to an oddly well-defined image in the sky.

"Wait a second…" Moana whispered, sitting up to get a better look. Upon realizing that the bird-like figure was no cloud, she immediately jumped to her feet. Maui quickly followed suit after noticing that the creature was flying directly at them. They started to dart towards their weapons, but were both pinned by the creature's massive talons.

"Ahh, you must be Maui…" The fowl crooned, a sly grin stretched across its beak. "I've been looking for you." The bird, clearly from Lalotai, was huge. It had to be at least half Tamatoa's size. Its feathers were brilliant white in colour, a mane of particularly long feathers framing its face. The thing tilted its head as it looked at Moana.

"You, I am unfamiliar with…" It noted, grin growing even wider. "But I'm not one to pass up an easy meal."

"Leave us alone!" Maui shouted, delivering a powerful punch to the creature's leg. It gasped in pain, caught off guard by the strong hit, but only tightened its grip and narrowed its eyes in response. "Oh, you are asking to be gutted, you twerp… But first, I need something from you…"

Upon emerging from the water, the sight that greeted Tamatoa almost made his heart stop.

No.

No.

With a furious growl, he shot out of the water, charging at the strange bird.

The bird squawked in alarm when it saw the crab, not expecting to see another monster here. In a panic, it held on tightly to its catches and flew off, heading towards a secluded mountain on the island. Tamatoa didn't waste a second, darting in the direction they were headed. He grabbed Moana's javelin and Maui's hook as he passed them, knowing first-hand how easily Maui could be bested without his shapeshifting powers.

What is that thing doing here? What does it want with Moana and Maui? Were they just easy targets at the time?

He couldn't let anything happen to them. He just got Maui back; he will not lose him again.

And Moana… the one that treated him with such unconditional kindness, the one who helped him despite his bitterness towards her, the one who gave him his second chance…

A rush of anger shot through the decapod at the thought of this creature hurting them. Eyes locked on the rocky mountain where the thing landed, Tamatoa picked up the pace, the surge of adrenaline letting him ignore the searing pain of his wounds.

If that damned bird has done anything to either of them, it's dead.