Kora: Mata Nui
Chapter Twelve:
A wandering spirit
Takua was happy, to put it lightly. Currently his masked face was tilted up so that he could get a sunbeam in full. The general, uneasy wariness that always gripped the Chronicler after a prolonged trip to Onu-Wahi and the Koro itself all melted and drained away.
Sunlight, or any light but mostly the light of the sun always made Takua feel better. Not just from a trip into Onu-Wahi but the light improved his mood as well...not that was in need of improving much right this instant. Takua was still grinning like an insane le-Matoran that just learned he was immune to gravity for a minute.
The reason for the beaming, happy out of his mask Chronicler was that on leaving Onu-Koro after his five day stay (that included some good healthy investigating, running around screaming in another glow in the dark paint ball match, and time spent with Toa and Kora of earth) he had gotten an unexpected kiss from Kara. He could still feel how she'd pressed her head to his mask and was once again humming in blush.
It wasn't often one got a kiss from a Toa, and only then Gali and Lewa- sometimes Pohatu- were pretty much the only ones to give open displays of affection. According to the Turaga, mostly Whenua who was more than happy to lecture on the subject and explained that Kora (or 'Koa' as what they were originally called but the term became 'Kora' to fizzle out some confusion) were a lesser Toa. Thus the whole 'younger elemental' thing.
But Takua wasn't thinking much about this at the moment, for Kora and Toa were one and the same as his thoughts primarily circled around 'I got a kiss…!' Takua loved being the Chronicler, he really did.
Soon the Ta-Matoran's mount slowed as the crab came to a cross roads camp. The scattered trees framing an area that wasn't quite a clearing as in a bare path of earth surrounded by trees in the cliché imagery. This place was where a party could camp on the way between the villages and be safe. There were trees around on this slight hill yes, but replanted so that those from the inside ring of the low wall that surrounded the camp site could get a clear view of what was around. The trees were also replanted in a way that would provide a fast escape viva the branches above.
The sky was a rich vibrant blue, the day was warm yet there was a cool, constant wind coming from one direction or another. There was a dark smug to the far south that was an active volcano or two, Takua knew by memory and sense of fire elemental energy that was repent in Ta-Wahi. Other than that, there were a few wisps of clouds to the northwest, towards Po-Wahi.
Takua rapped Pewku's shell in the 'stop' command. Shacking fully out of the daze from before, he stood up and looked at the four clear paths around him. One path, going south lead back to Ta-Koro, and Takua wasn't ready to go home. The northwest one was Po-Koro, and though it was temping…west was the winding path that would follow the boarder of Le- and Ko-Wahi before going up to the village of ice.
After all of 20.4 seconds, the Chronicler was urging his mount to the village of water with a grin on his face. The near drowning from insisted swimming lessons would so be worth the attention of the Ga-Matoran.
Water was a large part of this region, wetlands, lakes, streams and rivers wove and poked through the land. But then that's why it was called a wet land, the water region. Trees though tall (standing between one and four stories) weren't nearly the sky-scraper sized things in Le-Wahi yet had many brightly colored flowers. Plump, juicy fruit swayed and dangled from most all branches in this season, and Takua stopped a few times to climb up and get some for both himself and for his Rahi.
Bushes and shrubs of all kinds littered the ground, some had flowers themselves and others had ripe (as well as not so ripe) green, red and blue colored berries. Despite all that there somehow were still safe, and dry, places to travel. The twisting and crossing paths were confusing to anyone that didn't know where to go. Thankfully the Chronicler had been to Ga-Wahi, as well as all the other Wahis as many if not more times then the Toa.
Takua knew where he was going in other words.
It also helped that the two major structures the stood above the trees and land, one towering over the other by three times or more. The Kini Nui and Ga-Kini, the temple of Mata Nue and the smaller temple honoring both the element of water as well as the living elemental Gali. Both temples weren't exactly similar in design, the Ga-Kini not as grand but just as old. This was where Takua was heading, from there he could get to the Koro and still be (mostly) dry.
If there was one thing about Ga-Koro that totally set the village apart from every other Koro was that there were no signs of habitations at first glance, of by the fifth glance until suddenly you were at the village gates. The 'huts' were so well hidden from sight. The village proper was also well protected behind thick walls of tree logs, natural cliffs, over hangs, all equally camouflaged as the huts, boats and storage areas.
Takua, munching hurriedly on the rest of his purple pare shaped fruit, looked up at the high gates. A shiver worked its way down his person as he saw the scars in the wood from Bohrok attacks, the deeper gorges had been well patched and reinforced, some logs had been shipped around the island from Le-Wahi to replace some whole chunks. The day's light would all but blind…well it would have blinded even a Toa looking at the top of the gates, yet Takua had no problem seeing the blue masked faces peering down at him.
"Hiiii!" Takua yelled, hopping up on Pewku and waving his arms, "May the Chronicler come into the Koro?" he added, of coarse modifying the traditional call of 'So-and-so approaches!' with a name or title.
"Takua!" no less than five female voices called back down. "Get up to the platform, we'll open the gates!" another added.
The Chronicler urged Pewku up to higher ridge of stone to a platform that would be around hip height to Toa Gali. Only once Takua called out again that he and Pewku were safe did the massive gates to Ga-Koro opened. One 'door' swung inward while the other one came outward.
Water surged out like a flash flood before the inner swinging door blocked the on flow. It was a cleaver defense really, only those inside the walls could control the door that blocked or let the river free flow. No one trying to pry open the gates on the outside would be able to withstand the on slot of H2O before being quite literally washed away.
After it was a safe, the exes water flowing out the spillover stream, a bridge was lifted up and Pewku scuttled across with all do hast, giving a soft trill like sound that could be a sigh as they were safely inside the village.
Takua hopped off and bounced over to hug the nearest Ga-Matoran that came to greet the Chronicler, "Hahli! You're on your feet again!"
Queen's note: Because Takua needs love