CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: SHARED DREAMS

Kopaka lay in his now-finished ice-boat, arms folded across his chest. Had anyone walked in, they would have guessed him to be a corpse. In place of his old Akaku, a faux carved from ice now covered his visage. His one eye stared out of the eye-hole as he reflected upon his days with the Toa.

They weren't bad… he admitted …but I have a mission to complete.

Before he knew what had happened to him, Kopaka had lapsed into a deep slumber.

He knew he was dreaming – he had to be. He was back on the familiar slope of Ko-Ara – the one where Amaka had perished. A blizzard howled between the jagged crevasses as he began to walk. Curiosity bade him to find out what had become of his village. He knew the mountain roads like he knew his own name. Hell, he'd grown up here. He was born here, for Spirit's sake.

As he rounded the last corner, he was greeted with something other than his village. A towering pillar of black obsidian rose from a clearing. Carved around it was a prophecy about two Toa that would come to banish the darkness from Ko-Ara; as well as the rest of Ara-Nui. Kopaka looked bleakly around. It seemed their precious Toa hadn't come at all. There were remains of huts strewn about as though a storm had come through.

He noticed something in the snow, and as he bent down to examine it, he awoke from his slumber. Kopaka shook his head, and glared at the one who had disturbed his sleep: Gali.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, his voice low.

"Kopaka… something is wrong. I can feel it. Something is happening beyond the shores of Mata-Nui, and we need to do something."

Kopaka reclined in his makeshift bed again. "Go get Tahu or someone else," he said, coldly, "I'm leaving soon."

"Kopaka, none of the others will listen to me."

Kopaka sighed, "What gave you an inkling something was wrong?" he asked, rubbing his face with his fingertips.

Gali seated herself on a stool made from ice, "I had a dream about a faraway island," she said, "One that had lakes and rivers, oceans and lagoons. They were all, however, corrupted. A tower stood in the middle…"

"…with a prophecy about two Toa coming to save the island…" finished Kopaka, calmly. Gali looked oddly at him, "How did you know?"

"Gali…" he sighed, "…I just awoke from that same dream. The only difference was I was in Ko-Ara…"

"Ara?" asked Gali, "What's Ko-Ara?"

"You won't remember it, Gali…" he said, "But Ga-Ara is where you were born. Ko-Ara is where I was born… and where Amaka is buried. I was going to go back there once I left Mata-Nui…"

Gali nodded her head, "It's settled then, I'm coming with you."

Kopaka started, "What? You're coming with ME?"

Gali nodded, "Give me one day to prepare, and I'll meet you here, okay?"

Kopaka sighed. If he refused Gali, she'd come anyway…

"Alright," he said at length, "But I want you to explain this to Tahu for me. I don't want him thinking I've gone and kidnapped you again."

Gali nodded and zipped out of the cave, her Kakama propelling her at full throttle toward Ta-Koro. Kopaka reclined in his ice-boat again, wishing he had some means of alleviating his worry. If he took Gali with him, and what he'd seen in his dream was true… she would likely die. He closed his eyes as he dozed off again. He had recognized that footprint.

It seemed Malak was not dead after all.