Edit: 07/31/2014

'italics'=thoughts, or emphasis

Chapter 2: Enter Pohatu

(Chapter Sources: Bionicle Comic #1; Tale of the Toa by C.A. Hapka)

Kopaka did not bother to keep track of the time since he had left Nuju and Matoro. He would have escorted them to their home, a village called Ko-Koro, but the Turaga told him not to waste time for evil did not rest. Matoro assured Toa Kopaka that they would make it back safely and gave him directions to the village. Since the Turaga did not give him any more information about the location of this unknown mask of power, he began exploring this icy region.

'"Place of far-seeing" – a place, geography,' the Toa of Ice contemplated. '"Far-seeing" – far, distance, or deep, like a thought? Seeing – a vision, or literally just sight? So, I'm either looking for some sort of immaterial place of meditation or a high vantage point.'

He reached the top of the peak he had been climbing. From there, he could see a lot. At least, he could see what was not being blocked by snowstorms or fog. But his attention was quickly drawn from what he could not see to the towering mountain that would not be blocked by lowly storms. 'Mt. Ihu,' he remembered Nuju, or Matoro, naming the tallest mountain on the island this. 'A "place of far-seeing" if there ever was one.'

The trek to the mountain gave Kopaka many opportunities to practice his control over the snow and storms he encountered. But he looked forward most to climbing this Mt. Ihu. The mountain was too large and tall for Kopaka to see anywhere near the top, even with his Kanohi Akaku.

As he started his climb, the weather had lulled naturally. It was quiet and cold. He soon became lost in thought, trying in vain to remember – anything at all – about his past. He did not take heed to the ominous rumbling until he felt vibrations from the ground. And by then, it was too late. Boulders three times his size were raining down on him from a tall bluff.

Having no time to run, Kopaka swiftly grabbed his shield and berated himself for not paying attention. He had been so pleased to discover his Kanohi's power, but it would not protect him from surprises, only help him see them. When the rocks finally settled, he found himself pinned between several boulders. Though he ached, the pain was lessening. He began thinking about how to free himself when he heard footsteps approach from behind. Kopaka began struggling to get free so he could defend himself from this attacker.

The attacker did not strike him from behind and instead came into Kopaka's field of vision. The stranger bore a resemblance to the Toa of Ice. He was brown and tan with black joints. His height excluded him from Matoran or Turaga labeling. His Mask was triangular, and his orange eyes added to the embarrassed and concerned look on his Kanohi.

"Sorry about that," the brown being apologized. "I was practicing. Are you all right?"

"I would be," Kopaka snapped angrily, "if you weren't standing on me."

"Oh, oops." The stranger – another Toa possibly – jumped to the next boulder. "Let me help you out," he offered with a cheerful smile, reaching down.

Kopaka's struggling finally paid off as he freed his sword arm. He tersely turned down the offer. "Thank you. I don't need your help." He began focusing his power on the boulders. He could create ice, but what was the extent of his ability to freeze objects? The boulders froze from the outside inwards, becoming very brittle as the ice forced the rock to expand. He brought the hilt of his sword down on one of the frozen boulders and it shattered.

"Here, let me do it," the brown stranger offered again. "It'll be faster."

Though Kopaka had determined that this stranger's attack was accidental, he was still annoyed with the dirt-colored one and was growing more annoyed the more he talked. He raised his sword to smash the next boulder. "I said…" Another iced rock loudly smashed to pieces. "…I can do it myself."

He tried standing upright and winced. Looking at his other hand, he found that it was still stuck between two more boulders. Before Kopaka could freeze it too, the stranger jumped down from his pedestal and kicked the top rock. The Toa-sized stone flew off as though it had wings.

"Yeah, well, you missed one," the stranger said with a shrug.

Kopaka blinked in shock as the massive, heavy rock sailed off out of sight. This stranger had impressive strength. This must be one of the other Toa that Matoro had mentioned. 'Rash, bad aim, doesn't plan well, definitely not needed right now.'

Kopaka turned back to Mt. Ihu, which he hoped was the place of far seeing. Without a word, he resumed his journey. The other Toa, however, did not like being ignored.

"Hey," he shouted after Kopaka. "Wait! Are you a Toa? I've been looking for you! Oh, I am Pohatu, Toa of Stone."

Kopaka felt like ignoring him, but since the Toa of Stone had the decency to introduce himself he could do the same. "Kopaka, Ice," he said succinctly. "And if you don't mind, I'm in the middle of something. See you later."

When the Toa of Stone continued following him, he purposely chose a path which was covered in ice. Moving effortlessly over the slick ice, he quickly outdistanced this Pohatu. If Kopaka had hoped this would make the Toa of Stone give up, he was mistaken.

"Wait!" Pohatu yelled as he clumsily tried to keep up. "Listen, I have a feeling we're both here for the same reason. Why not team up? You know, it might make things easier."

"I work alone," Kopaka responded coldly, hoping to shake off the tag-along. 'Stubborn and annoying.'

"By choice, or just because no one can stand you?" Pohatu returned without missing a beat.

Kopaka was surprised by this other's quick wit. His first evaluation of the Toa of Stone was that he was not very bright. After all, even with his control over stone, he had managed to bury a teammate accidentally. This Pohatu was irritating and too talkative for the Toa of Ice's liking, but he was strong and had a good level of intelligence. 'Usefulness has increased.'

"All right," Kopaka conceded. "Come along. After all, I might need a mountain moved - or the island lifted."

The Toa of Stone chuckled. "Okay. So - where are we going anyway? Should we start looking for the Masks, or seek the other Toa first? I think seeking the others would be a wise choice, which is why I started looking for you. Together we can find - "

Kopaka tuned his fellow Toa out and continued climbing. Every once and a while, he would slow down, not stop completely, to allow the cumbersome Toa of Stone to catch up. After a long period of climbing, the two reached the top. Kopaka felt slightly annoyed that he could have reached his destination quicker if it had not been for his companion. Activating his Mask, he scanned the area. In an instant, the Kanohi was forgotten. He could see his entire realm - every snowy peak, every valley, every storm. All that blindingly white, empty beauty.

"Good work, brother," the Toa of Stone's voice brought him back to mountain top. He noticed that Pohatu was holding out a gray Kanohi to him. "Go ahead - claim your prize."

Kopaka nodded and took the Mask. It was helmet-like in form with angled eyes and three slashes in each cheek. 'The Kanohi Hau, the Great Mask of Shielding,' Kopaka said to himself, remembering what Nuju had called it. He hesitated, not sure what to do with it now that he had it. Toa Pohatu was staring at him expectantly, as though he were supposed to do something with it. Not knowing what to do irked him.

So he did what he felt was most logical: placed the Hau on his Akaku. Instantly, the two Kanohi merged with a slight crackle of energy. He also lost the Akaku's ability, replaced by a feeling of protection instead. He briefly panicked, wondering if he had lost his original Kanohi's abilities. Willing his former Mask to reappear, Kopaka was pleased to find that he could switch from the Hau to the Akaku without a problem, but he could not use both at the same time.

"The powers of the Mask of Vision are still mine to use," he murmured appreciatively.

Activating the Akaku, Kopaka glanced once more at the panoramic view before beginning the descent. It was then that he spotted several bright spots of color, which did not belong in his land, beyond a craggy bluff at the base of the mountain. He sighed, guessing from the similar shapes that they were probably the other Toa. He knew it was inevitable to meet them some time or another.

"We have to go. Now," Kopaka informed his companion.

"Why?" Pohatu asked in surprise. He seemed to be enjoying the view too.

"No questions." Kopaka was tiring of the Toa of Stone's voice. There would probably be more than enough chatter when they reached their fellow Toa. "Just follow me."