Edit: 08/05/2014
'italics'=thoughts and emphasis
Chapter 4
(Chapter Sources: Tale of the Toa by C.A. Hapka)
"My name-call is Lewa, Toa of Air!" The green Toa emphasized his point by sending a strong breeze through the valley. He continued chatting, even though only the azure Toa was still listening to him. Energy radiated from him, and he was practically bouncing in his spot.
"Onua, Toa of Earth," the dark Toa rumbled, dipping his head in greeting.
'Not wordy or showy,' Kopaka noted. 'Straight to the point.'
"And I am Gali, Toa of Water," the sky-blue Toa said with a pleasant smile.
Tahu clapped his hands together, bringing their attention back to him. "Well, now that we have that settled, why don't we – "
" – fell in a great-large pile of berry-mess that filled the whole – the whole – floor! Hahaha, and then, and then – " It would appear that the Toa of Fire had not gotten everyone's attention. The ever polite Gali, the victim of Lewa's rudeness, pointed to Tahu, trying direct his attention without hurting his feelings.
Kopaka groaned inwardly. Whatever possessed him to join this group? Why had he not just let Pohatu go on ahead without him? He had far more important things to do right now. As conversation drifted to relaying their adventures so far, he felt his desire to sneak away grow. However, a certain brown Toa was making that impossible. Kopaka felt as though Pohatu was purposely glancing in his direction every so often to ensure that he did not leave.
He attempted to find something at least a little bit worthwhile so this encounter would not be a total waste. He observed his teammates more closely. He had already had enough opportunity to access the Toa of Stone.
He examined Lewa first. The Toa was vibrant in more than just his green armor. He would periodically leap onto a large boulder behind him, sometimes flipping too. And his mouth behind his smiling Kanohi seemed incapable of closing. 'Full of energy, possibly indicating good stamina, but doesn't listen to anything, not even himself.'
Next, he looked over the Toa of Earth. Kopaka could not evaluate him as well because he was not doing anything. He just stood there, staring at the others with his emerald eyes behind a diamond shaped Kanohi. Onua did not join in the conversation, but he also did not seem like he hated the company, as Kopaka did. He was shorter than the rest of them, but his limbs and body were thicker, possessing more strength than their longer limbs. 'I will need to see this one in action before I can completely gage his usefulness.'
Then he looked at the Toa of Water. She was very calm and smiled a lot, though nowhere near the annoying level of the Toa of Air. She was also irrationally polite to the Toa of Air and everyone else, much like Pohatu. She caught his eye during this evaluation. Instead of being offended by the staring, she smiled and nodded before turning her attention back to the others. 'Friendly. Not firm. Her kindness could weaken her in a battle.'
He did not want to observe the Toa of Fire. However, the menial talking was still going on, leaving him with nothing better to do. Kopaka hunched his shoulders and crossed his arms. Tahu was loud, obnoxious, and creating more heat than was necessary even though it clearly made everyone uncomfortable. Kopaka found that even looking at this bright red Toa irked him. His frown deepened. 'Why do I dislike this particular Toa so much. He talks a lot, but Lewa talks more. He asks irrelevant questions, but Pohatu is nosier. Ah, that's it.' Kopaka listened in growing annoyance as Tahu tried to take control of the conversation yet again. He did not seem to care what the others had to say. He wanted them to hear what he had to say. 'He wants to lead us like it's his destiny, like the choice has already been made.'
Then Gali's clear voice cut through the senseless conversations. "Well, brothers, I suppose that's enough talk of the past. We should start discussing what comes next, yes? For despite all the interesting elemental powers we may have, I expect that our best weapon is our minds."
Kopaka suddenly felt an absurd desire to hug her. Finally, someone was making sense and trying to bring practical function from this get-together. 'At least now I know for certain that one-third of this team is functional.'
"You're right, Gali," Tahu said, as though he were actually thinking the same thing. He was so quick to agree with her instead of argue as he had done for the last hour. "We need to find these Masks we seek - as quickly as possible. The Turaga of my village told me they will give us great powers. I know my own Mask gives me the powers of protection or shielding."
"That's right," Pohatu interjected. "Brother Kopaka has found a Mask of Shielding, too."
"Yes," he said tersely, a slight edge to his voice. "Well, there are five more Masks out there for each of us."
Kopaka felt pleased that he was ahead of the Toa of Fire in their quests.
Onua spoke up, the third time he had spoken at all since Kopaka had met him. "According to my Turaga, the Masks are hidden all over the island, and Makuta has set his Rahi creatures to guard them. So our quest won't be easy."
Kopaka's elation was turned to annoyance. He gathered from the conversation that the others seemed to have gotten more useful Turaga. Then the Toa of Earth, who Kopaka hoped was quiet because he was smart, stated something that everyone already knew.
"Fine, fine," Tahu said, sounding irritated. "Anyway, the important thing is to find them - fast. We'll split into smaller groups. Gali and Lewa, you can search the jungle and beaches together. Onua and Kopaka can check the caves of Onu-Wahi. And Pohatu, you can come with – "
"Hold on a quick-second, brother Tahu," Lewa interrupted. It could just be one's imagination, but Kopaka believed he heard a growl come from the steaming Tahu. "If speed is what we're after, why bother with the pair-making? Why not each of us journey-search on our own?"
Kopaka blinked. Either he needed to re-evaluate of the Toa of Air, or he needed to re-evaluate how he interpreted intelligence. Lewa's sentiments just matched his own and his point was a valid one.
Onua shrugged and spoke again. "Our fiery brother has a good plan. Working in pairs makes sense. It strikes a balance between speed and caution."
Gali shook her head and spread her arms out. "Brothers, we have been brought together for a reason. I think we ought to stick together, at least until we know exactly what we're up against."
Pohatu nodded in agreement. "She's right. Trust me, these Rahi creatures are nothing to face alone. But if we travel together they should give us little trouble. Right, Kopaka?"
All attention turned to Kopaka. He shrugged. "I can't agree, Toa of Stone. We should split up. As I already told you, I prefer to work alone."
Pohatu frowned, looking hurt by Kopaka's disagreement. "You may prefer it, but would you also prefer being charged by that sharp-horned beast if I hadn't been there to help you trap it?"
Kopaka was about to remind the stubborn fool that he would not have needed to trap the Rahi if he were alone when Tahu broke in. "Enough of this bickering. We will accomplish nothing by standing here and having a debate. The decision is made - we split into smaller groups. It's the best of both worlds, can't you see that?"
Kopaka scoffed and scowled at to the Toa of Fire, earning him a fiery glare. 'All I can see is one who believes that power belongs to whoever shouts the loudest. One who views himself as the only viable choice for leadership, he thought. Well, I, for one, am not ready to bow to such a "leader." Not as long as I have life in my body.'
Now all the Toa were arguing again. Lewa and Kopaka were in the minority, but Lewa made that a very loud minority. Tahu began to waver on his teamwork agenda, but he stubbornly demanded that everyone follow his plan. Gali started insisting that all six stayed together, a thought that made Kopaka gag.
Suddenly the ground violently split open beside the bickering Toa, throwing them off their feet, followed by earthquakes. Dark, lightning stricken clouds covered the previously sunny sky. As lightning pounded the ground, the air crackled with the increased electricity and plant life began to burst into flame. This was joined by rain, hail, and fierce winds.
The Toa quickly scattered and sought shelter. Since much of the foliage had been destroyed, all six of them ended up under the same stone ledge. They had their weapons ready for battle, but no monsters appeared like Kopaka expected. This situation was certainly new.
"What kind of crazy-storm is this?" Lewa yelled over the screaming wind. "An earthquake, thunder and lightning, rain and hail and wind all at once? I don't know much about this island, but that can't be good-normal."
"This can be no regular storm," Gali said, shielding her face with one of her hooks. "It must be the work of Makuta." As the name of the Spirit of Evil left her mouth the storm instantly subsided.
