It was obvious to Maui that Tamatoa had never seen the sea from above its surface, nor ever been in the full light of the sun. When they first emerged into the upper world, the crab had blinked in the the noon brightness, eyes squinting against the glare. Once he had acclimated to the light and taken stock of his surroundings, his eyes had gone wide and he had stared at the endless sea in silent wonder, dazzled by the sunlight sparkling on the waves and the vast empty expanse surrounding Maui's canoe.

That had been the last moment of quiet on the boat, as the questions began as soon as the crab had recovered from his awe-struck enthrallment.

The opening salvo had been about the sea and upper world itself. Was it all ocean? Was there any land at all? How big was the surface world?

Maui had chuckled and explained that the sea was immense, yet full of islands. The crab seemed greatly relieved to learn that the entire surface world was not covered in ocean. Evidently his kind was fully terrestrial, with no particular fondness for water. Maui would have to keep that in mind.

It appeared the crab was infinitely curious, too. No matter what Maui was doing, Tamatoa peppered him with questions about it. The crab had a keen eye for detail and didn't miss much, so nothing went without inquiry.

When Tamatoa wasn't asking questions, he was busy exploring Maui's boat. He had quickly discovered the entrance to the hold and had disappeared inside for a while. Maui could hear him poking around under the deck, probably knocking things over from the sound of it. Maui was unconcerned. There wasn't much down there to damage, after all. After a bit, the crab had emerged with a couple of bananas clutched in his claws. Clearly, he had found the food stores.

Ah. The food stores. He hadn't planned on having company on this voyage and so only had enough supplies for one. He glanced at Tamatoa, who had made short work of the bananas and was heading back below deck, presumably for more. If the crab's apparently ravenous appetite now was anything to go by, they'd need to resupply.

Maui took a moment to determine their position relative to the sun, then trimmed the sails and changed course. The canoe pivoted hard, making a sharp bend to the west. As the canoe turned, there was a yelp and a clunk from below deck, followed by a muffled crash. A moment later, a pair of irritated eye stalks peeped up from the cargo hatch. The rest of the crab soon followed, pulling himself back up onto the deck and hauling another banana with him.

"What was that for?" he asked with a huff, not pleased about being knocked about below deck.

"Well, if you're going to eat all my food up," he said with a laugh, indicating the banana-which Tamatoa instinctively pulled closer to himself, as if worried Maui would snatch it away from him. "Then we'll need to get some more. There's an island this way that should have plenty."

Tamatoa's antennae perked up with interest and he peered ahead towards the bow, but there was no land on the horizon yet. "An island? When are we gonna be there?"

"Soon enough, you'll see."

Tamatoa seemed to accept this answer. After a few more questions and polishing off another piece of fruit, the crab had gone back below deck and had fallen silent.

At first, Maui was just relieved to have a little quiet at last. As more time passed, however, he began to get concerned the crab was too quiet and thus probably getting into some sort of trouble. He tied off the rudder and looked into the hold, just to check.

He found Tamatoa asleep under a large overturned basket. He had also apparently uncovered where Maui had stashed the Great Pearl, which was now holding one side of the basket up to form a crude lean-to. Maui laughed softly, although not loudly enough to wake the sleeping crab. It was actually rather cute.

The rest of the hold was a disorganized mess, however. The contents of spilled baskets rolled around on the floor and supplies were scattered in jumbled piles. Maui shrugged it off. It was really no big deal and he'd stow everything back in its proper place when they got to their destination. For now, better to let sleeping crabs lie.

They reached the island in the late afternoon. It was a steep-sided seamount rising above the waves, where the lushly forested land dropped away sharply as it met the water. The island was uninhabited-too remote, too steep, and too small to support a reasonable human village. Nevertheless, its forests held plenty of wild fruits, root vegetables, and fresh water to resupply with.

Maui beached the canoe in a well protected cove on the western side of the island-a narrow, sloping crescent of coarse black sand between two sheltering fingers of rocky outcroppings reaching into the sea. The cove was lined with tall, swaying palms that eventually faded into a tangled jungle of leafy shrubs and tropical hardwoods. When the canoe's hull scraped dully across the sand, Tamatoa emerged from the hold. With a yawn, he asked "are we there yet?"

"Yep," Maui told him, indicating the beach with a sweep of his hand as he disembarked. He effortlessly hauled the boat up the steeply inclined beach to a place above the high tide mark.

The crab's sleepy haze evaporated quickly and he hurried to climb off the boat once beached, curiosity clearly sparked. Dropping to the damp sand, he spared a moment to take in the whole scene, then looked to Maui. "Are there monsters on this island?"

"Just one," Maui replied seriously.

"Really?" was the slightly apprehensive reply.

"Yep," Maui went on, breaking his serious expression with a laugh, "and I'm looking right at him!"

Tamatoa flashed him a grin, then glanced eagerly off at the surrounding area, his antennae twitching in the air. He seemed antsy to go explore and get his first real look at a realm he'd never seen before.

"Go on," Maui told him. He was pretty sure there was nothing on this island big enough to pose any threat to the crab, oversized as he was by surface standards. Besides, he could use some peace and quiet for a while to get things settled. Late as it was in the day, he figured they'd stay the night, then go collect supplies in the morning before departing.

The crab didn't need to be told twice. He scurried off into the underbrush at the edge of the dark sand.

Maui set to work for a while, getting the mess in the canoe's hold cleaned up and setting up a crude camp at the edge of the tree line. Calling it a camp was a bit of a stretch, really. In truth, it was just a sleeping mat laid out on the dry sand and a basket of the food that remained. He'd also brought out an empty basket and propped it up on a stick for when the crab returned, since that seemed to be an acceptable sleeping arrangement.

Relieved to have a break, Maui gratefully fell back to the sand and relaxed. The island was mostly quiet, except for the whisper of the tropical breeze through the palm fronds. He could hear Tamatoa rustling around a little ways off every so often. Lulled by the peace of the warm afternoon, Maui drifted off for a nap in the shade of the palms.

When he awoke, the sun was low on the horizon and the sky was painted with the flaming colors of sunset, splashed across thin wisps of clouds above the sea. The island was still and silent, with the daytime breezes absent as twilight crept in. Maui stretched and looked around for Tamatoa, whom he could no longer hear wandering around in the foliage.

It took a bit of searching, but he eventually found the crab on one of the rocky outcroppings that encircled the cove like sheltering arms. The tide was out, exposing a network of shallow tide pools in the rocks, teeming with a wide array of tiny, brilliantly colored sea creatures that the crab was busily terrorizing. Tamatoa was perched at the edge of a pool, attempting to fish out the quick little critters with a claw. He was having some degree of success at it, too, and was cheerfully stuffing a delicate red and white striped coral shrimp into his mouth when Maui came upon him.

At his approach, the crab looked up at Maui and mumbled what was probably meant to be a greeting, through muffled by a mouth full of squirming shrimp.

Maui raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Hey, I was gonna ask you wanted something to eat, but looks like you've got that covered."

Tamatoa vigorously protested around his mouthful, obviously preferring an easier meal to chasing around slippery tide pool inhabitants.

Maui laughed, "okay, c'mon then." He headed back for the beach, the crab hastily following behind.

As the sun dropped below the line of the sea and the sky faded to purple twilight, they lounged on the beach and shared fruit from the canoe's supply. Tamatoa enthusiastically rambled on about the things he'd seen while exploring the cove. Maui listened idly, only paying half attention.

When the last light faded and the stars began to appear in the sky, however, Tamatoa fell silent, fading out in the middle of some lengthy description of a particularly colorful seashell he'd found. Maui glanced over. Tamatoa was staring up at the night sky with wide, round eyes-utterly captivated.

Maui let his gaze trail upward. Twinkling stars crowded every inch of the sky, so numerous that they they were beyond counting. Rising from the horizon was the wide, milky pathway of dense stars like a vast cloud, tinted faintly with purple and red. Maui had seen it every night of his life since before he could remember and it was still beautiful. He could only imagine what it must be like to see it for the very first time.

He smiled. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah," came the drawled response from the crab, still lost in the sight.

With Tamatoa enraptured in silent contemplation, Maui grew contemplative himself. He considered the coconut crab, a young monster that he'd brought to the surface from the realm of monsters and who was struck with amazement at nearly all the surface had to offer. At the time it hadn't occurred to him whether or not he should bring the crab along and there was no one to tell him otherwise. A thought nagged at him now, however. Was this really a good idea? Sure, Tamatoa was cute-extremely cute for a weird-eyed little crab, truth be told-but Maui had no idea how big Tamatoa's species could even get, much less if he would become dangerous. Monsters were monsters, after all, and demigods were meant to fight them off, not befriend them.

Nevertheless, he was already growing fond of the talkative little crab and didn't really want to take him back. Reconciling the two was difficult and Maui was not exactly well equipped to closely scrutinize the repercussions of his actions too deeply. So instead, he shrugged it off and resolved to think about it later. With procrastination as peace of mind, he drifted off to sleep below the endless starry sky.

Maui awoke early the next morning to something tugging on his hair. "Go away," he muttered groggily.

The pull at his hair only grew stronger and more insistent. "Wake up," came a hasty whisper. "There's something out there."

Maui rolled over with a grunt, pulling his hair free from the crab's claw and turning to face away from him. "No, there isn't. That's why it's called an 'uninhabited' island."

He was on that blissful edge of falling back asleep when a short, sharp pinch to his finger brought him yelping to full wakefulness. "Agh! What was that for?!" he exclaimed.

"I'm telling you. There is something out there!" Tamatoa said in hushed tones.

"Kid, there is nothing out there. Don't be paranoid," Maui replied, examining his pinched finger in annoyance. The crab's pincer hadn't broken the skin, but it still stung.

The crab let out an exasperated huff. "There is," he insisted. "It's big, too."

"If you say so," Maui said, dismissing it. He stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm awake now. Might as well get to collecting some supplies." He grabbed up a water cask and couple empty baskets from the canoe, then started towards the trees.

Tamatoa looked a bit put out to have his concerns ignored, but followed along anyway.

The island was lushly forested and finding fruit and root vegetables was an easy task. Tamatoa even helped once Maui showed him what to look for. He was particularly adept at digging up tubers and even surprised Maui by climbing up a tree with surprising agility to snip a a few high-flung breadfruit down. It made the work more pleasant to have someone to talk to, as well. The crab was an attentive listener as Maui told him stories about places he'd been or things he'd done as they gathered food. And if the crab had slipped a few fancy seashells or particularly shiny stones that he'd found along the way into the baskets, Maui didn't see any particular reason to object.

In no time at all it seemed, the baskets were filled to the top with food. Maui set them together in a clearing before starting off for one of the island's freshwater springs with the water cask.

Maui located the spring without trouble, having used this spot to gather water before on previous visits. Nestled in a palm fringed clearing, it's crystal clear surface burbled gently with the cool water rising from below. A few leafy plants trailed over the water, shading the back of the pool. Tamatoa came up to the edge of the water and peered in. He frowned slightly, dipping an antennae into the cold water.

Collecting fruit in the heavy, stale air of the hot forest was thirsty work. Maui set the cask in the dirt and cupped his hands to take a drink.

"Maui, stop!"

There was an urgent note in the crab's tone and Maui paused, water inches from his lips. "Eh?"

"It's bad water," Tamatoa insisted.

"Kid, I have used this spring dozens of times. It's fine." Man, this crab was paranoid. Must come from growing up in Lalotai.

"No, it's not!" he said forcefully, snapping a pincer for emphasis. "Listen to me this time!"

The tone of frustrated desperation in his voice this time made Maui hesitate. He let the water slip though his fingers and pulled aside some of the plant fronds to take a closer look. The water looked clean enough and-

Maui blinked. On the banks of the pool there were several dead birds, half hidden by the shadows. A few tiny fish were floating belly-up along the edges of the pool too, small enough to be easily missed at first glance, surrounded by a thin lace of white foam.

He looked at the crab, who was giving him an indignant glare. "I told you!"

"Okay, okay," he conceded. "But how'd you know?"

Tamatoa shrugged, flicking his antennae. "It's kind of like a smell." He looked thoughtful, as if trying to figure out a way to explain what must be a uniquely crab thing to the demigod. "There's a lot to feel in the water."

"Huh." Maui looked at the crab curiously, wondering just how differently he perceived the world. He'd never really given much thought to things like that before. "Well, good work."

Tamatoa drew himself up a little straighter with a pleased smile, clearly enjoying the praise.

"Hmm." Not lingering too long on introspective thoughts, Maui picked the water cask back up. "There's a river farther up the island, we'll get water from there instead."

They went deeper into the jungle, leaving the fouled spring behind. It wasn't far to the river, but Maui was perplexed that he couldn't hear the water. He was almost second guessing his memory of the island when they emerged from the forest to the edge of a dry riverbed.

Maui stared at the dusty channel. "What the-"

Tamatoa looked up at him expectantly. "Where's the river?"

Maui didn't answer, but kneeled down to press his hand into the dirt where the river should be. It was bone dry, even after digging in a few inches-not even damp below the surface. The riverbed had been dry for some time. This was weird-really weird. It hadn't been more than a few year since he had last been here. What had happened? One way to find out.

Eyes narrowed, he looked up the channel towards where the river began. The dry bed curved around through the forest and out of sight. He beckoned to Tamatoa. "C'mon, let's go find it."

They trekked up the empty river until they reached the base of what was supposed to be a towering waterfall. Maui squinted up at the high precipice. He could hear water rushing above, but none was cascading over the lip-something was blocking the flow.

Maui had left his fishhook back at the canoe, not figuring to need it just to gather some supplies. He now wished he had it with him, as it was a daunting climb to the top if he was going to clear away the blockage.

He was contemplating how to best deal with this little hiccup when Tamatoa tugged on the ragged edge of the tapa cloth around his waist. "There's something out there," he whispered.

"Look, kid-" he began shortly, then Maui heard it too. There was a low hissing from deeper back in the jungle, followed by the sound of foliage snapping as something large moved through the trees.

Quickly, Maui snatched up the crab, who gave a startled squeak, and slipped into the shadows of the forest and out of view behind the trunk of a thick tree. From his half-hidden spot, he scanned the trees hoping to get a better look at what was out there.

The birds in the clearing around the dry cascade slowly fell silent, their songs replaced with the sound of something large shuffling through the brush. Maui watched the bending branches of foliage, trying to discern what was there. Finally, the creature moved into view. It was lizard-like, nearly as long as his canoe, and heavy bodied. It's skin was covered in shining black scales, glinting like obsidian in the dappled light of the forest. Underlying those gleaming scales was a network of jagged, fiery orange lines, closely resembling lava beneath cracked stone. Frothy saliva dripped from the sharp, curved teeth lining its long snout and a forked tongue tasted the air.

Tucked in the crook of his arm, the crab squirmed and whispered, "I thought you said I was the only monster on this island!"

"Shh," Maui shushed him. "It's a mo'o. It shouldn't be here at all." Truth be told, Maui was now deeply regretting leaving his hook back at their canoe. Mo'o, the great dragon lizards, were fierce, tricky creatures-some could shape-shift and all of them were dangerous. This one was of a middling size, but it could still pose a significant threat. It all made sense now that the waters were disturbed, as mo'o were notorious for hoarding water sources. But how had it even gotten here?

The lizard passed, not noticing the pair of observers in the shadows. It lumbered on, then disappeared into a wide crevice in the rock face near the waterfall's empty plunge pool. The crack in the wall was hidden in deep shadow and Maui might never have seen it otherwise.

Tamatoa squirmed again, clearly wanting to be put down. Maui complied and set him down, holding a finger to his lips to warn him to keep quiet. "Stay here," he instructed in a whisper. Then with stealthy steps, Maui crept towards the crack in the rock and looked in.

Inside the rock, the crack widened into a narrow tunnel of black rock. Slanting light crisscrossed the cave from spidering cracks in the rocks and cast odd shadows across the damp walls. From deeper within the cavern, Maui could hear the rush of water. He saw no sign of the lizard, so he pressed further into the cavern. The tunnel turned and sloped upwards, climbing up the inside of the cliff towards where the waterfall should be. As he proceeded through the passage, the sound of flowing water grew louder.

Finally, the tunnel leveled out and began to widen into a vast cavern. Maui kept to the shadows and took stock of the scene. Shattered beams of light filled the space, illuminating it enough to get a good look inside. Large boulders of smooth, long-cooled lava were strewn about the floor. On the far side of the cavern, there was a warm orange glow emanating from a round hole in the ground-a skylight into an old lava tube, perhaps. Maui suspected this tunnel, likely reaching deep into the earth, was how the mo'o had arrived on the island.

Maui looked around, seeking out the lizard, and found him easily. It seemed that the mo'o had diverted the river into its lair, hidden in the ground. The creature was resting beside the vast pool of clear water, fed by a cascade entering from a gaping hole above. A beam of sunlight from the water fell from the low opening, lighting the area where the mo'o was basking a short distance below. Any shadows cast from above would be instantly detected and the lizard could easily spring up through the hole to surprise anyone standing near it. It was a prime spot from which to guard his water hoard.

Well, they needed that water. They wouldn't get too far without it. However, they also needed a plan. Maui idly gazed at the patterns of light and shadow haphazardly traced across the cavern walls. Some of the shafts of sunlight were bouncing off slabs of volcanic glass on the floor, then splashing back up on the walls into wide pools of light.

An idea suddenly formed and Maui almost laughed out loud. He thought it just might work, but it hinged on how well he crab could play at being loud and intimidating. Well, it was worth a shot.

He quietly retreated back to where Tamatoa was waiting. The crab grinned, eyes bright with mischief, when Maui explained his plan. Tamatoa was on enthusiastically board.

Maui gave the crab his instructions, then started scaling the cliff face to where the waterfall was blocked. Glancing down, he could see the crab below him, heading for the tunnel. Maui smiled to himself. This was going to be fun.

When he reached the top, he could see that the waterfall had been blocked by a sizable boulder. It had pooled behind the rock, then slipped down a new path into the earth. Maui stepped into the shallow pond and crept carefully around the obstruction towards the hole where the water was diverted. He was careful to keep his shadow far from the opening, then crouched down in the stream to wait and listen.

After a few moments, he could hear a voice within the cavern below. He crept closer now to the opening, hoping for the best, and risked a glance inside.

Inside the cavern, the lizard had moved away from its sunny basking spot. The mo'o was instead looking towards a truly enormous shadow cast on the wall of his lair-a shadow in the shape of a crab. The shadow crab brandished its claws menacingly, looming large on the wall.

"I am the mighty Tamatoa, Great Crab of Lalotai!" a voice boomed, echoing cavernously off the walls. Maui nearly burst out laughing, but somehow managed to keep it in. The crab had apparently found a spot with both great lighting and perfect acoustics to launch their ruse. It was hilarious as it was impressive.

The amplified voice went on. "I have come to claim this island! And all it's treasures! Leave or fear my wrath!" Maui was having a hard time keeping a straight face, but the crab was clearly having a great time hamming it up down there.

The distraction was working, too. The mo'o had moved away from the water and was peering towards the shadow, perplexed but wary. Tamatoa was continuing on, coming up with ever more outrageous claims and boasts and threats. Maui had to admit, the kid was a natural at this. The lizard was stepping closer to the spectral crab on the wall, but there was a look of suspicion in the reptile's gaze now. Well, it was time to act before their deception was discovered.

Maui stepped away from the hole and waded back to the boulder. With a grunt, he heaved the stone free from where it was wedged in the river's path. Finally released, the water poured in a great torrent back over its original track to the waterfall's lip. The pool began to drain away, both over the falls and into the cavern. First task done! Now, to deal with the mo'o.

As the flow of water into the cavern began to slow, Maui climbed through the hole and dropped with a splash into the pool below. The mo'o, which was now perilously close to where Tamatoa was likely putting on his shadow play, spun around with an angry hiss at the sound of the splash. For a lizard that had been lumbering placidly through the woods earlier, it moved with lethal swiftness now.

The mo'o glared first at Maui, then at the hole behind him where the water had slowed to barely a trickle. Realization dawned on the beast and its eyes went wild with rage. With a rasping howl of challenge, it lunged for Maui with its foam-flecked fangs bared. Maui met its charge head on and the pair of them tumbled to the ground in a flurry of teeth and claws and limbs. The lizard was large and powerful, but even without his fishhook handy Maui was a force to be reckoned with. The lizard raked him with long, curving claws, leaving narrow scrapes across his skin, but ultimately the demigod was stronger and faster. Maui caught the mo'o in a tight hold around the neck, twisting backwards and dragging the lizard towards the lava tube in the rear of the cave-intent on forcing the creature back into it and off the island.

It didn't take long for the mo'o to realize Maui's intentions and it began struggling fiercely to get free. Despite his thrashing, the lizard was unable to break out of Maui's grip. Desperation crept into the lizard's cold eyes.

Maui almost had the writhing creature to the edge of the hole leading into the lava tube when there was a blazing flash of green light. As Maui blinked against the brilliant light in the dark cave, the weight suddenly disappeared from his arms and something small dropped to the floor. He shook his head, trying to clear the spots from his vision. When his vision refocused, he spied a tiny green gecko scampering across the cave floor-headed for the exit tunnel. With a shout of frustration, Maui ran after it. It was nearly out of sight already and if he lost track of it, the mo'o could be anywhere. Tracking it down would be a nightmare in the dense jungle.

The gecko scooted around a bend into the dark. Maui was sure he'd lost it now and he let out an exasperated growl, but redoubled his efforts of pursuit.

From around the corner there came a high-pitched squeak, abruptly cut short.

Maui followed around the corner, then skidded to a stop in surprise. Tamatoa was standing in the tunnel with a wickedly smug grin. Maui wasn't sure what was more shocking, though: the fact that the little crab was clutching the gecko, limp and most assuredly dead, in a claw or the fact that the crab was lit up like a beacon in the dark, painted in the wildly glowing colors of Lalotai.

For a long moment, Maui just stared. Tamatoa looked up at him, a proud smile on his face, but eyes seeking approval. "I got him!"

Maui blinked, coming out of his shock, and gave the crab a lopsided grin. "Guess you did," he said with a chuckle. The demigod had just been planning on sending the mo'o away-it was only a first offense, after all-but it seemed that the crab played for keeps.

Tamatoa was looking mighty pleased with himself, too. "Did you see what I did?" he asked excitedly. "I thought he was gonna find me for sure!"

"You did good, kid," Maui told him. The crab preened as Maui looked thoughtfully across the cavern towards the lava tube opening. He'd need to close it, otherwise who knows what else might come up through it.

When Maui glanced back, the crab was examining the dead gecko, its spine neatly snapped, as if it might make a nice snack. "Don't eat that, you don't know where it's been," Maui admonished absently.

The crab shrugged and twitched an antennae dismissively, but said nothing.

Mind on other things than the dead lizard, Maui set off to the lava tube. There wasn't much around to seal it more permanently, so he'd have to settle for blocking it up with the boulders strewn around the cavern. The lava blocks were heavy, but it didn't take long before he had it fairly well stacked up over the broken hole in the tube. "Well, that's done," he announced, dusting his hands off and admiring his handiwork.

He walked back to Tamatoa, who was munching on something-clearly disregarding Maui's words regarding the mo'o-turned-gecko. His neon bioluminescence was beginning to fade and Maui idly wondered how much control the crab had over it, but didn't ask for now. Finishing his meal, the crab looked to the demigod. "This was so cool," he said cheerfully, "what's next?"

"Now we get our water and get going," Maui told him, heading for the exit. "C'mon. More islands await!"

The crab followed him and they left the lizard's lair behind. "Which island next?" he asked.

"Next we sail to Mitiaru," Maui told him.

"What's there?"

"There's a human village there," Maui explained as they walked. "That's where I'm taking the Great Pearl as a gift to them."

The crab looked aghast at the very idea. "You're going to give it away?! After fighting Mamanu to get it?!"

Maui grinned. "Of course! That's why I went to get it in the first place."

"But why?" Tamatoa asked, incredulous.

"Because the humans need all the help they can get," he said, then straightened his shoulders and gave his hair a boastful little shake. "That's what demigods do!"

Obviously, the crab likely had no experience with humans and probably just didn't understand how helpless they could be. How much they needed-

Tamatoa interrupted Maui's line of thoughts with a pointed question. "Is that really why?"

Maui faltered, slightly unnerved and deflated by the crab's apparent innate ability to pick up on things unsaid. He bluffed his way through, however. "Yes," he said with what he hoped was finality.

Tamatoa looked unconvinced, but Maui swiftly changed course. "Hey, there's the water cask," he interjected before the crab could get another word in. "Let's get it filled up and hit the trail."

The young crab gave him an overly perceptive sideways look, but let the matter rest.

On the remaining trek back to the boat, Maui filled the conversation with, perhaps slightly overly loud and deliberate, chatter about their adventure back in the cavern. The crab was easy enough to distract with a little praise at his role in defeating the mo'o and the flattery kept any uncomfortable questions at bay.

Their baskets now brimming with food and their water cask filled, they launched the canoe early in the afternoon while the tide was high. Maui set the sails and they were off, sailing northeast into the warm afternoon. Tamatoa rode on the bow, optimistically gazing off over the water as if already eager to see the next island on the horizon. His antennae flicked in the wind as they skimmed over the water.

It gave Maui an idea. "Hey," he called up to the crab, who looked back at him curiously. "You said you could feel things in the water, yeah?"

Tamatoa gave him a winning smile. "Yep!"

"Like how warm or cold it is? Direction of currents?" Maui pressed.

"Uh huh," he replied. "Other stuff too."

The demigod grinned broadly. "Come here then, I wanna show you something."

As it turned out, the crab could detect far more than just temperature and direction. Using his antennae, Tamatoa could identify organic material in the water, pinpoint silt and which direction it was coming from, and a whole host of other tiny details. He could pick up smells and particles on the wind too with a far greater acuity than Maui himself. Maui was actually rather impressed, but even more than that he was eager to focus and tune it towards his own navigation. With this kind of information, he could vastly improve their accuracy at sea. It was an exciting prospect.

As Maui watched the crab practice searching for signs in the water, he paused to reflect on his concerns from the night before. Perhaps a more responsible person might have advised him to return the young monster back to Lalotai, but Maui saw things differently. The crab was turning out to be a worthwhile investment, after all. He'd helped Maui out more than once now, possessed some particularly useful skills, and had proven himself to be good-if somewhat nosy-company. Granted, Tamatoa seemed to view the world through a vastly different lens than did humanity, but, then again, so to did Maui-Demigod of the Wind and Sea-lack a certain commonality with humans.

His mind was made up. He was not going to take Tamatoa back to the realm of monsters. He just couldn't do it. He'd found a companion, possibly even a friend, and that was the end of the matter.

Almost on cue, Tamatoa glanced back to Maui from the canoe's bow and flashed him a wide grin.

Maui smiled. Yes, it would be good to have a friend.