The coral bit into her hands, but Moana ignored the pain and continued digging at the posts, intent on finding a weakness to the coral prison that held her captive. She had lost count of how many days she had been trapped. The large opening at the top of the cave showed that darkness had fallen on the world above, but the coral shone brightly with its own light, allowing her to see her surroundings.
Moana paused her digging and glanced down at her arms. The burns from the stinging slime seemed to be healing quickly, so she guessed she had been trapped for a few days, a week at the maximum. Arms still fatigued she looked around the cave, appreciating its unusual beauty as well as loathing her confinement.
The cave was enormous, made entirely of coral and large enough on the inside to comfortably fit half of the village. It was camouflaged so well that any swimmer on the outside would simply think it was another coral reef. Inside the coral had been smoothed to a glimmering shine from the hundreds of years of use. It would have been a paradise, with its spiral columns and sparkling pool in the middle of the smooth floor, had it not been occupied by a vengeful monster of the deep.
Moana stared longingly at the small opening at the top of the cage-like area where she was trapped. She had tried to climb to freedom the first moment the eel, Tuna-roa she vaguely remembered Maui calling him, had left her alone, but all she received for her troubles were battered hands and a bruised backside. Climbing the rough coral walls was impossible and the bars surrounding the other side of the enclosure were too strong for her to break on her own. That left digging under at the base of the bars as her only option until Maui found her.
She returned to her digging with vigor, ignoring her exhausted muscles. Yes, she knew that Maui would rescue her, but the eel was set on revenge and wouldn't hesitate to kill Maui, a task more easily accomplished now that he had become mortal. For her. Moana shook her head. Maui had sacrificed enough for her and it was time that she did something for him, starting with breaking out of this cave. When Maui did come, and if the eel did fight, Moana would make sure the cretin lost his bargaining tool.
The pool began to ripple, signaling Tuna's return. Moana tossed her broken piece of coral near the back of her prison, where the eel couldn't reach, and carefully settled against the wall near the bars to wait. Water sprayed into the air, splashing over the edge of the pool and spreading until it reached where she sat.
"Giving up on your new project already, little human girl?"
Tuna stared at her mockingly, his large body slithering across the floor until he was close enough that Moana could see the pupils in his mud-colored eyes. He rose up and swayed in the air, curling his long body around itself. Moana met his gaze but said nothing, familiar with his ineffective methods of harassment. He had yet to learn that she was not one to be intimidated. She was Moana of Motunui, daughter of the chief and chieftess in her own right, and wife to Maui, the great demi-god. Moana held Tuna's gaze and drew from her own strength, allowing all the loathing she felt for the eel to show through her eyes. She vowed that no matter how long he held her captive he would never have the pleasure of seeing her broken.
The eel blinked and slowly lowered himself onto the floor.
"Huh," he muttered, turning away and slithering towards his nest.
Red slash marks marred his yellow-brown skin and Moana looked down at her blood-stained skirt in satisfaction. Of course the eel would leave her alone; he was still suffering from the last time he made the mistake of threatening her.
My deepest apologies to those who think the story has too much angst...I didn't realize when I wrote it! I promise that all questions will be answered, and there will be a happy ending!