Makani hastily stuffed the supplies into the compartment of the Fijian camakau, glancing nervously over her shoulder as she did so. If she was seen by one of the men who regularly used these boats to fish or checked to see if they needed repairs, surely she would be reported to her uncle, the chieftain, and her journey would be over before it had even began.

The world was much different than it had been when her grandmother had snuck off of her island in her teens. Now, Makani's people traveled freely, and while a safe return home was always celebrated, the village was used to life on the sea. Makani herself had visited several nearby islands who shared distant blood ties to her people. But that had been years ago, and Makani had not been the one working the boats. She took solace in the fact that when her grandmother had set off on her grand journey, much more was on her shoulders, and she hadn't known how to work a boat either.

Luckily, the Fijian camakau was supposed to be a relatively simple boat to operate, and it was the perfect size for Makani. Her gramma had taken this style boat while replacing Te Fiti's heart - it would surely do for Makani's quest.

Makani scurried around to the side of the boat that was facing away from her village and dropped to her belly. The hot sand scorched her exposed skin and she moved closer to the sand wet from the gently lapping waves. Then she pulled out the map she had packed, so she could read it without being seen.

She and her gramma, once she had awoken, had decided on a winding path that would end at the sleeping form of Te Fiti. First, she would visit several majorly populated islands to see if Moanu was assisting any of their villages. If he wasn't there, she would visit the goddess's island and, if he wasn't there either, she would pray for him to visit her gramma and return home. It was a simple plan with a simple solution if the quest wasn't fulfilled. Makani was glad that her gramma didn't hold expectations insanely high for her - after all, she was only fourteen - just because she herself had saved the world at sixteen years old.

Makani repacked the map and poked her head over the boat to look around. The beach was clear of people, and she could see nothing moving anywhere nearby except for a preening bird in a coconut tree, which was ignoring her. She returned the favor and tried to find the courage to climb aboard the boat.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this, she chanted over and over. Her heart was beating so quickly, she was afraid she would collapse, and she hadn't even boarded her boat yet. She imagined her gramma, sneaking off of her island to go face terrors that Makani could never even dream of. All she was doing was trying to find one god in this corner of the ocean, and if she didn't succeed, she could return home and be with her gramma when she died. Life would go on as normal.

With those reassuring words playing in her head, Makani took a deep breath and jumped aboard the boat.

Then she sat for a second, cursing her stupidity, and climbed off of the boat to push it into the water.

Once in the water, the wind picked up the sail and all she had to do was steer a straight course for the open water of the ocean outside of the gulf of her island. It was slightly harder than she had expected, but still was by no means impossible.

Suddenly, she heard a shout and twisted around to see a man waving at her from the shore. Very faintly, she heard her name over the spray of the waves.

"Ask Gramma!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and turned back around, eyes burning. For if the man was who she thought it was, her father was begging her to come home.

She was homesick and she wasn't even out of the gulf yet. This did not bode well for her journey.

But before she knew it, she was out of the gulf and sailing in open water. A small part of her hurting lessened, as she felt the spray of the waves on her face and felt the gentle bobbing of her boat. "I'll call you," she whispered to the planks, "Moana."

Moana was a good boat, in Makani's eyes. She was sturdy and fast - although Makani had no idea if she was exceptionally fast because of her limited boating experience.

While originally, Makani had had a large sense of adventure and purpose, after the first hour or so of sailing, she was dreadfully bored. There was nothing to do on the boat besides steering, and while the wind was at her back now, there was no telling what kind of weather the future would hold. So Makani sat, barely focusing on steering, her map held open with her free hand and fear niggling at the back of her mind. It was not a pleasant way to travel.

It felt like hours had passed, but Makani knew that her time perception could have changed due to her boredom. She took note of the sun's position in the sky and thought about what her gramma had told her. If it falls dark before you reach the first island, follow the brightest star in the sky. The island is located right underneath it.

They had also strategically planned her journey so that the voyage from island to island took a day or less each time. That way, she wouldn't have to sleep on the boat and worry about drifting off course, and if the wind favored her, she could move quickly from island to island, restocking her supplies and getting the rest she needed to continue.

Makani wished she didn't have to make quite so many stops, but she reminded herself that the purpose of her quest was to locate Maui and bring him home, and it would be cruel irony if the island she decided to exclude from her path turned out to be the one holding the demigod. So Makani knew she would stick loyally to the plan.

It was for her gramma. All of this was for Gramma.