Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Well, the double upload is here as I promise!

And there's not much I can say about this chapter, other than… it does deal with quite a few clichés and the characters will most seem OOC.

I've mentioned this before, I am not Polynesian or of Polynesian descent, most of the representation in this fic is based on research and research alone. So, I do apologize in advance for any misrepresentations or any offending stereotypes that may or may not be portrayed in this chapter.

But, regardless. I sincerely hope you'll enjoy this story! And if you see any errors of any kind, please let me know so that I can fix it ASAP!

Chapter Ten: Whakataetae

Finally, mother and daughter pulled away. Hina looked up to see her mother's smiling face and smiled back as she reached for her mother's hands and gave them a thankful squeeze. And then she slowly turned her head back to the sea and took a deep breath.

"I guess I owe The Ocean an apology," Hinatea remarked with oozing sarcasm. Moana stared at her eldest daughter, with her one eyebrow raised, arms crossed over her chest and an amused smile on her lips as she appeared to be staring at something behind her eldest daughter.

Hinatea paused and pondered the expression on her mother's face.

Moana lifted her right hand and pointed to the very watery something behind her.

"What?" Hinatea asked, and a second later, a huge wave of unknown origin toppled over and drenched her in water. Hina coughed and spat out the salty water out of her mouth.

Moana couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Hinatea raised her long thick curly hair off her face and gave her mother an annoyed glance before she turned and yelled out at the ocean, "If you think that's gonna get me to apologize then you have another thing coming!"

The Ocean then rose up in a swell and squirted water directly at her face before it quickly pulled itself back into the water returning back to the low tide and left Hinatea standing there, completely soaked. Moana chuckled and shook her head before she walked over to her daughter and placed her hand on Hina's shoulder before she turned and glanced down at the beach.

The tide grew out further and further away each day—in fact The Ocean's quick visit seemed like a pure miracle with the distance. Worriment filled her heart; at this rate the water would've uncovered the reef, leaving it completely bare and barren of life.

Would there even be a point in having a race now?

Moana pushed these thoughts out of her head and by the time she snapped back to reality. Hinatea apparent took this moment of her distraction to expression her own fears and by looking out at the horizon with apprehension in her sixteen-year-old eyes.

Right now, her daughter needed her the most.

Moana walked over to Hinatea and placed her hand on her shoulder and reminded her, "Remember, you can't rush courage. It takes time and patience to build." She walked over and stood beside her and placed her motherly hand on her daughter's cheek, "But, when the time is right…" She lifted her hand and tucked her daughter's long curly hair behind her ear, "You'll find it's been inside you all along."

Hinatea scoffed and playfully pushed her mother's hand away.

Moana then put her arm around her daughter's shoulders, "That's enough talk for one day, c'mon it's almost dinner time and you have a bowl of warm coconut milk waiting just for you."

Hinatea smiled and replied, "Thanks, Mom."

Moana's smile widened as the two left the site and proceeded down toward the malae.

IIIIIIIIIIII

By the time Moana and her daughter had returned to join everyone else at the malae. Melelani was perched on their grandfather's lap when she turned and saw the two coming over before she called out to her sister with the nickname, "Na-na!" Tui lifted her off his lap and set her down on the grass.

Hinatea got down on one knee and held her arms out for her young sister and pulled her close before blowing raspberries to her tummy. Melelani let out sharp shrills of laughter. Hinatea chuckled and said as she set her sister back down on the ground, "Alright Shrimp, down you go."

"Na-na here!" Melelani grabbed two of Hina's fingers and pulled her along to their family's spot on the malae. Hinatea slowly got down on her usual spot, Tala scooted over forcing their eight-year-old brother to begrudgingly scoot over as well while Melelani ran over and sat down on their grandmother's lap.

Moana walked over and sat down with her family and listened while her youngest daughter narrated a story about how she caught her first fish from the stream.

"Ohoho…" Hina cooed before she reached over and grabbed her little sister off their grandfather's lap, "Looks someone's getting to be such a big girl!" Melelani squealed and screamed in laughter as she started flailing about her arms in excitement as her eldest sister started bouncing her in her arms for a few minutes before she set her down and suggested, "Hey, wanna show Na-na the fish you caught?"

"Yeah!" Melelani replied before she ran on her toddling feet toward the cookhouse.

Tala then stood up and told them, "I'm gonna go and make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Moana nodded in understanding before she watched her second daughter leave. Then she turned toward her first and only son and asked, "So? Did you help Melelani fish today?"

"No… I was too busy playing with my friends…" Makoa sighed as he started twirling his finger around his Oka I'a around the unwrapped banana leaf. Suddenly he froze, realizing that he'd just admitted that he didn't watch his two-in-a-half-year-old sister, who'd just started to learn how to swim three days ago—and let her wander off near water unattended. He nervously turned to face his mother and grandfather's stern gazes.

Makoa then threw his hands up in the air and proclaimed, "It's not my fault! ShewasbuggingmewhatwasIsupposetodo?!"

Hinatea took this opportunity to simply roll her eyes and shake her head in disapproval, completely unaware that Makoa had seen everything.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Tala caught up with Melelani and gave her little sister her hand to hold as they walked to the cookhouse where Hiapo and his brothers-in-law along with the new cook Malosi sat around preparing the fish, breadfruit, kumara, taro, yams, and coconut milk.

Melelani pulled away from her older sister and hurried over to the umu. Hiapo quickly grabbed the little girl and pulled her away from the earth oven. Melelani immediately started protesting by flailing her hands and feet at the bundles of wrapped banana leaves and braided coconut leaves with cooked food inside.

Tala giggled as she walked over toward Hiapo and told him, "I think she just wants her fish."

"Gotcha," Hiapo replied before he instinctively went into uncle mode and put his arm around Melelani and locked her in place to stop her from getting too close to the hot umu. He leaned over at an angle reaching over for one of the wrapped banana leaves with his right hand, while he kept the left side of his body well away from the umu.

Melelani saw him pick it up and immediately reached over for it. Hiapo then lifted her away from the wrapped banana leaf and said, "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Melelani, It's really hot, so, how about we let Tala hold it, okay?"

The little girl grunted in protest and started reaching for it again and started screaming when Hiapo lifted his right hand up and held the wrapped fish away from her. Tala giggled and shook her head in amusement before she walked over toward the two. Hiapo sighed in relief before he handed the wrapped fish to Tala and finally set her little sister down.

Melelani quickly dashed over to her sister, whimpering and stretching her arms out for the fish. Tala bent down and scooped her sister up with her right arm and held her left hand well away from Melelani as she balanced her sister on her hip and carried her back to their spot on the malae.

By the time the two returned Melelani continued whining and whimpering in anticipation for the fish. Tala finally set her down and Tui reminded his youngest granddaughter to behave herself and wait till her mother and their guest, Matai Tūhuruhuru finished eating.

Tala looked around with a worried look on her face. The sun had long since set and their father was nowhere to be seen. Something didn't feel right… and it wasn't the first time she'd felt this.

In fact, the feeling only grew stronger when the sun began to set and when the sky turned dark. Now her father wasn't here and her instincts seemed to intensify. She turned to her older sister and asked, "How long does it take Dad to fish?"

Hinatea shrugged before she stared at the food before them. Sina turned to Tala and put her hand on her shoulder and reassured her, "Don't worry, I'm sure your dad's fine… he must've gone further out to find some fish."

"Yeah," Hinatea replied as if her sister's concerns were the silliest things in the world before she managed to sneak a piece of cooked eel in her mouth and continued on while chewing, "Dad's a demigod remember? He'll be fine."

Tala gave her a sister a lopsided smile before she added, "Even demigods can get hurt. Like what happened to Dad a little over thirteen years ago when he washed up the shore with deep lashes to his back."

Hina turned to her sister with an unamused look on her face as she stated, "Waiola told you didn't she?"

Tala's smile turned into a mischievous grin as she replied, "Maybe."

Hina immediately rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief before she said, "That was a long time ago and I'm pretty sure Dad's already learned by no––"

A large shadow cast over them. "Gangway!" Makoa shouted. Moana quickly grabbed Melelani and everyone scurried out of the way. A few seconds later a blurred brown and ashy black giant figure came speedily crashing down at the malae and skidded across the ground, spreading some of the food along and leaving a twenty-foot long trail of the indented earth going through a small slope. The on goers looked and spotted a giant hawk at the very end of the trail, then a flash of blue appeared. Revealing Maui as he laid on his stomach, completely still for a few seconds with his hook clasped in his right hand and trails of ash slithering up into the night sky. Suddenly signs of movement came as he slowly started to push himself from the ground.

Moana quickly put her youngest daughter down on the ground and ran down to her faletua's side. Everyone else gathered around in stunned silence, till Hinatea pushed her way through the crowd and followed after her mother as she put one of Maui's arms around her shoulder. Hinatea grabbed her father's other arm and like her mother, draped it around her own shoulder.

Together the two helped him walked up the slope and back toward the malae and through the two rows of worried villagers as they made way for the three.

Tala stood beside her grandparents and younger brother, watching as her mother and older sister carried her father toward the maota tofa.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Melelani waddled back to the malae with worried eyes as she searched for her prized fish among the mess. Her lower puckered out in disappointment as her desperate brown eyes shifted among the scattered and splattered different sized pieces of discarded and overturned eel, kumara, palusami, coconut milk, fish, banana leaves and kālua pig.

When she couldn't see her prized wrapped anywhere she began the process of physically searching for it. Melelani pushed every tiny mess her little hands could hold, she lifted every banana leaf she found, and picked up the pieces of eel she came across, but still, she couldn't find it. Melelani let out a whimper, puckering her lower lip out while frowning.

Hiapo had spotted her searching amongst the disastrous feast and then immediately whistled to gain her attention. Melelani quickly turned her head, her eyes widened and glistened while her mouth slowly opened to form an ecstatic smile. She gently lowered the banana leaf back down and patted its stem before she ran over to Hiapo as he knelt down in front of her, holding out the very thing her young heart had been longing for. Melelani quickly grabbed the wrapped banana leaf and hugged it tightly against her chest, before she looked up at him with a toothy smile on her face as she said, "'Apo, thank you."

"You're welcome, Melelani," Hiapo replied with a polite smile before he held his hand out for her to take. Melelani pressed the wrapped banana leaf with her right and stretched out her left arm toward him before she curled her little fingers against the first digit of his right hand. Hiapo slowly rose to his feet and led the way with his back hunched forward slightly, so he wouldn't lose her grip on his finger as he'd walk her home.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Melelani clutched the green bundle close to the right side of her chest as she slowly looked up at her home with curious filled eyes at all the people visiting. She looked up at Hiapo and asked while pointing to her house and the worried villagers surrounding her family land, " 'Apo, why they're worried?"

Hiapo looked down at her for a moment and then turned away, his eyes shifting in thought when Sina finally walked over toward them.

"Gramma!" Melelani cried out as she ran happily toward her grandmother. Sina bent forward and lifted her youngest granddaughter in her arms. Melelani then presented the wrapped banana leaf and asked, "You want fish?"

Sina immediately nodded with an encouraging smile on her lips before she turned to Hiapo and said, "Thank you for finding her, Hiapo."

Hiapo politely bobbed his head and replied, "Of course." Before he watched as Sina turned around. Melelani then peeked her head over her grandmother's shoulder and waved at him. Hiapo chuckled as he waved back at her. Melelani smiled at him for a second, before she became distracted with the piece of fish her grandmother held out to her.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Moana would be lying if she didn't the exaggerated looks of pain on her consort's face when Waiola pressed a u'a cloth soaked with seawater against the small cuts on his skin. Thankfully, it was just small cuts this time.

Maui let out a sharp cry before he shouted to Waiola, "Jeez lady! Quit pressing so hard, it stings!"

Hinatea crossed her arms over her chest, rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stood at the entrance of her parents' fale. Another sharp cry escaped his lips––and he turned to glare at Waiola as she sat there with an annoyed look on her face. Suddenly he felt the stinging pain again from his left. He turned his head and saw Tala sitting there, shrugging her arms and smiling innocently while she clutched incriminating saltwater soaked u'a cloth in her right hand.

"You're lucky." Tala pointed out before she gently pressed the cloth against one of his cuts. He winced and Tala gave him an apologetic smile before she carried on, "At least it wasn't as bad what happened almost fourteen years ago."

Maui raised an eyebrow and then asked, "And what happened almost fourteen years ago? Little miss, I wasn't born yet?"

Tala stated, "The Day The Ocean stopped the Whale Rider and saved you."

Maui scowled as he tried to set the story straight, "Okay, that's not what happened—"

"That's not what my friends told me," Tala replied with a teasing grin.

Maui opened his mouth and that's when Moana stepped in; she walked over toward Maui, placed her hands on his broad shoulders and said, "I think that's enough for one night." Moana told him.

Waiola then added as she started cleaning up, "Your daughter's right; You're lucky that you just escaped with scratches this time." She stood up and then chuckled as she said before she reached over and pinched his cheek, "But you gave us all quite a scare."

Maui shoved her hand away. Waiola turned around, holding the used cloth in her right hand and positioned it low enough so it would accidentally slap his cheek as she walked out of the fale. "I'm gonna get her back one day." Maui declared still scowling. Moana shook her head.

Tala went over and hugged her father from behind and reminded him, "Never mind her Dad, you're alive and that's all that matters."

He gave her a quick smile before he turned to Moana and sighed, "Look, I tried but I…" He swallowed and forced himself to continue, "But I couldn't find any fresh fish no matter how far—"

Moana leaned over so she could face him to show her reassuring smile before she told him, "Maui, it's okay. I'm sure we'll sort it out. Somehow." She paused and turned to their two children. She slowly darted her head while looking for their two younger children.

Then she let out a sigh of relief when her mother came by balancing their youngest daughter on her hip. Melelani turned and stretched her arms out toward Maui, "Papa!"

Sina set her down the same time Tui entered Maui and Moana's fale and put his arm around her shoulder.

Meanwhile,

A small boyish shadow holding a certain white dimwitted plumpy bantam hen was up on the poutu crawling toward a certain sixteen-year-old girl. He stopped only to pull the caught thread of his red lavalava and to shush the buggy-eyed hen from clucking as he continued crawling over to the very spot where his target stood.

Makoa looked down with an evil grin on his face as he lifted Moa up above his head, ready to launch her down at his sister. He gasped, she was gone. Makoa leaned forward in a panic trying to find Hinatea.

His mind too focused on his lost target, echoed the words: Where is she? Where is she? He hadn't noticed his athletic sister silently making her way toward him till he suddenly he heard, "Boo."

Makoa let out a bloodcurdling scream his arms then threw a now panicked Moa in the air.

Moana looked up just seconds away when she caught sight of Moa's flapping form seemingly hurdling toward her. She ducked and Moa struck Maui's face instead. Tala and Sina rushed forward and tried to get the frantic hen off Maui's face.

"MAKOA!"

Makoa sheepishly sank back toward the safety of the poutu at the sound of his father yelling out his name, while Hinatea sat behind him with her legs crossed for balance as she stared at him with a smug look on her face.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Melelani jolted slightly and her eyes fluttered after her father moved her from his chest and laid her down on her sleeping mat before Moana slowly draped her blanket to her little shoulders while Maui stood up over toward Makoa's sleeping mat just to make sure he was actually asleep before went back to Moana's side and put his hands on her shoulders just as he leaned over to admire their youngest daughter.

"She's gonna look just like you," Maui told her with a proud and lovingly dimpled grin on his face.

Hinatea yawned a few feet away from them and stood up, stretching her arms over her head as she declared. "All right, home time for me."

"What's the hurry?" Maui asked Hina, "C'mon, I wanna hear 'bout your day."

Hinatea stopped in her tracks and froze for a moment. Maui saw her tense up and immediately asked, "Okay, Hina, what happened?" Hinatea turned hesitantly turned toward her father before diverting her nervous eyes up to her mother as she felt herself shrinking back to when she was just a little girl all over again.

Maui then asked while slowly coming to his own conclusion for his daughter's mood, "Has ol' jerk face been giving you trouble—"

"No!" Hinatea blurted out before she let out a nervous laugh and cleared, "No. It's not that…" She looked up at her mother and saw the confused look on her face. Hina took a deep breath and said, "It's just that… well, Dad. Please, don't be mad… but, uh…" She took another breath and braced herself, "I'm gonna be in that race tomorrow."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. Okay, no. You're not going out into the ocean, you're not going on some race out at sea where you can drown again." Maui told her straight out.

Hina argued back. "But Dad, that was eight years ago––"

Maui quickly lifted a stern finger and said, "Ahahahahah! No back talk. You're not going to compete in any sea race––"

She stared at him in disbelief as her shoulders slumped in frustration, "But Dad—"

Maui cut her off and said, "Hey! Don't make me tie you to a palm tree again."

Moana was flabbergasted when she heard his confession, "A tree? When did you tie her to a palm tree?"

"Uh…" Maui responded before he gave her a nervous chuckle and a shrug. Moana covered her face in exasperation before she slowly shook her head in disbelief.

Seeing her state, Mini-Maui jumped up and then wagging a stern finger at his demigod host. Maui shot his tattoo companion a glare and told him off, "Would you stay out of it?" Mini-Maui threw his arms in the air before he shook his head and returned to his original position. Maui then turned to Hina and told her, "Point is, you're not joining any race while still, I'm breathing—"

Hinatea gave her father a flabbergasted stare as she argued back, "What? Dad that's practically forever."

Maui shot back and told her firmly, "I guess that means you're not gonna race in this lifetime doesn't it?"

Moana intervened before things became too heated, turning to Maui first she told him, "Enough—"

But Hinatea was already steaming and red in the face when she cut her mother off and said as her voice began to rise with each letter, "I never asked to drown y'know—"

"Well you did and as your father, it's my job to make sure you don't drown again—"

Moana then shouted at them both, "That's enough!" She turned to her daughter and said, "Hinatea, do not raise your voice to your father, he's just looking out—"

Hinatea finally had it, "Oh! Of course, how shocking you'd take his side."

"Hey! Watch it!" Maui told her as he rose to his feet and ignored Moana's signals for him to back down. "That's your mother you're talking to—"

"Yeah?" Hinatea shot back, "Well this is your daughter you're talking to! And guess what? I never asked to be born!" She then looked both her parents in the eyes and said to them both, "I never asked to be your daughter…" She then turned to her father pointedly and told him as she slowly backed away toward the entrance of her parents' home, "And you know what, Dad. I wish I wasn't." With that, she turned around and marched out of her parents' home.

Maui was taken aback by this strange new deep emotion inside him—and his brain wracked trying to put the pieces together as he stood there with an astonished face. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "I better go talk to—"

"Dad, you've done enough." Tala told him, "Let Mom talk to her."

He looked up and saw that Moana had already left.

IIIIIIIIIIII

"Hina!" Moana called out to her eldest daughter as she headed over to her own fale.

"Leave me alone Mom," Hinatea ordered as she climbed up the steps to her paepae. Her mother caught up and gently grabbed her arm.

"No. Not when you're upset." Her mother told her, "Now, will you hear me out?" Hinatea took a deep reluctant breath before she pulled her arm away from her mother's and walked over to the entrance of her daughter's home and entered.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Moana sat down on the floormat and turned to her eldest daughter as she continued, "I understand why he's doing these things and constantly contradicts himself with this race issue, and it goes deeper than that." She walked over to her daughter, who sat there rolling her eyes with her arms crossed over her chest.

Hina felt her mother's hand on her shoulder and Moana continued, "When you drowned that day, your father and I thought we'd lost you forever," She paused for a moment as her next words slowly began to open up the past grief still lingering around her heart, "And that was one of the most heartbreaking moments we went through." Moana took a deep breath before she went on to explain, "He left the island to find you. He left so we could have you back."

Hinatea slowly turned her head toward her mother and she saw the distant look in her eyes as she forced herself to keep talking, "I would've done the same if I stood where he stood." She paused for a moment, reminding her. "Do you remember what Tala told you about Manatua?"

'How could I forget?' Hina thought to herself.

Moana continued, "Yes, he came very early into the world, actually far too early to survive… he barely covered the palm of my han—" She stopped for a moment and tucked strands of her daughter's thick curly hair behind her ear, "And then come next year, I was pregnant with you and your father was over the moon and you were the first child we both could hold."

A small smile came to Moana's lips as the fond memory started replaying in her head but she wasn't here to reminisce. "Hinatea, you were a gift to us both. A gift that we almost lost and he doesn't want to lose you again, and neither do I."

Her smile turned to a frown and part of her didn't want it to come to this, but this was for the best at least for the time being, "And after what happened today… I don't think you're ready. At least not yet."

Moana slowly turned and saw the disappointed look on her daughter's face. She reached over and placed her hand on Hina's right cheek and turned her head to look at her, "Once you've overcome this fear you're dealing with, then you'll be ready and I'll be more than happy to teach you."

Hinatea took a deep breath and replied, "Okay." Moana was relieved to see that she was somewhat complacent about the turn of events.

"So… who's gonna take my place?" Hinatea asked hesitantly.

Moana smiled and replied, "Hiapo."

That put a smile on Hina's lips as she replied, "I couldn't think of anyone better."

Her mother's smile widened and Moana brushed her thumb against her daughter's cheek and said, "Alright, time for you to get some sleep. We all have a pretty busy day tomorrow."

Hinatea turned and watched her mother leave, "Night Mom."

Moana turned around for a moment as she was leaving and replied, "Good night Hina." Before she walked out of her daughter's fale, letting the pola sheet to her entrance slowly fall back into place.

IIIIIIIIIIII

"I… am the ruler of this rock," Makoa declared putting his hands on his hips standing on top of a large rock as he stared down on at his audience, the two youngest children of the visiting Matai, ages seven and six as they both sat on the small canoes. He then lifted his finger and pointed it at them, "An island of one, so take your canoe and go." He finished his speech by waving his hand in the go away motion. The two children turned to one another in bewilderment and confusion to him.

He turned when he heard his name being called and saw his grandfather's distant form by the palms trees.

"It's climbing time!" Makoa shouted to himself before he jumped down the rock and rushed back over to the village.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Tala was spending time with Tūwhakararo's sister Mairatea back at the fale tele as the two of them were helping out with the preparations for the race that afternoon.

Then everything slowly went quiet on the outside and then everything went quiet on the inside, and that's when she was could listen. Something wasn't right. Tala slowly turned her head in the direction of the umu; where the fishermen and cooks had gathered so each man could begin cooking the meal for the village, their families and Motunui's honorary guests.

She slowly rose to her feet and slowly walked across the edge of the fale tele. Her eyes focused on the fish they collected and…

CRASH!

Makoa suddenly came falling through the roof and knocked his sister off her feet. Mairatea stopped what she was doing and went over to help. Makoa looked down and let out a sharp gasp before he quickly got off his sister, who laid there completely unconscious. Makoa started to panic till Tala started to chuckle from where she laid. He and the others in the fale tele stopped and watched as she slowly rose up from the ground and looked up.

Makoa let out a sigh of relief and then realized that he'd fell for his sister's trickery and exclaimed, "Hey! Are you trying to give me a heart attack!" Her chuckles were the force that fanned the burning flames inside him as he shouted, "I thought you died!"

Tala shook her head as she gave her brother a toothy grin as she went, "Awww… Makoa, you do care."

"So not!" Makoa declared as he folded his grumpily folded his arm and swiftly turned his head away from her.

Tala raised an eyebrow and slowly rose to her feet and slowly walked passed him with purpose as she said, "They say denial is the first step to hiding the truth."

Makoa's eyes went wide as he turned to his older sister and then saw the triumphant twinkle in her eyes. He immediately scowled at the sounds of the others laughing followed by Tala's own laughter as she walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Makoa quickly shoved it away, "Get off me."

Tala raised another eyebrow and then heard the sound of their father walking over to the fale tele. Soon Maui's shadow appeared and the two turned as he walked over and said, "Hey! There's my champion tree—" Their father paused and said pointing to the obvious hole in the roof. "Uh, when did that happen?" He turned to his two children and spoke, "Kids."

Finally, she coughed and said, "Y'know that coconut must've been really heavy to fall through the roof like that."

"Huh?" Makoa went as he turned to her with a confused look.

Tala continued on. "It's too bad you missed it by spending all your time by the river, Makoa." Before she gave her younger brother a quick wink and then looked over at her father and the others with a wide smile on her face.

Maui shook his head at them both. "I'll fix the roof and I won't tell your mother if you two—deal with old jerk-face over here." He said while pointing his thumb directly at Tūwhakararo.

The two siblings glanced at one another before they replied, "Deal." Tala walked out first with her brother marching behind her.

Maui then stared pointedly at his eight-year-old son and called out to him, "Makoa."

His son stopped in his tracks, turned around and replied. "Yeah?"

Maui then told him, "No more climbing—"

Makoa frowned and let out a reluctant groan before he replied with a very sullen tone. "Fine—"

"Not finished yet." Maui told him before he stopped and made sure no one else was listening before he added with a slightly sneaky grin, "Unless you're gonna put Pretty face Tūwhakararo in his place."

Makoa brandished an evil grin of his own as he replied, "Okay…"

IIIIIIIIIIII

Once Hiapo had finished up helping around the umu he headed down to the beach to join the competitors as they prepared their canoes for the race. Hiapo walked over to his canoe and climbed on to adjust his sail unaware that Tūwhakararo was walking over toward him.

"So it's true," Tūwhakararo began as he finally stopped right by Hiapo, "She really did chicken out."

Hiapo raised an eyebrow and simply went back to fixing his canoe, knowing full well that Tūwhakararo simply wanted to get a reaction out of him.

Tūwhakararo then carried on trying to fan the flames by adding, "I guess I should thank you for not letting her die this time so she taste her own shame when I win—"

Hiapo's grip on the rope tightened for a moment before he turned around and asked with a slightly irritated tone his voice, "What are you trying to prove?"

Tūwhakararo then replied, "Nothing. I'm just letting you that I'm already the best."

"Okay then, if you know you're the best then why are you trying to get a reaction out of me? In fact…" Hiapo then jumped down from his canoe and walked right over to him, "Why are you trying to intimidate me? Hm? If you're so skilled as you claim you are then you should have no reason to put the rest of us down." Hiapo then stood at a respectable distance before he pointed, "Unless, you're afraid that we might just beat you."

Makoa's voice echoed behind him uttering the words, "Ooooooh! You just got burnt!" As he and his sister Tala were approaching the two.

"Well isn't this a nice sight, Tūwhakararo." His mother Apakura added as she and Maui, now brandishing his red lavalava and tuiga, approached the group. Her sharp eyes glanced pointedly at her son as she stated, "Instead of challenging people, you're learning how to make friends instead."

Tūwhakararo clamped his lips shut as he immediately whirled around to face his mother and Maui there. Apakura then turned to Hiapo and gave him a nod of acknowledgement before she turned back to her eldest child, "I think you should take this young man's advice and go check your canoe Tūwhakararo." She saw him open his mouth to protest and cut it short with, "Now."

Tūwhakararo kept his mouth shut as he turned around and reluctantly went to check his canoe.

"Thanks for the help Apakura," Maui replied.

Tala raised an eyebrow as Apakura replied, "Of course," She stopped for a moment and turned, smiling to his other two children before she turned back to him and said, "I think it's in the best interest of our islands if we continue remaining friends." Maui nodded in agreement before he turned to Makoa and gave him a secret wink.

Makoa winked back. Tala patted him on the shoulder to calm him down.

"Okay!" Maui began, dusting his hands for a moment, "So that's outta the way. Have you two seen Hina?"

"Uh, no! What do I look like, her babysitter?" Makoa retorted.

Tala shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, "Sorry Dad."

Maui let out a long sigh and said, "Alright, alright… um… if you see her let her know that… I'm okay with her taking on the next race."

"For sure?" Tala asked raising a skeptical eyebrow as she stared pointedly at him.

Maui bobbed his head left and right and replied with a reluctant sigh, "For sure." Tala smiled and then looked down as Mini-Maui came back to life and stretched his hand out to her for a high-five. Tala reached over and tapped her fingers against her father's chest. Maui rolled his eyes in response to the two, then looked over at Makoa and warned, "Hey!" His eight-year-old stopped his finger in mid nostril entrance as his father then told him with a pointed sideways glance. "Quit picking your nose."

Makoa immediately scowled before he crossed his arms over his chest.

Maui chuckled, "C'mon, your mom's waiting for you two at the fale fono."

Apakura smiled as she watched his children and remarked, "Oh, I remember when Tūwhakararo was that age."

"Kids were easier to handle then?" He asked. Apakura nodded her head in response to his question.

"So?" She began as she looked up at him, "Shall we head back?"

Maui turned to her with a polite smile and replied, "Lets."

As they walked, Apakura then asked him the question that had been lingering in her and her husband's minds since the previous night. "So, tell me more about your battle that night?"

IIIIIIIIIIII

The conch shell horn was blown and different tribes of the five competing villages gathered around Motunui's shore. Moana and most of her immediate family, along with her parents stood to the right of their honored guests. All of them wearing their best lavalavas, putelasis, pareos and tuigas. While the most of Motunui's people stood behind them. Moana and Maui both noticed each other's over the shoulder glances as they both wondered where their eldest daughter had gone?

Tala stood by her grandmother bearing a tuiga similar to her grandmother's on top of her head as she kept glancing back at the umu where the cooks were preparing the meals for after the competition.

A few seconds later, a tug on her maile and white plumeria bracelet snapped her out of her trance and Melelani shouted, "I can't see!" Maui leaned over and scooped her up to perch her on his left shoulder—but not before pressing a fatherly kiss on her right cheek.

Tui, Sina, Moana and Tala all smiled at the sounds of her little giggles before the second bellowing of the conch shell horn was released. Makoa finally cheered on, "GO!"

IIIIIIIIIIII

Hinatea quickly darted her head back to the shore from her hideaway and took a deep breath. She turned and then looked down at the wooden tiki mask that she took from her mother's fale. This mask was one of three that her mother had hung on her posts, like the other two masks she'd saw, the carvings on this oval-shaped bamboo mask were very feminine in nature despite its smooth and most of the patternless design. Hinatea's eyes then stopped recognized the tattoos on the face's chin—this was Rona's mask… or a mask made in her image. Hina closed her eyes and sucked on her lips before she turned back toward the ocean in front of her.

She whispered, "Sorry Mom…" Hinatea then gathered up all of her hair and rolled it up into a bun before she reached over and fastened the mask over her face before she headed over toward the small canoe she'd borrowed from one of the visiting wayfinders last night.

She took a deep breath and said to herself, "Okay… okay… remember all the basics, Hiapo taught you yesterday." Hina saw the waves and gulped before she added with a mutter, "And hope for the best." She lifted the back end of the canoe and then pushed it out to sea.

This had to be one of the craziest—stupidest even—stunts she'd ever done. In fact, there was no way she would pull this off… but, there was no way she was going to let anybody else fight her battles.

Not by a long shot.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Hiapo stood up gripping his oar with the other as he used the favorable winds pushed against the sheets to his sail, pushing his canoe to move faster. He slowly glanced over and saw that Tūwhakararo was catching up to him and he could see the pride in his eyes.

'No wonder Hina can't stand him.' Hiapo thought to himself as he stared at him for a brief moment.

"Hey, Fisherman!" Tūwhakararo shouted not too far behind him, "Save yourself the humiliation and just forfeit!"

Hiapo felt a sense of competition burning up inside him and he shouted, "Not a chance!" He felt the strong breeze coming the north. Perfect. Hiapo quickly got down and untied the rope to his sail. He quickly rushed to the right and jumped down on the smaller hull of his canoe. His sail contained the winds, and the winds pushed against his sail forcing his canoe to move faster in the water.

He just had to go around the island in one go and that was done—

"No! No! No!" A familiar girl's voice screamed as the mysterious masked rider came crashing right through the other competitors' canoes. Hiapo was right in the path of the rogue canoe and quickly pulled his canoes at a forty-five-degree angle.

The canoe then slid right up, flew a few feet in the air and came crashing right through the water, breaking in an instant.

Broken pieces of wood came bubbling up to the surface of the water. An unmasked Hinatea burst out of the water and clung to the nearest piece of wood she could find and coughed the excess water out of her mouth.

The mask she used floated right next to her. She quickly reached over for the mask and saw the large gash scratched diagonally from its bottom cheek all the way toward the open slot for the wearer's right eye.

The race was then brought to an abrupt end with the low resonating sound of the conch shell horn. Hiapo slowly sailed to where she was floating and knelt down toward the wooden binds to the small second hull of his canoe, and gave her his hand to grab.

Hinatea reached over and he pulled her up toward his boat. She looked up at him with a soft smile that quickly disappeared the very second she saw the disappointed look on his face. She opened her mouth to speak—but she couldn't form the words in her mouth and she could barely swallow the thick lump forming in her throat but the shattering moment for her was seeing Hiapo shaking his head in shame before he stood up and made his way toward the back of the canoe, where he grabbed his oar and steered the boat in the direction of Motunui's beach.

Hinatea forced herself to turn her head toward her island's shore where she could picture all of their disapproving faces.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Tala stood there swallowing the lump in her throat as she saw Hiapo's canoe sailing closer and closer to the shore. She could feel the tension in the air and she saw her father's rigid posture beside her. She turned to face her grandparents. Her grandfather had his eyes closed and a hardened look on his face. Her grandmother's expression bore one of disbelief and concern.

"Ooooh… Hina's in so much trouble—" Makoa chimed before she, their parents and grandfather all gave him a stern glance. He sank his shoulders and shut his mouth.

A few minutes later Hiapo finally made to the beach and hopped off his canoe. Hinatea gripped the mask she stole from her mother's fale and slowly walked over to her mother and reluctantly presented the damage tiki mask to her. Moana slowly reached for the mask and stared fixedly at the large dash scraped across the wood.

Hinatea saw her mother's fingers gripping the edges mask and her shoulders visible heaved from her slow deep breaths. Finally, Moana slowly tore her eyes away from their ruined heirloom and asked the very question revolving in their minds, "Why Hina?"

List of Terminologies:

Maile: A native Hawaiian plant that is used to make leis.

Tiki: In Polynesian Mythology, Tiki was the representation of the first human on Earth. The images of Tikis in Hawaii presented in wooden masks or wooden statues, and from what I understand. The Tiki mask can other be worn or hung, and that each tiki represents a god or goddess, as well as bring protection, fortune and fertility to the wearer depending on which deity is carved.

Whakataetae: A Maori word that means:

1. To compete, contend.

2. Competitive.

3. Race, competition, contest, match, tournament

Poutu: The three main poles located in the middle of a fale, that is used to hold up its thatched roof