Hello once again, fellow FF readers and writers.
As we are about to enter the New Year (hopefully better), I thought it would be good to announce to announce the beginning of the next pair of sequels for the Moana/Toho universe after the conclusion of 'Skull Island'.
So, let us kick off these first few chapters together. Enjoy!
"And with my mighty hook wrapped around the sun, I pulled and yanked as hard as I could."
The crowd of onlookers, children in front, teenagers and adults in the middle and back, all gasped (mostly those younger in age) as the great, stocky man who seemed to be entirely covered in tattoos, mimicked said action, using a near fiery lamp – for lighting up the darkness – as the 'sun' for his retelling, the sharp tip of his giant coral-like fishhook wrapped around the wooden pole.
"He tried to escape, but Maui didn't give up!" he proclaimed loudly as he gave a sharp pull and whatever the ball of flame was went soaring over the heads of the crowd, causing some to duck and/or cry out in response. It landed with a nearby hole surrounded by rocks with almost pinpoint accuracy. "And with one sharp tug and a leap," he leapt over the crowd and landed some metres behind them to the right of the hole. "The sun was lassoed into place."
The children, some of whom had rushed ahead to surround the demigod, others had remained scattered or hiding among the crowd of their elder brethren, all cooed and awed in amazement.
"And that's how we got the sun and the night?" one little girl asked inquisitively.
With a confident nod, he stood tall and proud, placing the fishhook over his shoulder. "That's right. With it, night became day-" he gestured with his free hand towards the flame. "- and night." he gestured towards the night sky that, even in the glow of the fire, was filled with a brilliant, mesmerising display of countless stars far and high above them.
The kids 'oohed' and muttered excitedly amongst themselves, even some of the adults joining in.
"Thanks, Maui!" some of them exclaimed.
He set his hook in the ground and gave a low, graceful bow, happy that his audience were thrilled with the recounting of his tale. "You're welcome!"
"I'd love to be like Maui!" one of the boys, around ten with short black hair and dressed in a pair of cloth shorts and bare-chested, exclaimed as he and others looked at Maui with inspiration.
"Yeah," one of his friends, a slightly younger girl with long black hair, piped up. "We could fight monsters and be able to fly and swim."
"And nothing could stop us!" another boy shouted.
More excited chatter rang out amongst the kids as some of the elders tried to quiet them, though it was either half-hearted or in vain as they were too excited from the story. Some acted out being like Maui – fighting all sorts of sea creatures, chasing down the sun, and, as with one teenage lad, trying to flex his 'muscles' for a girl he had his eyes on, and she responded by batting her eyelashes at him – whilst others began wondering what story he should tell next.
"Is it true you went into Lalotai?" one young child asked, ceasing most of the chatter around the demigod.
His face lit up. "Oh yeah!, and lemme tell you, kids. When I went down there," his voice deepened and became slightly serious and foreboding, yet still held onto their intrigue. "It was tough, even at times-" he paused, seeing their anticipation at his next words. "-a little scary!"
Grabbing his hook, he leapt into the nearby bushes in front of a huge rock with a speed that belied his stocky, large frame, all eyes focused on the spot, yet the glow of the fire in the pit barely reached the undergrowth. Leaves and foliage rustled and cracked; the audience now waiting with a mixture of expected trepidation, yet also curious excitement.
"From within the depths of Lalotai, many nightmares ran amok." His voice rolled out suddenly, almost ubiquitously, startling many of those watching. Some children began to hide behind their parents for protection.
A few shapes, barely visible in the glow of the fire on the rock, moved about, their forms disjointed and bizarre, maybe purposefully. "Sea serpents!" (he mimicked, probably with a stick or undergrowth he had fashioned into something, a large snake-like object moving around, adding in some convincing hisses). "Giant cannibal fish!" (he displayed in shadow a gigantic fish, using sticks to act as its snapping sharp teeth). "And monsters so grotesque, so unusual, so …"
Another pause hung in the air as the audience exchanged anxious glances. All noise from the undergrowth had ceased, save for the occasional crack and slight rustle from the wind.
A jet of flame burst upwards from behind the bushes, lighting up the area so much in intensity many had to shield their eyes. Some even withdrew a few paces, the heat from the flame almost making them feel like their skin was about to be set alight.
Another great shadow cascaded itself over the rock, this time a large behemoth with spikes protruding from its back, a large tail swinging from somewhere they could not see, though there was no doubt it was attached to this creature. A pair of luminescent blue eyes glowed from near the head of the rock.
"- Enormous!" the sudden bellow made many children jump and squeal; some running to their parents or hiding behind each other for comfort. "It defined why Lalotai is called: 'The Real of Monsters'!"
Another pause as the fire died down and the blue lights dimmed until they were but pinpricks on top of the rock.
"W-weren't you scared?" a woman from the crowd asked, trembling slightly.
"Oh believe me, I was!" Maui sauntered out from the undergrowth, standing tall, chest puffed out, confident yet alert as he scanned his surroundings. "At one point, so suddenly, so unexpectedly-" he added emphasis on this particular word, then paused once more, audience's attention right in the palm of his hand.
Something rustled behind him in the bushes, and suddenly he was yanked back into them with a sharp yell that made several in the audience cry out. One child cried into his mother's arms, but as she attempted to soothe him, a loud snap drew their and the audience's attention.
Maui was lifted up a few metres by a pair of vines around his legs, which were connected by a bending tree, the silhouette of which looked something monstrous in the faint glow of the moonlight from above and the fire from the ground below. Some children exclaimed or cried out in horror as they saw their hero, their saviour, the powerful and fearless demigod be picked up defenceless like a toy.
"Tamatoa, the great crab, held me at his mercy." Maui spoke, struggling against the vines as if they were the claw of said crab monster. "I wasn't gonna give up without a fight, but he had me. My hook was out of reach, I was a goner, and-"
Suddenly, the vines were cut and Maui cried out in surprise and fell in a heap into the ground. Silence fell as the humans before him looked in amazement as the demigod groaned and rubbed his head.
Well, that wasn't meant to happen yet.
"And he was saved by the Wayfinder," a woman, unseen, spoke up from nearby.
Sliding down a tree and stepping out of the darkness came the young chieftain of the island, her instantly recognisable curly black hair, brown eyes and attire bringing a cheer to the group. In her hand was a sharp, stone dagger.
Maui chuckled. "Of course, I had some help," he quipped as she held out her hand to him.
"And just in the nick of time too," she replied, helping to hoist him up, though he could have easily pulled her down and onto his shoulder without any degree of difficulty given that he was more than double her size and width, and lord knows how much stronger.
He gave a hearty laugh. "No doubt, but old Maui-" he jerked a thumb at himself for emphasis. "Had his fishhook at hand." He leapt high, somersaulting over the crowd and landing next to his magic hook, gripping it tightly with one hand. "Tammy-boy had no idea what hit him."
Moana spoke as she strode over. "Maybe Tamatoa couldn't handle him, but-" she raised her voice, ending it on a somewhat high tone as one would do when wanting to put forward a question. "What about, kids-" she gave a wink and a slight nod towards Maui, who responded a little confused, and anxious. "Many-y-y Little Tamatoas!"
Before Maui knew it, a swarm of about twelve or so children, giggling and squealing with delight, rushed forward and jumped onto him and he fell over with a shout of surprise. Some crawled over him, others tickled him across his stomach and chest and he laughed but made no attempt to stop them. Moana, who had taken a couple of steps back, chuckled, as did the adults and the other audience members who looked on in amusement at the fun scene before them.
"Maui can't be stopped!" one girl said as she lay across his shoulder. "He's demigod of the wind and sea!"
"And hero of men and women!" another boy added.
"And don't forget," Moana said, meeting her large friend's gaze and giving him a wink.
A cheeky smile crept across his face. "And …" he said loudly, stopping the children.
A quick flash like lightning filled the air. The children blinked and suddenly before them was the strangest, and shocking thing they had ever seen. A man's lower half of the body and the upper half was …
"Shark-head!"
Moana could only laugh as the children squealed and ran about as Maui grabbed them and tickled them, all the while mimicking them being eaten. A few of the adults grabbed some of the children who had fled to them, their excited chatter filling the air. Most stood and laughed and clapped, commenting on how cute and enjoyable the scene was before them.
After some moments, the excitement finally died down and Maui changed back to his normal form, gently placing the kids on the ground, everyone exhausted by the fun.
"But in all seriousness kids," Maui spoke, kneeling down to them as they crowded around him, as did some of the adults, his tone slightly more serious but still held its gentleness. "I couldn't have done it without your wonderful chieftain," he waved a hand at Moana and pulled her over.
"And," he continued. "You don't have to be a strong, magical demigod to prove you're strong. Even the toughest of us need help. The world's a big place, anything could be out there. But remember: even in the darkest of times, the gods or even good itself can light the way." He glanced up at Moana, who smiled back down at him, the recollection of their journey years ago still as easy for them to recall today as it when they restored the heart of Te Fiti. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her."
She gave him a hug. "And me you," Moana replied affectionately; the children taking in their message to heart.
Would some think it unnecessary? Possibly. Others who accepted it wholeheartedly? Of course. Yet, they all knew at the back of their minds this simple message would be there for them. Even, as Maui said, in the darkest of times, when things were at their bleakest, hope, the gods, good, or whatever it may be would help them. The two right in front of the crowd were more than enough proof of that alone.
Moana straightened up, cleared her throat and announced: "Okay, kids, c'mon. Time to go to bed,"
The expected 'aaawws' and pleas for another story or to stay up and do something else were her response, but the chieftain and the many parents/elder siblings ushered the children back to the huts nearby, reminding them of the lateness of the hour and that Maui would also need his own sleep, and that things had to be done tomorrow, so sleep was going to be all the more important.
One young girl commented as she waved goodbye to Maui and was led away by her father: "I wish Maui would stay here forever."
The demigod heard her, and though he managed to repress it, his face flickered with a momentary melancholic expression. It was to be expected, such a feeling. He was here on a human island, had been for months. Yet, while he was a partial deity and they mortal, it still felt like home. Daresay, it was home to him.
If only
He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Internally, he braced himself. Here we go!
He turned to see the young chieftain staring up at him, no longer with a look of happy tranquillity or that usual chirpy smile, but instead stolid, yet the melancholy undertone was evident.
"Maui, let's go to the beach for a walk," She said.
Silence. It was strange, so binary in its meaning. Quiet, yet deafening, even outdoing the slight rustle of leaves as they trod upon them, or the crunch of wet sand under their feet. The ocean waves crashed onto the shore right next to them, but they may as well have been as distant as Montunui, which was at least a day's ride away by boat.
Maui glanced down at Moana beside him. She held one hand in the other, face turned towards the sand as if afraid to meet his eyes. Her posture was stiff and slow, almost as if it were trying to show she was in deep contemplation.
She is Maui thought.
He wanted to say something, to speak to her, to acknowledge the elephant in the room. After all, she knew deep down, as much as she would have not wanted to admit it, that he would need to leave at some point. Staying rooted when there was a whole ocean out there … it was unthinkable that he could stay rooted in one spot forever, or even for years.
If only.
He looked down at Moana; she had taken to gazing out at the sea, basking in the glow of the moonlight as it reflected on the surface of the ocean. Deliberate or not, it was not going to change anything.
May as well. Maui cleared his throat.
"So … you have fun?" He asked her, but he winced somewhat, gritting his teeth, expecting her to round and go off on him.
Moana jumped a little in surprise as she turned back to him as if in shock in realising he was standing there. Whatever tension there was, he tried to suppress it.
"Uh, yeah! Yeah!" she said, tittering a little. "The whole 'lassoed the sun' thing was-was great," she added hastily.
He tittered in reply with a nod. "Sure was. And the kids!" they glanced back up the beach, looking back at the faint glow from within the trees about a hundred metres or so away as a reminder (and to make sure no one was going to sneak up on them). "They make it worth it!"
Moana nodded. "They sure do." She commented.
Silence fell between them again as they resumed their walk, though at a slower pace, up the beach, the only noise once again being the waves breaking on the sand around them.
Maui made a low noise as if to say: We can't put it off!
He stopped and faced Moana. "Look, Moana, we may as well face it. You know I can't stay."
She paused but wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold, not wanting to meet his gaze. "You were quiet today, and yesterday," was her reply.
He gave a small nod. "Well … it was the only way to get it across without dropping it right on you,"
"I know." Another pause, yet she still did not look up at her gigantic friend. "I-I-I …" She trailed off, then sighed. "I just hoped you'd change your mind and … and stay."
He gave an annoyed look. "C'mon now, that's not fair,"
She gave no reply, either because she had nothing to say, or she knew he was right. It mattered not, the outcome was not going to change.
"We both knew for a long time," Maui said. "If I could change it, I would. But the ocean-" he waved his hand out in the direction of the sea to emphasise his point of the great beyond, the vast unknown. "There'll be others out there who might need me, even if it takes a while to find them."
She gave a reluctant nod and sniffed, wiping one eye with the back of her hand. "What if you don't come back?" she pushed, turning to face him, locking eyes with him. "What if I never see you again?"
Maui stepped forward and gently comfortingly stroked her chin with one of his thick fingers.
"Look, I know you don't want to say it, but you're scared of what's going to happen next, am I right?" he asked rhetorically.
She did not answer, but looked back at the village, the lights from the fires flickering in the darkness, hoping that nobody was going to be watching them. She would never hear the end of it if any from the village, and her parents if they found out.
"Moana," Maui dropped the hook onto the sand and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What you've been able to do, I don't think even demigods or even probably the gods themselves would have been able to go through. If you can do that, then I have no doubt you can run an island too." He used his finger under her chin to get her to look up at him, his gaze direct, but gentle. "Kalea will do well, even if I'm not here."
"But what if something goes wrong? What if we have more disease, or-or more storms?" she pointed out, her tone becoming a little panicked. "I mean, you saw what happened before out there on the ocean, and what could happen to the island."
He patted her gently. "Hey, hey!" he managed to get her to stop. "I understand you're worried. Believe me, I was when I first got this," he scooped up his hook and held it up to her. "I didn't know what to do, but I figured it out. Twice, with your help."
She went to speak, but he stopped her. "Now look, you heard what I said back there, right?" he asked her.
Moana nodded. "That no matter what dark time is ahead, the light or hope will always come."
He smiled, placing a hand on her check. Given their size difference, he could have easily covered her entire face and part of her head. "That's right. You'll be fine, Moana. I mean, you helped changed me, and restored the heart. I mean-" he gave her a nudge. "If anyone deserves to be a demigod, it's definitely you."
She gave a little laugh, hugging her large demigod friend. "No goddess of the sea?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him. "No power over the waves?" she added. "Maybe I was unlucky?"
Maui gave a shrug to play along. "Well, could happen," He stepped back and slowly waved his arm before them, as if imagining some new scene for an upcoming performance. "I can see it now!" he put on a tone of drama, which made Moana giggle. "Moana, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of all men and women!"
"And shapeshifter," Moana put in.
Maui pointed at her as if to say, 'good one' and continued: "And shapeshifter. I can see it now." He lowered his voice, slid up next to her and mimicked a crowd chant: "Moana! Moana! Moana!"
She laughed and playfully hit him. "Yeah, the power of the seas. What an idea!" she replied, playing along.
Maui chuckled and patted her on the back, looked down at his chest and saw the smaller tattoo version of himself sleeping on the boat, the one Maui had earned after he and Moana had restored the heart of Te Fiti.
"Thank the gods he's asleep, he'd never let me live this down," the demigod said in a relieved manner.
Moana shrugged. "Well, I might have to change that," she warned playfully, giving him a point with a wink.
Maui rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Moana," he said.
Silence fell between them once more. Whilst it had been tough, Moana was glad that Maui knew how to break the tension. Even if he could be tough, he still knew how to make her smile and laugh. The performance earlier was more than enough proof of that.
As much as she had said it before, she was proud of him. He had really changed for the better, and the demigod helping her and her island for months, being the necessary pillar of support she and the islanders needed most.
And there was no doubt that in the same ways, he was proud of her too.
"Maui," Moana spoke up, looking up at him. "Thanks. I mean, really."
He gave a low bow. "You're welcome." He replied. Then stood up straight. "No matter what the future holds, you'll know what to do,"
She nodded. "I hope." She replied, her anxiety palpable. "But, Maui, promise me one thing."
Her tone was more serious this time, but he was not going to worry. "Anything," he replied, mirroring her voice's tone.
She looked up at him, her gaze unwavering. "You said the world's a big place. Anything could happen. Promise me …" she paused. "Promise me you'll be okay,"
It was expected, but still just as impactful as one would make to their god for their favour. Funnily ironic how this is playing out!
"I will if you will," he said.
She nodded in agreement, reassured. It may have been hard, and to some pointless, but she wanted to make sure he would be okay. And he her.
She embraced him hard, not wanting to let go. He embraced her back, holding her like a daughter in his strong arms, gently rubbing his hand up and down her spine, which made her sigh in relaxation.
This was how it had to be. The deep breath and the coming plunge had been made by both, yet it was no less temperamental. While it hadn't resulted in any fiery argument or anger, Moana was at best nonplussed, and at worst disappointed. Maui felt the same way, but he knew that to stay here would be against his nature.
As a demigod, and especially one with a magical fishhook that allowed him to shapeshift into any animal he pleased, he knew that others out there would probably need him. It had been that way long before he and Moana had embarked on their journey together, and while it pained him to leave what had been some of the best months of his life behind, the not-knowing, or better knowing that others out there on the ocean would need his help as Moana and Montunui had done would be unfair.
Plus, she would need to whether any storm coming on her own for now. Part of being a leader after all was being able to face any obstacle or challenge or difficulty or whatever other sort of terminology would be presented to such a thing alone. A test of the character. Moana had proved that for herself, but she was now leading an entire island. It was a whole step above, and there wasn't even a lava monster this time.
If only. Damn, if only.
He set her down (Moana was silently disappointed at him doing this) and cleared his throat. "Well … we better get back to the village. They'll probably be thinking we've gone off on another quest."
Moana tittered. "Would be interesting," she commented in reply. "Well then, Maui, demigod, shapeshifter, hero of men and women, and friend of Kalea – I made up that last part-" (she whispered this to him, which made Maui chuckle heartily). "Would you permit yourself to escort the Kalean chieftain back to the village?" she asked in a voice that tried to be regal.
Maui gave a low bow and offered his arm. "It would be my honour," he replied in equal a regal manner, which they both laughed at as they headed back up the beach.
How innocent and, while difficult, so optimistic times had been.