Kamaile by Joni Keamoai

Kamaile 🌱 Finale Part 4

Kalalau

After some mea'ai or food and bowls of awa, the men seemed much more relaxed. Na'eole led the conversation, by questioning his son about the hunt, while Ha'ikū and Kahiau listened in. They were amused at Kana'i's explanation of the kill, agreeing with him about the thrill of it all. Looking over at their sons to make sure they were listening as well.

Both chiefs could relate as they had once been trained in the same style as Kana'i and Pūnohu were, by skilled soldiers who lived it. Na'eole was that soldier, and prior to being Ho'omana's right hand, had trained as a soldier under Ho'omana's father, Hana'ike.

Alohi smiled as she watched the men getting along. It was crazy that she was here in this moment, and without her father. Every hunt, her dad was there, whispering in her ear "ua luhi oe?" He'd ask her, if she was tired, after watching her yawn a few times. But, Alohi would always fight her sleep and say "A'ale Pa", she wouldn't want to miss it, witnessing the boys "hana ino" or "make trouble" to each other, sometimes she'd join in on the rouse. Even though she was always the only girl, the boys never made her feel out of place, or as though she didn't belong. Just like this moment. "Hey you ok?" a voice pulled her out of her reverie. "Yeah" she smiled. The way things were left between her and Kililau were a bit awkward. So even now, things felt a little awkward. At least she felt that way. It didn't seem that way for him at all. Such a guy thing she laughed. "You're so lucky" Kililau continued, as she turned to face him. "Why?" She questioned, "Because you were raised by warriors" he responded, "So were you" she smiled. When they both turned around to look back at the men, around the fire, all eyes were staring back at them. As if they were the main characters in a live play.

"Ummm" Alohi mumbled, nervously, she could feel her cheeks turning flush as she stumbled for words,, wishing in that moment to be invisible. "E hele ana wau I holoi ka pā" Announcing that she was going to wash the dishes. Feeling awkward, she hurried to gather the plates and utensils, before anyone else offered to join her. "E hele ana wau me oe" Kililau stood, helping her gather the dishes. Too Late she cringed, literally running out of there, it made Manaleo want to just bust out laughing.

Mana knew of his cousin's affection for her but he wondered if anyone else knew?

But one thing was for certain, everyone noticed the awkwardness between them as they left to do the dishes.

Na'eole picked up on it from the moment he met Kililau, that the boy was intrigued by her. He also picked up on Alohi's shyness around him. She was curious, but not so sure of her feelings just yet. His only concern now, was leaving Alohi in this ahupua'a unsupervised. But if Ho'omana had met the boy himself and still left her there, then there must be a reason.

Speaking of dad's, Ha'ikū wasn't dumb either. He knew, when Kililau had brought Alohi to their hale, that his son was interested in her. He was confused however, about one thing, the way the two teenagers interacted with each other. It was uncomfortable to watch and it reminded him of his youth and the first time he'd met Malanai, he was a bumbling fool.

After watching them awkwardly leave together, the men went right back to talking and laughing. Everyone, that is except for Na'eole. He could still sense Alohi's nervousness and her sadness about her father's absence. Calming her environment was the least he could do for her, but he was also concerned about the girl's heart.

Ha'ikū approached Na'eole to ask him about Manā and their ahupua'a's ever growing resources. It was only at their yearly retreat's that the chiefs were able to visit the opposite ends of the moku. Waipā and Manā were regarded as the best places on the aina for growing kalo, and both men definitely agreed on that.

"You don't have to help me, I'm fine" Alohi assured Kililau who had followed behind her in silence. "I want to help" he smiled before kneeling down beside her at the stream. The moon shined bright above them as they went to work on the dishes. They both laughed at the fact that there was always chores to be done, especially by them. "So...... that's your uncle huh?" Alohi sighed. "Yep" Kili replied. "He and your dad really look alike" she stated. "Do they?" Kili didn't really see the resemblance. To him, his dad being the oldest, just really embodied the older brother role, therefore being bigger in stature and presence. Not to say, his uncle wasn't impressive in his own right, but just that there was no mistaking who was the first born male. "Well my dad looks nothing like my uncles, and there are nine of them" Alohi announced, they both laughed. It wasn't surprising how much they both had in common, but it was also fascinating just how relatable it all was to them.

They were born and raised by chiefs, chief's kids, as they were known by the neighborhood kids. They could relate to each other. And not all was roses, in fact it was a lot harder for them, especially among their peers and community. There was always rules to follow, an image to uphold and people (other than just your immediate family) around to observe your every move and always at the ready, to report your whereabouts to your parents. Yep very relatable.

"E ho'i ana mākou" Ha'ikū announced just as Alohi and Kililau returned to the campfire. He had told the group they were going to make their way home. "Mahalo no keiā hui ana, ame ka mea'ai" he continued. Na'eole stood to bid them farewell but Kililau spoke up and asked his father if they could stay, being as it was already nightfall and that it would be a long journey home. Na'eole agreed with the boy and offered them a place under the Hale enough for the four men. Kahiau would've agreed with Ha'ikū's decision no matter what it was, but after all the awa they drank, thought it best to camp overnight. The chiefs both gave in and agreed to stay.

Kana'i prepared an extra space for Alohi, separate from the men, but she insisted on sleeping near them. Besides she had been raised with all of them her whole life and had gotten used to their thunderous snores and teeth grinding sounds. They really did remind her of her father.

Kana'i also knew that between him and his dad, there was no way Alohi would be sneaking off in the middle of the night. They were both light sleepers, especially Na'eole. Pūnohu on the other hand was a very heavy sleeper but if there was a sneak attack he'd be the first to rise and attack with 'ihe or spear in hand and perfect precision. Alohi knew all of this, she rolled her eyes at Kana'i's secret plan which was so not a secret to her.