The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 3

Finally convinced by her cousin's words, Moana decided to take Fetia's quest. And this time, she had her whole village and family bid her farewell, boosting her confidence.

"We'll be here when you come home," Tui assured her, hugging her tightly. Sina gave Moana a loving kiss on the cheek and stood back as her daughter boarded her beloved canoe and unfurled the sail. With fair winds, she passed the reef and followed the sun.

The remainder of her first day was smooth, with little cloud cover. The seas were a bit choppy, but that didn't dissuade her. She began to think about the dream again and remembered a little detail; the stars she needed to follow to find her destination. The stars from her dream seemed to glow individually to grab her attention. When she saw them, she could chart the map to her destination.

Three days passed, and soon an island peeked over the horizon, a new one. She somehow missed it on past voyages and wondered if this island had a village that had recovered from the Darkness.

She docked her boat and looked around. No buildings in sight, though there was evidence of a village here. Stone foundations, scattered palm fronds, abandoned boats, decaying traps, and ropes. Most of the village had been reclaimed by the island.

Confused but not dissuaded, she quickly crafted a torch and lit it, taking time to look around. There was little to no evidence of human life. The only living things she knew were here were wild animals, as she saw a few lizards scamper about.

"Surely I'm not too late?" Moana asked herself. She continued to call out into the empty village, receiving no response. As she wandered, her attention was diverted to one fale in better condition than the rest. It still had a roof, though it needed repairs, and there were tapa curtains that fluttered slightly in the breeze.

She cautiously approached, still swiveling her head to look for anything that could sneak up. Walking up the steps, she peered inside but did not cross the threshold. There was evidence of someone living here, based on the blankets and baskets on the floor. She noticed carvings on the side of a post but couldn't determine what they were.

Then she caught the sound of movement somewhere behind her. She whipped around and scanned the empty village but didn't see anything. Another lizard, maybe? Suddenly she caught sight of a shadowy figure hiding behind some brush and a thick palm.

"Hello?" She called out, "I don't mean any harm!" Another cautious step forward, and suddenly the figure rushed towards her wielding some kind of weapon, shouting aggressively.

"Whoa, wait!" Moana cried out, stumbling backward slightly. The figure swung the weapon forward, bringing it down. Thinking quickly, she blocked the attack with her torch, and the light revealed her attacker's face.

A young man roughly about her age, he bore dark brown almond-shaped eyes, a strong nose, and thick eyebrows furrowed in determination. His black hair was roughly chopped short and messy, a few strands falling in front of his face, with a few streaks of dirt on his forehead and cheek.

There was a pause as the two stared at each other, Moana's eyes wide with shock. The young man heaved slightly but leaned back once he processed what was happening. He was still in a defensive position but didn't appear as aggressive.

Moana took note of his appearance; he was lean but had prominent muscle. He bore one tattoo on his right upper arm and a tattered light brown lavalava with a thin belt around his waist. He carried a club adorned with shark teeth on the sides in his right hand. Overall his appearance was that of someone who'd been surviving on his own for a long time, a stark contrast to her.

"Lower the club, I'm not going to hurt you," Moana said calmly, lowering her torch to show she wasn't a threat. Huffing slightly, the boy lowered his weapon slightly and gave her a once-over. She noticed that he was taller than her by a few inches, though she was not intimidated.

"Who're you?" He demanded, glaring.

"I'm Moana. Moana of Motunui." She replied. He still stared at her.

"Why are you here?"

"I uh... I was sent here. By the Goddess of the Stars." He raised a doubtful eyebrow, crossing his arms, "she sent me here to find someone who needed my help. I'm guessing that would be you."

"You... were sent by a goddess?" He visibly fought back a laugh, rubbing his face and shaking his head. Moana nodded.

"Yes, and what's your name? This your island?" She gestured to the overgrown village, to which he nodded, pursing his lips and frowning.

"What's left of it, anyway..." He glanced at her again, "I'm Keoni." He turned wordlessly, appearing a bit defeated, his shoulders slumped.

"The Darkness consumed our entire island. Nothing grew any more, and we hadn't caught fish in weeks. We tried everything..." he trailed off, bringing his arms against his chest. "We were desperate, so our chief decided our only option was to abandon the island. Take what we could and bring out the old canoes. Myself, my sister, and our mother left with the village. But a huge storm rolled in, and I got knocked overboard and washed ashore." He faced Moana, an emptiness in his eyes.

"It's been almost three years. I've been surviving on my own. And I remember... I remember the day the island became green again, and the largest school of fish I'd ever seen swam across the reef. It was like magic."

Moana couldn't help but crack a small smile, knowing her actions inadvertently saved his life, along with countless others.

"That... was because of me." She said, stepping forward.

"What?"

"The island becoming green again, the fish returning? The Darkness fading away? That was because of me." He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Wait, how?"

"Well, do you know the story of Te Fiti?"

"Some of it." Moana offered to tell him Te Fiti's story and how she became intertwined with the goddess.

Keoni started a fire and offered to get them dinner so she could fill him in. Happily accepting, she assisted with starting the fire as he fetched some fish from the storehouse. He was quiet as he did so, cursing slightly when he mildly burnt his palm on a hot stone.

"Hey, let me help with that," Moana stopped him. He didn't say anything but just stared at her in confusion again. He hadn't had interaction with anyone in almost three years, and he wasn't used to someone helping him.

He didn't need to ask for help, though. Moana was here now, and even though she barely knew him, she felt responsible for caring for him. This was who Fetia sent her to find.