The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 17

For the next few days that turned into a week, Moana continued with her wayfinding lessons and was quite pleased with his progress. He learned different knots and how to use the rigging, and even how to use the oar as a rudder. Though he was currently unable to multitask with both his hands, Moana assured him that she didn't want him to worry about it right now.

Another day passed, and Moana spied a familiar island. A towering, imposing island. Its mere presence cast an intimidating shadow as the canoe passed by.

Keoni got chills just laying eyes on it and saw Moana experience a similar reaction.

"What... is that place...?" He hesitantly asked, shifting closer to her.

"Lalotai." A wave of anxiety coursed through him.

"The realm of monsters...?!" He exclaimed. She nodded.

"Don't worry, I don't venture any closer than necessary." She conveyed some extra details about Lalotai that she had left out from her prior retellings of her story. The various monsters that she had encountered besides Tamatoa were frightening, she even told him about nearly being eaten by some giant frog-like monster, which was then chomped on by an even larger predatory plant.

Though frightened by the thought of Lalotai's existence, Keoni couldn't deny he was now mildly intrigued by her descriptions of the creatures she encountered.

"What else could be down there?"

"Creatures that I don't think we humans are meant to see." She finished.

Picking up on the fact that she didn't want to talk about Lalotai more, he shifted the conversation.

The remaining days were uneventful and consistent with Moana's teaching, if a little boring at times. She expressed her delight in seeing how quickly Keoni was learning, even teasing him that he was becoming just as good as her, though he refuted such a claim.

And then, as if a cruel joke inflicted upon them by the gods, just days away from Motunui, a massive storm was seen brewing over the horizon. The waters around the small canoe became choppy, throwing the canoe like it was a toy in a bathtub. The echo of lightning striking and the resounding roll of thunder sent chills down Keoni's spine.
Moana knew Keoni was afraid, and she made no attempt to quell his fear, as she was worried herself. But as long as they worked together and communicated, she knew that they would be safe and unharmed.

Immediately she instructed him to start securing the sail to the mast and checking the rigging. He then put their belongings and supplies in the hull below, ensuring the trap door was shut.

Holding her hand out, she brought Keoni to where she sat with the oar held tightly in her fist.

"We've got this." She assured with a confident smile. He couldn't quite mirror it, but attempted to look braver than he felt.

Blown about by fierce, roaring winds and crashing waves, together, Moana and Keoni kept the canoe mostly upright. The cold raindrops pelted their skin, and Keoni felt ripples of pain course through his shoulder even as he tried to not use his left arm, but the current conditions made it challenging to avoid.

The canoe breached a towering wave up ahead, and as they broke through the freezing water, flashes of memories came through Keoni's mind. All of his fragmented memories of his village's exodus. The sheer strength of this storm was eerily reminiscent, and his heart began to pound.

The echoey shouts of men calling to each other from boat to boat. The cries of frightened children as their mothers attempted to soothe them.