The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 18

The dawn of a new day brought the towering silhouette of Motunui into view as it rose over the horizon. Moana's heart jumped in her chest once her eyes spied home. The welcoming air of comfort was felt all around her, from the sky to the brilliant blue of the ocean.

As she neared the reef, she could already hear the chorus of her village clamoring to welcome her on shore. It was like deja vu as she heard someone cry, "SHE'S BACK!"

The faces of her parents were bright and tearful as they made their way through the crowd; she disembarked and practically fell into their embrace, laughing as her father's hug lifted her off the ground.

"Thank the gods, you're home!" Her mother said, sharing Hongi with her daughter.

As the small family pulled apart, their attention shifted to the young male stranger on the canoe. Keoni waited there apprehensively, feeling overwhelmed and unnerved by the hundreds of eyes on him. Moana came to the side of the canoe, helping him down. The second his feet met the sand, a myriad of emotions swirled through him.
This was home now. His new home.

A hush fell over the crowd as Moana brought Keoni to her parents, one hand on his shoulder.

"Mom, Dad, this is Keoni. The one I was sent to find." Tui and Sina's eyes widened, as they recognized the name. And based on one lone voice in the crowd, someone else did, too.

"Let me through! Let me through!" A young woman's voice cried out, shoving her way through the sea of bodies. With a huff, the woman reached the chief, her own heart pounding. Her dark brown hair was pulled into an elegant topknot, adorned with two purple flowers, with long bangs framing her face. She wore a necklace made of brown beads and polished, white bone.

She wore a one-shouldered mauve-colored top, and a light brown skirt decorated with various patterns of a darker brown ink that reached her calves, and her toned arms were inked with intricate tattoos.

She stopped only feet away, her dark brown eyes welling up with tears when she saw the face of Motunui's newest resident.

"By the gods above..." she whispered, choking up. Keoni bore a similar expression. His mother was right!

The two siblings stared at each other in utter disbelief.

"Huihana..."

"Keoni!" She pulled him in for a hug for the first time in two years.

Tui motioned for the villagers to return to their usual, ensuring the crowd dispersed, understanding the importance of this current situation.

Moana then informed her mother of Keoni's injury and its current state of healing, so Sina ordered the village healer, Alaula, and her assistants to meet the chief's family and their guests at the meeting fale as soon as possible. Tui then ordered guards to be stationed at the meeting fale as well so there would be privacy.

Roughly 20-ish minutes later, Tui, Sina, Moana, Huihana, and Keoni were in the meeting fale surrounded by the council and the elders, the healer and her assistants waited nearby to assess Keoni for later.

Tui commenced the meeting, starting with Moana as she explained everything that had occurred during her journey to save Keoni and the following events, all the way up to her return to Motunui. The details of this journey struck wonder in the council just as her journey to Te Fiti had and for good reason.

Then, the focus landed on Huihana, and for the first time in two years, she divulged her story.

For her, everything had shifted dramatically when her former chief had ordered a mass exodus of the island due to the extreme famine. Their island was dying, and so were many villagers. Boarding their ancient canoes, they hurriedly left the island with everything they could carry. But a storm greeted them shortly after, capsizing one canoe, and knocking Keoni overboard.

Huihana described the trauma of Keoni being taken on by both her and her mother. But they knew at the time that there was nothing they could do. A week after the storm, the village arrived on a new island that was already inhabited by a smaller village that welcomed the weary immigrants.

However, Huihana's mother was not faring well. Constant visits to the healer had drained both mother and daughter, and her mother was diagnosed with an overpowering illness of the mind. Not long after the diagnosis, her mother's health and well-being rapidly declined. Despite everything Huihana did to help, her mother did not get better. And thus, she was lost.

Keoni echoed the first half of his sister's story, but his split off from him being knocked off the canoe. His next immediate memory was hacking up seawater on the shore of his dying island.

He briefly described the first month on the island, and how he struggled with basic survival. Until one afternoon, when he woke up from a nap, everything was suddenly bright green again. Greener and healthier than he ever remembered seeing his island. Even the water seemed brighter.

The fish were back, and previously planted crops began growing again, bearing their fruit. Even the wild hogs and chickens came back to the nearly deserted village.
Despite his confused gratefulness, he was still alone, and no one came back for him. And it was like that for over two years, until one evening, a strange canoe appeared on the shore, and there was Moana.

The council was astonished and impressed with the stories both siblings shared, and it was quite evident that they were still grappling with the trauma of their losses. It was an easy vote to allow Keoni to live on Motunui; there was also a motion to have a new fale built for them to share, so Huihana didn't need to live with strangers anymore. But until the fale was finished, Huihana would stay with the family she'd been residing with, and Keoni was a guest in chief Tui's fale for the time being.

All that said, as soon as the meeting concluded, Sina called for the healer and her assistants to tend to Keoni immediately, and so he was whisked off, Huihana in tow to the healer's fale.

Moana watched as the group left, and Keoni glanced over his good shoulder at Moana as he disappeared into the village. As she remained, she failed to hear her beloved cousin approach her.

"Moana!" Panda exclaimed, giving her cousin a loving hug-tackle.

"Oof! Pania! Hey."

"Hey! It's so good to have you back, I missed ya! Too bad I missed the meeting, seemed pretty important if Uncle Tui had guards all around." Moana began walking with Pania, catching up and getting her up to speed with what was happening.

Sympathy crossed Pania's features as Moana shared a few details of Keoni's plight.

"Gods... I can't imagine having to endure any of that. He'll be okay, though?"

"Yeah, he will be. It'll take him some time, but I know he'll be alright."

"That's good to hear! I hope he becomes comfortable in the village as well,"

"He has his sister to help, so I know he is in good hands. But he still does need his shoulder healed, I'm more worried about that."

"Well, if you need any help, keep me posted."

"I will."