Hanu {Moana X Reader} [HIATUS]

Chapter I: Stranded

Once upon a time, someone had wronged the sea terribly. The waves crashed and churned like sapphire wine, splitting wood and weighing canvas. A young sailor, their face scarred and wet, struggled to grip the large helm before them. Gritting their teeth, they turned the large ship, the wind biting the sails while the water gnawed the hull. The pouring rain was no help at all, as it slickened the deck and helm. The sailor had to resort to tying their wrist to the helm just to keep it in place.

However, their fortune took a dip as a bolt of lightning struck nearby, grazing against the ship and causing a rope to snap from the mast. Part of the sail fell, and the sudden break in tension sent the rope toward the sailor, striking them across the face like a slaver's whip, and sending them down. The rope keeping them to the helm held strong, which unfortunately resulted in a dislocated shoulder.

"Damn it all!" The sailor cursed, gripping their arm in pain as they struggled to untie themselves. The rope constantly slipped out of their grasp, and yet another bolt of lightning greeted the ship, embracing the mainsail and setting it ablaze. The sailor's eyes widened, shining in the light of the flames, and they struggled again to tear the rope off their hand. Soon, the fire and the water clashed, an epic battle in the centre of which this lowly mortal was trapped.

The battle was swift, and the sailor watched through blurred vision as the ship broke apart above them, along with the bubbles seeping from their lips. They found themself unable to struggle, their body gently sinking deeper under the dark water. Fish began to swim around and pass by them, as if curious of the new visitor. Then, a large shadow passed over the sailor, and for a moment, they believed it to be a predator, a shark or some other monster. Instead, they saw that it was in fact a manta ray; it was quite larger than they were, and had it wished, could have easily consumed the sailor. However, the ray circled around the sailor, causing them to shake their head slightly and try to stay conscious. The ray flicked her tail back and forth, as if beckoning the young one.

'You... want me to follow you...?' The sailor thought to themselves, and as if by some divine intelligence, the ray seemed to nod. Slowly reaching their able arm forward, the sailor willed themselves to push forward, struggling to kick their legs. The ray, meanwhile, waited patiently, for she had all the time in the world. The sailor struggled to swim toward her, and finally grabbed onto her back. The ray shuddered, before beginning to swim away from the shipwreck.

It wasn't long before the sailor's breath gave out, and their grip on the ray began to waver. Slipping from the creature, they tried to struggle forward. Within moments, they felt a small push from behind. Nothing had hold of the sailor, and the ray was still several metres away. It was as if the sea itself was carrying them along. As the sailor's vision faded once more, their last thoughts were of home.

~ ~ ~

The sun beat down harshly, as it was always the brightest after a storm. Foam tickled my lip, and I felt my crusty eyes cracking open. My vision still blurred, I struggled to lift my head, which throbbed terribly. I felt something soft and wet below my hands, and I dug my fingers into it. Sand... sand! I landed on a beach! Suddenly, my vision cleared, and a miraculous energy filled my limbs. I leapt up, letting out a hearty laugh as I kicked the sand around my feet. My boots were tattered, my clothes were torn, but I was alive. I spun around to face the ocean, to face the fate that I had assumed was in store for me.

To my surprise, the manta ray that had guided me still remained, waiting just past the shallows. She flicked her tail in and out of the water, and warily, I walked toward her. She spun around my feet several times before swimming off.

"Thank you..." I said softly, nodding my head before realisation hit me. The ship, the crew... they were all gone. My mind went to the captain, and felt my teeth grit in anger. If only that bastard hadn't been so arrogant, perhaps we would've been able to avoid that storm. He wouldn't even tell us why we were in the middle of nowhere, without so much as a set course. I kicked the sand again, this time a bit more aggressively.