The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 22

With Keoni doing so well, Moana decided to take him out into the village with her on a walk and actually start getting to know his new community. He and Huihana were both now officially part of the village, and Huihana had already started getting to know everyone and building friendships; Keoni had yet to catch up. He expressed worry at first about being judged by others, but Moana assured him that he had nothing to worry about.

Finally agreeing, Moana took Keoni out around noon. Everyone was out and about doing various tasks or participating in something, whether it was beating tapa, dancing, learning to cook, or even learning how to tattoo.

As the pair strolled down the network of various paths leading to different spots in the village, Moana heard a familiar snort followed by a high-pitched SQUAWK.

"Wha-" Keoni reacted, swiveling his head to try and identify where the noises came from. Suddenly, he heard the sound of hoofs running across the soft earth, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Whirling around, Keoni jumped to the side as a white and gray spotted pig scampered in front of him, and the pig was chasing a scrawny-looking rooster.

"Pua! Hei Hei! Come back here!" Moana shouted, chasing after the pair. The pig was seen snorting and grunting aggressively at the rooster, who did not appear to be... all there.
Moana grabbed Hei Hei and told Keoni to get Pua, pulling the two apart.

"You two are best friends! What's up with all this!" She scolded.

"Wait, that's the Hei Hei you told me about?"

"Yep, the legend himself."

"And... uh, how... long has he been alive?"

"As long as I can remember. This chicken should be dead, but either death avoids him, or he's immortal now." Moana then humored Keoni with an extensive list of all the reasons Hei Hei should be dead, including the various incidents where Maui tried to eat him.

"He also eats literally anything. Doesn't matter if he can't swallow the whole thing, he will try and eat it. He even swallowed Te Fiti's heart... good times." Moana always wondered if Hei Hei's lifespan might have been extended due to swallowing Te Fiti's heart. Anything was possible at this point.

"Huh." Keoni stared at the scrawny rooster for a long moment, and the rooster stared back, and Keoni could truly see that there was really nothing going on in those empty eyes. Hei Hei softly bawked at him, cocking his head, in what appeared to be some attempt to get a good look at Keoni. But who really knew what Hei Hei was thinking, if at all?

"Just be careful, he's surprisingly sneaky when he wants to be."

With Pua now in a better mood, the adult pig trotted alongside the pair as they strolled through the village. Moana happily introduced Keoni to some old childhood friends and other extended family and cousins.

While Keoni didn't mind meeting new people, it was overwhelming to remember names. He was better with faces than names, but for whatever reason, his brain struggled to connect the two.

Sensing his discomfort, Moana kept the introductions short.

"Where do you wanna go next?" She asked. He ruminated on the question, he wasn't particularly interested in exploring other occupied parts of the village. He knew the usual chores and activities. However, one thing did cross his mind.

"I'd like to meet some of the fishermen," He announced, turning in the direction of the shore. And so down the path, they went towards the beach. Keoni quickened his pace, inadvertently leading Moana instead. A couple of burly men passed them by, balancing baskets of a fresh catch on their shoulders into the village. The pair of men quickly nodded to Moana, acknowledging her, to which she returned the gesture.

Her eyes were off Keoni for maybe a few short moments, but upon her looking for him, he was conversing with some of the fishermen. Ironically, they were the same fishermen who'd witnessed her and her father's argument about going beyond the reef, which, later on, Tui would eventually admit to Moana that she had been right. But she'd grown since then, and she also conceded; admitting to her father that she understood why he was so protective, and overbearing.

In the end, it didn't matter anymore. Coming back to the present, Moana kept back to allow Keoni to socialize without her as his crutch. It delighted her when she saw the smile on Keoni's face, and although she could not hear what he and the men were saying, she could tell he was invested.

It was a good first step, and she was proud of him. She still remained a reasonable distance away as he appeared to close out the conversation.

With a wide grin on his face, Keoni rejoined Moana's side, waving to the fishermen.

"See you around Lasalo!"

As the pair walked off, Keoni said that he had enough socializing with villagers for the day, but he did want to stop by Enele's house to see his sister.

"How is she doing?"

"Last I heard she's great! She's been spending a lot of time with Enele recently."

"Yeah, you mentioned that, and that you teased her for being in love." Keoni snickered.

"Hey, couldn't help it! I'll see you later, 'kay?" Without really thinking, he pressed the lightest kiss to her cheek before running off in the direction of Enele's fale, leaving Moana stunned in place.

A smile crossed her lips as she reached her fingers up where he kissed her. She could still feel the sensation of his lips, leaving her with more butterflies. She resumed her stroll through the village, helping others out or consulting with someone, but her path led her out of the village toward the Cave of Ancestors. The majority of the voyaging canoes were no longer stored inside the cave entrance, and the biggest ones had been brought ashore so that handymen could easily access them for repairs and general maintenance.
There were a couple of canoes, though, that remained inside, too damaged for ocean travel, and it was not decided on what should be done with them.

But the fate of these canoes did not currently occupy her mind. Not even as she climbed atop one of them, taking in the ambiance of the cave's atmosphere. The echoes of the waterfall bouncing off the walls of the cave, and the ripples of the small lagoon. A soft breeze blew through the extensive maze of lava tubes that criss-crossed through the mountains of Motunui, and several of them led into the cave. The wind was slightly haunting to hear, as it reminded her of whispering. But in a way, the sound was comforting.

With a sigh, she lay on her back on the canoe's deck, her gaze locked on the cave ceiling above her. She placed one arm behind her head, and let the other fall over the edge of the canoe deck, grazing the sand below with her fingertips.

As she lay there, her mind wandered, yet still, Keoni remained an ever-present subject. Especially in her own consideration of her future. Only months ago had the council told her that it was time to start looking for a partner, and since Keoni's arrival, she had thankfully avoided any pestering from the elders... But now she seriously began to consider a future... with Keoni in it, by her side. Him having said he loved hearing about her day, her describing her duties to him, something in her just clicked. Perhaps, with the right encouragement and guidance, Keoni could be shaped into a leader as well.

Ignoring any technicalities that would come with such an idea, Moana accepted that Keoni was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Be her husband, be chief alongside her... potentially father their children if they bore any.

Gods, this was it. And Moana was assured of it.

But then came the task of approaching Keoni about this proposal of hers... maybe she should wait a little bit, slowly bring him along as she did her duties in the village, maybe have him shadow her father?

Not wanting to get too ahead of herself and acting impulsively, Moana made her way back to her family's fale, bidding her family goodnight as she settled into bed. She would sleep on her ideas for the time being, maybe talk to Pania about it, and see what she had to say. And even Maui, maybe? Eh, Maui could be a blabbermouth sometimes... Yeah, just Pania for now.