Moana

Chapter Nine

The boat wrecked on a tiny island.

It was rather small and didn't deserve to be called an island. Instead, the term "pile of pebbles" seemed to fit it better.

The jars and baskets were all turned upside down like the boat itself. Hei-Hei had somehow managed to get a bowl stuck on his head. Clucking, he took a step and fell off the boat's mast and into a pile of sand.

The pile then moved as Moana sat up, caked in sand with her curly hair a mess. Spitting some sand out of her mouth, she looked at the island she was stuck on.

Gasping in alarm, Moana checked her gramma's necklace. The heart was still inside.

She exhaled in relief before brushing the sand off her face. She stood up and took a step, only to trip over Aukai's unconscious body.

"Aukai, wake up," she said as she touched his face with her foot.

"I'm awake!" Aukai shouted as he sat bolt upright.

Moana stormed over to the water's edge with rage on her face.

"Um... What?!" she shouted at the water. "We said help us! And wrecking our boat? Not helping!" She then tried to kick the water, only for the ocean to pull back and for her to land on her backside.

"Fish pee in you all day!" Moana shouted to the ocean. "So... grrr."

Hei-Hei clucked as he continually ran into a boulder, the bowl still on his head.

"Hey, look at this," Aukai said. Moana gasped as she followed his pointing finger. Etched onto a giant rock were a thousand groups of tallies. Each group had 365 marks and were shaped like fish hooks.

"Maui?" Moana asked the ocean.

The mass of water gave a single nod before vanishing.

Aukai drew his sword as he heard oncoming footsteps. Moana saw along a wall a large shadow lumbering closer.

"Maui!" she said. Grabbing her oar and Hei-Hei, who had finally gotten the bowl off his head, Moana ran for cover behind her boat. Aukai joined her.

"Maui, demigod of the wind and sea," Moana whispered, "we are Moana and Aukai of Motunui. You will board our boat."

"Hold on," Aukai whispered. "Let me try that line." He then pointed his cutlass at an invisible enemy. "You will board our boat, sail across the sea, and restore the heart of Te Fiti."

"Awesome," Moana encouraged. "We are Moana and Aukai of Motunui. You will board our..."

"Boat!" a voice said from behind them. "A boat!" Maui then picked the boat up with his incredible strength.

"The gods have given me a..."

Maui screamed as he saw the kids and dropped the boat on top of them. Realizing they were just mortals, the demigod picked the boat up and only saw Hei-Hei rise from the sand.

Aukai cleared his throat and pointed his sword at Maui, who turned to face them. Moana and Aukai had to duck, dodging the boat's front before facing him.

"You're Maui?" Aukai asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I am the mighty hero Maui." Aukai just looked at him in disbelief.

"No, it can't be," the pirate boy said. "You mean we sailed the entire ocean looking for... this?"

Paying her friend no attention, Moana planted her oar into the sand with a hand on her hip.

"Maui, shapeshifter," she said, "demigod of the wind and sea, we are Moana and Aukai of..."

"Hero of men," Maui interrupted. "It's actually Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and sea, hero of men. I interrupted. From the top. Hero of men. Go."