The Stars and The Sea

Chapter 9

He sat there, watching Moana closely. Paying attention to how she worked the rigging of the canoe and made adjustments accordingly to the changing weather.

He began thinking more about Moana's offer to teach him wayfinding. He had been unsure while on dry land, but now... he was reconsidering it. He felt useless with having a broken shoulder and unable to do much with one arm.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

As he sat quietly, the gentle rocking of the canoe slowly lulled him, easing his heart and lulling him to sleep.

He woke up in something more of a memory instead of a dream.

He was 7 years old again, and he was looking for his mother. When she wasn't busy doing tasks around the village or caring for her children, she would go on walks toward the beach to clear her head.

Since Huihana was becoming more independent and being with kids her age, Keoni would often be with his mother or left to do his own thing.

After he wandered for some time, saying hello to some neighbors, he finally found his mother some distance away from where the fishing boats were stored. She sat on a fallen palm, drawing the sand below her with a stick.

"Momma?" He asked quietly. She turned to face him, though her face was blurry in his memory of her. She had a soft smile, and he could see the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes more prominently.

"Keoni. Come here," she invited, patting the spot next to her. He did so, leaning against her, the two of them listening to the calm lull of the shoreline. Above them, a pair of frigate birds with their forked tails squawked loudly as they fought over a catch with a few seagulls.

Keoni couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the sight. As they watched, one of the frigate birds distracted the gulls while the other frigate stole the fish. Together, the two frigate birds frantically flew toward the cliffs on the other side of the bay, with the angry gulls flying after them.

Keoni shifted his gaze back to his mother, but she was facing away from him.

"Momma?" He said, nudging her.

Suddenly she turned to face him, but her face was different.

It wasn't her.

Her face. was pale and bore gray shadows in her cheekbones, She bore a sullen look, and he could still see grief in her eyes.

He knew that look — she'd carried it around most of his early childhood. And up until now, he had only seen fleeting glimpses of it.

Frightened by his mother's appearance, he hurried away from the fallen palm to look for his sister.

But as he ran, the soft brown earth and bright green grass warped into an ugly shade of gray as it vanished into the air as ash.

The surrounding trees, bushes, and foliage quickly followed, swirling into a massive vortex and trapping him inside.

He cried out, but his little voice was easily overpowered by the roaring wind.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Tears streaming down his cheeks, Keoni fell to his knees, covering his head protectively, and whispered a prayer to the gods for protection.

The shaking did not go away, though, as Keoni jerked awake, startled by an aggressive rock of the boat. Just as he opened his eyes, Moana was a few feet away about to check what was going on, when the shake caused her to fall practically right on top of him.

The pair stared at each other awkwardly, and Keoni didn't know what to do in this situation. She'd managed to brace herself in a way that both her arms were planted on either side of his torso. And her face was inches away. So close that he could see the details in her warm brown eyes, the way they turned into a rich honey color in the sun. Beautiful...

Gods, that was a first.

What the hell was that?

With an awkward cough, Moana regained her composure and pulled herself back on her feet, brushing herself off.

"S-sorry, Ocean's just being weird." She tried to assure, bearing a nervous half-grin, waving her hands dismissively.

"Oh, uh... it's fine." He replied, feeling equally as awkward and nervous as she was.

He managed to stand up on his own, though with some struggle, steadying himself from the gentle rock of the canoe below him. Ocean had reared its "head" up, and Moana was demanding why it rocked the boat, but obviously, since Ocean never spoke, her arguing was futile.

Keoni approached her side and assured her that he was fine.

"Alright, fine."

Ocean disappeared, and it was once again just the two of them.

"So, what were you dreaming about?" She suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You were dreaming, I noticed you twitch a few times. You looked upset."

"Oh... uh... it was nothing, don't remember, honestly." He was not ready to admit that he'd always had horrible dreams relating to losing his family and his island. More or less, he wasn't ready to talk about it yet.