First Chance - Maui x OC

Gods Are Not Always Good

This is set long before Maui stole the heart.

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Kaida had appeared so suddenly, so unexpectedly, no-one really knew what to think. Discovered in the roots of a tree, their initial thoughts was that she was a gift from the gods, a blessed child, a loved and wanted child. Instead, the poor girl was cursed with a face of beauty and a body designed to kill.

A woman, crying in delight, had brought the baby to the chief, bundled up in blankets.
"The gods have smiled upon us! They have sent us an angel!" She cried, a smile on her face as she cradled the baby to her chest. However, the moment her lips touched the baby's forehead her body turned a sickening grey as she began to bleed furiously from the mouth, crumpling to the floor. Skin of such poison that a single touch would be fatal.

The gods were clashing at the time and they would try to damage each other's creations. In this case, Te Fiti's humans. The baby, now laid upon the dead woman's body, began to cry. A sickening sound, one that would draw humans in. Two black lumps on its back became present. Wings. Two wings with the blackest of feathers hung on her back, like two figures looming over her.

Despite her differences, Kaida grew up safe. Her village certainly did not love her and, although he pitied her, neither did the chief. The shaman, to an extent, liked the girl but it was difficult to love someone knowing they could kill you accidentally. Kaida learnt to live, flying in her spare time and combing the beach as work. The idea was that beach combing was far away from the village - they had stopped voyaging since they had found this island - as they had no need to go down to the sea.

Admittedly, Kaida had always been curious of physical contact but she found she could hardly miss something she'd never had. Kaida walked along her village's beach, collecting shells and clams and whatever else she could find, dropping them into a basket she had made herself. Kaida loved this, her job. It was away from everyone else, somewhere she could walk safely knowing that she wouldn't kill anything. That's what her life came down to, sometimes... Just trying her best not to kill anyone.

Kaida had not found anything today so, defeated, she left her basket in the shaman's cave and returned to the sea, stretching her two wings far. She'd be scolded later for being lazy but, at that moment, she had little care for such things. She allowed herself, if only for a minute, to enjoy watching the waves roll and the sea splash. She smiled to herself, forgetting all the cruel nursery rhymes that had been sung about her, the sharp words of scared parents, the scoldings... It was as if she was flying.

"Kaida!" The shaman snapped angrily. "What do you call this?" The old woman held up the empty basket.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't find anything. I'll look for twice as long tomorrow..." Kaida replied but her heart wasn't in the sentence. It was clear her words held no true meaning. The shaman huffed angrily, dropping the basket and leaving. Kaida, sighing heavily, picked up the basket and returned to the beach. The shaman wouldn't be happy until she brought something back...

It was dark when Kaida made it to the beach and the tide was still coming in. The water licked her feet as she walked across the beach, a chill making its way up her back. She shivered, bringing her wings around her to keep warm.

Kaida's innocent, brown eyes scanned the beach so many time until, finally, a shell. It was an oyster shell; dinner or chance of a pearl. Feeling more pleased, Kaida carried on her walk, finding several more shells. Mostly basic shells, muscles and cockles, but she was still pleased. The shaman would allow this.

A happier skip in her step, Kaida walked confidently back to her the shaman's cave. The shaman wasn't inside so she left the basket on the side, like before as she headed to her tree.

Kaida's tree was her home. It took a little bit of climbing to get there, but half way up was a hole just by enough for a small adult. Inside, Kaida kept all her little treasures, a blanket, and other supplies. It was home. She curled up, using her wings to block the hole.

That night, Kaida's dreams consisted of a god telling her she was the goddess of poison and disease. It was a funny dream, Kaida knew she was just born wrong.