Disclaimer:

The movie, 'Moana', is copyrighted by Walt Disney Animation Studio. It was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker and the co-directors were Don Hall and Chris William. It was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 2017.

I only claim copyright to the characters, and some of the elements of the story, that are of my own creation.

The soundtrack for Chapter:

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Summary: 

A young woman, seemingly ordinary, is deserted on an island that is void of life but is then confronted by a man who completely baffles her with his words and actions. He couldn't really be a demigod now, could he? There was no such thing as real gods. Or was she the one mistaken? Could she trust in his friendship after all the heartbreak and disappointment in her life?

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Chapter 7

I was woken hours later by Moana's startled cry and her flailing elbow knocking into my ribs.

I stumbled into a sitting position with a strangled gasp.

'' W-what... was that for?'' I croaked breathlessly and rubbed my side.

'' Sorry, Maija, I had an awful nightmare,'' Moana apologised quickly.

'' At least she had a valid answer,'' I thought and gave the teenager a tired smile.

''Enjoy your beauty rest, kid? You know a real Wayfinder never sleeps so that they actually get to where they need to sail,'' Maui teased Moana with a glint in his dark eyes and an amused smirk to his lips.

Moana scowled at him and I uttered a long sigh, brushing a hand across my face to stave off the grittiness and the fuzzy feeling in my head.

I was awfully thirsty, too, but I knew our food supply was in tight supply with all four of us, including Heihei, on the boat. And the rainwater gathered into my plastic container was dwindling, too.

I couldn't, in good conscience, ask for a small drink when Moana was very likely feeling as thirsty as me.

And Maui couldn't go on forever without food and water even though he was a demigod and could go on longer without those basic human needs.

'' Would you give it a rest, Maui?! She wasn't the only girl sleeping around last night,'' I croaked out between dry lips.

Moana glanced at me a little worriedly as I stumbled to my feet and leaned against the mast to keep my injured leg off the ground.

I stretched, groaning at the loud 'pop' from my spine.

'' Besides, she has the drive to become a truly great sailor and Wayfinder,'' I added as I straightened up, winking at Moana who gave me grateful smile.

'' Well you two better muscle-up, because we have arrived,'' Maui commented, waving off my defending of Moana's prowess.

I whipped around to lock my eyes upon the horizon where the island, that lead to Lalotai, was fast approaching.

The whole island was stacked upon rocks that were either very big or small. And there was an enormous tower-like structure that stretched upwards several hundred feet and was as flat as a board on the very top.

Though rather innocent looking at first glance, if you knew what lurked beneath the calm and serene landscape. There was a dangerous, unpredictable world underneath the surface of the sea.

And I knew, from tales of Maui's prowess and adventures that a world filled with monsters lurked underneath the water.

'' You sure this guy's gonna have your hook?'' Moana asked as our boat glided across the water to dock in the shadows of the Tower like structure.

''Tamatoa? Sure he will have it! He's a scavenger that collects things that make him look cool,'' Maui answered with a grin as he hopped off the boat eagerly with the teenager on his heels.

'' And trust me, my hook makes for the coolest collectable,'' he added with a proud look on his face.

'' I can understand why it would be, with it being a Magical artefact. But why would Tamatoa want to keep something that was the cause of him losing a leg to Maui? ''I thought as I watched Moana tie the boat around the rocks.

With a grimace of slight discomfort, I stooped to open the storage hatch and grabbed my fishing rod.

If Moana had used it as a weapon against the Kakamora then perhaps I'd take it along for this dangerous excursion.

I then grabbed a handful of nuts and seeds before slamming the hatch shut.

I dropped the nuts and seeds in front of Heihei and groaned inwardly in exasperation when the kooky bird began tapping on the deck instead of the food offering.

I nudged the bird's neck to the right place with my toes.

''And he lives up there?'' Moana asked as she peered up at the towering structure landscape with an incredulous expression on her face.

''Up there? No, no, no, no! That's just the entrance to Lalotai.'' Maui answered boisterously as he began to climb the first stair structure of the tower.

''Lalotai? The Realm of monsters?'' Moana exclaimed, gulping audibly.

'' We're going to the Realm of Monsters?'' she followed in a more calmed voice.

'' We? HAH, no I am! Your place is here with the other chickens, Ba blaak!''

Maui made a sound that resembled a rooster's croak.

'' I RESENT THAT!'' I responded loudly in exasperation as the demigod chuckled and started making his way up the cliff-side.

Seriously, that had been a bad joke.

Maui started laughing louder over getting me riled up before urging Mini Maui to do a fist-bump with him (which the 'little guy' refused to do, much to my personal satisfaction).

''Oh come on, it was a good one! How do you not get it? I called her a chicken and there is a chicken on the boat. I know she's human. You know what forget it, forget it! I'm not explaining it to you,'' Maui exclaimed as he began climbing higher up the stone tower.

His voice had become fainter and fainter as he'd moved higher and higher, still arguing with the tattoo of himself.

'' Why? Because then it's not funny!'' Maui's voice snapped loudly to his mini- counterpart.

I shook my head at the arguing pair before turning to Moana who was looking at me contemplatively.

'' Did you know we were going to enter the Realm of Monsters?'' she asked me after a moment.

'' I did, yes,'' I answered her truthfully.

'' Then why didn't you warn me about what dangers lay ahead of us?'' Moana answered with a frown on her face.

'' I'm not sure, maybe I had other thoughts on my mind. I'm sorry,'' I answered with an apology in my voice and expression and rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment.

'' Anyway, you want to stay by the boat? It would be safer,'' I continued sheepishly.

Moana glanced back at the boat and I followed where her eyes had strayed.

HeiHei had abandoned the seeds and nuts and was tapping on the wood of the boat with a befuddled glint in his eyes.

I groaned and dragged a hand across my face.

'' What's up with him, seriously?'' I muttered to Moana who shared an exasperated glance before mustering up her courage to hurry her steps towards the towering stone structure.

'' I should have realized she wouldn't be teetered by even this arduous climb,'' I thought to myself as I made my way to the wall of the tower, hardening my own resolve for the climb.

I placed my hands and feet on the stone and pushed off the ground, thankful I'd been a climber of trees and masts in my childhood.

It was only the matter of placing your hands and feet into the right crevices and ledges. And, of course, to be cautious.

'' What in God's creation are you doing?''

I jumped violently at the sudden question but did not lose my hold on the rocks. I looked up to see Maui looking down at me from his perch on a ledge above me.

'' I'm climbing! What else does this look like to you? And I want to make sure you don't decide to abandon Moana in the caverns of Lalotai where the bloodthirsty monsters have their homes,'' I answered sarcastically.

'' Not that she, and you, would ever decide to take the plunge down there,'' Maui muttered under his breath, though I still heard him.

'' As for the climbing part of the deal, what are you thinking? Your leg...,''

'' My leg is healing,'' I told him rather snappishly, pulling myself onto the same ledge as the demigod.

'' I can... WHOA!''

Maui had pulled me up onto his shoulders with an easy, quick movement of his hands.

I squealed rather ungracefully and clung to the sides of Maui's head with my palms as he whirled around and began following Moana who had paused to observe our conversation with barely hidden amusement.

'' Women, you are all the same, going headlong into trouble all the time,'' Maui muttered.'

'' Oh, really now, Maui?! You and Moana are the trouble beacons here and besides, I'm coming along to make sure you actually get back that hook,' I retorted, tugging at his ears lightly which had him utter a grunt of annoyance.

'' Like you can stand a chance against that gargantuan bottom-feeder,'' Maui muttered under his breath.

I pursed my lips and uttered an annoyed whistle through my teeth even as the demigod turned his attention to Moana, saying:'' So, Chief's- daughter I thought you would have stayed in the village. You know, to kiss babies and do other things.''

Moana gave the demigod one of her many glares before turning around and continuing her climb to the top.

''Hey, hey, hey I'm just trying to understand why your people decided to send... how should I phrase this?! You? '' Maui said as he jumped onto another ledge with such casualness that I almost screeched at him to keep his hands and legs on the rocks at all times.

'' My people didn't send me, the ocean did,'' Moana answered brightly.

''The ocean? Makes sense, you're what, eight?! And you can't sail, so it's an obvious choice,'' Maui pointed out sarcastically as he paused in a very dangerous stance with only one hand holding on to the stone and the other leg extended over the drop to the ocean that must have been two hundred feet from where the demigod was standing.

'' Gods, just hold onto the ledge, Maui,'' I thought nervously as I tried to squash the urge to 'box the guy's ears' for his acrobatics.

'' If the ocean is so smart, why didn't it take the heart back to Te Fiti itself? Or, bring me my hook?'' Maui continued.

Now that was actually a good question.

Why hadn't the other gods attempted to find the heart and return it to one of their own? Was there something else to it, like a retribution needed from the mortal people for things to be brought back to rights? But we mortal folk hadn't been responsible for what Maui had decided on his own. Or were the mortals somehow the catalyst in pushing Maui into sailing to Te Fiti's island in the first place?

Moana paused in her climb. She looked unsure and thoughtful.

Maui made his stance even more dangerous when he leaned back on one foot planted into a crevice and straightened the arm holding on to the platform.

'' The ocean is straight-up Kooky-dooks!'' Maui hollered down to the said ocean.

'' YOU are the Kooky- dooks! Get your hands back onto the ledge or I'll strangle you with my fishing rod!'' I finally snapped out, my throat tight from anxiousness at being suspended over such a big drop.

Maui just laughed at my frightened voice and how I was now clinging to him so tightly.

'' You were the one who decided to climb up onto the ledge, so hey, face the consequences!''

'' When, and if, I get out of this adventure alive I'll thank the Gods for having been able to put up with your antics,'' I retorted through clenched teeth.

Maui just laughed at me, before making a great leap to the last ledge and then to the tower-top (which had me utter another startled sound).

What I saw, once I'd calmed down a little, was years upon years of dust gathered on top the flat surface of the tower.

It left the place looked desolate, and without any noticeable sign of an entrance to the Realm of Monsters.

Moana was standing by the edge of the tower staring down at the deep, dark, and mysterious ocean way down below.

The ocean seemed calm and serene at the surface. It glistened in the sunlight, but underneath it lay a mysterious and dangerous world.

'' I don't know why the ocean chose me, but it must have had a reason,'' Moana spoke reverently like she was speaking just to herself.

'' If you are gonna sing now, I'm gonna throw up,'' Maui spoke up sarcastically as he lumbered his way to the middle of the tower.

I just sighed, and the teenager uttered an exasperated groan and turned to face Maui and me.

'' Well, I see no entrance. Did you bring us all the way up here for nothing?''

'' Oh, there is an entrance, but then again it only opens once it's offered a human sacrifice,'' Maui answered.

Moana flinched backwards when the demigod took on an ominous pose and stepped forward.

I yanked hard at Maui's ears, making him pause and eliciting a pained 'OW' from him.

An exasperated sound escaped my teeth as I let go moments later. I'd known all along that he was just joking around.

Again, I might add, and it grated on me that he wouldn't take things seriously for once.

'' I WAS KIDDING! SO SERIOUS, YOU TWO!'' Maui exclaimed, jumping into a more straightened pose with his hands on his hips.

'' And you are a trickster through and through. Why don't you just take things seriously for o... ?'' I retorted in utter exasperation.

I was interrupted by Maui taking a deep breath and releasing it in a great, billowing gust of air that pushed all the accumulated dust into the air.

It left Moana and I coughing up a storm when all that dry earth invaded our nostrils and mouth.

But once the dust settled the pair of us mortals could see the gargantuan, 'face like' sculpture on the smooth surface of the stone.

'' The entrance to Lalotai does exist,'' Moana breathed out in wide-eyed wonder and shock.

'' Yeah, it is real,'' I whispered in slight awe, but also dread.

'' So how did you like the revealing, eh?' Quite impressive, ain't it?'' Maui interrupted Moana's and my moment of mutual dread.

'' Ooh, very impressive, but can you tell us whether that billowing gust would have been just as impressive as you 'pass wind'?'' I answered, a playful smirk sliding into place.

'' HAH HAH HAH... mphhh hah hah hah!''

I turned my joking grin on the young future Chief of Motunui who was desperately trying to suppress her laughter behind her hand.

Mini Maui had no scruples over showing how much the sentence had amused him.

He was down on his front, laughing silently and banging a fist on the surface of the skin of his counterpart.

Maui was looking up into my face as I leaned forward, leaning my lower arms against the top his head.

'' I'm so not amused, '' the demigod said blandly.

'' Oh, come on now, Maui, the joke was right there. I just had to take it, and you put your foot in your mouth with your earlier tricks. So face the consequences,'' I giggled out at the disgruntled expression on his face.

I had added the last part with a fake-low voice that had Moana burst out into renewed laughter.

'' You've long extended your lift, '' Maui grunted and lifted me off his shoulders by sliding both hands under my armpits.

He plopped me onto the ground to face him, but I couldn't stifle the small smirk still twitching on my lips.

'' You might want to find another place to stand, Sweetheart,'' Maui told me and I raised my eyebrow at his words.

Maui moved into a sudden 'haka- stance', his hands and feet moving rapidly as he chanted whatever galvanizing sentence it needed to open the entrance to Lalotai.

The suddenness of his bellow had me flinch backwards from him.

'' HEE!''

'' Whoa!'' I breathed out and stumbled backwards as the demigod leapt high up into the air, did a twirl mid-air and landed back on the stone with a crashing sound.

His fists struck the jutting stone, that looked like a round nose on the sculpture's face, with such force it would have shattered ordinary mortal bones.

My heart began to beat wildly in my chest when an immediate, ominous crunching and grinding noise was heard coming from underneath my feet.

The middle of the sculpture began to split apart, the two stone slabs retreating backwards to reveal an entirely round entrance, like a deep well inside the cliff.

I felt hands grab me from behind and pull me backwards.

It had been Moana, who was standing just behind me.

Now the pair of us were gaping down the huge well like entrance that went down about two hundred feet and ended in a shimmering liquid that could have been swirling water way down there.

'' Don't worry, it's a lot further down than it looks,'' Maui's wry voice cut through our shock,'

I couldn't help but splutter at the guy's lame assurance to make Moana and I feel better about the situation.

'' CHEEE HOOO!'' Maui hollered and jumped cannonball-style into the round opening without even the slightest bit of hesitation whatsoever.

'' Can you believe the guy?!'' Moana mouthed to me just as we heard the demigod's holler of: '' I'm still FALLIIINNNGGG!''

I shared a helpless glance with the teenager before she brushed her hair from her face with a determined air to her, took a few steps backwards and muttered: '' I can do this! I CAN do this, GO!'

And then she jumped into the abyss without any hesitation at all and I was left standing there on my lonesome, with the entrance slabs vibrating beneath me as if ready to close.

But it was like the stone could feel that there was one last mortal to be offered to the hungry mouths of Lalotai monsters.

So it waited for my decision.

'' Come hell or high water, I'll follow them to whatever end,'' I muttered, bending my knees,

''Oh, what are you thinking girl, you must be out of your MINDDDDDD!''

My holler continued throughout the fall, my ears almost missing the heavy, echoing thud of the entrance closing above me.

To be continued...

End Of Chapter 7

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