Chapter Text
Silence, awkward and uncomfortable, reigned as they walked back through the forest. The sun was getting low over the hills now, illuminating the cloying mist hanging over them with a soft orange glow. The damp air took on a slight chill as the afternoon began to wane.
Tamatoa stared at Maui’s back as they traversed the narrow path back to the village, eyes riveted on the ‘tattoos’ he had painted there. They were his own successes, displayed for the world to see just like Maui’s own—at least until the dye wore off.
The eel monster had sounded so proud of him for those accomplishments, too. Sure, Maui buttered him up with praise sometimes, but only when he wanted something. Abaia hadn’t wanted anything from him, though. She had genuinely sounded impressed and had said such nice things. It was a strange feeling, but Tamatoa liked it.
Tamatoa was so tied up in his own thoughts that he barely noticed Maui glancing back over his shoulder at him. When he finally did realize that Maui was looking at him, he quirked an eye, squinting back at the demigod curiously.
“Hey,” Maui said, almost hesitatingly and Tamatoa blinked in surprise, antennae perking up. Was Maui actually going to apologize?
The demigod fidgeted with the edge of his lavalava. “I—” Then he stopped, closed his mouth and then opened it again. His eyes drifted skyward, as if looking for words in the sky. But whatever words he was looking for, he couldn’t seem to find them. When he spoke again, his usual easygoing smile was fixed back in place and the softer, uncertain look was gone. “Nice job back there.”
It wasn’t an apology. Tamatoa’s antennae sagged a bit. He wasn't sure Maui even knew how to apologize. So, he mumbled something noncommittal in reply, then fell silent as they continued on.
The sun had set and the village was bathed in purple twilight by the time they reached it. It was quiet, too, lacking the hustle and bustle that had characterized the village before. No one came out to greet them, nor were any invitations extended to either of them. It was strange, considering how welcoming they had been the night before.
Maui tried approaching a few villagers, but his every effort to engage in conversation was politely, but firmly, rebuffed. Tamatoa watched his friend’s face shift, falling just a little more with each refusal. If he kept getting turned away like this, Maui was really going to be difficult to deal with.
Tamatoa edged over. He nudged Maui’s leg with a claw. “I’m hungry, let’s go back to the canoe. Then we can look some more.” Anything to get out of this strange village before Maui could blame him for the humans’ lack of attention. He was hungry, too. He’d feel better after a snack.
Maui looked down at him. For a moment it seemed as if there was a flash of temper in the demigod’s eyes, but it deflated quickly into a weary look.
“Ok, let’s go,” he finally conceded.
Without another word, Maui turned stiffly and began to trudge out of the village.
The sunlight was long gone and the moon was hanging bright and low in the sky by the time they reached the canoe. The pale moonlight cast everything in a hazy white glow, but shadows still clung tenaciously where the moonlight did not reach.
Their canoe was as they left it in the morning, beached well above the tide line. As they approached it, Tamatoa’s antennae twitched and he hesitated. Something smelled off, but he wasn’t sure exactly what. The scent of the sea was heavy in the air, mixed with the familiar smell of a demigod, but—
Wait.
Tamatoa’s antennae jerked upward in alarm, all the pieces falling into place just a little bit too late to be useful.
Maui had continued on, not stopping when Tamatoa hesitated. Lost in his brooding angst, the demigod was barely paying attention. Tamatoa was just about to call out to him when a figure moved out of the shadows surrounding the canoe.
It was a man, features obscured by darkness but undeniably tall and strongly built. He was rifling through the canoe’s open hold, digging out baskets and tossing things aside. Engrossed in his task, he seemed not to have noticed the two of them. He paused, then held something up into the moonlight. In the pale glow, Tamatoa caught a flashing glint of reflected shine from the item.
It was one of Tamatoa’s trinkets. The man was stealing one of his trinkets! A deep well of anger bubbled up and an aggrieved shout escaped him before Tamatoa even knew what he was doing. “HEY!”
Both the man at the canoe and Maui turned around at his shout.
Tamatoa was already hurrying towards them, long legs carrying him as fast as they could across the wide beach, and pointing emphatically with a claw at the stranger. Maui turned back, following the line of Tamatoa’s gesture, and stiffened at the sight of the man rifling through their canoe.
Closer now as he reached Maui’s side, Tamatoa was able to distinguish the stranger’s scent more clearly. It was a demigod’s smell, but not like Maui. It smelled strongly of the sea in a more intrinsic way than Maui did from just sailing upon it. There was an almost fishy smell, too, so faint as to be barely there. It didn’t matter, though, this was clearly the other demigod.
“Maui,” Tamatoa hissed urgently, “that’s him! That’s the—” He stopped, breaking off as he recognized the man’s shape.
It was the ‘villager’ who had sent them up into the hills after Abaia! Tamatoa’s eyes, glowing in the darkness, narrowed to thin slits.
The man chuckled, tossing away the trinket in his hand as if it was nothing at all. Tamatoa watched it arc and fall into the dirt.
The man stepped away from the canoe and towards them in a smooth, slinking stride. He looked Maui up and down. “Surprised to see you here,” he drawled with a haughty casualness that bespoke an easy confidence. “So, did you kill old Abaia?”
Tamatoa bristled, snapping a pincer and glaring hotly at the man. He liked that eel monster. He opened his mouth to tell this strange demigod exactly what he thought about his casual disregard for her, but Maui cut him off as per the usual.
“You’re the other demigod,” Maui said slowly, as if he had come to the realization himself instead of having just been told that. “Who are you?”
Tamatoa’s claws clicked shut again, irritated. Who cares who this demigod was! He huffed softly. Just like Maui to miss the point as the man searched through their things and insulted them.
The man laughed, giving his hair a flick in a gesture uncannily similar to ones Maui himself employed. “Who am I? I am Dakuwaqa, demigod of the reef and sea,” he declared, running off an overblown, self-important list of titles.
Tamatoa stared. It was like looking at a copy of Maui, except this one was a jerk. Well, Maui was a jerk sometimes too, but he was a good jerk and clearly the better of the two. He was Tamatoa’s friend, after all.
Dakuwaqa finished reciting his own well-practiced spiel, then fixed Maui with a piercing, chilly look. “… and I am the only demigod this island needs.”
Maui was catching on now and it was about time he did. “You sent us up there hoping that eel would kill us!” he said, anger starting to color his tone.
The man barked out a laugh. “Disappointed that she didn’t. She must be getting slow in her old age.” Dakuwaqa’s dark eyes shifted to Tamatoa for a brief moment. “Or soft.”
Tamatoa felt a growl build in his throat, dredged up from some hidden reserve.
Dakuwaqa paid him no heed and looked back to Maui. “Or maybe you’re the soft one,” he sneered, eyes lingering on Maui’s tattoos and the drawings Tamatoa had added to them. “A monster-loving demigod, never thought I’d see the day. Who knew you had so little self-respect? Letting that thing follow you around.” He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
That thing?! Tamatoa seethed, antennae quivering with only barely restrained emotion. He ground the tips of his claws together, clenched and tense.
“You’d better watch it, buddy,” Maui warned, stepping forward. He didn’t respond further to the taunts, but instead leveled a finger at Dakuwaqa. “You took my hook, didn’t you?” he went on, very nearly spitting the words.
“You catch on quick,” was the jibing reply from the other demigod. “But you must have already g—”
Tamatoa leapt forward, not waiting for Dakuwaqa to finish whatever he had to say. He’d heard quite enough. The insults were bad enough and the slurs against him still stung, but beyond just that the demigod had admitted to taking the hook. If Tamatoa could get it back, maybe Maui would finally see how useful he could be.
It took only a few long strides to reach him, then, quick as lightning, he scaled the strange demigod’s body, climbing up onto his back before the startled man could react. He tried to clamp down on Dakuwaqa’s arms, but the heavily muscled limbs were simply too thick to get his claws all the way around. So instead he grabbed up as much flesh as he could in his pincers and squeezed. Hard.
Dakuwaqa let out a hoarse, ragged yell. Then, breaking out of his stupor, he reached around to snatch at Tamatoa. He was less bulky than Maui and perhaps Tamatoa had underestimated him, as he was apparently nearly as strong and just as fast. Before Tamatoa even realized what was happening, the demigod had flipped him around to the front and had grabbed him firmly by the edges of his shell. Dakuwaqa was shoving at him, attempting to tear him loose and force him to relinquish the hold his claws had on the demigod’s arms.
Tamatoa tried to hold on, but the demigod was tugging him so forcefully that it was either let go or let himself be torn apart. Out of self-preservation, he released his grip on the man’s arms, though not without tearing away some skin and leaving two bloody gashes behind in the process. He may have let go, but Tamatoa was not idle for long. He snapped at Dakuwaqa’s face, aiming to catch hold of his nose or ears or anything else that stuck out far enough to get his claws around.
As he was grappling with the demigod, Tamatoa heard a sharp intake of breath that ought to have warned him of the danger. “You little thief!” Dakuwaqa snarled.
All at once, it seemed as if there were hands everywhere. One caught his claws and twisted them behind his back. Pain shot through him and Tamatoa cried out, trying desperately to pull his arms free. The nasty demigod’s other hand was grabbing at Tamatoa’s body, roughly yanking on his tail-like abdomen and prying it away from his underside.
No! The demigod had seen his new pearl! Tamatoa struggled and snapped his claws ineffectively in the air, but the demigod was handily overpowering him despite his best efforts.
It was about this time that Maui finally broke out of his own slack-jawed astonishment and rushed forward to join the fray. However, just as Maui reached them and grabbed at the other demigod’s shoulder, Dakuwaqa managed to pull Tamatoa’s tail away far enough to grab the little treasure tucked against it.
Time seemed to speed up and a million things happened at once—all within barely the span of a scant few heartbeats.
Dakuwaqa snatched the pearl, letting out a whoop of triumph. As he touched the shiny little trinket, there was a flash of blue light, blindingly bright in the dark night. Tamatoa blinked against the sudden burst and when his vision cleared, it was not a gleaming pearl of otherworldly beauty but Maui’s hook in Dakuwaqa’s hand. The demigod was laughing now, an ill-intentioned grin starting to form on his features.
Tamatoa didn’t even hesitate, with a sharp jerk he pulled one of his claws free from the distracted demigod’s grip. Bioluminescence flaring brightly against the darkness, he lunged for Dakuwaqa’s hand. His claw closed around the man’s wrist in a flash. Growling through gritted teeth, Tamatoa clamped down with all his strength and twisted.
Dakuwaqa’s laugh quickly morphed into a shriek of agony, which almost drowned out the crunching of bone in the man’s wrist.
The hook fell limply from Dakuwaqa’s hand.
Then Tamatoa was abruptly airborne, flung high into the air. Dakuwaqa had thrown him! With the strength of a demigod, it was no small throw either. Time, which had felt so sped up before, now seemed to slow to a crawl. He flailed, legs beating the air uselessly as he tumbled through the air. The world spun and then suddenly there was blackness rushing towards him—vast, empty, terrible blackness.
It was the sea. Dakuwaqa had flung him over the ocean.
Terror gripped Tamatoa as the water rushed up to meet him. Then came the inevitable splash. He struggled, legs slicing through the water as he tried to stay afloat. His kind wasn’t built for swimming, however, and he could gain no traction. Dark, cold seawater closed over his head. Panic flooded through him and he thrashed harder against the water as he sank.
It did him no good and, exhausted, his limbs went limp. All he could do was stare in naked fear at the rippling underside of the water retreating above him. The moon, its light distorted by the waves on the surface, grew smaller and fainter as he slipped into the dark depths.
***
It had taken just a moment too long for Maui to break out of his surprise as Tamatoa had launched himself at the villager—no, not a villager, the other demigod. The thief. It had all happened so fast and, not for the first time today, Maui was caught wrong-footed. He’d been so distracted, so lost without his hook, and it had clearly thrown him off his game. By the time he’d finally regained his wits, Dakuwaqa was tearing furiously at Tamatoa’s underside, looking as if had every intention of ripping the crab in half. Well, not on Maui’s watch! With a whooping battle cry, he gathered himself and sprang into action.
He had only just grabbed for the other demigod’s arms when there was a flurry of movement and a burst of light, followed by a shrill scream. Staggering back and blinking against the glare, Maui opened his eyes in time to see the man hurl something far out to sea—something that glowed a bright, erratically flickering blue. It arced high over the water, almost leaving a trail of light like a falling star against the dark night sky.
There was a distant splash and the flickering lights slipped beneath the sea’s rippling surface. Maui could feel the blood drain away from his face as the chilling realization hit him. It was Tamatoa. Dakuwaqa had thrown him out into the deep water.
The crab couldn’t swim, couldn’t float. He’d sink like a stone out there.
Maui didn’t even think twice, spinning on his heel and starting towards the sea. He’d made it only a few steps, however, before the howling curses of the other demigod stopped him cold.
Dakuwaqa was gripping his injured wrist, which was twisted at an unnatural angle, and yet still he stood braced in a fighting stance. He fixed Maui with a dark, cold glare and yelled out a brash, ill-conceived challenge.
Maui turned to meet his eyes with an equally fierce gaze, fists balling up in fury. He straightened, back rigid and muscles tense, and took a measured step back towards the wounded demigod, every stiff movement a silent, but clear answer to the challenge issued. He widened his stance, twisting his expression into one of fierce defiance, and moved to slap his elbow--the start of a haka. He had no time for this, but he also had no time to deal with this jerk either.
For his part, Dakuwaqa seemed to recognize the ritualistic gesture and abruptly change his mind about fighting. Instead, he backed away a step and angled himself towards the shoreline. “Fine then, but that little vermin is going to pay for this instead,” he snarled.
With a spray of sand, the other demigod sprinted towards the water. A few long strides had him there, then Dakuwaqa leapt into the sea. As his body knifed towards the water, there was a flash of green light. In the wake of the light, it was not a man but a sleek, powerful shark that splashed into the surf. Another shapeshifter!
The sharp, distinctive shape of a dorsal fin hissed through the water, cutting swiftly through the waves towards where Tamatoa had splashed down. The fin moved fast, but it seemed to wobble on its course as if the injury done to the man’s wrist was fouling his steering even as a shark.
Maui was left alone on the beach.
He glanced down and caught a familiar gleam of curved ivory in the sand stirred up by the scuffle. There was no question what it was.
Maui reached down for his hook, but hesitated just as his hand hovered a hair’s breadth away from the sennit-wrapped handle. Guilt swam up to overwhelm him. He'd gotten his hook back, but at what price? He looked out to the sea, where Tamatoa was somewhere sinking beneath the waves, and felt the weight of blame settle on his own shoulders.
He took a breath and shook off the guilt, just as he always did. He could think about that later, if he had to think about it at all. Right now, he just had to get Tamatoa back. There was no time to worry about the rest, not when his friend was out there about to drown. That is, unless he became shark food first.
Maui snatched up his hook. Bellowing out his war cry, he took to the air in a flash. In his hawk’s skin, he angled after the retreating dorsal fin as quickly as his wings could carry him.
It didn’t take him long to catch up. The shark was fast, but Maui’s wings were faster.
He swooped down to intercept, shifting quickly into his own shark form and splashed into the water. Dakuwaqa was there ahead of him, and Maui burst forward, aiming to bite the other demigod on the tail. It was too late, however, and his teeth closed on nothing but water as the other shark dove down, slipping swiftly into the deeper water. It was then that Maui realized what was right below them: a familiar, but faint, blue glow radiating up from the depths.
Tamatoa was alarmingly far beneath the surface.
Quickly, Maui dove as well, racing to reach his friend first.
***
The circle of moonlight was growing smaller and smaller above him. Panic was steadily creeping up within Tamatoa's mind, while the faint hope of rescue shrank along with the moon. He was alone in a bottomless ocean, alone with only his doubts as he sank. Maui had his hook back now, would he even come for him? Would he--
Wait! There! The shadow of a shark cut across the light, then angled down towards him. Elation bubbled up--it was Maui! Maui was coming to save him!
He had only a moment to get a glimpse of the shark, lit by his own bioluminescent glow, to realize that it was not Maui before a wide, jagged-toothed open maw bit--hard!--down on his shell. Terror overwhelmed him and he thrashed, kicking and flailing, as the teeth ground down against his carapace with bruising force. Frenzied with fear, he struck wildly at his attacker with his claws--snapping at everything and anything he could reach. He blindly grabbed at something--maybe a tooth--and pulled it loose, but it did nothing to stop the rest of the teeth, compressing down upon him and leaving gouges in his shell.
The crushing pressure around him was too much and, despite the strength of his tough shell, he knew it wouldn't be long until it splintered under the onslaught. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain and fear of what was surely coming.
Then there was a jolting impact as something slammed sidelong into his attacker. The collision was deafeningly loud under the water, like two massive canoes crashing together. Tumbling with the impact, the shark lost its grip on him and Tamatoa was very nearly free until the teeth closed around him again, though without as much strength behind them this time.
Something rammed the shark again, smashing into it with enough force to spin it sideways. Abruptly, Tamatoa smelled blood in the water and, by some miracle, it wasn't his own yet. Nevertheless, the shark held doggedly onto him. Another heavy blow shook the shark, making its teeth rattle against Tamatoa's shell. This time, the teeth around him released and Tamatoa was falling into the deep again.
Disoriented and terrified, he tried to make out what was going on above him. The deep water was dark and the moon was but a faint memory above him, so he could see little except shadowy shapes overhead, accompanied by the sound of heavy bodies clashing with thundering blows that reverberated throughout the water.
Long moments passed and the need for air was growing pressing as he slipped farther from the light. Above him, the sounds of the fight had faded. Whether it was because it had ended or because he had fallen too far to hear it, Tamatoa had know way of knowing. He couldn't dwell on that, though, not when his body burned for air so desperately. He might have escaped the shark, but he was still going to drown. His thoughts spiraled into chilly horror. He was still sinking and the surface was impossibly far away and--
A shape appeared out of the darkness, racing towards him blindingly fast. Reflexively, he opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out as the shark slashed its way through the water towards him. Legs scrambling uselessly, he thrashed in full scale panic once more as he waited for the inevitable press of teeth around him.
The teeth never came.
There was a brilliant flash and a whump of sound, as if the water was rushing to fill empty space. A soft hand began fumbling to grab ahold of him. Out of terror, he instinctively snapped a claw onto it. He heard a pained sound, muffled by water, and the hand let go. Then something else snagged on his shell and pulled him, kicking and fighting, around to face--
Maui!
A familiar hook was looped around him, holding him steady and keeping him from sinking further. Maui was there, giving him a reassuring look, illuminated by the glow of his hook and Tamatoa's own light. Relief flooded through Tamatoa and he felt warm despite the cold water. His struggles immediately ceased and he shoved off the hook towards Maui, wrapping all his limbs tightly around his friend and clinging to him desperately, even as his legs trembled with residual fear. Maui reached up and gently stroked the back of his neck, a calming gesture that put Tamatoa more at ease.
Then Maui started swimming up, paddling fast towards the surface.
Comforted, Tamatoa rested his face against Maui's neck as they ascended back towards the world above. It had seemed so certain that this was the end, but Maui had come back for him--had saved him! Even after all the strife and turmoil since landing on this island, Maui had still come for him. Tamatoa held on tighter to his friend, grateful beyond what any mere words could express.
***
After what seemed like an eternity--and Maui had to wonder just how deep had they really been--they finally broke through the sea's surface into the air once more. Tamatoa was still clinging to his chest like a barnacle, gasping and sputtering as they burst from the water. They'd made it to the top, but staying there was another matter. With one hand holding on to his hook and the other wrapped around the crab, Maui was having a difficult time staying afloat. Tamatoa was heavy and Maui, being mostly muscle, was not exactly all that buoyant either. He struggled in the waves, kicking steadily but tiredly to keep them above the surface.
A quick look around was all Maui needed to gauge their position. The pale crescent of beach, sand lit up by moonlight, was tiny and distant. Yep, they were a really long way from shore. Well, he wasn't going to be able to swim all the way back like this. Not when he was exhausted. And not if they wanted to survive the trip, anyway.
Maui glanced back at his friend. Tamatoa still seemed a bit wide-eyed, nervous and dazed in the wake of what was likely a pretty frightening experience. Maui had seen the sheer, unrelenting panic in his friend's face when he found him in the depths. The last thing he wanted to do was scare him further.
"Hey, Tamatoa," he said gently, to get the crab's attention. "I need to shift into something else to get us back to shore."
The multitude of legs clinging to him tightened a little more, as if Tamatoa was afraid to slip under the water again, but the crab didn't say anything yet.
"Okay?" Maui prompted again. After a moment's thought, he added, "Not a shark this time."
The crab dipped an antenna in assent. "No shark," he agreed, though his voice seemed a bit small.
Maui nodded. "Climb onto my back," he instructed, "and hold on."
Tamatoa did as he was told, carefully shifting around to cling to Maui's shoulders. "Okay, ready."
Maui adjusted the grip on his hook, unable to hold back a slight grin. He hadn't used this particular form in a good long while. It was terribly impractical most of the time, but utterly perfect for right now. "Cheehoo!" he cried, then shifted.
He dipped just barely under the water with the change, but when he rose back to the surface it was in the shape of a massive sea turtle. Tamatoa let out a tiny yelp as the water splashed over him, but clung tenaciously onto him--Maui was pretty sure he was never going to let go at this point.
Steady and level now at the surface, Maui started slowly paddling back to shore.
It was quiet, with the sea calm and the sky clear overhead. Tamatoa was settling down some, easing his death grip just slightly, but still not saying much. He was far too quiet, really. The whole ordeal must have left him fairly shaken. That obvious, unavoidable silence left Maui too much empty space for his own thoughts and the niggling feeling of guilt started to sneak back up on him.
Even he had to admit, if only to himself, that he had lost his hook through his own negligence on this little misadventure. He’d spent the whole day taking out his frustration on Tamatoa, too. Yet, Tamatoa had still stuck by him and had risked his own life more than once to get his hook back for him. The crab had very nearly been killed, too. He looked over his shoulder. Tamatoa caught his gaze and smiled, but the expression seemed shaky and Maui could feel the crab’s legs trembling ever so slightly against him still. There were deep scratches all across his shell from Dakuwaqa's teeth, showing up starkly against pale bioluminescence. Maui knew Tamatoa was not going to be happy when he recovered enough to assess the extent of the damage--even if it was just a cosmetic blemish.
Maui tried to think of what to say--something to smooth everything over, to make up for everything that had gone awry today. Something to make the guilt go away. What did one say to fix things like this?
The crab beat him to it and the wisps of whatever he was going to say evaporated. "I thought I was a goner. But you came back for me," Tamatoa said slowly, then went on in a voice that was surprisingly, uncharacteristically quiet for the loud little crab. "Thank you."
Maui smiled--or smiled as best he could in the shape of a turtle. "Hey, I wasn't going to just leave you to that jerk," he said, tone breezy. "You're my friend and I've got your back."
The crab seemed to mull this over a moment and Maui suddenly found himself wishing he knew what Tamatoa was thinking. Finally, the crab came to some decision and smiled, wider and brighter than before. "Best friend," he amended pointedly. "And I've got your back too." He grinned and tapped his legs lightly on Maui's sea turtle shell. "Literally! See?"
Maui laughed and just like that, it seemed all was forgiven. Maui felt relieved. He had his hook back, he had his best friend back, and he didn't have to worry about all the unpleasantness that had happened in the interim, either. Everything was just how it should be.
Tamatoa seemed to relax a bit more behind him, looking up at the stars that stretched in a glittering tapestry overhead as they drifted slowly towards shore. After a long, quiet moment, he looked back down to Maui. "Can we leave this place now?" he asked bluntly.
Maui let out a rueful chuckle. "Oh, absolutely. I think it's definitely time to head back towards more familiar waters." True, there had been some fun adventures on this side of the sea, but between the swamp witches of the previous island they'd visited and this jealous demigod causing trouble here, Maui had to agree--it was time to go.
"Oh good," Tamatoa said, sounding relieved. Then he stopped and glanced around, concerned. "Uhh, so where did Dakuwaqa go?"
Maui brightened with the prospect of telling a good story about his latest victory. "Well, would you believe there was a really big octopus down there? And wow, did she not like him at all! After I rammed him, then I…"
***
The moon was still high when they reached their canoe and they wasted no time setting out. Tamatoa was eager to put this whole weird place behind him, really. While Maui prepped the canoe, he had hurried to collect up all their supplies and get them all safely stowed.
As he tucked the baskets away, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. There would be no shiny new additions to his collection from this island. Even his pretty pearl turned out to just be Maui's hook in disguise. Not that he begrudged Maui his hook or anything--no, of course not! But nevertheless, he didn't get a single souvenir out of this mess. Hmph. He brushed it aside, though. He was at least glad to have survived, really. With a reluctant shrug, he got back to work and in no time at all, they were shoving off and setting sail under the starry skies.
As the beach shrank behind them, Tamatoa watched from the top of the mast. He thought of Abaia, somewhere up in the misty hills. He'd liked her--she wasn't bad for a monster eel. He wondered if she'd remember him.
"Hey, Tamatoa," Maui's voice broke into his thoughts and he peered down at his friend.
Maui was standing near the steering oar, looking up with a lopsided smile on his face. "You're getting pretty big now. You want to try your claw at sailing?"
Tamatoa's antennae perked. "Really?"
"Yes, really!"
He'd been helping navigate for what seemed like centuries--and, why yes, he was getting pretty big--but now Maui trusted him to actually steer the canoe, too? A wide grin spread across his face and he scurried down the mast, then skittered eagerly across the deck to where Maui stood. He looked up at his friend, who smiled back fondly and tilted the oar towards him. Tentatively, Tamatoa extended a claw to take it.
Still smiling, Maui kneeled down to his level. "Okay, so here's how this works…"
And with that, they set back out into the wide open sea and a future filled with promise.
Yet somewhere far astern, a shark's fin cut silently through the water.