There Are Many Paths To Tread

Chapter soundtrack :

(*1) You're welcome- Dwayne Johnson

(*2) Battle of Wills- Mark Mancina

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 2016.

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

...

Chapter 2

Thump! Crack!

'' OW!'' I exclaimed as I landed unceremoniously on the hard ground.

After a moment of lingering, I gingerly sat up, my sleeping bag slipping off my shoulders as I reached up to rub the side of my jaw.

'' I really hate seeing that vision-dream. It has been bothering me every night for the past month, and I'm beginning to remember every detail by heart,'' I thought inwardly, wincing at the pain in my jaw.

''So have you had enough of beauty sleep, Maija?'' an obnoxiously cheery voice rang out from somewhere beside me.

I turned to look up into the face of the said demigod I'd just been having a vision-dream about. Well, to be truthful, it had been more of a nightmare.

I flicked away the hand reaching out to ruffle my hair. I already had terrible bed-hair from having been squirming around in my hammock, and I certainly didn't want to get it even more knotted.

Seriously, even after spending an entire twelve months with the guy, the demigod was still occasionally a thorn in the backside.

Well, at least Mini-Maui was the constant presence in kicking his obnoxiousness down a few pegs.

My back gave a popping sound as I scrambled to my feet and started untying my hammock from the rocks. Once I'd untied the hammock, I rolled it into a small bundle that I tied with a long strip of the collection of extra rope before stuffing it into my backpack.

I tried hard to ignore Maui's amused laughter as I went on with my morning arrangements, but eventually, his voice became too much for me to endure.

'' You know, you shouldn't be laughing at me, Maui. Especially right after I'd had such a vivid dream of how you stole the heart of Te Fiti and got smote from the sky by Te Ka's flaming fist. Then you lost your magical hook and the heart of Te Fiti. And then you ended up here, stuck until the end of time with me. A girl who doesn't have a clue as to how and why the gods decided to bring me here,'' I told him, smirking at the demigod without any mirth in my expression.

'' Are you done with the lecture, Maija?'' Maui asked me with a smile on his lips, but with a hint of warning in his expression.

'' Honestly, Maui, I can go on and on about the ridiculousness of being stuck on this puny little island. And we have a boat from the damned 21th century which we can't repair. But I won't because that would just make me a crazy raving person,'' I answered with a sarcastic smirk.

'' And you are also a right pain in the behind sometimes. But then again, things could be a lot worse. I could still be stuck on this island on my lonesome,'' Maui answered with a genuine smile.

I stifled a wide smile at the demigod's words. It seemed that he did appreciate my presence on this island.

And to be honest with myself, I would not have known what to do if I'd been stuck on this island on my own. Therefore, his presence had been and was greatly appreciated.