Chapter 28 — Moana's Awakening
After a restless and eventful night, Thor slowly woke up, his arms feeling heavy and trapped by something soft and warm. He blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the dim morning light filtering through the cabin window. As he turned his head slightly, he realized that Astrid and Shiro were both asleep, clinging closely to him, their breathing calm and peaceful.
Thor's mind drifted back to the previous evening. After Astrid had suddenly fainted, Shiro had woken up not long after, and the two had shared an intimate moment together, a connection forged in the quiet of the night. Eventually, Shiro too had succumbed to exhaustion. The three of them, intertwined, had fallen into a deep sleep.
Gently and carefully, so as not to disturb the two girls, Thor moved his arms from beneath them. He was cautious, careful not to wake either Astrid or Shiro. Once free, he reached over to cover them with the soft, worn sheets that kept the chill out of the cabin's air. Before leaving the room, he leaned down and pressed soft, tender kisses to their foreheads, a quiet gesture of affection and gratitude.
Silently, Thor rose and made his way to the small kitchen area of the cabin. The scent of pinewood filled the air, mixed with the faint aroma of the sea from outside. He began preparing breakfast with a steady hand, arranging freshly baked bread, ripe fruits, and pouring sweet fruit juice into rustic wooden mugs. He wanted the breakfast to be enough to replenish the energy of both Astrid and Shiro after such a long and tiring night.
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Meanwhile, in another corner of the village, Moana began to slowly awaken from a deep and unsettling sleep.
Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the strange surroundings of the unfamiliar room. Blinking repeatedly, she tried to focus, her vision gradually sharpening. The room was small and sparse — the walls made of simple wood planks, the light dim and muted through a small window high up on the wall.
She sat up with some difficulty, her muscles aching and her head still foggy from sleep and confusion. As she looked around, a surge of panic briefly gripped her.
— Where am I...? — she whispered softly, her voice barely audible. She tried to summon her memories, to make sense of the past hours.
Suddenly, vivid images of the storm flashed in her mind — the wild, roiling ocean, the boat rocking violently from side to side, and then… darkness swallowing everything whole.
— My boat… my rooster… Hei Hei!?
At that moment, a faint noise came from a nearby drawer. Moana quickly got up and pulled it open, revealing her clumsy, familiar rooster with his head stuck awkwardly.
— Hei Hei! — she breathed out in relief, carefully freeing him from the tight space. — At least you're alright…
She took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her situation settle around her. If she was alive and her rooster was too, it meant someone had rescued her from the fury of the sea. But who? And where exactly was she now?
Determined, Moana stood and moved toward the door of the room. Her hand trembled slightly as she turned the doorknob with caution, slowly opening the door just a crack.
What she saw outside stopped her cold — a massive creature stood in the hallway, its scales shimmering with a deep, vibrant blue and eyes sharp and watchful.
It was Tempest, Astrid's dragon.
Moana froze for a moment, heart pounding in her chest. Without thinking, she quietly and carefully closed the door, making sure to latch the lock with a soft click. She slid down the wall, breathing heavily, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside her.
— What was that...? — she whispered, trembling. — A creature… a monster...? No… it was a dragon!
Clutching Hei Hei tightly in her arms, the rooster pecked her hand gently.
— Ow! Okay, okay, calm down! I'm thinking!
She began to pace slowly around the small room, speaking softly to herself, trying to reason through her fear.
— Calm down, Moana… You always dreamed of leaving the island, exploring the world… But no one said the world would have… this.
Her eyes flicked between the closed door and Hei Hei nestled in her lap.
— Hei Hei… where have we ended up?
She sank back onto the bed, trying to collect her thoughts and devise a plan. Maybe if she waited patiently until the creature left the hallway, she could sneak out quietly and find out where she really was. But what if there were more of those creatures lurking nearby?
Her breath hitched as uncertainty gnawed at her.
— I need to thank whoever saved me. But… I also have to find my boat. My village is counting on me…
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Back in the cabin's kitchen, Thor finished setting the table, carefully placing bread, fruits, and pouring juice into the wooden mugs.
He glanced toward the door of the room where Astrid and Shiro still slept, a small smile playing on his lips.
— Well… after last night, better make sure breakfast is hearty. They deserve it.
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