Early Next Morning

  Year 602 of the Divine Empire

  From the moment the sun peaked above the horizon, the kālai merchants of Kuapo’i set themselves into a practiced chaos of packing and loading. The entire market would be packed up onto a herd of luhi in a matter of hours, a process which always impressed outsiders with both its scale and efficiency. Ikaika was used to it by now, however, as he had lived in this area for longer than the village had existed and had witnessed hundreds of these moving days. He was certainly unusual in that way, as pāpaka usually lived nomadic lifestyles. Even this “village” was less of an actual settlement and more of a breeding ground. Mated pāpaka would come here to lay their egg clutches, with the merchant stands being a later development. Kālai couldn’t talk to luhi, which made them difficult to raise, and struggled in deep waters where the largest fish swam. As Ikaika’s kind were mostly incapable of weaving or cooking with their large claws, it was only natural that the two races would come to make up for each other's differences. Ikaika had watched over this development nearly fifty years ago, and had continued to observe Kuapo’i’s growth ever since. His friends had always found it odd that he would choose to live in one place for so long, and he could never find a way to explain himself. It wasn’t something anyone but him could understand.

  Ikaika was sitting at the edge of the disassembling market, or at least was resting his body with his legs only on the ground to provide balance, which was as close as a pāpaka could get to a seated position. The child, “Kanoa” as she was called, was still asleep and being shielded by his massive form. It wasn’t hard to move her, as his experience raising dozens of children gave him practice caring for softshells. As her small form softly rose and fell against his shell, he looked at the pendant in his claw, pondering.

  It was a holy symbol of Kinohi, resembling a small spearhead etched with flame-like details. His kind were never ones to grow attached to anything, be it locations, possessions, or even lovers. Their bonds rarely lasted longer than what was needed to lay and protect their eggs, with emotions rarely factoring into things. And yet, he still held onto this symbol, still stayed on the same beach where he had received it. Ikaika could still remember that day, nearly a hundred years ago. He had found that Pōmaika lying on the stone beach. He hadn’t known what a Pōmaika was at the time, didn’t even know enough kino to learn the man’s name. It was nearly a decade later that he had heard the story from a traveling merchant. Kapena had been sent to Moku Hāweo, the island of glowing reeds. He had been meant to seek out the dark god Pō’ele Hakahaka, to slay it once and for all. It was a ridiculous mission, something that not even Kinohi had managed to achieve, and yet his village had somehow gotten the idea that he was part of some grand prophecy. Even still, he was certainly as capable as he could have been expected to be. Even after the god had torn off half his shell plates alongside his left leg, he had still managed to swim all the way back to Moku Waena. It was after this that Ikaika had found him, near bloodless on the beach, still emanating that divine heat. Even in his final moments, the Pōmaika still held onto the symbol of his faith. His village never even bothered to find the body.

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  It had been nearly a century since then, yet that symbol had never left his side. The obsidian icon was chipped and shattered, the rope that bound it replaced many times. He kept it wrapped around the joint where his claw met his arm, a place where only he could be aware of it. Staying in the same spot was the only thing he knew how to do. It just didn’t feel right to continue traveling on a whim. Most would call this foolish, especially his own kin, and yet he had finally found who he was waiting for. He did not truly understand what a god was, and yet he had no doubt that Kinohi had brought this child to him. He did not understand what purpose he was meant to serve, and yet he knew that he was needed. It was a bizarre sort of faith that drove Ikaika to deny his own instincts for longer than most humans were expected to live, and yet it was absolute. Kanoa held power and potential within her, but Ikaika knew from experience that she could not stand on her own. As his century of aimlessness finally turned to a unique kind of determination, Ikaika raised his head as he heard a familiar voice.

  “Hey! Ikaika! You’re awake!” Nohea jogged towards the two of them. “What have you two been up to?”

  “.--. .-. --- - . -.-. - .. ...- . / ..-. --- .-.. .-.. --- .-- .. -. --.”

  “I really have to figure out how to talk to you. . .”

  Pika followed up behind them. “I think he’s planning on going with you.”

  “. . . What?”

  “He’s been cycling between the rhythms of protectiveness and following for a while now. Not sure why, but he seems pretty attached to Kanoa.”

  “Really now? Well, I guess that’ll give me a chance to learn from a native speaker. . . Are you sure you want to come with us? I really don’t know what to expect in Kālepa, so things might end up becoming pretty difficult.”

  Ikaika gave a few swipes with his claws, as if mimicking a fight. “.--. .-. --- - . -.-. - .. ...- . / ..-. .- .. - ....”

  Pika chuckled. “The man seems committed, friend. I don’t think you’ll be talking him out of this.”

  “Is that so? Oh, sure, Kanoa seems to like him anyway. Besides, I’d be surprised if anyone would want to threaten us with a wall of chitin as a bodyguard.”

  As the two kālai led Ikaika towards the luhi, he began shifting his rhythm from protectiveness to contentment. It was nice to finally be able to journey again, even if he would likely end up staying in the next village for as long as it took for a kālai to grow up. Still, it wouldn’t be too bad. Ikaika had a feeling that whenever this journey resumed, it would be beyond anything his kind had ever experienced before.