Castaway

Castaway is a Short Story by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Ballom focusing on the events surrounding a weary traveler, devoid of memories of who he is, crash landing on Terra Nui.

A Tale of Terra Nui
It was a time of turmoil on the island paradise of Terra Nui. A series of violent storms had arisen, seemingly out of nowhere and from the distant east of the dome. Turaga Akito had originally dispelled the weather patterns as nothing serious, claiming them to be a simple gale passing through the area. But the resident Terra-Matoran had been frightened. The winds had become so strong that they could sweep any pedestrian off their feet; rain, hail, and sleet persisted for days on end; and furthermore, the very trees and buildings were bent double in the maelstrom. Finally, a pair of headstrong young Matoran named Chompshi and Vrael succeeded in finding two Toa Stones hidden long ago by the Turaga. Themselves becoming Toa, they succeeded in using their newfound powers to calm the disastrous weather and become heroes to the whole island. It was a dark and stormy night during the last day of the disaster times, before the Toa of Electricity and Crystal became the saviors of their homeland. The two moons shone grimly over the ocean as the salt sea wind rocked the shore in its' cold, blustery grip. Terra Nui itself seemed a far cry from its usual peaceful clime. Suddenly, a sole object materialized in the distance. Carried by the waves toward the northwestern shore, it appeared to be a round metallic pod of some kind. Lacking any sort of engine or navigational device, it was at the mercy of the dark waters that swept it toward the beach. With a flash of lightning in the sky, the pod was flung upon the sand by a particularly vicious wave. After a night of tossing and turning, the rough waters proved too much for the old, rusty metal and Protodermis edifice. It cracked and shattered into dozens of pieces of jagged iron over the sandbar, which slowly sank beneath the surface. Had any Matoran been present, they would have noticed a small form float away from the wreckage, and gently land on the crest of a small sand dune. As the night wore on, only the lap of the waves came to and fro around it. The night dragged on. -- Groggily, the being on the beach opened his eyes. It was early morning, based off of the light, and a small Rahi was staring him in the face. Fully opening his eyes and pulling himself up onto his knees, he saw a Gula wyvern flapping its' wings on the sand. Several more sat behind it. Startled by its' erstwhile prey showing signs of life, the Gula flock spread their wings and flew away screeching. The being rubbed his eyes to remove the last vestiges of sleep. He could see that he was on a beach, broad and golden-sanded, stretching on for many kio in both directions. A kio directly away from him, an expanse of grass began, which led into a grove of palm trees: the start of a vast rainforest. This sight was entirely alien to him. He had no idea of where he was or how he had gotten here. In fact, the being thought, who am I? Standing fully erect, he noticed a small pool of seawater a bio or so near him. The shallow pool had been formed by the receding tide the night before. Surrounding it were large pieces of driftwood, with one forming a long half-sunken log in the sand. He ambled over to the log, sat on it, and looked into the pool. Staring back at him was a round, cute face with iridescent lime green eyes and a small mouth. His emerald head was spherical and curved, forming a protective helmet on all sides of his face. Below it, he wore a chest plate and shoulder armor in the same shade of green, with a glowing lime heart light pulsing slowly in his breast. His dexterous hands and arms were covered in gray skin, though his short gray legs led to a pair of green, boot-like feet. So this is what I look like. Swiveling his head around, he saw another sight to pique his ample curiosity. In the breaking waves, he saw a glint of silver. Running into the shallows, he bent down and picked up a jagged piece of gray and silver metal, covered with a thin coat of rust, but otherwise sharp and strong. Heading back to his log seat, the being noticed two pieces of driftwood that looked different from the others. One was long and narrow, about as tall as him, slender at one end but with a large flat clubbed shape at the other. The second piece was also flat, but round and slightly square with jagged edges. Both were weathered from years of wear and tear, and covered in vestiges of moss and sea stains that gave them a green hue not unlike that of his armor. He looked at the metal adze in his hand, then back at the driftwood pieces. Since he was bored and had nothing to do, an idea formed in his head. He sat down on the log, picked up the two wooden pieces, and began to carve. -- After a half hour of work, the being sat back to admire his handiwork. He did not know where his sudden expertise in wood carving stemmed from, since he had no recollection of working with the material before his crash landing. And yet he had produced two exquisite objects that would shame even the most erudite and talented Koalite stonemasons on [Kaiva Nui (Island)|Kaiva Nui]]. The long wooden shaft he had crafted into a long battleaxe, with a long handle with markings from the flint knife to make sturdy hand grips. The head of the axe was fashioned from the club of the driftwood piece, with a back-curved end and a broad frontal blade. Remembering a skill that most sentient, biomechanical beings possessed, he made a small fire with the flint knife and a few rocks, then added the unsuitable driftwood to create a neat little pyre. He then cut the axe head to a point, and held the wood of it in the fire to harden it. Once it was done, he extinguished the fire with sand. The result of his handiwork was a sturdy wooden weapon that would cut through thick tree trunks like they were made of old clay. As for the circular piece, after much consideration he decided to make a shield from it. Unfortunately, as he was preparing to cut across the wood lengthwise, a triangular section snapped off. Not to be deterred, he instead made a shield shaped like a claw on one end, and circular on the other side. He then managed to find some old vines lying below a piece of kindling driftwood. Tying these around the shield tightly, he then soaked the whole mess in the seawater pool to cure. Once the vines had tightly bound the wood, he tied the shield to his forearm. Like the axe, he made notches, runes, and markings in it to add beauty to the wood. These two items would be, he decided, of great value to him. A short twittering chirp behind him caught his attention. Turning around, he saw another small Rahi sitting on the grass nearby him. It was a Jierba tree rodent, probably out searching for seeds or coconuts to eat on the beach. The little creature had a pair of large, beady eyes and a small buck tooth. Its' large ears were leaf-shaped, and a long, prehensile tail led to a gray tuft at the end. Its' short limbs led to small paws with opposable thumbs. Looking again and cocking its' head, it gave another cute chirp. Standing very still, the being gave a chirp. The skill of mimicry seemed to come naturally to him, for reasons unknown. He gave a little motion of his finger for the Rahi to come closer. After a few seconds, the Jierba seemed to recognize that he held no harm, and scampered toward its' new friend, who patted it on its' furry head. With the Jierba close by, and his axe and shield in hand, the being surveyed the beach again. In a single hour of residence on this tropical island, he had learned much. He had crafted two indispensable tools for himself and discovered that he could communicate with wild animals. I guess, he though, this is my home now. Making his mind up, he moved away from the seawater pool and began to walk toward the jungle. It would be an ideal place to live, he decided. The jungle would be hard to navigate at first, but soon he would know every nook and cranny of it. A large wood tree house would make a fine residence, nestled in the branches of a large tree. In time, he would try to learn the Rahi languages, so that he could communicate with the other inhabitants of the island. A simple living as a woodcutter and navigator would suffice for him. All he wanted was a life of peace and tranquility. But first, he needed to make contact with the natives. No doubt Matoran lived on this island, as they did on dozens of others. He had never met one, but he had heard that they were a wise, kind, and generous species. He had no doubt that the local Turaga and Toa would take kindly to him, and that the villagers would soon become his friends. Plus, he needed to find the nearest village to get food, water, and supplies. It was probably on the other edge of the rainforest. As he entered the jungle with the curious Jierba in tow, one last thought entered his mind. Now that he was going to live here, he needed an identity. No previous names or recollections came to memory, so he would have to forge a new self. It would be up to him to create a new name with which to call himself. He looked at himself, with green armor and emerald weapons, followed by a Jierba the color of the foliage around him. This whole forest was filled with the color, full of vibrant life and vitality. No wonder, he would soon find out, this island went by the name of Terra Nui: "Great Land". “Vewwy well,” he said. “I shall call myself Da Gween One. Dat’s a good name.” --