Wha sighed, kicking her bare feet back and forth. The tatau that spanned her muscular legs rippled as she rotated her ankles and swung her legs about. Her quads jumped with each movement, corded muscles dancing as she moved. A slap rang out as a large hand landed on her bare butt.

“Quit moping and get up,” ‘Ekolu’s soothing, slightly high pitched voice interrupted her sighing reverie. He quickly jiggled her shapely posterior, slapping the cheek one more time as he admired the way it bounced. “We gotta watch your little experiments.”

“No!” Wha replied, whining as she buried her face in her crossed arms. “I don’t wanna!”

‘Ekolu rolled his eyes, hand still resting on her plump rump. He squeezed, huge hand tightening around a handful of sinewy ass. With light little pulses, he made her cheeks clap as he chuckled lightly.

“Stop!” Wha’s hand whipped backward and slapped the large man’s hand, causing her bottom to jiggle more.

‘Ekolu laughed, his voice climbing several octaves as he let out a hearty harrumph. Envigored by her rebuking him, he shifted and grasped both cheeks with his hands and began making them clap harder.

“Stupid, I said stop!” Wha suddenly twisted, hooking her leg around his back and pulling him forward. She scrambled around and mounted his enormous back as he stretched out dumbly. “Let’s see how you like it!”

Using her legs as braces, she hooked her feet on the insides of his elbows and flattened him out. ‘Ekolu groaned as he found himself face down with his woman’s warm privates pressed against his back. Excitement coursed through his body as he acquiesced, allowing her to do what she pleased.

The muscular woman gripped ‘Ekolu’s exposed butt, one hand on either cheek. She began rattling and jiggling them just like how he had to her.

It started as a slight tremor in the large man’s back and slowly grew. ‘Ekolu roared with laughter as she tickled his butt with her rough hands. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he laughed, unable to wipe them due to her holding him pinned down.

“Why. Are. You. Laughing?!” Wha spluttered, trying not to laugh herself. Instead of gripping and jiggling, she let his cheeks go and began drumming on them. At first, it was just arhythmic slapping. Then she settled into a groove, slapping out a beat that her ancient people had once used. Tap. Tap tap. Tap, tap, ta-tap.

‘Ekolu began thrusting his hips to the rhythm, still giggling and laughing. He shifted his arm and wiped his face, barely straining against his restraints. A smell hit his nose, one that he was familiar with.

“You smell good. You finally done moping?”

Wha ignored him, grinding her hips into his robust back as she continued slapping his butt. The man’s brown skin glowed a slight red from the repeated hits. As she continued to slap, not noticing that he was thrusting his hips in sync with her rhythm, something plopped out between the man’s legs. It was an organ she was intimately familiar with. And its appearance intensified the ache that pulsed in her groin.

“I know you see it. You gonna do something about it or do I have to take care of it myself?”

Wha harrumphed, slapping his butt one more time for good measure before she reached between his legs and grabbed his prick. She brushed his fruits, tight with anticipation, as she brought the meaty thing to her lips.

‘Ekolu shuddered, still lying face down as he enjoyed the suckling. He groaned and ran his hands up and down her legs, truly unable to move now.

---

The pair of Tu’i stepped out of the corner of the Domain they’d hidden away in. ‘Ekolu squealed and jumped as Wha pinched his sore rump. She snickered as they stepped into the greater Domain, shadowy walls melting and rippling as they emerged. Her half-smile faltered as she walked right into a thick presence. It was like wading through a thick, ichorous swamp.

‘Ekolu’s yelp faltered as he too felt the presence.

“You two frolic a lot,” a voice rumbled in their ears. “Especially when we have an Advent to attend to.”

The voice was icy and thick. They felt every word rather than heard it.

“Apologies, Tamai,” ‘Ekolu muttered, head down. He stood erect, back ramrod straight and shoulders pulled back. His malo fluttered despite the absence of wind.

“Apologies,” Wha muttered. She kept her eyes down, shoulders slumped as her ears prickled.

“You sulk way too much, little girl,” the voice chided. It spoke like it was holding back a cough. “I gave you enough time. And you still act like a pampered little princess.”

Wha clenched her fists and bit her lower lip, sucking it behind her teeth as she pressed her tongue against it. A large, moist hand closed around her fist.

“But, I have to apologize too.”

The two Tu’i looked up, jaws slack. A shiver snaked down both their backs, in exactly the same spots. Heat boiled along the back of Wha’s neck as a deep sense of shame clawed up her nape, causing the tiny hairs to stand at attention.

“I was too quick to anger. Maybe I’m getting on in my days, but I feel the pull more and more lately. So, please, I’m so--.”

“No, Tamai!” Wha bent her head as she yelled, cutting the voice off. “It wasn’t your fault. I was being a dumbass. It’s not my place to question you in front of the others. You only did what you had to do. I’m sorry, Tamai. Please forgive me!”

‘Ekolu watched the woman, unsure of what to do. He decided it was best to take a knee, so he did.

A long, uncomfortable silence settled as the oppressive presence grew heavier, weightier, much more tangible. The back of Wha’s neck ached as she felt a force pushing down on her head.

Then, as if it were a dream, everything grew lighter.

“Thank you, my child,” the voice grumbled somberly. “We’ll move forward and learn from this mishap.”

Both Tu’i let out a sigh of relief. Wha straightened out, finally noticing that ‘Ekolu had taken a knee. She reached down and tugged at his arm, motioning for him to stand.

“Still, we’ve got a lotta work. I hope I can count on you two to properly take care of our prospects.”

‘Ekolu cleared his throat as he stood. “You can count on us, Tamai.”

Wha nodded as she unclenched her fists. Her palms ached from how hard she’d been squeezing.

“Good,” the voice wavered for a moment like it was passing them at high speeds. Then the shadows directly in front of them rippled and faded as Nima stepped into the Domain. In his usual low-key fashion, the man wore the drab fatigues of the average members. “Then, thank you. Both of you.”

Surprising both Tu’i, Nima reached out and wrapped them in a hug. He placed a soft kiss on their cheeks like a father would when he was tucking his children in for the night.

“Please, don’t let me hurt any of you. The pull grows and grows. The last thing I want is for me to hurt my children.”

The usually stoic man’s eyes misted for a moment as he pulled his head back to look them in the eyes. Just a brief moment that left the two surprised Tu’i doubting whether they were seeing things properly.

Wha gingerly laid a hand on his face, cupping his cheek. Despite her dwarfing the man it still seemed as if her hands were those of a child’s. She smiled, a painful, mirthless smile, as her lips moved painfully.

“We’ll take care of you, Tamai.”

‘Ekolu laid a hand on Nima’s shoulder and nodded, unable to speak due to the lump that had formed in his throat.

Nima smiled as well, pain and anguish twisting the usually happy motion. He cupped both of their faces in his gnarled, weather-beaten hands.

---

‘Ekolu and Wha padded through the corridors silently, both deep in thought. Unlike Rua and Wanu, Wha refused to don the vestments while ‘Ekolu occasionally dressed as one, more out of curiosity than anything.

Wha wore her instructor’s uniform, which was less of a uniform and more what she felt like wearing. The tight gray tank top and drab blue cargo pants fit her shapely figure really well. Her heavy, polished boots thumped with each step, resounding

‘Ekolu, on the other hand, was much too recognizable if he were to walk around with only his malo on. Wha had successfully convinced him to wear a long sleeve button up and a pair of tapered slacks. Unfortunately, she was unable to convince him of the necessity of shoes to round out his ensemble. He’d claimed that shoes obstructed him from being able to feel the pulse of the island. Whatever that meant.

“Tamai really isn’t doing so good,” ‘Ekolu murmured as he rubbed his huge chin.

“He isn’t. Time’s running short this round. Only makes it worse that things are accelerating so quickly.”

A door swung open some paces ahead of the two Tu’i and 3 figures stepped out. They didn’t notice the two imposing figures. Not that they would be able to detect them when they had ensured that they wouldn’t have to deal with any candidates or members.

“But why? Who’s pushing it? Tamai or the others?” ‘Ekolu continued walking, long strides setting him on a collision course with the slow-moving candidates and their guide. Instead of knocking the unaware people over, the large man passed through them. They shuddered as if they’d been doused in cold water, looking around for the source of the mysterious frigid wind.

Wha skirted around the members, hating the feeling of passing through living things. “It’s probably Maui. This is the first time he’s ever made a move so early.”

“You really think he’s here? In-person? And so early on?”

“Maybe?” Wha scratched at a thin scar that ran along the back of her neck. “There’s been some weird shit for a bit now. So, we just gotta let it play out and see what happens. Plus, Hiku and her brood are here.”

‘Ekolu clucked, squinting in annoyance at the mention of one of the native numen.

“Be nice. They’re the early stream ones, so they aren’t as bad as the later ones.”

“I still don’t like that frigid bitch,” the large man murmured as he reached out and pushed a door open. He didn’t so much push the door, rather it swung open as if it were avoiding his touch.

“Either way, we’ll have to deal with them for now,” Wha chuckled as she followed her bristling lover into the arena. The bright lights made both of them flinch as their eyes adjusted.

“Huh, looks like your little trainees are having a hard time.”

“Adversity is a good thing,” Wha chided, smiling as she thumped her way towards the middle of the arena.

---

Droplets of blood soared through the air as a looping, wild punch connected with the girl’s jaw. Her posture hadn’t broken down despite the ferocious attack. Wha lingered for a moment, running her eyes back and forth as she absorbed as much information as she could from the current predicament.

“Ready?” ‘Ekolu asked. The boy was doubled over in front of him, eyes bulging as he took a thick leg to the midriff.

“Yeah, advance 5 seconds,” Wha muttered as she stepped back. Time moved once more, jumping and stuttering as it sped forward. Within those fleeting moments, the girl had taken a ferocious uppercut follow-up. Her head was now craned backward, chin pointing towards the shiny sunroof as her knees began to buckle under her.

‘Ekolu’s charge was now curled up on his knees, rolling away as his opponent wound up a kick aimed at his covered head.

“Ugh,” Wha groaned. “These two could have definitely used more training. Might have to reset this whole fight at the rate this is going.”

“Let’s just let it play out. I wanna see if they got some stones in ‘em,” ‘Ekolu squatted next to the curled up boy, stroking his chin as if he had a beard. He had picked the habit up from foreign numen and insisted on doing it.

“Fine, let it play,” Wha snapped.

The combatants sprang into action, unleashing all their pent up fury and rage. The girl stumbled backward, legs giving way under her. She burbled, spitting out a mix of blood and saliva. Her eyes rolled backward, revealing an odd, squiggling mark on the back of her eye. The capillaries glowed a bright red against the dim white of the sclera. Just within the angry, writhing blood vessels floated the small mark. It looked like a circle with edges, a triangle with the corners rounded.

Wha inhaled sharply. “She’s been implanted.”

As if in response to the Tu’i’s words, the writhing mark moved from its hiding place amongst the bloodied veins. It squirmed forward, struggling as the girl let out a shriek. Each of her many tatau activated as the thing moved. Once it reached her iris an explosion rocked the arena. Her opponent, who had been busy stepping forward to continue his assault, was thrown back violently from the sudden outburst of power. The ground, sturdier than most known metals, cracked and crumbled underfoot.

The boy let out a scream as well, mirroring his sisters.

“He has one too, I guess,” ‘Ekolu pointed out as he stood and watched, arms folded in front of his jumping pecs.

The boy's opponent, whose leg had been caught as he lashed out with ferocious kicks, dripped before toppling over. The native writhed in pain, clutching at his severed limb as he fought the draw of unconsciousness.

“Well, shit, that was unexpected,” Wha muttered, drumming her thick fingers against her cheek.

To her, and ‘Ekolu’s, surprise, the two candidates turned and stared straight at the two Tu’i. Their tatau flared as they seemed to sense the presence of the, supposedly, hidden pair.

“Oh, they wanna go?” ‘Ekolu smirked as he pressed his fists together. The thin layer of shadow that enveloped them fell away, revealing the power couple in all their muscular glory.

“Stop it, “ Wha chided as she stepped forward, lightly pushing the excited man back. “I’ll take care of them, seeing as I’m their teacher and all.”

‘Ekolu’s expression deflated, his whole body seemed to follow suit as he was rebuked.

“Don’t whine, big ass baby. You’ll get your chance soon enough.”

Wha thudded forward, studying the siblings. They stood side by side, bodies jerking and stuttering as their tatau cycled mana at a dangerous rate. She twisted her lips, pursing them as she clicked her tongue at the inexperienced youths.

“It’s bad,” Wha mumbled as she shifted her weight forward. One moment she was 10 paces away from the siblings. The next, she had the girl's head in her hands. Like a child tossing a ball, she reared up and flung the jerking girl into the ground. A rumble resonated from the spot as the, supposedly, sturdy ground cracked further and caved in. Without missing a beat, Wha shuffled to her side and clubbed the boy over the head with a thick forearm. His feet left the ground before he even had time to defend himself, mana enhanced pupils pulsing. He crashed into the invisible barrier surrounding the interior of the arena. The sound of crumbling glass filled the area as the spotlight dimmed. A door popped open. Before it could fully open Wha snapped her fingers. Everything froze as the sound traveled away from her.

‘Ekolu picked at one of his ears with his pinky, wiggling it back and forth. “'Afu?”

“Yup,” Wha dusted herself off, flicking bits of grit off her broad shoulders. She looked over her shoulder at her impatient man. “Can’t have Tamai’s plans be ruined by some kids who aren’t in full control of themselves.”

A hard, mana-enforced fist smashed into her angular, tattooed jaw.