The night had now fallen on the island, rendering the surroundings far less reassuring than during the day, and announcing the awakening of the nocturnal creatures. Wagner and his men continued to walk among the trees and dense vegetation, the captain did not allow a stop, although several men suggested it. Wagner had no need to rest, dominated by his desire for revenge for that great ape who had slaughtered his sailors and humiliated him by forcing him to retreat. He was going to show this monster that the humans are superior in every aspect and that he would come out victorious.

Wagner walked in front, cutting in front of him the too bushy plants with his sword. Not once had he thought of Princess Rapunzel and Prince Flynn, too much focused on his personal vengeance. Behind him, walking in a group, his men showed less of their emotions, most of them very tired, and others too frightened by the night and the lugubrious atmosphere of this jungle all around them. They had the impression that hundreds of invisible eyes, hidden in the shadows, watched them. The sounds of the jungle and the cries of nocturnal animals were not there to reassure them. A few hours ago, the group had lost other men, two of them having been carried away in the darkness by a furtive creature looking like a giant saber-toothed panther, and another had disappeared in a few seconds in quicksand that seemed almost alive. But still, to the dismay of his men, Captain Wagner had not really shown himself touched by these new losses of men. He seemed to be possessed by an inner demon, telling him to find the giant monkey at any cost and kill him, even if for that he should cross the whole island and lose all the rest of his men. _ "Where are you, you bastard?!" murmured Wagner in his dark, determined voice, looking intently before him and tightening his hand on his weapon, eager to make use of it.

***********

Meanwhile, somewhere towards the center of the island, was a large mountain, thicker and massive than the others, surrounded by the jungle and some large freshwater lakes fed by the ocean. The sharp mountain of rock looked like a giant and scary skull of rock, whose giant empty eyes gazed at the whole island without anything escaping them. One of its giant stone orbits was actually a huge cavern, serving as a hideout for the giant monkey, who, sitting peacefully on the ground, had finished devouring the corpse of the giant lizard he had killed at the lake, and while digesting his meal, was contemplating the night sky and the stars, and seemed curious to see a shooting star appear and disappear in the sky.

Giving a slight thoughtful groan, the giant monkey leaned back against the wall of the cave, and with his giant hand tore off a huge climbing root along the wall next to him, and began gently twisting it between his teeth, by continuing to observe the stars with his curious gaze. However, the giant monkey was thoughtful. He was still very angry with these human intruders who had dared to damage his territory, but above that, he was also thinking of this young woman with long, wavy black hair and tanned skin.... He even thought he heard one of the humans say her name during the fight ..... Moana ..... Her name was Moana? ..... He had noticed her at the lake, when he had killed the giant lizard. Without understanding why, he did not see her as a threat. He had felt it, deep in him ... This young woman, this Moana .... She has a strength in her, a unique gift that connects her to the forces of nature, and in a sense, connects her to him, the protector of this island .... The giant monkey continued to chew its root, unable to find a clear answer to his thoughts ... His eyes again showed a look almost sad, alone, and he looked thoughtfully one of his hands, emitting a deep and heavy growling sigh, but appeared frowning, growling a little, and seemed to want to think of something else. A gentle wind suddenly rose around the great monkey, making the leaves of the few climbing plants of the cave dance and shudder. The giant monkey felt the wind coming to touch his body and face, gently shaking his brown fur. His gaze changed again, and raising his head, he seemed to have felt a presence in the wind around him ..... An invisible presence, but friendly ..... a very powerful and familiar presence .... In the air, the echo of a distant voice, feminine and sweet was suddenly heard, pronouncing a name.....

"Kong ..... you have to protect her ..... protect Moana.... do it for me, my old friend ...."

As he listened to that voice he seemed to know, the giant monkey remained calm, seeing around him the hundreds of dormant buds of climbing plants slowly open and releasing thousands of pollen grains flying and floating in the air as the wind slowly fades, leaving Kong to his thoughts. He let one of the golden grains slowly fall back into the palm of his giant hand, staring at it for a few moments, and watched him fly away again.

***********

Meanwhile, in another part of the island, at the edge of the jungle and sheltered in the middle of a group of large rocks, Moana and his small group had gathered around a good fire, to warm up against the icy frost of the night, rather surprising for a tropical island, but also to cook the good fish that Moana had fished. She had told the others that she had seen the giant monkey at the lake again, but reassured them that he had left without worrying about her by noticing her. Despite the anguish and stress of the night and the many sounds of animals being heard in the distance, the group managed to eat and regain strength. After eating his fish, Tim leaned back gently against a rock, sighing with joy as he patted his belly.

_ "A good fish, there is nothing better to cheer up a man ..." he said with a smile. The others exchanged a little laugh with him, to relax the atmosphere. Nevertheless, the young moss had kept his rifle nearby, in case of attack of a wild creature. Rapunzel and Flynn, sitting side by side on a rock, finished eating their fish, also finding the meal quite delicious, although having to eat it by holding them on sticks, and also being obliged to remove the many bones of fishes bodies. Having also finished eating, Moana sat facing them, her face slightly downcast and looking thoughtfully at the dancing flames of fire in front of her.

Without knowing why, she could not stop thinking about this giant and powerful monkey, her fiery gaze having met hers at their second meeting, at the lake. She could have felt all that power and all that anger crushing her from those fiery irises. So many questions arose in the young woman's mind ..... Why had he spared her? What could this creature be? What is his role on this island? And why this strange feeling of special connection with him? She could not find the answer....

But as she pondered some kind of response, Moana felt the cool but gentle wind at her side caress her hair and back, and shivered in surprise as she heard a faint echo of female voices whispering in her ears. ...

"Moana ..... Kong is in great danger ..... You have to save him ...."

Moana glanced furtively over her shoulder, but saw nothing except the edge of the sleeping jungle, but still scary. The wind had stopped as fast as it arrived.

_ "Moana, are you all right?" Tim asked, seeing her like this. She turned to him and pretended to smile.

_ "Yes, I thought I heard a noise, but it was just the wind." she said, like a little lie. She did not want to worry them more than they are. Kong? This name resonated in her mind with power. Was it the name of this giant monkey? Very probable. It could not be a coincidence. And who owned this feminine voice floating in the wind like an echo far away? Moana was even more puzzled than before, rubbing her neck tiredly. She might have thought about going crazy and hearing voices, but on this island, the supernatural seemed to be the everyday here, so she was sure of nothing. Trying to think of something else so as not to have a migraine, Moana turned to Flynn and Rapunzel who had finished their meal and was also watching the fire, holding hands, the princess leaning her head against the shoulder of her husband.

_ "Tell me, Princess Rapunzel ...... Forgive my curiosity, but .... How did you met Mr. Flynn?" Moana asked to start a discussion, but being also curious. Not being bothered at all by the question of their friend, it was Rapunzel who proposed to speak first.

_ "Let's say that I lived the first years believing that I was someone else. I was kidnapped by a horrible woman, Gothel, who pretended to be my real mother and who took me while I was a baby to keep me in an isolated tower."

Moana seemed more than shocked by this beginning of story.

_ "But why would she do that?" asked the young woman from Motunui. Tim also listened attentively. Rapunzel continued.

_ "I was born with golden long hair, which I obtained from birth, and whose healing powers were unrivaled.Gothel was a vain woman, who used my power to preserve her eternal youth and live forever. Until I was 18, I remained locked in my tower, without knowing or seeing the world, Gothel having persuaded me all my life that the outside world was a place of nightmare and danger."

18 years! Moana had trouble conceiving it. So many years to stay locked up in the same place, without feeling the natural look on her face, nor to see the ocean, nor the other wonders that this cruel world had yet to offer. Moana felt really sorry for the princess of Corona. This woman, Gothel, had really stolen her childhood. Seeing Rapunzel become a little melancholy by thinking of those painful memories, Flynn put his arm around her shoulder, comforting her by giving her a kiss on her forehead. She snuggles against him with love. It was Flynn who this time spoke.

_ "As for me, well, even though I'm not very proud of it, I was a thief and an opportunist, not hesitating to cheat and betray the promises I made. My only purpose: to survive and make a lot of money. One day, after a robbery, I was forced to take refuge in the forest, and after a chase with the royal guards, I stumbled into a small hidden valley and in front of the isolated tower. I took refuge there thinking it would be a good hiding place, and that's where I met the woman of my life." he recounted, while looking lovingly at Rapunzel, who smiled at him. Moana smiled too.

_ "And the first thing I did when I saw him coming into my tower was knocking him out from behind with a frying pan, and tying him to a chair with my hair." Rapunzel told, unable to restrain herself from laughing a little. Moana and Tim were surprised, but not shocked, rather amused by the situation. Flynn shook his head nonchalantly, sighing, but still smiling. He gently rubbed the back of the skull.

_ "Besides, I think I still have the hump." he added, touching his head. The small group shared a collective laughter following this story. Moana was touched by the way they met each other. A thief and a princess. Fate had decidedly funny ideas at times, but that was what made all the surprise of this world. After telling them about their meeting, Rapunzel and Flynn turned to Moana.

_ "And you, Moana ..." asked Flynn "... Far be it from me to sound offensive, but you look very young to be the leader of your tribe. Your father did not seem to be very old. Why did he leave you his status?"

Moana was not offended. She understood the curiosity of her friends and decided to tell. Tim was always attentive.

_ "To begin with, I've always been drawn to the ocean. I always felt a special bond, as if she and I were one. In my tribe, a very old legend said that Maui, the demigod of the sea, had stolen the heart of Te Fiti, the goddess at the origin of all life. In taking the heart of life, darkness and death began to spread little by little across the archipelago, destroying all life and condemning the islands, one after another, to a slow agony. My grandmother told me that one day, a person would cross the ocean, find Maui and force him to restore the heart to the goddess before it's too late ...... And it was me that the ocean chose for this mission ..."

Around the fire, everyone listened to the young woman told with the greatest silence. Rapunzel's eyes shone with fascination at what she heard, like a child hearing the story of her favorite hero.

_ "But my father was against the idea that I could cross the reef, telling me that the big ocean was too dangerous. But after my grandmother's death, I made my decision: I took a boat, and after a long journey through the ocean, where many times I almost lost my life, me and Maui, eager to redeem with the gods, together we could restore the heart to Te Fiti and allow the balance to came back to life. As a result, Te Fiti gave me her blessing, and so, on my return to Motunui, my father, seeing that I had grown and matured, decided to make me the new leader of the tribe."

Although appearing most fanciful, Rapunzel, Flynn and Tim believed Moana. After all, after a golden-haired princess, an island filled with giant creatures and dominated by a giant monkey, the story of a young woman linked to the ocean and receiving the blessing of a goddess seemed very real. For Rapunzel, it also made her think about the royal family of a kingdom allied with her own, Arendelle, whose eldest daughter, Elsa, possessed, according to the words, the power to create and control the ice. Since the discovery of this island, the proof was well and truly made that the man, despite all his power, knew nothing about this world and its balance. Seeing Tim warming up by the fire, Moana also wanted him to express himself and not feel sidelined.

_ "And you, Tim, tell us your story."

The young moss blushed shyly, embarrassed.

_ "After what you said, my life will seem really banal."

_ "That's wrong ..." Rapunzel told him to reassure him "... there is no need for magic or adventures to become someone. Your life is yours, and it belong that you do what you want, not for others, but for yourself."

Moana totally agreed with the princess, just like Flynn. Seeing them insist, Tim accepted and leaned against the rock behind him.

_ "I never knew who were my real parents. I grew up in the first years of my life in a shabby orphanage until I was five years old until I was thrown into the street by the owner, who hated me for no reason. For years, I lived in the streets, steeling to feed myself, sleeping where I could, and one day, when I was thirteen, I introduced myself in the hold of a merchant ship to steal supplies. I was spotted and caught by the sailors who started beating me, while they were ready to throw me in the water to drown me. But the Captain of the ship stepped in. It was the captain of the Royal Navy who later, having pity on me, decided to consider me as his son .... The rest, I think you already know it ..."

All were surprised and sorry at once for the young man. It was a surprise to Flynn and Rapunzel, who believed that the captain in question had always been Tim's real father. This same captain of appearance so helpful, but was revealed in reality to be an opportunist seeking only glory. To see Tim's face, he did not like talking about it and preferred not to say anything anymore. Moana's hand rested on his shoulder.

_ "I'm sorry, Tim ....." was all she could tell him. He did not answer, closing in on himself and watching the fire. The atmosphere had become a little heavier, and the night was already advanced, the group decided to sleep a little. Flynn and Rapunzel were lying next to each other, Flynn's arm around his wife's waist, and both were sleeping. Tim slept too, against the rock, his rifle in his hand. Moana volunteered for the first shift and sat by the fire, watching and listening attentively all around her. Despite the night, the jungle was still very noisy.

His gaze rose slowly, looking towards the huge central mountain of the island, which even seemed to touch the sky. The giant skull shape made the young woman shudder. Without knowing why, she could feel, from this mountain, as a giant and powerful presence, observing from the heights and like, looking for her with his eyes.......

_"Kong ....." she whispered to herself. From his haunt on the high mountain, Kong, still sitting and staring at the sky, seemed to react suddenly, narrowing noisily and emitting a curious little groan, his eyes resting somewhere on a part of the island, as if he had felt, in his instinct, his name being pronounced .....