The drama didn’t stop there, that same night in front of the healing hut. Because why would it? Why would things ever be that easy? The chill life was harder to hold onto, because the world didn’t like chill and didn’t like people being chill. It was somehow in the rules of every world, not…

“Over there!” Mako’s hand lashed out, finger pointing to the far end of the reef where another shorter piece of hull stuck out of the water with white foam churning around it. Almost enough to hide everything else, the seafoam couldn’t fully cover the tangled net; a mess of green and brown seaweed drifting near…

The sigh left Kai’s throat, a burst of air with nowhere else to go but out.  One hand rested on his stomach as he sat on his board, eyes still on the edge of the sea where he couldn’t see any further. The month might as well have dragged on — sunrise after sunset thirty…

“Das a good one, Kai.” The hammer was steady in his hands, each tap of the head on a nail a simple rhythm as he nodded his head. “Thanks, Chief.” A heavy hand met his back, Kai holding back a grunt at the basketball sized palm patting him hard enough to almost knock him forward.…

His vision went white, the sky blinding his open eyes with a camera flash jagged enough to blot out everything. He barely had time to wipe his eyes before the thunder caught up and tried to shake his teeth out of his gums. Kai’s mouth hung open, hair standing up on his arms with the…

Aloha ʻoe… A warm, wet blanket made of light pressed Kai down into the wax of his board as he drifted with eyes half-closed. Lids glued together with so much dried salt, he did nothing but watch the inside of his own skull turn orange under the sun.  Aloha ʻoe… The ocean was playing nice…

Three days. That was how long it took. Three whole days of peace, quiet, and a butt numb from sitting on rocks that were definitely too sharp for comfortable lounging. Ow… Kai shifted his weight, a grimace twisting his mouth as a sharp edge dug itself right into the extra padding he’d grown over the…

The jungle path was cooler, all shadows and green noise from the trees above as it blocked the brunt of the sun from cooking you. Doesn’t do much for the humidity, though. Yeah, sweat was still a problem but considering he was on an island, he’d take a win where he could get it. Kai…

“Whoooo-hoooo!” Salt. Too much of it. A whole bucket of the stuff slapped him right in the open mouth, drowning out the yell before it could really get legs behind it. Kai spluttered foam, choking and snorting as white stuff blasted free from his nose and mouth both. Fuuuu- Arms went out wide, spinning like…