CHAPTER 1

Deep in the jungle, far from the shores of Motunui, everything was still. The sun's early-morning rays peaked through the tree canopy, illuminating pieces of the vine-covered jungle floor. Occasional birdsong provided the only sound besides the ocean waves gently crashing against the shore.

Until . . .

WHOOSH!

Moana, master wayfinder, raced through the jungle, her brow furrowed in concentration and her breath coming in gasps. Carrying her oar, Moana was running from something that was grunting loudly.

She shouted and skidded to a halt, catching herself just before plummeting into a wide and deep ravine. The mountain loomed. She turned and looked behind her. The beast was gaining on her. There was only one thing to do.

Moana jumped. For one long breath, she was suspended over the ravine. Then, with a thud, she landed on the rocky outcropping on the other side. Steadying herself with her oar, she took a moment to catch her breath.

The grunts of the beast grew louder as it came closer. And closer . . .

“Pua!”Moana smiled across the ravine as her loyal, adorable friend appeared. The pig was gasping for air, his little legs shaking from the effort of the chase. He met Moana's gaze. Even from a distance, it was easy to see that he'd had enough.

“Almost there! Just an easy little hop,”she called out in encouragement. Her gaze drifted down.“Kinda.”

Pua looked down. Way down. Thick, sharp brambles covered the rocky floor of the ravine. He lifted his head and gave Moana another look. She knew exactly what that look meant. Pua wasn't going a step farther on his own.

Moana's fingers ached and her legs cramped as she climbed up the side of the mountain. On her back, Pua dangled in a sling she had made, making little fearful grunts. Moana didn't exactly blame him. Under her hands and feet was nothing but a sheer wall of rock—rock that kept breaking apart at random intervals.

“Hey, you wanted to come this time,”Moana said as she swung her arm up and over the rock ledge. Her fingers found flat ground and she let out a triumphant shout. They had made it to the top! Pulling herself and Pua up and over, she came face to face with . . .

“Heihei?”Moana said, staring at the bug-eyed rooster.“How?”

Heihei stared back at her blankly. Shaking her head, Moana stood up. They were atop the highest peak of a small, deserted island. Cerulean sea surrounded them, glistening in the morning light. For a long moment, Moana allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of discovery. It never got old, the sensation of standing in a new place.

Reaching for her necklace, she pulled out a small shell and placed it on the ground, like she had done many times before on many other empty islands. Then she took the conch shell from her belt, lifted it to her lips, and blew.

The sound rang out over the ocean waves, clear to the horizon. Moana strained to listen, hoping.

“Hear anything?”she asked her friends. Glancing back, she saw that Pua's ears were lifted, his expression serious as he listened, too.

Sighing, Moana turned back to the sea.“There's gotta be others out here. Other villages, people,”she said with determination.“And one day, someone's gonna . . .”Her voice trailed off. In the distance she heard what sounded like an answering conch. Her eyes grew wide as hope filled her heart.

Then she looked over and realized that the sound was coming from Heihei, who was choking on a shell. He was standing on one end of a long, log-like rock. At the other end sat Pua, watching Heihei with amusement as the rooster spit up the shell.

“Never change,”Moana said, smiling despite her disappointment. In answer, Heihei continued to stare blankly at her. Then the rock he and Pua were standing on began to shift. They were about to fall off the cliff!

“Wait! Whoa! No, no, no!”Moana shouted. She lunged for Pua and Heihei. Moana had only a moment to realize what was about to happen before she and her friends went tumbling over the edge, disappearing into the jungle below.

They landed with a loud thud in the dirt. Moana took a moment to look around. Her warm brown eyes widened. Nestled in the overgrown vines and shadowed by the heavy overgrowth of leaves was a small altar. A human-made altar.

CLUCK!

Heihei's head popped up from behind the altar, making Moana jump. She started to laugh at the silly rooster, and then she noticed something stuck to his head. She squinted. It looked like a small piece of pottery.

Moving closer, Moana gently pulled the item off Heihei. She held it in her hands, her heart racing with excitement.

Rubbing off the thin layer of dirt that covered the surface of the pottery relic, she felt something underneath her fingers. It was carving or writing of some kind. She brought the object into a patch of sunlight and looked closer. There was an island carved into the pottery, with a constellation of stars etched above and people on the ground.

With her excitement growing, Moana let out a happy shout. She finally had proof that there were other people out there!

She had to return home and show her village what she had found. Maybe her father would know what the constellation meant and which island was pictured on the pottery.

“Heihei! You dumb, beautiful chicken!”she cheered.

Laughing, she turned and raced off toward the shore. A beat later, she stopped and looked back at Pua and Heihei. The pair were still standing by the altar, looking confused. Or, rather, Pua looked confused. Heihei looked like he always did.

“What are you waiting for?”she said, beckoning them to follow.“Let's go home!”