A fist came pounding into Lagi’s cheek, and at once, the sounds of the cheering and the drums which were at a time so loud he could barely hear his own thoughts, muffled into a dull beating. Kaipo was looking down at him with a boisterous kind of smile, his fist looming behind him readying for another throw. Lagi turned to roll away from him but Kaipo tightened the grip his thighs had around him. He closed his eyes and buried his head in the sand, cowering in awaiting the deadly blow.

“Hey! Hey!” Someone separated from the crowd, and Kaipo lowered his fist in response. He knew the voice belonged to Ailani, and the only thing worse than disrespecting a man on the night of his ceremony was disrespecting the chieftess.

“No need to worry! This is all in good fun. Right, Lagi?” said Kaipo, slapping Lagi playfully on the cheek.

Lagi sat himself up on his elbows and shook his head, trying to return the sound back to his ears.

“Right, Lagi?” Kaipo repeated, more forcefully this time.

“Right,” said Lagi, although he did not know to what he was agreeing.

Kaipo leaned down to pull Lagi in an embrace. “Thanks for this,” he whispered in his ear. “I know you knew you’d lose, and it’s the boost I needed going into the ceremony.” With that, Kaipo lifted to his feet with a sort of grace that astounded Lagi, considering his godly height and strength.

When the crowd cleared, Ailani came to Lagi’s side. “Hey, why don’t you go for a little walk? We could use some more wood for the fire. The feast will start soon.” Lagi knew what that meant. The feast was to start, but before the feast, there was the proposal, as Kaipo must first choose a bride to dine with him.

He nodded weakly to Ailani’s proposition, and she helped him up, extending to him her hand then sending him off into the jungle with a gentle push on his shoulder.