Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians (17 page)

Suddenly she was aware of the faint sound of another dolphin’s echolocation. It was the deep pulses used to search though the seabed, or to scan another dolphin’s internal organs for illness or injury. She was about to change direction when she noticed the sound had abruptly stopped. She realised that the other dolphin must have heard her own echolocation and it would seem strange to turn around. Then, a call, close by:

‘
It is I, Touches The Sky!’

‘
And it is I, Fades Into Dusk,’ she responded, partially relieved it was him, but also concerned at what he might think.

Sky appeared ahead of her. She decided to bluff it out by putting him on the defensive.

‘
What are you doing all the way out here on your own?’ she asked.

‘
I was going crazy in the bay, already it’s like every Ka-Tse in Ocean is there, and another four clans are still expected. And you? Where’ve you been?’

‘
I…just needed some time to think too. Went for an early swim.’

‘
I was looking for you yesterday evening: no one knew where you were. Dusk, I was worried about you.’

Dusk could see from his eyes that he meant it; he was genuinely concerned and she was touched. She felt guilty, not just for lying now, but because she had treated him badly in the last year. Since she had met Storm she had found it hard to be close to Sky as they had once been, as she was afraid she might give away her secret.

‘
Well…thanks. But I’m fine, don’t worry. Any news of the world from the latest arrivals?’

Sky looked as though he had more questions in his mind but he answered her.

‘
Same old story. The shortage of prey isn’t just around here, it’s everywhere. Some of the older and weaker ones look seriously under fed.’

‘
They have to come up with something drastic at the Gathering. We can’t go on like this.’

‘
It’s the same for the other zetii species,’ he said, ‘they’ve the same problems we have. That’s why it’s good that the Xenthos are sending someone this time. If we can get all the zetii to work together, we can get through this.’

She marvelled at the complete contrast between his attitude and that of Storm. Storm would have said that this was weakness, that the other zetii species were inferior to the Ka-Tse and that they couldn’t be trusted. Who was right? She looked into Sky’s eyes and saw his earnest look: he really believed that this was the right thing to do.

‘
What if it doesn’t work? What if we find that they
are
ignoring the quotas and tricking us? How can we force them to stop taking our food then?’

Sky shook his head, ‘What’s the alternative? To try and force them to? To attack or even kill them?’

‘
Sky,’ she pleaded, ‘what if there’s no other choice? Do you want to see the clan’s children starve and die?’

‘
No, but still, the Way is clear, we can’t kill another being except for food. No exceptions.’

‘
But some say that it’s acceptable in self-defence, and we
are
under attack.’

‘
I’ve heard that too and I know where it comes from, it’s a quote from Stone Eyes, that prophet of theirs who lived a hundred years ago. The Guardians follow his teachings you know. Think about what you’re saying Dusk! Don’t you remember Born? Or Wakes? What killed them? I know what these Guardians are capable of!’

‘
How do you know, Sky?’

Sky looked at her intently as though trying to read her mind. She felt intensely nervous.

‘
Never mind,’ he said at last. ‘Look, tonight Cloud Passing is going to tell the Creation Legend during the opening ceremonies. Come with me and listen to it.’

‘
Well…yes, let’s do that. Thanks — it’s a lovely idea.’

As they swam back, she trailed slightly behind him, suddenly seeing him differently. She had known him since they were very small and she realised that she had missed something in the last few years. He was no child any more but a confident adult, with clear ideas about the world. Not just an adult in mind either, he had a strong, powerful body; not massive power like Storm but a natural, lithe strength that let him move with a natural grace.

She followed him back to the clan in a state of confusion.

Chapter 20

“
And Senx said, ‘I have’.”

- From the Creation Legend

Fifty-seven clans of bottlenose dolphins had arrived in the bay, most of which had ten to thirty members. A few were larger, like Sky and Dusk’s clan, and there were also some smaller, all male groups. In all, over a thousand dolphins were there.

Silent Waters addressed them that evening as the sun settled into the horizon, formally opening the Gathering. In a clearing in the coral the visitors formed a dense, milling circle around her. She held herself upright, with her tail just off the sandy bottom, speaking with a clear, confident voice. ‘You honour our clan by joining us this year. There will be much here for you to enjoy; there will be exhibitions of strength and elegance, dance, song, and recitals. Of course, you will meet old friends again; some of you will find new ones, maybe even new lovers.’

She smiled as she said this: for the young adult dolphins, a Gathering was a wonderful opportunity to find a mate from another clan and many of them had become highly excited at the prospect over the last few weeks.

She continued: ‘But, of course, there is a serious side to a Gathering, this one perhaps more than any in our history. We live in strange times. Ocean is sicker than our forbearers would have believed possible just one hundred years ago. Many fish populations are at critical levels, and the water temperatures are rising unnaturally quickly. I do not have to remind you of the long memory of our race. Our histories, kept safe over millennia by the Starwriters, allow us to estimate what may come as a result. Eventually, the great conveyor currents will change course or stop, and then the whole Cycle of Life will be disrupted. The Starwriters tell us such things have happened before, but we have never known it to happen so fast, or to such degree. All Ocean’s life forms will be affected. Some will adapt, some will perish, but it will be hard for all. Who knows what the end result will be. Therefore, at this Gathering, the Grand Council will meet as usual but this will be their prime mission: to find a way forward for us all. At this stage, we do not expect to regain our old style of life again. Instead we must find a way for the Ka-Tse, for all zetii, and perhaps indeed for Ocean herself, to simply survive.’

Those dolphins that had initially been restless as she spoke had by now grown still and silent. The crowd was unnaturally quiet; just the occasional movement as one drifted gently to the surface to breathe.

She paused, a sad smile in her eyes, then continued, ‘I apologise for opening this Gathering with such thoughts, but we must face these facts. However, we should remember the teachings of the Way: the purpose of life is to take joy in life. So we will take as much joy as we can from these five days. Now please join me at the surface to witness the rising of the full moon!’

They all rose to the surface and, on that cue, a chorus began, a song without words, a melody so old that no one knew its origin. One by one others joined in; the music gently rose and fell like an ocean swell. First with deeper notes, then, as the top edge of the pale disc appeared, rising in pitch and pace; gently at first, then as more and more of the bright, white circle appeared, increasing to a joyous crescendo of sound — and finally, as the bottom of the moon peeled away from its reflected image in the sea, just as it seemed the music must implode upon itself with its own crashing power, they stopped. As one.

The silence rang loud for a long time. Then, at last, Silent Waters said, ‘Cloud Passing, a dear friend to many here, will now recite the Creation Legend.’

The dolphins settled down once more into the circle at the bottom. A few mothers hushed distracted young ones and then there was silence again.

Cloud Passing moved slowly, stiffly, into the centre and once there slowly turned around. Although the light was failing, every dolphin there felt that just for a moment, he looked directly into their eyes.

When he began, in a clear, measured voice, it seemed too as though his words were meant just for each one of them.

‘
At first there was only infinite space. Unimaginably cold and dark like the deepest reaches of the sea. Yet empty. No living creature, no plants, no rock, no water. The void waited an eternity of time until the darkness exploded into a million stars, flung outwards like shining sand grains to light the endless night. These stars passed through the icy nothingness, each one bearing its message of light and the promise of life. One such star was Senx. He burned and raged, swelling with fire then subsiding as he learnt to control his power. A number of great, cold stones drifted towards him, drawn by his magnificence and blinding light. Yet they were soon repelled by his great heat and so chose instead to circle him endlessly and to bathe in his light, each in their own path, at their own chosen distance from him.

The third of these stones twisted in agony for countless centuries. Great mountains were thrown up upon it and destroyed again. Rivers of fire scoured its surface. Slowly its torments subsided and the stone began to cool. With the cooling came the first drop of rain; and that most precious substance in the universe: water. The rain fell without rest while the stone spun around and around Senx, countless, countless times. The water fell into the deep cracks of the stone and cooled its fire. As the rain fell, the water rose and gradually great seas filled and their shorelines edged up across the lifeless ground.

The third stone changed. Senx saw the clouds slowly part to reveal that one of his attendants had put aside the drab mantle of its fellows and was now a shining, liquid blue orb. The stone had become Ocean and Senx delighted in her beauty. Ocean continued her slow dance around Senx and he was entranced by her radiance. Dancing together so for an eternity they could do nothing but become lovers. Across the coldness of space he planted light, his seed, into the sea, her womb.

Mother Ocean spilled forth life. The first of her children were tiny, simple things but they grew and changed. Because they were the first and dearest to her they followed her teachings closely and adapted themselves to enjoy her gifts. Ocean’s children were small and slow at first but they learnt to swim and to hunt and to think. The fruits of Ocean’s coupling with Senx were so bountiful that they filled the sea and spilled onto the land so that it too began to flower and became green with life.

After a long time and many changes came a new creature; smooth skinned, warm blooded, sharp of eye and mind. The first two were T’ret, a sleek, fast, female, and her strong and proud brother Den-tew-ron. They were as bright with life as stars and Ocean saw them and was glad. They spoke to each other, swam, sang, leapt to the sky and revelled in the beauty of the Universal.

As they became more independent, the siblings spent much of their time playing in the shallow waters. They were fascinated with the newly fertile land which held so much promise. When they reached the Age of Decision, they chose to leave their birthing place and to climb from the waters. At first this was hard, as they had to accept the great burden of gravity against which land dwellers must struggle their whole lives.

For many millennia they were enthralled with the exploration of the land, which, although small compared to the vastness of Ocean’s waters, held many secrets. They saw the multitude of forms from the simple to the complex, but still they were the most quick minded of all that was there. Over time they became proud and vain and believed themselves to be superior to nature’s other forms. One day, Den-tew-ron said, “We are so much above these simple things, sister; let us bend this world to our needs.”

They spent an age on their plans, saying this valley shall be filled with water, this lake will be emptied, this plant will be made stronger, this creature will perish. Then, just before they were about to begin their scheme, T’ret was sleeping alone at the edge of the sea and had a dream.

T’ret dreamt that Senx came to her, terrible in his power, and spoke. “Are you so intoxicated with your power that you have lost sight of the Universal? Observe!”

And T’ret dreamt that Senx lifted her up high and changed the flow of the river of time so that she could see the world that she and Den-tew-ron had envisioned come into being: slowly at first, then, gradually faster and faster. The first scenes were happy enough; as they had imagined, the less pleasing creatures, or those they saw no purpose for, soon faded from the face of Ocean. New lakes grew, flooding areas of the land. Those things that they discarded were flushed into the sea and swallowed from sight, that land which they had decreed must be cleared of vegetation was burned and the essence of those things on it were carried as black smoke into the air and seemed to vanish.

But the time-river flowed more swiftly, and, as rivers do when they must flow swiftly, time lost its calmness and became violent and turbulent. T’ret watched in horror as their fine plans became undone; those creatures they had thought of as beautiful soon had nothing to eat and must tear each other apart. Black, acid rain fell from the skies and the great forests began to decay. As they failed to turn the light of Senx into life-giving oxygen, other creatures began to suffer. Birds fell from the sky; other animals dug holes into the ground where they could live out their last days in anguish and watch their young die before their eyes. And all this time all the debris of the land’s destruction washed into the sea and those that dwelt there choked upon the filth.