Read Online Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians by Mark Caney - Free Book Online Page A

replies was louder each time. At the tenth diameter she gave up and started swimming slowly towards the area where Storm Before Darkness’ clan usually spent the night. That was how she named them to herself. Storm Before Darkness’ clan. His clan. She shook her head. That was not what they called themselves. She was just trying to trick herself with words, not naming the thing of her fears, like she had done as a child. It was like the time she and her two best friends had resolved never to say the names of the great black and white pack hunters. The older children would try to frighten them with stories, but the three of them had agreed that if they never said the monsters’ names out loud, they would be safe from them.
    Now she was making the same pretence with Storm and his clan. And she wasn’t a child anymore. So she would just have to face facts and call them what they were: the Guardians. She was meeting and talking to Guardians, directly against the clear orders of the Grand Council. Punishment: exile.
    But at least, she told herself, she was not swimming with the Guardians — not a member of their clan. Storm had tried to persuade her, but she resisted. Claimed that she must finish her studies. He did not argue too fiercely against this — he seemed to be encouraging her to finish her Starwriter training in particular, and she appreciated his understanding. He was thoughtful that way.
    Now there were voices in the water ahead. She moved up into the shallows and could see clearly now where the moonlight reflected from the white sandy patches. She disturbed a little foraging reef shark which moved quickly aside, concerned that it might become a meal itself.
    She could make out a number of dolphins still on the bottom— one here and there occasionally rising slowly to breathe — all of them clearly asleep. She stopped using her sonar to avoid disturbing them. A little further was the source of the voices: seven young adult males had just returned from a night hunt and were talking in low tones about it. She was about to swim past when one broke away and approached her.
    ‘ Hey, beautiful, where’s your manners? Aren’t you going to announce yourself?’
    Her first reaction was to try to avoid this obviously flirtatious approach but then thought that if Storm could not be bothered to turn up to their meetings he could hardly complain if she spent time with other males.
    ‘ It is I, Fades Into Dusk!’ She knew that protocol demanded she should have properly added “Of the Dune Coast Clan”, as she was greeting a member of another clan, but then she felt almost a member of this clan. Almost, but not quite.
    ‘ And it is I, Catches In Air! And you can call me Catches. Why haven’t I met you before?’ He swam next to her, trying to gently direct her course away from his friends who trailed idly behind them.
    ‘ I like to spend time alone sometimes. And I’m new here. And enjoying a swim by myself, thanks.’
    ‘ Pretty name for a pretty girl. Did you change it when you arrived?’
    Dusk shook her head. It was common for many of the Guardians to choose a new name when they joined — “everything changes when you become a Guardian” they said.
    He carried on, ‘There seem to be lots of new clan members recently. At last all these zetii are coming to their senses.’
    ‘ They hope to start a new life here I suppose.’
    ‘ They realise there’s no other choice! They’re tired of the indecision of those ancients that ran their old clans. Not only that, they’re starting to realise that their precious Way is dead.’
    She glanced at him sharply, unsure if he actually meant that or if he was just being provocative to show off.
    ‘ Is it dead then?’
    ‘ Well, the version that most zetii grew up with is. All that stuff about living in harmony with the environment, the Ka-Tse keeping their proper place, self sacrifice for the good of Ocean — all that. Of course the Guardians still have the Way, but