Free Dolphin Way: Rise of the Guardians by Mark Caney

to find Rain Ending, and was acutely aware that he had only a limited amount of time in which to do so. All they had to go on was that he had mentioned to one of the clan’s Healers that he tended to stay around a large isolated coral reef near the coast in this direction. Sky knew that they might well not find him at all, and the delay while Muddy looked for food chafed at him.
    Eventually they located enough small bottom dwelling fish to meet Muddy’s immediate needs, and Sky was able to persuade his grumbling companion to resume their fast pace eastwards.
    It was almost dark when they reached a large area of coral rising from the sandy seabed a little off the shore.
    ‘ This fits the description,’ Sky said. ‘Now, will he be here?’
    ‘ Well, I hope you’re not expecting to start looking for him now. I’m exhausted after that swim. Let’s just see if there are any titbits to be had and then get some sleep. We’ll search in the morning.’
    ‘ Muddy, I’ve only got two days to find him in! You sleep if you have to, I’m going to start going around the reef. I’ll wake you at midnight and you can help me.’
    Muddy complained bitterly at the thought of so little sleep but eventually agreed. Sky left him and followed the edge of the reef around until within a couple of hours, he was back to where he had begun, having seen or heard no sign of other dolphins. Muddy lay resting on the sand, occasionally half drifting, half swimming upwards to breathe without waking. Sky surfaced to look at the night sky: it was still not midnight, so he snatched a little sleep himself.
    A while later, Sky woke from a troubled dream. He had been confronting his father, a dimly seen, unclear figure, who had been angry with him for some reason. Sky had the feeling that his father had left because of him; something he had done wrong; and he had wanted to make amends somehow. But his father wouldn’t speak to him or answer his questions. At last his father said in a strange voice: “It’s out of alignment with the new Ocean. Out of alignment. That’s why they’re all dead. Out of alignment.” He was still repeating that as Sky rose from the strange dream.
    Sky woke Muddy and they searched the surface of the submerged reef for the remainder of the night, easily navigating in the darkness with their sonar. In the morning they searched the nearby coastline, but with no sign of the lone dolphin. That afternoon Sky suggested they try the deeper water out to sea from the reef, and so they crisscrossed the upper regions of the deep water far from the shore. It was there that they finally heard the distant but distinctive rapid clicks of another dolphin’s sonar. They followed the sound and to Sky’s great relief it was Rain Ending.
    ‘ It is I, Touches The Sky of the Dune Coast Clan!’
    ‘ And I, Muddy River Mouth of the same!’
    ‘ And I, Rain Ending!’
    The older dolphin looked at the two friends suspiciously. ‘Have you come all this way to find me? I suppose your curiosity is aroused young Sky?’
    ‘ Yes it is. I was hoping you could tell me more about my family, my old clan.’
    ‘ A zeta does not choose this life because of his love of conversation. I am not a great one for explanations. In fact talking of any kind. I’d rather be on my way.’ He nodded to them and then turned as if to go.
    ‘ Wait! That’s hardly fair. You were ready enough to speak to other members of my clan about me! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused me?’
    The other paused, reflecting. ‘Well, yes, that’s probably true. It was not my intent, just the surprise at seeing another survivor…after so long.’
    ‘ You recognised my name?’
    ‘ Vaguely. But it was the missing tip of your fin that reminded me. I was nearby when you lost it.’
    ‘ Really? I never knew how it happened — it was before I can remember and there has been no one to ask.’
    ‘ Of course. It was a simple enough thing; as a little one you strayed too