Chapter IX
Mentor
A teacher is useless when there is not a student to teach. -Origin Unknown
Karli didn't remember any bit of the trip home, but when she awoke, the sun was setting. She must have fallen asleep, and for a long time too. She was in a very shallow area, thick seaweed strands stretching up to the surface from the soft white sands all around her. Steep cliff walls protected this particular channel which ended in a dead end, so the water was perfectly still at the ceiling. Only spidery ripples from the slight movement of her own body alerted Nature of her presence.
She rose for a breath and gave a glance around to find herself alone. This was the playground, a nursery for young children. Why was she here? She wasn't a calf anymore...but when she tried to move, she found how stiff and painful she was. Giving an annoyed look to her side, she saw burns in her skin. They had already started to heal, but they looked pretty bad. Definately a few scars to add to her already growing collection presented on her entire body. A lot for just an older teenager.
"I see you're up." A mellow voice, showing no anger at all, made her jump. Looking down the channel, peeping around a seaweed strand in the way towards the city, she saw him coming up with a slower pace to her. He smiled warmly, crystal blue eyes sparkling as always.
"Yes, Ecco." Karli dropped her gaze. He came up to her, his body much larger than her own, and using his snout under her chin, raised her head.
"Now, now. I'm not angry, as I said before. Here, take this..." Karli just now noticed a orange and reddish fish held within his jaws, already dead and limp. Karli took it, tossing it down her throat without much excitement. Even swallowing wasn't pleasant to do in her state, but at least she knew that at this point she would survive.
"You feeling better?" He asked. Karli nodded, still refusing to look into eyes. She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye, though. "Well, that's good. I think you'll be fine, but you may hold a few permanent scratches here and there." He said aloud, and though he didn't make it seem he wanted to make her feel guilty, Karli couldn't help but feel a knot form in her gut.
"Can I talk to you?" He asked again after a pause, but Karli didn't bother answering. No matter what she said, Ecco would win. He took a breath, not having to rise very far to get there.
"Just exactly what were you doing?" Karli finally lifted her eyes, and found that his expression had hardened severly. A deep frown turned his once handsome features into a truly frightening sight, even if he hadn't raised his voice yet. Karli sighed.
"I was exploring."
"In the Coral Reefs?" He asked as if he still couldn't believe he had found her there.
"Yes."
"And you drug Shaun with you?"
"No, he came with me by himself." Ecco raised a brow.
"And you didn't do anything that might have influenced that?" Karli drooped her head just slightly.
"No...I dared him to...kinda."
"'Kind of?'" Ecco repeated with disbelief. Karli sniffed, giving up.
"I was going to go by myself, but I said something that would have made him seem weak if he didn't. I don't remember exactly what I said." Ecco nodded, understanding what she was saying.
"Why the Coral Reefs?" He asked, his angered tone turning to more curiousity. Karli shrugged pathetically, afraid that moving even the slightest bit might bring a blow from him.
"Because Atlantis is boring, I guess, and Aquamarine Bay wasn't much fun either." Ecco frowned.
"The weather was terrible outside. No adult saw any point in going out into the bay, so you were able to slip out without being seen, I suppose?" Karli shrugged again, not knowing what to do about that question. He cocked his head slightly.
"How did you get in?" Karli bit her lip, but in the end confessed.
"There is...or was...a tunnel underneath the waterfall."
"You were able to make it past? Without any outside help?" He asked, some surprise in his voice. Karli lifted her head at this.
"Yeah." He seemed impressed, and also looked off to the side in thought for a second, but nothing more than that.
"Well, you knew where you were..." it wasn't a question, but Karli answered it anyway.
"Yes..." his frown deepened, and Karli knew exactly what was coming.
"Then why, Karli, when you figured out where you were, did you not turn around and leave that place?" Ecco stared at her, his piercing gaze seeming to go right through her. She couldn't look at him, and dropped her own eyes. "Look at me, and answer me, Karli," he said rather harshly. She snapped her eyes up, having a hard time forming the words when he looked at her like that.
"I...I..." he raised his brows, telling her continue. Karli drooped her head, unable to look any longer. "I wanted to prove I wasn't afraid."
"Afraid!" Ecco shouted. Karli cringed under his verbal attack. "Tell the truth, Karli. You just wanted to show off to your followers." Karli said nothing. Ecco snorted, his lip twitching. "You're too stubborn, Karli. Your refusal to back down to any opportunity to show off is going to bite you back someday-"
"I didn't lie," she interrupted. Ecco pulled his head back slightly.
"What?" He snapped. Karli raised her head, a frown now on her face.
"I didn't lie, if that's what you mean. I was afraid...at one point. I wanted to prove I wasn't..." Ecco tossed his head, not knowing how to counter this. Sighing, he continued on anyway.
"I see," was all he said. He lowered his head to be level with hers, looking once more deeply at her. "One thing I still don't undestand, Karli. You knew where you were the moment you entered the reefs...why did you continue on?" Karli lowered her head, keeping her mouth shut. Ecco snorted, satisfied.
"Becuase you wanted to show off. I was correct." Karli stayed silent. Ecco snarled slightly, part of his lip raising up to reveal his cone teeth. Karli tensed up, wondering if he would strike, but instead Ecco kept to his verbal punishment.
"Damn it, Karli. This recklessnes of yours will get you in deep danger someday, perhaps even greater than that earlier today." (Karli didn't flinch at his swearing either. It was better than a lashing.) "It's that same reckless behavior that got your parents killed, Karli." She lifted her head, her eyes widening. Ecco was able to look right back into her gaze without dropping his own. She was always impressed how he could make you seem so small with just his eyes. "Do you want to join them so soon, Karli? Do you want to pull off such idiot decisions as they when you know better?" Karli dropped her head, her lip trembling. She dearly hoped Ecco wouldn't see, but whether or not he did, Ecco made no mention of it.
"I took you under my care so I could protect you, but perhaps even I can't be of good teaching when you refuse to obey common sense. Have I not told you before that the Great Octopus does not enjoy visitors?" Karli closed her eyes, and when she knew her voice was ready, spoke.
"Yes, Ecco. The Great Octopus prefers solitude in his dark quarters, where he will not be disturbed. I'm sorry...I did not know he was down there-"
"That is only because you didn't follow your senses." Karli closed her eyes.
Shaun did. He knew something was wrong... Ecco sighed deeply, the lines of frustration and tension on his face finally fading.
"I guess everything is all right, since you survived without much damage. Another lesson hard learned, I suppose..." Karli lifted her head again.
"How did you find me...?" She asked, finding her voice shaking against her will. Ecco had turned to swim away, but looked back over his shoulder towards her.
"A young Spotted had come looking for me. She told me of your leaving, and when I came to look for you a White-Sided came dashing by looking deeply afraid of something. I knew I was on the right track then." Karli smiled slightly.
"Baren and Gala got out just fine...what about Shaun?"
"A scratch here or there, but he came out much better than you." Karli smiled, causing Ecco to give a slight grin as well. He turned to swim away again, but Karli stopped him.
"Ecco, wait." He turned around. "In the large bay where the Octopus lay...how did you get in? When Shaun and I passed the passage, it closed behind us." She cocked her head. Ecco looked upward in thought, but soon shook his head.
"I have my ways, Karli. Now, you stay here for the rest of the day. I'll come and check up on you." She heaved a sniff, and lowered her head.
"Yes, Ecco." Ecco gave a small frown.
"And don't expect any sympathy from anyone for a while. A few families aren't too happy with you, understand? And I am not too happy either," he added. Karli nodded, and Ecco turned to leave once more. He soon disappeared out of sight around the bend, and Karli was left in silence.
She took a deep breath, settling herself comfortably on the soft sands. They felt good, rubbing against the itchy healing skin on her belly. Staring out in a quiet resting moment, Karli's mind drifted off to her parents, or what little bit she knew about her parents.
In fact, she hardly knew them at all, except the day they died of course. Her mother went first, and suddenly she found herself under the fin of her father of whom she rarely saw. And then, just like that, he was gone too. Her mother...and her father...
Karli tore her thoughts away from them. Thinking about them only brought sadness from what little she knew. In fact she only remembered how they died, not who they were or anything they did. She was too little back then. In fact, she knew Ecco far better already then she had known her own parents.
Thinking of him brought on odd questions. She never saw Ecco as a father, because she always understood that she was different than him. A completely different blood. And still, he offered his care for her when she was left helpless. Karli wondered why. How come she wasn't placed under the eyes of another Common family? Why had the podleaders even allowed Ecco to take in Karli anyway?
Perhaps they didn't really mind what Ecco did anymore. He was "The Immortal," wasn't he? The Guardian housed a statue of him, for crying out loud! Perhaps having saved the world...er, perhaps 'worlds' would be better...gave him permission to do anything he wanted. Other dolphins seemed to see Ecco as incapable of doing anything wrong.
Still, Karli wondered why. She would have to ask him someday, but not now. She was so tired...
Raising to the surface, Karli slipped into a deep sleep for a dolphin, who usually half-sleeps. She was rewarded, even for her misbehavior, with a dreamless sleep that let her rest as much as she needed or wanted.
Ecco...he doesn't see me as a daughter...but then again, he may be ashamed to see it like that.
Karli didn't wake until the sun was very close to the horizon. At first, she thought it was still evening, but she soon determined that it was just early morning. The winds had died, the few whispy clouds high in the horizon holding still. The birds had come out once more, and the annoying, but cheerful cawing of the gulls could be heard over the walls at the bay. The surface sparkled merrily, welcoming the Common as she woke, feeling her muscles stretch and loosen, and an appetite come back. After a long rest, Karli felt already much better.
She ventured out towards the city, taking care to not move too much, so as not to pull anything. Such as her skin, for example. The wounds were covered, not looking nearly as gruesome as the previous night. Now, her black skin completely covered burns and scratches, while her cream and yellow stood out so much that eyes were drawn to her features, not her wounds.
Still, when she entered the city, eyes still flew to her. Not in cheery crinkles, merry greetings, or even silent admiration of her attractive looks for her age. Instead, she met angry glares, dissapproving glances, and penetrating stares which made her turn away. Some bloods hadn't appeared to hear the story, but those from the Spotted, Bottlenose, White-Sided, and Common family...well, the tale had apparently spred very quickly.
She spotted Shaun, protective family members on either side of him. He looked rather miserable. His head hung low, his normal chatty voice gone silent, and an expression that told that he was recently punished...and maybe not nearly as gently as Karli was.
Regardless of the unpleasant looks and whispers as she passed, Karli forced her way up to him. She ignored the slight growl of the larger of the two guiding him, perhaps a father, or older brother...
"Are you okay?" Karli asked, showing deep concern and hoping the bottlenose would look away for some privacy. Shaun lifted his head slightly, his amber eyes swiftly going across Karli, and he let loose a grin.
"Not nearly as bad as you." he said softly. Karli gave her classic sly smile.
"And I wasn't really that bad." The other body guard nudged Shaun not all that gently away from Karli, and she dropped her smile when she saw him flinch under her rough touch. He must have gotten hurt, but refused to tell...
"I'm glad you're okay," she said with a low voice, wondering if he had heard while some greys passed her. Shaun didn't say anything, he really couldn't being led away, but turned his head to look at her. That was a good enough answer for Karli, given the situation. Maybe she should go see Gala...she deserved a thank-you too for going to Ecco, of all dolphins to choose from.
"I saw what you did," a sudden voice made her jump. Whipping around, Karli sighed in relief when it was no one else but Ecco. He, however, had a small smile on his face. "It was very brave of you." Karli frowned.
"I wasn't really being that brave. They're jerks anyway-" Karli suddenly snapped her mouth shut. She had forgotten Ecco was a bottlenose himself. He chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant.
"Yes, but Karli, it is always hard to stand before those that hate you. It is harder yet to stand before those who love you." Karli looked at him oddly.
"What do you mean, Ecco?" His smile grew.
"My kind doesn't see you as their favorite fellow dolphin anymore, and yet you stood up to them strongly, not dropping your gaze because you wanted to talk to your friend. It is bravery that made that accomplishment easy. And yet, when you did a simple thing to me as saying the truth, you couldn't hold your stance, let alone your eyes." Karli opened her mouth slightly, and Ecco could only chuckle at her expression. "Now come along. Today is a day for a lesson, I think, which will come in handy for many close calls..." He laughed quietly at his internal joke, Karli not getting it at all. But, she obediently followed right behind him.
He led them, not to Aquamarine Bay as Karli had predicted, but to an isolated dead end corridor in the rock walls at a quiet corner in the outskirts of the city. Straight above them, the island's mountain loomed above, casting its shadow over them in the morning light. The water trembled and stirred at the surface as the dolphins came in, breaking the glassy surface as they breathed. The voices of the city had died away, and they were left with peaceful silence.
Karli's stomach rumbled, and she stopped suddenly from surprise at her inner outburst. Ecco raised his brow at her, and only smiled again.
"You may eat, but first, earn your meal." Karli sighed, expecting nothing more than that. That is how Ecco tought. You had to earn your rewards. 'Outside the city walls, Life doesn't let its guard down, so neither should you.' That was one quote that Karli would remember.
"What would you like me to do?" Karli asked, the cheer returning to her voice. Ecco was no longer angry at what she did, so she felt much more like herself.
"First, backfin for me." Karli cocked her head, and Ecco just nodded to urge her on.
Karli spread out her pectorals, turning them so the broad sides faced forward and backward. Then shifting them quickly back and forth in a circular motion, Karli began to backfin slowly, but gaining speed as momentum began to build. Ecco told her to keep going and not stop, and within a meter or two, Karli felt her tail being pushed up. Not by Ecco...but by the water. Suddenly, her nose was pointing straight towards the bottom, her fluke flopping silly-like above blue surface.
"Did I do something wrong?" She asked, feeling stupid in this position. Ecco shook his head, Karli righting herself to a more dignified stance.
"Not at all. Backfinning actually serves little purpose. It is more of an expression rather than a tool. If you backfin too far, the ocean begins to push back at you, forcing your tail upwards. It is just part of the Law of Forces that we all must deal with. But tell me, do you have any idea as how to prevent that?" Karli thought about it for a short while, and came up with nothing.
"How?" Ecco grinned.
"By simply swimming backwards." Karli cocked her head.
"But wasn't I swimming backwards...?"
"Karli, I believe you were soon swimming 'up', weren't you?" Karli frowned at his pleased smirk. "It is possible to swim backwards, not at the same speed forwards mind you, but backwards in a completely straight line, just as if we were swimming forwards." Karli widened her eyes a little.
"How do we do that?" Ecco came up beside her, using his own body to demonstrate.
"Let's think. We were forced upwards by..."
"Our tail," Karli finished. Ecco nodded.
"Yes, but why is that?" Karli got an excited look.
"Because the ocean pushed back at us." Ecco nodded after some hesitation.
"...Yes...and no. We are pushed upwards because our tail isn't being used. It becomes a useless obstacle that we must push back with the rest of our body, and in doing so, the ocean pushes it to wherever it pleases. Now, how would we prevent that?" Karli looked at him.
"By..." she couldn't think of an answer.
"...using our tail." Ecco said. Karli narrowed her eyes, confused.
"I don't get it. How do we do that? Isn't it impossible? I mean, our tails moving up and down move us forward...how can it move us backward?" Ecco chuckled.
"It is not impossible, Karli. It just takes some practice. We move forward by pushing against the ocean, right?"
"Right..."
"And what is the opposite to a push?" Karli cocked her head.
"A...pull?"
"Correct," Ecco stood back a little bit. "So, essentially, in order to move backwards, we must do the opposite of what we do to move forwards. In conclusion, we pull with our tails." Karli was seriously confused.
"I still don't get it." Ecco sighed.
"Here, let me show you."
He stood back even further, turning his body so that Karli saw his side. Then, turning his pectorals, he curled in his tail towards his body. In one single motion, Ecco pushed his fins as far as he could foward, and stretched out his tail. The backfinning motion pushed his tail at a very slight angle upwards, but Ecco soon corrected that. As he pulled his fins slowly back to lay flat against his sides once more, he curled his fluke downward, and pulled his tail back in. He repeated this about three or four times, going very slowly with his motions.
At first he looked utterly ridiculous, or so Karli thought, but then she noticed that he was definately moving backwards, and straight too. Every time he almost went up, he would keep himself straight with his tail. He paused and looked at her, tilting his head slightly.
"And, as you get better, you can go faster."
Ecco suddenly did his actions normal speed, and it was considerably faster, though still slow in a dolphin's world. Karli gasped, rising up to release her breath in astonishment. When Ecco went about five more meters, he stopped and came up to take a breath himself.
"This little trick is perfect for getting in and out of tight spaces where turning around is impossible, like when you were traveling through your narrow passages connecting reefs, for example. If you think you're trapped, you may not be." Karli nodded, understanding.
"I'm sure you had to use this trick once or twice..." Ecco's smile disappeared slowly, his face vanishing into shadow for a second. Karli thought she had said something wrong, the sudden silence frightening. However, Ecco soon dismissed whatever thought he had come to.
"Yes, yes. It came in handy, and I was tought it just like you. I did not teach myself!" Here he laughed, and motioned for Karli to get close to him.
"Now, follow my movements, and we'll see how far we get today..."
It took quite a lot longer than Karli had imagined. She thought it would be easy, but with the movement of swimming forward engraved into her mind permanently, it was very difficult just to tell the tail to move in a different and odd feeling direction. It was as if her tail and mind were arguing with each other, and Karli was becoming increasingly frustrated.
Not only that, but she wasn't as strong as Ecco either. Her pectorals soon ached as they ended up doing most of the work while her tail still was trying to wonder if it should obey the demands of the brain. By the end of the lesson, the sun was at the High Point, maybe slightly further past it.
"I think that will do," Ecco said finally, noticing Karli inching backward. "You've got the movements, now you'll just have to master them and build strength to make up for the odd feeling." Karli sighed, flapping her fins to stretch them. She wasn't looking forward to hunting very much. Ecco could see this in her face already.
"We'll stay in the city, where the fish are easier to catch. As we get better, we'll head out towards the bay area, all right?" Karli thanked him with a nod, and the two made they're way into Atlantis.
The city itself was a beautiful sight. Buildings rose tall and strong, seaweed freshly cleaned off of them. The star temple stood right in the center, its spirals raising mightily into the sky. The dome at the top was carved beautifully by human hands, the stone smooth to the touch. Held within, globes of light projected images of the enemy who fled deep into the Sea of Stars. The images were kept for the sake of remembering their foes, and to remember that others may still reside out in the unknown...
The viewing chambers, which held wonders of the world to view for the dolphin race, held their doors open to any visitors, which were many each day. No dolphin got tired of seeing the butterflies flutter their wings, the florescent colored bird take flight, the bat hang from its clawed feet, or the might, light, and sound of rolling thunder deep inland. They were magnificent sights indeed, but the most brilliant of all had to be in the center of the city.
The Guardian. The violet colored metal machine shone as if made with crystal, and many wondered if it wasn't built with real crystal as well. Within its center, rainbow colors pulsated with power, life, and energy. It hummed merrily and content, rotating on an axis with the base securely anchored into the ground. Next to it, also hovering above the sands, stood a statue made from the same material, thought slightly shaded the color of the seas. Standing forever in a tailwalk of victory, Ecco's metal eyes gazed watching over all. The Immortal...the Defender...
But Ecco passed all this without a second glance. Karli viewed with a smile, but kept up with her teacher. Instead, Ecco halted above a large crack within the ground, a miniature trench right within the city itself. Large, slim, blue fish with white stripes from eyes to tail tip and yellow fins swirled in a giant violent fish ball. Ecco gazed at Karli with a grin.
"Here you are; catch what you can. I will not help, but feed myself."
Karli watched as the bottlenose dove in, not showing any fatigue from the lesson at all. He zoomed around, darting in and out of the school, and whenever his jaws closed over a morsel, he quickly positioned it right, tossed his head back, and swallowed it whole.
Karli did her best, her tail nice and strong. Steering was her problem, for her fins ached. She couldn't turn quickly, and could only catch those fish too stupid enough to dart to the side when Karli got too close. Still, the Common adolescent got enough to sustain her and satisfy her belly to a certain point. Ecco beamed, seemingly very pleased with her work.
"Well, I believe a rest is in order." Karli laughed.
"What about viewing the chambers today, Ecco?" He tilted his head towards her, looking at her with one eye.
"I suppose it would be all right."
They went to Karli's favorite: the bird. The steam of the accident within the Coral Reefs had died down, and with Ecco by her side, Karli only caught those brave enough to glare behind their backs. Ecco must have ignored them, for some of them were pretty obvious...
The diamond shaped door creaked open, and Karli entered eagerly first. She swam upwards, the glass chamber being suspended in the center. It was darkened in shadow, but the moment Karli let loose a note of bright song, it lit up.
Her eyes lit up themselves when she saw it. Within the glass container was a small tree, its green leaves lush and full, but only at the branch tips. Sitting on one of these branches, its head hid under its wing in sleep, sat a breautiful pink and blue bird. When the chamber lit up, it awoke, shaking its head sleepily.
She came up close to the glass, her snout nearly touching it. The bird looked at her, cocking its head, its plumy crest rising as it began to wake.
"Please fly...I want to see you fly..." Karli whispered. The bird, as if understanding what Karli was asking, pulled out its wings and stretched them carefully. After a few boosting pumps, the bird took flight, and glided around the chamber once, only to land on its faithful perch once more. Ecco smiled quietly to himself, seeing how interested Karli was in this wonderful creature.
"Ecco...it's pretty isn't it?"
"Yes, it's beautiful." Karli looked at him.
"I wonder what it's like to be able to fly." He cocked his head at her.
"Why do you wonder about such a thing?" Karli shrugged slightly.
"Well, think about it. If we could fly, we could see the whole world!" Her eyes glowed with excitement. "We wouldn't just be limited to the water, we could be in the sky, like man in their roaring metal creatures. We could see the world like they could..." She sighed.
"Sometimes I dream of flying. It's so much fun. If only I was a bird, and not a dolphin." Ecco looked at her, a dreamy look in his own eye.
If we could fly...
I have flown before... He smiled, returning his look to reality.
"Don't say such things you can't take back. Some day you may regret it." Karli looked at him oddly, but nodded in the end.
"I guess you're right."
They headed out, Ecco leading the way, and suddenly shouts and cries came to their ears. A Commerson came rushing by, yelling at the top of his lungs for all to hear:
"Demon Dolphin! Demon Dolphin has entered Atlantis! Run and hide! Demon Dolphin!"
He was gone before Ecco could have stopped him without giving chase.
"Demon dolphin...?" Karli repeated. "What does he mean?" She turned to Ecco, but he looked just as confused.
"He could possibly mean an orca...but they have agreed to not bother this place. It's something else..." he trailed off in his own words and suddenly dashed off, his tail flicking into high gear.
"Ecco! Ecco wait, let me come with-"
"No, Karli!" He flung his tail to the side and whipped around in a flash, so suddenly Karli came skidding to a hard brake to avoid running into him head on. His face was stern and serious. "Stay here, and stay out of the way of others. I will deal with this, whatever it is." Karli opened her mouth to argue, but Ecco was gone.
He followed the noises, a crowd of hunters gathering near the entrance by Aquamarine Bay. Mostly males, they were yelling and snarling, circling over a single spot.
"Stand down! Stand down!" Ecco commanded. His voice boomed over the others, and they obediently dashed off to the sides, letting him pass. Some were more slow to move, but Ecco took no time, shoving roughly past them.
"Please! Please, we mean no harm!" A female's voice came, and Ecco really wondered if it was an orca. What had they done to her to reduce an orca to beg for her life...!
"Out of the way!" Ecco snapped, closing his jaws near a dolphin slightly larger than him. Even he moved away, lowering his head and curling his lip. Ecco ignored him, coming to the front of the crowd. What he met wasn't an orca, thank heavens, but something far worse...and what he never expected to see again in his life.
"Oh my god..." Ecco was reduced to whispering these words. Laying in front of him lay a battered body. It was larger than himself, but more elegant and beautiful. It appeared to be a dolphin, but what kind no one really could say. She was a light grey, blue swirls from her eyes to the tip of her tail and spread onto her fluke, like painted water down her sides. Her dorsal, pectorals, and tail were elongated to much longer than normal size, but she was truly a beautiful sight, her bold blue eyes standing out among her features.
But she wasn't so beautiful now. She lay on the ground, beaten and bleeding, teeth marks having broken her soft skin. Beside her was a young male adult Spinner, his teeth bared angrily. He seemed beaten too, but his back was to the weird dolphin. He was facing the crowd. It appeared as if he had been trying to defend her. When he saw Ecco step to the front, he hastily covered his teeth, lowering his head respectfully.
"Sir Ecco..." he croaked, his voice dry from fighting.
"Who did this?" Ecco asked. The Spinner looked up, but said nothing. His eyes drifted to the group behind Ecco, afraid to actually say a name, and the bottlenose's eyes widened in shock.
"Who did this to her!" He demanded of the crowd, turning around fiercely. A few backed down, others startled at Ecco's fury.
A lone bulky male stepped up, not showing as much fear as the others.
"Ecco, this new creature barged into our city. Refusing to answer questions, we had to force her to halt. Then her companion attacked us. We had to defend ourselves, take them under control, and teach them who was leader in this territory." His deep voice did not shake, but he was sure to keep his head level, and not above, Ecco's. However, Ecco's lip twitched angrily at what he said.
The attack only took a flash, the blur so quick no one knew what had happened. Ecco, suddenly launching forward, whipped around in a second. The tip of his fluke sliced through the male's skin on his melon. He didn't even have time to yell out from pain or shock, whichever came first, for suddenly he felt the bottlenose's snout rammed deeply into his ribcage, a sickening crack heard by almost everyone.
The male collapsed onto the ground, moaning in pain, and Ecco pulled up, eyeing the witnesses with anger. No one said a word, and the silence was broken by Ecco himself.
"Let this be a lesson to all of you!" He bellowed loud enough for half the city to hear. "No one shall attack a fellow dolphin in my presence unless they attack first! Understand? Fighting, my friends..." he paused and looked at the wounded male before him. "...brings bloodshed." He lifted his head high, lowering his yell to a more calm, ordering tone. "All depart and go about your doings. I will handle this predicament..." he stood still as the crowd quickly broke apart. A few cautious beings drug away their beaten friend, who had been smart enough to lie still. Ecco was not worried. He would heal...and an example was needed anyway.
Now the marked bottlenose turned back to the two newcomers. He came close and bent his head down towards the weird grey dolphin, her lids half open. She was barely awake, probably unable to avoid any hits with her long fins unable to move very easily in the water.
The Spinner watched quietly, and amazingly Ecco gingerly touched her cheek with his snout, giving her a very soft, very gentle, nuzzle of affection and worry. He pulled himself back straight, and looked the Spinner in the eye.
"Help me take her to the center temple. There, no one will bother us."
With Ecco bearing the upper part of the weird dolphin's body, and the Spinner supporting the tail, the two made their way slowly towards the star temple. No one stopped them, no one questioned them, but Ecco noticed Karli among the many staring eyes. Ecco refused to look at any of them, but he secretly wondered how the Spinner was taking all this sudden unwanted attention.
As the doors creaked shut behind them, Ecco called to rise the wounded creature up towards the surface, below the stone open dome. Here, Ecco asked for the Spinner to hold the creature up, and Ecco took a swift glance over her.
"She should be all right. You look worse, actually, Tide Dancer. I'm certain you had a reason for coming in this city?"
The Spinner nodded slightly, swallowing to clear this throat.
"Yes...sir Ecco. We came here...looking for you..." Ecco blinked, jerking his head back slightly in surprise.
"She was looking for me?" The Spinner nodded, his dark hazel eyes gleaming.
"What is your name, Spinner?" Ecco asked after a long pause with thinking.
"T...Taren, sir Ecco." Ecco gave a soft smile.
"Well, Taren. I'll have to ask you of a favor. Stay here, and I will come back with some fresh fish for you both. Please," he looked at the weird dolphin for a long moment. "...watch over her for me until I get back. Don't leave the temple," he added with a hint of a stern voice, making himself clear. The Spinner nodded immediately.
"When I return, I expect a thorough explanaition. I have many questions...for you both." He added the last bit with an interested look at Taren, as though confused why he would be standing before him. Shrugging the thought away, though, Ecco made his way towards the door, and without looking back, passed through it as it was still opening.
"As do I, sir Ecco. As do I," Taren called after him.
From the Author-
Yey! More of Ecco! What fun! Seriously, it's been a long wait until our hero enters the world of main characters! And we are introduced to a more sweet, a more gentle, a more round, and a more lovable Karli. sighs Sorry, I love Karli.
Probably my favorite part in this chapter is when Ecco is teaching Karli how to swim backwards. It's like a huge flashback for me and, I'm sure, for the rest of you fellow DotF fans. Let me think, if I remember correctly...I don't feel like reconnecting my Dreamcast to check...it is the second to last thing Ecco learns from his own mentor, right? Somewhere around there. I know the tailwalk is last, because the mentor mentions something about "now for something fun." Oh, and do you remember, Ecco's mentor was a common, and Karli, whom he was teaching, is a common herself! What a cool coincidence.
And also, I truly enjoyed re-creating the displays within Atlantis. I just think those are spectacular and am fascinated with the purpose of why the gamers put them there. I believe it shows how the gamers wanted to portray the connection between dolphin and mankind in the game setting, plus the things that dolphinkind admires themselves. Let's be honest, we all have a high sense of curiosity, much like dolphins, and with this curiosity comes discovery, and with discovery comes admiration. We admire dolphins for their incredible speeds, abilities to hold their breath, and live in a world of water where they are dependant upon oxygen to survive, just like us. (Not the water part, the oxygen part.) The dolphins admire the sky and wonder how they could survive in a completely different realm such as the heavens. Also, it shows a possible connection between games as well, if you know what I'm getting at. The displays show how fascinated dolphins are of flyers. Did you take time to realize that all the displays are related to flying species, and the weather ball shows a storm, which occurs in the skies? Neat, eh? So, I took that idea and put it to work with Karli's love of birds. Pretty clever of me, dontcha think?
Okay, enough of me blabbering on about myself. I don't know about you, but these little author's notes are kind of fun! I know they're getting longer and longer, but I never knew just chattin' could be so interesting. Anyway, I'm very pleased to have some fans, and am promising you future chapters...when I have the time, of course. I'm as busy as ever, but I still have the story in my head...as clear as it can possibly, I suppose. Writing is the hard part, not imagining, right? Putting the scenes into words, creating a good enough picture for an entire different person to see...I hope you see somewhat the same thing that I see, because what I see is the gaming coming to life!
All right, I'm done. But before we go, my favorite quote from the entire game of DotF! I might have to put it into this fanfiction someday, just 'cause I love it so much. It's from Ecco's mentor, and I'm sure you all will remember it well:
"Observe and remember, and you will live long, my friend."
Let us continue...