"Well this is a fine mess we find ourselves in.", Kolope'e grumbled as he stared at the wall of the cave he and his friends had been imprisoned in.
"Quiet.", Hae whispered harshly as she tested her bonds.
"Well what's the plan to get out of here?", the winghead asked.
"I don't know.", the leopard shark replied. "They might just question us, then return us to our prison."
"Quiet in there!", a porpoise ordered from behind the grate of bones that sealed them in the cave.
"Well nothing can right now but wait.", Hae said as sat down on the sandy floor of the cave.
"What do you see?", the newly christened Raiona asked from below the lip of the canyon, nervously fiddling with his pikoi.
"Quiet.", Kamipulu whispered from where he'd buried himself in the sand a short distance from the canyon.
"Hmm.", Ho'oh mused. "Looks like there's three harbor porpoises guarding the entrance to the cave."
"What should we do?", Raiona asked.
"Well you're undoubtedly the swiftest of us.", Ho'oh said. "So you should distract the guards at the entrance, get them to chase you."
"Me?", the former dolphin asked.
"Of course you, you're a mako!", Ho'oh quietly exclaimed.
"What if they catch me?", Raiona asked.
"If it looks like you can't get away, make for the canyon floor.", Ho'oh said. "Me and Kamipulu have evaded dozens of patrols that way."
"And then what will you do?", Raiona asked.
"Enter the cave, remove the barrier, and liberate our 'great and powerful leaders' from their imprisonment.", Ho'oh chuckled.
"How would I distract the guards?", Raiona questioned.
"Make a joke about their mothers, call them blobs of blubber, anything.", Ho'oh replied. "Just get them away from the cave entrance."
"What if I get caught?", Raiona asked.
"Don't.", Ho'oh responded.
"What will you do once you free everyone?", the mako asked.
"We'll all just swim for the canyon.", Ho'oh answered. "If that's all your questions, let's get on with it."
Raiona gulped and followed the two smaller sharks away from the canyon.
Back in the cave, Hehena watched Kolope'e struggle against his bonds. I wonder what's happening with the former dolphin pup?, he wondered.
"What were you doing outside of the canyon?", a spinner asked Hae as two porpoises forced her to her knees.
"Chasing after the mako pup.", Hae answered.
"Are you sure you weren't poaching, vermin?", the spinner retorted, pointing her whalebone stick at her.
"Ya got me.", Hae said. "I was chowing down on an orca before you caught me."
"I am not amused.", the spinner growled, rapping the shark on the head.
"Sir, the mako pup has been spotted a short distance from here.", a black dolphin said as he swam up behind the spinner.
"Well then take half our number and retrieve the escapee.", the spinner ordered.
"Yes sir!", the black dolphin said, saluting with his patu.
"Okay I think I've got their attention.", Raiona called down to Ho'oh and Kamipulu.
"Good.", Kamipulu said as he buried himself in the sand. "Just keep them away from us as long as you can."
"I'll try.", Raiona said, his heart beating faster as he watched the approaching party of warriors getting closer.
"There he is!", a spinner shouted as the mako darted up towards the surface.
"That's it.", Ho'oh said as he watched the mako twist and turn through the water, deftly avoiding his pursuers. "Let's go."
The two slowly crawled away from the canyon, Kamipulu's body perfectly camouflaged against the seabed.
"Two guards.", Kamipulu said, eyeing the harbor porpoises guarding the entrance to the cave.
"What say I simply blind them and then you attack?", Ho'oh asked.
"Sounds good to me, Ho'oh.", the sand devil replied.
The viper dogfish grinned, baring his vicious-looking teeth as he conjured an aura of darkness about him, then sent it streaming towards the guards.
The porpoises gasped in alarm as the world in front of their eyes went dark, their weapons thrashing about as the sent their sonar sounding about them.
Kamipulu burst from the sand, slashing one of the porpoise's throats as he swam past him.
"What's goi-", the surviving porpoise asked before the sand devil cut his throat from behind.
Leaving the dying mammals, the sharks entered the cave.
"Hello there.", Ho'oh said, looking down at the grate of bones set in the floor. "Got into some trouble I see."
"What are you two doing here!?", Hae asked, shocked at the pups appearance.
"Saving your tails.", Ho'oh replied as Kamipulu cut the cords that held the grate together.
"Hehena asks if you've seen a mako pup about.", Kolope'e said after the smoothhound nudged him.
"Oh ya mean Raiona?", Ho'oh answered. "He's distracting the guards while we rescue you."
"What?!", Hae responded.
"Retreat to the canyon.", Ho'oh said as he and and Kamipulu swam out of the cave.
"What are these pups thinking?", the leopard shark wondered aloud as they swam over the dead porpoise, the water about him cloudy with blood.
Raiona dodged away from a charging commerson's dolphin as he swam towards the sea bed.
"Hold still, you slippery little-", the dolphin growled as he thrust a shark tooth-lined swordfish bill at the little mako.
Raiona threw the stone weight of his pikoi at the hulking mammal, only for the dolphin to grab ahold of it.
"Gotcha!", the dolphin exclaimed, pulling the pup towards him as he raised his lei o mano.
Raiona sucked in a breath as the dolphin loomed over him, a wicked grin spreading across his features.
"Huh?", he asked as something grabbed him by the wrist.
"I believe this is mine.", Kolope'e said as he sunk his teeth in the dolphin's hand.
"Aragh", the dolphin screamed, letting go of the weapon.
The winghead took the weapon and stabbed the point deep into the dolphin's back.
The dolphin crumbled to the seabed as Kolope'e took a mere and a kotiate from his belt.
"Here.", he said, tossing his friends their weapons.
"Thank you.", Hae said, wrapping the weapon's cord around her wrist. "Now let's get back in the canyon."