Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-five of "Ride the Wind." I didn't mean to take more than a week to get it out. I had a case of writer's block. This chapter has some Tommy/Kim, Jason/Trini, and Billy/Kat. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-six.

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Chapter 25: Just a Heartbeat Away

A bald eagle glided effortlessly above the forest canopy at noon. It flapped its wings. It let out a loud screech as it headed over the water. It looked down to see a whale-watching boat going at a slow yet steady speed. Many passengers scanned the area in hopes of spotting whales on both sides. Others chatted to each other.

Just then, Willy and Nikki surfaced in the distance on port. The passengers became excited as Max and Isabella came up beside their parents. Ruffles spyhopped behind them, as did Mike and Slick. Blackberry launched himself into the air not far from the spyhopping trio, landing on his stomach with two huge splashes. All eight orcas went underwater. The speaker crackled with loud static.

"Ladies and gentleman, I will bring the boat to a stop, so we can watch the orcas play around," the captain said, clearing his throat. "I hope you enjoy it."

The speaker crackled once more. The boat started to slow down. Some passengers complained angrily at not being able to get closer to the orcas. Others didn't care. They were just happy to see the animals. They also knew they had to stay two hundred yards away from marine mammals. Of course, that was rendered moot if they approached out of curiosity.

The boat came to a stop. The passengers on both sides waited anxiously. Just then, Rhapsody spyhopped not far from the ones on starboard. She squeaked in much joy. She slipped beneath the surface, coming back up. Littlespot appeared beside her and nudged her in her eyepatch gently. She turned and raked him on his side very lightly. The passengers couldn't stop themselves from laughing. Cameras clicked away.

Rhapsody rolled on her side and swung her tail, splashing Littlespot. She returned to right side up. Ben and Sparkle surfaced next to her, spitting water on her. They ended up hitting their uncle. They darted away, squealing playfully. Littlespot and Rhapsody decided to chase them. All four orcas charged underwater. They came back up, jumping clear of the water. They reentered it just as fast.

Alex and Catspaw did a spyhop a short distance away from the passengers on port, which delighted them. They went back underwater. They stuck their heads out of the water and lowered them. They exposed their tails. They slapped them against the surface three times before coming back up. Suddenly, Luna appeared beside her mate, spitting water on him. She chattered amusingly.

Alex turned to Luna and grabbed at her mouth without biting down. She made a grab at his. They moved their heads from side to side. Just then, Polaris appeared next to Luna and raked the area behind her eyepatch so lightly that it seemed she wasn't even touching her. Luna pulled away from her mate, turning to push her away. She headed over to her until she was nose to nose with her.

Polaris spit water on Luna, who responded in kind. They alternated between each other for twenty seconds. Without warning, Willy surfaced on his side and swung his tail at them, splashing them. He rolled right side up as the female orcas swam to him and nibbled on his side in a light manner. He charged underwater, his tail swinging upward.

Polaris and Luna chased after Willy, bubbles escaping their blowholes. They turned upward, emitting playful clicks. They jumped into the air. They turned on their sides and hit the water, creating two huge splashes each. They surfaced once more. Blackberry appeared behind them, followed by Max and Isabella. They rolled on their sides to give the water four slaps with their flippers. The passengers applauded and cheered wildly.

The captain smiled from his cabin. He felt very satisfied that the passengers were enjoying themselves. He wished the orcas would stay around forever, but he knew that was impossible. After what seemed like an eternity of playing around, J-Pod started to swim away. The orcas headed underwater. He grabbed his receiver once all of them were completely out of sight.

"All right," the captain said softly. "We'll be in motion again in a few minutes."

The captain put the receiver down. He started up the engine and moved the wheel. The boat resumed moving at its slow yet steady speed.

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In the early afternoon, Jesse, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone sat a short distance away from the campsite. They were looking for J-Pod through binoculars. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, Kat, Randolph, Rae, and Nadine sat around the fire pit. Randolph, Rae, and Nadine looked through picture albums of the Angel Grove Aquarium's orcas and their trainers. Heather, Olivia, and Benny were taking naps in their families' tents.

Nadine gazed at a picture of Trini with her hand on Sonya's dorsal with the other one raised high on the slideout as the orca held up her tail at the top of the sixth page in her album. Her headache had vanished by midmorning. Jesse arrived home to change into a new set of clothes at the same time that happened. Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone did the same in their tents. She asked him to take her to the campsite, and he agreed. They arrived five minutes after Tommy, Kim, Heather, Jason, Trini, Benny, Billy, Kat, Olivia, and Rae returned from exploring the forest. Randolph joined them soon after. He had canceled the whale-spotting trip, despite fixing the bilge pump.

Nadine couldn't stop herself from smiling as she focused her attention on Sonya. The orca's dorsal leaned slightly to the left. Its base had a tiny knick in it, as did the tip. Her large left eyepatch seemed to have been scooped out in the front. It came to a hook above her brown eye. Her saddle patch was closed on this side.

Randolph looked at picture of Karone feeding Sophia a handful of fish as the orca was on the slideout at the bottom of the seventh page in his album. Sophia's dorsal was straight and had a tiny knick at the tip. Her large left eyepatch appeared to fade into her black skin. It came to a hook above her blue eye. It had a small black dot in the middle. Her saddle patch was closed on this side. He, Rae, and Nadine looked at their friends.

"Your aquarium's orcas are really beautiful, Trini. You and your fellow trainers should be proud of yourselves for taking such good care of them," Randolph complimented, pride showing in his voice.

"Thanks, Randolph. It's a difficult job, but someone's got to do it," Trini said, holding up her hands. She laid them in her lap. "Some people think the trainers jump in the water with just about any orca once they get the job. It doesn't work that way. It can take up to four years to build a strong enough bond to swim with an orca. Some trainers are really lucky and are in the water in less than a year at our aquarium."

Nadine showed awe. "That's interesting."

"It's also very important to know an orca's personality, its likes, its dislikes, etc. That can greatly reduce the potential for an accident," Trini added.

Rae ran her hand over her hair. "So true."

Rae rubbed the back of her neck with both hands. She laid them in her lap before running her tongue all over the inside of her mouth.

"One of the things Willy likes to do is burp. He'll burp really loud just to annoy us," Rae said and cleared her throat. She tried to stifle a giggle, but she couldn't help herself.

"He'll also fart to annoy us. When he does, it stinks big time," Randolph said, waving his hand in front of his face while appearing disgusted.

Billy cupped his chin in his hand. "There are many more things that stink worse than an orca fart does. One of them is skunk spray."

"You're not kidding, Billy. Then again, maybe I should wave a skunk in front of you," Kat said, smirking as she turned to her boyfriend. She ruffled his hair, laughing when he swatted her hand aside.

"I'll wave it front of you first," Billy retorted playfully and pointed his finger in his girlfriend's face.

Kat shook her head rapidly. "Unh-unh."

"Unh-huh," Billy said, nodding just as fast.

"Unh-unh," Kat said with a laugh.

"Unh-huh," Billy said, making a scary face.

"Unh-unh," Kat growled, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Unh-huh," Billy commented.

"All right, that's enough, you two," Tommy yelled, waving his hands in the air. "You two are being a pain in the—"

Kim slammed her hand over his mouth, giving him a stern look. "Tommy, don't even think about it!"

"Butt. I was going to say butt, Beautiful," Tommy said in a muffled voice.

"Good, Handsome," Kim replied and took her hand away. She kissed him on the cheek. "We don't need to wake up the kids with our cursing." She tensed a bit. "There's nothing worse than that."

Jason laughed nervously. "No kidding, Sherlock. The kids would start saying them once they woke up."

"You won't see Jesse and me cursing on purpose in front of our child. No siree," Nadine said in a firm voice.

"That's good, Nadine. When you do it accidentally and get questions from your child about what they mean, explain in a calm yet firm voice about why the words you said are bad. Yelling at them won't help matters," Trini explained.

"Of course," Nadine replied with a small nod. "What's crazy is some parents think verbally abusing their children is proper parenting." She scoffed in some anger. "Calling a child stupid, ugly, fat, etc. isn't right. It can be very damaging to them."

Randolph showed a bit of disgust. "That's true. Children can get the idea they have those characteristics and may act them out. Their minds are that fragile. In fact, they won't be fully mature until they are twenty-five years old."

Randolph, Rae, and Nadine closed the albums. Trini stood up and walked over to get them. She returned to her chair and seated herself. She set them beside it. She put her right leg over her left while running her hand over her face. Tommy glanced toward Jesse, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone, whom were looking his way through their binoculars.

"Hey, guys!" Tommy said, a chuckle leaving his mouth. "Look at them."

Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Kat focused their attention on Jesse, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone. They and Tommy stuck their tongues out at them. Jesse, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone responded by laughing. Randolph, Rae, and Nadine peered over their shoulders at them. They saw them return their attention to the water. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Kat pulled their tongues back into their mouths as their friends turned back to them.

"Talk about being silly to people with binoculars," Randolph quipped, laughing.

"I'll say," Nadine agreed.

"I can't believe Karone actually dove into the water to play with Willy," Trini commented in amazement. "Most orca trainers would never dream of jumping into the water with orcas they don't know."

"Karone has always been fearless. She'll try anything, even if it's dangerous," Billy commented, propping his head up with his elbow.

"At least she, Zhane, Andros, Ashley, and Jesse had a nice time playing with Willy, Nikki, Max, and Isabella at the Rubbing Rocks this morning," Jason said warmly.

"It'd be nice to meet those orcas, wouldn't it, Jase?" Trini asked, gazing up at her boyfriend.

"Yes, it would," Jason agreed, putting his arm around his girlfriend. He kissed her on the forehead.

"I've got an idea. Why don't I take you six and your kids out to meet Willy and his podmates tomorrow morning?" Randolph suggested. "We can use Jesse's harmonica song to lure them to the Nastelane. We can also have lunch together."

"That'd be nice. What does everyone else say?" Kat asked. She smiled at Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, and Billy voicing their agreement. "I guess that makes it unanimous for the parents. On top of that, how about we bring breakfast while you make the lunch?"

"Great!" Randolph yelled joyfully.

"Hold on a second, Randolph," Tommy said seriously. "We'll have to ask the kids about this when they wake up from their nap."

"That's fine with me, Tommy," Randolph answered. "After all, we shouldn't force them into doing something they don't want to do."

The others voiced their agreement. Trini started talking about the orcas at the Angel Grove Aquarium.

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Randolph, Rae, and Nadine laughed as Tommy told the that's-no-kindergartner joke to them ten minutes later. Jesse, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone were still looking for J-Pod. They saw three Pacific white-sided dolphins jump clear of the water in the distance. The dolphins disappeared beneath the surface. They leapt upward, doing spins in midair. They landed on their backs, creating big splashes. They performed four bows. Jesse, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone couldn't help but laugh.

"J-Pod may not be anywhere in sight, but at least those dolphins are having a blast," Jesse said.

"Yes, they are," Ashley agreed as she and the others laid their binoculars aside. "Then again, I wish we were watching J-Pod play around right now."

"Me too," Karone said, rubbing her chin. "It was fun playing with Willy, Nikki, Max, and Isabella at the Rubbing Rocks this morning."

"It was also filled with a little craziness from you," Zhane joked, looking down at her.

"Hey, Jesse was having fun playing with Willy in the water," Karone said, gazing up at him with a mock-irritated expression on her face. "How could I resist diving in to join them?"

"At least Willy and Nikki enjoyed having you in the water with them," Andros said, smiling. "It was fun watching you and Jesse try to wrestle each other off their noses."

"Boy, did Jesse look embarrassed when he fell off Willy," Ashley said, snickering under her breath.

"He sure did. That's why girls rule and boys drool," Karone added, sitting tall and proud.

"Girls rule and boys drool," Jesse said mockingly as he looked toward her.

"Ooh. Mocking me, aren't you?" Karone growled in playfulness and gazed toward him.

"Yes, I am," Jesse responded smugly. "Are you going to come over here and punch me out for that?"

"Okay," Karone said and acted as if she were going to stand up and go over to him. She stared laughing and looked toward the water. She became awed at what she saw. "Hey, look. A whale-watching boat."

Jesse, Andros, Ashley, and Zhane turned toward the water to see a whale-watching boat going at a slow speed in the distance. Jesse emitted a loud sigh and brought his knees up to his chest.

"Tell me about it. Some whale-watching boats come through the area like it's their own private highway," Jesse muttered, glancing at his friends.

"Are you against whale-watching, Jess?" Andros asked, looking at him along with Ashley, Zhane, and Karone.

"I'm not against responsible whale-watching. Many whale-watching companies are great at following the rules. Others have no problem breaking them for a fast buck. More than six hundred citations in violation of the rules were issued in the United States last year. That's nearly two citations every day," Jesse explained, a little anger lining his voice.

"That's a lot of citations," Andros said, wincing painfully.

Karone showed much sadness. "It sure is. It's got to be hard for the Southern Resident orcas to forage when boats are going after them."

Zhane appeared just as sad. "Yeah. On top of that, the Southern Resident orcas have to deal with a limited amount of chinook salmon, pollutants affecting their reproductive health, and their habitat being degraded."

"Mm-hmm. At least J-Pod trusts Randolph, Nadine, and me enough to gather skin and blood samples for DNA testing and such," Jesse whispered in relief. "We couldn't do that if the orcas didn't trust us."

"The same can be said for the orcas at the Angel Grove Aquarium and every other oceanarium," Karone said, clearing her throat.

Jesse smiled lightly and wrapped his arms around his legs. "Yep, yep, yep."

"Okay, Ducky," Zhane said with a laugh.

Jesse stuck his tongue out at the young man. He pulled it back into his mouth and made a funny noise.

"By the way, did you know some The Land Before Time fans have mistakenly said that Ducky's species is a Parasaurolophus? It's actually a Saurolophus because the crest is smaller than that of its relative," Jesse commented, raising an eyebrow.

"All of us know that. We watch the original film and its sequels whenever we get the chance," Ashley said, her voice filled with pride.

"James Horner composed an incredible score for the first film. I have that soundtrack. There is no way in hell that I'm giving it up, even if someone offered me a bunch of money for it," Karone declared.

"Good for you, Karone. Of course, money isn't the root of all evil. The love of money is," Jesse said, clicking his tongue three times. "Boy, do some people love money more than anything else." He shuddered in disgust. "Dial is one of those people."

"I hate that guy treated Willy so badly," Ashley growled angrily. She appeared as if she were about to throw up. She curled her hand into a fist. "I'd love to give him a punch to the face if I ever saw him. He deserves it."

"You want me to help you, Ash?" Karone asked, looking toward her best friend.

"Be my guest, Karone," Ashley said, smiling at her.

The group returned their attention to the water. They saw the whale-watching boat was gone. They still didn't see any sign of J-Pod. Suddenly, an idea clicked in Ashley's mind.

"Jesse, I think J-Pod went back to the Rubbing Rocks," Ashley suggested.

"Ashley is most likely right," Andros agreed.

"You guys want to come with me to check it out?" Jesse asked, a big smile crossing his lips.

"Sure," Andros replied eagerly.

"Count me in. I want to see the orcas again," Ashley added, her voice filled with excitement.

"So do I," Karone said with a nod.

"Don't forget me," Zhane added, raising his hand.

"Great," Jesse commented happily. "Before we go, why don't we have some coffee?"

Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone voiced their agreement. They and Jesse stood up and walked over to the others. Three gulls flew in and landed in the spot they had been sitting at.