Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-six 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 a little bit of Tommy/Kim, Jason/Trini, and Billy/Kat. As you know, Rhapsody has appeared a bit in this crossover. I want to share details about her immediate family. Her mother's name was Ewok (J20). Ewok died when her daughter was two years old in 1998. Rhapsody's uncle Everett (J18), aunt Oreo (J22), and grandmother Tahoma (J10) took to raising her. Unfortunately, Everett was found dead on a beach on March 18, 2000. He had died from a severe bacterial infection. Tahoma died some time before then. Oreo continued to raise Rhapsody, who found playmates in her cousins DoubleStuf (J34) and Cookie (J38), until her death. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-seven.

XXXXX

Chapter 26: Up and Over

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, Kat, Randolph, Rae, and Nadine were still sitting around the fire pit. The former Rangers listened to Randolph talk about Willy and Rhapsody's relationship. It had been fifteen minutes since Jesse, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone left for the Rubbing Rocks in hopes of finding J-Pod there.

"Willy and Rhapsody love to play with each other. Jesse, Nadine, and I often see them playing chase or spitting water on each other and their podmates when we go out on the water," Randolph said.

"Willy prepared for fatherhood by looking after Rhapsody when she was a newborn while Ewok hunted for salmon. He also looked after Polaris, but he grew closer to Rhapsody than he did to her. Oreo, Everett, and Tahoma would help him and Nikki by looking after Max. We miss Ewok, Everett, and Tahoma terribly. We wish they were still here," Nadine added, her voice filled with sadness.

Kim showed much sympathy. "It's unfortunate Rhapsody lost her mother, uncle, and grandmother in just two years."

"At least Rhapsody still has her aunt and cousins," Trini pointed out.

"You're right, Trini," Randolph admitted. "Still, it didn't make losing those three orcas any easier." He sniffled quietly, a tear falling down his cheek. "They meant so much to us."

"Oreo is very protective of Cookie and DoubleStuf. She is always making sure they aren't doing something they aren't supposed to. Of course, her sons are known for making mischief," Nadine said, feeling a little better.

"They cause a lot of mischief," Rae added.

"I have to say those three orcas have the cutest names," Kat said, giggling to herself.

"No shit, Sherlock," Trini whispered. She hoped the children didn't hear that. The last thing she and the other parents needed was Heather, Olivia, and Benny coming out of their tents and saying that curse word.

"Orca enthusiasts often call Oreo, DoubleStuf, and Cookie the 'Cookie Clan' because they are so close-knit," Randolph commented, a small smile forming on his face.

Tommy scratched the top of his head. "I don't think I'd want to be named after a cookie. It sounds so weird for people."

"One of those names would be an awesome nickname for you, bro," Jason joked, looking toward his best friend.

"Oh, button it, Jase," Tommy retorted, turning to him.

Jason acted as if he were buttoning his lips together. "How's that?"

"That's perfect," Tommy said, winking at him. He laughed at a raspberry coming from him. "Don't blow too many raspberries. You'll become tongue-tied."

Jason mouthed Tommy's words in a mocking manner, causing him to laugh aloud. Tommy became quiet as they shifted their attention toward Randolph, Rae, and Nadine.

"How often does Willy play with Oreo, DoubleStuf, and Cookie?" Trini wondered.

"Every now and them," Nadine answered and propped her head up with her elbow on the arm. "He prefers Rhapsody over them."

"Like people, intelligent animals prefer certain individuals. It's just how it is," Rae explained.

"Oh, yeah," Nadine agreed. "Anyway, I'm glad my headache is gone now. I felt like an anvil had been dropped on my head when I woke up this morning. It was that bad."

"It sucks when you get a terrible headache on a day you want to go out and have fun," Billy said sympathetically.

Rae gave a shrug. "Being pregnant makes them worse than usual."

"Kat, Trini, and I remember the headaches we suffered during our pregnancies. On some of the days when they were bad, we felt like punching Billy, Jason, and Tommy out," Kim said, tensing somewhat.

"Of course, we never did," Kat said, sighing in relief.

"It's because you were too chicken to do so," Tommy said with a smirk.

Jason chuckled quietly. "You were somewhat large chickens too."

Tommy, Jason, and Billy folded their arms underneath their armpits and stood up. They walked around the group while making clucking as if they were chickens. They pretended to peck at the ground. They returned to their chairs and sat down. They laid their hands in their laps. They received mock-irritated expressions from Kim, Trini, and Kat.

"You guys should become real chickens," Kim growled playfully.

"You'd look handsome as roosters," Trini said, crossing her arms.

"Yep," Kat added, wiggling her eyebrows.

"We'll become roosters on one condition," Tommy said, holding up a finger.

"You three have to become hens," Jason commented, a big smirk crossing his lips.

"It's only fair," Billy said.

"No way!" the women blurted out.

"Yes way!" the men said, laughing aloud.

Tommy, Jason, and Billy ruffled their girlfriends' hair. Kim, Trini, and Kat swatted their boyfriends' hands aside. They smacked them upside their heads, getting smacks to theirs in retaliation. Randolph, Rae, and Nadine attempted to stifle snickers, but they couldn't help themselves.

"You guys want to hear about the story of Nastelane?" Randolph asked. He smiled at Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Kat voicing their agreement. "Great."

"This story is an ancient Haida tale. The orca is called blackfish by this tribe," Nadine commented.

Kim showed great awe. "Wow."

"Wow, indeed," Randolph agreed. "I want to mention that skaana is the Haida word for whale. A young Haida warrior named Nastelane was destined to become chief due to his skills, intelligence, and pleasant demeanor. His brothers were extremely jealous of this. They wanted to get rid of him. They took him out to sea for a little fishing. They took him further away from the shore than they have ever been before. As he became concerned, the brothers threw him overboard and left him."

"Oh, my goodness," Kat whispered in shock.

Billy became a little tense. "Nastelane's brothers sound just like Uncle Roland. He has always been jealous of my father for being able to have children while he and Aunt Marion couldn't." He swallowed hard.

"That's unfortunate, Billy," Rae whispered sadly. "Everyone knows jealousy is such a terrible emotion."

"It can turn nice people into real monsters," Nadine said in a little fear.

"That's what happened to Nastelane's brothers. They wanted to have what he had, but they couldn't. They had to get rid of him in order to get it. Anyway, Nastelane began to drown. He was found and rescued by a sea otter that floated him to a large island. The otter said it was too far back to the mainland for him to help him back. Instead, he promised to look after him and showed him the best hunting and fishing grounds. Once Nastelane was settled on his new island all alone, the otter conferred one last gift to him, which was a pouch of seeds. He instructed him to sow them. Nastelane did so. Over the years, the seeds grew into a bewildering array of different types of tree. All of them are now native in the Pacific Northwest. Nastelane used wood from the trees to carve tools and a boat," Randolph continued.

Tommy became curious. "How many different types of trees, Randolph?"

"More than any of us can count, Tommy," Randolph answered honestly. "Some of the trees around here are thousands of years old. They've withstood strong storms and winds." He glanced toward the trees.

Trini shuddered badly. "One thing is clear. You won't catch me in a really tall tree during a terrible storm."

"I understand," Randolph said, turning back to the former Rangers. He rubbed his nose. "In appreciation of the otter, Nastelane tried to carve a new totem. He tried all the trees before settling on using a large yellow cedar tree. He carved a huge fish from it and left it on the shore for the otter to find. He said a prayer that he had never heard before. It went like this 'Salana-ayun-iaisis.' When Nastelane went down to the shore the next morning, the fish carving was gone. In the bay was Blackfish, the first orca. With a boat and supplies, Nastelane traveled back to his home. Blackfish guided him. When he arrived, he found his brothers out fishing again. They were squabbling as usual. He ordered Blackfish to destroy their boat and drown his brothers. Blackfish did that immediately. When he returned, Nastelane ordered from this day forward that he must never harm a human again. When he found a human in trouble at sea, he must help him. He sent the whale off to sea. He returned to his village and became chief."

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Kat inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. They considered Nastelane's story to be the most incredible legend they had ever heard. They seemed to understand Jesse and Willy's connection better because of it.

"This is a story we're telling our kids sometime," Jason declared and put his hands behind his head.

"You said it, Jase," Billy said. "Moreover, it's good for them to be exposed to other cultures, including Native American."

"It irks me how ignorant many people are of other cultures," Kat mumbled in disgust. "When you try to explain to them about their significance, they laugh in your face." She acted as if she were spitting at the ground.

"Ancient Greek culture is one of them. Many people think it's a bunch of nonsense with its myths and legends. It's not. It's the birthplace of Western civilization. It saw the birth of Western medicine, drama, philosophy, government, etc.," Trini explained.

"Though my people use natural remedies a lot, we do admit Western medicine has its benefits. It helped me find out the source of chest pains I was suffering from. It was my gallbladder, not my heart. It had formed gallstones. I had surgery to get it removed," Randolph commented and pulled up his red flannel shirt to show his scar, which extended from the middle of his stomach to the left side.

Tommy appeared very impressed. "What a scar."

Randolph lowered his shirt and smoothed it out with both of his hands. "Had I not consulted my doctor, the pain would've continued. It's likely it would've gotten worse." He became very tense.

"You made a smart move, Randolph. A person can only tolerate pain for so long," Kat commented, clasping her hands together.

"Some people can't tolerate much pain at all while others can tolerate a lot," Kim added and crossed her left leg over her right one.

"I have little doubt Luna was in a lot of pain after the oil got into her lungs," Trini whispered somewhat fearfully. She remembered seeing videos of beached marine mammals covered in oil on TV. She felt bad for them because they were in so much pain. She hoped never to see a pained marine mammal in person.

"Oh, she was, Trini. It was difficult for her to breath," Nadine responded in sadness. "The poor girl stayed still to conserve her energy." She took a deep breath to keep herself from losing it. "We thought she was getting better after Kate gave her that antibiotic to prevent her from getting sicker, but we were proven wrong when she beached herself the next morning. Had Jesse and Randolph not made skookum for her, she would've died."

"When we look at Luna now, it's as if she had never swum into the oil that sickened her. She has a mate and two healthy offspring. She's a great mom. Alex is a great dad. Ben and Sparkle are wonderful kids," Rae said proudly.

Billy became thoughtful. "Do you think Willy, Nikki, Alex, and Luna will have more offspring? Will Littlespot find a mate of his own?"

"Only time will tell, Billy," Rae answered truthfully.

"Life can come at you so fast that you don't even notice it. Everything you know can be gone in the blink of an eye," Randolph said in a calm yet firm voice.

Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, Kat, Rae, and Nadine voiced their agreement. They and Randolph decided to talk more about the Southern Resident orcas.