Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter forty-five of "Ride the Wind." I'm glad it took just five days to get out. This chapter has a little bit of Tommy/Kim, Jason/Trini, Andros/Ashley, and Zhane/Karone in it. Stay tuned for chapter forty-six.

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Chapter 45: Boat Strike/Beached Orca/Helping

A bald eagle glided effortlessly over the ocean at noon. It looked down to see a speedboat going fast over the water. Twenty-five-year-old Terry Wang was driving it. Being Asian, his skin was very tanned. He was tall with a muscular frame. His black hair was in a buzz cut style, and his eyes were brown. He had a scar in the middle of the back of his right hand.

Twenty-four-year-old Amy Acker stood next to the young man. She was Caucasian. Her skin was rather pale. She was petite and happened to have a lean frame containing some muscle. Her long blond hair was curly at the ends. Her eyes were brown, and both of them had scars underneath them. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

"Boy, do I love this ocean air," she said happily.

"Me too," he agreed, a laugh coming out of his mouth. "Even better is that today is a beautiful day for boating."

"I remember our last camping trip with your parents. We went out on a boat for a fishing trip. We managed to catch several salmon on our lines," Amy commented, a big smile crossing her lips.

"The final salmon I caught was grabbed by an orca. It came out of nowhere!" Terry exclaimed.

"Yeah. It played with the salmon for a while before eating it," Amy said in cheerfulness.

Terry became thoughtful. "I have no doubt that orca was waiting patiently for me to reel in the salmon. Then it grabbed the opportunity to go after it."

Amy nodded in agreement. "When an orca sees an opportunity for a potential meal, it's going to go for it."

"Mm-hmm," Terry said with a nod. "I know a few humans who would do the same." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Like you?" Amy said with a loud snicker.

"Yes. Another human who is like that is you," Terry replied, putting his arm around her and kissing her temple. "You do that more often than I do."

She laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right."

He released his hold on the young woman and decreased the speed somewhat. He laid his hand on the steering wheel. They looked up to see the eagle flying overhead. They watched it vanish beyond the horizon. She scratched the back of her neck.

"I have to say this area has no shortage of eagles," Amy said honestly.

"You're not kidding. When I went to Reelfoot Lake with parents at age nine, we saw many bald eagles. In fact, one flew very close to our heads when we were walking in a wooded area. We had to duck out of the way," Terry said, chuckling to himself.

"No way," Amy mumbled in shock.

"I'm not kidding," Terry insisted. "No one wants to be hit by a bird of prey. Its talons are very sharp and can cause serious injuries."

"No shit, Sherlock," Amy muttered and rolled her eyes. "Peregrine falcons can fly up to two hundred miles per hour. You'd be hurt really bad if one hit you at that speed." She shuddered in some fear.

"We don't have to worry about peregrine falcons because we live in a rural area outside of Seattle," Terry pointed out.

"So true," Amy said, a small giggle coming out of her mouth. "Your parents were so nice to allow me to come along on another camping trip." She winked at him.

"They are great," Terry said, moving his hands to the top of the wheel. "What's even better is my father taught me how to drive a boat, so I could take you out on the water." He gazed at her and tickled her nose.

"Yep," Amy agreed.

Terry ruffled his girlfriend's hair. Just then, a loud burst air came out of nowhere. They looked to port to see Willy surface not far from them. They gasped in awe.

"Wow! Look at that orca!" Terry exclaimed.

"Too bad his dorsal is flopped over. It'd look so magnificent if it was straight," Amy whispered dejectedly.

He shrugged. "Who cares if it is? He's handsome, not to mention he's probably huge."

Luna joined Willy. They darted underwater, their tails swinging upward. They headed for the surface after going deep. They launched themselves into the air, turning on their sides and landing with two huge splashes each. They went to the surface once more to perform spyhops. They disappeared underwater. Terry and Amy laughed in delight.

"That was so neat!" Terry yelled excitedly.

"Terry, you should slow down some. We can't be going fast when whales are in the area," Amy said in some concern.

"No way, Amy. I'm keeping up with these guys," Terry said, shaking his head. "Besides, we—"

Terry looked ahead to see Littlespot surface in front of the speedboat. He gasped and made a sharp turn of the wheel. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to avoid him. Littlespot cried out painfully as the propeller hit him and tore into his flesh in his left side under his dorsal. Amy screamed in fright while holding on to her boyfriend very tightly.

The orca sank beneath the surface as Terry stopped the speedboat a short distance away. Terry and Amy saw him surface not far from starboard. She gasped in horror at the sight of three long bleeding gashes in Littlespot's side. They listened to his agonized cries as he swam away. Willy and Luna started to follow him. Amy looked at Terry.

"We've got to follow that orca and see if he's okay," she pleaded.

"No, we're not," he retorted bluntly. "We're getting out of here."

"But—" Amy started.

"No buts!" Terry interrupted angrily and glared at her. "Please, don't breathe a word of this to anyone! I don't want to get in trouble!" He breathed heavily.

"I won't," Amy whispered, shaking her head.

"I didn't hear you!" Terry snapped with a hiss.

She yelled in frustration. "I said I won't tell anyone! There! Are you happy?"

He snorted. "Yes. Now, let's go."

Terry drove off at high speed. Amy looked over her shoulder to see Littlespot surface with Willy and Luna following him at a distance. She hoped he would be okay and that he'd get his wounds treated. She felt torn about keeping quiet about what Terry did and letting the police know about it. She looked ahead as Willy, Luna, and Littlespot disappeared beyond the horizon.

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Tommy and Kim walked along the path to the Rubbing Rocks in the midafternoon. They listened to the distant cawing of gulls and howling of coyotes. They couldn't stop themselves from smiling. They hoped they wouldn't just be hearing those animals but also orcas as well as seeing them. After all, the latter was the focus of the trek to their destination.

The couple heard screeching and looked up to see a golden eagle flying overheard. They peered over their shoulders as it landed on a branch near the middle of a tree a short distance away. It shook its head. It ran its beak through its back feathers. It did the same to the ones on its chest. They turned to each other with raised eyebrows.

"Talk about a flyover," Kim exclaimed with a laugh.

"It might have been, but at least that eagle didn't appear out of nowhere like the last one did," Tommy pointed out.

She scratched the back of her neck. "You got that right."

Tommy and Kim resumed walking, scanning their surroundings. They returned their attention to the path. He started going ahead a little bit. She increased her stride to catch up to him.

"I can't wait until we get to the Rubbing Rocks," he said warmly.

"Me neither. I hope J-Pod will be there," she replied.

"I bet I'll see the orcas first," Tommy said turned to her.

"In your dreams," Kim retorted and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I know you like seeing me in my dreams," Tommy said, smirking widely. He laughed at her punching him in the arm. "If you punch me in the arm again, you'll get a knuckle sandwich." He presented a fist to her.

"I don't mind getting knuckle sandwiches from you," Kim said, snickering under her breath. "Yours are tasty."

He growled playfully and grabbed her shoulder. He pressed his fist to her mouth. She pretended to nibble on it. She pushed it away, getting a chuckle from him.

"Was it good?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, it was," Kim answered with a nod. "It just needed some mustard."

He gave her a big smile as he took his arm away from her shoulder. "Then remind me to put mustard on it, so you can eat it. After that, I'll rub it in your face."

Kim smacked Tommy in the back of his head. He gave her a smack to the back of hers in retaliation. They laughed and put their arms around each other. They proceeded to sing nonsense. A white-tailed deer stared at them in confusion as they passed it. It decided to start eating leaves from a bush beside it. It swiveled its ears.

The couple halted themselves when they heard what sounded like an orca crying. They let go of each other. They stepped forward three paces. Another cry came, this one being a little louder. Their hearts started to pound against their chests as they gazed at each other. They pressed their lips together before swallowing hard.

"Something's wrong, Kim," Tommy said fearfully.

"Then we need to get down to the beach now!" Kim responded seriously. "Come on!"

Tommy and Kim broke into a run. They looked toward the water to see Willy and Luna surface in the distance. They increased their pace as the orcas slipped underwater. She went ahead of him.

"Come on, Tommy! Come on!" Kim shouted and peered over her shoulder at him. She looked ahead as they reached the beach. She gasped in horror at what she saw. "It's Littlespot! He's beached!"

Kim skidded to a halt as Littlespot cried in pain. Tommy stopped next to her. The orca lifted his head slightly. He put it down. He was partly out of the water. Blood seeped from his wounds, turning it red underneath him. Tommy and Kim raced to him. They tensed somewhat at his pitiful moaning. Littlespot lifted his tail a little bit. He laid it down.

"It's okay, Littlespot," Kim whispered soothingly and petted the orca in front of his dorsal.

"It's just us," Tommy added as he touched the same area. "We're not going to hurt you."

Tommy and Kim stepped back two paces to look at the wounds. She appeared as if she were about to vomit while he made a disgusted face. They quickly became angry. They knew only a boat propeller could've given Littlespot such awful-looking injuries. They suspected the boater was going too fast and hit him just as he or she saw him appear.

The couple heard two loud bursts of air and glanced toward the water to see Willy and Luna surface a short distance away. The orcas swam toward a deeper depth. They emitted sad clicks. Tommy and Kim heard Littlespot moan agonizingly and returned their attention to him. The orca lifted his head a bit. He spouted air from his blowhole.

"We've got to get him back in the water, Tommy, but he needs his wounds treated first," Kim said seriously.

"Luckily, we brought our waterproof cellphones with us," Tommy said and grabbed his cellphone from his pocket. "Jason is going to be horrified when I tell him about this."

"You should call Randolph, Rae, Jesse, and Kate. We're going to need their help," Kim suggested.

"Okay," Tommy said, walking toward the beach. "Thank God they gave us their phone numbers."

Kim turned back to Littlespot as he laid his head down. She seemed about ready to burst into tears when she heard him moan in much agony. She couldn't do that because it wouldn't make the situation any better. She petted him behind his blowhole while making soft shushing sounds. He raised his tail, laying it back down.

"It's going to be okay, boy," Kim assured gently. She scratched the orca's dorsal. "Our friends will be here. You'll get your wounds treated and be back into the water. I promise."

Willy and Luna stopped swimming. They lifted their heads, letting out concerned cries. They put them back down. Kim stopped petting Littlespot and started splashing water on him. Tommy started searching through his contacts after he got onto the beach.

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At the campsite, Jason, Trini, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, Billy, and Kat were sitting around the fire pit. Heather, Olivia, and Benny were in Andros, Ashley, and Zhane's laps. Jason, Trini, Heather, Olivia, Benny, Billy, and Kat were roasting marshmallows over a brightly burning fire. A box of graham crackers and bags of chocolate and marshmallows sat between Jason and Trini's chairs.

"Nothing better than roasting marshmallows for s'mores over a campfire, is there?" Jason asked.

"You bet, Jase," Trini said with a big smile on her face. "The kids are doing well with roasting their marshmallows."

Billy smiled. "A s'more is a much better afternoon snack than a bag of chips or candy."

Kat giggled gleefully. "It's ironic you said that because chocolate is candy, Billy."

"You're right, Kat," Billy agreed.

"What's cool about tonight's dinner is we are having fish," Benny commented.

"Yeah!" Olivia and Heather said cheerfully.

"Just don't let Jason steal all the tartar sauce," Trini quipped, a snicker coming out of her mouth.

Jason turned to her. "How about I throw it in your face then, Trini?"

Trini gave him a thumbs-up. "Be my guest as long as the others get some of it too."

Jason chuckled and looked at his marshmallow, which was burning. He took his stick away from the fire and shook it rapidly. He managed to put it out. The others broke into a fit of laughter.

"Now, that's what I call a fiery marshmallow," Andros said.

Jason scoffed in some annoyance. "Very funny, Andros. I'm getting another marshmallow."

Jason grabbed the marshmallows. He removed the burnt one from his stick and put another on. Just then, everyone heard a bell ringing. He realized it was his cellphone and removed it from his pocket. He appeared very surprised when he saw Tommy's number of 666-9999.

"It's Tommy," Jason whispered as he put his stick against his chair.

"What is he doing calling?" Trini asked as she looked at him.

"I hope Tommy and Kim aren't trying to play a prank or something," Ashley added.

"I have no idea," Jason said and put the cellphone to his ear. "Bro, I wasn't expecting you to call. What's going on?" His face fell at what Tommy said. "What? Oh, no."

The others glanced at Jason as he stood up and walked over to the picnic table. They listened to him talk with Tommy. They saw him run his hand through his hair. Jason hung up and returned to the fire pit. His heart was pounding against his chest, and a horrified look was on his face.

"Tommy and Kim found Littlespot beached at the Rubbing Rocks. He was injured by a boat propeller," Jason said, his voice trembling on the last two words.

"Oh, no," Karone said, a shocked expression crossing her face. The same look appeared on the faces of the others.

"Is Littlespot hurt bad?" Zhane asked.

"Tommy and Kim found three gashes in his side. They looked rather deep," Jason explained fearfully. "I'm heading down there to help them using the directions Jesse gave us two days ago. Tommy is going to call Jesse, Randolph, Rae, and Kate."

Trini set her stick against her chair and stood up. "I'll go with you, Jase."

Andros set Heather on the ground and rose to his feet. "So will I."

"You can count me in," Ashley said and placed Olivia on the ground. She stood up with a light grunt.

"The same goes for me," Zhane commented. Benny got out of his lap, allowing him to stand up.

"Don't leave me out of this," Karone said, setting her stick against her chair. She got up and watched Heather and Olivia to go over to Billy and Kat, who put their sticks on the ground.

"I'll stay and watch the kids," Billy announced. He wrapped his arms around Heather's waist after she climbed into his lap.

"So will I," Kat added and emitted a small grunt when Olivia got into her lap. She saw Benny get into Zhane's chair.

Jason nodded at his friends. "Okay. Let's get ready, everyone."

Jason, Trini, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone rushed to their tents. Heather and Olivia looked up at Billy and Kat.

"Uncle Billy, will Littlespot be okay?" Heather asked worryingly.

"I don't know, Heather. We'll just have to wait and see what happens," Billy answered and ran his hand over her hair.

"Why did the boat hit him?" Benny wondered.

"It's likely the boater was going too fast and didn't see him in time to turn. It's actually illegal for boats to be going at high speed when whales are nearby," Kat explained.

"Unfortunately, some boaters think the rules don't apply to them," Billy muttered, anger lining his voice. "They don't care if they hit whales and leave them with horrific-looking injuries."

"That's terrible," Olivia mumbled in disgust.

"You said it, honey," Kat agreed. She, Billy, and the children watched the others get ready to leave.

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At the Rubbing Rocks twenty-five minutes later, Tommy was helping Kim splash water on Littlespot. He managed to reach Jesse, Randolph, Rae, and Kate, whom were all on their way. He also got a call from Jason that he, Trini, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, and Karone were heading here and informed him about their friends' coming. The orca moaned painfully as he lifted his head somewhat. The couple stopped splashing him and petted his back. Willy and Luna continued to swim around. They emitted small cries.

"It's okay," Kim whispered soothingly.

"We're not leaving you," Tommy added and made soft shushing sounds.

The couple resumed splashing the orca after he put his head down. They mumbled inaudible words before sighing heavily. They hoped their friends would be here soon. They were worried about his skin becoming sunburned. They remembered seeing videos of rescued cetaceans with sunburns. That had made them feel ill to no end.

The sound of screeching tires caught Tommy and Kim's attention. Doors opening and closing followed suit. Running footfalls came next. They looked up to see Jason, Trini, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, Jesse, Randolph, and Rae coming their way. They sighed in much relief. They bit their lips before suppressing yawns.

"Thanks for coming," Jason called as he looked at Jesse, Randolph, and Rae. The group stopped a short distance from the shoreline. "Billy and Kat are watching the kids."

Jason, Trini, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, Jesse, Randolph, and Rae became tense at Littlespot's agonized groans. Jesse and Randolph had a feeling of déjà vu, having dealt with Luna beaching herself due to being sick from oil in her lungs. More screeching tires came, followed by a slamming door. Kate ran up to the group with her medical supply box. The others looked at her as she stopped next to Rae.

"Kate, it's good to see you," Randolph greeted.

"It's good to see you and the others too, Randolph, though I wish it was under better circumstances," Kate responded solemnly as everyone glanced at Littlespot.

Jason showed anger and curled his hands into fists. "I want to get my hands on the jerk who did this to Littlespot."

Andros glanced at his friend. "You're not the only one, Jase."

"Enough talking, you two. Littlespot needs help," Trini said seriously.

"Jesse, Randolph, Trini, Karone, I need you four to help me," Kate said, tightening her grip on the box handle. "Randolph, you will help me by holding my medical supply box. Jesse, Trini, Karone, you will keep Littlespot as calm as possible."

Jesse nodded slowly. "Okay."

Kate, Jesse, Randolph, Trini, and Karone walked toward Littlespot. Tommy and Kim ceased their splashing and headed for the shore. They joined Jason's side. Kate and Randolph went to the side where the orca's wounds were while Jesse, Trini, and Karone took the other one. Kate gave Randolph the box and opened it. Littlespot squealed in pain when she touched the first wound. He raised his head a bit. Jesse, Trini, and Karone petted his back.

"I know it hurts, boy, but Kate needs to treat your wounds," Jesse said comfortingly.

"We don't want them to become infected," Trini added, trying not to cry.

"Nor do we want you to be out of the water any longer," Karone whispered, her voice breaking on the last three words.

Littlespot became calm and laid his head down. Jesse, Trini, and Karone scratched his side while whispering inaudible words to him. Kate cleaned the wounds thoroughly. She stitched each of them up carefully. She closed the box after she put all the supplies back in. Randolph took it back to shore and laid it on the ground. Kate looked toward him and the rest of the group.

"It's time to get Littlespot into deeper water," Kate called.

Jesse, Trini, and Karone went around to the other side of Littlespot, who slapped his tail on the water twice. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Randolph, and Rae joined them and Kate.

"All right, everyone. On the count of three, we push," Randolph shouted. "One, two, three! Push!"

The entire group pushed on Littlespot as hard as it could. Everyone jumped back when he started thrashing his head from side to side. He became still very quickly. Jesse, Trini, Karone, Kate, Tommy, Kim, Jason, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, Randolph, and Rae returned to him.

"Let's try again. One, two, three! Push!" Randolph yelled in much determination. He and his friends pushed hard on the orca, who lifted his tail to slap it on the water.

"Come on, Littlespot!" Ashley shouted, swallowing hard.

Andros clenched his teeth. "You can do it, buddy! We know you can!"

The group couldn't make Littlespot move. Everyone stopped pushing to take a breather. Jesse, Trini, Karone, Kate, Tommy, Kim, Jason, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Randolph, and Rae became even more determined.

"Once more, everyone!" Randolph shouted, taking a deep breath. "One, two, three! Push!"

Jesse, Trini, Karone, Kate, Tommy, Kim, Jason, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, Randolph, and Rae pushed on Littlespot with all their might. Willy and Luna whistled encouragingly to him. Littlespot slapped his tail on the water repeatedly. His friends started to turn him toward deeper water. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally got him there. They cheered joyfully as he swam away slowly.

"Whoo! Go, Littlespot!" Kim yelled, clapping three times.

"Good boy," Zhane said and wiped a tear from his eye. He choked back a sob. "We knew you could do it."

"At least we're able to see what was ailing Littlespot," Jesse said in relief. "We couldn't see what was ailing Luna."

Littlespot swam toward his siblings. They whistled happily to each other. Jesse, Trini, Karone, Kate, Tommy, Kim, Jason, Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Randolph, and Rae gathered onto the shore.

"We need to take shifts and monitor him round-the-clock," Kate said, running her hands through her hair.

"I'll take the first afternoon shift," Jesse announced as he raised his hand.

"Put me down for tonight's shift," Randolph chimed.

Kim exhaled. "Tommy and I will take tomorrow morning's shift."

"Zhane and I have that afternoon's shift," Karone said, putting her hand on Zhane's shoulder.

"Andros and I have that night's shift," Ashley said, taking Andros's hand into hers.

Trini touched Jason's shoulder. "Jason and I will take the morning shift after that."

"I'll take that afternoon's shift," Rae announced.

Kate gave a slow nod. "That sounds good. I'll take that night's shift. Randolph, let's get the net ready."

Jesse became a little upset at Willy, Luna, and Littlespot having to be penned in, but he knew it was in their best interest. Kate and Randolph ran off. They returned with her motorboat, which contained a net. They got in and netted off the area. The orcas panicked, but they became calm at their friends talking quietly to them. They swam around the enclosure steadily.