Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter forty-six of "Ride the Wind." I'm glad it took just a week to get out. I want to let everyone know that Polaris was spotted swimming with Dipper on September 7. She seems to be recovering from whatever is ailing her. Stay tuned for chapter forty-seven.

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Chapter 46: Small To Say the Least

In the early evening at the Rubbing Rocks, Willy and Luna were swimming around the enclosure. They rolled on their backs and flicked their tails to throw water upward. They turned to right side up. Littlespot hung at the surface in the middle of the enclosure. He moaned in pain before spouting air. Jesse was talking to Elvis on his cellphone while sitting on the log. He had called Nadine and told her he'd be watching Littlespot.

"I do hope whoever hit Littlespot comes forward, Elvis. I'd like to give them a piece of my mind," Jesse said.

"I would too if I was there, Jesse. What is it with people driving their boats at high speeds when they are in the presence of whales?" Elvis asked and mumbled inaudible words.

"Those people just want to keep up with the whales while they are swimming fast. They don't give a damn if they hit one and seriously injure it or worse. Some don't say a word because they don't want to face the consequences," Jesse said, a little anger lining his voice.

"That's sick and disgusting," Elvis said and scoffed.

"You got that right, bro," Jesse agreed.

"I can't blame Willy and Luna for accompanying Littlespot to the Rubbing Rocks. They didn't want to leave him behind. It's like the oil spill all over again," Elvis commented honestly.

"Yeah, but no oil was involved this time," Jesse commented.

"Still, you and I both know orcas have such tight-knit families that they refuse to leave each other unless it is putting the pod in danger," Elvis said.

"Of course," Jesse responded with a nod. "There is always a chance members of J-Pod will show up to visit Willy, Luna, and Littlespot." He emitted a sharp exhale.

"Anyway, it is nice you got to meet some of the former Power Rangers. I'd like to meet them too," Elvis said in a warm voice.

"If they happen to be camping on the island during your next summer stay at my and Nadine's cabin, then I will introduce you to them. Would you like that?" Jesse asked.

"Sure," Elvis said eagerly. "I'd love to hear the stories of their battle against the evil aliens. Who would've thought four captive orcas would help the Rangers fend off a monster attack?" He whistled.

Jesse smiled. "I know. It sounds unbelievable, but those orcas did it. They made the best of their situation."

"They sure did. Anyway, I hope my nephew or niece is doing well," Elvis responded and chuckled.

"The baby is doing fine. Nadine is all ready to go to the hospital," Jesse said in happiness.

Elvis sighed contently. "Great."

Jesse was about to say something else when he heard a vehicle approaching. An opening and closing door came a second later. He looked up to see Randolph coming his way with a lantern in his hand. He shifted his attention back to the cellphone.

"Randolph's here. I have to go," Jesse said regretfully as he ran his hair over his hair.

"Okay. Tell Littlespot I said hi," Elvis replied.

Jesse nodded. "Of course, bro. I'll talk to you later. Good night."

Elvis clicked his tongue twice. "You too. Good night."

Jesse hung up and slipped his cellphone into his pocket. He jumped off the log as Randolph stopped beside him. The Indian set the lantern on the ground beside the log.

"Hey, Randolph," Jesse greeted.

"Hey, Jess. How is Littlespot doing?" Randolph asked.

"He's doing as well as he can," Jesse answered as they looked toward the orcas. "I do wish that he, Willy, and Luna didn't have to be netted in." He sniffled. "They can't do much of anything."

"I understand your feelings, but we don't have a choice. Littlespot needs constant monitoring. He could start to show signs of illness since his injuries went untreated for a while," Randolph said seriously.

"I can see that. Still, I wish—" Jesse started, his voice cracking somewhat.

"I know," Randolph whispered sympathetically. He touched his friend's shoulder to give it a gentle squeeze. "The bright side is this net is coming down in the next few days."

"Seeing Willy, Luna, and Littlespot being netted in at Camp Nor'wester with a boom that would protect them made me so upset. They couldn't get back to their family. I suspected something wasn't right about this," Jesse whispered truthfully.

"I did too. When I saw the news report the orcas were to be sent to a marine rescue center for rehabilitation, I had no doubt something sinister was behind this little operation," Randolph said, sighing heavily.

"Elvis showed up suddenly and told me about Jon Milner's plans to sell the orcas to an aquarium. It made me so angry. I can understand sending orcas into captivity if they are ill, but he wanted to make Willy, Luna, and Littlespot into performers after they got better," Jesse growled in frustration.

"It's good that Willy remembered the signals you taught him," Randolph said, giving him a small smile. "That helped get him and his siblings out of the cove."

"Thank God," Jesse whispered in great relief.

The men saw Willy and Luna spyhop on the right side of the enclosure. The orcas slipped underwater. They came back up quickly. They whistled to Littlespot, who responded in kind.

"I read a story about a bottlenose dolphin that was captured for an experiment. Over the course of several months, his caregivers taught him behaviors show dolphins perform. They wanted to see if he could teach them to his wild counterparts. He was released. When his caregivers returned, they saw him showing several wild dolphins how to twirl around. They declared their experiment a success," Randolph commented.

"I read the story too. It was so interesting. I didn't like the dolphin was captured, but I'm glad his caregivers treated him well," Jesse said, a light chuckle coming out of his mouth. "I almost wish Willy was captured that way." He shrugged.

"But he wasn't. He was caught illegally," Randolph said and scoffed irritatingly. "Those hunters were determined to ignore the ban on wild captures just to make some money." He rolled his eyes.

"You know what's crazy? Some extreme anti-caps actually believe the captivity industry is the cause of the disappearances of Southern Resident orcas. They claim the orcas are secretly being captured and sent to marine parks. Among them are SeaWorld, Loro Parque, and Marineland France. I may be anti-captivity, but that is just ridiculous. If there really were Southern Residents being captured illegally, they'd be easily identified by their markings in the parks they were living in," Jesse said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I just want to punch my computer screen whenever I see that claim by extreme anti-caps. Then again, it'd leave me without a monitor," Randolph said with a shrug.

"I know something you could do to relieve your frustrations," Jesse said thoughtfully.

Randolph became curious and scratched his neck. "What's that?"

"You can bang your head on your desk or wall," Jesse answered, moving his eyebrows up and down.

"You're dreaming if you think I would do that. Besides, it'd give me a headache," Randolph muttered, making a weird noise.

"Which might be a tumor," Jesse joked.

"It's not a tumor. It's not a tumor at all," Randolph said in Arnold Schwarzenegger's voice.

Jesse patted the Indian's shoulder. "Right."

Randolph looked at Jesse and winked at him. Jesse returned the wink with one of his own. Randolph put his arm around him to give him a big hug. Jesse responded by hugging him back.

"It's hard to believe we've known each other for sixteen years," Randolph said as he and the young man let go of each other.

"I know. You were surprised to see how tall I was when we reunited two years after Willy's leap to freedom. You said I had grown at least six inches. I said four-and-half. Dad jokingly added since breakfast," Jesse responded, a snicker coming out of his mouth.

"At least your parents have a good sense of humor. Very serious people are just plain bores," Randolph grumbled with a scoff.

Jesse furrowed his brow. "In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Roger actually said you were better off dead if you didn't have a good sense of humor." He showed thoughtfulness. "It doesn't mean serious people should die. It means that laughter can be our best weapon."

"I remember when I saw that movie in theaters," Randolph said, cupping his chin in his hand. "I couldn't get enough of Eddie's dance. It made the weasels die of laughter with the exception of Smarty. He was kicked in the crotch by Eddie and ended up in the Dip." He ran his tongue over his teeth.

"Roger said nose because you can't say balls in an animated film. Of course, this one was an animated/live action crossover," Jesse pointed out.

"If I got kicked in the crotch, I'd be screaming in a high-pitched voice," Randolph said, his body becoming somewhat tense.

"Me too," Jesse agreed.

Randolph let out a sharp exhale. "There are some people I'd love to kick in the crotch."

Randolph suppressed a yawn and smacked his lips. He rubbed his eyes before letting out a soft sigh.

"Dial is one of those people," Jesse growled angrily. "In fact, I really wanted to get up and kick him in the crotch when I saw him yesterday." He kicked at the air. "His comments about Nadine and our unborn child were so hateful."

"The bright side is Dial got a huge dose of karma in the form of coffee being spilt on him," Randolph pointed out.

"I almost wish it had been Ms. Fowler who bumped into Dial and spilt coffee on him. It would be fun to see two despicable people yell at each other," Jesse said bluntly.

"I'd pay big bucks to see that," Randolph answered, giving a sharp nod.

"So would I," Jesse agreed. "How about we throw in a fight between them as well?"

"That'd be good too," Randolph said with a small chuckle. "After all, what's better than two awful people giving each other a good ass-kicking?"

Jesse touched Randolph's shoulder and patted it lightly. The Indian ruffled the young man's hair. He saw him look at his watch and let out a long whistle. He eyed Willy, Luna, and Littlespot.

"I better get home before Nadine wonders where I am," Jesse said in seriousness.

"Okay. If Nadine goes into labor, give me a call. You can keep me up to date on how she is doing. You can let our Ranger friends know about it too if you want," Randolph responded.

"Sure," Jesse commented while nodding slowly. "Let us, Rae, and Kate know if Littlespot starts showing signs of illness."

Randolph touched his friend's shoulder. "I know. You did a nice job watching him. I have no doubt he appreciates it. Good night, Jess."

Jesse nodded at him. "Good night, Randolph."

Jesse walked away while snapping his fingers. Randolph stared after him until he was gone. He looked at Willy, Luna, and Littlespot. He sat on the log as Littlespot joined his siblings in swimming around.