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Chapter 8

The Bringer Of Death

"Blood dripping like a line in the sand
No chance of you ever going back again, kneel down when the vengeance comes
Cause this is the cup that you must drink from

There's no rest for the fallen
Oh we're burning the fields
You're the snake in the garden and you're under my heel.

Who's gonna save you, who's gonna save you now
When the hunter comes
When the hunters comes for you"

– The Hunter by Sam Tinnesz

A thick, heavy fog drifted over the sea, the surface paled by the breaking dawn's first, gleaming light. A fishing boat, which by now had become well recognized in the harbour, was cleaving the waves of the cold, white ghost of the sea as it moved deeper and deeper into the ocean. The early morning was incredibly gloomy; grey clouds and mist surrounded the coast of Newfoundland. The weather seemed to accurately reflect the emotions of the inhabitants. Deathly silence clung around the villagers, who had gathered to see Nolan and his crew off. Most of them were wondering whether the captain or his companions would return to the dock alive. But Nolan no longer cared. He too was consumed by the strong thirst of vengeance, pushed by the sensation of guilt. Just like the grief-stricken Orca...Nolan also desired revenge. This unnatural game of bloodlust with the marine mammal had gone long enough and it was time to put an end to it. Either he or that Whale would be killed on this venture.

Bumpo was steered towards the north, ocean waves parting in a rhythmic motion as the boat passed. Throughout all this, the intelligent eyes of the Killer Whale were fixated at the captain's vessel. He watched it depart from the port with a feeling of success and satisfaction. At last, the coward of a man had finally realized that he wouldn't be able to escape from him...otherwise, he'd be haunted forever. The Orca couldn't help noting how the whole world seemed to go dark. It was as though his state of being had mirrored upon the small seaside town. The thoughts in his mind drowsed. Everything...even his strong longing to be reunited with his beloved mate blurred out. He placed his head gently above the rippling water, silently following the boat – which was supposed to be going out to find him – as it moved further and further away from the harbour. There was nothing left to be done or said...nothing to hope for. Both the Orca and Nolan were tired and heavy as the dead. The final battle was fast approaching and only time would tell which one would emerge victorious.

As the morning turned to afternoon, afternoon into evening, and slowly evening began to make its way to night, the Orca realized where the captain's boat was headed. The humans were guiding their vessel to that same place where his beloved had been ruthlessly murdered along with their unborn infant. Unbelievable...how foolish can these land mammals be? It was obvious to him that they were under the impression of locating him there, but if only they opened their eyes and learned to observe things rather than just constantly make noise, they'd end up with more answers. Well...no matter. He would follow them and once they made contact, things would drastically change. The Orca swam in the vast ocean, tirelessly going after them, sometimes quietly floating right beside the boat. His black and white colour was camouflaged by the arriving twilight. The fog had at last lifted as the sky turned pink and purple. It were peaceful hours...only the soft lapping of waves could be heard which momentarily took him back. It was the most beautiful time of the day. Oh, how he had loved sunsets. He remembered the lively songs he and his pod used to sing, the dance of courtship he and his mate performed in the ocean against the glorious sunset as their families glided nearby. All those idyllic memories were like dreams to him now. Dreams that soothed his soul and heart at night, but dreams that abandoned him in the morning. It was painful to admit, but they were empty recollections of moments that were forever gone. They could not reawaken his old self, who had always been mighty, yet noble and kind. Now he was nothing but a vicious creature beyond all measure. There was no redemption for him...his fate had been sealed, just like the captain's had been the second he decided to hunt killer whales.

In the quiet of the dead night, he faintly listened to the whistling of the wind. The floating clouds and the fog hovered over again, darkening the sky even more. Grief and bitterness intertwined the world. There was sad loneliness at the sea. Once a majestic being, unafraid to save lives, had transformed into a bringer of death. He would own that unfortunate fact with pride, for it was all he had left. All that he was good for.

The next day, Bumpo was greeted by an attacking blow from the revengeful Dolphin, who rocked the vessel with an ease. It was only a first charge...things were going to get considerably worse if Nolan kept up his cowardice. He could tell that this little 'good morning greeting' action had already sent the humans in a panic mode...as usual. He could hear the exclamatory sounds that they produced. "It's me he wants to fight!" Nolan had announced loudly.

The sky was blue against the sea and the sun was shining and it was in that moment, the Orca caught sight of the captain bursting out on the deck. He had a weapon in his hand as he continued yelling out orders at his crew. Putting his gun away, he started fumbling with a different object. It was unlike anything the Orca had seen before. Nolan did something to it and the object suddenly began to emit strange crackling noises. "Don't you dare!" Suddenly, a young woman had rushed at the captain's side, struggling against him, trying to stop him from whatever he was planning to accomplish in that moment. "You can't let off the dynamite!" She cried, outraged.

It was her again! That fascinating woman, who seemed to be the only human the Orca did not have negative feelings towards. She had become forever captured in his mind since the day she set and mourned the death of his mate, sitting beside her body almost all day. What was she doing on this horrible man's boat? She needed to be as far away from the likes of him as possible.

They began arguing as Nolan raised his voice, silencing her. "What do you want me to do? Climb overboard so you can record the sounds of my being swallowed?!"

He once again made to do what he originally set out to accomplish, but the woman would not give up. She grappled him, desperately attempting to snatch the fizzling object from him. "No! Don't! Don't!"

"Get your hands off!" Their fierce tussle stirred emotions in the onlooking Orca, who all of a sudden, grew incredibly protective of the woman, as though she were part of his pod. Perhaps it was because of the compassion she had displayed to his deceased mate or perhaps, it was because of how determined she was to fight Nolan and keep his kind safe. Or maybe it was all of the above? In any case, the Dolphin struck the boat again, making the struggling humans lose their balance and caused them to topple on the deck, the crackling object flying from their hands. The hissing sound increased as the woman, without any hesitation, got up and hurried towards the object, quickly grabbing it and throwing it overboard. She had purposely tossed it on the other side of the boat, so that it wouldn't hurt the Whale. In seconds, the sea erupted into a booming explosion, shaking the vessel vigorously.

That could've been him. That's what the coward was planning on doing with him, wasn't he? He wanted to easily annihilate him by that explosive object. Yet another cowardly act. The Orca was seized with raging sense of fury. Would that atrocious man ever fight him fairly?

Confused and dazed because of inhaling so much smoke and experiencing an explosion so closely, the woman leaned against the boat, coughing hard. The Orca swam upwards, his sharp eyes seeing a blurry vision of her in the water. Worried for her safety, Nolan swiftly pulled her away from the danger zone, fearing that the raging Killer Whale may harm her too in his brutal rampage. Ironically, she was the sole person the Orca did not wish to hurt.

"Here he comes!" One of the crew shouted, just when the mighty black and white creature broke the surface by leaping out of the ocean. He sprang back in, creating tremendous amount of waves all around him. Shifting on his side, the cunning Orca began to wave his tail at the humans, swimming ahead of the boat as he flapped his fins. He was done following the humans. From that moment on, they would be the ones following him to the actual battlefield. His message seemed to be received by the captain, for the vessel slowly started to turn towards his direction.

To ensure that Nolan was completely aware of who had become in charge of this horrible ordeal, the Killer Whale – motivated by his thirst for vengeance – swam back to the boat to take a life. A boy, too young to be called a man but old enough to be considered an adult, the one he had rescued from the great white shark, was standing at the edge of Bumpo. In a flash, the mighty beast breached and dragged him down into the sea.

"Ken!" Rachel screamed as the water turned into crimson colour.

The Whale sped ahead, taking the lead as the boat followed, out of the Gulf, onto the coast of Labrador. Nolan, Rachel and the remaining crew – which was merely comprised of Jacob Umilak, the Native American acquaintance of Rachel Bedford and Paul, Nolan's surviving crew member, all had a creeping feeling in their bones that this was the last lap, and there would be no way out north. He was surely leading them to their deaths.

Orcinus Orca...he had justified his calling. He had transfigured into a demon from hell...he had become the bringer of death.

Two more chapters to go.