Chapter Six

Reality

Dawn rose, as the fifth day awakened, sending the waves of light channelling through the surface of the waters, illuminating the ice, and sparkling the world with its vast luminosity. Thick chunks of ice floating on the surface, creating a minefield of buoyant debris, as a young orca smashed through the surface, punching a hole in the ice with a shatter of moaning in song of pain.
Thick swatches of scratches, scrapes and scars covered the face, from ramming with ice in desperation for the life-giving air of the sea of sky. Sage's face bled, trickling blood from the jagged efforts of the ice to drown him below, the red staining the white pink. His right eye, bruised, remained closed.
A louder growl was given, but not of song. Incapable of hunting alone, Sage had been picking the small fish tit-bits he had been successful in cornering and ensnared within his mouth. Wily were the fish, but ever so more were the seals. Countless efforts had wound Sage with an empty belly, and ever more exhaustion, as he had attempted to snare such a meal.
"Ohhh," Sage moaned, near tears. This was harder than he'd thought it'd have been. In his efforts to head south, for warmer waters and other singers, he'd found a large portion of landmass ice blocking his path upon the third day. It would take weeks for him to traverse around, so he's opted for the more risky option of travelling straight underneath it.
Fish were scarcer, but seals were abundant, as well as bigger land creatures. Sage had almost been attacked and dragged from the water by a larger monster he had failed to see, for its white was the white of the above world. It was by sheer miracle, Sage had been able to grip onto one of the creatures' clawed fins and bite down, making the monster release its death grip long enough for Sage to escape.
Blowing at the surface, Sage sank below, before returning to spy hop, and see where he was, opening the bloodied and battered right eye.
White. Everywhere was white.
"Is there no end to this wasteland?" Sage lamented loudly, his song pained greatly by hunger, injury and despair. It mattered not where he turned, there was no end, and he feared he might forever be lost here, wandering the ice, tearing away at his face punching holes to breathe.
As he sank back into the element of life, he glanced about at the shimmering waters of white. There was little to see, but light white, to sapphire, to azure, to navy and then black. On occasion, a few fish may pass by, but nothing much of hopes or interest to Sage.
Humming to himself, his mother's song, he attempted to lift his spirits. He knew that he had to return, and this song would be his oath to return. As long as he continued to sing it, he would return. He just knew that he would return.
Sage twisted his body as he sensed the presence of something enter the waters ahead, a faint hearing of a splash and change in pressure of the water. Casting his gaze, he noticed in the far distance something small and dim. Casting his song forward, he received the image of a seal.
Thoughts of food rolled through Sage's mind. The hunger that plagued him would forever forgive Sage to fill his empty belly with whatever he could find and catch.
But another part of him warned Sage that he always failed, and ended up worse than before. More tired, more hungry and more discouraged.
But the pounding starvation was the keeper to Sage's mind. The rumbling and growling and gurgling of the void stomach commanded a song of hideous tones, but overwhelming control of Sage's decisions. His starvation demanded to be fed, and Sage heeded, pumping after the seal after drawing in a long breath in preparation.
Feeding upon the school of small herring, too small to satisfy Sage, the seal filled its belly, fast becoming bloated and sated. Turning, it noticed the black terror charging at it, teeth at the ready. Giving a frightened bark, the seal flipped its fins and sped off, attempting to lose the orca with agility and confusion as its aid of technique.
The thoughts of a warm meal within the pits of his starving belly drove Sage to chase, corner and consume the seal. He cared not if it was mother, father, pup or other; as long as it would sate his raging famine, he wanted it within the inside of him, than outside.
Sage felt his need for air begin to muster within him, but the fact that the seal was escaping was enough for him to ignore the fact he needed to breathe. Sage needed to eat as well. What was the point of being able to breathe, if you were to die from not being able to feed?
And Sage also knew a small tactic. Seals could not hold their breath as long as an orca. Their lungs were nowhere as strong. Whilst Sage was not an adult with their long breathing capabilities, he knew he was able to hold his air longer than a seal could, and was hoping to catch the seal as it rose to breathe.
A squeal of the thrill of the hunt erupted from Sage, forgetting his hunger and bleeding pains, falling for the lust of the chase and desire for the kill. He adjusted his body balance as a large slab of ice caused him to have to dive underneath, and another around, as the lights and chunks of ice flashed about in a blur of flashing and speed.
No more tender to hold onto, the seal spotted a large hole to breathe and rose, pausing for just a moment to refill his lungs, praying that the orca wouldn't attack in this instant of weakness…
Sage rushed, teeth at the ready. The seal was in his grasp, and this time, it couldn't get away!
Red exploded into the water, as the seal screamed in pain.
Surfacing, Sage watched, his eyes wide with sorrow, disappointment and anguish. The large white hunter from before had snatched the seal away several moments before Sage had claimed it as his own. Watching, his heart breaking and stomach screaming, the creature tossed its head about, showering the ice with fine crimson powder and mutilated the body.
Singing of sadness, unfairness and bitterness, Sage sang to the predator, wondering if it understood his song, praying for a share of the kill of his own, but the hunter never sang back, instead, ignoring the younger orca and beginning to devour the seal. Sage watched on, tears welling in his eyes as the monster that had attempted to take his life, now took away the food of life.
After several minutes, the creature dropped the pitiful remains of the seal near the opening to the sea, and lumbered off, leaving Sage gazing at the carrion that was left. Never before had Sage scavenged, but he was that hungry, he didn't care…
Hauling his body from the water, in the form of a small breach, Sage flopped his body onto the ice, clashing his jaws and lashing out with his tongue at the shattered corpse. Closing his teeth around one small outreaching bone, Sage gave a small song of a triumphant, as he wriggled his body backwards, landing safely in the water again.
Tearing the small remains from the carcass, cold and foul tasting, Sage felt his roaring beast inside calm as small portions of flesh were added into the bottomless pit. It wasn't long before there was nothing left, and Sage's hungry belly was still present and groaning, but it was at least busy digesting a small portion to complain as much as prior.
Releasing what was left to sink to the bottom of the sea, Sage blew gazing about and listening.
He blinked in confusion as he heard what sounded like a song. It wasn't a chitter of a dolphin, nor the carol of a great whale. It wasn't the hunting of orca, nor the grunting of the beluga. The song was cold, harsh, hateful and loathing… A song of hate, detest and despise.
Diving, Sage heard the song through the ice. He attempted to find a way through, but it was impossible. The ice was thick and deep and wide. Sage thought for a moment, before he spy hopped, hoping to catch a glimpse of the odious one. He glanced about, and saw it, only a few feet away, but on the other side of the wall of frost.
A smashing through the ice, showering the surrounding waters with lumps of frozen water. A long horn protruded through the ice, connected to a face, similar to that of a beluga, but with brown, speckled skin, and a cold black eye, that glanced about, as the creature puffed, taking in air.
As the eye turned, it spotted Sage, and spite flooded the eye. "Intruder!" the narwhal barked in disgust, before diving and swiftly smashing through the ice in a chosen weak spot. The narwhal glowered at Sage, poking its sharp tusk out as a weapon, ready to run Sage through at any moment. Sage back-finned in terror, wondering what he had done wrong. "What do you come here?" the narwhal snarled, swinging its spear dangerously about. Its song was gruff and fast, a speedy song that expressed the insanity that resided within the narwhal's eyes. "Intruders not welcome to narwhal realm. As we not to your world." Another mad glint entered the eyes of the narwhal, reminding Sage a lot of Uton. "Ah, yes, yes… I see now… You will follow me, demon dolphin. Meet narwhal oracle you will. You will come, come… If you not come now, I kill you here, I will."
Glancing about as a form of escape, Sage suddenly became aware more narwhal had appeared around him, encircling him, singing in unison a song in ancient tongue that Sage never heard of, looks of hate and glares thrown his way. The others were all without tusks, and their songs sounded softer, making Sage wonder if these were females. He turned back to the tusked one, "What… What will you do with me? If I follow, what will " Sage stammered, his pains of hunger forgotten by his sudden fear and dread.
"Knows not," the narwhal smiled, tilting its head in snicker, the rich madness flooding the eyes ever more than before. "Oracle will decide. Maybe live, maybe die. You know of realm… none outsiders may know of realm… Maybe you join pod. Join pod and never leave…"