Chapter Twelve
Brother
Without a thought of his own safety, Sage rushed about the ruins, calling out in friendly song of dolphin, beluga, narwhal and any other song he'd learnt to the invisible caller within the city. Screaming of the glyphs deafened the song of loss as Sage sought its origin within the fragmentation of the city.
"Where are you?" Sage called out, his voice gentle and neutral as he left the library behind to explore the city for the woeful one. "I come to help, so please let me know of your location…"
The wraiths eternally screamed in remonstration as a small, squeaky voice whispered, "B-behind the… pillar…" A plea barely heard from the ghostly cursing.
Swinging around with his searching song, Sage sensed the life-force of another as he swept his sonar over the empty waters, a figure appearing in front of a column of stone that lent towards the city, held up by a crumbling of a building behind.
The figure was small, tiny even for an orca calf. The squeaky voice gave the singer's breed away in a flash, but Sage had yet to see the mournful one with his song and eyes to make his assumptions certain. A hypothesis that proved it was indeed an hourglass dolphin.
As the song reflected the image, Sage knew he was not dealing with an adult or even adolescent, but indeed a very young calf, possibly only recently weaned from mother's milk. Its tiny fins and head drooped and its song was saturated with loss and despair on every note.
Fluking slowly, Sage gave a note to announce his arrival, as to not spook the youngster. "Hello there little one…"
Turning the tear filled eyes of the dolphin widened in fear. "Demon dolphin! Demon dolphin!" it shrieked in sheer terror at the approach of Sage.
"No, no," Sage quietly, gently and slowly hummed, his song attuned to the dolphin accent. "I bring no harm, nor do I seek a meal. I come to help aid sorrow away…" he paused, his eyes soft and gentle to the younger one. "What brings you to such tears?"
The younger dolphin seemed to tremble in fear slightly, unsure of what to do. Should it flee in panic or should it stay on trust? The eyes looked deep with hurt and fear as Sage's larger bulk drew near level to its fear, black and white death for many. Despair in its eyes, the young one decided to trust and die, than to flee and live.
As the young one fell silent, refusing to sing, Sage poked gently, "Why do you… Grrr…" Sage turned, the shrieking of the ghostly crystals reaching a crisis peak. Growling, he knew it was no use, but instinct called for him to try. "Stop it you stupid glyphs!"
The supernatural squeals ceased instantly.
"Wha?" Sage blinked in confusion, releasing enough bubbles in surprise to force him to surface for a recharge of air in his lungs. The glyphs had actually obeyed his call? How was that possible?
"You-You stopped it…" the dolphin calf gasped as he rose for air as well. The dolphin stared in wonder at Sage, "How… How did you do that?"
"I… don't know," Sage answered honesty, his song worried.
Staring and thinking in a trance, Sage was confused and dazed and irresolute. He was only broken out of this reverie when the dolphin calf nuzzled up against him. Sage's eye darted down to the smaller dolphin, as it rubbed its smaller body against Sage's larger bulk, sobbing tears.
The questions built within Sage's mind, both about the glyphs, and then of this lost child. Deciding the more important matter was the weeping babe, he focussed his attention towards the youngster, "Hey there little one… My name is Sage, of the White River pod. Who are you?"
The answer skipped Sage's heart a beat.
"I'm… I'm called… Ecco."
Frenzy erupted into Sage's mind. How could this be the hero Ecco? How could it be? It was simply impossible that this was Ecco!
Blowing to clear his head of the turbulent thoughts, Sage calmed and reassessed the situation. There was no way this child was the hero Ecco. It was sheer impossibility. The mother must have simply named the child Ecco, after the great hero.
After all, Sage had encountered several singers with similar names. This was simply another of these occasions, with this child named after the hero by a mother who had heard the tales.
The snivelling calf Ecco continued to rub against Sage, as if expecting to receive a mother's love from the larger orca. And then the thought struck Sage as if he'd been thumped by Uton's tail. This calf's mother must have lost the calf somehow and then Ecco had wandered into Atlantis alone.
"Ecco… Where is your mother?"
"I… I don't know…" Ecco wept, comforting himself with Sage's warmth and presence. "We were swimming away from the pod… when a… monster attacked. Mother told me to flee, and she led the monster into deeper waters, as I was left alone… I was scared…"
Nodding, Sage understood Ecco's fears. He too missed his mother somewhat chronically. Her loving touch, her gentle song… How he longed to hear her again, feel her, see her…
"A hungry one came for me… and I fled here… the forbidden place. The hungry one turned, but I didn't stop… I kept going… I kept on, until I could move no more… Then I cried, and the voices started…"
Smiling, Sage rolled his gentle eyes back to the calf Ecco. "I understand… I feel your pain, for I too am alone, though by more choice than chance. I miss my family, friends and…" Sage paused as the thought of Elli appeared in his mind. Shaking his thoughts clear, "I see and feel and know your anguish little Ecco…"
"I-I want mother…" Ecco sobbed, with his eyes still very much wetter than normal with tears.
Sighing at the surface, Sage offered a compromise, "Well, mother I am not, but until we find and reunite you with her, or your pod, could I offer myself for comfort? I could be your… uh… big brother?"
A twitter of hidden giggles erupted from Ecco which warmed Sage's heart to see the sorrow melt. Dolphins liked to laugh Sage had learnt; it was their way of life. To see a dolphin this far from laughter frightened Sage only a bit. Whence Ecco began to titter, Sage claimed victory over despair.
"I-I never had a big brother," sniggered Ecco a little, forgetting his sorrow. "What would I have to do to be your little brother?"
Sage blinked in curiosity. He really had no idea himself. Had he remained with the pod back home, he would right now be the elder brother to a baby sister or brother. Turning his eye back to Ecco, Sage grinned with his eyes, "Well, first of all, don't wander off and follow me. We stick together, no matter what happens. And we protect one another. And… Well, I don't know what else to do…"
With a sudden outburst of laughter, Ecco roared with manic hilarity, a sound the made Sage smile all that more. "You're funny! I think I'll like you as a big brother!" Then, Ecco's mirth was interrupted by a growling sound. "Heh… My tummy is empty. Do big brothers have milk?"
At that comment, it was Sage who nearly burst into laughter. The sheer thought of males giving milk! "No, no… Big brothers do not give milk, but they do help to catch fish. You know to eat fish right?" Ecco nodded, grinning wildly. "Well then, let's head for open water, feed ourselves and then start searching for your pod and mother… Sound good?"
Ecco rubbed his head against Sage's chin lovingly. "Yes big brother Sage… Let's go find mother…"