Chapter Sixteen

Passage

The moon passed, and began its rebirth of the twelfth and final moon of Sage's banishment, signalling the return of Sage to his home waters after the many seasons spent far away. The heart of Sage leapt within his ribcage at the thoughts of his mother and sibling, of Elli, of Gol, Okura, Kiera and all the others of the pod greeting him as a hero as he swam back into the pod, song bellowing for all to hear.

Even the sight of Uton would bring a smile to Sage.

The words of the Asterite plagued Sage, as did the memory of the monster. But both were far behind and no longer the concern of Sage. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind, but even there, the gnawed away at him, like the small sharks that cut the circular markings out of his skin, chewing away at him, and causing him to worry.

Ecco also was in Sage's mind. He wondered if his little brother had received his gift of song yet, or if the dolphin Stone was treating him fairly. He even now, still missed the squeaky laughter and calls, "More! More songs! Sing me more songs!"

So much he'd done. So many he'd met. So much he'd learnt. Sage felt as if he was no longer the same whale that left this place those long, long moons ago. He feared if his pod would recognise him, with his impressive gain of size and weight, his collection of wounds that crossed his bulk and his songs of mingled accents of beluga, blue, dolphin, orca and every other type of species he'd encountered upon his long voyage of self discovery.

The waters began to cool, and the seals grew in numbers. Several of pups before, now adolescent seals, seemed to remember Sage attempting to catch them on his way through the year earlier, and swam into the waters to mock and taunt Sage with their barking laughter.

Sage never ate as luxuriously as he did that day. The seals learnt the hard way that Sage had improved as a hunter in his time alone, winding up as lumps of warm flesh within his belly.

As he neared the wasteland, the eternity of white ice stretching for miles and miles ahead, that he'd traversed beneath before, he became aware of the songs he'd heard the first time passing and gave a groan as the songs rushed towards him suddenly.

"Stranger, stranger! Listen to we carol!"

"Rest your tired flukes and indulge in the majestic songs we sing."

The beluga continued to populate these waters and Sage had alerted them of his presence. Rolling his eyes, he pushed through them, not wishing to be delayed his triumphant return to his family.

"Stranger? Wait! Are you not the orca Sage whom passed these waters hundreds of tides before?"

Turning at these words, Sage stared back at the group. It was a smaller rabble of three beluga this time, an elder female with two younger followers. The elder was none other than Okarena, whom Sage had dealt with beforehand as well.

"Indeed, I am," Sage bowed, splaying his fins in respect to the pod-master. "And you are Okarena, am I not mistaken?"

"You remember," the beluga smiled, her face beaming. "My glorious songs must have compelled you to return for more. Tell me, so you found no such song as beautiful as the beluga, did you not? For after all, such as a thing is impossible…"

Nope, haven't changed a bit, Sage thought to himself. "Why not, I didn't," Sage lied, feeling down as he did, but not wanting to be delayed in his return home neither. "But I am afraid I have no time to listen to your wonderful songs today. I am rather anxious to return to my pod and…"

"One small song will not consume a day," Okarena pleaded with Sage, wishing to have her songs heard to fill her ego full. "Stay and relax before the journey…"

Blowing in a sigh, Sage firmly answered, "No Okarena. I have no time today to listen to songs, for I wish to continue onwards. The sooner I arrive back home to White River, the sooner I may rejoin my pod, and see my mother's face, my young sibling and my… love," Sage admitted, his song venturing elsewhere.

"White River?" Okarena blinked, tilting her head in a curious way. "Ah, so you are of the pod of Okura and Kiera! Kiera is an ally to the beluga. Perhaps we shall journey to your pod in coming days and spend many days singing together…"

"Yeah… That'd be… nice," Sage choked out, unsure of how to handle that comment politely. "If you don't mind though, I would much like to continue on… May I?"

"By all means," Okarena bowed before Sage. "After all, within the turn of the moon, we will meet again, and sing long hymns together over many, many days…"

Shuddering slightly at the thought, Sage began to follow the coastline, seeking the passage that the narwhal had shown him to escape the ice. The channel through the ice was in neutral ground, so as long as Sage did not venture close to the settlement of the narwhal, he would be shown little hostility.

A quick search discovered the channel and Sage, sucking in deep with the air, plunged underneath the icy white, prepared for the challenges that lay ahead this time.

The days of travel were rather uneventful compared to the first time Sage traversed this white labyrinth of breathless passageways and tunnels in the thick ice. The sun shone down, sending the rainbow lights flying through the waters, as the moon's light gently stroked the world as Sage travelled.

Feeding was easier than before. Seals were of no challenge anymore, but simple prey, providing Sage with more than enough energy to continue on. Even the large white land hunter from before showed up, fleeing upon when Sage smashed his skull through the ice to create a larger breathing hole. Barking a laugh as the hunter took flight; Sage knew his revenge against the hunter was now complete.

With the song within him, Sage noticed the song of the narwhal from far off. The insane rhymes of singers gone mad with the notions for revenge tickled and taunted Sage, but he kept his distance, remembering the arrogant nature of the narwhal. He did not wish to deal with the likes of Nartec once again, after he'd used his once only immunity against their capital punishment.

But that fact did not prevent a narwhal encountering Sage. As he rose to a breathing hole, there was a slight stab in his belly, and at once, Sage sank down to confront the piked whale. "Trespasser," the narwhal barked in loathing. "No trespasser in narwhal waters. You die, die now! Me, me, Susai, kill you now…"

Back-finning and bowing his head, Sage pleaded, "I trespass not on your waters. I merely use this passage of neutral ground to return home."

"Neutral ground, not!" Susai barked, his insane eyes gleeing with excitement. "Neutral waters no more. Oracle end neutral. All die now. You die now!"

The dangerous pike of the narwhal threatened to run Sage through, straight through his brain. "Please, just let me through and I promise I will never return. I merely pass through to return to my pod, whom I have not seen within twelve moons. Your Oracle, Nartec, would understand…"

Susai tilted his head, grinning with the insane merriment. "Nartec Oracle no more. Oracle leave long, long time past. New Oracle rule now. Oracle order all die, die! Now you die!"

As much as Sage regretted the very thought that ricocheted through his skull, there was little option left for him. He was so close to home, he would not allow this to stop him. Diving, Sage turned and rocketed up underneath the narwhal, slamming his bulk into the underside, faster than the narwhal could react.

Both the orca and narwhal shattered through the ice, Sage tilting his body backwards to land within the waters of life, while the narwhal Susai continued in his spiral in midair, flopping heavily on the ice, with several painful cracking sounds.

Sage was unsure if it were his bones or the ice, but one of the cracks was his tusk, which now snapped off in an awkward angle as the narwhal barked in horror at lying beached upon the ice, with his majestic tusk of ivory now lying broken alongside him.

"I'm sorry Susai," Sage apologized, his eyes fierce, "But I just want to get home…"

The narwhal screamed in rage, the typical narwhal screaming of madness, "Demon dolphin! Hear Susai! Hear Susai! Narwhal punish demon dolphin for he do! Narwhal punish he, and all singers! All singers will die, die from narwhal! Narwhal kill all!"

Blowing in agitation, Sage knew that the narwhal's claims were empty threats, carried out by a species that continuously threatened all who ventured into their dominion, and drove themselves to madness with their hopes of carrying their revenge out. He blew in bitter annoyance, as Susai began to crawl with his pectorals towards the waters again.

Diving, Sage continued into the maze of passages, aiming for the waters that felt of home. He allowed his senses to guide him, listening and feeling as he pointed his body forward, feeling the supernatural feeling that he was getting closer and closer to home…

As the moon died, for the twelfth time since he left home, the waters were coated in a thick mist, as gentle tears from the heavens stroked the surface of the water, creating a welcoming cold to Sage. The air itself was wet as Sage blew, finally exiting the long labyrinth that the wastelands created. He knew he was nearing home, he knew he was finally here…

In the distance ahead, he heard a quiet song… A low, hunting tune, barely perceptible…

The song of the hunt! Sung by Okura!

He was home!