Chapter Seventeen
Return
Giving an excited squeal of glee, Sage launched a song, calling for Okura. Calling for Kiera. Calling for Keeki, Elli, Uton… Anyone! "White River! I have returned!" he screamed in excitement as he charged towards the pack in the distance.
Home! Home! He was at last home!
There were the cliffs he played with Elli and the other calves. There were the floes that Uton chased them all around. There was the bay his mother took him to be alone, so they could sing. It was all still there, very real and very much welcoming him home. It seemed as if even the waters recognised him, washing over him with the greatest of relief he'd returned at last.
Confused cries went out from the hunting pack, wondering who dared to interrupt their stalk. There were two male and two female songs within the pack, Sage remembering the tones and identifying the orcas that sung, even after the long year away from the songs.
The lowest voice, booming with authority and the feelings of raw power flowing through the song, the commander of the hunt belonged to that of Okura. There was a slight annoyance and scorn to the voice, the pod-master annoyed to have been interrupted in one of his hunts.
The second male song was of a lighter nature, curious to the identity of the phantom singer that called out to them all. Sanh, the elder male Sage knew little of was with the hunt.
The songs of one of the females read as Okura's sister, Kiera, who called out with authority and strength, but her song hoping and praying within itself. She had her suspicions already at the identity of the caller, but refused to allow her hopes to rise up, for the case they be shattered.
The final song took Sage a few moments to place. At first, he'd thought the song were that of Uton, for it had the loud, cacophonic blasts and brutish nature, yet it was different. The sweeter tone of a female and the mixing of personality conflicting with another song within resounded. Bria, it did seem, had split from the shadow of Uton, and was fighting to establish her own identity.
As the hunters approached, Sage slowed to a stop, blowing in the low-lying clouds and tapping tears of heaven, weeping for the return of their friend. Materializing from the murk, the four hunters arrived, the massive bulk of the huge bull Okura in the lead, with the smaller Sanh to his left, Kiera to his right, and Bria, the smallest of the group, trailing under Kiera.
"Who are you," began Okura, his voice neutral, yet only slightly irritated. "To interrupt our hunt with your noisy songs? You sound as if you are dolphin, orca, whale and porpoise all meld into one…"
Trying his best to remove the accents from his song, Sage sung back, "Please tell me, that you do recognise me, regardless that I have grown, and matured. I carry many scars, and my body has indeed changed as age commands, but within my heart, I remain the same…"
The eyes of Okura observed Sage softly, yet with a hint of intensity to discover the personality of this newcomer to his waters. Sanh remained silent. Kiera and Bria both smiled with their eyes, recognising the calf through the aging, a trait that females with their softer sides owned over males.
With a simple twitch of the eyes, Okura smiled. "It was rumoured among many, that you would never return to White River. Some claimed you'd have died, others that you'll settle within another pod for the rest of your days. But among us, several never gave up hope. A hope that burned brighter and stronger, even to melt the ice surrounding us…" Okura released a simple, high note, expressing he was indeed one of those orca that declined to let their hope die. "Welcome home Sage, the waters have been too peaceful without your songs…"
Without waiting, Kiera rushed forward, her young descendant had returned. "Oh Sage," she cooed as she rubbed her large body against his. "For long I have awaited for your return. Never did I give up hope that my daughter's son would return to us, and return at last you have…"
"Welcome back Sage," Sanh nodded, smiling with his eyes, a hint of guilt hidden in them. Sanh had been one of the ones who had accepted that Sage would never return, and now had been thrown from the sea by the fact Sage had returned.
As Sage turned to Bria, her happiness had melted into guilt. It was only then Sage noticed the long scar, running from her lower jaw, along her right-side chin and then up across her eye-patch and behind the dorsal, where it ran off the body. "I'm… so sorry Sage," Bria choked out, her eyes beginning to well. "I never meant for it to happen, but Uton…"
Bria didn't have to explain. Sage could read what had happened from looking at Bria's disfigurement. Uton had lost his temper at some point and attacked her. Shocked, Bria must have discovered the truth about how Uton truly was… a megalomaniac for power, and had betrayed Uton.
"We apologise for what you went through Sage," Okura talked, his voice grand and proud at seeing the lost pod member return grown and stronger. "We discovered the truth about Uton from Bria. Uton has been ruling by power, commanding the calves with fear and supremacy and had plans to overthrow the pod when he came of age. Since, he has been cast from the pod, completely forsaken by all pods of the world. Now tell me Sage… Tell me all about…"
"But let us talk about your journeys and our changes in due time," Kiera stepped forward, bumping her brother with her nose to remind him that Sage had only just arrived back. "Let us return to the pod, to meet with faces that you remember, and others that you will not. And then, when you feel comfortable, let us hear your tales of travel and then…"
"Pod-masters! Pod-masters!" a fatigued female raced in on flying flukes, her song sweet and skin covered with ancient mars. "You are needed back within the pod. One of the…" The eyes of the female locked upon that of Sage, and she froze. Her cool eyes gazed at Sage in shock, wonder and then she gave a squeak of surprise, before turning tail and fleeing in astonishment.
Elli… Sage could tell even though she too had grown larger with age. Her song remained near unchanged and as harmonious as when Sage left. Her scarred skin from the falling earth, her delicate eyes and her shy nature… It was the one of the sights Sage wanted to see unlike anything else within his aching heart, and now he just had…
"It seems we are needed back at the pod anyway," Okura blew, his voice slightly irritated that again his hunt was interrupted.
"Oh stop it," laughed Kiera at Okura's stubborn attitude. She rubbed against her brother, "The hunt can wait until later. We have just regained a lost pod member. This is a time to celebrate together! Not split up into groups of singers and hunters!" With a laugh she pulled away, turning to Sage. "Follow us. There is so very much for you to see and learn once more…"
A surging of orca charged towards the entrance to the pod of White River as soon as Okura called out his harmonious tune to all, "The lost one has returned at last to White River! The progeny of Keeki, Sage, has returned at last!"
Voices all cried out in shock, surprise, glee, excitement and amazement, as Sage presented himself to the pod, having grown and changed vastly from the calf that had left before. In a way, it felt as if Sage had re-emerged from his mother's womb, reborn to the world.
"Scars galore… Some adventure you must've seen!"
"You travelled the oceans and come back well fed and healthy?"
"Some fighting spirit you have within you…"
A loud, subtle tone sounded, and the pod parted ways, making forth for the agedly song-master Gol, to approach his disciple. The toll of aging had claimed more on Gol, his teeth wearing, song faltering and heart murmuring quietly. He did not have long life left within his frail, old body…
A smile crept upon the elderly face. A wide smile, which beamed with the light and warmth of a thousand suns many times over. A smile that Sage knew was without a doubt, for the grandest sight to Gol to behold; to see his pupil master his quest and return, all the wiser, all the stronger and all the better for the responsibility of mastering the song.
"You return," Gol answered simply, the smile beaming and strengthening his feeble body. The song-master blew in a sigh of content, knowing that his life and his hopes in Sage had not been mislaid. "Upon the morning of Delphinius' sorrow, you return. These tears from the heavens are not tears of sorrow or anger, but tears of happiness, for our lost child has returned…"
"That I have," Sage sung with his accented song, mingling the songs of the narwhal, the beluga, the blue, the dolphin, the porpoise, the orca, the humpback and all the many, many other singers his journeys had crossed his path. His song rang harmoniously, a blend of each singer's song in time to create one melody of perfection and wonder. "I return to where I began, so I can begin again. I have returned home!"
A cheer went up among the crowd, a loud cacophonic roar of orca song.
The roar was silenced with a single tone. A soft, gentle call that beckoned an audience with the idol of the cheering pod. A begging, a pleading…
"Mother…"
Again, the pod parted, even Gol moving aside as the large cow approached, her eyes wet with tears of hope, sadness and bliss. Alongside her, within the stream of her bulk lay a young female calf, her eyes staring at Sage in wonder and curiosity. The mother watched with her eyes trembling in disbelief, her song faltering and shaking, "Sage… My Sage…"
"Mother!" Sage cried as he threw himself at her bulk, nuzzling his head deep into hers, weeping the tears he'd welled over time into her. "Mother… I'm home…"
After a moment of laboured breathing, savouring the fact that it was real, very real, Keeki gave a shrill scream of delight and joy. Long had she lost the touch of her one and only calf, and now it was hers once more. She couldn't be any happier for the entire world…
Several more moments of the pleasure of touching and being together, Keeki pushed herself back to observe her son through her teary and emotional eyes. How he'd changed in her absence. A mere year had claimed most his youth, and the scars of danger and death raked across him, from elements that she couldn't protect him from. Her son was growing, and would continue to grow more, but at least from now on, she would be there to see it…
"There is someone to meet you," Keeki sung softly, her eyes wet with joy. Nosing her calf forward, Sage found himself face-to-face to his baby sister. Her blue eyes stared up at he, as Sage stared, smiling down at her. She was small, with eye patches that contained a fleckling of black dots, creating an illusion of filth upon her body, though her eyes glittered like that of an arch-angel. Intelligence glanced up from those eyes of sapphire. "Her name is Tiamat."
As Sage stared down at Tiamat, he saw the same curious nature that he once had had himself. "Sage! Big brother Sage!" Tiamat squeaked, her song high and demanding, yet a passive aura to calm over the waves of sound. Tiamat was a strong singer, similar to Sage. "Mother sings of you. Mother always sung of you, promising your return…"
Smiling at the song of his sister, Sage blew, staring at his mother and sister. Turning his body around to view his surroundings, Sage saw his true paradise. His family, his pod. His mother and sibling. His mentor. His friends. His world.
It was all here, and all very real.
Releasing the loudest, most joyous blast of song he ever called, Sage echoed his song throughout the bay; sure that it echoed the entire planet in his happiness. As he drew to echo the song, his voice was joined by his mother and the imitation of his baby sister.
And when the third round went up, the entire pod mirrored the call, blasting the orca song around the waters, thrilling of blissful, festive merriment, sharing their glee with all that would listen and join in the call to welcome their lost one home…
Sage's journey of discovery was over.
For hours, the songs continued as Sage told stories of his journeys; omitting portions he wished to keep to himself, such as his affinity with the dolphin Ecco and confronting the Asterite. The celebrations of Sage drew to a close as the clouds rolled past, the mist weakened away and the sun smiled upon them, as it began to float towards the dry white to its resting place, as Sage's songs of the greatest feats of his journey told and captured the imaginations of those around. Finally the song died as Sage's song reached the echoing of Okura's hunting calls and the pod cheered as Sage's tale reached its happy climax. And to this, Kiera spoke to Sage one last time, a simple phrase that meant the entire world to the beating heart of the young song-master. "It is grand to have you return to the pod Sage…"
Upon which the pod alienated themselves into separate portions of closer families, allowing Sage to mingle with his mother and baby sister for an age, before they came back, questioning of more and wishing his songs to be sung and his tales told again.
But something fazed Sage slightly as he travelled alongside his mother and newly found sister Tiamat, her gentle song cooing them over, lulling them to dreams and peacefulness. Tender notes of home, welcoming and gratification…
During the entire celebration, he heard the song of everyone he remembered, bar the absence of two.
Uton, whom had been banished from the pod, never to return.
And that of his childhood playmate and love of his life, Elli.