"You saw him!?" a breathless Jesse gasped to Rae and Randolph by the boat as he burst through the door to the dock at full speed.

"His pod passed by the underwater camera we set out at Preston Cape the other week twenty minutes ago. His collapsed fin made for an easy ID, and the pod's underwater calls matched the ones he made at the park," Rae told him, also beaming in delight that Willy had returned.

"Then hurry, go, go, go!" Jesse all but screamed to Randolph.

"I will, I will!" Randolph protested, throwing the switch to raise the boat's anchor. "All aboard who's coming aboard-glad you could make it this time," he told the Greenwoods as they followed their foster son and his friends onto the boat, "And you are...?" he noticed Mr. Banks, who rather unnecessarily dove face first onto the deck.

"Made it," the teacher gasped between deep breaths. "Jack Banks, I'm Jesse's biology teacher; I have a thing for whales too," he stumbled to his feet and shook Randolph's hand.

"So, you must be the one who asked for the field trip on Monday? Well, your students would have to promise they won't do anything to upset or harm the whales while we're out on the water, but I'm sure we can..."

"Randolph, come on!" Jesse begged him from the bow. Randolph rushed to the wheelhouse to start the boat's engine. Jesse took a deep breath and leaned forward against the front railing. "Please catch up to him in time, please catch up to him in time...!" he begged under his breath.

"You really want to see him again, don't you?" Jake, stumbling to get his life preserver zipped up, joined him at the railing.

"More than anything, Jake," Jesse nodded, his eyes locked in on the water in front of them, "What we had all summer together, it really was special."

"It sounds like it was," Judy joined them too, "Everything you've said about Willy, it's made me want to meet him too."

"Same here," Jake said, scanning the ocean beyond the breakwater as the boat sped through it, "If he's at Preston Cape, we should see him in about five minutes."

"Five minutes...I'm coming, Willy..." Jesse mumbled softly, staring intently into the distance. The miles zipped along quickly, heightening his anticipation. Then again, he couldn't help wondering deep down, what if it turned out to be a terrible false alarm? What if Willy and his pod had already left the area in the last twenty minutes? It would crush him if his hopes were to be slammed down again that heavily...

But then he saw it in the distance: what was unmistakably an orca breaching the water in a huge jump. This one was not Willy-he could tell it had a long and normal dorsal fin even from a distance-but his spirits still soared: they were still here. And now he could make out dozens of other orcas swimming through the waves too. "There they are!" Judy pointed, having seen them too. "Due east, about thirty of them!" she shouted to Randolph in the cabin.

"I see them!" Randolph was excited himself. Jesse dug quickly through his pockets for his harmonica again. The whales were becoming clearer now as he got closer, although Willy still wasn't visible yet. "Hey Willy? Willy, you out there?" Jake called to the pod.

"I doubt he'd recognize you, Jake," Judy pointed out, scanning the whales, "I don't see him yet..."

"He's got to be here..." Jesse jammed the harmonica to his lips and started playing the familiar tune again. A couple of the whales turned towards him, intrigued, although none of them was his friend. He started to get worried; was this perhaps a different pod that had come into the area...?

But then, there came a loud splash from the rear of the pod as another whale surfaced. A whale with a flopped over dorsal fin. And one that stared intently at the boy on the bow, then let out a loud chatter of clear recognition. Jesse's spirits soared; it had come true at last. "Willy, it's me!" he shouted in delight, then abruptly dove overboard into the water despite the Greenwoods' cries of alarm. Laughing happily in delight, he swam towards Willy, who let out another happy squeak and swam towards him. "Willy, it's really you!" he gushed tearfully, hugging Willy tight when they met, "I was hoping so much you'd be back. I've missed you so much, buddy. You miss me?"

Willy gave a strong nod and nuzzled him. "Good to know," Jesse rubbed the whale's back, "You enjoying your freedom?"

Willy gave a sharp exhale from his blowhole that Jesse supposed meant yes. His friend turned and chattered at the other whales, who started swimming over towards the friends in curiosity. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Jesse," the boy greeted them with a smile, "Hope you've all been taking care of Willy now that you have him back. Come on, you can meet my friends now too."

One of the other whales rose partially out of the water and stared down at the nearby boat in a way that Jesse interpreted as suspicious. "Hey, you don't have to worry about that," he looked this whale in the face, "Everyone on board this boat is a friend. Right, Willy?" he told his friend, who gave another chatter to his family and eagerly swam towards the boat, which was apparently proof enough for his family. They all swam forward towards the humans as well. Jesse seized hold of Willy and let himself be carried back to his human friends. "It's him, it's really him!" he cried in delight to the Greenwoods, now standing at the top of the ladder on the side of the boat.

"Good to see you again, Willy," a smiling Annie waved to him, making the whale swallow a mouthful of water and spray it up at him, prompting her to laugh, "You're looking really good right now," she commended him, "You look happier than I ever remember you being too."

"And I hope you are happy, Willy, because it cost nine hundred dollars to fix the water damage to the cab of my truck after I drove you straight into the marina," Glen told the whale sternly. He then, however, broke into a grin of his own, "Glad you are back this way, though; Jesse's been waiting for you all this time."

"Come on down, say hello up close," Jesse goaded them and the others, gesturing at a smaller boat that had been tied to the rear of the main one, perhaps in anticipation of getting to see Willy's family in person.

"We will, Jess. Careful going down the ladder," Rae told Judy and Jake, who were climbing down into the boat rapidly. She and Randolph, after the latter dropped anchor, followed them and soon had pulled up alongside Jesse, who climbed in with them. "So, this is your family, Willy," he told his friend, who was leaning out of the water towards him in the boat, surrounded by the other whales, "They look like a nice group of whales..."

"Hey, I think I know these whales," Mr. Banks' face had lit up on the deck. Pulling off his shoes, he climbed rapidly down the ladder and stared hard at several of the orcas that were approaching him in curiosity, "Yeah, I think this is the pod I saw when I was filming the movie. And I remember you," he excitedly bent down to one with a noticeably downturned right eyespot that had come very close to him, "You remember me? You were taking the biggest leaps out of any of them, and you were looking right at me on the beach half the time, as if you knew I was watching and wanted to give me a great show. Well, you and the rest of the group here did a lot for me, buddy, so let me just say, thanks."

He rubbed this whale on the back. The orca exhaled and swam closer for a closer rub by the teacher-as too did the largest whale in the pod, at least as far as Jesse could see. "And I remember you too, old girl," Mr. Banks greeted her warmly too, patting her on the nose, "I could tell you were the pod's leader; everyone seemed to be following your lead out there then. I guess you're the big matriarch of the clan?"

"It would appear so, Jack," Randolph said from the boat, then pulled out several sheets of paper and scanned them, "According to previous institute records, she's called Nekilstlass-fitting, since that happens to be the name of my people's supreme being, the one we believe created the world."

Nekilistlass now swallowed a mouthful of water herself and sprayed it up at the teacher, dousing him. Chuckling, Mr. Banks bent down and did the same, spraying the pod's leader right back, to the laughter of everyone on board both boats. "So, I guess by now you're about eighty or ninety?" he asked her, "Well, let me just say you look pretty good for your age, my lady."

"Ninety? Whoa," Jake was impressed, "How long do orcas live, Mr. Banks?"

"A very good question, Jake, and interestingly enough, it varies by the sex," his teacher turned to face him, "Male orcas on average live about thirty years, while the females can go about double that, with many reaching eighty or ninety."

"So that means Willy's about forty in human years..." Jesse mused, feeling a little disappointed. Once he'd learned Willy was twelve years old like him, he'd thought of his big friend as an oversized kid all this time. "Oh well," he shrugged, leaning towards Willy, "You'll always be a kid at heart to me, Willy."

He rubbed him on the nose. "So, they called you Siggi before you were caught, huh? You never seemed like a Siggi to me, Willy, so one thing I can thank Mr. Dial for is giving you a better name. And speaking of that, look who else is here," he gestured to Rae and Randolph behind himself.

"It's great to see you again, Willy..." Rae beamed, extending a hand towards him-then yelped and pulled back as Willy abruptly raised his tail high in the air and smacked it down hard in the water, drenching her thoroughly. "Yep, you remember," she mumbled, wiping herself dry, "I'm sorry I had to do all those tests on you, Willy, but I never wanted to see you hurt at all. And I quit the park; I didn't agree with what they did to you, and neither did Randolph," she gestured at him.

"You can trust her, Willy; she was on your side the whole time," Jesse assured the whale. "Say hello to Jake and Judy," he introduced his younger friends to Willy, "They like whales too. I've told them all about you."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Willy," a smiling Judy climbed forward and hugged Willy, who let out a contented cry, "I've heard so much about you. You really are a beautiful animal, and a really special one too. Open wide," she asked him, then rubbed his tongue when he did. "Yuck! Are you serious!?" Jake winced.

"They love it, Jake. Come on, give it a try too," Judy encouraged him.

"Not on your life!" Jake shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Jake," Jesse pressed him, reaching into Willy's mouth to rub his friend's tongue as well. Jake shook his head again. "Well maybe later. Want to pet him, though?" Jesse offered.

"That I can do. Hello, Willy," Jake crawled forward and rubbed the top of Willy's head, "Jesse got me really interested in whales these last few weeks, so it's great to meet you and your family...well, hello," he turned, for the first whale to greet Mr. Banks had swum over and was looking him right in the face, "I'm Jake, nice to meet you. What's your name?"

The new whale opened its mouth wide as a sort of answer. "Uh...I don't understand," Jake frowned at him. "Randolph?" he turned to the man.

"Let me check, Jake," Randolph checked the institute's records again, "OK, it looks like his name's Kago. He's about twelve years old, and he has a younger brother named Kochab...who's right over there," he gestured at another whale right behind Kago, who obligingly flipped sideways with a loud splash.

"So that makes him Willy's age," Jesse mused, reaching over to pat Kago on the back. "So he's your cousin?" he turned back to Willy. Willy gave him a confused look. "Is he the kid of one of your mother's brothers or sisters?" Jesse iterated.

"Looks like he is Willy's cousin, Jesse," Randolph confirmed, checking the pod registry again, "His and Kochab's mother is Kalana, who's the younger sister of Willy's mother Catspaw, who's Nekilstlass' oldest daughter."

"So that means your mom's the heir to the throne, then, huh Willy? I guess that sort of makes you the crown prince, even if you won't be the actual leader," Jesse told his friend, "Say, which one is your mom?"

Willy splashed sideways, seemingly pointing with his nose to another large whale at the edge of the pod. "Catspaw?" Jesse pointed at her. Willy nodded. "Ah. Catspaw, over here," the boy splashed at the water. Catspaw obligingly swam over, two additional whales following after her. "Good to meet you, Catspaw. You've got a great son in Willy," Jesse patted her on the back as she swam past. "And hello there, are you Willy's brother and sister?" he asked the two trailing whales. They rose out of the water and leaned against the side of the boat. "They must be; they seem to be connected with Catspaw," Judy surmised, hugging both whales at once.

"They're Luna and Littlespot, and yes, they're Catspaw's children too," Randolph confirmed.

"Luna and Littlespot, nice names. Wonder why they didn't give Willy an L-name too?" Judy wondered, reaching out to rub both of Willy's siblings, "Oh well, I'm sure you missed him a lot when he was trapped in the park, didn't you?"

Luna chattered in affirmation. "Yeah, I know. I miss my dad too; he left not that long ago because he couldn't stand living with my mother anymore," Judy grumbled, "I wish I could be with him again..."

Her gaze fell towards the edge of the pod. "Oh my god, a baby orca!" she shouted happily. And indeed, Jesse, upon turning, saw one swimming next to an adult whale. "Whoa!" he exclaimed in delight himself. "That yours, buddy?" he asked Willy.

Willy shook his head, then turned sideways towards another adult whale to his left, who also came swimming over. "Oh, is that your wife?" Jesse inquired, prompting his friend to nod. "Willy you sly dog you," the boy teased him, reaching out to pet the female whale, "I never imagined you as a love machine. And who's this one, Randolph?"

"She's listed as Polaris, Jesse; no known children yet," his older friend confirmed.

"Come here, little guy, come here," Judy was meanwhile tapping the water softly to get the baby orca to approach. "I'm not going to hurt her, I promise," she assured its mother, which was following protectively behind it. "Oh you're so beautiful," she gave the baby a warm hug, "I'm so glad we met. You're going to love life in the ocean, I know it. I guess you don't have a name yet, though. What do you think we should call her?" she turned to the boys.

"Hmm," Jesse thought hard. Nothing seemingly came to mind. Then he had a brainstorm. "Randolph, is there a Haida word for gift or present?" he asked him.

"Let me think...Potlatch," Randolph declared with a smile after a minute.

"Potlatch?" Jake frowned.

"Potlatch is a traditional ceremonial festival of my people where the hosts give away gifts to display their wealth. I think a baby whale qualifies as a gift given to the world."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Potlatch you are then," Judy told the baby with a grin, rubbing it again and laughing when it spouted out its blowhole. "I think she likes it already-and it looks like Kago likes you, Jake," she laughed again at the sight of Willy's cousin staring intently at Jake on the other side of the boat.

Jake, who hadn't noticed Kago watching him, turned and jumped in surprise, then laughed himself. "You like me?" he asked Kago, Kago stuck out his tongue at Jake. "Um, I'm not rubbing it, though," Jake insisted, prompting Kago to bring the tips of his tongue together, teasing the boy. Jake broke into laughter again. "You're a screwball, you know that? But I like you," he grinned, rubbing Kago under the chin.

Jesse grinned himself. "You've got a great family, Willy," he told his friend, putting an arm around him, "I'm so glad I could finally meet them. You're being good to him, Polaris?" he asked Willy's mate. Polaris exhaled in a sort of yes. "Well, make sure you do. Willy's the best mate you could find. If you do have a kid, he'll be a great dad for it..."

"Jesse, up here," Annie called to him from the boat. He looked up right as she took his picture. "Look at Annie, Willy," he told the whale, pointing at his foster mother, then put his arm around both Willy and Polaris for another photo. "Luna, Littlespot," he called to Willy's siblings and splashed the water to get them over. The two of them obliged. "Now hold it," Jesse held a hand in front of them, then gave Annie a thumbs-up for another photo. "This is great," he exclaimed, turning to a smiling Rae, "This is basically exactly what I thought Willy's family would be like."

"Same here," she agreed, "Well, we'll have to select a few of them to tag; obviously, we'll want to keep track of where this pod goes from here on."

"Yeah," Jesse nodded. "Willy, you want to wear a radio tag?" he asked his friend, "That way I'll always know where you are, even if you're halfway around the world. That all right?"

Willy did not answer, but dipped his head in a sort of nod. "OK. Glen, get a tracker from the cabin," Jesse called to his foster father. Glen obligingly went into the cabin and returned with a tracker, which he tossed out to the boat. "Here you go, Willy," Jesse pressed it onto his friend's back, "Now I won't have to worry about where you are. Say," he leaned closer, "You want to do some tricks while we're here? There's no crowd here, and no Mr. Dial to keep you down, so just for fun, you want to do a show for old time's sake?"

Willy leaned closer, interested. "OK then, let's do it!" Jesse thrust his hand high in the air. Willy obligingly leaped high into the air and splashed down hard. "Great!" Jake applauded, impressed. "What else can he do?" he asked Jesse.

"Just watch, Jake. Now big circles, buddy, big circles-and see if your family can join in," Jesse asked Willy. The whale started spinning in circles in the water, pausing to turn towards his family and cackle. Kago and Kochab started spinning after him, as did Luna and Littlespot. "That's it, that's it, you've got it, Willy! Everyone, join in!" Jesse called happily to the other whales in the pod.

"Go on, old girl, give us a show," Mr. Banks told Nekilstlass, whose back he'd been tapping his feet off, gesturing to her pod swimming in the water. Nekilstlass let out a low groaning call of authority, dove underwater, and leaped high in the air, landing with a thundering crash. Other whales in the pod did the same. "Yeah!" Jesse pumped his fist in delight, laughing as Mr. Banks seized a tracker pole and started waving it in the air like a baton, pretending to conduct the whales' water ballet. "Great job, Willy, great job!" he told his friend, swimming past on his side, "You've still got it!"

Willy dove underwater, then launched himself up sideways with another splash. "All right!" Jake applauded, visibly delighted. "They just love being free, don't they?" he told Jesse and Judy.

"Oh yeah!" Judy cheered two more whales splashing down right in front of him, "This is the greatest day of my life!"

Jesse couldn't disagree. He'd found his friend again, and that made the day that much more special. The whales' show went on for another five minutes or so before Nekilstlass surfaced from the water and let out another call. The other whales stopped and started following her away from the boat towards the cape. "Well, guess that's it," Jake said sadly, "It was good while it lasted-bye," he grinned as Kago rose up and chattered towards him in a final goodbye, "Come back soon, Kago."

"Annie, Glen, Jack, more trackers," Rae gestured for them. The three adults on the boat scrambled for more and tossed a half dozen of them to the former whale trainer. "Stick them on as many as you can," Rae instructed the children, reaching over to press one on the back of a passing whale. Jesse, Jake, and Judy did the same. Willy was the last to leave, stopping to stare back at Jesse. "Go on, enjoy the time with your family, Willy," Jesse waved him to go, "But if you ever want to see me again, head back that way, turn through the gap into the marina, turn right, and we're at the far end. I'll be there. I love you, Willy."

Willy let out a call of clear affection before turning and following his family away. "That was awesome!" Jake in delight, "It was the best thing I've ever seen!"

"So, I take it you're really interested in becoming a marine biologist now too, Jake?" Rae asked him with a grin.

"You bet," Jake gave a firm nod, "I want to do things like this for the rest of my life."

Jesse patted his friend on the back. He felt the same way himself now. He reached out for the ladder and climbed back up to the deck. "I take it someone enjoyed it?" Glen asked knowingly as he and Annie approached him.

"Absolutely, Glen. It was everything I thought a reunion with Willy could be," Jesse said, glancing towards his friend's pod disappearing from sight over the horizon, "And now, I can always know where he is, which is even better."

"I know," Annie rubbed his shoulder, "So, you two had fun too, I could see," she told Jake and Judy, who heaved themselves onto the deck.

"More fun than I ever had in my life, Mrs. Greenwood," Jake confirmed for her, extending a hand for Jesse to slap.

"Great. Well, I think this calls for a celebration, so how about all of us go out for dinner together?" Glen proposed, staring at everyone.

"Sounds good to me, Glen," Randolph nodded, "This certainly qualifies for a party."

"Well, I've got to head on back home-I still have a teaching job to work on. But I want to thank all of you," Mr. Banks shook the adults' hand, "This meant a lot to me to be here, and I think that if the kids' class has any heart, they'll love this too."

"I hope so. OK, here we go," Randolph raised the anchor and restarted the boat's engine. Jesse sighed happily and leaned against the front railing. It had been a wonderful day indeed, and now he knew Willy was safe and well with his family-whom he had enjoyed meeting-which definitely put his mind at ease. And hopefully, he thought deep down, this was going to be a new beginning rather than an ending.