Cerulean Cape First thing we climb the tree

WC: 797

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Only months ago, the idea of leaving the island might have petrified young Thresher, who had finally grown into her long ears and long legs. Though she was still quite petite in form, with her boxy but lean build, her slim legs made her look relatively tall, especially when contrasted against the shortness of her back and the slender middle sectio she had, which tapered dramatically up toward her hips. She was dainty in every way, but with those slim little legs she could run and dodge like no other, and having grown up living in a cave of wet, slippery rocks, she was more nimble on her feet than wolves who were twice her age on the kelp-coated rocks that were exposed during low tide along the seashore.

The landbridge which separated them safely from the mainland had been exposed as soon as the tide went down, leaving Thresher with the longest amount of time to get across, explore, and then return before the tide rose again. She had ventured out along the landbridge, of course but hadn’t spent too much time along the coast of the mainland, as she’d been too worried that the tide might all of a sudden lift and cover her one way home. There was no way she was going to swim across the bay to her island, not when she knew there were seals and sometimes whales which passed through. Still, she’d begun to grow a bit bolder and with that came the need to explore. He home land was so quiet, so peaceful...And while she desired the same amount of peace and tranquility on the mainland, she did want for a different view and so, she skittered down the landbridge and to the mainland as quickly as possible, so that she could fully enjoy her time along the coast before the tide began to rise again.

She was happy to snuffle along the shore until she heard a sudden, distant sound that caught her attention. The sound was a quick whooshing sound of air, one that made her ears perk. She didn’t look up in time to see it, but she knew what that sound meant- so she sped along the shore, and leapt atop a large rock so that she could peer out over the ocean and watch for any signs of movement. With the wind being fairly low, she could easily see any movement above the surface- and eventually, she saw it again. Blow. A single, straight plume of air and mist, followed shortly by a fin which was quite new to her. She wriggled in excitement, hoping that the sea creature might reveal itself to her more.

The whales she had seen before were either humpback whales or finback whales. She might have seen a minke whale or grey whale, but wouldn’t have known the difference. Humpbacks had previous been her favourite. She could discern them from other whales by the shape of their little dorsal fin- the spine surrounding the little, arched fin seemed to raise slightly, obviously the reason they got their name. But in the warmer seasons they would breach their bodies almost completely out of the water, giving Thresher a great look at them. Even when they didn’t breach, she knew to watch for their third intake of breath, and the slight rounding of their spine which meant inevitably that she would get to see their great fluke rise above the water before they dove deep below. Finback whales were much more demure- perhaps quicker in the water, and she only ever saw one or two breaths from them, so they weren’t nearly as engaging. They did not breach the same way the humpbacks did, and so, provided much less entertainment for the young girl. But these whales she saw now, these ones were very different.

The dorsal fin on these waves was massive in comparison- straight, tall and dark, and there were several of them. Some were smaller, and they seemed to surface to breathe fairly often. They were too large to be dolphins she thought, and too large for porpoises. Too dark as well. She saw a slight bit of graying just behind the dorsal fin of the largest, a marking she kept in mind. She willed the creature to leap out of the water so she could see it, and having heard the humpbacks sing in the summer, she decided to call out- imitating the whales as best as she could, her high voice rising and dipping in a way that was not completely wolf-like in nature. Her song finished, she watched as the procession of eight or more orcas continued along- but she could only hope that any moment now, one would answer her call and breach.

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