The Storm (1) - The Dolphin Bell

Writers: Ainsley, Cali, Jane
Date Posted: 29th April 2009

Characters: Trellyn, Yara, Leisenn
Description: Trellyn and Yara respond to the dolphin bell during the storm and report the news to Leisenn.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 2, day 18 of Turn 5

The Hurricane would soon be in full force, and with everything tied down and secured down at the beach, Trellyn and Yara had decided it was a good time to do some gear inspections down near the cavern. It was because of their location that they heard the Emergency peel of the Dolphin Bell. Both girls stopped dead in their tracks, looked at each other, then bolted down the corridor. The Bell became louder as the emerged into the echoing cavern that housed some of the smaller ships, and the dolphin that was pulling away stopped as he saw them.

"What's the emergency!" Trellyn had to yell, the wind whipping into the cavern was like thunder. The waves smacking again the walls were no help, but they weren't nearly as extreme as outside.

"Ship!" The dolphin couldn't yell though it's voice was naturally louder than a humans. "Big ship wreck on reef. Need Help!"

"What direction? How far?" Yara tried her best to project her voice above the tumult of the storm. Though dolphins didn't account for distance in the same manner as humans, sometimes it was possible to get an idea from their description. Yara didn't recognize this male, he could have come from some ways away.

He did his best to stay close as he spoke to them, but the water wasn't near calm and he had to keep repositioning himself. "By big current. Half sun, rock island."

Trellyn thanked Faranth that this dolphin had had decent training in reporting. Sometimes the males were alone so long they had poor human speech. Still, his descriptions left much to be desired. Big current meant North, and half sun meant it was less than four hours away, which was still a great distance considering how fast this male could probably swim. Still, maybe it was enough to help her narrow it down.

Yara nodded, pleased that the rogue was able to communicate what he had, but hopeful for more she cupped her hands around her mouth, "Are there more islands close to it?"

Trellyn became more apprehensive as Yara worked with the male for identifiers. It was hard to hear him but she'd managed to get out of him that there was two more smaller islands and none of them had any sort of large vegetation or trees on them. It wasn't alot of information, but maybe it was enough. "I'll go find Leisenn and get the charts, maybe we can figure this out. Keep at him and try for more details, ask about the ship too. Keep on the shelf though, you don't want to slip in and get knocked out." She yelled to Yara before she ran back into the quiet of the corridors.

Yara gave Trellyn a nod, though the other woman had already headed to find the Hallmaster. She turned to express her appreciation to the dolphin and see if he could give her any more useful information.

When the journeywoman arrived at the door Leisenn was pacing her office with hides in hand, supposedly reading them though she hadn't looked at them for a while. The old Hallmaster looked up, her glance sharp on the younger woman. "What is it?"

"Dolphin Bell." Trellyn stated, all the explanation needed to get the Hallmaster's full attention. "A young male reports a large cargo vessel got caught on some rocks, maybe a reef, near three uninhabited islands out by the big current. Somewhere Northwest, and he says the islands- one large and two small- don't have any trees."

"He's still here?" Leisenn asked, dropping her hides and heading for the door. "I'll come down. Do you know these islands?"

"Maybe." Trellyn replied, distracted. She'd opened one of the file drawers and was sifting through one of the files that held a variety of drawings of the lesser used islands. They were always good to have when trying to teach the dolphins how to identify islands. "That far out, I can't be sure, but hopefully they're in one of the shipping lanes." She plucked out four drawings that somewhat matched the description the dolphin gave and waved them briefly in the air before following Leisenn down the corridor.

"I did wonder about the water stains on some of those," Leisenn admitted with a smile. "They recognise the drawings?"

"It's a game." Trellyn said surprise as she slowed a bit to match the older woman's step. She would have thought it'd be a common game for all the Halls. "It's more matching a drawing to a place than fully recognizing most times, but it's worth a shot. It's either this or we follow the fellow out blindly."

"We used arcs and travel times ... I'll explain it another day," Leisenn said as they moved down the stairs to the level of the sea cavern within the Hall.

Trellyn was relieved when she emerged into the cavern and saw Yara still with the dolphin, while the waves were much muted inside, it was still possible for a random wave to curl into the enclosure and swamp the rim where the girl was sitting. "Did you get anything else out of him?"

"It's a large cargo ship," Yara answered loudly, "From what he's said, I would say probably a square rigger with at least four masts," she bit her lip, knowing that such a ship would require a large crew.

"And that might take more than the local dolphin's help," Leisenn mused. "Let's see if you can identify the island, Trellyn."

She crawled down to the dolphin dock, not trusting the shallow rock ledge they sometimes used for dolphin talk. The dock was rocky, but she crept down low and made it to the edge without falling. She pulled out the first sheet and held it as close to the water as she dared so the male could get a good look at it. "Is this it? See the rocks?"

He looked at it a moment with his large black eye, then ducked under the water and came up farther away. "Not right one, diiifferent."

Trellyn pulled out another one, this one had shallower islands around the main one, it could really be described as only one island, but she'd grabbed it because it was nearest to the shipping lanes. "How about this one?"

The dolphin came up close again and looked at it. It seemed like an eternity to Trellyn with the small dock rocking violently but she held it out until he ducked under the water again and reappeared clicking and whistling. "Found it! Found it!"

Even Leisenn grinned at the excitement and pleasure the dolphin was exhibiting. "Good work! Both of you."

"There are reefs all along that area, they must have strayed too close with the storm winds." Trellyn said with a frown after she'd climbed back up to the other two dolphineers. "It'll be dangerous swimming, we'll have to be extra careful."

"How far is it? How long a swim for dolphineers?" Not for dolphins, because there were usually dolphins in the vicinity that would get there sooner and the Hall dolphins could make far better time unencumbered.

Trellyn looked out of the mouth of the cavern into the storm and shook her head. "Too far, we'd never make it anyways. The dolphins could do it in half a day by themselves." She directed her attention back to the dolphin in the water below. "Can you go back? Tell the other dolphins to help until we can get there? Try and rescue as many people as you can."

"Tell them." the dolphin bobbed his head in understanding, "Tell more! Rescue humans!" And he was gone, back out into the large curling waves the hurricane winds had whipped up.

"We can hardly expect them to do what we won't, ourselves," Leisenn said with a frown. "We can set out as soon as the weather permits. Send one of the ships to pick up those the dolphins ..."

Yara had been listening to Trellyn and Leisenn discuss the situation and shook her head. "That will be too late for too many. What about the Weyr? Wouldn't they help?"

"I don't think they're that good at sea rescues," Leisenn said, trying to imagine the logistics of dragons snatching people from the waves. "Though they could move dolphineers there faster than a ship. Is that what's you're thinking, Yara?"

Yara nodded, her brow furrowed, "And maybe transport injured back. If the dragons could land on the island, patients could be taken there for triage then moved on to Weyr or Hall. Hypothermia could be an issue and the cold of _between_ won't help, but that might be the lesser of two evils. Proper care at the Hall or Weyr might make the difference between life and death for those seriously injured."

"_If_ they'll help," Leisenn said thoughtfully.

Trellyn got her balance back, glad to be on the stone surface again over the rocking platform, and wiped off the water the had sprayed onto her face and hair. "If they don't help, they're not real dragonmen."

"They have Thread to think of - and Pern."

"It's a good thing there's no Thread today then, isn't it." Trellyn replied, energized by the thought that there was something they could _do_ while the hurricane raged. "I'll go and ask."

"I'll come with you," Leisenn said, having no intention of sending a journeywoman to do a Hallmaster's job.

"I'll go back to the Hall, then, and alert those there so that rescue teams can be prepared," Yara offered. Without a Hallsecond, she supposed that the Master of Apprentices would the one to mobilize the others while the Hallmaster went to the Weyr. "Shall I go to Master Mahantan first?"

"Please, Yara, and well done both of you."

Last updated on the April 29th 2009

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The Storm (1) - The Dolphin Bell