Dolphins of Pern

by Anne McCaffrey

  "Well, the book doesn't give any directions other than "reinsert the colon in the reverse order of removal." Hmmm. That's a lot of help."

  "I did sort of loop them back in,” Readis said. "I've seen runners with their bellies opened. Dad would just put them back in, sew ‘em up and hope. Mostly they lived."

  "Then we'll hope dolphins being mammals like us and runners will survive, too,” T'lion replied, rolling up his sleeves. "All right, start spreading this,” and he handed Readis a big pot of numbweed, "around the wound. It seemed to help Boojie and he didn't squirm when Persellan sewed him up.

  Readis liberally slathered on the numbweed.

  "I've watched Persellan sewing up dragons often enough, and I helped him with Boojie,” T'lion began, taking out a needle and threading it with the fine strong suture that Aivas had suggested to the Healer Hall. "I've even got the hang of how he ties his knots.”

  "So do it,” Readis said, impatiently, "before she loses any more blood. That's definitely not good for her."

  With a decisive exhalation, T'lion reached for the needle and thread. Numbweed worked really quickly, deadening any flesh, human, dragon and, he hoped, dolphin.

  Watching, he found, was by no means the same as doing for even getting the sharp needle to penetrate the tough and slippery flesh of the dolphin was different than sewing up clothes or even repairing his flying straps. The muscles along Angie's side rippled. Since he had to jam the needle in her pretty hard, that was okay. She wasn't squirming which would have worried him. And the other dolphins were making some sort of soothing noises that, in some mysterious way, seemed to vibrate in the water around his legs. Gaddie, careful to keep the rest of her under the rippling water, held steady enough so that his jabbing needle didn't go into the wrong places.

  "She knows you're helping her,” Readis said as he kept up a reassuring rhythm of caresses. That helped his nerves and she seemed to lean into the motions. He also kept checking the reassuring beat of the big heart in her chest. It struck him as significant that dolphins had hearts on the left sides of their bodies, just as humans did.

  Cori, the other injured baby, wasn't more than a few months old but the wound was serious for so young a calf. When T'lion was finishing the last of Angie's stitches, he asked Gaddie to take Cori in hand so that Readis could smear her with numbweed. The baby made odd noises and swished her tail around but Afo told them that Cori was only relieved to be painless.

  "Goodee man goo,” she said quite clearly. "Nummmmm weeeed?" she asked.

  Readis laughed, as much from relief of the strain as because he was pleased to know the pods were using more words.

  "Yes, numbweed,” Readis said. "They've learned a lot from you, T'lion,” and he tried to keep envy out of his voice.

  "They didn't learn it from me ‑ I don't think,” T'lion said, frowning as he concentrated on tying the last few stitches in the complex knot. "Maybe Persellan used the word when he was doing Boojie. But Afo wasn't at Eastern when we did that.

  “There! That's closed now. Wheeee." T'lion wiped his forehead on his arm, cleaned the needle and returned it to the little case that held Persellan's needles.

  "Good mans men,” Afo said and rubbed against their legs, prodding them gently in their genitals as a mark of extra affection.

  "Hey, don't do that, Afo,” Readis said.

  T'lion laughed at his reaction. "Don't forget to thank Gaddie, too, Afo,” he said and Afo responded by blowing a spout of water up against the bronze dragon's chest before submerging.

  Gadareth rose out of the water, the wave he made swamping the two young men.

  "Watch that! I'm soaked, and this water's not so warm today,” Readis complained. "I'm also water riddled." He looked at the shrivelled skin on his fingers. "Anyone else need help, Afo?"

  "No, t'ank you. We go now, work holes in ships. Lemi grateful. Afo grateful, Cori, Angie, Mel grateful and happy.

  "Bring the calves back in three days, three sunrises, Afo. So we can take those stitches out.”

  "Hear you,” Afo said as she swam away, ahead of the little group of four, moving off westward and more slowly.

  The two friends made their way to the beach, moving wearily after the unaccustomed mental and physical strain.

  "I sure hope we did it right,” T'lion said, shaking his head.

  "What we need is a manual on animal treatment. I heard tell that Master Farmer Andemon finally asked for . . . Shards!" T'lion stopped, pawing through the sack. "Where did the book go?" His hands came up empty and he looked about frantically, hoping to see the book on the water. He couldn't even remember when he had last seen it, save that he had propped it up on Gaddie's forearm. "Gaddie, where did the book go? Readis, call Afo back.

  Did we come straight out? How far were we from shore?"

  "Don't panic, T'lion,” Readis said as he began retracing his steps. "I was in up to my belt ‑ which is probably so saltlogged it'll never soften up

  "You're worried about a belt,” T'lion roared, "when I may have lost Persellan's book?"

  "We were about here, I think,” Readis said and then dove beneath the surface.

  "Gaddie, put your head under, too. See if you can see it.

  The waters were still dark from the storm where the sea bottom had been churned up.

  I see little, Gadareth responded though it was obvious from the movement of his neck that he was looking all around. What do I look for?

  "The book! The book I used. I put it on your arm. You know what the book looked like." Really upset, T'lion framed the size of the book in his hands although his dragon still had his head underwater and could not have seen what he did.

  Readis surfaced.

  "It's all stirred up, sand everywhere. Can't see a thing. And Gaddie's been walking about. He might have buried it."

  "Buried it'?" T'lion's voice broke octaves in his anxiety.

  "Easy, T'lion, easy,” Readis said, took three deep breaths and then dove.

  T'lion could barely see the holder lad swimming so murky was the water. Why now, of all days, was the water not as clear as usual. He began walking about the area where he thought they had been standing, hoping he might kick it up. But Gaddie couldn't've kicked it. He had been holding up the dolphins, and his hind feet would have been further out.

  "Gaddie, call Afo. Tell her we need her."

  Gadareth obligingly bellowed. That his bugle was heard was obvious when two of the seamen working on the Fair Winds waved back at them. But not a single dorsal fin came streaking toward them.

  "Try underwater, Gaddie. Afo must hear you. We need her help."

  Afo did not come, though Gadareth called her in air and underwater every time T'lion asked him.

  And Readis, who kept diving, going in ever increasing circles out from the spot where they thought the precious book might be, was becoming so hyperventilated and pale under his tan that even T'lion knew he should stop.

  "One more dive is all I'll let you take,” the dragonrider told his younger friend. "You look awful."

  "If only we'd had the mask accusatory.

  "I'm trying, I'm trying,” T'lion explained, his voice tense, his mind in a whirl as he thought of how Persellan was going to react to the loss of his invaluable book.

  Then Readis took his usual deep inhalation and dove, appearing for that instant more like a dolphin than a boy.

  "Lucky last!" Readis shouted as he exploded out of the water.

  In the hands held high above his head he had the book.

  "Don't get it any wetter than it is!" T'lion cried, reaching out in a thankful gesture at the sight of the lost object.

  But when Readis put the soggy book in his hands, dark runnels of water over their hands told them that considerable damage had been done the contents. T'lion groaned as his trembling fingers flipped open the cover. He flipped it closed immediately, rolling his eyes and groaning again.

  "It's ruined. Ruined! Persellan will flay me!”

  "It came from Aivas' fil
es, didn't it ? Well, then it only needs And Readis' look was to be reprinted,” Readis said in an effort to relieve his friend's dismay.

  "Only?" T'lion replied. "Do you have any idea of how long someone has to wait to get something only reprinted?"

  Readis shook his head, determined to supply a remedy.

  "I'm up there all the time, T'lion. I can recopy what needs to be done directly from the discs." Then he added by way of reparation, "And maybe include some animal treatment stuff at the same time."

  "Oh, I dunno,” T'lion said, appalled at the damage a moment's inattention had caused.

  "Good thing you had it so we'd know how to put her guts back in.”

  "We won't know until she gets better ‑ and works right ‑ if we did,” T'lion replied, shaking his head and staring down at the book which was still shedding inky drops of water.

  "Let's get out of the water, and see if we can't dry some of the pages in the sun,” Readis urged and they both headed back to the shore. "I mean, we have a duty to dolphins, too, you know.

  "Do we?"

  Readis gave his friend a startled look. "I think we do. They came with us, didn't they? They didn't have to but they came to help us with the marine explorations. They've done them but our responsibility doesn't end there. Does it'? Huh? No more than our responsibility to dragonkind will end when Thread stops.”

  He looked a little embarrassed when T'lion turned to him an odd stare, his jaw dropped in surprise at Readis' vehemence.

  "That is, when it does,” Readis amended. "I mean, we ‑ humans ‑ created the dragons. We owe them, too, you know."

  T'lion's slow grin spread across his face. "I wish more of us humans thought the way you did."

  Readis ducked his face in embarrassment. "I've known dragons all my life, better than most holder children do. I've scrubbed more." Then he squinted up at the angle of the sun. "Here. Let's prop the book up here so it gets the sun. I'd better dry off, too,” he added, noticing the water marks on his hands. "Or Dad will sure know where I've spent time when I should have been back helping him and Mother."

  "D'you think the book'll dry out enough'?" T'lion said anxiously as he settled the book on a broad leaf so that sand wouldn't damage it further.

  The volume was heavy enough so that it had fallen to the bottom, lying there until Readis had finally found it. The inner pages had been sufficiently pressed down so that only the edges of every leaf showed their immersion. Ink had blurred somewhat, even on the illustrations.

  T'lion groaned as they surveyed the ravages. "Persellan's not going to like this."

  "I said I'd make it good."

  "You oughtn't to have to. I borrowed the book without permission. You didn't."

  "You wouldn't have borrowed it if I hadn't insisted we heal the calves." Readis' chin was at an aggressive angle. "We're in this together."

  "You most certainly are” said a new voice and the two young men swung around to see Jayge and Temma come striding out of the jungle that bordered the cove. "What's all this about dolphins needing medical assistance? Where have you been? Kami's been back hours and she said she came with you.”

  Readis sprang to his feet, trying to conceal the water‑logged book from his father's sight.

  "Ah, well, oh!" he floundered.

  "1 told T'lion I'd come when I could,” Temma said, cocking her head and looking from one to the other. Then out to sea.

  "No dolphins to mend?"

  "We did it,” Readis said. "I mean, T'lion's watched Persellan and there were bloodsuekers trying to and it was the calves, and they were hurt with awful gashes guts hanging Out

  "So you decided that those mammals of yours needed attention sooner than injured humans?" Jayge had crossed his arms over his chest at his most forbidding.

  Readis swallowed. He had not often had occasion to suffer his father's disapproval or chastisement but he knew the pose from those times Jayge had dealt with recalcitrant hold workers or those whose behaviour had not met his standards. Now he raised his chin.

  "Yes, sir. They bleed and hurt the same as we do, and there was no‑one else bothering about them and plenty of people, including Aunt Temma, to tend to human hurts. No‑one was badly hurt, were they?" Readis asked Temma.

  "No, but you should have found that out first, before you even thought of coming here,” Jayge answered, frowning at his son. "You're my son and will be Holder. What sort of an example are you setting?" and he waved toward the sea and its denizens, "Coming here first before you knew what help was needed in your Hold!”

  "When we overflew the Hold, it looked like you had matters in hand. But no‑one was looking after our dolphins

  "Our dolphins?" Jayge's expression became even more forbidding. "Since when do ‘we’ own dolphins?"

  "The pod . . . the ones that use these waters they're ours, in a manner of speaking.”

  "Sir, the fault was mine,” T'lion interrupted and was waved silent by Jayge.

  "Why are you involved in this, T'lion?"

  "He's been . . . " Readis began.

  "Dragonriders are able to answer for themselves, Readis."

  "But he”

  "I'm liaison for the dolphins in the Eastern Weyr waters, Holder Jayge,” T'lion said, stiffening to an erect position. "We heard at Landing that there were injuries in this pod and help was requested. So I Jayge frowned. "How would they know at Landing Before Readis could capitalize on his father's misunderstanding and absolve himself of his apparent defection by intimating that someone at Landing had given him the orders, T'lion continued.

  "Actually, sir, we found out at Monaco Bay, not Landing.”

  Readis and Kami were there, hoping to hear word from Paradise River that all was well here."

  "So you got a message at Monaco Bay that dolphins at Paradise River were injured?"

  "Yes, sir,” T'lion replied.

  Jayge's frown got darker. "So Master Samvel didn't give you permission to leave, Readis?"

  "Master Samvel told me that Readis was down at Monaco.”

  T'lion said, temporizing as he suddenly realized what Readis had been trying to imply.

  Jayge shook his head. "Will you boys stop answering for each other? So, you are absent from school as well as derelict in your duty to your Hold, Readis. And you, T'lion, where were you supposed to be when you were busy healing the dolphins?"

  "I went down to Monaco Bay when I heard that's where Readis and Kami had gone,” he replied.

  "I repeat, where were you ordered to go?"

  "Cove Hold,” T'lion said, "but plenty of folks were helping out there and no‑one was." He hesitated.

  "Helping these dolphins,” Jayge finished. "Both of you need to get your priorities in order. I shall expect you to report your afternoon's activities to T'gellan, T'lion. You'd better report to where you should be before the day ends." A holder could not presume to give a dragonrider, even a young one, direct orders that did not deal with Threadfall.

  "Ah, yes, sir,” T'lion hesitated. He needed to take the book with him, damp as it was, but he also didn't quite like the idea of displaying the damaged thing to anyone.

  "Well” T'lion grimaced. He had to leave, and leave Readis facing an angry father. So, giving a despairing sigh, he reached for the book.

  And what's that sorry‑looking mess?" Jayge asked, holding out his hand. When T'lion reluctantly gave it to him, Jayge whistled as he felt the dampness. Turning the first few pages, he then shot angry glances at both son and dragonrider as he realized how valuable it was.

  "We know it's been damaged. It fell off Gaddie's arm,” T'lion explained. "I needed to know how to restore intestines.”

  "By using your healer's most valued possession?" Temma asked, incensed when she saw what Jayge was looking through.

  "He'll not thank you for that.”

  "I can copy the damaged pages,” Readis said quickly. "I've access to the files. I can even add more from the veterinary sections

  "Did you at least have permission to
use the manual?" Jayge asked. "Ah, I see not,” he added, noting the guilty flush on the dragonrider's face.

  "Persellan was nowhere about to ask,” T'lion said. "Mirrim saw me and said it was all right."

  "To take supplies possibly,” Temma put in, "but not such a valuable healer's book."

  "I can set it right,” Readis insisted.

  "That's enough out of you,” Jayge said, turning on his son.

  "You'd better leave, T'lion."

  Temma took the dragonrider's arm before he swung past her.

  "And the dolphins?"

  "We sewed them up and they went off with their dams,” T'lion said in a muted voice.

  "Sewed them up, did you?" Temma looked dubious.

  "I've helped Persellan and I can tie the right sort of healer knots to suture securely. That was the critical need, so the bloodfish couldn't enter the wounds."

  "The critical need?"

  T'lion stiffened, regarded the woman with an expressionless face. "I did what I could to help and we'll see in three days if what I did was enough."

  Temma's expression softened a little. "Happen you did all that was needed. I'd be interested to see."

  Without a backward look then, the young dragonrider went to his pile of clothes, dressed, stuffed Persellan's volume in his flying jacket and clambered aboard Gadareth. The bronze took off westward, away from those silently watching.

  Readis couldn't look at his father but he felt Jayge's suppressed anger in the grip he took on Readis' arm as he pushed him toward his own clothing.

  "Get your shoes on!" Jayge said. "Let's not have another thorn in your foot."

  Readis felt a hard cold feeling in his chest at that harsh remark.

  His father never referred to his limp, had never before reminded him of the injury nor where he had taken it. But then, his father wouldn't know that Readis felt far more comfortable in the sea, where his shrivelled leg posed no disadvantage or handicap.

  The way home was too short for Readis to prepare himself for his mother's condemnation. She'd make sure he never went to the cove again. She would certainly extract a promise from him to have nothing to do with dolphins ever again. It was a promise that Readis could not in conscience give. There was no way now that he would give up the contact. Today's event had proved to him that the dolphins needed to have at least one staunch defendant in every coastline settlement: one committed dolphineer. The word had been hovering in his mind for a long time now and, in that moment, he recognized what he should do and be: a dolphineer.