Dolphins of Pern

by Anne McCaffrey

  During the first of those storms, he padded the rough spots of the vest. He wore it as a ‘man thing' ‑ his excuse to them ‑ but there were many occasions when the vest kept him from being half‑drowned by the enthusiastic aquabatics of his companions.

  They began to learn how to swim with him, not over or under or impeding his movements. They could not quite understand why he had to spend some time out of the water because his skin began to shrivel and slough off. He learned to qualify such matters as ‘man things' and opposed to ‘dolphin' or ‘sea and marine' things. He also tried experimenting with wood he carved into the best approximation of ‘long feet' he could arrive at, tied to his feet with a mixed grass and tail hair rope. But the devices were too cumbrous and either twisted off ‑ as he couldn't carve a pocket' for his feet without breaking off a piece of wood or banged into dolphin bodies. They never complained but he could see the darker marks on their skin which he knew he had caused with his wooden water shoes.

  His days were so full now of sea work that he almost considered turning Delky loose. It wasn't fair to keep her standing in the cave. Declining to go with the pod one day, he used all the rope he had made to cordon off a pen for her, not far from the cave but with enough grass and shelter from the sun for her old hide and by one of the many brooks so she'd have water. As he kept a calendar on his cave wall to mark off Thread days, he could always keep her in when she might be in danger from Fall. That way, he didn't feel as bad about confining her. With no other runners to lure her away, Delky was content with these arrangements.

  He was therefore horrified to return late one evening to find evidence of a bloody struggle, bushes knocked over and trees scarred with kick marks and no sign whatever of Delky.

  Searching the little paddock to discover what had attacked her, he finally found clear paw prints and knew his old friend had fallen victim to one of the huge cats. He blamed himself and was disconsolate for days after Delky's removal. The size of the paw prints dissuaded him from going after the beast with only a belt knife to defend himself. His father had always rounded up all the men in the Hold to go after the big marauders. He missed her for more practical reasons later on when mourning turned to regret: he had no more of her long strong tail hairs to braid into rope.

  He also had very few clothes left. It was also apparent that the dolphins had not informed people of his whereabouts. There were moments, despite his full and exciting life with the pod, when he could almost wish they had disobeyed him. But then, Cal or Tursi or Loki the Poet would do or say something and make him so glad that he was part of their lives, that his mood would swing up again.

  The worst of the storm season passed and he could gather some of the green shoots that supplied nutrients he didn't get from fish or what root vegetables remained in his immediate environs. He really ought to start a garden in the glade where he'd kept Delky. Her manure would be good fertilizer. He knew what to plant and where to get the starts and took some time off from the pod to organize his garden. That's when he came across Delky's tail. He almost didn't bring it back with him.

  The urge to bury it as a tribute to its former owner was great but common sense overcame sentiment and he made a bundle of the long hairs and stuffed them in the pack he had with him.

  On his way back he heard the Bell, heard the report sequence and broke into as fast a run as he dared with the precious starts and sprouting plants he had gathered. Constant swimming had improved the muscles in his bad leg so that he could achieve a respectable speed, but he was breathless by the time he reached his cavern.

  There was only one dolphin, pulling the Bell, and that surprised him. It was also the largest dolphin he had ever seen. That should have warned him.

  "I'm here, I'm here,” he blurted out breathless, propping his pack against the inner wall before approaching the pool. "Is someone hurt? Where's Cal? Tursi?"

  "They come when I call,” the dolphin said, rearing her splendid head up, her flippers out of water.

  "Are you hurt? Do you have a bloodfish?"

  "Yes, I come to you to remove bloodfish,” she said. "It cannot be scraped off." She turned on her side and eased slowly by him until he saw the bloodfish, precariously near her sex organs.

  "Good thing I honed my knife, then,” he said and slipped into the water. "Over here. And what's your name, please?" he asked as he took three good strokes to where an underwater protuberance gave him a place to stand while he ministered to dolphin needs. "I like to know the name of my patients,” he added jovially in what he had decided was his ‘healering' mode.

  "I was called Theresa," she said, gargling her words slightly as she remained heeled over as she placed herself close to him.

  "That's a very fine name. One of the originals, isn't it?" he asked for he always talked to his patients to make them feel easier. "I'm Readis."

  "Your name is well known. You call yourself the dolphineer.”

  "You speak really well, Theresa,” Readis went on, his fingers, now deft at this task, assessing the depth of the bloodfish's sucker. Often now he could get the whole thing out without severing the head first. If he punctured the thin skull at just the right point, the sucker released. He found the spot on the bloated body, inserted the thin knife point and, with a now deft flip of the point, the bloodfish came off with it. With a flip of the wrist, Readis sent the parasite flying to the wall. It slipped down on a trail of blood until it lay, with two final convulsions before it expired, gape‑mouthed. "I'm always glad to get rid of those vicious things for you." He looked down at the minute hole and shoved water hard against her flank to rinse the puncture.

  "There, that should close shortly.

  "Thank you, that was well done, dolphin healer."

  "Oh, I'm not a healer by any means, though I can do small repairs now, Readis said, washing his knife blade before returned it to its sheath. And he'd need a new one soon as the salt water was rotting the leather. Whatever had the Ancient dolphineers used? More of their versatile plastics?

  "I had heard of major healings?" She eased herself back so that she could focus her eye on him.

  He smiled down at her, accustomed to such dolphins manoeuvrings. She was one big mother. And old, judging by the scars on her melon, though all looked long healed. Could she be full of calf? Near to birthing? None of his pod were carrying young. He had very much wanted to be present during a birth.

  It was such a magical moment, especially in the sea.

  "Don't I wish I was able for major stuff,” Readis said, leaning back against the side of the pool, still supported underwater by the wide protuberance. "Maybe I could get more training. . . but I'd need to have more people working with me as dolphineers before I could take time off."

  "You are not the only dolphineer,” she startled him by saying.

  "I'm not?" He jerked bolt upright, the sudden movement whooshing water over her eye. She blinked.

  "There are dolphineers at Eastern Weyr, at Monaco Bay, and she was the only dolphin he had heard pronounce it correctly, "Paradise River, Southern, Ista, Tillek, Fort, Nerat Bay

  "There are?" His heart sank within him. He would not be the first new dolphineer. The new Hall he had so proudly thought he might found was a dream dying in a single, casual sentence.

  Others had pre‑empted his grand idea. He might as well go home now and take whatever punishment his father decreed for him. He probably wouldn't be able to go back to school so he'd lost that opportunity, too. He might even have lost the best chance to secure Paradise River. But he would have to make it very plain to his mother that he must swim with dolphins. He couldn't give that up now. He was eighteen now, he realized suddenly, if he'd counted days correctly. He was old enough to go off on his own in any case. Maybe, maybe, he could just come back here. He already had the makings of a small hold. And if he could prove enough land around him, under the terms of the Ancients' Charter, he could own that. And he'd have Cal and Tursi to swim with, he could listen to Loki's poems, and

 
; "Come, swim with me, Readis,” Theresa said in the very gentlest tone he had heard a dolphin use.

  "I'm sorry, Theresa, I don't feel much like swimming right now." For all he was eighteen now and judged a man, a sob caught in his throat and he turned his face from the dolphin's knowing eye.

  He was knocked off his perch by a deft swipe of her rostrum.

  He was coughing as he bobbed up and she was facing the cavern entrance.

  "Come, Readis, swim with me."

  "I need my vest,” and he extended one arm towards the ledge, meaning to climb back up.

  "No vest is needed if you swim with Theresa,” he was told and he was nudged away from the side of the pool.

  "I didn't mean to offend you

  "None taken,” she replied.

  He caught her dorsal fin with his right hand. Her tow was deceptively smooth but the speed with which he passed out of the cavern told him she was fast. That surprised him in such a large mammal. Just outside the cave, they were joined by the others, and Cal poked her head up on the other side of him, grinning.

  "You help her?" Cal asked.

  "She had a wicked bloodfish, yes, and I removed it."

  He was being pulled with such speed he had more water in his mouth than words and gestured that he couldn't speak. Then he saw that the entire pod was here, ranging on either side of Theresa. Some were in advance, leaping and diving as if they escorted a ship. Behind him more were dipping in and out but not displaying the more athletic maneuvers. He spotted Loki and she rolled her head at him before dipping her nose under again.

  Theresa just kept swimming, heading directly toward the Great Western Current. He'd been out to it several times with the pod, and had been caught up in the incredible current, fearless only because he had been in the company of dolphins.

  They were nearly upon the ships before he realized that her bulk had kept him from seeing them bearing down on them.

  Two ships, one of them Master Idarolan's Dawn Sisters, and second was Alemi's Fair Winds.

  "Oh, no, Theresa." He dropped his hand and was immediately upheld by Cal on his left.

  "Take hold, Readis,” Theresa said, screwing her head around so that he could not deny hearing her words. "You will come with me.

  "She speak, you obey!" Cal said, squeeing emphatically.

  That was when Readis had the first suspicion. Later he realized how stupid he had been. Just then more pods could be seen, leaping and diving, plunging and cavorting, all heading towards the ships which had furled their sails and seemed to be standing still. Sea anchors out, he thought in his bemusement.

  As they neared, and Theresa was closing the distance with incredible speed, he could see that each ship had a longboat in the water beside it, and that there were dolphins clustered all around. He'd never heard that dolphins had gathers, but that's Afo had suggested, the only time dolphin pod met was in the Northwest at the Great Subsidence for

  "You're The Tillek, Theresa!" he shouted, lost his grip and swallowed a mouthful of water that had him gasping for breath and grasping for the nearest solid form. Which happened to be The Tillek Theresa and that had made him reach for any other form, for to grab at her seemed tantamount to sacrilege.

  "Hold me, Dolphineer, he was commanded and his hand was flung up and landed against the dorsal fin which he obediently clutched.

  "I shouldn't Tillek." he gasped. "It's not right. You're The Loud squees and clickings of approval answered him and then they were so close to the longboats he could hear the welcoming shouts. The Tillek swam him up to Master Idarolan's ship, and slowed to come to a complete stop, her flippers holding her steady with deft subtle movements, by the Dawn Sisters' longboat. Looking up he saw his father, smiling, his mother, unsmiling but somehow looking proud, Alemi, and Kami, of all people, looking as if she was about to weep. Beyond her were T'gellan, the Benden Weyrleader, D'ram, T'lion looking excessively pleased, a dour‑looking man he didn't know, Master Samvel, Master Menolly and Master Sebell. His father and Alemi held out their hands to him.

  "Grab hold, Readis,” Jayge called. Too surprised to disobey, he held up his arm and was hauled aboard. His mother herself handed him a big towel, even as she ran critical eyes up and down his tanned body as if she hadn't expected to find him in such good and healthy condition.

  "Thanks, Mother,” he mumbled and didn't know what else to do because there was The Tillek herself raised up from the water to be part of whatever was about to transpire in the boat. For this had the feeling of more than the recapture of a recalcitrant truant.

  "Well, Readis, lad, Master Idarolan said, planting his hand on his hips and grinning at him. "Led us a fine and merry chase you have, lad."

  "I just wanted to help the dolphins,” Readis said, speaking to his father despite the press of other important people around him. "No‑one else was.”

  Jayge took Readis' arm and pressed it affectionately, the expression in his eyes wistful. "We know that now, son. And I honour you for what you did that day, despite what I said, and felt, at the time.

  "I should never have said what I did,” Aramina murmured right beside him, and there were tears in her eyes when he looked around at her.

  "Ah hem, we can't keep The Tillek waiting, friends," Master Idarolan said. "We have come at her request, Readis,” he added.

  "At her . Readis looked from the Fish Master to the looming shape of The Tillek.

  "She wishes you to be The Dolphineer,” Master Idarolan said. "We've never had a Dolphin Hall on Pern . . . never realized we should have had one all these years. But, well, she's been very understanding."

  "The Thread caused many problems for humans,” The Tillek said in a tone that suggested she really couldn't understand quite why. Beyond her, Readis could see the masses and masses of dolphin bodies. Why, every pod on Pern must be here! "We are grateful to men for many things. For history, for knowing what we are, and for giving us the tongue to speak. For speech is what raises the mammal above the animals and fish of land and sea."

  "And you, Theresa The Tillek,” said the Master Harper Sebell, "are obviously my counterpart among dolphins."

  "I do not play music makers. But I sing the songs of old so that the young do not forget the past and the old Earth and how men and women swim with us in these new seas.

  "Close your mouth, Readis,” his father murmured softly.

  "But he said she said . A Dolphin Hall?"

  "A Dolphin Hall,” repeated Master Idarolan.

  "A Dolphin Craft Hall,” said F'lar of Benden, "and I speak for all the Weyrleaders”

  "And I, Oterel of Tillek Hold, speak for the Lords Holder said the gaunt man Readis didn't know and then he smiled and didn't look half as forbidding.

  "And I for the Harper Hall,” said Sebell, "that the new Hall is needed and is herewith situated at the Sea Caverns of . . . what will you call your place, Readis?"

  "Huh? I don't know. I don't know anything

  "Kahrain is the name we dolphins know of that place from the Ancients,” The Tillek said.

  "Kabrain Hold it will be then,” Readis said, wondering if a man's heart could burst from his chest. "But I really don't have much of a Hold there right now, only the caves and the pools where I can do the healing. And I'd need to learn much more healing to be a good dolphineer

  "That has been promised you,” The Tillek said and ducked down into the water, rising again to blow out of her hole.

  "Why? Why me? You said there were other dolphineers Readis said, almost accusing her of gentle treachery.

  "There are,” T'lion said, bursting with the news, "because Gaddie wants to help, too, and T'gellan says I can spend my free time with you and I've copied a whole ‘nother set of medical stuff for you, Readis, and Readis began to shiver suddenly, though the sun was warm and the breeze mild.

  "He is cold and needs hot food,” The Tillek said. "We will retire and return when he has been cared for." She either did not hear or did not care to acknowledge the outraged "well, I never” f
rom Aramina for she went on. "You swim strong and well, Dolphineer Readis. You will be Tillek and Thea to all in your Hold." Then she disappeared below the side of the long boat. Stunned by all that had just happened, Readis stared at the space she had been occupying until he saw her long body gracefully arch out of and then back in the water, many dolphins following her away from the ships.

  Readis was then bundled up the rope ladder and into Master Idarolan's cabin, and given hot soup and hot klah and made much of by his mother, attentions which he endured out of gratitude for the day and her forgiveness. His father handed him a new shirt and muttered something about other things that had been brought along that he would possibly need. Then, with Aramina still anxiously hovering over him, he was ushered back out to the deck. There everyone else on this extraordinary voyage had wine glasses which were being topped up by Master Idarolan's seamen.

  "Now, lad, I've some cargo destined for your new Hold,” Master Idarolan said, handing Readis a full glass. "I know The Tillek wants to talk to you further . "I think I'd like to talk to you first,” he said and included his father and mother with a glance in their direction. "I didn't know anyone knew where I was.”

  "We have for the past three sevendays, Jayge said, laying an arm across his son's shoulders. When he saw Readis glance suspiciously toward the sea, he added, "No, the dolphins didn't tell on you."

  "I've been on daily sweeps trying to find you and then I saw the seaside caves and I figured that they were so perfect for you and dolphins, you had to be there,” T'lion said, looking very pleased with himself. "Only, what with one thing and another, Gaddie and I didn't get a chance to check the place out. Made yourself right comfortable, didn't you?"

  "I got by fine,” Readis said, a remark calculated to take the anxious expression off his mother's face and, at the same time, prove to his father that he'd coped well.

  "Then,” Master Idarolan said, beaming about impartially, "I was approached by no less than The Tillek herself. The dolphins at Paradise River were upset when you didn't return."