Why Not Swim?

Writers: Vix
Date Posted: 31st January 2008

Characters: Mahantan
Description: Mahantan takes time out from his hidework to swim with his dolphin partner.
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 8, day 4 of Turn 4

"Maht comes!" The dolphin's voice rang out as she tail-walked away from the other members of the pod. Though she was one of the older members of the group, one of the leaders of the pod, the shrillness of her vocalization gave it a childlike quality. She dove beneath the surface, re-appearing a few feet from the dock.

The Master of Apprentices could not help but laugh as he strode toward the water, a towel draped around his neck. He had noted the dolphins as soon as he left the Hall and had watched as one detached herself from the group, knowing that it was Forrel, that there was no other who was so attuned as to notice him when he moved in range of the ocean. He moved more quickly to meet her.

"Maht!" She followed this utterance of her nickname for him with several clicking sounds and whistles, exhibiting her joy in his presence.

"Hullo, Forrel!" He dropped the tail on the dock and dove into the water, swimming beneath the surface, long strokes taking him away from the shore. As he swam, he could feel the currents that indicated that Forrel had joined him, swimming beneath him and then beside him, remaining submerged as long as he could, until finally he could hold his breath no longer and had to surface.

As he gulped in air, Forrel swam next to him, steady in the water so that Mahantan could loosely grip her dorsal fin and remain afloat. When she had determined that he had breathed long enough, she started off once more, pulling him with her as she circled through the water, further from shore then to the west before heading back to shore.

Mahantan's body relaxed as he was tugged through the water, easing aches and pains and the stress of his job. He could feel the tension leaving him, and told himself that he really needed to do this more often.

Too soon they were back at the dock and he was hoisting himself up, grabbing his towel and wiping droplets of salt water from his face, as Forrel bobbed in the water in front of him.

"Forrel miss Maht." Though the words bespoke sadness, the dolphin's face was still fixed in the grin characteristic of her breed.

"I missed you as well," the Master dolphineer told his partner.

"Why Maht not swim?" Forrel's body turned so that she could regard him with one eye.

"I swim, but I do it with apprentices," Mahantan told her. "And after I work with them I have so much hidework to do that I have no time to swim."

"All-ways time swim." To the dolphin it was simple.

The dolphineer sighed. "I wish that were so, but right now I have other priorities. The apprentices need to be trained to work with the pods and that means I need to spend time getting them ready."

"Jus' let swim." Again, a simple solution.

"Pod members are born knowing how to swim and how to read the waters," Mahantan explained. "Humans need to be trained."

"Pod take care of hoo-mans."

"True. But the humans need to learn to trust that care." Mahantan leaned to rub Forrel's melon. "Like I do." He rose to his feet. "But now it's time for me to get back to my office."

"Maht swim soon." Forrel lunged and threw himself onto the water, splashing Mahantan playfully.

"Soon," agreed the dolphineer. "Soon."

He only hoped that his work would allow him to keep that promise.

Last updated on the February 2nd 2008

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Why Not Swim?