looked at him and said in the unspoken words, "It is true Willow gains in her knowledge of the ancients and her power increases daily, but it is you she will turn to for comfort and support when there are troubles in the Sea Kingdom. The both of you will face great challenges together on this journey. This is not a journey she takes alone. You have known since you were old enough to remember that you were chosen for her. The ancients will not leave you behind, nor will they leave you unguarded against the perils that lie ahead. You will also have the guidance of the ancients and be provided with tools you'll need when they are needed. Though Willow will be the Goddess of all the Sea Kingdom, it is you she will need by her side, and you will be there."
Morven motioned for him to follow her and said, "Stay by my side, no matter what." She steadily sped through the waters. Vala did not give thought to what he was doing but only knew she had asked him to stay by her side, no matter what. They navigated in and out of caves and wove through the coral forest with the ease of the water, and then Morven stopped at the other end of the coral forest.
Vala was unwavering as he clung to Morven's side. He looked around and noticed they were far beyond the coral forest and far from Morven's cave. She had only spoken to him about staying by her side moments before. How did they arrive there so quickly? Morven turned to him and said, "You too have the blood of the ancients and the power to move through the waters at the speed of light; you just never tried." Vala just looked at Morven; he was too surprised to speak.
Morven asked him to return to the entrance of her cave so they could continue with their talk. She turned and disappeared like Willow had done with him so many times. He hovered for a moment and then saw himself at Morven's cave, and in a flash, he was standing before her. Morven was sitting there, waiting for him. "Well done, but with a little more practice, you will ride the sea alongside Willow." Vala sat down to reflect on what Morven had just shown him about himself. She reached down and touched his arm and said, "There is more for you to learn and understand, but we do not have much more time now. I will call for you again soon. But for now, I must leave."
As Vala began to speak to her, she vanished. He knew not to try to follow, or she would have asked him to do so. He glided off the ledge of the cave and into the coral forest, with all she had shared with him running through his thoughts. He felt renewed with hope that he could be by Willow's side and protect her. He was encouraged to discover he would be able to do what the ancients had planned for him. They had known he would be the one since before he was born; it was in his blood too.
21
Willow appeared at the entrance of the cave, where Ellura and Morven were waiting for her. They smiled and hugged one another without saying a word. The glow on Morven's face said it all. She and Ellura had also met with the ancients, but never in the way Willow had. Willow did not volunteer much information about what had transpired. Ellura and Morven exchanged glances with pride, and it showed in the radiance that illuminated their faces. They saw the change in Willow immediately; she had gone into the cave still a child and had emerged a woman with the wisdom of a thousand years. They knew she would soon be ready to take her place among the pod and in the Sea Kingdom. But now it was time for the migration.
Willow took her place next to Morven and Ellura as they called forth their Delfin brothers from the open waters. The waters churned with excitement once again. The water people and the Delfin Clan would dance through the waters together in search of the fish migration. The younger men and women of the water people gathered the small nets they had woven from the strong seaweed that grew in the center of the coral forest. They tied them in clumps around their waists as they glided in unison with the Delfin Clan. This dance was one they all knew so well and looked forward to. It was an opportunity for the water people not only to hunt with them and assist the fishermen from the land, but also to race through the open waters without fear of the sea beasts as well. They would not dare approach them in the presence of the Delfin Clan. Though they were mighty and fearsome, they were no match for the power and speed that the Delfins possessed, especially as a group.
During the hunts, however, the mighty sea beasts were certainly ever watching for stragglers to break away from the protection of the convoy, as Willow had done. She would be at her most alert this time. Not only was she aware of the dangers that lurked in the shadows, but she knew she would be a target. She had been warned by the ancients of the dangers that awaited her. She was diligent with her every move, watching, feeling the movements of the waters, and listening for fear that would echo from the other sea creatures when danger prevailed. These were all indications of dangers that threatened her pod in the open waters.
The waters began to ripple with more intensity as the Delfins drew near. Willow could hear their call and responded back in their language as though she had always done so. It was the call Morven had used since she had returned to the endless waters and taken her place as the Goddess of the Sea. She had been the one announcing the beginning of the hunt for the fish migration.
Since Willow's return from the cave of the ancients, Morven had been aware that it was time for her to step back a bit and let Willow move forward. This tradition had been passed down along the same lineage as the first pod that had entered the sea. Willow was from that first pod, although she had grown up on land. She had come from the gift given to the childless mother back many years before she was born. It was Morven who had been given as the gift. She was the child given to the childless mother. She had come from the sea and spent years on the land, then returned to the sea when it was her time to take her place. She had left her daughter and her daughter's daughter to bridge the water and land people, knowing her great-great-granddaughter would return to the sea and take her place as the Goddess of the Sea.
Morven loved her granddaughter very much and had followed her growing up through the tales Ellura shared with her. She knew the time was coming when she would be leaving the pod and joining the ancients. She too would someday reside in the ancient cave of transition. Now she would share with Willow as much as she could until the final moment when she would give to Willow all that remained to complete her journey.
The Delfin Clan arrived and one by one joined the water people they had traveled with on other hunts. Then the two raced to the surface, leaping in and out of the waves together until it became one movement in perfect synchronicity. Then the dance began. After pairing up with a member of the Delfin Clan, they formed a tight-knit group that glided through the waters. The other family members of the pod glided close to the center of the group, where they would be protected from any harm that tried to single them out. Like Vala, Willow did not have a Delfin, yet she was in constant connection with Llyr, who stayed in the shadows, just far enough ahead to alert Willow if need be.
Willow could feel the churning of the waters even before Llyr alerted them the migration was approaching. She gave the call to move forward. There was excitement among the clans as they moved into place to encircle the migrating fish. As they had done so many times before, they tightened the circle, and then the water people tossed their nets into the cluster of fish and pulled tight the seaweed threads. Then they dropping their catch to the sea floor until they got all they needed. They held the group of fish tightly so the Delfins could dive in and out, getting their fill. It wasn't as if the Delfins needed the catch, but this was the way they had always done it, and it brought joy to both clans.
A call bellowed through the water from Llyr, announcing the location of the boats—the ones Willow's family was a part of. But this time Willow knew where her responsibilities lay. She no longer had the leisure of rushing to the surface to see her father and brother. She was becoming a leader, and the safety of her pod was at stake. Willow joined in steering the migration to the boats so the fishermen could cast their nets. They cast them until their boats were filled, and then they began tossing fish to the Delfins, who leaped alongside of their boats. No fishermen were aware of the water pe
ople beneath their boats. They still thought the stories of them were only myths—all but one, Audra.
As the hunt came to an end and the circle released the migration to continue on their journey, the Delfins and the pod turned toward home. Just before they began their dive to the depths of the open waters, Willow called out to her mother. Audra was sitting on the shore, waiting for the boats to return, though she could not see them yet. "Mother, there will be many fish to prepare for the smokehouse. Father has done well again, and he is safe."
Audra fell to her knees on shore. "My daughter, my daughter, you are always in my heart." Tears cascaded down her cheeks, reaching the gentle waves that touched the shore.
Willow could feel the ripple and smell the sweet salt from her mother's tears that merged with the sea. "You are always near to me as well, Mother," Willow answered. Audra knew her daughter was near but felt Willow had become what she was promised to be and feared this would end all hope of ever seeing her precious daughter again. But she knew Willow was well, and that was enough.
Willow joined the dive to the bottom to