Sentinels in the Deep Ocean

by StacyPlays

  Stacy finished writing in her journal by candlelight—candles she’d crafted with Addison and that Basil lit for her with her nose. Stacy tucked her journal into her satchel for safekeeping, wedging it between the tundra explorer’s journal, the flint and steel Basil had given her as a gift last fall, her climbing rope, and the few pieces of dried fish that were left. Stacy held the package of dried fish and a thought crept slowly across her mind. This is what helped Pearl feel better earlier today . . . even if for just a short while . . . this is something. Stacy couldn’t wait to test her theory. She walked over to the mine cart Pearl was soaking in and waved a piece of dried fish in front of her nose. The reaction was instantaneous. Pearl bit down on the fish and opened her eyes at the same moment. Stacy gave her all of it, even allowing Pearl to nose around the scrap of fabric for the crumbly bits of fish skin. Pearl experienced a similar transformation to the one she’d had earlier that day—her coat seemed smoother and her spirits were bolstered.

  Stacy returned to the back of the cave where she slept with Page and Molly and her wolves. Everyone was in the process of settling down to sleep. Pearl obviously needs to eat fish. Noah prefers fish, but it’s like she has to have it to thrive. But how has she survived this long in the desert without it? And why didn’t she feel better after eating the fish we prepared for her the first night we brought her back to the mineshaft? What was different between the fish then and my dried fish?

  The answer came to Stacy like a bolt of lightning coming down from a storm cloud, and it knocked the breath right out of her.

  “Oh!” she gasped. “I . . . oh, oh . . . Everest!”

  The alpha wolf stirred from his position at the mineshaft’s entrance—Stacy could just make out his face glowing in the light of the moon.

  The fish we gave Pearl the first night we met her were the ones Noah caught in the taiga before we left. They were river salmon.

  Everest looked at Stacy with a perplexed expression as Stacy continued in excited thought, now standing and pacing anxiously back and forth in the mineshaft.

  The salmon Addison and I dried . . . the salmon that I gave Pearl this morning and just now . . . the only thing we’ve tried that has made her feel better . . . is not from the taiga. It was from the tundra. It’s not river salmon. It’s Arctic salmon. Pearl needs salt. Pearl needs . . . the ocean!

  Nine

  STACY COULDN’T BELIEVE she’d figured it out. And she’d worked it out without Addison’s help . . . or help from the tundra explorer’s journal. Stacy did it on her own. Maybe I actually am smart for my age. Maybe I really could go to school like Miriam said. . . . Of course, it was just a theory at this point. Stacy wouldn’t know for sure that Pearl needed salt water unless they brought her to the ocean and tested it out. But even that wouldn’t explain why she was sick now. Could Pearl have been born near the ocean? Stacy was pretty sure Pearl was one of the four wolf pups listed on the tundra explorer’s rune. It didn’t make any sense. Unless . . . what if her powers only recently developed? Just like my wolves—this is new for them. One of my wolves could have developed a power that was dependent on a biome too. We’re just lucky that didn’t happen.

  Stacy looked over to Everest—his face bore a pensive expression, like he was slowly taking in the surge of Stacy’s thoughts and considering each one of them carefully. The reality was that Stacy and her pack had no other ideas about how to help Pearl. And it seemed like Pearl was running out of time. They could either stay here and watch Pearl continue to suffer, or they could take a leap of faith and test Stacy’s hypothesis.

  “Where is the nearest ocean?” Stacy wondered aloud, walking over to Everest. She’d been to the ocean once when she was young—probably eight or nine years old—she’d gone with her pack but could barely remember the trip. And that must have been near the taiga, farther north than where they were now in the mesa. Suddenly, Atlas came to Stacy’s side. Stacy felt a cool breeze move through her hair and took a deep breath of it. Atlas pointed his nose in a direction—southeast.

  “Knew I was right to name you Atlas,” Stacy said. She wanted to pat him on the head, but she wasn’t sure Atlas would enjoy that. She still wasn’t sure where she stood with the mesa pack’s leader. “How far?”

  Everest confabbed with Atlas and walked over to the firepit. He took three stones and laid them at Stacy’s feet.

  “Three days?” Stacy asked. Everest nodded.

  Three days. How does Atlas know that? Has he been there before? Has Pearl been there before? Can she survive three more days? What if we bring her all the way there away from her home and that’s not even what she needs?

  Stacy’s plan was risky. But one look at Pearl was all Stacy needed to find the resolve to head east to the ocean. Everest, please do your best to explain to Atlas, Ribsy, and Paisley why we should go. I’ll go tell the others.

  Stacy walked over to where Basil, Wink, and Noah were standing next to Pearl in the mine cart. Stacy gently placed her hand on Pearl’s head. The wolf barely stirred.

  “We’re going to try to make you better,” she said, and then looked toward the others. “Everest and I think taking Pearl to the ocean where she can swim freely is the best chance to get her strength back.” The wolves nodded in understanding. Stacy ran her hand down the back of Pearl’s head and neck; the wolf’s fur was dry and crackly. Hang in there, girl.

  Ribsy walked over to them and touched his nose to Pearl’s. The effect was immediate. Stacy could almost see the transfer of energy that took place before her. As Ribsy grew weaker and thinner, new life was breathed into Pearl—her chest expanded, her coat softened, and her beautiful turquoise eyes opened and looked appreciatively at Ribsy, who was now skin and bones again. That settles it. Ribsy is a healer just like Tucker. Although it weakens him so much . . . It’s almost like he’s taking some of his life and giving it to whoever he’s healing.

  “Quick,” Stacy said to Wink and Basil. “Help him over to the fire and get him something to eat.”

  Basil and Wink helped Ribsy to lie down by the fire. Noah brought him water to drink, and Basil brought him a piece of javelina jerky from the batch she was drying. Ribsy ate and drank eagerly and then fell asleep. Good. He needs to rest up for the journey.

  Stacy spent the rest of the morning packing up the mineshaft and playing with Page and Molly (who were sure to become incredibly bored on a three-day journey to the beach). As she carried the last of her belongings to the front of the mineshaft, a thought occurred to her. We should carve runes on the mineshaft walls—just like in the glacier cavern on the tundra! Stacy couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before. What if the tundra explorer came looking for them and found this place? There would be no record of the mesa wolves ever being here. Stacy used her pickaxe to chip her rune message into the stone. She included each member of the mesa pack, assigning gemstone names to them. Topaz for Atlas, Emerald for Paisley, Obsidian for Ribsy, and Aquamarine for Pearl. Stacy carved Pearl’s gemstone name faintly into the stone, to indicate that she was weak. And also showed that they would head east to the beach in search of salt to help her. It took several hours to finish, but when she stepped back to admire her work, she was proud of what she’d done.

  In preparation for the new biome they were soon to be in, Stacy used her pocketknife to convert her jeans into cutoff shorts. As for her signature long-sleeved, blue-and-white-striped T-shirt, the elbows of which were patched and still threadbare . . . Stacy cut the bottom and the sleeves off to turn it into a cropped tank top. Springtime was pretty warm in the mesa, and Stacy suspected the beach would be even warmer. I hope the beach is not full of people. I have a hard time making sure my six wolves stay undetected . . . now I’m supposed to hide eight? Stacy pushed the thoughts out of her head. They didn’t matter anyway, because Pearl was dying. Stacy was sure of it. But she was also sure that she would do whatever she had to do to keep Pearl alive. I must think of some way to keep the wolves hidden. We can travel by night . . . and stay away fr
om any villages . . . or . . . hmm, Everest was able to camouflage the other members of our pack when we were in the tundra. I wonder if he could do that to the members of the mesa pack too? Everest barked and Stacy looked up to see him nodding at her. He walked over to Paisley, whose full body immediately turned the same clay color that stained her paws. She blended into the mesa perfectly. Paisley looked down at herself and got spooked. She ran from the red sand onto the stone floor of the mineshaft, her coat turning light gray to match the color of the andesite walls behind her. Paisley looked down at herself in wonder. Everest beamed with pride—his camouflage worked.

  Perfect, Stacy thought. This is how we’ll get to the ocean.

  Ten

  STACY GAZED OUT over the endless blue-gray ocean, her hair rippling in front of her eyes as the salty sea air swirled all around her. She was standing at the edge of a rocky cliff, with Page and Molly on either side of her. They’d arrived at the ocean biome only moments ago. It had taken the group three and a half days to make the southeasterly trek through the mesa, wetlands, and fen biomes to the rocky beach they were in now. They had been slowed down considerably by Pearl, who was now weaker than ever—and Page and Molly, who obviously could not run as fast as Stacy’s wolves.

  Stacy surveyed the coastline. To her left (north) there was a small beach campground with several tents and firepits. There were people swimming in the surf near the campground. We don’t want to go up there, that’s for sure. Directly below Stacy was a jagged stretch of coast. Swells from the ocean crashed violently against the craggy cliffside. Stacy turned to the right (south) and spotted a small cove surrounded by thick brush and tall grass. If we make our way down to that cove, I bet we’ll get there as the tide goes out. That should be a secluded spot for us to spend the night and, most importantly, get Pearl into the salt water to soak.

  Suddenly, a strong gust of wind hit Stacy’s back, toppling her forward. She stumbled toward the edge of the cliff and lost her footing, teetering back and forth just inches from falling. She waved her arms in frantic circles, trying to regain her balance, as Page and Molly looked up at her in helpless horror. Stacy was pitched forward so she could see the sharp rocky death that awaited her a hundred feet below. At least it will be instant, Stacy thought. But no sooner had the thought entered her mind, a second gust of wind—this one at least ten times stronger than the first—came from the opposite direction, hitting her directly in the stomach and knocking her backward. Stacy flew back six or seven feet away from the edge, coming down on her back. Her head jerked backward but was spared from hitting the rocks on the ground by another gust of wind that created an airy cushion between her body and the ground. She was fully suspended in the air for a split second before gently dropping a few inches down on the gravel.

  Stacy sprang to her feet. What just happened? Then she turned around and saw him. Atlas! The massive wolf was standing right behind her, his soft fur billowing in the breeze. Your power . . . it’s the wind!

  Stacy was so relieved to be away from the edge of the cliff—and to finally know what Atlas’s power was. She stepped up to him and extended her hand, which the large wolf met with his head. Stacy gave him a pat of deep gratitude and then ran back to where the others were standing.

  “I’m okay, I’m okay,” she said as she received wolf hugs from Everest, Wink, Basil, and Noah. “Thanks to Atlas—he saved me.” Everest and the others nodded in appreciation to Atlas, who had returned to Pearl’s side. Pearl was propped up between Paisley and Ribsy. Stacy walked over to her.

  “Hang on just a little longer, girl,” Stacy whispered in her ear. “We’re here.”

  Stacy led everyone down a series of steep switchbacks toward the cove she’d seen from the top of the cliff. Just as she suspected, the tide was retreating as they made their way onto the secluded beach.

  “Quick!” Stacy called to her pack. “Get Pearl into the ocean.”

  Everest, Atlas, Noah, and Wink carried Pearl down the beach and laid her in the surf. Stacy ran to catch up with them and bent down over Pearl’s stiff body. It was lifeless.

  “NO!!” Stacy sobbed. “Pearl, you can’t die! Ribsy, quick, heal her!”

  Ribsy lay down next to Pearl, and a small wave washed over them both. Seconds later, when the wave receded, Ribsy was gaunt—reduced to skin and bones again. Pearl was still motionless. Another second passed and suddenly she took a deep breath and snapped open her aquamarine eyes, a glimmer of hope shining brightly in them now.

  “Pearl!” Stacy exclaimed. “Thank goodness!”

  The sun began to set, and the quiet evening came to the little cove where Stacy, Page, Molly, and the wolves were huddled. Basil lit a bonfire on the beach, and Noah and Ribsy caught fish for the pack to eat for dinner. As they fished, Pearl swam tentatively around the cove, slowly regaining her strength. Ribsy had a unique way of killing fish—he caught them gently in his mouth and brought them to shore. Instead of flapping around wildly like the ones Noah caught, they seemed calm and still, as if in a trance. Ribsy bent down over each fish and seemed to almost suck the life right out of them. The fish died quickly and peacefully. Incredible, Stacy thought, as she and the others lounged on the beach. There was no need to build a shelter for the night to protect against the wind because it hadn’t been blowing since they’d arrived in the cove—That must be Atlas’s work.

  Stacy sat in front of the bonfire, eating fresh-caught cod cooked and seasoned with wild fennel Paisley had foraged from the bluffs that surrounded the cove. Stacy looked around the circle of animals she was with, staring for a long time at Atlas, Paisley, and Ribsy—her new pack members. Stacy didn’t know what the future held. What happened to these wolves’ parents? Would the mesa pack want to come home to the taiga with us? If Pearl heals, will she need to stay close to the ocean? Stacy didn’t know the answers to these questions, but she was so grateful to have found the wolves. Stacy stood and walked down the beach to where Pearl was swimming and threw her a piece of fish. Pearl caught it in her mouth and swallowed it.

  “Get some good rest tonight, will you?” Stacy said to her before heading back up the beach to where the others were bedding down for the night. She fell asleep against Wink and Paisley, looking up at the stars until she could no longer keep her eyes open.

  Stacy woke up rather abruptly the next morning when a big clump of sand hit her in the face.

  “Plthhhh . . . ppppthhhhh,” Stacy sputtered as she sat up and spat the sand out of her mouth. She looked over to see Molly happily digging on the beach, unaware that she was kicking sand up onto Stacy.

  “Molly!” Stacy shouted. “Stop!” The little dog whipped around and cocked her head, looking at her owner for a second before happily running over to greet Stacy. Molly’s nose was covered in sand, and she was panting heavily. Stacy couldn’t possibly be mad at her.

  “Are you enjoying the beach, girl?” Stacy cooed at Molly. “Or, at least, the sand part of the beach. I know you’re still a bit leery of the water.”

  Stacy got up and stretched. She looked at all her wolves who were sleeping around her—still tired from the journey to the ocean. Page was running along the shore chasing seagulls. She looked as if she was having the time of her life. Stacy walked over to the only two wolves who weren’t dozing: Atlas and Pearl. Atlas was watching Pearl from the beach. Stacy waded into the water up to her knees to get closer to Pearl, who was swimming in large circles around the cove. Stacy noticed that Pearl was swimming slightly faster than she had been able to the previous evening. And her fur was looking shiny and smooth. Maybe I was right, after all. Maybe the ocean can heal her.

  Stacy left Atlas and Pearl and walked with Molly over toward where Page was playing on the beach, where the cove gave way to a jumble of rocks and small tide pools. Stacy climbed over the rocks with Page and Molly and set off on a walk on the other side of the cove—she figured she could explore a little, while all the wolves rested. The sun was just beginning to poke out over the horizon of the ocean. Now
that Stacy was here, she was quite certain that the beach she had visited before had been a great big lake and not an ocean. For starters, the beach she had been to before was filled only with smooth rocks and driftwood. She had never experienced sand like this before. She loved the way it felt as she squished her toes down into it. And there were lots of other things here that she didn’t remember seeing on that trip. Seashells! Sand dollars! And starfish! And all the—yeeeeeooooowwwww! Stacy looked down at the small red crab who had locked onto her toe with its right claw.

  “Get off of me, you crusty crab!” Stacy yelled in pain. She didn’t want to hurt the crab, but she now wished she hadn’t left her boots back at the cove where her wolves were sleeping. Fortunately, the crab released its grip, and Stacy hopped away. Page growled at the crab ferociously.

  “It’s fine, Page,” Stacy said. “Just leave him.”

  Stacy, Page, and Molly continued walking across the rocky beach at the edge of the cove and eventually came to a point where the beach widened again. Stacy looked back toward the cove, which was now completely hidden from view. We can go a little bit farther. We’re not that far away really.

  Stacy picked up a piece of driftwood and threw the stick as far as she could down the beach. Page and Molly took off running after it, with Page easily winning the race and bringing the stick back to Stacy. Meanwhile, Molly seemed to forget what she was doing midway down the beach and began barking at a pile of seaweed that had washed up on the shore. Stacy played fetch with Page for a long time while Molly gnawed on seaweed pods. And when Page got tired, all of them sat down in the sand and watched the waves roll in. Stacy studied the birds of the beach biome intently. There were the seagulls who glided slowly around above her head, catching rides on waves of wind. There were pelicans who periodically dove into the water for fish. And dozens of little sandpipers ran down the beach as the waves receded, looking for tiny insects to eat—only to race back up the sand as the next wave arrived. Stacy’s mind wandered as she watched the birds.