Oceans of Fire Read Free

intelligence.
    “I’m going to get in big trouble thanks to you two,” she told the males.
    They shook their heads at her in perfect synchronization and dove together, disappearing beneath the surface only to come up on the other side of her boat, whistling and squawking at her. Abigail shook her head just as firmly. “No! It’s dark—or it would be if the moon weren’t so full. You two are really trying to get me one of Sarah’s lectures. When she starts, the rest of us cringe.”
    While she had everything fresh in her mind, she sank down onto the cushioned seat and hastily scribbled notes on her observations. She recorded everything to look at later, but she always dictated while she was driving the boat after first jotting down details of sightings and any identifying marks of new dolphins in the area. It was important to her study to get DNA samples to test for pesticides and any other man-made toxins in the dolphins’ systems as well as for communicable diseases and, of course, family ties.
    Boscoe whistled, a distinct note that made her smile. Abigail leaned over the side of the boat. “Thanks for giving me a name, boys, but it isn’t enough to make me risk a Sarah lecture. I’ll see you tomorrow if you haven’t taken off.”
    She’d let the time get away from her so that darkness had really fallen as she wrote out her notes. She was still a good distance from home and she heaved a sigh, knowing she wouldn’t get away unscathed this time. Sarah, her oldest sister, was certain to be waiting, tapping her foot, hands on hips. The image made her smile.
    The moon spilled brightly onto the water, forming mystical fantasy pools of liquid silver on the surface. Small white-caps glistened across the sea as far as she could see, adding to the beauty. She turned her face up to feel the slight breeze as she started the engine and began to make her way back to the small harbor where she kept her boat. She’d gone several miles out to sea to join the dolphins and she was grateful for the moon as she picked up speed to reach the coastline. Boscoe and Kiwi raced along beside her, zooming through the water like rockets and leaping playfully.
    “Show-offs,” she called, laughing. Their acrobatics delighted her and they followed her right through the narrows beneath the bridge into the harbor.
    Without warning, the two male dolphins raced directly in front of her boat, crisscrossing so close she throttled down, shocked by their behavior and terrified for them. They continued to repeat the maneuver, over and over until she had no choice but to halt her boat just inside the harbor, the wharf in sight.
    “Kiwi! Boscoe! What are you doing? You’re going to get hurt!” Abigail’s heart leapt to her throat. The dolphins often rode the bow of the boat, leaping and performing in the current, but they’d never repeatedly crossed so close in front of the boat. The large males kept surfacing, side by side, standing on their tails and chattering at her. She had no recourse but to stop the engine completely and drift in the sea to keep them from injury. Here, the swells were larger, so the boat was tossed a bit by the heavier waves at the mouth of the harbor.
    The moment the engine was quiet, Kiwi and Boscoe returned to the side of the boat, spitting water at her from the sides of their mouths and shaking their heads vigorously as if to tell her something. Several other dolphins poked their heads out of the water, spy-hopping as they looked toward the wharf. She knew spy-hopping was a common practice dolphins and whales used to view the world outside of their water environment by simply sticking their heads high in the air above the surface. They seemed to be looking for something outside the water.
    Abigail sat still for a moment, baffled by their unusual behavior. She’d never seen either male dolphin act in such a way. They were highly agitated. Dolphins were enormously strong and fast and could be dangerous, and bottlenose