Somewhere In The North Atlantic
The pod was swimming at a leisurely pace through the sparkling clear cold North Atlantic waters. The bottom some four thousand feet below. They had just feasted on a meal of krill by circling under the small animals, while blowing bubbles through their mouths and blow holes, causing the tiny krill to panic and bunch together. As the krill panic, the whales circled even closer.
When satisfied that the krill were properly bunched, the massive bull gave the signal and the pod began to surface under the tiny panic-stricken crustaceans. As they approached the surface, they opened their huge mouths and each animal engulfed thousands of the small krill.
The feast lasted for nearly an hour. When the adults were finished feeding, the pod rested near the surface allowing the two juveniles to nurse. It had been an idyllic summer for the pod. The adults gained hundreds of pounds of fat, all of which would soon be needed for the long swim south to the wintering and mating area.
As the mothers continued to nurse their young, the large bull slowly circled the pod, ever on the lookout for danger. The dominate bull was a massive 55-foot animal in his twenty fifth year, weighing in excess of 55 tons. By Humpback standards, this bull was enormous, truly a leviathan of the sea. As he circled he was followed by a young bull, his offspring from three summers past. The dominant male patiently taught the young bull the ways of the whale, as his father had taught him many summers before. This would be the young bull's last summer with the pod, for next year he would strike out on his own, to find a mate and begin the cycle all over.
As they slowly swam around the nursing cows, the two animals communicated to each other as only whales can. A combination of sounds so complex that it takes the full power of their massive four-section convoluted brain to interpret the signals. The sounds both audible and sonic, traveled between the two animals continuously. Clearly the bond between them was truly a bond of love.
Suddenly, the massive bull went silent as he sensed the environment around him. The young bull, recognizing something was wrong, also went silent and like his mentor, carefully listened for sounds that would tell what it was.
Killer Whales! He heard them almost instantly. The only natural predator to the Humpbacks. The dominant bull quickly told the cows of the approaching danger and upon his command, they stopped nursing and placed the two calves between them. As the Killer Whales approached, the massive bull positioned himself between the pod and the side from which the Killer Whales were approaching. The young bull took up his position behind the pod. The Killers like to attack from the rear. He would protect the back of the cows and calves.
The four Killer Whales suddenly realized that there were Humpbacks in their path. Excited they also bunched together and started to swim faster. As they approached, the six Humpbacks bunched even closer. They eventually bunched so close that their bodies were almost in contact. Sensing the excited approach of the Killers, the massive bull took an enormous breath, turned and dove into the depths of the dark sea.
The five Humpbacks, following the bulls command, bunched even tighter. The young bull, never having seen his father do this, was bewildered. What was he doing? Why was he deserting them? Minutes passed.
The Killer Whales suddenly saw the five Humpbacks in front of them. Swimming in a semi-diamond formation, all four animals were concentrating on separating a calf from the pod. Being faster and more maneuverable than the Humpbacks, it would be easy to herd one of the calves away from its mother. Something they had done many times before. Swimming up fast in a mock attack would cause the adult whales to turn and while distracted, a free member of the Killer pod would take advantage of the opening and bite a calf. The calf would flee in fear. The whole time away from the protective pod the Killer Whales would repeatedly bite it. As always the mother would turn, regroup with the calf and the Humpback pod would again bunch together. However, repeated attacks would eventually wound a calf sufficiently that they would feast.
They began their attack. Swimming together in perfect unison, they increased their speed and approached the young bull. Realizing that he was going to be attacked, he began to panic. He slowed and turned to face his attackers. They were so close he could now see their large white teeth.
Suddenly the four Killer Whales were hit from below. The impact was so forceful that two of the Killer Whales were thrown completely from the water. The other two were thrown aside. They lay stunned on the surface.
The body of the now attacking massive Humpback Whale exited the water past its dorsal fin, hesitated and then as the whale leaned to the right, 55 tons of bulk landed on one of the stunned Killer Whales, mortally wounding it. The other three animals, one wounded from the initial contact which had thrown them out of the water and the remaining uninjured animals, fled in fear.
Watching the black and white body of the dead whale slowly sink out of sight on its way to the bottom, while sensing the retreat of the other Killer Whales, the massive bull rejoined his pod and instructed them to start swimming slowly. They turned and headed off to the west.
The young bull was silent; he had learned an important lesson. Never before had he seen other pods protect themselves from a Killer Whale attack like this.
The communication between the two male animals started again as life returned to normal, the pod swimming towards the setting sun. "The only enemy we have," explained the massive bull, "is the Killer Whale. But as you see, we can make the seas safe. There is nothing we have to fear."
They continued to swim. The massive bull, realizing that this would be his last summer with his son, wanted to teach him all he knew. He wanted to be sure he could take care of himself and the family he would surely someday have.
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Drizzle - The Book