100 Theme Challenge: 2

Complicated

I stretched out on my belly and rested my chin on my arms, reminiscing.

"Shir-El," my mother's voice sounded in my mind. She was nearby but she preferred using telepathy for some reason. "It's time to go."

Our pod was migrating like we did every year and our small pitstop had just ended. Time to move on. I didn't look at Mother as I swam back towards the rest of the pod, we hadn't really been getting along these past few days and I wasn't ready to make up yet.

As we swam close to the shore with a pod of dolphins the scouts returned from a dark cloud far ahead. They brought news of an oil spill a couple of miles ahead. The pod had come to a stop and there was a hum of conversation with occasional squeaks and clicks from the dolphins. Words of fear, anxiety, and anger. More than one voice rose over the crowd cursing the Humans.

I swam over to the chief who was talking to the scouts. "Aba," I said. "What are we going to do?"

"We cannot go through, it's too risky. Can we go round?"

"It will take a great deal of time, but it's the safest way, Aba."

"Then that is what we will do. We shall send Cal ahead to meet with the other pods in Danu Talis to inform them of our delay."