Mahingga

Chapter 14: The Storm

Ako awoke with a start as the boat rocked violently to the side, his forehead smacking into one of the benches. He cried out and sat up, placing a hand on his forehead. "What was that about?" The boat rocked a second time, rolling Ako over his back and flat onto his stomach near the back of the boat. He cast his eyes around at the darkness. "Kita, what's happening?"

Kita's response came as a sharp whisper, "Steady yourself and look at the water."

Ako gripped the edges of the boat tightly and wedged his legs in the corner of the seats. Surely there was some raging storm that was about to swallow them. Tentatively, he peeped over the edge of the boat. The moon, half covered by clouds, offered little light, but as Ako squinted into the darkness, he realized that he could see several massive waves rolling past them. But the waves were peculiar...almost glowing at their center.

"Wait, what's wrong with those waves?" Ako asked. Something about this seemed too strange.

From right beside him, Kita said, "These aren't waves. They're stormwhales."

Ako gulped audibly. Somewhere ahead of them, a brilliant flash of pink lightning lit up the sea for a brief moment, granting him a split-second view of the monolithic beasts, like elongated boulders made of flowing water. At their core, something silvery glowed brightly. There were dozens of them.

"These creatures, are they—do they—are we..." Ako trailed off, not knowing what he was trying to ask. He'd never read anything about these before. Part of him just thought that he was about to die.

"They don't eat people, if that's what you're asking," Kita said. "But they might destroy our boat if we're hit head on. They seem to be steering away from hitting us though, otherwise that second one might've cracked us in half."

The boat was rocking rapidly in the waves cast from the wake of the giant whales.

"What are they doing?" Ako asked. Even as he stared in awe at the beasts, he could still feel adrenaline coursing through him.

"Well," Kita started with a sigh. "I guess you could say they're called stormwhales for two reasons. One: their passing is like that of raging waves, and two: they're attracted to the torrent of real storms."

Another bolt of lightning flashed ahead of the boat as the moon vanished beneath a billowing cloud.

Ako had a frightening revelation. "They're swimming east."

"Exactly," Kita responded. "Right where we're going. As if those lightning strikes weren't enough of a warning." Thunder rumbled in their ears. The stormwhales responded by releasing their own deep, staccato cries, gouts of water shooting up from their backs. Their glowing centers started to shine a little brighter.

"Guts," Ako muttered and sprang into action. He picked up the clothes and blanket from the floor of the boat and stuffed them away hurriedly. "Let's make sure everything's secure."

"Go for it," Kita said. The wind was already picking up. "I'll take down the sail."

Clouds were brushing overhead, snuffing out the stars as they raced toward the horizon. A light rain began to fall. The stormwhales had all passed by then, eager to meet the storm, but the real waves were already picking up. The storm moved in so fast that it was upon them by the time Kita had the sail stowed away and everything else was secured.

"What're we supposed to do?" Ako called out to Kita. They were only a few feet away, but the sound of the rushing wind, crashing waves, and rumbling thunder was almost deafening.

"In this storm?" Kita had tied her hair back, but some of it was still plastered to her face from the rain. "Nothing we can do but wait it out."

Ako's mind raced, quickly considering the implications. Would the storm carry them the wrong way? Would it set them back a few days? How long would it last, and how would they figure out where they were when it was over?