Shark Wars (9 page)

BARKLEY CHURNED FURIOUSLY THROUGH THE
dark waters. The homewaters of the Goblin Shiver, and more importantly, Slaggernacks Cove, were now behind him. “Stupid wahoo and their stupid game!” he muttered to himself. Barkley couldn't believe Gray had laughed with all the others. Sure, Gray was better than he was at Tuna Roll, but that was no reason to make fun of your best friend. I'll bet plenty sharks aren't good at it, he thought. Although, even Snork had gotten closer than he had to catching a wahoo. How could they be so fast? Oh, how Barkley would have loved to have seen the surprised look on Wisko's face if he'd caught her! “The honor is all mine,” he'd tell her and then, crunch! Barkley shook his head. Keep dreaming, doggie breath.

He was wandering aimlessly when the others found him. Gray wasn't with them.

“Are you okay?” Mari asked, concerned.

“You kind of expect it from the wahoos; they're weird. But from your own shiver? That's cold,” added Shell as Striiker nodded in agreement behind him.

Snork patted Barkley on the back with his fin. “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

Barkley was so grateful for his new friends that he felt as though he was going to tear up. It was bad enough everyone saw him cry on his way out of Slaggernack's. “You guys are the best,” he croaked, trying to make sure his voice didn't crack too much. “I wish we'd never been caught by Goblin. And not just because of today.” Barkley sniffled. “I think it was much better when we were Rogue Shiver.” Where was Gray? How could he not be here?

“You and me both, Barkley,” said Striiker. “So what are we going to do about it?” He gave a pointed look at Mari.

“You're serious?” she asked. “Goblin will never let us leave.”

“I'm not saying we should ask for permission,” Striiker told the thresher. “Do you all still accept me as your leader?” Barkley didn't quite know what was going on. But if he was going to be led, he'd rather Striiker do it than Goblin.

They all nodded, Mari hesitantly. “Why are you asking?”

“I'll challenge him.”

“Are you crazy?!” Snork blurted out.

Shell agreed. “Why are you so anxious to swim the Sparkle Blue?”

Striiker stubbornly whipped his tail back and forth. “I can take him.”

Barkley shook his head. “Look, no one wants to leave more than me, but why fight at all? Why not just go?”

“Where?” Striiker asked. “The Sific? It's a long trip.”

“And it could be worse than here,” added Mari. “No, if we're going to do anything, we should go back to our old place at the landshark wreck. They don't know where it is.”

“But,” Shell said, “they'd find us.” The group knew this was true. If they left the shiver without permission and were caught again, it would be certain death.

“Let's not do anything hasty,” Barkley said. “No fighting. No leaving. Who knows, maybe Goblin will go to the Sparkle Blue at the Tuna Run.”

“Now that's a thought,” Striiker mused, a faraway look in his eyes.

Mari got in Striiker's face. “Don't do anything stupid! Do. Not.” She stared at the great white until he nodded.

“Someone will have to stand up to Goblin one day,” he told Mari. “We're just putting it off.”

Barkley didn't want to fight the great white or his shiver. That wasn't the way to find his family, if they were still alive. It wasn't a way to remain alive, either. “Look, we all know I didn't eat during the game, so I'm going to take a swim and hunt,” Barkley said. “Thanks for coming, all of you. I'll meet you later. You're good friends.”

“Unlike Gray,” Striiker said under his breath. But everyone heard. The four swam back to the Goblin Shiver homewaters.

A short time later Barkley spied a few fat mackerel feeding on sardines. He zoomed in and caught one, picturing Wisko instead. “Oh, please, Barkley, your teeth are so sharp!” he imagined the wahoo crying. That would serve her right. He pursued another mackerel into the low greenie but lost the fish.

Keep dreaming about catching a wahoo, dog breath, he told himslef. You can't even catch a stupid mackerel.

It was then he heard voices. Barkley moved forward slowly, not disturbing the sand or leaving a trail as he swam through the kelp bed. He peered through the feathery strands of blue and red greenie while hovering with the tide.

“You like how I piled on?” the voice asked. Barkley stalked forward to get a better look but remained wellhidden. It was Thrash.

Then a female voice sighed, irritated, “Fine, it was funny. But we have more important things to do.”

“Like that little muck-sucker didn't deserve it!” Thrash huffed. “He's always looking down on me, like he thinks I'm stupid or something.” Barkley's eyes popped open in surprise as he hadn't given Thrash credit for being smart enough to
know
he thought that. Apparently he was mistaken and had made a large tiger shark into an angry enemy.

“We have to get along for now,” the female voice said. The tide pushed Barkley ever so slightly. Instead of correcting, he let it ease him sideways. This gave him a different angle which revealed—Velenka! The mako continued, “You can annoy his friends, but don't hurt them.”

So the whole thing was a setup? Were the wahoo in on it, too? No, Barkley thought, he was just really bad at Tuna Roll. But what was the rest about?

“I don't know why we're going through all this trouble just to get some fat pup on our side,” Thrash said. “I think we should just eat them instead.”

“You're not supposed to
think
about anything; you do what I tell you to do!”

Barkley got very worried. The fat pup was Gray! Not that he was fat, of course—just big cartilaged. They were planning to use his friend in some scheme! He strained to listen as the tide shifted, carrying their voices away.

Thrash looked confused. “You mean I should do what
Goblin
tells
you
to tell
me
to do, right?”

The pretty mako became all sweetness and light. “Of course. And you're doing a great job. You'll be first in the Line for sure. But for now we've got to keep this a secret. So, did you pass the message to Kilo?”

“Yeah, I did. Streak would blow her top if she knew we were dealing with the bulls,” he said. “This deal is rotten.”

Velenka looked as if she wanted to eat the tiger's liver. She kept her temper under control, but her tail twitched with a lethal anger. “Don't talk about the deal, Thrash. Ever.”

The tiger shark edged away. Even he was smart enough to be wary. “Sure, sure, Velenka. Whatever you say.” The pair swam off in different directions, Thrash toward the homewaters and Velenka away from them.

What was Goblin up to? Was Velenka playing her own game? How was Gray involved? All of these questions and a dozen others rolled through Barkley's mind as he slowly made his way back into what he now considered an enemy camp.

“How did it go?” asked Goblin.

Velenka nodded, smiling as she swam over. “It's done.”

They swam the open waters in silence for a while. The mako knew not to speak just now. Goblin was irritated, and when he was irritated, he was liable to lash out at anyone. “It feels like I'm betraying everything the shiver stands for,” he said quietly. “My mother would have never have agreed to this. Neither would Hawley.”

This needed to be handled gently. Ever since Hawley's death, it was Velenka's duty to be Goblin's confidante. This was exactly the way she wanted it. Velenka was glad Hawley swam the Sparkle Blue. What would Goblin do if he ever found out that she had helped him get there?

A thrill ran down Velenka's spine at the thought of the thin current she was swimming. Everything was in her reach. Everything! “Your mother was a great shark,” she began. “She led us well for years. And Hawley was a great friend.”

“You got that right,” Goblin replied.

Velenka stroked his back with her tail. “But times are different. You know that.”

“Stupid landsharks and their giant nets,” Goblin grumbled. “They sweep the Big Blue clear, and we're left to fight for scraps.”

“And that's why what you're doing is right. You're leading us to victory.” Velenka scraped against his flank the way he liked. “When the bulls are under your control, think how many more territories you can conquer!” Velenka saw that the thought appealed to him, but then his mood darkened once more.

“I'd rather it be a stand-up fight,” Goblin told her.

Not this again! “We don't have the strength.”

The big white whirled. “Then Razor and I, one-on-one, like the old days! There's honor in that!” Velenka was silent for a fin flick too long.

“You don't think I can beat him? Is that it?”

“Of course I do,” she soothed. “But what if you were injured during your noble fight? What if he gets lucky and takes a piece of your tail?”

“I wouldn't be able to lead. Ripper or someone else would come at me for being weak,” he agreed grudgingly.

“And your plans—who would see them through?” Velenka asked with all the sincerity she could muster. Pfah! She hated playing fawning fish to his “great leader.” But for now, it had to be done.

“Many of them were your ideas, Velenka,” he growled.

Did he suspect? No, this was a lucky strike. “I only agreed with what was on your mind, Goblin,” she told him with a smile. “Can anyone really make you do something you don't want to?”

Now the great white laughed. “Not likely!”

The tension in her spine released with an almost audible whoosh in her ears. She could always count on Goblin's opinion of himself being very high. They swam onward, and she was forced to listen to him prattle on. For now.

GRAY HEADED TOWARD THE AREA INSIDE THE
homewaters where many of the shiver sharks slept. It had a nice current that allowed you to easily hover and doze. He felt guilty about having such a good time at Slaggernacks. He hadn't even seen Mari and the others leave. “What's so bad about the place, anyway?” he muttered.

Just then, Barkley streamed into view. Gray was glad for a chance to talk with him alone. It might get awkward after the dogfish rightly apologized for being such a little puffer. Barkley could be such an emotional shark.

“Gray! Gray!” he panted. “I'm so glad I found you.”

“It's okay, Barkley,” Gray told him. “I forgive you.”

“What? You forgive me?” The dogfish slowed sharply. “
You
forgive
me
for being such a total flipper?”

“You weren't a
total
flipper.”

“I'm not talking about me, jelly-brain!” the dogfish shouted.

Gray didn't say anything. He wasn't going to get into another fight with his friend tonight. Instead, he swam by without saying a word.

Barkley caught up with him. “Okay, we can figure out who was the bigger flipper later. I have something very important to tell you!”

Gray stopped. He was still miffed but would hear the dogfish out. “Go on.”

The tone Gray used irritated Barkley for some reason, but he shook it off. “You're in danger! Goblin and Velenka are planning something.”

“Planning what?”

“I don't know. She didn't come out and say it, but they want to use you somehow.”

“She and Goblin?” Gray asked.

“No, she was talking to Thrash.”

Gray looked at Barkley incredulously. “So now Goblin, Velenka,
and
Thrash are plotting against me? What about Ripper, Streak, and Churn? Won't they feel left out?”

“Please take this seriously, Gray! They're planning something that involves you, and it didn't sound good!” The dogfish hovered, gills pumping furiously, waiting for his reply. “Well?”

Gray shook his head. “Barkley, you sound like Yappy with his crazy stories.”

The dogfish bumped him hard. “I'm trying to save your life!”

“It was only a game,” Gray told him. “I can teach you.”

Barkley swam in a furious circle, talking to himself. “Tyro's tail! He thinks this is about Tuna Roll! What am I going to do?”

“Calm down.”

Barkley yelled toward the surface, “ARRGH!”

“What are you two doing?” asked Mari. “Half the homewaters can hear you.” The rest of Rogue Shiver came through a nearby curtain of kelp, watching curiously.

Barkley told everyone, “While I was out hunting, I overheard Velenka and Thrash talking about some plan of Goblin's. It doesn't sound good.”

Mari, Shell, and Striiker looked to Gray for an explanation. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I have no idea what he's talking about.”

Snork finally said, “We're going to need more information, Barkley.” The group gathered by a coral tower, instinctively moving behind it so they couldn't be seen from the homewaters.

“I know it's not much to go on,” the dogfish began, lowering his voice for some reason. “But Velenka was talking about an alliance with the bulls. And Thrash didn't like that.”

Shell looked dubious. “Goblin and the bulls? Unlikely.”

“Could you have misunderstood?” Mari asked uncertainly.

Barkley shook his head. “No. And also, Gray's part of their plan. Somehow.”

“Of course he is,” Striiker said sarcastically. “He's the center of attention in
every
ocean.”

“I am not!” Gray exclaimed. “This is all in Barkley's jelly head. If anything's in there at all! He's mad that Goblin and Thrash gave him a hard time. And what's so wrong with that, Barkley? I'm saying this as your friend, but you need a little toughening up.”

For a moment it was so quiet that Gray could easily hear a single sardine swimming in the distance, its tiny flippers making a
switswitswit
sound as it passed.

Then the dogfish exploded, slapping his tail against the coral spire with a CRACK! “It's not about being tough!” he yelled. “It's about looking out for your friends!”

Striiker swam over to Barkley, getting his attention. “I'm sorry I have to ask this just to be sure—this has
nothing
to do with your really bad day at Tuna Roll?”

The dogfish gave Striiker a death stare and said nothing, though his gills pumped furiously. Barkley swam in front of Gray. “One more time—please believe me when I say that I'm trying to help you! Goblin has a plan and it involves you!”

“Of course I do!” Everyone spun around to see Goblin grinning, accompanied by Velenka. “I have a plan for all of you, and it involves being good members of this shiver.”

“There, see?” Gray said to Barkley.

“What about the bulls? What about Gray?” the dogfish accused.

Velenka swam very close to Goblin, rubbing his flank. She spoke so low only he could hear. Though Goblin was perfectly motionless, it seemed as if he wanted to rush forward and swallow Barkley whole. “My plan with the bulls is to rip them to shreds,” Goblin spit. “My plan for Gray is to let him help. Something wrong with that?”

“Unless you don't think you're up to it,” Velenka remarked to Gray.

“I'm more than up to it!” Gray countered.

Goblin sighed. “If the rest of you want to leave, then go. I've got bigger fish to hunt.” As if to prove his point, the great white snapped up an unlucky sea trout that swam a hair too close to his massive jaws.

Mari swam over to Velenka, eye to eye. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Velenka told her. “You don't deserve to be a part of this shiver, you ungrateful turtle!” Mari rushed the mako, but Velenka did a nifty turn and slammed her in the side. “Like you could ever be my match!”

Striiker and Shell blocked Mari from making another sprint at Velenka.

“Go!” said Goblin in a commanding voice. “All of you leave this place. You can stay until we go to Tuna Run. If you're hunting in my territory after that, you'll swim the Sparkle Blue.” Barkley stared at the great white, probably a little longer than he should have. “What, doggie? What now?”

“And Gray?” asked Barkley. “Can he leave with us, too?”

“Sure,” Goblin told them. “None of you are worth the distractions you're causing.”

Striiker looked very unsure of himself as he said, “Then, we'll do that.” He, Snork, Mari, and Shell withdrew, swimming away from the Goblin Shiver homewaters, looking back from time to time. Almost automatically they headed in the direction of the landshark wreck.

Gray felt torn. He didn't want to see his friends leave. “Mari, you really want to go?”

“I do.”

Barkley stared straight at him. “Are you coming?”

Gray looked first at Goblin and Velenka, then at Barkley and the rest of Rogue Shiver.

“No. I'm staying.”