32- Talking with Nalu

Nalu noticed something strange that morning. Krahs wasn’t in the nest. The shark’s absence piqued her curiosity, and without thinking much about it, she set off to search for him in the moray seaweed forest. She swam for hours without a trace of him until she finally found him at the surface, lying on a rock, staring at the horizon.

— Shark? — she called, approaching. — What are you doing here? I thought you’d be keeping an eye on the sperm whale, just like you did with me in the first days.

Krahs didn’t even turn to respond.

— Spying on an elder would be pointless.

Nalu blinked, confused.

— That thing is an elder?!

— That’s right. He is an elder who serves the stars.

The sea wolf furrowed her brow, trying to piece it together in her mind.

— If he’s an elder… and he wants to serve Nexha… — her eyes widened. — Does that mean little Nexha is a star?

Krahs snorted in irritation.

— I could imagine that, but don’t trust the sperm whale too much. He’s only pretending while he’s near Nexha. That being is a ruthless degenerate.

— Then why do you let him stay near your son? You didn’t even try to fight?!

Krahs fell silent for a moment before murmuring, a slight touch of frustration in his voice:

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— I’m not strong enough.

At that moment, Nalu noticed a large bruise on the shark’s tail. Her gaze softened slightly.

— So that’s why you’re staying away from home? You don’t want the kids to see?

She sighed and, without waiting for an answer, quickly swam away. Minutes later, she returned with a healing seaweed and began treating Krahs’s wound.

— You seemed so tough when I first met you… But now I see you’re just a doting father who’s even afraid to show a scratch to his pups. — She chuckled softly.

Krahs turned his face away, irritated.

— Shut up, sea wolf…

— My name is Nalu!

— Whatever. — He lay back down on the rock, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

But Nalu, unfazed, climbed onto the rock beside him.

— If all we have is to accept, then why not simply accept?

Krahs closed his eyes, exhausted.

— I wish I had a choice sometimes…

— Everyone does, old shark.

Krahs opened one eye and shot her a sharp look.

— Stop calling me old! I’m not that old.

— Hehe, got it. Feeling powerless puts you in a bad mood, huh?

Nalu laughed and started teasing him even more, as if all the fear she once had of him had suddenly vanished. The interaction lasted a few minutes until, suddenly, Lilay appeared, swimming toward them with a determined expression.

— Dad! I got what you asked for! — he exclaimed excitedly. — I kept an eye on the sperm whale. He’s really bad at pretending to be defenseless.

Krahs lifted his head, interested.

— Great. What else did you find out?

— Nexha doesn’t seem to suspect that the sperm whale could be dangerous. But, now that I think about it, he’s been more worried about something else… as always.

The shark sighed and nodded.

— I see… I’ll get you a fish as a reward.

— Yay! — Lilay cheered with excitement.

Krahs quickly dove and returned shortly after with a fresh fish, handing it to his son, who accepted the prize with a proud smile.

Nalu watched everything in silence, a small smile forming on her lips.

— You turned your son into a spy… How noble, doting father.

Krahs growled but didn’t deny it.

— I only asked him to observe the sperm whale. Lilay already sees far more than Nexha. If he trains this skill, he can improve a lot… maybe even see things I can’t.

Nalu raised an eyebrow, impressed.

— Smart. But he still won’t surpass Nexha.

Krahs snorted, looking at the sky with a serious expression.

— Nothing I know can surpass Nexha. If the sperm whale isn’t lying… he is one of the most valuable beings in this sea.