Noma and the Largest Whale

Noma heard the whales talking in a dialect she couldn't understand. She could tell which whale was speaking, but otherwise struggled to understand as much as she could. They were unhappy because humans had been in the water farther than they were supposed to go and something else as well. All three of Noma's hearts were beating too rapidly. Carefully, she slowed the two that pumped seawater through her interior currents and the channels of her skin. There would be a reprieve. The great whale spoke to Noma directly, simply enough that she could understand. Please let me fix this.