Chapter 417 - 385: Not An Hunt For Hunger?...

(A/N):

Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.

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Devara’s expression softened slightly, though his anger had not diminished.

He understood why a fisherman might hesitate to report an accusation without evidence, especially if the people involved were powerful or had influence within the local community.

Nevertheless, the matter could no longer be ignored.

"Tell me everything you know about these rumours. Who was speaking about the dolphins, where did the conversations take place, and did anyone mention buying their hides, teeth, or other parts? Even the smallest detail may be important."

"I want names wherever you can provide them, but do not invent anything merely to satisfy me."

"I shall make inquiries immediately, Maharaja," the fisherman promised.

"There are several men who may know more. I will speak to them and report whatever I discover."

"Do so, but do not confront anyone yourself. If these people are responsible, I want them brought before the authorities with evidence, not driven into hiding by a careless accusation."

Devara then turned towards the royal guards who had been watching the exchange.

Their earlier curiosity had disappeared, replaced by the alert expressions of men who understood that their king had discovered a matter requiring immediate attention.

"Send a messenger to the harbour’s local administrator. I want every report concerning the illegal hunting of Ganga dolphins brought to my attention. Have the fishing records examined, question the officials responsible for enforcing the prohibition, and investigate whether anyone has been purchasing these animals or their remains."

"If someone has been making a profit from their deaths, I want to know who is involved and how far the operation extends."

The guards bowed and immediately began carrying out his instructions.

Devara looked back towards the dolphins.

His hand rested gently against the head of the nearest creature, whose dark eyes followed his movements with quiet curiosity.

"You have nothing to fear from me," he murmured, stroking its smooth head.

"I will find out who has been doing this."

The dolphin gave a short whistle and nudged his palm, seemingly satisfied with the attention.

Devara managed a faint smile in response, but his thoughts had already turned towards the investigation ahead.

He had come to the Ganga seeking a conversation with his mother, hoping to find some clarity regarding the political storm gathering around his kingdom.

Instead, he had discovered that people under his own protection had been violating one of his explicit orders, harming creatures whose survival depended upon careful conservation.

And that troubled him in a way that the approaching possibility of war had not.

An enemy beyond his borders was easy enough to identify.

The people responsible for these wounds, however, might be living among his own subjects, hiding behind ordinary occupations and relying upon the assumption that their activities would never attract the king’s attention.

Devara rose to his feet and glanced towards the deeper waters of the Ganga, where the passage to his mother’s divine dimension awaited him.

His visit would have to wait a little longer.

Before he entered his mother’s realm, he intended to ensure that the creatures living within her sacred river were no longer being hunted under his watch.

Devara let out a long sigh as he watched the dolphins swimming around him, their fins occasionally breaking the surface of the Ganga.

The discovery had left a bitter taste in his mouth, particularly because he could not find any reasonable explanation for why someone would deliberately harm these creatures.

He had already prohibited their hunting throughout his kingdom, and the order had not been issued without careful consideration.

The Ganga dolphins reproduced slowly, their population increased only gradually, and the loss of even a handful of adults could have consequences that would take years to correct.

Protecting them was not merely a matter of kindness towards animals.

It was also a responsibility to preserve the delicate ecosystem of the sacred river.

Yet someone had apparently decided that his orders were not worth following.

Devara crouched beside the water once more, gently stroking the head of the dolphin that had approached him earlier.

The creature seemed perfectly content to receive his attention, occasionally nudging his palm with its elongated snout as though encouraging him to continue.

Its sharp teeth were visible whenever it opened its mouth, but Devara knew better than to judge the animal by its appearance.

These dolphins had lived in the Ganga long before many of the settlements along its banks had been established, and despite their unusual features, they were generally friendly towards humans who treated them well.

He glanced at the wounds along its flank, and his expression softened with concern.

"Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you lot?"

he murmured, running his fingers carefully over the uninjured portion of its head.

"I leave you alone for a little while, and someone decides that hurting you is a worthwhile pastime. Do you have any idea how much trouble you have caused me today?"

The dolphin answered with a series of whistles before nudging his hand again.

Devara shook his head, a reluctant smile appearing on his face.

"Yes, yes, I understand. You are innocent, and I am the one complaining. That hardly seems fair, does it?"

A few of the royal guards standing nearby exchanged glances, uncertain whether they were supposed to respond to their king’s conversation with the animals.

None of them dared interrupt him, however, particularly when Devara appeared to be taking the matter far more seriously than they had initially expected.

With another sigh, Devara leaned closer to the water and addressed the gathered dolphins in a gentler voice.

"Listen to me. I do not know who has been hurting you, but I promise that I will find out. I will make certain that those responsible cannot continue doing this to you."

"Until then, stay away from the fishing nets whenever you can, and do not approach unfamiliar boats simply because someone offers you food. I know you are curious creatures, but you cannot expect every human being to have good intentions."

One dolphin surfaced beside him, released a soft whistle, and brushed its snout against his forearm.

Another swam in a small circle before returning to the group, its dorsal fin cutting through the water.

Devara watched them for a moment, then shook his head as a particularly unpleasant thought crossed his mind.

The truth was that there was no established custom in this region of eating dolphins.

They were not a conventional source of food for the people living along the Ganga, and their flesh was not something local fishermen generally sought.

If the animals were being deliberately hunted despite the royal prohibition, then the explanation was unlikely to be simple hunger or the need to feed a family.

That made the situation considerably more troubling.

"Which means someone is doing this for pleasure, pride, or profit,"

Devara muttered under his breath.

"And I would very much like to know which of those possibilities I am dealing with."

He could understand a fisherman killing an animal when it threatened his livelihood, even if he would still expect the man to follow the law and report the problem to the authorities.

He could understand people acting out of desperation when their families were starving, although he would rather address the circumstances that drove them to such actions.

But deliberately injuring creatures that posed no genuine threat, especially when there was no necessity to hunt them for food, was an entirely different matter.

Perhaps someone enjoyed the thrill of chasing them.

Perhaps a wealthy individual had decided that hunting a rare creature would demonstrate his courage or status.

It was also possible that certain merchants had discovered a market for their teeth, hides, or other remains, encouraging hunters to kill the dolphins for money.

Devara did not intend to settle upon any of these explanations without evidence, but he had little doubt that the investigation would uncover something deeply unpleasant.

His gaze drifted towards the fishermen gathered near their boats.

Most were ordinary people trying to earn enough to support their families, and he had no intention of punishing an entire community because of the actions of a few individuals.

Nevertheless, if local officials had ignored the problem or deliberately allowed the hunting to continue, they would have questions to answer as well.

A king’s order meant very little if it existed only on a palm-leaf document inside a royal archive.

Devara rose to his feet and brushed the moisture from his hands.

"Make certain that the dolphins are left undisturbed,"

he instructed the nearest guard.

"If any of them appears seriously injured, inform the local healers and have them consult anyone with experience treating aquatic creatures. I do not want someone attempting to drag them out of the river or restrain them unnecessarily. They are already frightened and injured enough."

"At once, Maharaja,"

the guard replied.

Devara gave the dolphins one final look before turning towards the river’s deeper waters.

His original intention had been to enter his mother’s divine dimension and speak with her about the political situation surrounding Vrishasena.

That conversation remained important, but he had acquired another responsibility before he could even begin his visit.

He would not allow the matter to be forgotten simply because the dolphins could not walk into his court and demand justice for themselves.

"All right, you lot,"

he said, offering the nearest dolphin a final affectionate pat.

"I have some work to do. Try not to get yourselves into any more trouble before I return."

The dolphin responded by splashing water towards him with its tail.

Devara stared at the droplets scattered across his clothes, then looked at the animal with an expression of exaggerated disbelief.

"Really? After everything I have just promised you, that is how you choose to thank me?"

Several of the guards quickly lowered their heads, hiding their smiles.

Devara noticed their reaction and gave them a disapproving glance that fooled absolutely no one, least of all the dolphins, which continued swimming around the harbour with what appeared to be considerable enthusiasm.

Despite his irritation, Devara found himself smiling again.

At least the creatures had retained enough spirit to play, even after whatever they had endured.

His expression soon grew serious once more as he turned towards the sacred waters of the Ganga.

Whoever was responsible for the injuries would soon discover that the king’s prohibition was not an empty threat, and that the inability of an animal to speak before a royal court did not mean its suffering would go unnoticed.

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(Author note:)

I hope you guys give me your opinion and idea’s.

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