Finding Bailey Chapter 2

The next day, Dory and her friends and family were at the Drop Off. Marlin, Nemo, Destiny, Charlie, and Jenny were saying goodbye to Dory, Hank, and Bailey.

“Bye, Dory!” Said Nemo. “I hope you return Bailey safely!”

“Be safe, sweetheart!” Said Charlie, Dory’s father.

“Bye, everyone!” Said Dory.” We’re going to Nebraska to return Bailey home!”

“For the 5th time, it’s Alaska!” Said Hank, and the three of them swam off to find the East Australian Current.

“I hope our daughter gets home safely.” Said Jenny, Dory’s mother. However, Charlie didn’t respond back. “Does anyone know where Charlie went?” The other fish looked at Destiny, who had her mouth shut.

“Open the hatch, Destiny.” Said Nemo, and the whale shark opened her mouth with Charlie swimming out.

“What has gotten into you, Destiny?” Asked Marlin. “You have been doing that every week since you decided to stay with us!”

“I’m sorry!” Said Destiny. “Back at the MLI, humans would come every day and throw dead fish in my tank for me to eat!”

“That’s disturbing.” Said Charlie.

“This is the last straw, Destiny!” Snapped Marlin. “If you don’t change your dietary habits, then you can’t live with us anymore!” Marlin, Nemo, Charlie, and Jenny then swam back to the Reef, while Destiny just floated there sadly. Little did she know that a moray eel was spying on her from inside a piece of coral. While Destiny was swimming back, she encountered the eel and let out a scream.

“Don’t be afraid, sweetie.” Said the eel. “I’m best friends with a shark! The name’s Murray, and I couldn’t help but overhear that you have... an eating disorder.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Destiny.

“You tried swallowing that regal tang.” Answered Murray.

“You saw?” Asked Destiny.

“And I heard that you’d eat dead fish.” Said Murray. “But with Bruce’s eight-step process, you’ll become a vegetarian in no time! Follow me.” Destiny followed Murray to a place far away from the Great Barrier Reef, near a sunken ship. Murray knocked on the door with his tail, and a Great White Shark peeked through the window.

“Hello, Murray!” Said the shark. “Who’s this?”

“This is Destiny.” Said Murray. “She wants to be part of the Carnivore’s Anonymous Meeting!”

“She does, eh?” Asked the shark. “Well, bring her inside!”

“I can’t.” Said Murray. “She’s a whale shark.”

“Then bring her to the back!” Replied the shark, and Destiny and Murray swam to behind the ship. Out of the ship came Bruce, the Great White Shark, along with two other sharks: A mako and a hammerhead.

“Who is this?” Asked Anchor, the hammerhead shark.

“This is Destiny,” Said Bruce. “And she’s our newest member of CAG: Carnivore’s Anonymous Group!”

“All right, everyone!” Said Bruce. “All new members must say the pledge.” Bruce, along with Murray and the two other sharks, started saying a pledge. “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.”

“Except for stinking dolphins.” Said Anchor.

“Dolphins, yeah.” Said Chum, the Mako shark. “They think they’re so cute. Look at me, I’m a flipping little dolphin! Let me flip around, ain’t I something?”

“Alright, everyone!” Said Bruce. “It’s about time Destiny introduced herself.”

“Hi, my name is Destiny!” Said the whale shark. “I am a whale shark from California, and I have a habit of swallowing other fish. I am, however, best friends with a regal tang named Dory.”

“Dory?!” Shouted Chum. “She’s our fastest-graduating student! Finished our course within one week.”

“Even if she is a herbivore.” Said Anchor. “If Dory can do it as quickly, then you can do it, too!”

“First thing’s first, though!” Said Bruce. “We have to find you an alternative food source. That’s Step 1.”

———————————

The next day, Dory, Hank, and Bailey were riding in the EAC (East Australian Current) with Crush the sea turtle and his family. While Dory was playing hide-and-seek with some of the kid turtles, Hank decided to ask Crush a question.

“How do you handle so many kids at once?” He asked.

“It’s great, Octo-Man!” Said Crush. “We head to the beach, lay some eggs, wait for them to hatch, and coo-coo cachoo, they find their way back to the big old blue.”

“I understand that part.” Said Hank. “What I mean to ask is how can you be around so many kids without going bonkers?”

“I was born on a Samoan beach in 1853.” Crush began. “I was born in a batch of 30 eggs: 10 boys and 20 girls. Since the humans on our beach were in tune with nature, we spent the first five years on the beach. One day, a jellyfish washed up on the beach, and want to know what we did with it?”

“You got stung?” Hank guessed.

“We ate it.” Said Crush. “We then realized what we were missing, so we abandoned the beach and spent the rest of our lives in the ocean. We do visit the beach, however, to lay our eggs. Right now, I have 10 kids, 50 grandkids, and 100 great-grandkids.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.” Said Hank. “I repeat, how can you be around so many kids without going bonkers?”

“Oh, that!” Said Crush. “Simple, man: Turtles are family, and we always stick together. Hold on a second while I get some air.” Crush, Bailey, and some other sea turtles swam to the surface of the water and took deep breaths, then swam down.

“I don’t understand vertebrates.” Hank thought to himself.

Author's Notes: In Finding Dory, rather than eating krill, fish eggs, and crab larvae like other whale sharks, Destiny actually ate real fish that were already dead.

Dory playing dead in Destiny's food pail.

The moray eel is a strange fish that has no pectoral fins and can be found in oceans all over the world. While these carnivores may look intimidating, they will only attack humans if they feel threatened. These strange fish served as inspiration for Ursula's minions, Flotsam and Jetsam, in The Little Mermaid.

The gender of sea turtles depends on the temperature of the sand. If it's warm, the turtle will be a girl. If it's cold, it'll be a boy.