Danyla's haul this time was enough to keep Bear Island living comfortably for a long while. So when Earl Mormo received the news, he excitedly ordered the squadron of longships to head for the walruses.
To pick up speed, they tossed all the fish they had caught overboard. This was a windfall for Grey Ghost, who loved sea fish. Clever as she was, she swooped straight in and swallowed them all. Finally, to save herself the trouble, Grey Ghost simply stuck her head into the longships and began eating.
Even the valiant warriors of Bear Island dared not make a sound or move a muscle. The several thousand pounds of fish caught by more than a dozen longships were devoured by Grey Ghost, every last one.
Although Bear Island's longships were fast, reaching the site would still take more than two hours. So Danyla continued riding Dreamfyre, searching the northern waters of the Bay of Ice with Little Balerion and the others.
The Long Summer had brought warm currents from the south laden with nutrients, filling the entire Bay of Ice with a rare abundance of life. Populations of small fish and shrimp multiplied rapidly, providing ample food for the larger fish and sea beasts.
Every so often, dolphins could be seen leaping from the water in playful delight, along with seals and walruses hunting in groups, and the giant sharks and giant whales unique to the northern Sunset Sea.
When winter came and vast stretches of the Bay of Ice froze over, these enormous sea beasts would find their movements severely restricted. The people of Bear Island would begin hunting them then, but their chances of success were slim, and they often suffered considerable casualties.
To Great Dragons, however, the enormous beasts below were nothing more than food.
Danyla