Parents

“Why don’t we have that?”

The four squamataurs marched through the arid scrub of the semi-desert, kicking up dust clouds from the orange powdery soil. They had organized themselves in an instinctive arrangement, the largest ones forming a circle of sorts while the youngest remained in the centre. But even thought this was for defensive purposes they were moving at a rather quick pace, and the little one had to run in many occasions to keep up.

It was during one such time that he caught the attention of his siblings, and the third oldest turned around, watching the youngster stand still in the sand, his long and thin tail raised “The what? What is it, Gren?”

Aeglac’s eyes followed Grendel’s little head, and he saw it too. On the dusty foothills of the distant landscape there was a herd of camel-like beasts, wrinkled and gaunt under heavy coats of shaggy, matted hair. Several calves could be seen, scampering and gambolling around the bony legs of the adults. He let out an amused snort

“Come on, you’re still hungry? We let you eat the stomach this time! Heheh…I swear if you didn’t have legs you would be an Earth Mouth!”

“’S not that” Grendel said, correcting him “Mums. Dads. Why do they have those, and we don’t? Where are our pas?”

That he didn’t see coming. He could do little but stare back at his younger brother, dumbfounded “Well….uh……I don’t know Gren….Never really thought about it…”

“We gotta have pas, right? Eh, right? So where are they?” The little one kept questioning, truly expecting Aeglac to give him the answers. The way he asked, it was so innocent and straight, but it didn’t take a good look at his round face to see he was concerned about it. “Why ain’t they here with us? Is it…is it they dun want us?”

The older squamataur was now biting his lip, clearly uneasy about the whole situation “Er….maybe? Geeze, I don’t….” He started scratching the back of his head, giving an aside glance to their other siblings “Don’t look at me Gren, we didn’t have them around either, can’t really say….”

“Doesh it really madder?” Dryrm growled suddenly, his voice slurred from his broken jaw “We didn’ need dem before, we don’ need dem now”

And then it was the eldest brother who turned to face the others, blowing his nose briefly as his enormous bulk raised yet another cloud of dust “Ya know what I think? We are so much better like this”

“Hroth, if Gren is really worried about it….”

“Ye know I’m right, Aeglac, don’t act like you don’t!” Hroth cut him off with that grumbling voice of his, and then he looked at the little one, who immediately stepped back and lowered his head in gut-driven submission. “See those scrub-eaters, runt? Know what they are with them moms and pops? Soft. Have someone else doing everything for ya, bring all the food, fight all them fights, and you’ll be weak and stupid and good-for-nothing. We’re not like that. We get our own food. Fight our own fights. We SURVIVE on our own. So what if we dun have parents? We may as well not even GOT them! But ‘cuz of that, I’m strong. We’re ALL strong, runt. Even you, if you just put some guts for once”

Having said this, Hroth rose slowly on his hind legs and looked up at the sky, a hand over his eyes to shield them from the scorching glare of the sun “It’s getting higher” he mumbled “If we don’t find some shade soon, whole place’s going to be a bloody death trap. Leg it!”

Then he was on the move again, and Dryrm followed almost instantly. Aeglac, however, remained on the spot, giving the little one a look he couldn’t quite decide what it was, between reassuring and apologetic and, perhaps, resigned. He gave him a few pats on his shoulder then turned his back, following the other two

And shortly after that the youngling sprinted after them too. Again they had become a group of dark, indistinct shapes in the baking wastes, a snaking dust cloud winding rapidly to the distance

As much as he disliked Hroth, he kind of had a point


Perhaps he could have liked to have lots of food handed daily

To have someone who licked his wounds when he was hurt

To be in a tender, warm embrace

But if that happened, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself. He wouldn’t lick his own wounds, or get his own food. He wouldn’t even dream of standing up to them

He wouldn’t be strong.

So much work to do.