Book One: Onnu and Pannu

To Bible, or Not to Bible

:So that's the word from Above,: she told her Brothers.
   :So we're the new iteration of a Rabbi?:
   It didn't surprise her that Dwayne thought the same thing she had.
   :Basically. I mean, I guess it makes sense? You don't have to ask where the nearest Rabbi, or priest, or reverend is. We're pretty hard to miss.:
   Trey hated to admit that it was rather brilliant. They all had to admit it, but he was the most grudging with his praise. She didn't know if he was the same with praise in general, but when it came to saying He was right, Trey was reluctant.
   :Okay, but who handles training? I don't know about you, but I didn't go to seminary.: Trey had a point.
   :Me neither.:
   :Nor I. Do we know anyone who did?: she asked.
   None of them did, though she strongly suspected that the Council members may have. The problem was their stubborn, hide-bound insistence on old traditions. Getting them to accept that things were different on the Fortnight Worlds would be... difficult, to say the least.
   :I thought you said you were ordained,: Dwayne said.
   :I was, but that didn't include any sort of training. Everything I know, I learned from my grandfather.:
   :Well, we don't exactly have Bibles,: Trey grumbled.
   :Do we... make them..?: She wasn't exactly thrilled with the prospect, but she supposed they did need some sort of standard, or reference guide.
   :With what? I don't mean what material, though that's also a concern. That emdief takes time to make. No, I mean we don't have parables, or Jesus, or Creation to work from.:
   :Actually, we do. At least the last one, we do. Maybe we focus on being Saved? Like capital S saved, but also saved from the Hell on Erdewaz. If we focus on why we were Saved, maybe it'll help?:
   :Well yeah, but we still need The Rules.:
   :Do we? I feel like everyone here knows the Ten Commandments,: Trey objected.
   :This generation does, but we have to think about future generations, as well.:
   The boys grumbled some more. Neither of them were writers, which meant that it would be up to her to actually put the words to emdief. Well, to dictate the words to emdief, anyway.
   :Except writing it in stone, dragon size, might not be dumb? Yeah, make smaller copies, but even emdief has limits, and we don't know how long the ink will survive.:
   Trey and Onnu had to concede the point, though she did think that papygrass drafts, dictated, might be wise. You can't really erase etched stone. The boys conceded her point.
   :But I want all three of us to contribute to the actual words. I mean it. These words will last forever, maybe longer than any of us live.:
   She didn't acknowledge Trey's assertion that they would live forever, because there were redundancies for one of them being slain or eaten.
   :You know, we're all saying things that the other two can't argue with. Is this how we get along?:
   Onnu and Dwayne laughed.
   :So we agree that it needs writing, and I guess by default, who's going to write it, but besides Creation, or salvation, or whatever we're calling it, what else do we put in these... are they Bibles? Yeah, the Commandments have to go in, but how much of the original do we use?:
   :How much can we even remember?:
   :Fair point. Maybe we pick our favorite, or best-remembered parables, and add in the new stuff, whatever that is?:
   :The rain has to go in.:
   Onnu sighed. :I suppose it does.:
   :Look, we literally did not have rain until that day. It's important to know why.: Dwayne was firm, and blunt, as always.
   :There you go again, saying something that I can't disagree with,: she grumbled.
   The boys laughed.
   :Hey, do you have emdief over there yet, Dwayne? And do we know how many planets are inhabited yet?:
   :I'm working on it,: Trey growled. :I have to be fast, but thorough, in my reports. I'm on the fourth planet out of fourteen. By the time I get to the last one, if I can tell which one is which, y'all could've populated more of them.:
   :You'll know if we've done that,: she objected. :If we can do it, at all. I'm not entirely sure we can.:
   :Seriously? You still don't know how that works? You, of all people?:
   Onnu blinked up at the sky, although she obviously couldn't see him. :Pardon?:
   Trey didn't sigh, but she got the impression he had. :If people don't appear on a new planet, as we all did, it's your job to bring them there.:
   She lay there for a time, being groomed and barely noticing. :So I won't be here forever, then? On Tupino?:
   :I don't know how you didn't know, but yes. You're the only one who can bring the most damaged into the worlds, and they need to be scattered across them. Otherwise, we'd overpopulate one planet before Trib ends.:
   :Are these worlds smaller than Erdewaz, then?:
   :I think so? I mean, we're given eternal life, but the little kin and other dragons have lifespans, so I don't know exactly how it works. Maybe there's reincarnation, and the option of hanging out in Heaven for a while?
   :The point is, I don't think there will be any new souls. Ever. Every baby born on the Fortnight Worlds will be someone who lived before, given another stretch of their eternal life. I don't know if they'll remember who they were, or what, but maybe they do. Maybe that's how we perfect ourselves?:
   :You've really thought this through.: Onnu was faintly surprised.
   :I've spent the most time Between,: he reasoned. :Of course I'd learn the most. It's my job, remember?: He sounded a touch bitter, but it wasn't something either of his Elder Dragon "siblings" begrudged him. Never staying still for long wasn't a life either Dwayne or Onnu could have lived. Knowing that she would move periodically did ease her fear of boredom, but she'd already guessed at part of her future, so it wasn't a large mental adjustment.
   :Okay, so we'll need to prepare them for reincarnation, or no? Does that go in the new Bibles? And what are we calling them?:
   They tabled the discussion, to think about independently, and come back to it later.