Brothers

Chapter 1: The Tapejara

I was beginning to learn that loneliness was a strange companion. Part of me enjoyed it, no more fights with Deinonychus, no more decisions for the whole pack. But part of me hated it, hunting was incredibly difficult because there was no more strength in numbers, and I was not a nimble predator and at night I was alone to my thoughts and fears. What if I was sleeping in someone's territory? Will I starve to death? What if Deinonychus is hunting me down? Most of these fears were spoken in the voice of my friend, his cruel and harsh voice.

When I wasn't trying to sleep and keep all of these thoughts out of my head, I was always walking. Looking for my next meal or searching for a lake, a river, anything I could fish in. I was a good fisher, I didn't need nimble legs or speed to catch those. I just needed my claws and jaw. I kept my wits about me and avoided all other dinosaurs, even herbivores. I couldn't risk them remembering me from The Outlaws and trampling me.

Sure, I was still big, being nearly full grown, but I would look like a hatchling if I stood beside another spinosaur. A big hatchling, but a hatchling nonetheless. Deinonychus often mocked my size. First it was simple childhood teases, but as we got older, they were more biting and harmful. I was no longer proud to be my mother's "Tiny Little Spiny".

Thankfully, after two long months of always being on the move, I found what I was looking for. The trees were the first giveaway, because they were growing more and more sparse. Then came the sweet smell of water, a large body of water. Lastly, I was drawn to the calls of feasting pterosaurs and other dinosaurs that happened by the lake.

My jog broke into a sprint as I excitedly dashed towards the lake. It was everything I hoped for. It was relatively small, I could see the other end of it from where I was standing on the shore. But it was big enough to happily feed five or six spinosaurs. I waded into the lake, letting out with a pleased sigh as the cool water warmed my hot and dry scales.

My hungry self didn't hesitate to start fishing. Once I had filled myself with fish, I casually swam in the lake, taking in every bit of my surroundings. The chirping pterosaurs, the fish swimming away from me in such a panic that they splash out of the water and the roaring of an angry baryonyx.

I froze at that last noise and opened my eyes to see a pack of ten baryonix glaring at me from the shore. The one in the front pointed its long finger at me.

"You get out of our lake now, you greedy spinosaur!" he commanded.

The insult and pointing made me flash back to Deinonychus, and I stared at the baryonyx, deeply hurt. I didn't retort, I hated arguing, so I quietly complied and swam back to shore. Once my entire body was out of the water, I heard a snarl and looked back at the baryonyx as they entered the lake. The lead baryonyx glared spikes at me.

"You spinosaurs are always so greedy, thinking your size will get you everything! But we found and claimed this lake first." he accused.

"Then why weren't you here?" I quietly questioned.

"I was gathering the rest of my pack, idiot. I went ahead to scout. I wasn't even gone an hour when I saw you swimming like nobody's business!" he replied. "Now go," he commanded, pointing his finger again. "I don't want you anywhere near my lake, go and find another."

Now deeply hurt, almost to the point of tears, I turned and slowly walked away. Didn't he see how skinny and starved I was? He was the selfish one. It was strange that a pack that big would be looking for another lake, but I didn't question it. I learned, much later, that I'd regret not questioning it.

It was another month of the same pointless wandering until I came upon another body of water. But this one was strange. The trees were still sparse as I approached it, but the smell was sour and the noises of the pterosaurs were drowned out by a loud roaring and crashing. The roaring wasn't coming from a dinosaur, it was a deeper and stronger roar.