Brothers

Chapter 6: The Outlaws

The conversation between Tappy, Shorty and myself was really mostly one between the two of them, with me throwing in a word every now and then. While it was great to have company, I was glad to see him leave and be left alone. I let out with a relaxed sigh and watched the setting sun while Tappy caught more fish for me.

I slowly ate them while I wondered if I should tell her about my flashback. I simply shrugged it off when I came to, because I had a feeling that it would be wasted on them. That feeling still lingered. The sky was turning red now, just as the sun was falling below the ocean for its nightly rest.

Tappy let out with a relaxed sigh as she rested on my head. "I like Shorty," she said. "He's fun,"

"I like him too," I agreed as I swallowed another fish. "I also like your choice of fish,"

"Thank you," there was a pause for awhile before she spoke again. "Do you ever wonder if there is something more than this?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"More to this life of survival. Eat, run, drink, sleep, repeat. What if we were made for so much more? And what about the lands beyond this one? I'm sure we're not the only creatures on this planet. What about the apes, where did they come from, and are they still alive today? Do they know about us? Do they care about us? Are we a legend to them?"

Her questions were many, and my answers were few. But I wondered if nobody was meant to answer those questions. Maybe they weren't supposed to have an answer. "What do you think? Do you believe there is something more than this?"

"Oh yes, of course. I believe we were meant for something, all of us. Such sentient beings can't just exist. Do you wonder, Spiny, if there are gods? And if they care for us and watch over us?"

I sighed and rested my head on the sand just as the last rays of sun fell into the sea. "To be honest, no, I don't wonder much, if at all. I guess it's the same with you figuring out that my claws are good for a lot of things, and me not really caring to experiment. I just don't do all that thinking stuff."

"Then what do you do?" she inquired, leaning down and staring in my eye.

"I just lay and, well, exist. I think about my next meal, I think about Deinonychus coming any day now. I think about my parents. But I don't think past what I know, I'm not eager to learn. I like that you aren't like me, though. That you do want to learn, that you do want to discover. Mawgi and few others in The Outlaws did the same. I just can't do it myself."

She sighed and went back to resting on my head. "Then I guess I will continue to not understand why you are so content to be, and I'll be here, thinking more on my philosophical questions. You still didn't answer my question, Spiny, do you think there are gods?"

"I think there are forces we cannot explain, and that something greater could be behind them. If that is what you're getting at." I replied.

"Well, that is one explanation for a god, but I guess you do believe."

"Do you believe?"

"Yes, I believe in that which we cannot see, that which we do not know. I believe that there are guiding forces in our lives, leading us each to an individual purpose. I have not observed many signs pointing to the fact, but I do believe in gods. After all, how else would you explain everything?"

I thought on her words and shrugged. "I don't know. You do make a good point, though."

She smiled. "Thank you, I always do,"

I shook my head. "Humility, Tappy, you need to learn humility."

She grinned at me and shook her head. "Never,"