ORIGIN

Brother's response and choice was immediate.

"No."

Why did she want it to tell stories? It didn't know any stories and it didn't care to know things. It never needed to know anything about its single other friend. All of this was building into anger. It didn't CARE. It didn't want to care. It didn't want to talk and it didn't want questions!

With a screech, Brother stamped onto the bone pile. It could make the bones rattle too! So it stomped until the bones rattled. Then kept on stomping until some of them had been reduced to nothing more than a fine dust and it had to heave to get air into its lungs from the exertion.

Once it stood over the dust, panting and digging its claws into the bone dust, it realised it felt better now. Tired, but not in a frustrated way, just regular tired. The pleasant sort of tired that said he'd had a good day hunting today.

It leaned down to pick up one of the bones that had survived the onslaught to prop it upright in the pile.

"Tell me story." Brother rumbled, apparently feeling much better now, almost placid.

Ugh! More questions. Brother had almost rolled its eyes, but it caught the look of Howlite out of the corner of its eye first. Why did the Howlite-thing look frightened? It wouldn't hurt her. It tilted its head in that same owlish manner, quizzical.

Did the Howlite-thing not know that?

"Upset." It grunted in that same caveman-like manner.

"No hurt you. Hurt rocks instead." Brother shuffled to gently knock over the bone he'd set up with his nose. "No hurt friend." It was simple. Why was she frightened?

"I not hurt friends." It repeated, trying to sound softer, like she had, but it sounded like a growl. Then, it carefully turned to set up the bone once more. This was the most he'd spoken... well, ever. He sighed as if he'd just run a marathon. Maybe they could go back to having fun now. He liked fun.

Brother grunted, which to him, was an affirmation. They were friends. Why wouldn't they be? They played smash bones together. It was simple.

Did others not think it was that simple? Ugh, he didn't want to think.

When it felt something soft touch its flank, it looked down, then slowly reached out to give the Howlite-thing a gentle pat. Yes, gentle moves, so she knew they were friends. Maybe friends didn't like it when you smashed things into the dust. Odd. It thought it was very cool when things were smashed to dust.

Opting not to think any more, he grunted, "your turn."

Maybe talking was a way to let uncertain people know what you meant, even if he thought it was obvious. Which was a pretty profound thought for someone with a singular brain cell and was also a child. He shook his head to clear the thoughts away until it was blissfully empty upstairs once again.

The dinosaur nodded once. Then shuffled back to watch Howlite-thing. Maybe she was also going to smash them into dust. That would be extremely cool it thought as it waited.

So, he watched and waited, seemingly much more at peace than it was earlier. Enjoying the quiet where it wasn't forced to think about answers for things it didn't understand, or want to understand. They could just play. Which made the part of him that was just a child, light up like nothing else.

Playing with your friends was just as important as being a big predator. Another profound insight from the creature that has a profound lack of insight.

It watched and waited.

It waddled forward a few steps to peer at the smooth rock face. Its throat worked as it made a light trilling noise. Presumably excitement, judging by the way Brother couldn't seem to keep still after seeing it.

His new friend could cleave rocks in half by... By... It didn't know! But its friend could do it! That was very strong of her. It didn't know anything harder than rocks and she'd split it in half! Maybe she was a lot stronger than it had first thought and didn't need this much protection from the bone pillars.

It paused. What if it wasn't the strong one? It couldn't fight rocks... No, no. It had to be strong. It had to...

It padded over to the nearest rock it could find, a white but dirty one, just like Howlite-thing's. Then, without further ceremony, reeled back and headbutted the rock so hard it cracked into two perfect halves.

YES! YES! It thought through the ringing in its ears and the throbbing pain in his head (that would no doubt form a lump later). BROTHER IS STRONG! He spun a very dizzy circle in celebration before promptly falling into a heap as the last of its braincells were no doubt liquified by the sheer blunt force trauma.