Words Sting, Too.

“We didn’t need them anyway! We’re fine on our own. We still have the moms, too! And! You have me, and I’ve got you. So they don’t matter.” Frankie snarled back at Clerk, baring his teeth as they made the trip back through the forest and to the farm where Apocrypha and Kalli had hatched him and his sister. Cleric was trailing after him, her tail drooping and her head down slightly.

                She didn’t understand what she had done wrong. She and Frankie had always been friends with the Styracosaurus siblings that lived not too far away from them. Close enough that Apocrypha and Kallista didn’t mind the two Utah siblings going out on their own to play. But over the last few months, their personalities had shifted. The Styra’s didn’t seem to get along with Cleric and Frankie, and Cleric had been just trying to bite her tongue and get through whatever was happening. Maybe, one day, the two herbivores would go back to how they used to be. They could play tag and hide-and-seek just like they used to!

‘Say you’re sorry for how you’ve been acting.’

The words rang around in her head, louder than the anger her brother was redirecting at her. That one sentence had led to Frankie calling the older Styra brother out, saying that he and Cleric had done nothing wrong. And if anything, it should’ve been the two plant-munchers that should be apologizing! From there everything had devolved into a yelling match, Cleric just looking between the three and trying to get a word in here and there only for the sister to the Styra to talk over her.

There would’ve been no point in arguing with them. They felt as if they were the victims. The victims to what? Cleric didn’t understand or know.

Frankie didn’t care to understand. But the hurt was still there. Both of them felt it.

“But we were always friends with them. What did we need to say sorry for? Should we say-“ Cleric started, but her brother stopped in his tracks and hissed back at her.

“We don’t need to say sorry for anything. We didn’t do anything wrong. They’re wrong. They’re being buttheads. If they want to play the victims of their own imagination, then let them!” Frankie snapped at her, tail lashing behind him as he stared his sister down. Cleric frowned, looking directly back at him and kept her head lowered. The rage in his eyes wasn’t directed at her, and she knew it. In fact it wasn’t because of true anger at all. Was it just hurt that she saw? Regret?

Frankie turned around quickly and continued to lead they way back to the farmhouse.

It was a welcome sight. The rundown fences, the overgrown grass, the wind that whistled through the gaps in the barn walls. It was comforting in itself, but the true comfort lay in the Albertosaurus and the Tropeognathus that were basking in the sun in the clearing between the barn and the old farmhouse. The two utahraptors broke into a run at the sight of their parents, reverting to a few baby chirps before Cleric simply started to cry and curled up beside Apocrypha. Frankie remained quiet as he took up a spot under Kallista’s wing, burrowing his face into her feathers that she started to fluff out when she saw her two hatchlings upset.

“Cleric? What is wrong? Frankie? Is everything okay? What happened?” Apocrypha asked, lowering her head to sniff Cleric for any unknown scents or the smell of blood. But there was nothing.

“The stupid plant-munching kids were mean to us. They don’t want to be our friends anymore and we don’t want to be theirs either!” Frankie snapped, voice still muffled from his face in a body of feathers, causing Apocrypha to tilt her head quizzically as she looked over at him.

“That’s not nice! Remember, we don’t call people names. And don’t degrade others, even if they were being mean. You’re better than that.” Kalli said quickly, turning her head to nip lightly at Frankie before hugging him closer.

“We were just playing! And then…I don’t even know what happened! Frankie tagged Bruno, the brother! And he got all angry and claimed that Frankie was being too rough and was being mean. And then that he had been mean for the last few weeks. And we didn’t know what he was on about. But then Ursa, the sister, got in on it as well. Both of them started to demand we apologize to them for what we had done. And then Ursa said that it had been hard to be our friend because she found us to be intolerable for a while now!” Cleric sobbed up at Apocrypha, her little eyes filled with tears that were streaming down her face.

“And I told them to go pound sand! Because we hadn’t been mean at all! They had been weird for the last few weeks and if they had an issue with us they should’ve said so sooner! I’m not apologizing for something I didn’t do. I’m not admitting to doing something I didn’t do either! It’s been so ‘woe is them’ for a few weeks now! I’m tired of it. We were both there for them whenever they needed to vent about anything! And then for them to treat us like this? I wanted to bite them so bad.” Frankie hissed, turning his head finally out of Kalli’s feathers to look over at Apocrypha.

Kallista and Apocrypha listened to the two before looking between each other and then back down at the kids. The feathers all along Kallista’s spine were raised in an aggressive posture as she just held Frankie against her. Even Apocrypha had to snort, shaking her head and neck as if shaking off the anger she felt from seeing her own kids so hurt. But this was life. If it didn’t happen now, it would happen later.

“From what I hear, you both did the right thing. You didn’t bite anyone, and I’m happy for that. And the only reason I know for sure you didn’t bite anyone, is you don’t have blood on you. You would’ve just come right back here with blood on your mouth if you had.” Apocrypha said and smiled over at Frankie, reaching her head over to him to huff out a blast of air directly into his face before leaning back up slightly and hugged Cleric close.

“Sometimes people are going through things you don’t know about. If they were acting like that, then there is a good chance something else was, and is, going on. If you tried to be nice and they kept being nasty, then there is nothing more you can do.” Kalli grumbled.

“You would’ve fought them.” Frankie grumbled back in the same tone.

“Yeah, I would’ve. But that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Why do you think I stuck around Apocrypha? She evens out my quick temper! A quick temper and a willingness to fight isn’t bad sometimes, but in situations like this? When your life isn’t actually in danger? It’s better to try and talk things out. And if no talking can be done, then leave. And you both did just that. But clearly it also upset you.” Kallista snorted, watching as Frankie replied with a little nod.

“And why is that? What do you want to come from all of this? You are feeling hurt, but it’s clear they won’t say they’re sorry for their own actions. You said you don’t want to be friends with them anymore. Is that true?” Apocrypha asked and looked between Frankie and Cleric. Cleric was still crying, but she had quieted down to sniffles while Frankie seemed to be trying to think of an answer.

“I don’t know. I’m tired of how they were treating us. They were so mean, and so rude. And they have been! And they don’t see the error in their own actions. If I had been that mean and rude, I’d want actual examples. But I didn’t want to ask for examples. I just wanted out of that situation. Nothing would’ve come from any talk. So. No? I don’t think I want to be their friend anymore if that’s how they’re going to be from here on out.” Frankie said carefully, thinking over his words and slowly picking out what he wanted to say as he looked back up at Kallista and Apocrypha to see what their reactions would be.

Thankfully, it didn’t seem like either of them were mad. If anything, Apocrypha smiled and gave a nod.  

“Do you feel better knowing that you don’t have to walk on eggshells around them anymore? That you can be you, and not need to censor yourself?” Apocrypha asked.

“I do, yeah. Yeah! You know what! I knew we were right for what we had done. But it does feel good to know that I don’t need to worry about watching what I do or say around them either.” Frankie said and smiled.

“Mind you, little one, that you still need to watch both of those things around people. So you’re not rude. But when you’re with friends, you should be free to be yourself completely. If you can’t be yourself around your friend, then they are no friends of yours.” Apocrypha said and shook her head before looking down at Cleric and gave her a kiss on her snout. “And what of you, sweetheart.” She asked.

“I’m sad. I don’t want to lose them as my friends. We were good friends! We had so much fun. I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong to make them feel like we were being mean? Should I have said sorry and then stuck it out to see if they needed to vent about something? I want to be there for them. But they were so mean. They called us names, and said there was so many things wrong with us.” Cleric said, laying down and put her head on Apocypha’s arm, hugging her arm as well to keep her close.

“Oh, baby girl. People that act like that? They’re the ones that have a lot going on. They need to work on themselves. It sounds like they have a lot going on internally and maybe in their personal life as well. And they don’t know how to deal with those things, so they’re externalizing things onto you. You didn’t do anything wrong. And should you have stuck it out with them? Maybe. Maybe not. But if they were going to treat you like this, then it wouldn’t be worth your own sanity to stick it out with them. The help they need, they can’t find through you and your brother. It’ll be something they need to get from their parents, and themselves.” Apocrypha said and hugged Cleric.

“It’s just…such a waste of time. A waste of emotion. A waste of everything, mom. I want to be mad, but I can’t be. I want to miss them, but I also can’t do that. I am just…sad. And I don’t want to be. I don’t want to feel this anymore. I just want to not remember this.” Cleric said, crying all over again. Frankie and Kallista frowned, hurt over the sight of Cleric so broken up. Apocrypha simply started to hum, singing a soft melody and put her head on the ground beside Cleric to encompass her and make her feel safe.

“Go get snuggled in there as well. I’m going to go get us all something to eat. I’ll see if I can find some treats as well for you.” Kalli whispered down to Frankie and smiled, using her beak to nudge him over towards Apocrypha as well. He gave a quick nod, getting up and skittered over to tuck himself in next to Cleric. He wrapped his tail up around her and rested his head on her back, closing his eyes along with Cleric to listen to the soft tune that Apocrypha hummed to them. The soft wingbeats from Kalli leaving to get food for them the last thing he heard before he was soothed into a nap.