FINTAIL

𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐕𝐄

I SPENT the next few hours trailing the albino longsnout I found most interesting. Dare I say interesting above other terms; for one, I had yet found the time to study his character as I had all the others. And, for another, he seemed to be the most tragic of all our 'Fintails'. More or less, the least understood one.

The albino male huffed and puffed as he stormed the conifer forest, his every step rattling Nature's flesh and startling her creatures into hiding. Just a quick look at those jagged white scales and that molten fire swirling beneath a dot of black and the world knew he was someone to fear. But would you believe me if I said he wasn't all that? Surprisingly, Fossil's heart linked most to Thorn and Able — filled with warmth, happiness, grace, and pleasure. As a youngster, he sought appreciation from his mother and siblings, hoping to be the best of the best. And he admired the world and all its glories, always yearning to tell his family about the adventures he seemed to have...

That was the case, until everyone's attention focused on the younger brothers.

In the natural world, an older sibling will always look down upon their youngest. Rarely is it because of good or evil intentions (as many fairy tales tell it), but of something tragic: jealousy. Yes, this word is the bane of all existence, the mortal scar of the living and the damned. I have seen it destroy entire kingdoms and rot the most innocent lives without mercy. It spawns in all of us -- in you, in Fossil, even in me.

How else would you feel when the littlest one got the biggest meal? The longer lick? The better rewards? Or even the most attention?

Stupid, cold-hearted, annoying... Fossil's mind rambled between my thoughts. I figured it added onto these regards, so I wondered on.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. No matter what Fossil did, no matter the innocence, every choice carried a repercussion to his name. And if something went wrong, he was always the first to be blamed. Not Jagger. Not Speck. Not Thorn or Able: Him.

Wretched... arrogant... blasted little—!

As soon as he was out of earshot, Fossil exploded, roaring as he hacked his gnarly talons into a tree sapling and severing its massive stem from the root. He watched it fall to the ground with a soulless thud, nearly breaking character from the rising emotions polluting his quaking chest. It was coming... that knot in the throat. That terrible, awful feeling...

The longsnout squeezed his eyes shut before that happened. Now is not the time, he scowled to himself. And, one snort later, the male was back on his merry hike, lumbering through the darkness as I followed from behind.

With his emotions burned out, and his adrenaline back to normal, Fossil set his mind on better things, like hunting. Not sparring. Not Speck. Certainly not Riptide's belligerent ego! Hunting, as it came to Fossil, was first and foremost. And why? After learning about Able's death, most of the family had resorted to mourning. Poor Cora stopped going to the mud pit, keeping close to home to watch her youngest siblings. Ripple remained in the cave by her mother's side, tending to her as she grieved. Jagger didn't really change much. And Thorn... the ruined green carnivore tried his best to make his family happy, even denouncing his grief by smiling all the time.

Fossil's nostrils flared. He knew he was faking. Deep down, Thorn was the most distressed of them all. He just wouldn't admit it... and he certainly didn't want to show it. Weirdly enough, he kept talking about seeing something in the sky... something shiny. But the family all figured it was his excuse for what really happened.

He shook his head in thought.

So Fossil took this day as a chance to earn some well-needed happiness... and maybe a slither of respect. A morning's worth of fishing to feed seven sad longsnouts (including himself) was an admirable challenge to take. And, if all goes well, his efforts could finally reunite the family in lieu of Able's passing.