He watched in disgust as his brother was preparing their food on a rock with a flat surface, and then he remembered how his brother had sliced the large boulder into half like a piece of fruit, something he wished he could do, but he was laughed at and told that it was impossible for his twig-like arms.
He furrowed his eyebrows at the memory and grumbled as he turned around and sat crossed legged across from his brother, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head on his hands.
"Something wrong, Mono?" His brother asked, continuing with his task.
"Nothing," He grumbled, and then sighed, "Hey, Pollo? Do you think I would scare you?" The boy asked his friend, who was preparing a delectable meal consisting of collecting and sorting insects on a large leaf with a rather large knife in his hand.
Pollo rolled his eyes and shook his head, pausing his task, he looked at the boy, "Mono, why do you always ask me this?" He pointed at himself and laughed out loud, "Nothing can scare me!"
Mono pouted and grumbled, "Says the guy who is afraid of cats,"
Pollo smashes his fist on Mono's head, "Ow!" He winces and grabs his head in pain.
"You idiot! What have I taught you about disrespecting your elders?"
Mono hisses in pain and rubs his head, "But we're the same age!"
"Yes, but I'm older."
"Who made you older though?!"
"It was a choice made by the universe." Pollo proclaims.
"I think the choice was made by you though."
Pollo hits him on the head again, "Ow!"
Mono rubs his head again and glares at Pollo.
Pollo looks back angrily, tapping the back of his knife on his palm, "Huh? You wanna fight do you?"
Mono frowns in defeat, "I get it, okay?"
His brother nods in satisfaction and looks back at the leaf with the bugs as chops the largest beetle in half. The bug lets out a squeal as its life is brought to an end.
Mono watches in disgust again but then gets back to the previous topic, "Okay but... when something is scary you scream, right? That lady, that woman from my memories, she screamed pretty loud." He plays with a small pebble on the table listlessly.
"Hey, what did I tell you about calling her 'that woman'? She's your mother, mo-ther!" Pollo chastised Mono, pointing his knife at Mono before continuing his task of cutting up the insects.
Mono frowned and pouted again, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration, "But she doesn't feel like a mother! You said mothers raise their children, but as far as I've known, you've been a mother more than that woman. I don't even know her."
Pollo looks up, "Um... No, I'm your brother."
"But you could be a mother too."
Pollo puts up his hand, "Uh... I'd rather not."
Mono raises his eyebrow but decides not to question him further, because he always refused to be called a mother for some reason, "But she didn't even raise me, why do I have to call her my mother?"
Pollo starts shifting the cut up bugs to a smaller leaf with his knife, "Because you exist because of her."
Mono huffed, "That doesn't make any sense, Pollo. You said mothers give love to their children or something,"
Pollo sets the knife aside, finally finished with the preparation of their food, "Yes, but I also said that some mothers don't get to do that, but they are still mothers." He hands the small leaf over to Mono.
Mono carefully takes the leaf from his friend, setting it down on the stone table and frowns, "Hmm, you feel more like a mother than her though," He mumbles, picking up one of the bugs and immediately chomping down on it. Even though he hated this meal Pollo always prepared for him, he did feel hungry quite often and these bugs somehow helped.
As soon as the bite hits his tongue though, despite him starving, he gags at the taste and Pollo smacks him on the head again, "OW!"
"You idiot!" He glares, "What have I taught you about food?!"
Mono rubs his head, "That you should stop hitting me," Pollo raises his fist again as a warning and Mono flinches, "Tha-thank you for the food..."
Pollo nods approvingly and grabs his own chopped up beetle from the larger leaf, and takes a bite out of it with nothing really happening as the insect just goes through him.
It was a mystery to Mono on why his brother insisted on eating when he didn't even need to, but it was a regular occurrence, and Pollo never bothered to explain it. He always just answered that he was an idiot for asking. Idiot seemed to be Pollo's favorite word.
Pollo watches Momo and then he stops and sets down his lunch, looking at Mono with a bit of a worried expression, he turns his gaze to the sky, watching the clouds drifting by wistfully, "You know, I hope one day you'll understand what a mother is, Mono... Or a father, just... what it means to have a family."
Mono, with his face stuffed with his food, continues eating as he replies in confusion, "Aren't you my family?" He chews.
Pollo gives sort of a half smile, and at his expression Mono felt concerned, "Are you sad, Pollo?"
Pollo shook his head, and smiled more reassuringly, "Don't worry, I'm not sad." But then his face shifts into a bit of a sad expression, "But I just want you to know and experience things like every kid does," He looks back at Mono and smiles gently, "I want you to be happy, Mono."
Mono blinks, and swallows down his stuffed cheeks, "But I am happy, I don't need anyone else other than you."
Pollo was smiling, but it still seemed like there was some sort of regret or sorrow behind it. Whatever his friend was feeling, Mono didn't like his brother feeling so down all of a sudden.
He throws his leaf away and grins devilishly, "Heh heh heh" And then he tackles Pollo into a hug, surprising him as he lets out a "Wah!"
"You don't have to worry about anything, Pollo! Because we're the best family ever!"
Pollo laughs out loud, and ruffles Mono's hair, "You're right, my little brother. That's the kind of truth that will never fade away." He hugs him back, "I promise, Mono I'll always be there for you, no matter what."
Mono smiles, burying himself into the hug. Pollo was everything to him, even if they fought and he was smacked on the head a lot or was being called an idiot, there was always a pleasant and warm feeling he felt around his brother.
Even in this happy moment, Pollo's voice becomes grim again, "But Mono, remember something... Try to think of why you keep having that memory of your mother, think about how that makes you feel, Mono." He pulls away from the hug, looking at Mono seriously who's looking back at him in puzzlement, Pollo smiles softly at his expression, "What you might find might be valuable for you, my little brother." He pats Mono's head.
Mono grabs the hand patting his head and stares at him, "But Pollo, I don't need to do that. I have you so I don't need that woman."
Pollo sighs dejectedly, "But what if I'm not around one day, what will you do?"
Mono tilts his head, thinking, "Like if you were gone?"
Pollo nods, "If I was gone, forever."
"Hm? Then I'll just bring you back, isn't that simple?"
Right as Pollo was about to reply, the ground starts rumbling beneath them.
With the sudden waves of strong tremors, Pollo shot to his feet and into high alert as he processes the threat and visibly, his expression changed into intense panic as he rushes to gather their things.
"Hey Pollo, what's going on?" Mono asks with concern, but then it seemed as if large, heavy footsteps were approaching them in the distance, but what Mono couldn't understand was why Pollo seemed so... so afraid.
But Pollo... Pollo was never afraid of anything, he is the strongest spirit in the world, isn't he? His heart thumped with an unfamiliar feeling, a feeling that felt really unpleasant.