"Am I what you would call a bird?" Henry asked, surprisingly innocently.

Bryce couldn't help but chuckle. "No, I don't think you are."

"But birds are dinosaurs. Right?"

Henry had repeated several variations on that question all day. It wasn't hard to understand why.

"Birds are what dinosaurs became in this world." Bryce was fine with explaining it as often as he was asked. "You mentioned your reality has mammals."

"We do have mammals. Scroungin', scavengin' things, what hide in burrows and caves." The ankylosaur smirked. "That's what you mammals became in my world."

Bryce shook his antlered head. Henry had been saying things like that all day too. For once he decided to say something back. "You know, not all birds fly. And there are even a few mammals here that can fly. Each species has its own unique adaptations. To find food, to find mates, to avoid predators. Everything does what it needs to survive. I'm sure it's the same in your universe."

"I wonder what kind of bird I'd be."

Henry's sudden utterance surprised Bryce. "Hm?"

"Somethin' what comes out at night. I'd like to be able to see the stars." He looked up. "Y'know, they don't look so different here. No. Not different at all."

---

Bonus sketch by  ktvsn