It was time to give the newest batch of dogs their names—a unilateral decision, as always.
I’ll assume they don’t mind.
One of them clearly seemed to be the leader. It hadn’t been obvious at first, but when they’d first gone back into the forest, the others had instantly fallen into step behind him. He’d also checked in on the weakest dog more than any of the others. Like Chai and Koa, the leader of the latest canine pack seemed pretty intelligent and very considerate, for which I was grateful. I’d only just remembered it, but dogs and wolves were both supposed to be extremely territorial, so I was worried that the newest pack might meet some resistance. Luckily, everything had gone well.
I know they’re highly intelligent and all, but I’m still impressed that they’ve managed to put their instincts on the backburner to cooperate... What a relief.
Okay, naming time. Let’s see... You all look very similar. I’m gonna have to be careful not to call you by the wrong names! Messing up someone’s name is rude enough, but it’s even worse if I do it with names I decided to give you myself...
Their fur had a tinge of indigo to it, so I ran with that for inspiration. The apparent leader became Ai, taken from the kanji for “indigo”—a kanji which handily had several different pronunciations. There were three other males. I named the first Sora (taken from the kanji for “provide” and “indigo”), the second Nea (“sound” and “indigo”) and the third Raki (“indigo” and “demon”). The three females became Ami (“indigo” and “beauty”), Ayu (“indigo” and “dream”), and “Mira” (“princess” and “indigo”). As usual, I was quite proud of myself.
Within a few days, the dogs would turn when I called them.
Smart doggies! Now I really, really need to make sure I don’t get you mixed up...
They’d been happily sleeping in one corner of the main bedroom, but now that they were healthy again, they’d moved into some new doghouses that the One Eyes had apparently made on their request.
I guess they’re more comfortable out there... Still makes me feel a little lonely, though.
We’d also gained another friend—the lizard. As lizards go, it was definitely a little strange, but it was lizardy enough for me to be happy with my classification.
I mean, it’s not like any of the lizards back home could fly, so the fact that it looks a little different from the lizards I’ve seen is far from the oddest thing about it.
And as for a name...
It was now known as Flying Lizard.
I’d taken to calling it that while trying to think of an actual name, which turned out to be a mistake on my part. While I was still ruminating over various options, Flying Lizard had already become strangely attached to the temporary moniker. I tried calling it by a range of suitable, kanji-inspired names, but it refused to respond to anything but “Flying Lizard.” I hesitated at first—it was a very unimaginative name after all—but Flying Lizard seemed happy with it, and who was I to deny a lizard’s wishes?
Plus, it was kinda cute.
Flying Lizard and Fluffy were almost always together. They took to joining me in the river, which must have looked like a strange scene: me, a ball of yarn, a flying lizard, and countless amoebas, drifting peacefully with the flow...
Forget “strange”—this has gotta look downright surreal. Oh well. It’s not like anyone is looking.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yesterday, the hunters had brought back dozens of creepy snakes. After getting over the urge to run, the next problem had been whether or not they were edible—I quickly decided they were. Otherwise, why would the hunters have brought them back? I’d grilled up a small piece of the meat to try.
It tasted like chicken.
Chicken! The giant rabbit was pretty close, but this snake is even closer! Seriously, who would have thought rabbit and snake were gonna be the answer?
I started preparing it as soon as I got up the next day. I had chicken (well, pseudo chicken), so that meant one thing: karaage. I diced the meat, brushed it with a mixture of fish sauce and sugar, and coated it in starch powder. All that was left was to fry it. My mouth was salivating in anticipation, but I couldn’t shake the worry that there might not be enough to go around—specifically, enough for me. The last time I’d made karaage (using a weird, giant eel), there hadn’t been enough to satisfy everyone, and the night had ended in chaos. I prepared at least three times as much meat today. I just hoped it would be enough.
To go with it, I boiled and roughly mashed some potatoes, stirring in some marinated and fried fish in an approximation of Japanese potato salad. What I really wanted was some eggs.
If I had eggs, I could make mayonnaise—it’s hard to imagine karaage without it. Plus, I could make pancakes, and pudding, and— Stop! Stop thinking about it! You can’t have any of it, so stop torturing yourself!
Oh, I’m really missing carbs too... I hope I find some soon. Rice or wheat, I don’t mind—just give me some grains! I’ve gotta start exploring again soon...when the weather gets a little cooler, of course.
The time came for dinner, which meant it was also time for our daily dose of violence. Ai’s pack joined in for the first time today.
They always avoid the fighting... I was kinda hoping it would stay that way. Looks like triple the amount still wasn’t enough. How much should I make next time? Five times the amount? I’m gonna need some help...
The fighting was over. The victors devoured their spoils with joy, while the losers stared at me with sorrowful eyes. Really, really sorrowful.
Stop looking at me, please. But man, the karaage was great. So was the potato salad. I did good today... Me? Avoiding reality? Never! Well, maybe.
Come to think of it, no one ever tries to take my share. I wonder what I’d do if someone did try...? Ha ha ha. I’d run away. I’d immediately run away. There’s no way I’m getting caught up in one of their fights—not that I’d stand a chance. It’d be over before I could even blink. Running away would be my only chance at survival.
I guess they’re probably just showing me some compassion because I’m so weak... I’ll take it.
Actually, the One Eyes are always hanging around whenever I’m in the kitchen—maybe I can ask them to help? Dunno if they’re any good at cooking, but it can’t hurt to give it a try. If they start helping, I’ll be able to make a lot more food, and the fighting might settle down. The peaceful, relaxing dinnertimes of my dreams will be back within my reach!
Oh, but if they start helping, it might be a bit of a struggle for space— Nah, the One Eyes aren’t that big. It should be fine... No, but the plan is to make more food too... Now I’m confused.
Okay, okay. So when I made all the karaage today, I had barely enough room to do it, right? Technically speaking, I didn’t have enough room—there was a small mountain of meat on the counter, remember? So if I want to make any more—which I do—then I’ll need more space. Okay, good. Settled. The next question is, how do I make more space? The easiest thing to do would be to extend the counters— Oh, but if I’m making karaage, I’ll need more frying stations too. There’s not enough room for both in the kitchen...but I don’t want to make the dining room smaller either. Hmm... This is hard.