I harvested some foliage to hide the opening of our new base from view. As I was setting it in place, the clapper sounded.
“Hmph?”
“Welcome back,” I mumbled around my mouthful of grass.
She had a rabbit in her hands. She must have already worked out the reason for the clapper, because she didn’t trample on the wire or try to break it. She looked a little confused as she surveyed our camp, though I couldn’t blame her. The fire was roaring in my makeshift stone oven, atop which sat a bamboo cup filled with boiling water. Behind it were two bamboo beds which, while shoddy, would be much better than sleeping huddled together. I had managed to improve our quality of life in terms of food and shelter.
I swallowed the grass in my mouth before she could tear my jaw off. “I’ll prepare that,” I said, pointing to the rabbit.
“Hmph.”
I took it from her while she was still taking everything in and butchered it in no time. It was my second time gutting a rabbit to be eaten, and I was getting used to it. As far as I knew, tanning the pelt required a special liquid, so that was beyond me. I had no choice but to dispose of it along with the organs.
I cooked the rest of the rabbit on top of the flame-heated stone. As the moisture evaporated, the air was filled with steam and an appetizing fragrance. The primary reason for not cooking it with an open flame was to avoid the light alerting others to our presence. This method reminded me of grilled meat, which made the rabbit look even more delicious.
I tossed some of the cooked meat into a container I had made from half a bamboo stick and offered it to her. I added a utensil with sharp points that I fashioned after a fork.
She eyed the food with a grunt but began to wolf it down. While she was capable of eating meat raw, it looked like she preferred it cooked. She watched me eat the food she hunted with a murderous glare but otherwise permitted me to continue without saying anything.
I was sure my cooking skills impressed her. I ate half of the rabbit, my reward for preparing it and making the cookware. I wasn’t going to let her complain. Whatever was left went in the cup of boiling water to make a stock. I added the more palatable of the leaves I had come across to make soup. Taking it from the heat, I waited until it was cool enough to eat, then offered it to her.
“Here.”
She took it from me, puzzled. “Hmph.”
It wasn’t as tasty as the food the adults gave us, but it was pretty impressive given I had made it in the middle of a forest. That said, in terms of nutrition, I would rather have had pure carbohydrates for energy.
“Food’s better when it’s cooked, right?” I asked.
“Hmph.”
That was all she had said since she got back. Still, it looked like she now saw the value in cooking, so that was my job done. It also meant I didn’t have to be a burden because of my injury.
✦ ✦ ✦
The sound of snapping twigs filled the air while she went to meditate a short distance away. She wasn’t exuding vast amounts of essence like she usually did, probably to avoid attracting any beasts. I was carving bamboo with my knife by the light of the bonfire, gently blowing away the shavings. Now and then I held it up to the light of the flames to study my progress. There was a comfortable silence over our camp. Maybe it was my human instincts, but watching the flickering campfire soothed my soul.
She must have felt the same way, giving herself over to the crackling of the flames, a tranquil expression on her face. I raised my head to give my face a break from the heat. When I caught sight of the star-studded sky above, I couldn’t help but hum in amazement. It was so gorgeous that I was willing to accept it as the sole compensation for being forced to live in this cruel world where death was assured. I was sure I had never felt such deep emotion in my previous life. The rational part of my mind recognized it was because, back then, the city lights prevented me from seeing the stars so clearly. However, the reason didn’t really matter to me.
Right now, I just wanted to take in the view as best I could. Human memory was fragile and unreliable, fleeting enough to be otherworldly, blank. But I was determined not to forget this moment, even if death claimed me again. I was sure I wouldn’t.
I looked over and saw she was gazing at the sky too. She was born in a chamber with no windows, and even after we started training, she was never allowed anywhere but the prayer room or the bedroom after sunset. This must have been her first time seeing the stars. The dragon girl narrowed her eyes, as if the vast expanse of twinkling lights was too dazzling for her.
✦ ✦ ✦
I hung from a branch with my tail, stretched out my arms, and looked around. It’d been two days since I closed up my wound and secured it with some wire, and it’d healed completely. The process might have been accelerated because I went about my days with my essence charged.
Wrapping some cooked rabbit meat in a leaf to take it with me, I left our new base. I was off to do some reconnaissance on our old campmates.