Chapter 22
Early the following day, I woke up before any of the men.
I got down from the carriage and saw that they were all asleep.
When I walked up ahead towards the green forest we had found our way through, I saw the men keeping watch by the trees.
It had not been on purpose, but they were asleep.
I couldn’t find Xaden in sight.
Maybe he slept elsewhere.
I hurried through the forests and searched for mushrooms and spices.
Once I found them, I put them in the little bag Xaden gave me last night’s food.
I was careful not to pick the dangerous mushrooms.
Back home in the pack, Urma, a healer, had shown me how to pick mushrooms and spices and differentiate them from poisonous ones.
Also, I had been cooking in the kitchen and knew how to make meals.
I looked for other ingredients, like pepper and onions.
It was a vibrant forest; you would think someone farmed it while growing in the wild.
When I returned, I quietly skinned the pig’s cousin and opened the stomach, cleaning it and washing it all out.
Then, I mixed the spices and rubbed them into and around the meat.
I set it aside and tried to revive the fire.
When it had come back up, I put a stick through the meat and set it over the fire.
As the meat cooked on a slow heat, I turned to a large can the men had used to boil water last night and used it to make some gravy.
It smelt delicious.
I mixed some cheese with the meat and then added rosemary and herbs.
It seemed to be cooking well.
I tasted the gravy that had been cooking on the other fire, which tasted lovely.
I used a small can to collect the oil and sauce seeping from the meat and pour them into the gravy can.
Then I went back to taste it.
It was perfect.
I would have made something better if I were back home in the pack.
As I watched over the almost-done meal, I felt someone grab the back of my dress and pull me up.
I was hurled around and made to face a very angry Xaden.