Chapter 24: Preparing for Winter (4) (21+)
The sunset spilled warm amber across the tribal clearing, the open feast already in full swing.
Crisp golden potato fries, smoky fire roasted venison, and honey glazed wild fruits were neatly laid over spread animal hides.
Cubs bounced around the dining circle, crunching fries in high pitched, happy yips, while the adult beastman laughed and chatted, passing food back and forth.
Tigris and Jor flanked me on either side, constantly stacking choice fries and sweet berries onto my hide plate.
Their eyes never drifted far from me, watching my every move with that familiar, intense focus.
Then, a deafening BOOM suddenly split the cheerful chatter apart.
The oversized, hand carved stone wok, which I had set aside empty beside the cooled cooking pit, had fractured from the residual trapped heat.
It burst into jagged, scattered rubble, sharp stone fragments skittering across the bare dirt.
