Hawke finished adjusting the stone enclosure and, with some effort, positioned a wide, smooth stone that Yuka had found near the cave entrance on top. It wasn't perfectly straight, it had some natural undulations, some imperfections, but it was firm enough to serve as a surface.
The heat from the flames began to rise slowly, licking the underside of the rock. Hawke placed his hand near the surface, feeling the temperature gradually increase. Small, almost imperceptible distortions of the air began to spread across the surface of the stone, like those ripples that appear on hot summer asphalt.
'It's getting hot. Perfect.'
The others watched in absolute silence, trying to understand what the hell he was doing.
Kuggi frowned, looking at the fire beneath the stone.
'He wants to trap the fire? Make a cave for the fire?'
It made sense in his head. Stones on the sides, stone on top. It was like a small cave. Protection to keep the fire from escaping?
Duggi had another theory. He was trying to process the logic, but he couldn't reach any conclusion.. He just watched, tense, waiting for some revelation.
Tairo and Kaira remained more neutral, more focused on what would happen next than on trying to guess. They simply waited.
Yuka still had that half-dazzled, half-frightened expression. Hawke had made FIRE. Out of nowhere. Rubbing a stick. That was a spell. Magic. It had to be.
And the old woman... well, the old woman wasn't really paying much attention anymore. She looked to the side, at the sky outside, scratching her ear. Just the old woman being herself.
Hawke, satisfied that the stone was hot enough, picked up the egg. The shell was thick, resistant, heavy. He took it to the edge of the hot stone and began to tap lightly.
*tap tap tap*
Small cracks appeared. He tapped more. The cracks spread. He stuck his fingers in and opened it, breaking the shell in two halves.
The viscous contents, that enormous yellowish-green yolk and the transparent, gooey white, began to ooze out. Hawke leaned over, letting everything fall onto the heated surface of the stone.
*SSSSSSSSSSS*
The hissing sound came almost immediately, loud and aggressive, mixing with the crackling of the burning branches below.
"AAAAH!"
Duggi and Kuggi instantly recoiled, assuming fighting stances. Hands raised, knees bent, ready to fight or flee.
"What's that sound?! Is it an attack?!"
Eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the beast that had made that sound. But there was nothing. Just... just the egg on the stone?
Yuka, on the other hand, leaned forward, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Another spell!"
Kuggi suspected something was wrong with what was happening.. And he didn't like it one bit.
"Hey, man..." The voice came out tense, accusatory. "Don't waste food or I'll kick your ass. If you don't want it, we do! The fire can eat branches and stones! They don't need to eat eggs!"
"He's giving our food to the FIRE?!"
The indignation was real. They had so little food, and the madman was literally throwing eggs into the fire?
Hawke didn't take his eyes off the stone. He watched intently the reaction that was happening, the white becoming opaque, the yolk spreading. He also paid attention to the edges. The smooth stone, thankfully, was the perfect type. The edges were higher than a part near the side, causing all the liquid to run there and remain contained.
'Perfect. It won't leak.'
"I'm not wasting it."
The tone was calm, confident, almost bored.
'At least not yet. There's still a chance I'll burn everything and ruin it.'
Duggi took a half step forward, his shoulders tense, his hands clenching into fists. For a moment it seemed he would attack. That he would lunge at Hawke and snatch the egg from the fire by force.
But the memory hit.
The memory of the last confrontation. The throbbing pain in his body. The cold ground against his face. The humiliating feeling of powerlessness. Of flying towards a sharp rock that almost...
His jaw locked. But he backed down.
'I'm no match. Not alone.'
He glanced at Kuggi out of the corner of his eye.
'Maybe together. Me and him. Maybe we can do it.'
But he stood there, swallowing the urge to attack.
What bothered him most was Hawke's appearance. Skinny. No apparent muscle mass. Less robust than Duggi. And yet... just as strong.
'Does that mean any skinny person can fight me? Tairo? The girls?'
He looked at Yuka. Thin, delicate. Then at Kaira.
'Well... Kaira is scary. Especially when she gets angry.'
He had seen her furious once before. Her eyes looked different. Dangerous. He seriously considered the possibility of being defeated by her in one of those moments of rage.
The clear liquid on the stone began to react visibly to the heat. The transformation was happening before their eyes.
The white part, which was viscous and transparent like slime, lost its translucency. It became whitish. Then whiter and more solid.
The yolk spread slowly, the yellowish-green mixing with the white as the heat transformed that mass into something completely different. Firmer. More consistent.
And the smell.
The smell started discreetly, almost imperceptible. But soon it gained body, spreading through the cave in warm waves. It was different. VERY different from any raw meat they were used to consuming. Richer. More complex. More... delicious?
Kaira closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, letting the aroma fill her lungs completely. She loved smelling things. Good things, especially.
"This... smells really good."
She opened her eyes, looking at the transformed egg.
"What happened to it? The smell changed and even the shape."
"It's being fried, my dear."
Hawke improvised a wooden spoon, breaking off a thin branch and chipping the tip until it was concave, and began stirring the contents in circular motions. He scraped the surface of the stone, folding the mixture over itself, preventing it from sticking or burning.
The texture changed every second. Becoming creamy and solid at the same time. A strange thing, almost impossible. And the aroma continued to intensify, making everyone's stomach rumble.
Hawke said, with slight irony:
"Scrambled eggs, house style, coming right up."