A new day rose, and with the turning of the season Charlie had become aware of the temperature shift in the North. Living here, nights were always on the chilly side, but the sun seemed more determined to warm the earth, and the day felt wonderful. He had spent a chunk of it roaming the territory of the Col… sort of just walking and observing, keeping in mind the patrol he’d gone on with Hazel. His ears were perked, curious, and it wasn’t until he had started to come back towards the densite that he caught the scent of smoke. Charlie’s had grown in a pack where fire pits weren’t exactly uncommon but he was still curious. Surely the sun was warm enough to keep them warm now?

He furrowed his brow, deciding to investigate the source of the fire and the one who was tending to it. He moved quietly across the earth, and before long one of their fire pits could be seen. There was a lady tending to it, an older one, and that wasn’t all. He caught the scent of food that was just beginning to cook by the flames. A brow quirked, an interest in something that wasn’t the sort of thing he would consider a typical skill being what encouraged him to close the distance. “Excuse me,” he called to the blue figure. “What are you making?” He’d never handled caring for a fire himself, though he did enjoy the flicker of the flames and the sound it made as it licked across the wood.

The day was lovely and it was just cool enough in the shade for Isa to cook up a few morsels for any that might pass. There were a few bits of meat in the stores that had been on the verge of turning and she wouldn't want anyone's hard work to go to waste. Some of the meat she could cut into strips and turn into jerky, others she could cook up and anyone who was hungry could fill their bellies.

Having stoked the fire to get the coals red and hot, Isa was just about to lay another batch of meat on it when a voice behind her sounded. Turning her kind blue eyes towards the boy, Isa smiled and waved him forward with one paw. "I'm cooking the meat from the stores that was close to going bad. You can have some if you'd like." One pale paw motioned to a slab of thin slate that held a few pieces of cooked venison that she'd already dealt with. If the boy was interested in more than that, she would gladly teach him.

"My name is Isa. Who might you be?" His scent was similar to Andromeda and Sirius and she wondered if they might be related. Once she asked that, the woman spoke again. "Would you like to help?" Maybe he was looking for something to do.

"Isa"

At his call, the woman turned her attention to him, greeting him with a smile as she motioned for him to come forward with a forepaw. Charlie needed no second urging, the smell of the previously cooked meats were delightful, and the young man found his gaze drifting toward the food even as the femme gave her explanation. So she was cooking the meat that was in danger of going bad so that it wouldn’t go to waste. She invited him to have some as well, and Charlie looked back to the woman before giving a grateful nod. “It smells wonderful, thank you.” Hard to believe that the meat that was on the verge of spoiling could produce such a smell… and if it smelled that good then it had to taste good as well.

He’d approach the slab and take a piece of the meat for himself, fangs making short work of the food. It was really good, and still nice and hot from the heat of the fire, though not so hot that he hadn’t been able to eat it. Once finished, he turned his gaze back to the blue furred fae who had introduced herself as Isa, dipping his head with a smile. “Charlton Fatalis. Though everyone calls me Charlie.” He wondered how long she had been in the Armada and what her role was in the pack. But before he could think to ask, Isa asked him if he wanted to help her with cooking the meat.

He hadn’t made any big plans for the day and he figured it couldn’t hurt to learn a new skill. He drew closer to the fire and Isa, furrowing his brow as he answered her. “How do we prevent the meat from burning on the fire?” Rather than answer her directly with a yes or no, he displayed his interest by attempting to actively engage. If he could eat food, then he may as well learn how to prepare it. Then maybe he could make something special for his siblings at some point!

"Speech," 'Thought.'

The charming child complimented the smell of her cooking and Isa beamed at him affectionately. She loved to feed other and, even more than that, she loved when others appreciated her efforts. As he took a bite of the cooked meat, the blue woman watched his face to see if he liked the taste as well. His expression of surprise brought a soft chuckle from the fae and she went back to tending the meat.

Charleton, or Charlie, moved in closer and questioned Isa about keeping the meat from burning. "It depends on the meat. Different types cook at different speeds." Isa picked up a slab of raw beef and showed the boy. "A piece of steak like this will cook a lot slower than, a piece of fish, for example." She took a step towards the fire and placed the meat down on a fire heated rock. The meat sizzled instantly as a crust formed on the outside. "Heating rocks and keeping your coals hot is the best way to seat your meat. Aside from that, you could skewer it on a stick and hang it over the fire to smoke and slow cook."

Isa picked up a strange looking piece of metal, long with a forked tip. She'd found it somewhere in the Armada stores and had pilfered it for her own. Around one end, she had tied leather to create a padded handle. The fae handed it to the young wolf, handle first. "To make sure that it cooks evenly, we poke it and flip it to the other side. Give it a try." Glacial eyes crinkled as she offered him an encouraging smile.

"Isa"

Isa had such a gentle demeanor… that was why Charlie had taken such a shine to her already. His ears twitched thoughtfully as he listened to her explanation. Different types of meats would cook at different speeds and the steak would cook slower than something like a fish. He supposed size and thickness could have something to do with it too. His blue gaze flicked to Isa, watching her movements, taking in the heated rock, the coals, and how the meat responded to the heated rock. He knew well enough that simply being near a fire could make something warm so it made sense that with the rock being so close to the flames that it would be pretty hot. Hot enough to sear the meat and form the crust on the outside. Charlie rather liked that crust.

His gaze would then shift to the strange looking piece of metal that Isa produced. Huh! How weird! It seemed like it could be useful for stabbing through the meat though. He picked up on how there was leather wrapped around it as well, which made him think of the weapons the Armada crafted. Metal would heat up and become workable if it got hot enough, but Isa didn’t seem worried about the open flame having that effect on the skewer. As he was passed the poker Charlie would take the leather handle into his maw. It felt a bit strange, longer than he was used to handling when he carried things in his mouth. It took him a moment to steady his movements with it but then he was able to get the meat flipped over, his tail wagging behind him eagerly as he heard the meat start sizzling on the other side now.

He’d set the poker down, eagerly looking over at Isa. “This is so neat! I’ve never made food before… It feels even better than getting to taste it!” He grinned happily. “...and it’ll make a good meal for any in the Armada coming back from a patrol or training! This was an excellent idea!”

"Speech," 'Thought.'