sit in the sand and turn the tide
Lukina!
The small healer enjoyed company, whether he made a point to express it or not. Guests were always welcome, and though he was an awkward, standoffish oaf at times, he greatly enjoyed spending time with strangers and learning about the outside world through them. He flashed a grin at the girl when she offered compliments on his choice of den site. He rocked back on his heels and listened to her speak, green tipped ears perked. "Well, I would like to try your catfish stew if that was ok. I can help out, just tell me what to do. I don't want to be a burden." she replied, prompting the young healer's tail to start twitching with excitement. Having help while hunting catfish always made the work easier! rising back to his paws, he grinned at the pale fae. "That sounds just fine to me, would ya mind helpin' me dig the pit to cook the stew? Deeper into the mangrove there are a few plants with broad, waxy leaves that're great for linin' a cookin' pit to keep everythin' from soakin' into the soil." just like that, he was rambling away. There was a spot on the side of the clearing that was further from the water, usually still disturbed from the previous use as a cooking pit. The soil was loose from constantly being removed and then refilled. He tipped his head to the side, gesturing for Lukina to follow as he plodded to the spot where the leaf litter was all askew, partially buried in soil and smelling vaguely of spice and cooked meat. "This is the spot where I usually dig my pit, when I'm cookin' somethin' special for Gatherin's or guests. If ya would be so kind as to dig.. uh.. I usually dig about as deep as my front legs, but yours are a lil bit longer than mine.. so maybe half o' yours?" he drawled, frowning lightly as he lifted a brown forelimb and glanced between it and the long limbs of the youngster. Yeah, that was probably good enough. "I'm gonna check my stores, hopefully I've still got some of the nice dried mushrooms left." he chuckled, scampering back to the den in search of whatever ingredients were lurking in his stores. Sure enough, there were still a handful of the dried chicken of the woods pieces, which soaked up flavour from whatever else they were cooked with, and bulked up the stew easily. Some of his black stone lichen was still sitting in the covered bowl on a back shelf, so he pulled it forward for easy grabbing when he needed it. Some watercress would be useful, but he didn't appear to have any. Winter was coming far too quickly, he needed to go out and collect more for when the weather began to turn. Perhaps he'd see if there was any alfalfa while he was hunting, and use it to bulk up the stew as well. It would also help the girl- if she only ended up eating this meal with him before she left again, he would want to be sure she would get some weight on and some good stuff in her body. Oh, he had two water chestnuts left. Smashing them into a loose pulp with a rock and adding them to the stew would make a good addition. Returning to the clearing, he opted to check the girl's progress on the hole. Nub twitching, he grinned at her. "Ya feel like catchin' some catfish with me? Might lose a toe or two, but it's worth it." he said, nodding his head towards the mangrove, whose waters were only beginning to show their gentle glow in the dying light of the day. |