chef de cuisine

"What will we have, little wolf?" Fable blinked in surprise. He'd taken the bargain. Taking a deep breath, she stilled herself and tried to focus above the roaring in her ears. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it would tumble right out of her mouth. "You won't be disappointed!" she assured, dipping her head deeply. "And thank you for the opportunity!" She looked around the clearing, trying to assess what was available to her. She'd brought her earthenware bowl filled with some spices, but none of them were particularly helpful. They were mostly medicinal. There was, however, a thin layer of salt coating the bottom of the bowl leftover from what it used to contain. Wagging her tail, Fable set to work.

She meticulously picked out the medicinal herbs and then set to work on building a small fire. First, she gathered spare kindling and set it up in a pile before seeking out the place to set her fire. There were a few rocks lining the falls. Fable scanned them, then found a good spot to set the fire - two rocks lay kittycorner, creating a space where she could rest her bowl between them and set the fire to heat it front below. Quickly she reassembled the sticks in the place she'd spied, then used the flint that she had carried along beneath her bowl. The fire caught. Fable breathed out and realized, with a sinking feeling, she had no idea what fireflies ate. Was it... he... even a normal firefly? She felt faint. Her hollow, empty stomach didn't help the matter.

Did it matter what kind of creature he was? She knew what tasted good. That was universal. Right? Trying to ease her humming nerves, Fable took a deep, deep breath and just focused on what mattered: the flavors. She dipped the bowl into the base of the waterfall, just enough to get an inch of water in the bottom. Salt swirled into the water along with flecks of glowing bacteria. It was beautiful, in its own way. Fable set the bowl aside and harvested some different types of mushrooms - glittering black trumpet mushrooms and elegant, sparkling chanterelles. After assembling four or so of each, she carefully placed them in the water. Just a little bit more now. She didn't want to complicate the flavors of the mushrooms - they had to shine, just like they were glowing before her eyes. The dish had to sparkle in the same way.

There! Gathered at the edge of the pool, drifting in the contained current generated by the waterfall, was a patch of watercress. That delightful, peppery plant that the unicorn had pointed out. Fable's tail shot straight up into the air at the sight. Grinning, she dragged it out of the water and carefully separated a small amount to add some dimension to her dish without overshadowing the mushrooms. Fable placed the plant into the bowl and nudged the container from side to side, mixing the residue of salt with the glowing water, mushrooms, and watercress. A simple but pleasing dish, sure to delight any palate. Careful so that she didn't spill a drop, Fable balanced it over the fire until it merrily bubbled away. The water thickened just a little until the broth simmered, the mushrooms and watercress having cooked down but not lost their shape. With a deft movement, she removed the bowl from the fire, wincing as it licked at her chin for a second. For a final touch, Fable garnished the edge of the bowl with a artful touch of fresh, crunchy watercress.

"Here you are," she panted, presenting to steaming, warm bowl to the wares peddler. "I have much to learn. Every single year, your meal will get better. I'll be prepared next time," she said assuredly, her tail and ears rigid with anticipation.