what'cha cookin'

He was stoking the fire he had made for himself in his part of the cave dens. His own space. Way in the back, deep in the cave just the way he liked it. He still struggled to integrate himself into the pack having been used to the hermit life for...well...the better part of his first year. Since his mother and father passed away, he kept to himself and stayed in the cave near the soul sand cove until a bear had driven him out. But now he was here, having been invited to join the Armada and it was a life he admitted to himself over and over that he needed to get used to. He didn't exactly like being alone, but it was simply something he was used to.

The earthen male had stuck some feathered and cleaned ptarmigan on what he liked to call his "roasting sticks" and was roasting them over the fire. He had a few set around the fire a few inches apart from one another, about five of the birds. He found some time ago that cooked and seasoned meat tasted better than raw and bloody meat, and although he didn't always eat this fancy, it was nice to have a place of his own again after briefly being homeless when he had been chased out of the only home he'd known. He sprinkled a myriad of seasonings over the birds. Thyme. Sage. Oregano. A few squirts of lemon he had gone down to the orchards in the south to collect. Some salt. Most of the things he had in his "pantry" were things he already had prior to joining the Armada, but he was always on the lookout for more herbs and spices.

The smell was enticing, and he didn't really stop to think and wonder if others could smell the food whenever he cooked. Focused on cooking the birds and making sure they didn't overcook, he used a small wooden ladle that he gripped between his teeth and dribbled the juices given off by the meat (using metal pans he had found in the Northern ship to collect the drippings) to ensure the meat would stay nice and juicy and not dry out. He didn't hear the commotion heading towards him, and it wasn't until he heard "Please, oh please, is the food gone??" He abruptly looked up in surprise, spilling a few drops of the hot juices onto his toes which caused him to jump back a bit in pain and dropped the ladle.

"Ouch!" He gave a few quick licks to the toes to cool them off before looking up to see the strangest thing he had ever seen! It was...a bird...but a very big bird, and it had walked into his den! Dumbfounded, he stared for a moment before he remembered the bird had said something. "I...er...n-no! I'm in the middle of cooking it, actually..." He cleared his throat, promptly picking up the ladle he dropped, and placing it back on the flat stone he had on the side. "Are...are you hungry?" While he found it strange that this bird seemed to show up out of nowhere, he had plenty to share if he was hungry.