A little bit of this, a little dash of that

Ember shifted her weight happily back and forth on dancing paws as Briar praised her correct response. Her thinking had been right on the money as her mother pointed out the less messy way to go about preparing their meal. Sure, there wasn't really a right or wrong way to go about it, but some ways were definitely more beneficial or simpler than others. The Carpathian pup watched as her mother handled one of the sharp kitchen knives and began to cut up their meat and vegetables. She was always amazed by her parents' abilities to handle blades, especially her father. Would she one day be as good at it as they were? Ember watched attentively while Briar butchered the meat, showing her where the fat and gristle would need to be trimmed away and what parts to keep to cook down. Wow, cooking was an art all its own!

Next came the seasoning of the food. Briar handed her the oil bottle and Ember was nearly beside herself with enthusiasm that she could do this part! Taking the neck of the bottle carefully between her tiny jaws (which admittedly needed some assistance from her mother) she began to give a healthy drizzle over all the food until it was glistening. Together, the two faes then went about rubbing the oil across the surfaces of the steaks, Ember giggling as she lifted her oil-slicked paws up and wiggling her toes in dramatic fashion. She knew her mother hated her and her siblings getting messy, and bugging Mom with the everyday messes was a small bit of fun the girl liked to have. A wipe of their paws on a kitchen towel and then came the seasonings. Ember helped sprinkle the crushed up sea salt over the meat and vegetables, careful with how much she added at her mother's direction. Everything was so careful and precise!

"Thanks, Mama!" Ember replied with a proud smile back to her dam. Briar explained how the cooking process would go moving forward, including that the steaks would need time to marinade and the carrots would take longer to cook than the meat. Ember tipped her head curiously to the side as she stared at the hardy orange vegetables. "How come the carrots take so much longer?" Briar posed another decision to Ember then—did she want sweet or savory carrots to go with their meal? Well, as a girl with a sweet tooth inherited from her sire, there was really only one option in Ember's mind. "Sweet! Honey carrots sound amazing!" she squealed in delight, bounding over to the pantry to go retrieve the honey. Unfortunately, the honeypot was kept on a shelf much too high for the pup to reach on her own. So, with only one option left, Ember plonked her rump down on the stone floor and turned her head back to the kitchen door and hollered, "Moooooom! The honey's too high up!"

"Ember"