Chapter 17: (part 2- The Beginning and the Unknown)
As the fire crackled, the delicious smell of roasting mushrooms and cricket mixed with the smoky scent of burning wood. The mushrooms slowly turned golden, their edges crisping up, while the cricket's body darkened, its shell crackling in the heat.
Below, the snails began to cook, their entrances bubbling as steam escaped. Bits of ash floated through the air, some sticking to the snails' shells like black dust. The food was slowly cooking, and the promise of a warm meal filled the air.
My stomach growls loudly, and I wipe my lips with my hand. I can't stop thinking about how hungry I am.
"I don't know if I'm just really hungry and tired," I whisper to myself, my voice soft and shaky. "But this smells so good... even though the cricket and snail look strange to me."
The small fire, which I started using a rune stone, begins to fade. The water in the leaf slowly disappears, turning to steam and rising into the air. But luckily, the dry branches and leaves I gathered are already burning, so the fire stays alive. The flames flicker and crackle, keeping the food cooking.
I wait patiently, though my hunger makes every minute feel longer. After more than 10 minutes, the mushrooms finally cook through. They look soft and smell earthy. I carefully take them off the fire and place them on a large leaf.
Next, I watch the cricket as it roasts over the flames. Its body turns dark and crispy, its legs curling in as it cooks. I check it over and over, counting the minutes in my head. After 24 minutes, it's done.
The snail takes even longer. I turn it carefully, making sure it cooks evenly. Time crawls by, and I feel weaker with every passing minute. Finally, after 31 minutes, the snail is fully cooked.
I let out a deep breath of relief, my body shaking from hunger. "Finally, it's all done," I whisper, my voice filled with exhaustion. "I'm so hungry... I kept checking to make sure it was okay."
I stare at the food in front of me — mushrooms, a roasted cricket, and a cooked snail. It's not what I'm used to eating, but right now, it feels like the best meal in the world.
But before eating, I decided to drink something to quench my thirst. I carefully removed the soft spot at the top of the Brownbark Quencher fruit. The husk felt smooth and sturdy in my hands, but the soft area gave way easily. I tilted it and took a small sip of the liquid inside.
The cool juice flowed over my tongue, instantly refreshing me up. It tasted naturally sweet, with a hint of mint that made my mouth tingle. It was like drinking ice-cold, pure coconut water, but even more refreshing and less sweeter. The coolness spread through my body, easing my thirst and calming the heat of hunger that burned inside me.
"Pheww!!... That was refreshing!" I said out loud, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. The drink gave me a small burst of energy, enough to keep me going.
I turned back to my food, placing everything carefully on another giant leaf I had picked earlier. It was large and flat, perfect for using as a plate. I grabbed my sword, its blade dull from overuse and old but still sharp enough to cut through what I needed.
Slowly, I began slicing the cricket into small, bite-sized pieces. The blade scraped against the crispy, charred exoskeleton, making a soft cracking sound. The shell broke apart, revealing the flesh inside. To my surprise, the meat was white and tender, almost like crab meat. The sight made my stomach growl even louder, and I had to stop myself from eating it all in just one sitting.
I carefully cut the rest of the cricket, making sure each piece was small enough to eat easily. The snail and mushrooms sat beside it, completing the strange but satisfying meal.
I took a deep breath, feeling both relieved and thankful. After everything I had been through, this simple meal felt like a priceless treasure.
I carefully picked up a small, chopped piece of the cricket, examining it closely before bringing it to my mouth. The fire had charred the edges, leaving the shell a dark, golden brown. I hesitated for a moment, then popped the piece onto my tongue, feeling the rough texture of the exoskeleton against my teeth.
As I bit down, the cricket's shell crunched loudly, like biting into a thin, crispy chip. The smoky flavor from the fire spread across my tongue, adding a rich, roasted taste. The meat inside was tender and juicy, a strange mix of flavors that reminded me of chicken and shrimp. It was an odd combination, but surprisingly delicious.
I chewed slowly, savoring the unexpected taste. The crispy shell blended with the soft meat, creating a satisfying contrast. The smoky flavor lingered, making each bite feel like I was tasting something completely new.
Next, I reached for the mushroom pieces, the piece of its cap are slightly blackened from the flames. I picked one up and turned it over, noticing how the edges had curled and crisped from the heat. The mushroom smelled earthy, with a hint of spice.
I picked the mushroom into my mouth and bit down. The juicy flesh released a burst of flavors — sweet, earthy, and slightly spicy. The burnt edges added a smoky bitterness that balanced out the sweetness, creating a rich, complex taste. It was refreshing, like a little burst of natural savory flavor, that are enhanced by the fire's heat.
I licked my lips, nodding in satisfaction. "Hmm, it's crispy with a hint of charcoal," I muttered to myself, my voice barely above a whisper. "The cricket is crispy and tastes like chicken and shrimp at the same time. The mushroom taste pretty good too earthy, smokey, sweet and slightly spicy especially with those crispy edges."
Finally, I turned my attention to the big snail. Its shell glistened in the dim light of the fire, its smooth, spiraled surface reflecting flickers of orange and yellow. I grabbed the stick I had sharpened earlier, the rough wood scraping against my fingers.
Carefully, I slid the sharp end of the stick into the snail's opening, twisting it slowly to loosen the meat inside. The snail meat is resisted at first, clinging stubbornly to the inside of the shell. But with a gentle pull, the white meat began to slide out, glistening with moisture.
As the meat emerged, I noticed the dark, bulbous end of the snail — its stomach. I held the snail up to the firelight, inspecting it closely. The stomach looked gritty, filled with bits of dirt and whatever else the snail had eaten before I caught it.
I grabbed my sword, its blade still warm from resting near the fire, and carefully sliced off the stomach. The piece dropped onto the ground with a soft thud, i throw it away into the grass. I wiped the blade on my sleeve and studied what remained — the clean, white socket of the snail, the part it used to crawl over stones and leaves.
"The end of the snail, also known as its stomach, isn't edible," I whispered to myself, as if explaining it to someone who wasn't there. "It might be full of dirt or parasites from what it ate. It's safest to cut it off and only eat the clean part."
I took a bite of the small piece of the snail meat, chewing slowly as I tried to understand the taste. It felt slippery on my tongue, with a chewy, rubbery texture that reminded me of octopus. The longer I chewed, the more the earthy flavor spread through my mouth, like the smell of damp soil after rain.
There was a faint smokiness from the fire, but it wasn't enough to hide the strange aftertaste. It was a bit wild, almost like the meat of a wild pig that had lived its life freely in the forest, eating whatever it could find. There was also a subtle fishy flavor that lingered at the back of my throat, making me wonder if I had overcooked the meat or if that was just its natural taste.
I swallowed and took another piece, trying to get used to the flavor. It wasn't terrible — just unusual. Maybe if I had some salt, herbs, or spices, I could make it taste better. Or perhaps cooking it a different way, like roasting it on a skewer or boiling it in some kind of broth, would help mask the stronger, unpleasant flavors.
"Still, it was food, and it filled my belly. That was enough for now." I finished the rest of the snail, wiping my hands on my clothes sleeves before leaning back on the grass. The fire crackled beside me.
Feeling the fullness in my stomach, i let out a soft laugh. "How long has it been since I completely stuffed my belly like this? Haha..." I muttered to myself.
I leaned back, rubbing my stomach with a contented sigh. The feeling of being full was strange — almost unfamiliar. It was a new sensation, one I hadn't felt in what seemed like forever. I tried to think back to the last time I felt this satisfied after a meal, but my mind came up empty. It must have been so long ago that I had forgotten what it felt like to eat until I couldn't take another bite.
"Yeah... right," I muttered to myself, a faint smile tugging at my lips. "It's been a while since I felt this full."