Walking back into the White Tiger settlement felt just like stepping onto the set of a horror movie.
It was dusk. The hunters had returned.
In the center of the clearing, a huge pile of dead prey: deer, boars, and some creatures that looked like prehistoric emus was being ripped apart. The air was filled with the sounds of bones crunching and flesh tearing.
Men, women, and cubs were eating. Raw.
Blood dripped from their chins. Flies swarmed in thick black clouds. The smell hit like a wall of metal and decay.
Ren stopped at the edge of the clearing, her hand flying to her mouth.
"Oh god," she gagged. "I think I'm going to be a vegetarian. Kael, tell me you don't eat like that."
Kael looked at his tribe with pride. "It is a good harvest. The meat is fresh. Do you want the liver of that stag? It is still warm."
"No!" Ren dry-heaved. "I want civilization! I want hygiene! I want a health inspector!"
[System Notification: New Quest – 'Kitchen Nightmares: Stone Age Edition'.][Objective: The Tribe's eating habits are barbaric and unsanitary. Cook a public meal that proves 'Cooked Food > Raw Food'.][Reward: 1x Large Stone Wok (Non-Stick Enchantment).]
Ren's eyes lit up. A wok? A non-stick wok? That was worth fighting for.
"Kael," Ren said, her voice turning serious. "Put me down. I need a fire. A big one."
Kael frowned. "Fire is dangerous. The tribe fears it. It bites."
"I bite harder," Ren retorted. "Build it. In the center. Now."
Kael paused, but he could still remember the taste of bacon and fries. He grunted and walked into the middle of the bloody feast.
"Move!" Kael roared at a group of young tigers gnawing on a leg bone.
They scattered, yelping.
Kael used his strength to clear a space. He stacked logs and dry brush. When Ren nodded, he struck two flints together, a trick she had just taught him.
Whoosh.
Flames shot up.
The tribe screamed.
"Fire!"
"The Alpha has brought the Red Death!"
"Run!"
Panic ensued. Beastmen shifted into tigers and bolted for the caves. Vara, who was eating a bloody rabbit nearby, pointed a trembling finger at Ren.
"She is a witch!" Vara shrieked. "She summons the fire demon to kill us all! Kael, kill her!"
Ren ignored the chaos and walked right up to the fire. She looked like a small demon in cargo pants standing in front of the gates of hell.
"Kael," she ordered. "Bring me the boar leg. The clean one."
Kael, seeing her confidence, didn't argue. He slashed a massive chunk of meat off the pile and handed it to her.
Ren went to work.
She didn't have skewers, so she used sharpened sticks. She cut the meat into cubes. Then she took out her [Starter Spice Kit]: salt, pepper, cumin, and the crushed [Fire Fruit] chili she had picked earlier.
She coated the meat heavily.
Then, she laid the sticks over the fire.
Ssssssss.
The sound of fat hitting the flames cracked through the silent clearing like a gunshot. Smoke rose up.
But it wasn't black, choking smoke. It was aromatic smoke.
The smell of roasting pork, spicy chili, and cumin spread through the clearing on the evening breeze. It washed over the cowering tigers.
One by one, heads popped out of caves.
Noses twitched.
"What... what is that smell?"
"It smells like... the Alpha?"
"No... it smells better."
A small tiger cub, fluffy and striped and no bigger than a house cat, was the first to give in. Curiosity beat out fear. It tumbled out of a bush, sniffing the air, its blue eyes fixed on the turning meat.
"Don't go!" its mother hissed. "It burns!"
The cub ignored her. It waddled toward Ren, letting out a tiny, high-pitched mew.
Ren looked down. Her heart melted. It was adorable.
"Hello there," Ren cooed, her "Chef Mode" softening. "Are you hungry, little one?"
She pulled a small, perfectly roasted skewer off the fire. She blew on it to cool it down.
"Ren," Kael warned, stepping closer. "That is a cub. They only drink milk and eat blood."
"Watch and learn, Mittens."
Ren crouched down. She held the meat out.
The cub sniffed it. Then, it took a tentative bite.
The cub's eyes went wide. Its little tail started vibrating. It swallowed the meat whole and immediately let out a loud, demanding MRAOW!
It latched onto Ren's leg, climbing her cargo pants like a tree to get to the rest of the meat.
"Hey! Claws! Ow!" Ren laughed, trying to detach the fluff-ball.
Suddenly, the tension in the clearing broke.
If a cub could eat it and not die... maybe it wasn't poison.
Slowly, the adults crept closer. The smell was making them desperate. Their stomachs, used to cold meat, ached for this hot, flavorful food.
Ren stood up, holding a handful of skewers.
"Who wants to try?" she called out, sounding like a carnival barker. "First come, first served! No pushing! And don't bite the chef!"
Chaos.
This time, it wasn't a stampede of fear. It was a stampede of hunger.
"Me!"
"I want the fire-meat!"
Ren suddenly found herself surrounded by huge, muscle-bound beastmen, all giving her puppy-dog eyes.
She handed out skewers. Kael stood behind her, growling at anyone who got too close, acting as her bouncer.
"It's... it's hot!" one tiger gasped, chewing frantically. "But... oh! The flavor!"
"It melts!" another cried, tears streaming down his face. "Why have we been eating cold rocks? This is glory!"
[Ding! Quest Complete: Kitchen Nightmares.][Reward: Large Stone Wok added to Inventory. Influence with White Tiger Tribe +20.]
Ren smirked and wiped grease from her cheek. Right now, she felt like the Queen of the Jungle.
But in the corner, Vara watched. She held her cold, bloody rabbit meat. She took a bite, but the taste of copper and rot suddenly made her want to vomit.
She watched the tribe...her tribe...worshipping the hairless female. Even the elders were licking their fingers.
And Kael...
Kael wasn't eating. He was watching Ren. He was watching how she laughed when the cub climbed her shoulder. He was watching the firelight dance in her red hair. The look on his face wasn't just hunger.
It was devotion.
Vara crushed the rabbit bone in her hand.
"Enjoy your fire, Witch," Vara whispered, turning into the shadows. "But fire burns down forests."
Back at the fire, Ren ran out of meat.
"That's it! Kitchen closed!" she yelled, dusting off her hands.
The tribe groaned in disappointment but spread out, their stomachs full of warm food for the first time ever. They looked at Ren differently now. She wasn't just a pet. She was a Provider.
Ren turned to Kael. "Well? How did I do?"
Kael looked at her, then reached out and pulled her close by the waist. The fire was hot, but his body was even warmer.
"You fed the tribe," Kael murmured. "You acted like a Queen."
He leaned down, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"But you gave my portion to the cub."
Ren gulped. "I... I can cook more?"
"No." Kael shook his head. He lifted her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "I am done sharing. We are going to the cave. And I am going to feast."
"Feast on what?" Ren kicked her legs. "I'm out of pork!"
Kael smacked her butt. Thwack.
"You talk too much," Kael growled, marching toward the cave. "Tonight, you will learn why Tigers are the Kings of the Beast World."
[System Warning: Alpha Mating Heat rising. Target is at 80%. Good luck, Host. You're going to need it.]
Ren stared at the retreating ground. "Wait! I have a headache! I have cramps! I have... I have to do my taxes!"
But Kael wasn't listening. He walked into the darkness of the cave, and for the first time, he used a large boulder to block the entrance.