Aruna. The Queen of the Orcs

Chapter 5

The man noticed my curiosity when he saw me looking at him, his crutches and the bag on his back.

- Why do you look at me as if you didn't know I need sticks and poles to get around the settlement? Though, to use them in the forest is a real pain in the neck. I only use the wooden limb when traveling through the forest, it chafes my leg, causing pain and discomfort that makes it unbearably hard to endure the suffering, - he said with a slight wince.

- Please don't be offended, - I sighed sadly, - I fell and lost my memory, I don't remember much – "confessed" then I went behind the wigwam, where I noticed an old basin or trough, nicely carved out of wood.

It was disgusting to pluck the stinking, wet carcass. I just wanted to give it up and roast it whole, but I didn't know how to do it, and Uncle Ansgar, who looked at me mischievously, offered no advice. He didn't seem to be talkative much.

I did what I knew I should do. Where did this information come from? Apparently, I had read something like this on the internet once: I poured boiling water over the krull and hid in the forest so the tribesmen wouldn't see me.

For about an hour I fiddled with nothing but feathers, puffing and swearing under my breath, trying to pull out all the "feathers and down" along with the "livers" as quickly as possible.

Finally, I muttered wearily. I wiped the small drops of sweat from her forehead and looked at the head of the krull hanging limply from its thin neck. I picked up a small axe and twirled it in her hand, looking thoughtfully at the bird. I took aim, inhaled and exhaled, and brought the blade down on the bird's neck with a quiet wheeze.

I didn't want to leave the head on the ground, so I dug a small deep hole and threw it in. Maybe this part of the body could be eaten, but I didn't want to, so I put it out of sight. I looked at the leathery paws but decided to leave them, maybe Rayla would make something out of them, cold meat, why not? I left only the heart and stomach; the rest I threw away. Having buried the unwanted parts, I picked up the basket containing the meat and went back to my wigwam.

Uncle Ansgar sat in the same spot, whittling with a thin knife. As I approached, I saw a perfectly carved statue in his hands: a powerful bull with lowered horns and a raised hoof, as if about to break loose. The carving was incredibly skilled, that I couldn't help but exclaim.

- It's so beautiful!

- Thank you, - the uncle grinned, - it's a bisok, a dangerous herbivore, even predators are afraid to face it, - he finished and gave me a shrewd look: - You plucked it, I see. It's not bad. Hurry up and throw some of the krull into the cauldron, the water is already boiling. Put the rest of the pieces in cold, salted water and put them in the shade.

Rayla had just enough salt to process the bird. Sighed and began my work. I threw the heart, stomach, two legs, and a wing into the boiling water. Leaving the rest, already divided into pieces of one hundred or two hundred grams, untouched. After shoving the basket with meat into the wigwam, I headed with a wooden basket towards the river.

- The meat will stay fresh for at least two days, - Ansgar commented approvingly. - Now put the grits in, the meat is almost ready, put some more in, don't be stingy.

I am hungry.

I disliked his commanding tone and the grin in his eyes, and kept quiet while Aruna's uncle continued:

- I see that you have been driven to the end: the tent will be completely moved away from the tribesmen, I wonder, how come they haven't placed you outside of the protective circle yet, - he shook his head sullenly. – You killed a krull, and that is strictly forbidden. These birds are not captured and locked up until the cold weather sets in, until then they are not touched, so they can gain the necessary weight and fatten up. Your mother told you about me, didn't she?