Page 40 of Tenebrous

A roar of frustration bursts out of me in a roar that bounces off the cave walls.

Grabbing the stiff carcass with my claws, I whirl around and lift the animal high above my head before launching it straight into the firepit.

Embers immediately scatter. Dark plumes of smoke spiral up toward the rocky ceiling. I turn back around with a heaving chest and point at the moose. “Now eat.”

My human’s lips pop open in fear. His entire body tenses, a wince squishing his features when the movement tugs at his wounds.

Instantly, my anger vanishes. An emotion I've never felt warms my face, and I drop my head back with a deep sigh. Why must this be so difficult? All I want is for him to heal, but I cannot seem to make him understand that I am no threat. What must I do? What would another human do in this situation? Mountain, help me…

Finally dropping my gaze, I observe him again from where he watches me cautiously in the spring. His body looks so frail, so weak. Crimson still flows from that wound, tinting the water red around him, and his skin appears green against the glowing stones. I do not want him to die. He cannot. I'll do what I must to prevent it, even if it means speaking as one of them. Using the one word they seem to hold in high regard.

“Please,” I grumble, softening my voice as much as possible around the foreign word. “I need you to… eat.”

My human simply stares. For a long moment, neither of us moves, the crackling of the fire filling the cavern between us.

Eventually, his shoulders sag, and he runs a hand through the damp curls on his head. “I don't even know how to respond to that.”

“Eat. Please.”

A weary laugh escapes him. “You're really hung up on this eating thing.”

“Yes.”

He looks toward the fire where the moose now stretches awkwardly across the stones. Its hide has already begun to sizzle, filling my den with the acrid scent of burning flesh. “Look, I, uh.. appreciate the effort,” he says carefully, “but that's not going to cook properly.”

“No?”

“Especially if we don't skin it first and cut it up. This isn't magic.”

I glance suspiciously at the fire, which certainly looks hot enough to me.

The human follows my gaze before letting out another tired chuckle. “You've really never cooked before?”

“Cooked.” Another unfamiliar word. “No.”

His brows jump high. “You seriously just eat everything raw out here?”

“Yes.”

“... Huh.” He seems oddly fascinated by this. “And you don't get sick?”

“No.”

“What about parasites?”

I tilt my head in confusion. “What is parasites?”

His expression immediately shifts. “You know what, never mind. Not opening that can of worms.”

Now he speaks of worms? Humans are such riddles.

With a groan, he looks back toward the fire as his spine straightens. “If I'm going to eat that, I need a knife. Something sharp.”

Immediately, I turn to grab the tool I frequently use from beside the fire, but he points a finger in my direction.

“Not one made of human bone.”

Pausing, I slowly lower the sharpened femur in my hand back to the ground.