Chapter 29: Playing is for Whelps

Mercy Hall

Ambrose holds his blade in one hand. He palms the quartz in the other. Holding the knife vertically over the tree fungus, he barely grazes the back of the blade against the sharpest edge of the quarts. He repeats the process a few times. Finally, he generates a few sparks that land in the fungus.

"My sire used flints to spark a flame." She watches his movements closely.

"Did he now?"

Grabbing a handful of thin kindling, he builds a tinder nest loosely over the embers. He blows on the fledgling fire with care. When flames shoot up, he adds thicker twigs followed by several small branches.

When the fire burns a steady red-orange, Ambrose and Mercy walk to the water's edge once more where he retrieves a wet branch. Inside the mouth of the cave, he wraps thin fish strips around the stick and holds it over the fire to cook.