Dinner Time

After ten minutes of running, they both made it to Oli's house and barreled through the open door. Both sat down in the main room around a large mat made from large leaves sewn together.

Ania was across the room pulling things out of her home's built-in firepit and placing them onto a big wooden platter. She turned around with a big smile and made her way across the room with the platter in her arms and set it in the middle of the mat. On the platter were many boar legs wrapped in sweet-smelling fruit leaves with the bone sticking out and singed from the coals they were cooked in.

Rathe and Oli both grabbed a leg and unwrapped them without the worry of burning themselves. The steam that came from the revealed boar meat filled their nostrils and caused their mouths to water. They attacked the meat and savored every bite. Both thanked Ania and continued to grab more legs, one after the other. She also ate her fair share as they all fought for each leg on the platter. It was a great meal, leaving them all with satisfied smiles.

"Thanks again, Mom. I love your cooking." Oli rubbed his belly.

"Anytime, Oli. You need to grow a lot, so I'll make sure to always make enough." Ania prided herself in her cooking since it was one of the key factors in winning over Dioro. "Plus, thanks to Vloz finding that herd of Big-headed Boar our food supply grew a lot. We'll even be building a corral soon to make it easier to keep a consistent food supply."

"Wonderful!" Rathe exclaimed with his chest out. "We found some great plants yesterday that we can relocate and mass-produce here in the village. The best one was the wild jrabda fruit. Oli, got any idea what it's famous for?"

Rathe saw Oli shrug his shoulders and raised his voice again. "Wine! It's famous for making some of the best wines out there! It's even quite lucrative if we were to sell it. But I'd rather have it all for myself and our brothers!"

"Enough, Rathe," Ania scolded him coldly. "Oli does not need such a thing. Besides, he's too young!"

"Ania, come one. He won't be a man until he learns to hold his alcohol." Rathe didn't let up. "He's already got his core and you can even say that he's on the cusp of manhood. All he's missing is some good booze and a lovely—"

"What is my son missing, Brother?"

Rathe bit his tongue, not daring to finish that sentence but Rathe was determined to help Oli in his passage from a young man to adulthood. "Little sis, come on. At least let him try it, I'm sure he can handle a sip or two. He'll have to experience it sometime."

"I said no Brother, or must I convince you?" Essence was already gathering in Ania's hands.

"Whoa, it's already that late? I'd better get going," Rathe quickly showed himself out.

"Coward," taunted Ania as she stood proud of her victory. "Oli, make sure to toss the scraps outside, okay?"

"You got it, Mom."

Oli had already gathered all of the leaves and bones on the platter. He took it outside and walked to the southwest of the clearing and dumped the scraps into a deep pit that they had dug up as a natural landfill that would become compost with time. After wiping off the platter, Oli walked back under the light of the two moons, enjoying the sight of a new lunar cycle.

Before he knew it, he was back home and closing the door behind him. "I'm going to go to sleep now, okay?"

"That's fine, Oli. Sleep well," Ania was finishing off the fire and would soon go to sleep herself.