4 Sating Hunger

After placing down the wood and the rabbit in the cave, Yuuki went back out into the tundra to collect a couple more pieces along with some sticks.

Sorting the wood into a pile, Yuuki's trembling fingers took hold of a stick and began rotating the stick between his fingers as he tried to start a fire.

Flames needed three things, Oxygen, Fuel, and Heat. Yuuki already had the first two and by rotating the stick against the wood, he began to create heat using friction. Oxygen was already surrounding the wood which was being used as the fuel for the flame.

Monotonously enduring the boring nature of his actions, Yuuki carried on rotating the stick between his fimble fingers as he finally created a small tender flame. Stopping his actions as soon as he saw the light of the flame, Yuuki gently blew into the flame to supply it with more oxygen and to increase the size of the flame.

The small and tender flame became a crackling flicker of light that burned incessantly. Placing the starting piece of wood within the pile, he did not have to wait long before its size grew and the heat it produced was enough to sustain his living, albeit slightly.

Leaning back against the wall of the cave, Yuuki sighed in relief as he massaged his forehead as the tension was killing him mentally.

Exhausted, he grabbed the rabbit and his dagger before fluidly slicing off the lower half of its legs along with its head. He was lucky that his intuition was right and that the rabbit became soft after its death which allowed his dagger to pierce it.

That was a B-rank Bunny. Even if it did not manage to kill him he was close to death and the gap between him and the bunny was sufficed for him to know that he was too weak. If it was another animal of B-rank, Yuuki knew he would not have gotten lucky and manage to kill the Beast.

Mentally sighing, Yuuki began to remove the fur of the rabbit by peeling it back like he was just removing a sock. He struggled due to his trembling fingers making it hard for him to grip onto the skin. Finally removing the skin, Yuuki also pulled off the fur at the tail as that had not come off with the rest of the fur.

After he removed the skin, the next thing Yuuki did was to place his dagger just below its ribcage and slice as far as he could. Next he sliced between its hind legs which exposed the end of the small intestine and allowed him access to the inner organs of the rabbit.

Meticulously gutting the Magic Beast, Yuuki's trembling fingers somewhat calmed down and made it easier for him to continue. Remembering the bunny's was a delicacy, Yuuki left the liver inside but removed the rest of the organs. Care was necessary whilst he removed the gall bladder, otherwise, he would spill bile over the meat and ruin the rabbit.

Red blood dripped out of the rabbit as he drained it and sliced it into pieces. Once the rabbit meat was sliced into pieces, he removed the bones carefully so he did not stab himself with any sharp parts.

Once he was done with preparing the rabbit meat, he pierced the meat with the sticks and as the fire reached the approximate temperature he knew would be needed, Yuuki licked his lips as the opportunity to sate his hunger had finally arrived.

Roasting the meat over the flames, Yuuki's salivary glands went into overdrive as the food became more and more appealing the longer he cooked it. With impeccable self-control, Yuuki managed to resist the temptation to fill his stomach in that instant and held out from eating until the rabbit was done.

Without waiting any longer, he bit into the tasty looking rabbit meat. His teeth sunk into the meat and tore a piece of meat off the chunk and the rancid taste filled his mouth. Almost throwing up but holding on, Yuuki swallowed all the meat and once he was done and it all got to his stomach, he felt a vile reaction ongoing as the Beast Meat mixed with his stomach acid and an uncomfortable feeling filled his entire being.

He was looking forward to eating the Meat as previously when he was in the cave with Mama Bear and Little Bear, he ate the meat and grew stronger after digesting the raw Meat. This time, the taste was revolting yet he felt it would be more effective than the other Meat brought along by Mama Bear.

Closing his eyes, he curled his body up and by the fire fell asleep clutching his blood-stained dagger in case of danger.

Waking up, Yuuki saw the fire still going and the tundra's sky brightening. Looking at the pieces of leftover meat from the rabbit, Yuuki thought that its pelt would be useful in making clothing to ward off the cold for himself. Right now, he could only wrap the fur around his hands which allowed for more his usage of his hands to last for longer than usual.

Decisively cutting two pieces of the pelt and wrapping them around his hands, Yuuki knew that it would be important for his fingers to be working otherwise if they froze due to frostbite the effects would be terrible.

Stepping out into the Tundra Yuuki felt a gaze watching him and turned around to look for what it was.

A white flash passed by his vision and Yuuki blinked to confirm he saw what he thought he saw. By the area where he killed the rabbit the day before, a wolf had its nose on the ground where there was the most amount of blood.

"Awoooo!!!" A wolf howled and its figure caused him to tremble before conviction entered his eyes and he ran away after gathering all the courage and energy he had in him.