42 Forage

In the middle of nowhere, two famished young women tag-teamed a small, mature desert lizard, approximately 20 inches long with a large, round body and a long tail.

It has a brown coloration around the head, which diffuses into a reddish-brown netlike pattern on the underside. Tanned or gray markings may be seen on the neck and trunk of this animal. The tail is gray or white in color and is surrounded by rows of black dots.

...

Jen was sitting on her rock, as usual, while her stomach progressively growled, signaling that she was hungry. She didn't mention it to Sophia, knowing that doing so would just make things worse, since talking about food would only make you even more hungry.

As she was ready to lie down for a while, she heard a raspy sound, which sounded like a tail striking some nearby rocks. She immediately went to investigate.

She approached it with caution, knowing well how dangerous it was in this area, and that any hint of recklessness would result in her death if she did not take caution.

There she spotted a desert lizard.

Instantly, joy flooded her heart and Jen immediately waved her hand towards Sophia's direction and as soon as Sophia spotted Jen waving, she went over and saw a big fat lizard.

Not a moment later, the two women spoke in hushed tones as they slowly backed away.

"So, Sophia, what are your thoughts? What do you think about eating some lizard?"

After hearing those comments, Sophia gave a small nod of her head and gestured for her to walk to the rear of the lizard, while she went to the front.

"Okay..." Jen agreed right away and they began to work on their positions.

According to the plan, Sophia, who was in front of the desert lizard, would be ready to capture it if somehow it escapes when Jen gently creeps up behind it and catches it by surprise.

And as soon as Jen has arrived at her destination, the game plan begins.

As Sophia counted through her fingers, Jen kept her gaze fixed on the lizard while sometimes peering over at Sophia.

3...

2...

1...

GO!

Jen rushed forward in an instant, as the lizard was completely oblivious that a dangerous predator was lurking behind it.

"Gotcha!"

Although the lizard was on the verge of running away, Jen was quicker than it, as seen by her lightning-fast hand, which grabbed the lizard's bottom half of the body and quickly trapped it with both of her hands.

She panicked at first when she saw its erratic movements, which included moving around her hand and attempting to flee, but she stood firm and caught it in an airtight grasp.

When Sophia saw that Jen had grabbed the lizard, she immediately rushed towards her, and Jen pushed the creature into the sand, keeping it at bay, while Sophia smashed its head with a rock, causing its spine to snap and the animal to die instantly.

The aim of killing the animal by breaking its spine is to prevent it from suffering for an extended period of time and to provide it with the rest it deserves.

Instantly, joy flooded their hearts, as Sophia burst into a hearty laugh,

"Here, I thought we would need to carry out the second phase of the plan, but you caught it instead!"

"This is my first experience with killing an animal. When I think about it, it seems surreal, but as time passed and the game progressed, it just seems like I have a need to do it, and if I don't, I'll starve to death." Jen responded with gratitude in her heart. while handing out their first food to Sophia.

Hearing that reply, Sophia is astounded by the fact that a young girl, between the ages of 13 and 14, was able to overcome her anxieties and progressively become stronger.

In one moment, she acted little a scared puppy, and at the next, she had daggers as eyes.

Humans are really remarkable creatures, and when push comes to shove, they can do feats of extraordinary bravery.

"As soon as we can, let's dry this lizard out in the sun since we don't have any wood here to build a fire..." When Sophia was holding the dead lizard in her hands, she asked, "Do you have something sharp we can use to cut this thing open?"

Jen pondered for a moment before taking a glance around the place and responded,

"Nope... But, what if we put these rocks to good use? We can sharpen one rock and use it instead." Jen gradually approached a fist-sized rock, where she attempted to split it into pieces by hitting it against another adjacent rock. As she proceeded, "I'm not sure whether it works... But, I suppose we'll give it a shot."

Carefully, she fractured a pebble as she attempted to chip the end of it to make it sharper before handing it to Sophia and said,

"Try this..."

Sophia is taken aback by the sharpness of the rock as she carefully slices off the edible portions and places two luscious fat pieces of flesh on a nearby rock, directly in the sun, while they wait for it to cook and then enjoy it.

In the Philippines. The locals know how to dry their food, such as the delicacy Buwad, which is a specialty in the country.

So, It's not surprising in the least to see these two young women are capable of doing this task.

After a long time, the sun began to sink on the horizon, and there were no noises, not even the wind.

Watching the evening light go away while nibbling on their first meal, which was able to completely satisfy their appetite.

As the first pink and then orange glows appeared in the distance, Finally, purple accented the barren landscape, creating a soothing glow around the group.

The cold wind blew across their shoulders, ruffling their hairs, as they felt a sense of relaxation upon feeling it.

At long last, the night of the desert has come.