Buck, Rabbit and Fowl

Cleanliness is a blessing. My hair- or rather fur- picked up on many small sensations. My neck was less itchy and my mouth was fresher than ever.

The other pups became drowsy after the bath and sunbathed by the feet of an elderly elf. Halima was enjoying his gentle strokes on his knees as he fanned himself with a palm leaf.

The rest of the wolves were having themselves groomed by the youngsters. Some adults helped clean and file their nails.

I noticed a lady polishing Mother's nails with reddish enamel. Father was getting his fur trimmed too. His paws, ears, elbows, neck and tail were carefully shaped and he, in my opinion, became even more handsome.

Some older youths of the pack were making a din as they were showered and scrubbed.

There was fuzz flying everywhere and the elven children chased after the larger pieces and put them in gunny sacks. Maybe they would make pillows out of it? Not very likely or was it? Or maybe they'll spin it into wool? Can you make wool out of wolf fur?

I miss being able to search up the things I wanted to know about.

I noticed that all the elves wore jewellery, even the children did. The women wore elaborate beaded necklaces and the men had armlets. The shorter children had jingling anklets and bracelets and I suspect it was to bell them so they can be found easily.

One thing I found was that none of them decorated their ears. They were bare without any piercings although some older women had large nose rings that covered half their cheeks.

The girls all had loose head coverings that extended all the way till their pant hems. It added an extra layer of puffiness and made them look like blooming marigolds.

They giggled and chatted with the female wolves. I wonder what they had in common with wolves that they could talk so happily as if there was no difference between our races. I wanted to sneak closer and listen but the girl power in that area was far too powerful.

I saw a few cheeky boys sneak peeks at them and I found it really cute that they were so shy.

The whole cleaning lasted till sunset. After that, the wolves stirred and some made a group and left. The area was cleared out, swept and rolls and rolls of palm mats were brought and spread out.

To a side, some elves began digging a few deep pits. A few women laid out large cloths over the mats and put the smaller children to sleep in rows. Even my siblings and I were placed next to them to cuddle.

I decided to have a light nap over the chest of one of the larger kids. It was noisy but I could sleep well.

I was woken up by the sounds of grinding. A man with braided hair was working a stone motar and pestle to make some kind of yellow paste. He made a few more pastes from some nuts and rolled them into small balls. They all had sharp smells.

The wolves had returned.

There were two bucks and five rabbits being cleaned and gutted near the edge of the gathering. The bucks were strung up by the ankles and Kara, a robust woman was skinning them with a sharp wooden blade. The intestines were already taken out and kept in some cane baskets. The other buck was having it's horns sawed off with a file.

Some wild fowl were being plucked and washed near her, by her husband I think, and the feathers too, were kept neatly.

It was interesting to watch them all marinate the entire buck with sour fruits, red berries, goatmilk curd and some rock salt. Even the yellow paste that I think was turmeric was used.

They wrapped the bucks and soaked rabbits in leaves and buried them in the pits to cook.

The whole process brought water to my mouth. It was stimulating enough for me to begin eyeing the discarded intestines. They looked like noodles but more bloody.

The adults lazed about on the mats, either sleeping or chatting as they waited for the game to cook.

The females and males made their own groups and separated themselves. For some reason, even the wolves separated themselves along with them.

A few hours of napping and chatting went by as twilight turned to dusk and nightfall came. The children stirred and began to play their games.

The adults also joined in and it eventually became a competition between the Strongmen of Brave and the Women Knightesses. Kara, in particular was the most valuable player amongst the women. She kept going after her husband and grappled him. Mother and Father had disappeared off somewhere and I couldn't find them.

The wolves also competed an a game of tug of war and I think the reason the Knightesses won was because they cheated by making tiny holes in the ground to hook their feet in. That and they used their flexibility somehow in a way I did not understand. Maybe they had some kind of rhythm they used.

The next few games were mostly won by the men after they were fired up from the loss in tug of war. They exerted their full strength and even the wolves spared no lady.

I, of course helped trade some barbs with the other side and distracted them a little by nipping them here and there. (I may or may not have tripped some of them).

The heated exchange was broken up by some elders calling for the bucks to be removed from the firepits.

After the pits were dug up again and the leaves peeled away, I swear I almost went buckwild smelling the fragrance. Our tails kept wagging and the pups sniffed and jostled about.

The fowl was used to make soup and was ladled into wooden bowls. Everyone sat on the mats with a tablecloth for the food. They waited patiently for it to be served on the huge plates.

Thin wooden knives were used to carve the buck meat. As a section was cut, I felt my heart also get cut. Steam rose like wisps tantalising everyone. And when they tore apart one of the hind legs, I almost howled.

Thinking back on this moment, I may have been overly excited but that meal was one of the most satisfying ones I have ever had.

Somehow, the spices didn't affect us and we were able to consume everything that was served. A bowl of spiced goatmilk was what sealed the deal for me.

I hope one day I can prepare a meal just like that again even with the fact that I lack thumbs. For now, digesting this meal is the only effort I will be taking in a while.

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I missed writing so much QAQ

I really want to write all day long. I'm sorry I took so long to update.