“Mmm something smells good.” The sound of Julie’s voice made my heart leap in my chest. I looked up to find her beautifully dressed in the traditional clothing of my dekes. She wore a raminki pelt top and loose pants that were cinched at the ankles. They were both slightly too big on her, but she looked comfortable and warm.
“Good morning, Julie.” My voice cracked as I said her name and she gave me a shy smile. “I have some porridge for you.” I handed her a bowl of sweetgrains topped with fruit in the shape of a smiling face.
Julie looked down at the bowl and giggled. “Did you do this for me?” She looked around at everyone else’s bowls.
“I make breakfast for everyone, but the smiling fruit is just for you,” I gave her an unabashed broad grin.
“Oh,” Julie remarked as she gave me another one of her shy smiles and her cheeks turned a bright red.
“I have a special dish I have been working on. It should be done soon. Perhaps you can tell me your thoughts when it’s ready.”
“I’d love to.” Julie smiled and walked toward a table.
I had never watched bread bake so slowly in my life. Julie sat and chatted with the other females as I anxiously waited for my sweetened flatbreads to finish. Finally, the dough started to brown and I was able to take it away from the fire.
I placed the five flatbreads I had baked in a bowl and sat next to the small female I had come to long for.
“Those look yummy.” Julie peered down into the bowl and licked her lips. The sight made me swallow hard and I nearly forgot to give her a piece of bread.
“Here, this one is for you.” I handed her the bread and held my breath as she stook a generous bite. Not knowing what else to do, I bit into the other piece of sweet bread.
“Mmm, this is very good,” Julie commented. “Your use of spices is very sophisticated. They aren’toverpowering, but they do give the bread a good kick and the sweetness of the berries cuts in nicely with the cinnamon flavor.”
I puffed my chest out in pride. Julie was a skilled chef from what she had told me, and she approved of my cooking. I could live off this one compliment for many seasons to come.
“Can I try one?” Gab-bae asked.
“Of course,” I handed her the bowl.“Please pass them around to anyone who might want one.”
I had made five in my first batch and had ten more baking now. It would take some getting used to, cooking for such a large group, but it was nice to look around the cook fire and see so many new faces. With any luck, more of the hunters would luminess with the hu-mans, and in time we would have even more new faces in the sietlings those unions would create.
Thoughts of how we would have to gather a lot more food than ever before danced in the back of my mind, but they quickly faded when I looked over at Julie and wondered what she would look like heavy with my sietling. I’d give anything to pat her rounded belly as she carried our son or daughter. I shook my head of those thoughts. It was too much to think about, too much to hope for.
“Do you have a stimulant tea, Orsu?” Kayla, a female with brown skin like Gab-bae and long red braids asked.
“Stimulant tea?” Drovo asked before I could even open my mouth. It was clear he had taken a liking to the female. Kayla seemed unsure of him,however. She often gave him assessing looks, which did not faze him in the slightest. Drovo was as patient as the forest itself. Kayla could take a lifetime trying to decide if she liked him or not, and Drovo would be happy to keep her company along the way.
“Yeah, a drink that gives you energy. I don’t have a lot of energy myself and I relied heavily on a stimulant drink back on Earth.”
“Coffee…” another female moaned. It was Taylor, the female with the long black hair and a confident air about her.
Brexl coughed as soon as Taylor moaned. It did not go unnoticed how quickly he walked out of the cavern holding his bowl in front of his crotch. Poor Brexl; if he ever got up the courage to speak to a female, I was not sure he’d be able to string two sentences together.
“We have a few teas that provide some energy. Perhaps I can set up a tasting for you all,” I suggested.
“That’d be wonderful!” Julie cheered, and her smile nearly sent me into a trance.
“I’ll uh, I’ll get that together right now.”
“May I come?” Julie asked with an eager expression. “I would love to see where all the teas and spices are kept. Maybe once I learn where you keep everything I can help cook for the dekes, too.”
My breath caught as I pictured Julie and I side-by-side cooking for the dekes. I could knead the dough and she could lay it out over the fire, or I could chop vegetables for her to add to a spiced stew. The possibilities were endless. I would gladly offer herwhatever role she wanted and would be especially happy if we could work together.
“Of course, come. I’ll show you the way.”
I led Julie to a small storage cavern to the right of the cookfire.
“This cavern is for storing smaller things such as spices, teas, and dried herbs.”
