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Chapter 277: Chapter 277 Food hunting
Lucas carefully rolled back toward Kyra, ensuring that he didn’t disturb her as he settled in on her other side. Her warmth was comforting, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to relax, knowing that soon enough, he’d have to wake up for his guard shift.
Time slipped by quickly, and before Lucas knew it, 3 a.m. had arrived. The faint sounds of the night were still there—the rustling leaves, the soft patter of raindrops that had started earlier, and the crackling fire. Lucas stirred, blinking his eyes open. He yawned, stretching out his stiff limbs, and glanced over to see Damon already awake, watching him with a knowing look.
"Ready?" Damon asked quietly, his voice low cold enough not to disturb the others.
"Yeah, let’s get this over with," Lucas mumbled sleepily, rising to his feet. He stretched out his muscles, feeling the stiffness in his back from lying on the mat for so long. With a final yawn, and kissing his ky ky forehead he stepped over the other sleeping figures and made his way to the entrance of the cave.
Damon sat quietly as he watched Kyra in the dim light, the soft glow of dawn casting a gentle radiance over her features. Her long eyelashes and delicate brows stood out, and for a moment, he found himself lost in her peaceful face. But despite the peaceful scene, a nagging feeling tugged at the back of his mind—something was coming. He didn’t know what, but he felt it. Leaning closer, he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, silently vowing to stay by her side no matter what lay ahead.
By the time morning came, everyone began to stir. The fire had burned low through the night, and the group went about their routine. Kyra brushed her teeth using water from the container, feeling refreshed. She splashed some water over her body as well, cleansing herself after the long night.
Theo handed her a container of water, knowing she couldn’t wash herself outside and that it wasn’t safe either. She appreciated the small gesture and thanked him.
The other male decided to head out to the nearby waterfall to wash up. They had observed the patterns of the roaming beasts and the smaller animals, and with that knowledge, they managed to catch some prey. When evening arrived, everyone returned to the cave, their catch in tow.
Leo inspected the meat thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. "If we take this meat with us, won’t it rot quickly in this warm climate?" he asked, glancing at the others for reassurance.
Kyra’s eyes brightened as she stepped forward. "I know how to preserve it," she said confidently, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as the group turned to her with curiosity.
Leader Marc looked at her with interest. "You know a way to prevent the meat from rotting? Back in our territory, the cold took care of that for us. But here... it’s much warmer. We don’t have the same advantage."
Kyra nodded. "Yes, I do," she said, her voice steady. "We can build a slow-burning fire and use green wood to create smoke. Cut the meat into strips and hang them over the smoke. The fire needs to stay low so the meat doesn’t cook. The smoke will remove moisture and add flavor, preserving the meat for much longer than it would otherwise."
The group seemed impressed by her knowledge, nodding thoughtfully as they considered the idea.
"And," Kyra continued, "we saw plenty of fruit around here. We can make jam or jelly by boiling them with sugar. It’ll be useful when we need to preserve something else. We’ve also come across various roots and stems that are edible. Lucas has great knowledge of these plants, so we can gather them as we move along. When it’s time to leave, we can do so quickly by flying out of here."
Leader Marc smiled, visibly relieved. "That’s brilliant, Kyra. Preserving the meat and food like that will help us sustain ourselves in this environment. Let’s get to work on it."
With that, everyone began to take action. Kyra’s ideas were met with enthusiasm as they worked together to set up the slow-burning fire, gathering green wood and preparing the meat. Lucas and some others started collecting the roots and fruits Kyra had mentioned, planning to make use of their surroundings as much as possible.
It was a relief to have a plan in place. Though the bad feeling Damon had experienced earlier hadn’t entirely faded, knowing that they were prepared brought some comfort to him. As night began to fall once more, the fire crackled and the scent of smoked meat filled the air, and the group felt a small sense of accomplishment as they settled in for another night in the cave.
The next day began with the morning sun filtering through the dense canopy of the forest, casting soft rays across the cave entrance. Kyra and her group, having gathered enough water the previous day, were now focused on finding more food sources and gathering supplies.
The warriors gathered in the cave, their moods lighter after a restful night. Leader Marc addressed the group, "Alright, today we’ll focus on food collection and any other resources we can find. We’ve got water, but we need more variety in our supplies. We’ll split up again."
Kyra joined Lucas, Damon, and Oliver in a group. Their goal was to search for more fruits, edible plants, and roots that Lucas had knowledge of. Meanwhile, the others were tasked with scouting for additional resources like firewood, wild grains, or anything else that could be useful for their continued journey.
Kyra’s group moved through the dense forest, the sounds of birds chirping and small animals rustling through the underbrush filling the air.
Damon stayed close to Kyra, his protective nature always present, though he remained calm and focused on the task at hand.
Oliver, who had a keen eye for details, spotted a patch of wild berries growing along a vine. He crouched down to inspect them. "These are edible," he said, pointing them out to the group. "We could collect a few for later."
Kyra knelt beside him and examined the berries. "They look ripe and sweet," she said with a smile. "Good find, Oliver."
While they collected the berries, Lucas spotted a cluster of edible roots near a rocky outcrop. He dug them up, making sure to only take the fully grown ones. "These can be used in stir fry; they’re edible," he remarked, brushing the dirt off the roots.
As the group continued searching, Kyra couldn’t help but notice how Lucas and Damon kept subtly competing for her attention. Lucas would point out an interesting plant, only for Damon to top it by finding something even more useful, like a tree full of Juicy oranges that could be easily harvested.
By mid-afternoon, they had filled their bags with a variety of fruits, roots, oranges, and berries. They even managed to collect a few medicinal herbs that Lucas identified, which would be useful in case anyone got injured.
Once they felt they had enough, they started heading back toward the cave, their bags heavy with supplies. On the way, they passed by the small waterfall that had been discovered the previous day by other. The cool, clear water sparkled in the sunlight, and they took a moment to enjoy the refreshing breeze.
When they returned to the cave, they found that the other groups had been just as successful. Kai’s group had gathered a large stack of firewood, while Rowan’s group had found a patch of wild grains that could be ground into flour. Ash and Leo returned with a few more small animals they had caught, providing the group with more meat for the evening.
Leader Marc gathered everyone around the fire, and they shared their finds with one another. The mood was light as they talked and laughed, proud of their accomplishments. Kyra demonstrated how to prepare the fruits into a simple jam using sugar they had brought with them. It was a welcome treat after a long day of hard work.
As the sun began to set and the fire crackled warmly in the cave, everyone settled in for another night. The day’s efforts had paid off, and they were well-stocked with food and supplies.
***
On the fifth day at Silver Peak Mountain, the group had settled into a steady routine. The forest was strange with its odd plants and creatures, but they had avoided serious danger so far.
Kyra had taught everyone how to preserve meat using low heat and smoke. They had successfully preserved much of their meat and gathered plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Today, the plan was to explore deeper into the forest. The group split into four main teams:
Damon, Ash, Leo, Kyra, Lucas, and Rowan went together. Leader Marc, Rylan, Jax, and Theo formed the second team and another two teams.
Four teams were set to cover different areas to maximize their search for resources and explore new parts of the mountain.
Kyra’s team went into a dense part of the forest that they hadn’t yet explored. As they moved through the thick underbrush, they noticed more of the unusual plants and trees. They came across a patch of wild herbs that Lucas identified as useful for cooking and medicine.
