Rion watched the dancing clouds for a moment before he rose from the ground with a soft exhale and began to prepare the station to cook the meal.
"Hah..."
The coming-of-age ritual began with each youth hunting a beast of their choice. Once the hunt was complete, they were to prepare a meal from their kill and serve it to their parents, the chieftain, the vice lord, the den lord, and all those of awakened bloodlines.
It was more than a tradition — it was a symbol of growth and gratitude. The act meant that they had become capable enough to feed those who had once fed them.
The ritual lasted an entire week, for not everyone could hunt their beast in a single day like Rion.
Rion shuffled over to the bucket with the meat, untied the white cloth wrapped around his waist and covered the bucket with it.
After that, he walked over to the heap of stones and picked the ones that were the size of an adult human’s head.
The uneven stones were cold to the touch because they had been there since the previous day.
He moved a couple of stones near the slab and crouched near them. He slowly dug the ground with his hands and placed the stones in the shallow holes, forming two small boundaries.
He picked up the stone slab and placed it over the boundaries to finish their cooking station. He then walked over to the prepared timber and gathered it together before placing it beside the stone station.
Huf... huff...
A few moments later, panting sounds reached his ears.
He turned his head toward them, and his eyes fell to Karhun, who was breathing heavily and had his hands on his knees. On his back was a leather bag that had all of the condiments and objects they would require to make an edible meal.
A smile appeared on his face, and he called out, "Karhun."
Karhun looked at him. Took the leather pouch off his back, showed it to him and spoke with a smile, "I got everything."
He nodded and said, "It’s all up to you now."
Karhun nodded and walked over to the stone station to prepare the meal.
***
Rion crouched a few steps away from the station and watched Karhun prepare the meal while drool dripped down the corners of Rion’s lips.
The reason for his being so far from the station was simply his immortal body.
For some reason that he did not know of, he had begun to feel hungrier after his twelfth birthday, which, in turn, made him a glutton. But he didn’t hate it he had become taller because of it, after all.
But it wasn’t the only one to fault. Lara had also stuffed him with delicious food because he had apparently entered his growth period.
Karhun looked at him from the corners of his eyes and shook his head in thought, ’Where does he even fit all that food?’
Rion had a lean frame, so his worries were not completely baseless, and he was also unaware of his immortal body, so there was no way for him to guess the answer to his own question.
"How long is it going to take?" Rion questioned while impatiently tapping the ground with his right foot.
Fire danced within the gap under the stone slab, and the wolf meat was being cooked over it, spreading the aroma all around.
Kahrun crushed a herb that looked like a dried black leaf on it, then he turned his head towards Rion and answered with a thoughtful look, "About ten to fifteen minutes."
Rion nodded and closed his eyes because he didn’t want to see the freshly cut meat being slowly cooked with the distinct herbs and spices; the aroma of it was already making it hard for him to control himself.
"Can you take out the pouches from the bag?" Karhun asked while focusing on preparing the meal.
"Hye Hye," Rion muttered and walked over to the leather bag placed near the timber. He took out the leather pouches, placed them beside the station and draped the bag on his back before once again crouching at his previous position.
Ten minutes passed in a blur, and Karhun’s voice reached him, "It’s done."
He opened his eyes, looked at the charred meat and said, "Let’s go then." He rose and began to walk towards the entrance of the den.
Kahrun turned his head towards him in confusion and asked, "You don’t want to taste it?"
Rion stopped in his tracks and looked back at him with a frown and stated, "How can I eat it before my parents do? I may not be that great myself, but for me, they are the greatest parents I could ever ask for."
Kahrun turned silent at his words. Tears began to roll down his face as he spoke in a shaky voice, "Y-you l-love your parents a lot, huh?"
Rion smiled and asked in a playful tone, "You don’t?"
Kahrun wiped his tears, and a wide smile appeared on his face as he replied in a happy tone, "I do."
Rion nodded and gestured for him to follow.
"Let’s go, we can’t have this go cold."
Kahrun quickly transferred all of the cooked meat into the pouches and began to follow him with a cheerful shout, "Yeah!"
A few minutes later, they entered the Redwood Basin and just as they stepped there, Rion said, "You don’t have to follow me to my house... Go to your house and offer the meat to your parents first."
Kahrun looked at him with a grateful expression and began to lumber to his home.
Rion watched him leave, then he shifted his eyes to the pouch in his hand and mumbled with a faint smile, "It’s been fifteen years... so many things have changed, yet I feel grateful for everything that’s been given to me."
The smile continued to tug at his lips as he made his way back to the home.