Page 37 of The Hunter

After she stood her spear next to her backpack, Lacey grabbed a short, pointy stick and a big leaf and joined Cole to gather some meat for herself.

They brought their now skewered meat back to the fire, where she plopped herself down with a groan. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get back up again.”

Chuckling, Cole sat down on the opposite side of the fire. “Oh, I’m sure Telok won’t mind helping you up.”

Lacey smiled, not taking her eyes off him as she picked up a little rock from the ground. “Hey, Cole, I think I see a bug. Right…on…your forehead.”

“Tell you what, Lacey. You let the bug do its thing undisturbed, and when we get back to Kaldarak, I’ll make you a mannequin that you can throw rocks at to your heart’s content.”

Lacey laughed and tossed the rock aside. “Deal. But it has to look like you.”

He shook his head, grinning. “You are a cruel, cruel woman.”

They held their skewers over the fire. As the meat sizzled, a vrix approached, stabbing the blunt end of a spear into the ground before lowering themself beside Lacey. She turned her head, ready to greet them, but the words died on her tongue. It wasn’t a brightly colored thornskull. It was Telok, his forelegs folded on the ground in front of him with the other four tucked along his hindquarters.

He carried a long stick in one hand with several chunks of meat impaled upon it, which he thrust out over the fire.

“Uh…hi,” Lacey said.

Telok offered her a curt nod, though his eyes softened.

“What’s up, buddy?” Cole asked skeptically.

After quietly staring at Cole, Telok gestured to the food he was roasting like the answer to the question should’ve been the most obvious thing in the world.

Cole arched a brow. “I thought you didn’t like your meat cooked.”

“Be silent,” Telok replied. “I must listen.”

“For what?”

“Danger.”

“The only danger here is of you fucking up that meat because you don’t know what you’re doing.”

With a huff, Telok raised a hand, holding his palm toward Cole’s face.

“Did you just⁠—”

Telok shifted his hand an inch closer to Cole.

Lacey snickered.

Eyebrows raised, Cole glanced at her. “Is he for real right now?”

She shrugged. “I mean, you taught him all these smartass human gestures.”

“I’m not to blame for this!” When he looked back at Telok, he reached under the vrix’s raised arm. “Give it to me. I’ll make sure it’s cooked right.”

Clacking his mandible fangs, Telok twisted, shifting his meat-laden stick out of the human’s reach. “You cook often. It must be easy.”

“I’m not going to sit here while you commit crimes against fire-roasted meat.” Cole leaned forward, his own stick wobbling over the flames, but he was stopped short by Telok’s hand pressing against his face.

Cole wasn’t a small guy. He was probably six-one or six-two, with an athletic build and the kind of strength that came from working with his hands all day. But it didn’t seem to take Telok any effort to push Cole back upright even with the man actively resisting.

Finally, Cole gave up, withdrawing his smooshed face from Telok’s hand. “Fine. If you mess it up, it’s on you. Hope you enjoy burnt meat.”

“Um, Cole…” Lacey pointed at his skewer. “You might want to pay attention to your meat.”