Five people filed out; the extra person followed a few feet behind them. Enzo could feel the person’s gaze on him. He figured it was because of what happened in the hut.
Zeli, wrapped an arm around his, grinned and said, "How did you know to do that? I thought you forgot everything."
He didn’t realize his question had the beginnings of one that would stir the hornet’s nest.
"I didn’t know." Enzo shrugged. "In my head, it made sense, so I said it."
"Is it like when you asked about women?"
Enzo felt his temple throb. The casual word he had thrown out had come back to him. He nodded nonchalantly.
The three around him couldn’t help giving him a second glance. None of them took it to heart. Zeli’s parents knew there was something wrong with Enzo’s head. As for the person behind them, though he was interested, he didn’t overthink everything Enzo said.
He followed until they reached the central area again.
"Thank you," the person said.
Enzo turned, slightly confused. When he saw the person’s eyes on him, he replied, "You’re welcome."
The person walked away. Raz, Kifa’s partner, said a few words before leaving to join the other warriors. It was in the same direction that person had gone before.
"Who was he?" Enzo asked, referring to the person who left earlier.
"Rider, the chief’s son," Kifa replied.
"Oh." Enzo knew who he was now. He hadn’t looked clearly at him the entire time. The man didn’t seem remarkable. The book made him sound like someone who couldn’t be ignored, but he didn’t see that.
He was handsome, sure, but to Enzo, the blood-covered man carried an aura greater than Rider’s.
Kifa rubbed Enzo’s hair and walked towards the older sub-beasts.
Zeli caught him spacing out and waved a hand in front of his face. "Don’t tell me you like Rider?"
Enzo’s head snapped towards him. "No, why would you think that?" He asked.
"You were staring in the direction he left."
Enzo shook his head. "I’m not interested in him. I was thinking about something else."
"What?"
"The beastman in the hut," he said quickly. "Your beast-father said he saved everyone, but no one seemed to care."
Zeli wrapped a hand around Enzo’s shoulders. "Hunting is dangerous. Everyone knows that males get hurt all the time. As long as they don’t die, it’s good enough. If he lives, the chief will grant him a place to live if he needs it. Or resources, if he wants to leave. Not to mention, he’s an unknown beastman."
It seemed like a cold way to do things, but as Enzo’s eye caught a large tiger using its claws to cut the meat from what Enzo could only describe as a giant mutated cow, he understood.
The tribe is safe; the outside world is not.
And as he stared at the trees in the distance, he felt the familiar tug. The same feeling he had when he first entered the forest, as if something was calling to him.
He placed a hand over his heart, rubbed it twice, and then ignored the feeling completely.
Aside from the unknown beastman’s injury, the rest of the day was peaceful. Everyone went up to receive their portion of meat. The meat distributed was for their current needs. However, a portion was set aside to be smoked. This would be their winter ration.
Enzo was possibly the most idle person in the tribe. After getting the meat, he ran back to his hut. The piece he received was big enough to eat for a few days.
Had it been his previous body, it might have fed him for at least two weeks. But, seeing how much he ate at Zeli’s, he knew that wasn’t an option here.
Not to mention, he needed to get some meat on his bones. That meant he needed to eat more than his usual intake. It’s only been a day; how could he have forgotten his mission for a big booty?
He didn’t waste time when he walked in. He remembered he still needed to check the space. He didn’t try to go in himself; instead, he tried to get the meat inside.
Using his mind, he thought collect and the piece of meat disappeared. Enzo was ecstatic. Seeing it disappear her thought for it to appear, and it did. It was covered in dirt on one side, but Enzo didn’t care.
He jumped for joy when he saw it, then he thought, enter. He wanted to see the place for himself.
The world tilted, and suddenly his view changed. It was just like his dream. The dark soil, the blue skies, the four misty walls. It was exactly the same as his dream.
Thinking no one could see him, Enzo started dancing with the meat in his hands.
The main god of transmigration, truck-kun, may not have taken him, but the sleepy transmigration one did, and he gave him a useful gift.
He was still thinking about how to build a door and whether he would suffocate if he used a large rock to block the door of the hut. Now, with this temperature-controlled space, he didn’t need to care.
He could hole up all winter, plant sweet potatoes, and whatever else he could find before winter. Sure, meat would be scarce, but he didn’t care. It was better than nothing.
When he was done dancing, he hurriedly left the space. The door idea wasn’t complete, and he wasn’t sure whether anyone would come looking for him.
Luckily, no one did.
Enzo decided he wouldn’t go to Zeli’s for dinner. Freeloading had its limits. Plus, Zeli’s beast-father was back, so he should give them family some alone time.
He padded around his hut, searching more thoroughly. He filled the water vat the previous day, but he didn’t eat here. If he wanted to make something, he needed to make sure he had at least salt.
His ginger and mushrooms had been confiscated, but he had meat, and he could render fat. A night of friend meat is good. His journey to culinary freedom is around the corner.
Maybe one day, he could get some milk and find a way to create ice cream.