Elara woke up to the sound of her own stomach.
It was a loud, embarrassing growl that echoed in the hollow curve of Kael's stomach. She froze, waiting for the monster to wake up, but the rhythmic thump-thump of his heart didn't change. He was still deep in slumber, a massive wall of warm scales protecting her from the world.
She carefully untangled herself from the furs. Her limbs felt stiff, but for the first time in days, she wasn't shivering.
She crawled out from under Kael's massive tail, stepping onto the cold stone floor.
The Lair was quiet. The carnage from yesterday, the ash piles that used to be raiders, had been swept away by the wind, leaving only the silence of the Void.
"Food," Elara whispered, clutching her stomach. She hadn't eaten in two days.
She scanned the cavern. Gold. Bones. Rocks. Nothing edible.
She looked at Kael. He was twitching in his sleep, likely dreaming of hunting.
She needed to find something before she passed out. She walked toward the pile of "trash" Kael had shoved into a corner, the remnants of the raiders' gear.
She rummaged through the leather tunic of the man Kael had smashed against the wall. A grim task, but desperation made her bold. In a pouch, she found a treasure more valuable than the gold scattered on the floor:
A flint and steel. And a small packet of dried herbs and salt.
"Thank you, dead bandit," she muttered.
Now she just needed meat.
As if summoned by her hunger, Kael stirred. The mountain of scales shifted. He lifted his head, blinking sleepily. When he saw Elara standing by the entrance, he immediately scrambled to his feet, his claws scrabbling for purchase on the gold coins.
"Gone?" his voice boomed in her head, panicked.
"I'm here," Elara said quickly, holding up her hands. "I'm just... hungry, Kael. I need food."
Kael paused. He sniffed the air. He heard her stomach growl again.
His ears flattened in shame. He had forgotten the small thing needed fuel.
"Wait," he commanded.
He turned and bolted out of the cavern. He moved with terrifying speed. Elara heard a distant crash, a squeal, and a thud.
Three minutes later, he returned.
He dropped a Void Boar—a creature the size of a pony with tusks like scimitars, at her feet. It was very dead. And very raw.
Kael nudged it toward her, looking proud. "Eat."
Elara looked at the carcass. It was a feast, but she had no knife strong enough to butcher it, and she certainly couldn't eat it raw.
She looked at the dragon rib bones scattered around. Some were splintered and sharp. She grabbed a jagged shard of bone. It wasn't perfect, but it would work as a knife.
"Thank you," she said. She knelt and began the messy work of slicing a strip of meat from the boar's flank.
Kael watched, fascinated. "Small claws. Inefficient."
"I'm doing my best," Elara grunted.
She managed to cut a few thick steaks. Now for the hard part.
She gathered some dried moss and old, brittle wood from the raiders' broken spear shafts. She piled them in a small circle of stones near the cave entrance for ventilation.
She struck the flint. Click. Spark.
It took a few tries, but a small flame caught the moss. It flared up, orange and bright.
"ROAR!"
The sound wasn't a word; it was a sonic boom.
Elara was knocked backward by a gust of wind as Kael lunged. He didn't attack her—he attacked the fire.
He slammed his massive paw down on the small campfire, snuffing it out instantly. Smoke hissed up from under his palm.
He grabbed Elara with his other hand, gently, but firmly, and yanked her away from the "danger." He pulled her behind him, shielding her with his body, his hackles raised.
"Trap!" he bellowed mentally. "Fire burns! Hurt!"
He thought the fire was an accident. He thought she had hurt herself.
Elara peeked out from behind his leg. "Kael, no! I made the fire!"
Kael looked at her, then at the crushed remains of her campfire. He looked confused. "Why? You seek pain?"
"To cook!" Elara explained, stepping out of his shadow. "Humans can't eat raw meat, Kael. We get sick. We have to burn it a little bit first."
Kael stared at her. The concept was alien. Burn the food? To make it... good?
"Let me show you," she pleaded. "Please. I'm starving."
Kael hesitated. He looked at the flint in her hand. He looked at her desperate eyes.
Slowly, he stepped back. But he kept his tail ready to swat the fire out if it got too big.
Elara rebuilt the fire. Kael watched the flames with deep suspicion, his unblinking eyes reflecting the orange glow.
She skewered the meat on a clean stick and held it over the flames. The fat began to render. It sizzled, dripping into the fire with a hiss.
Then, the smell hit.
The scent of roasting meat, rich and savory, filled the cavern.
Kael's nostrils flared. He inhaled deeply. His head tilted. This did not smell like burning; it smelled... incredible.
Elara sprinkled the dead bandit's salt and herbs onto the meat. The aroma intensified.
Kael crept closer. He was practically drooling.
When the meat was browned and charred at the edges, Elara pulled it back. She blew on it to cool it down, then took a small bite. She moaned with pleasure. It was tough and gamey, but after days of starvation, it tasted like heaven.
She swallowed and looked up.
Kael was staring at the stick of meat. His giant, terrifying face was inches from her hand. He made a small, pathetic whimpering sound.
Elara laughed. "Do you want some?"
"Poison?" he asked, though he didn't believe it.
"No. Delicious."
She couldn't give him the stick, he would swallow it whole. She sliced a large chunk of the boar, rubbed it with salt, and threw it onto the fire directly. She let it char, then used two sticks to pull it out.
" careful," she warned. "It's hot."
Kael didn't care. He lowered his head and snapped up the cooked steak.
He chewed.
He stopped.
His eyes widened until they were almost perfectly round.
For a thousand years, he had eaten raw, bloody meat. He had never tasted salt. He had never tasted seared fat. He had never tasted herbs.
A shudder went through his massive body. The flavor exploded in his mouth.
"MAGIC," he whispered reverently.
He looked at the rest of the boar carcass. Then he looked at Elara. He nudged the entire 300-pound animal toward the tiny fire.
"Burn it all," he commanded.
Elara looked at the mountain of meat, then at her tiny pile of sticks. "Kael, I'm going to need more wood."
Kael turned to the entrance of the cave. He raised a claw and sliced a massive drift-log in half, creating a pile of firewood in seconds.
He sat down next to her, his tail thumping rhythmically against the floor. He watched the fire not with fear, but with hunger.
Elara smiled, skewering another piece of meat. She was still a prisoner, and he was still a monster. But as they sat there, sharing a meal by the firelight, the Void didn't feel quite so lonely.
She was the Chef. He was the King. And the King was hungry.