Evan started to wake up. He stretched this way and that, replaying his dream. He'd been hit by a truck and sent to a furry world.
"That would be amazing."
Evan opened his eyes and, after a moment, realized he wasn't in his own room. He sat up in bed and looked out the window. Tall, pointed, gothic. He got out of bed. He was wearing only pajamas printed with little spice jars. He walked up to the window and opened it. He took a deep breath of the fresh air that carried the scent of herbs.
At that moment he heard a knock.
"Come in."
Two lion maids walked inside. Evan smiled. So it hadn't been a dream.
He took the school uniform from them. He was pretty surprised when he saw it. A black jacket with a long tail and red trim, a white shirt with a high collar, black pants with a red lampasse stripe and black shoes.
He felt weird in clothes like that, but oh well…
A uniform is a uniform. Now it was time for breakfast.
The maids showed him the way to the cafeteria. Evan, however, could barely focus on the route. He kept looking left and right, almost wishing he had eyes in the back of his head.
He watched the students around him. There were so many different species that furry conventions back home would pale in comparison: hyenas, wolves, rabbits, lizards, sheep, pigs, mantises, foxes, cats, lions and many, many more…
He especially let his gaze linger on the girls in short skirts with corsets and colorful sleeves, stockings and low heels.
And it wasn't just him staring at the students. The students were staring at him too. Bits of conversation reached his ears.
"A human?"
"I thought they only existed in legends."
"Is he real?"
To be fair, he should've expected this. The headmaster had told him he was the only human in the entire world. If a real elf or some other fantasy race suddenly appeared on Earth, it would be a huge sensation too.
He finally reached the cafeteria. One thing surprised him. There were two serving windows. One for carnivores and one for herbivores.
While he was wondering which one to choose, he suddenly bumped into someone.
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
A moment later Evan realized he'd bumped into a grey-furred rabbit. They stared at each other for a second before Evan held out his hand.
"I'm Evan Smith."
The rabbit shook his hand.
"Rufus Lapin."
A moment later they got in line at the herbivore window and picked up their trays. Then they sat at a table, eating salad and veggie patties and talking.
"Humans are herbivores? I thought you eat meat."
"Humans are omnivores. I can eat both plants and meat just fine."
"I see…"
Rufus sighed and looked over at the carnivores' tables.
"You can't…?"
"If I tried, I'd wreck my stomach, seriously. A stomachache and diarrhea would be the least of my problems. But I've always wondered why carnivores get so worked up when they talk about meat."
For some reason Evan mentally filed that away. He didn't know why.
Classes seemed pretty normal—right up until it was time for cooking.
Everyone had to change into white chef coats. That in itself wasn't anything special. What was unusual was how advanced the classroom was. It looked like a professional culinary school, not an ordinary school kitchen.
The teacher, a badger, took his place behind the desk, and behind him at a table sat three people: a rabbit, a ram, and a goat.
"Listen up, students. Today we'll be cooking for herbivores, so all animal products are forbidden. If I catch you using any, you'll end up in the display case."
Some of the students swallowed hard. Evan didn't really understand what exactly that "display case" was. He assumed it was some kind of punishment.
One person, however, didn't seem bothered at all.
It was a red-furred vixen with a fluffy tail.
"Cooking for herbivores is easy."
She sounded confident, and her tail was slightly raised, arched and gently swaying. It wasn't just empty talk—she really believed it.
Evan, however, had a different opinion. Once, he'd crashed and burned at a contest because he'd been too sure of himself. Ever since then, he kept his confidence on a tight leash.
"It doesn't have to be that easy."
The vixen's tail went still. She turned toward him.
"You sure about that? I'm Callisa Vulpine."
She straightened up, thrusting out her rather large chest, and her tail arched high. Evan had no idea what to say. There was a brief awkward silence. He was just about to say he'd only arrived yesterday, but the vixen spoke first.
"My family runs several restaurant chains and sits on the council that awards chef titles. I'm a respected chef myself."
"That's amazing."
Evan really thought so—or at least he thought that's what he was supposed to say. But apparently the girl didn't take it that way.
"Really?"
"Yeah. You don't have to get upset."
"I'm not upset."
"Your tail…"
Evan pointed at her tail. The fur on it was bristling, and it was lashing sharply from side to side. It was obvious she was angry, no matter how calm she sounded.
The girl glanced at her tail, then looked back at Evan. There was a threat in her eyes, backed by a toothy grin. She poked him in the chest with a finger.
"I know humans have a refined sense of taste and know a lot about cooking, but don't underestimate me."
"But I…"
"How about we settle this? We'll see who can make the better dish."
Evan glanced at the teacher, looking for help.
"That's an interesting idea. I'd like to see for myself how much truth there is in the legends."
Callisa smiled, and her tail arched again, now swaying gently.
And that was how their cooking duel started. Callisa was the first to head into the pantry, gently humming and swaying her tail. Evan wasn't ready for this. He had no idea what he should make. At first he thought of something simple—until his eyes fell on a small dark bottle. Then he remembered his conversation with Rufus. Thanks to that one thought, he had a plan.
After some time, both of them had their dishes ready.
"Miss Vulpine, you first."
Callisa walked up with her tail held high, pushing a cart with four silver domes. She laid them out in front of the jury and the teacher, then lifted the covers.
"Honored judges. Professor. I present to you ragout de légumes aux fines herbes made with eight kinds of vegetables and seven kinds of herbs."
Evan had to admit, it was impressive. A delicate herbal aroma caressed his sense of smell. The way it was plated also showed high-level skills. It was the kind of dish you could easily serve in a multi–star restaurant.
Callisa looked at him like she'd already won, her tail raised high and gently swaying.
"I've got a portion for you too."
She handed him a bowl of ragout.
"Try it."
Evan tasted the dish and could say only one thing.
"Delicious."
And it was. The vegetables were perfectly tender, their flavor spreading through his mouth and filling his whole body with satisfaction.
Callisa gave him a challenging look.
"Your turn."
Evan, a bit uncertainly, set his dish down in front of the judges and the teacher.
"I made a beet burger with sweet potato fries, red cabbage coleslaw, and garlic aioli."
Callisa let out a light laugh, wagging her tail like a broom.
"Seriously? You're serving something so—"
Suddenly she fell silent. Her tail froze mid-swing. Her nose began to work furiously.
"What smells like that?"
The vixen looked toward what she thought was the source of the smell, but that couldn't be it. It was Evan's burgers. She'd been watching him from the corner of her eye the whole time, so she was certain there wasn't anything in them that could be associated with meat. And yet from those dirt-simple burgers came a smell that could only be described as the aroma of juicy, delicious meat taken straight off the fire.
The jury smelled it too. They shivered slightly and half closed their eyes. Only when the teacher assured them there were no animal products in the dish did the judges finally bring themselves to try it.
The goat went first. He grabbed a burger with both hands and brought it to his mouth. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.
He bit into it and started chewing.
Shock flashed across his face, then melted into satisfaction tinged with something like mystic ecstasy.
"Delicious. It tastes like nothing else."
The other judges also sank their teeth into their burgers, and bliss bloomed across their faces.
Callisa had no idea what was happening. A burger with no meat in it smelled like a juicy roast, and pure bliss was written across the judges' faces.
What the hell was going on?!
Evan handed her a burger he had made on the side for Rufus. The vixen grabbed it and bit into it. The moment she tasted the first bite, she couldn't believe it. They were definitely beets, but she could clearly taste the smoke of a meat roast. The tempting smell of meat and the aftertaste of fresh roast straight from the fire, where there shouldn't have been any at all.
"Well?"
Despite all her experience and skill, she couldn't find an answer. What she was experiencing right now flew in the face of all cooking logic.
In response, Evan showed her a small black bottle. On the label was a simple drawing of a campfire in the woods.
"Liquid smoke?"
Callisa was stunned. Liquid smoke was just something you used to boost the flavor of meat sauces, but using it in something that wasn't meat at all…
Her thoughts were interrupted by the teacher.
"Miss Vulpine. You served us a wonderful classic vegetable ragout, but Evan wins. He gave us something that goes far beyond the classic pattern. May I ask where you got the idea?"
Evan took a breath and told them about his conversation with Rufus at breakfast. Callisa looked from Evan to the burger and back again. Her tail drooped completely and slipped between her legs.
"I was so sure of my skills…"
Evan spoke to her.
"Callisa."
She looked up at him.
"You really are an amazing chef. What I said earlier wasn't because I thought I was better than you. It's just that I once crashed hard because of my own overconfidence."
Callisa flattened her ears and wrapped her tail around one of her legs.
"I feel so stupid. But I have to admit the teacher is right. You won."
She held out her hand, and Evan shook it. At that moment Callisa's tail shot up, and her ears perked straight up. She suddenly pulled Evan toward her and started sniffing him intensely.
"Callisa, what are you doing?!"
The vixen didn't seem to react to his words at all. She was completely absorbed in his scent. She could feel wetness gathering as she suddenly felt a smack to the back of her head.
"Miss Callisa Vulpine, class is still in session."
"Sorry."
She tucked her tail away again, slightly embarrassed, but licked her lips without the slightest shame.
During break, out in the courtyard, Evan and Rufus sat together. Rufus was happily eating a beet burger seasoned with liquid smoke. Evan was glad the prof had let him use the kitchen to make another burger for Rufus.
"It's good, but nothing beats carrots."
"You really do sound like a rabbit."
They both burst out laughing.
They had no idea that Callisa was hiding around the corner, eyes fixed on Evan, drool dripping from her mouth.