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Rick shrugged, seeming unbothered, and started properly breaking camp. "So Slash, where'd you find this deer? Did you have to go far?"
"Nah. There's one of those places where the dirt tastes good over that way–" He pointed over his shoulder. "–and a bunch of deer were hanging out there. This one barely even saw me." He grinned proudly again. "I can hunt again in the morning if you want."
"I think this'll holding us the morning, if not all of tomorrow."
The head was already off, sitting beside Charlotte and watching her work. She was skinning the deer expertly, working delicately and without damaging the animal further.
Slash shifted back into a pine marten and picked up the deer's head in his jaws, then carried it over to his nest in the grass and settled down with it. "Juft toff me the legthh when you get them off," he said. the sound of bone cracking followed shortly after.
Rick finished his work and pulled a collapsible lantern from his back pack, lighting it with a small stick from the fire and hooking it to his belt. "Hey Slash, d'you happen to know where the closest clean water is?"
"There'ff a ftream jutht over the hill."
Rick winced. "No need to talk with your mouth full, son. I'll be right back, I'm gonna go refill my canteen."
Once he was gone, Slash stopped eating and glanced at Charlotte. "You guys are acting weird," he said bluntly. "What happened while I was hunting?"
Charlotte tensed slightly, and failed to hide it. "Nothing, we were just talking," she assured Slash, sawing at the leg bones.
Slash's nose twitched. "You're all jittery," he observed–seeming completely oblivious to the possibility that he could be making her jittery. "Did you guys….get in a fight or something?"
"I—" She broke off, trying to stabilize her voice. "No. On the contrary."
One leg fell off.
The teenage Deorn tilted his head, puzzled. "Huh? Then what were you….?"
Just then Rick came back, dousing his lantern as he reached the fire. "Boy, that stream sure is cold at this hour. How's that deer coming along, Charlotte?"
Charlotte exhaled heavily, lifting her head to the sky in relief. "Right on time there Rick! It's coming along well, the pelt is off and cleaned and I've got two more legs to go!"
"Wonderful! Here, I'll take one leg, you take the other." Rick pulled out his knife and started in on the deer, careful not to get in Charlotte's way. "This is gonna taste good. How do you like your venison?"
She stiffened, having Rick close to her again, but this time she thought it was more discreet. "Fully cooked."
And her last leg came off. She chucked three of them over to Slash before starting to cut the deer open.
Slash practically pounced on the deer legs and began to gnaw on them–but his pale eyes were still locked on Charlotte and Rick with a mixture of suspicion and nosy curiosity.
"Sounds fine to me," Rick was saying as he detached the final leg. "Boiled or roasted? I have some spices we could add to make it a little more interesting."
"Yes, go for it. I think roasted would be best."
Reaching into the gaping hole of the deer's chest, Charlotte pulled out all of its organs in a bloody pile. Standing up, she walked over to Slash. "Take your pick." "
"All of them," Slash said, eyeing them hungrily. But then he hesitated. "Are you sure you don't want any? They're the best part."
Charlotte debated, and set them on the ground before taking the liver and the heart back. "All yours."
She brought those and the rest of the meat back to the fire where Rick stood.
Rick had set up a spit over the fire and was busy cutting the meat into manageable chunks and skewering them on sticks. "You know, this'll take a while to cook, so maybe what we should do is take turns watching it while the other catches some rest. We've only got so many hours in the night before it's time to head out again. Sound like a plan?"
"Yes, okay. Mind if I go first?" she asked, avoiding his gaze.
"Nope, not at all. Wait, sleep first or stand watch first?"
"Sleep."
She was already sitting down by her bag.
"Works for me." Rick made himself comfortable by the fire and continued ganging the meat over the flames. "I'll switch places with you in a couple hours."
She nodded, lying down at resting her head on her bag. "See you later…"
"Night."
Thirty minutes of silence passed. Slash waited until he knew Charlotte was asleep, then stopped chewing on the deer's bones and glanced at Rick. "What happened while I was out hunting?"
Rick looked up in surprise. "What?"
"Something happened. I asked Charlotte but she said you didn't fight. So why are you both acting weird?"
Rick frowned. "That's none of your concern," he said sternly, but quietly. "If you're gonna stay in this group, you need to respect our privacy, alright? Don't bother Miss Charlotte about it again or you and me will have to have a little talk."
Slash huffed and rested his head on his paws, closing his eyes. "Fiiine."
After that, neither of them spoke. Eventually, Rick checked the stars and decided it was time to wake Charlotte up. Standing, he went over to her. "Wake up, Charlotte," he said. "The meat's about half-way cooked now."
It took a minute for him to wake her up, but she was alert as soon as she was. She stood, ceding her spot to Rick, and took a seat by the firw.
Rick yawned and flopped down tiredly, and soon he was fast asleep.
The night passed peacefully. Slash had fallen asleep as well at some point, and was curled up with his tail draped over his nose. The only sounds were the wind, the fire, and a few crickets in the long grass.
Charlotte watched them both sleeping, stoking the fire from time to time and checking on the meat. About an hour to dawn, it seemed cooked, and took most of it off, leaving some pieces higher above it to dry them out and make them last longer.
She ate a quick dinner, letting her thoughts flow free of all eyes.
Slash woke up just as the sky was turning from black to grey. He sat up, gave his ear a scratch, stretched, and shook himself. Casting a quick glance at Charlotte, he turned and trotted off through the grass, his nose already low to the ground and searching for the scent of prey.