Page 32 of Raw

I didn’t respond, because I didn’t feel like an answer was necessary. But I did recognize Fennec’s annoyance while he talked about him.

“Have you eaten breakfast already?” I asked instead, crawling past him to get down from the treehouse.

“Yeah, Papa did too. I found yeast in his tent, stored away in a small jar, so I made pancakes.”

“You went through his stuff?”

When I reached the ground, Fennec followed close behind. “Yeah, I had to. He’s got a whole lot more in there,” he stated.

I didn’t wanna know.

Privacy was still a thing out here.

“Where are the pancakes?” I asked, looking around.

“I placed them back over the fire to keep them warm. There’s also some leftover fruit.”

I looked over to the fire to see a pan on the grill, filled with pancakes. “Thank you, they look great.”

I walked over to the fireplace and took the pan away. The fire had extinguished already, since we didn’t necessarily need it all day long.

“Come sit with me. I’m working on a bow. Thought it would be a fun new way of hunting. I’m sick of the guns. I need more challenges. It’s getting too damn easy.”

He placed a bow on the table next to my breakfast, and I watched him use his knife to cut and carve his new weapon.

“Doesn’t Papa have a bow already? Why don’t you use his?” I asked.

“It’s broken. He used it once last year and later that day it broke while he pulled the string back.”

“Must’ve been a cheap one,” I pointed out.

“Probably. But this one will be of high quality. Just like my knives.”

I smiled at his determination, but I didn’t doubt him one bit.

I knew he was good at making useful things.

“Can I use the bow too? I’ve always wanted to learn how to use one.”

“Of course. When I’m finished, I’ll take you hunting up on the mountain. It’s easier to shoot birds up there,” he explained.

I started eating the pancakes, and after finishing one, Papa appeared from between the trees.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Sleep well?”

I smiled brightly and nodded, then hugged his side as he stepped closer to me.

“Yeah, you?”

“Like a bear. I found some berries. I’ll clean them and you can have some more if you’d like.”

I couldn’t help but look at Fennec’s face when Papa announced he picked berries, thinking he wouldn’t as Fen obviously found every single one around this area.

Fen’s jaw was clenched, and I looked back up at Papa with a smile. “I’d love some more berries. Thank you,” I told him, receiving a kiss on my forehead in return.

“Don’t be like this, Fen,” I whispered as Papa left to wash the berries, but he didn’t look at me.

Instead, he focused on the bow in front of him, moving the knife in my direction with every carve.

---